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Chapter 144: Use The Glutes
🕑 Added 2025-09-09 16:25:42 +0000 UTCKai wasn’t sure whether Wenger would actually make a move for Kante.
But one thing he was certain about: if Arsenal could land the French midfielder, it would be a vital piece of the puzzle in their chase for silverware. Kante’s tireless running and ability to sweep across the midfield would give Arsenal a ferocity they sometimes lacked, and more importantly, relieve a huge amount of pressure from him on the defensive end. With that freedom, he could focus more on orchestrating play and joining the attack.
Of course, all of this was still hypothetical. Transfers were never guaranteed.
Since the day Mikel Arteta had pulled Kai aside and advised him to study Yaya Touré, Kai had thrown himself into learning that style of play. The blend of strength, stamina, and sudden bursts of power fascinated him. Modern football, after all, was becoming more about the collective system than individual brilliance. Players thrived—or failed—depending on how well they slotted into that machinery.
And in Wenger’s system, the midfield was the heart of everything.
Over time, attacking midfielders who could only offer creativity without work rate had begun to lose their appeal. Managers now adored the all-rounder—the man who could break up play, surge forward, and still pick the right pass. Luka Modrić’s arrival at Real Madrid was the perfect example. His presence had pushed a once highly rated German playmaker, Mesut ÖÖzil, out of the side, leaving him without a role and eventually reducing him to a bench player.
Wenger, for his part, had always leaned toward technical players. But he valued them most when they were moulded under his own guidance.
Kai, at this stage, was far from polished technically, but his rapid growth was undeniable. His defensive instincts were already sharp, almost maxed out. If he could add the right balance of composure and vision, he had every chance of maturing into the kind of all-around midfielder Wenger craved. That belief was why the manager had stopped dipping into the transfer market for midfielders, putting more trust into Kai’s development instead.
At present, Arsenal were still operating at Arteta’s tempo, but it was clear that changes were coming. By the following season, Wenger looked ready to reshape the team around Kai, much like Madrid had done with Modrić. Everything hinged on how Kai adapted to his responsibilities. If he proved himself competent in the new tactical setup, Wenger would back him without hesitation. But that also meant the burden on him was immense.
Kai knew his teammate’s improvement couldn’t come overnight, so he, alongside Pat Rice, had taken a different approach to training—one that focused on physical dominance.
Inside the gym, Kai gripped a heavy barbell across his shoulders and drove through rapid sets of squat-thrusts. He wasn’t moving slowly, either; every rise was explosive, a sharp oosh from his exhale as he forced himself upright. His thighs burned with every repetition, the muscles screaming, stiff and sore, yet his eyes stayed focused and defiant.
“Stand up!” he roared at himself.
“Again!”
“Come on!”
Pat Rice watched with a half-smile, shaking his head at the sheer intensity Kai poured into what others might see as monotonous drills. Few players enjoyed muscle work to this degree, but Kai attacked it with a fighter’s mentality.
“Alright, enough!” Pat finally clapped his hands sharply.
Kai froze mid-squat, legs trembling under the weight, before lowering the bar and dropping into a stretch. Sweat dripped freely down his forehead as he tried to ease the ache in his thighs.
Pat crouched nearby and spoke with quiet authority. “Listen, if you don’t have the close control yet, then you use your body. Don’t underestimate this work. In the Premier League, with a defender on your back, you’ll get battered. If you don’t want to be shoved off the ball, your lower body has to be strong enough to absorb the challenge. Learn to use those glutes—stick your backside out, protect it.”
Kai nodded earnestly. “I’ve noticed Yaya Touré and Hazard do that all the time. He shields it so well.”
Pat chuckled. “The very best do it. Watch closely and you’ll see—they all know how to use their backsides.”
Arsenal’s season rolled on, and the fixtures piled up. The League Cup quarter-finals brought Norwich, a side struggling in the league but desperate to salvage pride. Wenger fielded a rotated XI, resting the likes of Kai and the senior players after a brutal run of games.
For Norwich, it was an opportunity to seize, and they approached the tie with far greater intensity. Arsenal’s youngsters battled hard, but a headed goal deep into the second half sealed a 1–0 defeat. The elimination stung the reserves, but Wenger’s reaction was calm. To him, the League Cup had always been a proving ground, not a priority. His eyes were fixed firmly on the Premier League and the FA Cup, while the Champions League remained more of a hope than an expectation.
“Realistically,” Martin Taylor said on Sky Sports after the game, “Wenger knows Arsenal’s squad can’t stretch across all competitions. Something’s got to give.”
Alan Smith added, “And if you’re an Arsenal fan, you’d want the league to be the focus. The League Cup exit isn’t the end of the world. But it does expose the lack of depth when those youngsters can’t quite deliver.”
…
The strain of international duty only compounded matters. With Koscielny and Monreal sidelined, Kai was pushed back into defence to cover. Though he hadn’t played as a defender for a while, he adapted quickly, linking well with the midfield and even helping push attacks forward. Arsenal drew 1–1 against Everton, a fair result given their weakened squad, but it highlighted once more how stretched Wenger’s resources were.
By late November, fatigue from international duties had hit several clubs, Arsenal included. Wilshere’s energy levels had collapsed under the punishing schedule, while the bench offered little relief. Across Europe, other giants with deeper squads could rotate more effectively; Arsenal didn’t have that luxury.
November 27th brought a Champions League clash against Marseille. Kai was restored to midfield, sitting just ahead of Mertesacker, with Ramsey deputising at full-back. The adjustment worked. Arsenal looked far more balanced, and after an hour of pressure, Rosický, Walcott, and Suárez combined brilliantly to break through. Rosický later sealed it with a thunderous strike, and Arsenal ran out 2–0 winners.
The group table told its own story: Arsenal and Dortmund level on points, Napoli trailing, and Marseille already eliminated. Qualification was secured, but first place was still up for grabs.
For Wenger, it was a relief. After a relentless autumn schedule, simply making it out of the group felt like progress. But no one at Arsenal was under illusions— January loomed, and with it, the brutal stretch of fighting on three fronts.
