World football system-Chapter 65: London derby

Location: Arsenal Training Centre, London / Emirates Stadium

Event: North London Derby – Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur

4. Pre-Match Intensity

November 19th.

Three days to the derby.

The air at London Colney felt heavier with each passing hour. Inside the dressing room, the atmosphere oscillated between clipped jokes and nervous silence. The younger players stayed quiet. The veterans sharpened.

"You know what they say," Gabriel said, glancing at Saliba. "Win this, and you own London for a month."

"Lose it," Saliba added, "and you hear about it until the next one."

The squad gathered around the digital tactics board. Arteta stood at the front, clicking a remote, frame by frame, showing Tottenham’s recent build-up.

"Bissouma presses high. Maddison pulls wide. Son comes central, behind our pivot line," he explained.

He turned toward Tobi.

"They’ll try to bait you, isolate you. Maddison’s clever. He’ll pull you into one-on-ones."

Tobi didn’t blink. "Then I’ll beat him one-on-one."

Arteta’s eyes flashed with approval. "Then we win."

5. Matchday Minus One: Locked In

The final training was short, intense. Small-sided games with no time to think. One-touch. Burst. Recover. Tobi had learned to time his bursts perfectly—he played like a metronome with a heartbeat.

Afterward, he sat in the analysis room with Ødegaard and Arteta, watching footage of Tottenham’s defensive shape.

"Look," Arteta said, pausing the clip, "when they push up, their pivot gets isolated. That’s your moment. Bruno did it in Euro qualifiers. You can do it better."

Ødegaard smirked. "I’ll pull defenders left. You time the run. Goal. We shake the Emirates."

They bumped fists.

System Update:

Tactical Advantage Unlocked: Exploit Midfield Gap

Buff: Ødegaard Linkup Bonus (Teamwork +8%, Passing Accuracy +6%)

6. Matchday

November 22nd.

Emirates Stadium

The stadium thrummed like a living organism. From the underground tunnel, all Tobi could hear was the low hum of thousands of voices layered like an orchestra tuning up.

He adjusted his shin guards. Pulled his socks. Tied his boots again. Beside him, Saka mouthed a silent prayer.

"Derby day," Ødegaard muttered. "It’s personal."

The whistle blew. Arsenal walked out.

The roar of 60,000 swallowed them whole.

7. First Half – Tactical Chess

Kickoff – Arsenal vs Tottenham

0’ – Arsenal press high immediately. Saka bursts past Udogie, sends an early cross. Cleared.

4’ – Tobi intercepts a poor pass from Maddison, glides forward, threads a pass to Martinelli. Shot blocked.

System Alert: Interception Bonus Achieved

Current Match Rating: 7.0

12’ – Maddison begins to grow into the game. He dribbles past Rice and sends a through ball toward Son. Blocked by Saliba.

15’ – Arsenal 0 – 1 Tottenham

GOAL – Heung-Min Son

A lightning counter. Richarlison laid it off, and Son curled one past Ramsdale. The stadium fell momentarily silent.

Tobi bit his lip.

Arteta screamed from the sidelines, "Reset! Breathe!"

20’ – Tobi wins a foul 30 yards out. Ødegaard and Martinelli stand over it. Ødegaard shoots.

Saved.

25’ – The tempo is rising. Every touch, every tackle, roars up like thunder. Tobi begins to control the middle third, turning Maddison twice with a shoulder drop.

System Notification: Dribble Success x2

Buff Triggered: Midfield Control

Match Rating: 7.8

33’ – Arsenal pushing. Leandro Trossard on the overlap. Tobi cuts inside and lays it off. Ødegaard flicks it behind the defense. Saka...

GOAL!

Arsenal 1 – 1 Tottenham

The Emirates erupts. Saka slides toward the corner flag, fingers to lips.

Tobi pumps his fist. Assist delivered. No celebration—just focus.

System Bonus: Assist Registered

Tactical Objective Completed

Match Rating: 8.5

42’ – Chaos in midfield. Spurs regain composure. Bissouma hits hard, tackles Tobi late.

Whistle. Yellow card.

Tobi winces but waves it off.

8. Halftime

The dressing room is a charged silence.

"We’re better than them," Arteta says. "But you’re waiting for the perfect ball. Don’t. Make it."

He looks directly at Tobi.

"You’re the heartbeat. Play like it."

9. Second Half – The Fire Unleashed

50’ – Arsenal start strong. Tobi’s passing sharpens. He connects 12 straight passes in three minutes, drawing applause from the crowd.

Ødegaard pulls wide. Tobi cuts in. A one-two.

Tobi at the edge of the box—he shoots.

POST!

Gasps. So close.

58’ – Spurs respond. Maddison darts forward. Slides in Richarlison. Saved by Ramsdale.

Tobi collects. Sprints. Carries the ball 40 yards under pressure. Beats Maddison again.

70’ – Sub: Jota for Martinelli.

72’ – Jota wins a throw-in near the corner. Quick restart. Tobi receives. Cuts inside.

He turns. Flicks a ball through two defenders.

Ødegaard one touch.

GOAL!

Arsenal 2 – 1 Tottenham

Tobi drops to his knees. The Emirates explodes.

System Notice: 2nd Assist Registered

Match Rating: 9.1

Derby Momentum Unlocked

10. Final Minutes – Blood and Glory

85’ – Spurs throw everything forward. Crosses fly. Tackles grow fiercer.

Tobi tracks back, intercepts one last cross.

90’ – Four minutes added.

93’ – Spurs’ last attack. Corner.

Cleared.

Ødegaard to Tobi. One-on-one with the keeper.

Tobi shoots—

GOAL!!!

Arsenal 3 – 1 Tottenham

Full-time.

The ground shakes. Fans scream. Players dogpile. Tobi buries his face in his hands, laughing, crying, all at once.

System Summary:

Match Rating: 9.8

Derby MVP Achieved

Buff Unlocked: London Pride – Reputation Boost

Fan Affection +15%

Transfer Market Value +€15M

11. Aftermath

In the locker room, champagne sprayed. Ødegaard handed Tobi the match ball.

"You’ve earned it."

Arteta clapped him on the shoulder. "There’s no better way to say ’I’m Arsenal.’"

Back home that night, Tobi stood in the living room, looking out over the London skyline.

Emilia wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"You owned the city tonight," she whispered.

"No," he replied. "We did."

System Log: Romance Arc – Chapter 7 of 10

Buff Activated: Shared Dream (Focus + Recovery, All Events)

The Day After Glory

The sun over London didn’t shine any brighter than the day before, but everything felt different. Newspapers were flying off racks, headlines screamed his name:

🗞️ "North London Belongs to Tobi Oliveira!"

🗞️ "The Boy from Portugal is Now a Man of Arsenal."

🗞️ "Oliveira Outclasses Maddison in Derby Showdown!"

The Emirates had barely calmed down from the night before. Fans were still outside taking selfies in front of murals, some already depicting Tobi celebrating that final goal.

Tobi walked down Holloway Road, hoodie up, headphones in. But it was impossible to hide anymore.

A little boy pulled at his sleeve. "Are you... the real Tobi?"

Tobi lowered his hood.

The boy’s eyes lit up. His mother gasped. "Can we—?"

He smiled and crouched, taking a photo with the boy. "Keep training," he said, "and maybe one day, I’ll watch you."

System Notice:

Trait Activated: Role Model

Buff: Fanbase Loyalty (England + Portugal +5%)

Side Quest: Inspire the Next Generation (Progress: 1/50)

2. Inside the Club Walls

Back at London Colney, the players arrived to a round of applause. Club staff lined the corridor, clapping them into the training center like heroes returning from war.

Tobi stepped in and felt the room shift slightly. This wasn’t just about the derby anymore. He was rising—and they all knew it.

"Keep your feet on the ground," whispered Declan Rice as they changed into their training kits. "Fame’s fast. And slippery."

"Noted," Tobi replied with a nod.

But inside, he could feel it—the system feeding off the buzz, his mind tingling with focus.

System Log:

Current Standing – Undroppable

Arteta Trust Level: Max

Teammate Respect: 96%

3. Media Day Madness

Tobi hadn’t even touched a ball in two days.

Instead, he sat in front of cameras.

CNN, Sky Sports, Canal+, BenficaTV, RTP. Everyone wanted a quote, a soundbite, a story.

A reporter asked, "Tobi, how do you handle pressure at such a young age?"

He stared at her for a moment.

"Pressure?" he said quietly. "My mother had to raise two kids alone. That was pressure. This is football."

The room went silent.

Clip. Viral.

System Notice:

Buff Gained: Public Speaking – Level Up

Media Charisma +10%

Public Relations Auto-Boost Engaged

4. The Toll Behind the Smile

That evening, alone in his flat, the world outside buzzed with celebration.

Inside? Stillness.

He laid back on his sofa, exhausted in a way no game could match. He hadn’t eaten all day. His phone buzzed every five seconds.

Emilia 💌:

"You don’t have to reply. Just breathe. I’m proud of you."

He stared at her message for a long time.

Then messaged back.

Tobi:

"Can I come over?"

5. The Warmth of Something Real

Her apartment was warm and smelled of vanilla.

He barely got his jacket off before she hugged him tightly.

"You’re carrying too much," she whispered.

He didn’t answer. Just held her.

They sat on the couch under a blanket. She played something soft on the speakers—classic Fado, Portuguese soul music.

He broke the silence.

"I think I’m scared of losing everything."

"You won’t," she said.

"I always do. Every life I’ve lived... I lose."

Emilia cupped his face. "Then this time... we won’t let it go."

System Log:

Romance Arc – Chapter 8 of 10

Buff Gained: Emotional Recharge (Mental Fatigue Reset)

6. Mikel’s Warning

November 26th.

Arteta called Tobi into his office. The lighting was low, the wall filled with post-match heat maps.

"You’ve become the symbol of this team," he began. "But symbols attract attention. And hatred."

Tobi stayed silent.

"You’ll be targeted—physically, tactically, mentally. Every coach will scheme for you now."

"I want that," Tobi replied.

Arteta’s eyes narrowed. "Then evolve. Be unpredictable. Be smarter. You want to be the best? Then your next battle is consistency under fire."

System Objective Updated:

Unlock Trait: Unmarkable

Requirement: Three Matches in a Row with 8.5+ Rating

7. Training Intensity Rises

In the days that followed, training was ruthless.

Arteta set up traps—double-marking drills, one-touch pressure, false tempo. Tobi was swarmed constantly.

It nearly broke him.

But then...

He adapted.

He began faking movement before the press. He used Ødegaard as a mirror. He pinged disguised passes with no tells.

He scored in every training scrimmage. Not with power, but with timing.

System Update:

Skill Unlocked: Pre-Movement IQ

Buff Gained: Time Acceleration (Perceived Slow-Motion for 0.8 seconds)

8. The Transfer Whispers Begin

On November 28th, he was pulled into Edu Gaspar’s office.

The sporting director looked up from a glowing tablet. "Real Madrid called."

Tobi blinked.

"They’re preparing an offer for summer. They want to open talks in January."

Tobi sat down, heartbeat rapid.

"I’m not going anywhere," he finally said.

Edu nodded, but his face remained unreadable.

"Madrid doesn’t take no the first time."

As Tobi left the office, his phone buzzed.

System Alert:

Major Transfer Interest Triggered

Reputation Cap Increase +10%

New Passive: Eyes of Europe

9. Next Match Incoming

Burnley away.

A very different challenge. Not a derby. No glamour. Just grit.

Arteta’s final message in the locker room before departure was clear.

"You’re stars now," he said. "They’ll want to drag you down to the mud. You up for it?"

Tobi smiled.

"I was born in it."

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