Chapter 9: What are you waiting for!? Hurry up and take off your training top!

Arsenal's reserve team is definitely the hottest team in the EFL Trophy this year. This is largely because they have two players who recently returned from Arsenal's senior team in the Premier League in order to gain more experience.

These players are Diego Vargas, who joined, and another player coming from VfB Stuttgart, Serge Gnabry.

Vargas and Gnabry are both newcomers this year. These people have more or less proved themselves in the latter period.

Generally speaking, apart from players in League One, only young players whose level didn't completely reach the Premier League or don't have enough experience end up playing in the EFL Trophy. But even those players are considered "game changers" in this cup.

Lucas remembers watching the news about a similar situation before, where a young player who couldn't make it in the Premier League dominated in the EFL Trophy.

However, after being promised to the first team in the Premier League, that same player's performance was extremely inconsistent. Although Lucas didn't want to admit it, he knew that player was just not good enough for the Premier League.

It goes to show the vast gap between the Premier League and the other lower leagues in England. Most players who didn't make it in the Premier League can play decent performance in the League One.

Diego Vargas is one such example. Though he temporarily can't play in the Premier League, he has teared up a team from League One in their first game in the EFL Trophy by scoring a hat trick.

Therefore, the strength of Arsenal's reserve team with these two players is not to be underestimated.

Lucas also knows that Serge Gnabry is no pushover. He knows that this winger, who can't currently make it in the Premier League, will one day become a World Star player playing the Champions League and the World Cup for Germany.

So, this match is bound to be very tough for Brentford.

"I want you to play efficient football and attack their defense relentlessly. We must keep up with them on the offensive end!"

Before the game started, Conor was nervously giving instructions to his starting eleven. The player he emphasized for an efficient offense was Joel Brockman.

As the only player on Brentford's team who has played in the Premier League, Joel has always had high expectations placed on him. Unfortunately, he hasn't lived up to his status as a former Premier League player.

So far this season, Joel has only managed to score 1 goal, with a shooting accuracy of 2/10 and a total of ten shots on target in five games; defensively, although he is very aggressive, this also makes him make a careless foul many times.

But what troubles Conor even more is that Joel is the only player he can rely on. Against Diego Vargas today, only Joel can match up with him.

"You know the drill, just get me the ball," Joel waved off the coach's instructions as if they were pointless.

As the game began, there wasn't much cheering in the stadium, which only had about 4,000 fans in attendance, but the basic conditions of Brentford match, which were consistent with what you'd see in a Premier League game, including the stadium atmosphere.

Therefore, when Lucas sat on the bench to watch the game, he was a bit excited. After all, this was his first time watching a professional football match live in England!

"Lucas!"

Just as Lucas was scanning the stands in awe, Conor suddenly shouted at him.

"I'm here!" Lucas quickly turned his head, his palms sweating with nerves.

"Be ready at any moment and remember, I don't want you making mistakes as soon as you step onto the pitch like last time."

Then, Conor said no more, focusing on the match.

Lucas clenched his fists. His performance in yesterday's training session must have left an impression on Conor. If Joel can't hold his own later, Conor will definitely put him in as a substitute. That would be his chance to shine!

The referee blew the whistle, and the match officially began.

Gnabry easily won the first attack. His physical condition and athletic ability are top-notch for League One.

After he advanced the ball into Brentford's half, he passed it to their star player, Diego Vargas, without hesitation. Joel immediately marked him, and the duel between these two forwards drew a lot of attention!

Joel marked Diego very closely, knowing that Diego is renowned for his precise shooting.

However, Diego didn't seem fazed by Joel's defense. He dribbled past him with ease, leaving Joel in the dust with just one move!

"He's so fast!" Lucas widened his eyes. From what he remembered, Diego Vargas didn't have that kind of speed in the Premier League. His pace wasn't supposed to be associated with the word "fast."

But in the EFL Trophy, Diego's dribbling and speed were impressive.

Part of it had to do with the fact that this was Lucas's first time watching a professional British game renowned for their athletic ability in person, where even the slower players on TV appeared much quicker live.

Diego successfully dribbled past and boldly charged towards the goal. Like Joel, Diego isn't a soft player; his style is aggressive.

In fact, if he were a soft player, he wouldn't have lasted in the Premier League and La Liga. Those who seem physically average in the Premier League are still top-tier players in other leagues.

A frustrated Joel tried to catch up, but he was surprised to see Diego switch the ball to his left foot for the finish!

Even Premier League-level strikers rarely use their weaker feet proficiently, let alone a forward like Diego, who is so young.

After all, this guy is naturally left-footed.

Joel couldn't stop the play and ended up giving the Arsenal reserve team a chance to score by committing a foul. Conor held his head in frustration. Both players have played in the Premier League, yet the difference in their abilities was vast.

Committing a bad foul right at the beginning and giving Arsenal a chance to score at the start drew boos from many of the home fans.

But Joel didn't care; victory wasn't his main concern. The only thing he cared about was his stats.

So, after Arsenal did not score the free kick and Brentford had possession of the ball, Joel didn't pass the ball after receiving it but went for a solo attempt.

However, his poor dribbling couldn't get him past Arsenal's defense. His shot ended in disappointment.

At this point, the scouts in the stands had likely crossed Joel's name off their lists. The gap between him and Diego was clear.

The next few possessions were a disaster for Joel. On both offense and defense, he was no match for Diego.

Diego's shooting was more accurate than Joel's, and he was faster despite the same aggression. And when it came to defense, Diego wasn't only aggressive but really made many contributions.

No matter how dominant you were in Youth League, once you enter the professional football world, you have to start from scratch. No one cares about your past; all that matters is what you can bring to the team now.

If you're not better than others, the Premier League won't want you. The competition is fierce to make it into the world's top 5 football league and earn a million-pound annual salary.

After just four minutes in the first half, Diego Vargas had already made 2 shots on target almost scoring a goal against Joel's defense! Arsenal was also dominating the game with a ball possession of 67% against 33% for Brentford

If it hadn't been for Reggie's efforts in the game, Brentford would not even be able to have that much ball possession.

So, the bald coach could only go to the sidelines and shout to the players as much as possible, and Lucas and the other substitutes just watched him.

Even though what he was shouting might not concern them as the substitutes, they still had to listen in.

Lucas sat and watched the game carefully, knowing he would definitely have a chance to play today.

But out of nowhere, Lucas heard Conor shouting his name.

"Where's Lucas!? Lucas! Get in here, right in the middle! Listen, I need you to get on the pitch and use your pace and shot to help the team score a goal! Try to run off the ball and seize any opportunity!"

Lucas swallowed hard, barely believing what he heard, the game time was only 37, and there was much time before the second half; generally speaking, Coach doesn't make a changes in the first half unless in an emergency situation like an injury or red card, though, it's not something unseen.

"What are you waiting for!? Hurry up and take off your training top!"

At the same time, Joel was fuming, seeing Lucas warming up. He knew his trust in the head coach was fading fast.

"Hey, don't be nervous. Just like in training, I'll get the ball to you."

Reggie patted Lucas on the shoulder. The show was about to begin.