Chapter 1 Chen Hero and the FA Cup

Chen Hero sought out Martin O'Neill so early to discuss the FA Cup semi-final because he knew that if things continued as before, with him only practicing with the reserves the day before the match, it would be difficult to defeat Tottenham Hotspur.

He needed the team's support; he could play savior sometimes, but not all the time.

So, after confirming this with O'Neill, O'Neill could arrange the corresponding training. Of course, O'Neill wouldn't let Chen Hero train with the reserves all the time.

Instead, he would increase the intensity of the reserves' training to match that of the first team. Then, each week, he would arrange an intra-squad scrimmage, pitting the reserves against the first team.

During these scrimmages, Chen Hero would be assigned to the reserves, becoming an opponent of the first team.

When the reserve players first arrived for the scrimmage, they were surprised to see Chen Hero wearing a bib of the same color as theirs, approaching them with a smile and greeting them.

Everyone was astonished.

It wasn't uncommon for the reserves to act as sparring partners for the first team.

So, before, no one had given it much thought.

But when they saw Chen Hero wearing a bib the same color as theirs and joining their team, something clicked.

Once before, they had a match with the first team like this, and the next day, they played in the League Cup with Chen Hero!

Could it be…

Chen Hero waved at them and laughed. "I told you I wanted everyone to participate in the semi-final together. Did you think I was joking?"

The group was stunned for a moment, then realized—it was true! They were really going to participate in the FA Cup semi-final with Chen Hero!

Unbelievable!

Hero had really convinced the boss?

He was a god! How could he do that?!

With more than half a month until the semi-final, arranging joint training now clearly meant the team was preparing for the semi-final. Otherwise, they wouldn't be involved at all!

The reserve players cheered.

Hearing the cheers and seeing the reserve players excitedly surrounding Chen Hero, the first-team players shook their heads—they couldn't understand the reserve players' feelings at this moment.

Standing on the sidelines with his arms crossed, head coach Martin O'Neill thought of Chen Hero's series of rhetorical questions.

"Why let them put in the effort when it's time to reap the rewards, and then it's our turn? They've been responsible for this competition from the start. Why change them at the end? Can't you see how disgusted they are with this decision? The League Cup honor should belong to them, but they weren't there for the award ceremony or the celebrations… We've all forgotten about them. Is that normal? They're all members of Liverpool Football Club, but just because they're in the reserves, they should suffer such unfair treatment?"

Emotionally, Chen Hero might be right.

But reason kept telling Martin O'Neill that Chen Hero's approach was risky, and the outcome might not be as good as he imagined.

O'Neill was past the age of idealistic passion. He knew that such idealism was often unsuccessful.

He couldn't let Chen Hero train with the reserves, even though it could increase the intensity of their training, demanding the same level as the first team. But what about Chen Hero? He couldn't train with the reserve players to develop teamwork and tactics… Could one scrimmage a week really achieve anything?

He didn't believe that a few scrimmages could fully integrate Chen Hero into the team.

No matter how insignificant the FA Cup was, in the semi-final, both sides would be serious. A Tottenham Hotspur going all out against a Liverpool team playing with reserves… O'Neill thought he knew the result without even thinking about it.

But looking at the excited reserve players and Chen Hero in front of him, he couldn't bring himself to dampen their enthusiasm… So he remained silent.

※※※

In fact, not only Martin O'Neill but most of the coaches in the Liverpool coaching staff were worried about this issue. Chen Hero's training time with the reserves was too short. What was the point of just one intra-squad scrimmage a week?

No one believed Chen Hero could integrate into the reserves with such a short training period. It was a wrong decision from the start.

But since Martin O'Neill didn't object, no one else would speak up.

After the training session, the first-team players also learned about the coach's plan—these reserve players seemed to be participating in the semi-final?

They were immediately shocked!

Using these guys in the semi-final was suicidal!

After the training, back in the first team's locker room, everyone surrounded Chen Hero, trying to get a definite answer from him.

"Hero? You're not really going to participate in the semi-final with the reserves, are you?" Sanchez asked with concern.

The others also crowded around, wanting to hear what Chen Hero had to say.

Chen Hero nodded. "Yeah."

Everyone was shocked. "What's the boss thinking… How could he allow the reserves to participate in such an important match?"

What Chen Hero said next shocked them even more.

"It was my idea, guys."

The previously noisy locker room fell silent. Everyone looked at Chen Hero with strange eyes.

"Uh, what's wrong?" Chen Hero scratched his nose, a little embarrassed.

"You're crazy, Hero?!" Skrtel exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, how could you have such an idea, Hero?"

"Do you know how difficult it is, Hero? Compared to the Tottenham players, the reserve guys are just a bunch of weak lambs!"

Chen Hero replied, "But I heard that a flock of sheep led by a lion can kill a pride of lions led by a sheep."

The questioning in the locker room subsided a little. Chen Hero continued, "It was my idea to let the reserves participate in the semi-final. My thinking is actually very simple. I think most of our first-team players haven't participated in the FA Cup from the beginning, so why should we take their opportunity in the semi-final? For us, one more FA Cup match is nothing. Many people don't even want to play because it's meaningless and wastes energy. But for the reserves, this is a rare opportunity to show themselves in public. We don't want the chicken ribs, but they treat them as treasures. I think we shouldn't deprive them of their opportunity. They put in sweat and effort, but at the most important moment, we kicked them to the stands. Like the League Cup semi-final, is that normal? The reserve guys sent us to the podium, but in the end, we didn't even say thank you to them… Is that normal?"

Faced with Chen Hero's series of rhetorical questions, many lowered their heads, unsure how to answer.

Putting themselves in their shoes, it was indeed unfair to do so. They worked so hard, but in the end, they were robbed of the opportunity without even a thank you.

"When we accept gold medals and trophies on the podium, they have nothing. They are not qualified to receive this gold medal, simply because… they missed two games, but in fact, they played more games than us. In theory, we are the ones who are not qualified to get the medal. I know everyone is unwilling to waste energy in this insignificant game, but they do all the hard work and endure all the suffering, while we enjoy the cheers in the end. Anyway, I feel embarrassed. So I wanted to give them compensation, which is to let them participate in the FA Cup semi-final. If we can reach the final, I would also like them to participate in the final! Whoever played in the FA Cup before, should also play now. I'm sorry, guys, I didn't count you in this time, but I think it should be insignificant for us to miss one or two games, but for them, these are two very, very important games. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you about this in advance…"

After Chen Hero finished speaking very sincerely, the locker room fell silent.

Eventually, Gerrard broke the silence. He stood up and expressed his support for Chen Hero. "I support Hero's approach. The reserves are also members of our entire team. The reserve players are also Liverpool players and should not be treated differently. They should enjoy everything we enjoy. Anyway, I won't compete with them for this opportunity."

Gerrard was trained in Liverpool's youth academy, and he also experienced playing in the reserves, so he could particularly understand what Chen Hero said.

Since the team's captain, spiritual leader, and flag stood up to speak for the reserves, what else could others say?

Naturally, it was unanimously approved without any objection.

However, some people expressed concern about the reserves' semi-final journey.

"Hero, you train with us every day. You can't run to the reserves to participate in training. How will you work with the team and conduct joint training? Are you just relying on the emergency training the day before the game and today's training match?"

Faced with such questions, Chen Hero smiled slightly. "I've been participating in the League Cup and FA Cup matches with them for two seasons! We already have a tacit understanding!"