Chapter 112 He Has Graduated!

After playing Master League for several days, Chen Hero felt he should go find Van Basten and continue training.

However, when he entered the training instance and met Van Basten, Basten seemed a bit surprised.

"What are you doing here, Hero?"

Basten's words stunned Chen Hero.

"I'm here to train." Chen Hero didn't understand why Basten would ask that.

Did he think Chen Hero had been indulging in "Master League" and hadn't come to practice with him?

Unexpectedly, Van Basten's next words shocked him even more.

"What are you still training for? You've graduated, Hero!"

"Huh?" Chen Hero was stunned for a long time, then pointed at himself and said, "I've graduated? How did I graduate? I've only just about finished practicing my shooting!"

"That's right, you can graduate when you've almost finished practicing your shooting," Basten said.

"This… it's not that simple, is it?"

Basten smiled at Chen Hero's confused expression. "Do you remember what you came to me to learn in the first place?"

"Uh, let me think… right, it was to play football with my brain."

"Yes, if I have to teach you every single move, is that still using your own brain to play football?" Basten retorted.

Chen Hero shook his head. "That wouldn't count."

"Exactly. Actually, there's not much to teach about this at all. As long as you master basic actions like trapping and shooting, you'll naturally get it. You've also trapped all kinds of balls in the past two years. When you encounter similar situations in actual matches, you'll know how to handle them, right?"

Chen Hero nodded. His goal count had greatly increased, which was largely due to his improved ball control. In the fiercely contested area of the penalty box, good ball control could save him one or two seconds, and that time was enough for him to complete a shot.

"Isn't shooting the same?" Basten spread his hands. "You've done a lot of shooting practice too. When you encounter all sorts of problems in actual matches, your solid foundation will allow you to make the most appropriate move. Playing football with your brain actually means learning to choose the most appropriate way to handle the ball, not the most beautiful or flashy move. As long as you can get the ball into the goal, what does it matter if your movements are awkward? You scored, the opponent is unlucky, and you can cheer to your heart's content."

After listening to Basten's words, Chen Hero suddenly understood – so that's how it is!

So he had unconsciously learned to play football with his brain!

He had never lacked inspiration, what he lacked was a solid foundation. Thanks to the training he received from a young age, his foundation wasn't strong. He had to constantly solidify his foundation even after entering professional football. Fortunately, he had such a training system, or he would have been finished long ago.

Now that his foundation was solid, he could do whatever he wanted in the game.

Shoot when he should shoot, and if he shouldn't shoot, he could choose other methods. In short, he had to choose the most reasonable method, not the most beautiful or coolest one.

Seeing the change in Chen Hero's expression, Basten knew that he had understood.

"So I have nothing left to teach you now, Hero."

Chen Hero came back to his senses and asked Basten, "But I still want to train."

"Hmm?" This time it was Basten's turn to be surprised. "Why? You've already graduated."

"I'm afraid my feet will become sluggish if I don't practice for a long time." Chen Hero pointed to his feet and said. "So I still want to practice, just not for as long as before."

Basten laughed. "You're right, Hero. Any skill is acquired through constant practice, and it needs to be consolidated through constant practice. Alright, let's start today's practice."

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After the game against Manchester City, it was the Champions League group stage.

So some media outlets said that O'Neill's substitution of Chen Hero was in preparation for the upcoming Champions League group stage match.

But in reality, it had nothing to do with the Champions League group stage.

In the Champions League, Liverpool had already qualified in advance, and their status as group leader was basically guaranteed.

What was there to prepare for?

O'Neill was already considering giving more substitute players a chance to play.

In this home game against Fiorentina, Liverpool was going to rotate their squad.

Agger started in place of Skrtel, which was his first start since recovering from his injury. Before that, he had only made substitute appearances at most. A healthy Agger was very important to Liverpool, and his return meant that Liverpool's defense wasn't so stretched anymore.

At the same time, Santon replaced Enrique, and Glen Johnson replaced Van der Wiel. Many changes were also made in midfield. Gerrard rested, Charlie Adam came on, and Lucas replaced Inler as the defensive midfielder. Götze started, Suárez replaced Gareth Bale, and Sánchez was replaced by Adam Johnson.

The person at the front was Chen Hero, and this position remained unchanged.

Since Chen Hero's stamina was fine, Martin O'Neill had no reason to rotate him.

Almost everyone except goalkeeper Reina, center forward Chen Hero, and center back Pepe was replaced.

But even with this lineup, Liverpool was still very strong.

This was the result of Liverpool general manager Niang flying around the world this summer.

Liverpool's bench strength had been enhanced, and Martin O'Neill seemed more at ease when facing a dense schedule.

This lineup eventually defeated the visiting Fiorentina 2-0 at home, a very good performance.

Martin O'Neill praised the team's performance at the post-match press conference.

He attached great importance to this game because it tested the quality of the team's rotated lineup. With this performance, he was full of confidence in the team's future.

Although Chen Hero didn't score in this game, Liverpool's two goals were both related to him, as he assisted both of them.

Currently, Chen Hero and Cristiano Ronaldo are tied for first place in the Champions League top scorer list with six goals each. Messi is in third place with four goals, and Bayern Munich center Mario Gomez is in second place with five goals.

The performances of the superstars are all good, and there will definitely be a fierce competition for the Champions League top scorer list this season.

Liverpool, who had won five games out of five with fifteen points, had also secured the top spot in the group in advance. The next final round match against Olympiacos had completely lost its meaning.

This team, which was very active in the transfer market this summer, had finally shown their fangs to Europe.

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For Liverpool, the Champions League group stage had ended early, and now they could shift their focus to the league.

Doing well in the league was the top priority.

The official goal for this season was to defend the league title. To completely crush their arch-rivals Manchester United, they had to successfully defend the league title. If Manchester United were to snatch it away in the end, then last season's league title would lose its meaning. It wouldn't prove that Liverpool had revived. Because in the more than 20-year history of the Premier League, many teams have won the championship, but only Manchester United and Chelsea have successfully defended the title. It was Chelsea who became an unignorable force in English football by virtue of defending their title, joining the ranks of the giants, and since then no one has called them nouveau riche.

Liverpool also needs to defend their title.

Defending the title is a signal to tell others "we have the ability to win the championship we want." It announces the establishment of their position, so that the entire English football world will not dare to ignore them.

Because if you win the championship once, many people will think you're just lucky.

But if you can defend the title, it can't just be explained by "good luck." Once is a coincidence, what about twice? In the world of football, that is inevitable.

Just like the French national team back then, after they won the World Cup on home soil in '98, many people still thought they were just relying on the advantage of being the host, and couldn't be considered real ability. And to be honest, the process of their winning the World Cup that year wasn't very convincing... But when they won the European Cup two years later, breaking the curse that "World Cup winners can't win the European Cup," many people's perceptions changed, and they all believed that the French team was the strongest team at the time, and they were the overlords of world football. Although the European Cup and the World Cup are not a defending relationship, they have the same meaning, that is, winning two major competitions in a row.

Here's another example.

After Nottingham Forest won the English First Division title and the European Cup in a row as a promoted team, everyone thought that this team was incredibly lucky, because the team they defeated in the European Cup final, Malmö from Sweden, couldn't be considered a strong team at all. The two teams competing were just choosing a less bad one among the short ones. But when they defeated Keegan's Bundesliga powerhouse Hamburg in the European Cup final a year later, the situation was different. Not only did the outside world admit that they were a strong team, but they themselves were also full of confidence, and from then on began their glorious journey in the 80s. In the era of Manchester United's decline, they shared the stage with Liverpool and became the mainstream of English football in that era.

So, defending a championship is very important.

Whether it's the league title or the Champions League title. As long as you can defend it, you can shut up those who talk about "luck." Tell them that this is genuine strength!

Liverpool wants to defend the league title, but now they are only four points ahead of Manchester United, which is definitely not enough. An opponent like Manchester United really can't be taken lightly. If they are not careful, they may be pounced on by them, and then eaten clean without leaving any residue.

The upcoming Merseyside derby against Everton is an opportunity for Liverpool to grab points.

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