Chapter 2 When Training the Next Day

The next day during training, Chen Yingxiong went to find head coach Martin O'Neill, wanting to talk to him about Gotze.

Martin O'Neill didn't expect that Chen Yingxiong had come to him about the same thing he was thinking about.

He had been considering it all day but hadn't made a decision.

Chen Yingxiong helped him make the decision.

Chen Yingxiong said to him, "Just give him a chance. What's there to be afraid of if he really fails? I'll cover for him."

Those words gave Martin O'Neill a sense of reassurance.

Perhaps, in a way, what he was considering over and over again was actually waiting for Chen Yingxiong to say those words… Martin O'Neill now felt more and more that Chen Yingxiong was the most reliable person, and this was not only reflected on the field, but also off the field he could play an important role.

With those words from Chen Yingxiong, Martin O'Neill was no longer worried about Gotze.

He nodded. "Alright, I'll try giving him a chance to play in the next league game."

Just like that, Gotze got the opportunity to play in the home game against Aston Villa.

※※※

There was an upset in the second round of the league. Liverpool was preoccupied with Gotze's situation, but it still caused a small stir elsewhere.

That was Ferguson's Manchester United being defeated by newly promoted Birmingham on the road!

The score was 1:0, and Birmingham, playing at home, relied on tenacious defense and good luck to narrowly defeat last season's league runner-up by one goal.

After this game, the Premier League was shocked.

It wasn't that Manchester United couldn't lose, and Ferguson's Manchester United wasn't an invincible team.

The problem was losing to a newly promoted team was a bit unacceptable.

Plus, the timing was really bad. Manchester United had been pulled down from the throne by Liverpool last season, and that game at Old Trafford was truly memorable.

Everyone felt that Liverpool had risen, and that this rise was something that even Manchester United had not been able to stop, so Liverpool's revival and Manchester United's decline were only natural.

Having just witnessed Manchester United lose to Liverpool at their home stadium, losing even the league title, and now seeing Manchester United unable to beat even a newly promoted team on the road…

Then it's no wonder that some people would think that way—was Ferguson really getting old, so his control over the team was not as good as before, and his tactical ability had also declined sharply? Otherwise, how could Manchester United lose to a team like Birmingham on the road?

So for a time, rumors about Manchester United wanting to replace their coach and Ferguson planning to resign were rampant.

For a time, two major English football towns were caught in a vortex of rumors.

※※※

Liverpool faced the rumors by using Chen Yingxiong's approach to solve the problem. Although the problem was solved, Chen Yingxiong's image in the media must have been completely ruined—but Chen Yingxiong didn't have much of an image to begin with anyway…

Manchester United's response to the rumors was to announce an extension with Ferguson!

"Breaking news, Manchester United has reached an agreement with Sir Alex Ferguson on a one-year contract extension. This means that after this season, Ferguson will continue to lead Manchester United in the Premier League! This move shattered previous rumors about Ferguson resigning and Manchester United looking for someone else…"

"Ferguson's contract extension is less about dispelling rumors than it is about targeting Liverpool. In today's Liverpool's strong rise, Manchester United has retained Ferguson, which is actually retaining hope. Manchester United can be without Cantona, without Beckham, without Cristiano Ronaldo, and without Rooney… but it cannot be without Ferguson! The seventy-two-year-old coach is the guarantee that Manchester United can defeat strong enemies!"

"The old coach, who will be seventy-three years old at the end of this year, is obviously not old yet, and he will continue to lead the team to fight… Liverpool, be careful!"

Major media outlets reported on this matter as soon as possible. At the contract extension press conference, Ferguson also said that he still had the motivation, and that motivation came from Liverpool.

"Liverpool is planning to turn over, but I won't allow them to do that. As long as I'm still in charge of Manchester United, they will never be able to turn over!"

The old coach said these words decisively and forcefully.

In fact, this was also a psychological tactic, hoping to put pressure on Liverpool and make them lose their composure.

But Liverpool did not respond in any way, which made Ferguson's punch feel like it was hitting air…

※※※

But in any case, Ferguson's contract extension was good news for Manchester United fans. For Manchester United players, it was also good news. After losing to Birmingham, they were almost like stray dogs. Ferguson's contract extension gave them something to rely on.

Manchester United fans have become accustomed to Ferguson sitting in the Manchester United coach's seat. If one day, they find that the person directing the team's game in the Manchester United coach's seat is not the old coach Ferguson with his white hair, they will probably think they are having a nightmare…

In the third round of the league, Manchester United faced Wigan Athletic on the road. Like the previous league game, it was an away game, but the opponent was stronger than the newly promoted Birmingham. Wigan Athletic was a team that had successfully avoided relegation for several consecutive years.

How could such a team be underestimated?

Manchester United used a 5-0 victory to tell the world that we, Manchester United, are still one of the strongest teams in this league!

They are still the favorites to win the championship, and anyone who dares to underestimate them will be waiting for a miserable death! Wigan Athletic is the example!

At the same time, it was also a great gift for Ferguson, who had just renewed his contract.

※※※

Before the game between Liverpool and Aston Villa, Martin O'Neill was asked about Ferguson's contract extension.

"That's great. If Sir Alex Ferguson thinks he can continue, then we should respect his decision. I don't think he would force his body… As for what his contract extension means for Liverpool… I think it's the same as usual. We've long been used to a Manchester United with Ferguson. If he wasn't there, it might have some impact. But now, it's the same as the previous seasons."

But just saying it, of course, won't do.

Manchester United had just defeated Wigan Athletic 5-0, so Liverpool had to come up with a victory to respond to them, right? Otherwise, if Manchester United won but Liverpool didn't, wouldn't someone be said to have weakened their momentum and been frightened by the news of Ferguson's contract extension?

Although Liverpool players didn't have such thoughts, you can't stop people from talking about it. As the saying goes, "three men make a tiger," and black can be said to be white. Liverpool would be unable to defend themselves at that time, so only victory is the safest way to respond. As long as they win the game, those with ulterior motives will have no way to say anything.

Therefore, the home game against Aston Villa must be won.

※※※

"...If possible, we must win by a landslide!"

These were the words that Liverpool coach Martin O'Neill said to his players before the game.

"I think you should all know why. Our arch-rival's coach has renewed his contract, and now countless eyes are on us, wanting to see our performance. If our performance is even slightly unsteady, if there is even the slightest flaw, we will be seized upon and attacked. In order to nip this possibility in the bud, we must win, and win beautifully!"

Actually, he didn't need to say it, everyone understood the reasoning.

After Manchester United defeated Wigan Athletic 5-0, the nauseating praise in the media made the Liverpool players very unhappy.

Because they had previously won 4-0 against Stoke City, why didn't those media outlets praise them so sickeningly? Now that Manchester United had won, they were singing their praises so vigorously, how could the Liverpool players feel balanced?

So the Liverpool players were holding back a stomach full of fire, wanting to challenge Manchester United in the game.

※※※

The game between Liverpool and Aston Villa was the last game of this round of the league. So, like the first round of the league, everyone's attention was focused on Anfield.

In the announced starting lineup, Gotze was still not in the starting lineup.

So some people felt that Martin O'Neill was giving up on Gotze again in order to ensure that the team could win a big victory.

It seems that Gotze's position in the team is really not good… Mario Gotze is the person who can be sacrificed without hesitation for the sake of victory!

The media was wondering if the reason for not starting Gotze was to ensure a victory, but the Liverpool players on the field didn't think so much, they just wanted to win the game first.

But whether it was the media or the players themselves, they would take it for granted that Liverpool could win a big victory against their opponents at home.

But things didn't go as planned.

※※※

In the game against Stoke City, Sanchez scored the first goal for the team in the first five minutes. This time, twenty-five minutes had passed since the start of the game, and Liverpool hadn't scored a goal yet.

Of course, Aston Villa hadn't scored either. Obviously, they had used all their strength to defend and had no time to attack at all.

Now Liverpool's opponents are very clear that at Anfield, don't even think about winning, just think about how to keep a draw. As long as you can get one point, it's worth celebrating for a whole week.

Before the game, Liverpool players were full of thoughts about how to brutally abuse Aston Villa, and they underestimated the difficulty of the game and the tenacity of Aston Villa.

This led to a failure to open up the situation for a long time, and the more they failed to open up the situation, the more anxious they became…

Finally, in the thirty-third minute, Chen Yingxiong took advantage of a corner kick opportunity to score a goal with a header, breaking the deadlock on the field.

But how could a one-goal lead satisfy Liverpool? They also wanted to win by a large margin, only in this way could they fully show their attitude.

Aston Villa, however, seemed to be deliberately going against Liverpool. Even if they lost a goal, they did not change their tactics and continued to shrink back, and they didn't care if they couldn't get a point, they just thought that they couldn't lose another goal.

In fact, their idea was quite normal—losing the game 0:1 is definitely better than losing the game 0:5!

But Liverpool was unhappy, feeling that Aston Villa was deliberately going against them.

They had to score more goals to eliminate the hatred in their hearts.

The two teams were at loggerheads…