Chapter 119 The Effect of a Pep Talk

While Chen Hero was playing soccer with his son in his backyard, he had no idea what was happening at the Melwood training base.

The next day, when he went to training, he could feel the difference from the parking lot.

Every player he met greeted him very loudly and seemed full of energy.

This made him feel puzzled.

He had been with these people for a long time, and he rarely saw them like this.

The feeling was even more obvious in the locker room.

And when everyone saw him, they would say strange things.

Such as "Hero, don't worry, we will work hard!" "This season's championship must belong to Liverpool!" "We will definitely help you share the pressure, captain!"

These words were all right, but Chen Hero still felt very strange when they were said with such a high-spirited spirit.

It was as if these people were all on drugs, and their spirits were in a state of extreme excitement.

He couldn't figure out what was wrong with these people. Did they all have their brains replaced in one day?

It was Gerrard who revealed the answer to him after he arrived.

"I'm sorry, Hero..." Gerrard apologized to Chen Hero as soon as he came up, which made Chen Hero confused.

"What have you done to be sorry for me, Stevie?"

"Uh, I took advantage of you and your son..." Then Gerrard told Chen Hero everything that happened yesterday during his training session and with the team.

After listening, Chen Hero understood what was going on with those players today. And why Gerrard insisted that he not show up. If he was there, Gerrard would feel awkward to say it, and the players would feel awkward to hear it. Some people might not be able to save face and might be thinking the wrong thing.

This was a good way, and the effect was even better.

So Chen Hero didn't mind Gerrard using his child as a lead-in.

He waved his hand: "We're brothers, aren't we? I don't mind. But you really turned the team's spirit around? Amazing!" He gave a thumbs up.

Gerrard smiled, not very proud: "The specific effect depends on the actual game results."

Chen Hero patted him on the shoulder: "I believe in you!"

※※※

Before the next league game, there was a Champions League match.

Liverpool was also the undisputed overlord in the Champions League, although they haven't won the championship in the past five years. But before that, they had an unprecedented nine consecutive championships! The number of Champions League trophies in their hall of fame has increased from the original five to the current fourteen. They are the team with the most Champions League titles in European football, surpassing Real Madrid with twelve titles, and becoming the best team in Champions League history.

It's just that Liverpool has not only encountered difficulties in the league this season, but has also fallen into difficulties in the Champions League.

In the past, no matter what kind of group of death Liverpool was assigned to, they could eventually break through and eventually win the championship. Those groups of death had no taste of death for Liverpool at all. The only role was to set off the greatness of their championship.

But this time, their group situation was not a group of death, but Liverpool seemed to be trapped in a quagmire of death, and it was difficult to move forward in the group stage.

In the first two group matches, they had one draw and one loss, with only one point. This performance disappointed many Liverpool fans, but it also made some people celebrate.

Liverpool's opponent in the third group match was the second-tier team in this group, and also the team that everyone thought could slightly threaten Liverpool—Roma of Italy.

This game, Liverpool was playing at home, which was the advantage they could rely on in this game. In the past, when Chen Hero was there, it didn't matter whether it was home or away, anyway, Liverpool would definitely win. Beating Roma was really no suspense at all.

Now, even Liverpool fans are more uneasy in their hearts, wondering whether Liverpool, which is currently in a slump, can satisfy them, or just not disappoint them too much.

The Italian media began to tout Roma's dream of being the first in the group. In the first two group matches, Roma achieved a complete victory and now ranked first in the group with six points. If they can beat Liverpool away, then the first place in the group will basically be secured.

Roma fans also felt relieved and relaxed about this away trip.

The current Liverpool cannot make them feel the slightest fear at all. Unlike in the past, any team that faced Liverpool would basically lose their fighting spirit before the game.

The media's attention to this game was also on Roma's advantage. No one was optimistic about Liverpool, even though Liverpool was playing at home.

But reality is so cruel—when you think the result will be like this, you end up with a result like that.

Liverpool without Chen Hero played a high-level and high-quality game at home.

From the first minute of the game, Liverpool launched a fierce attack on Roma.

Roma still looked at this opponent with old eyes, and the result was that they were completely caught off guard by Liverpool!

Carlton Cole scored the first goal for Liverpool, and then Liverpool's offensive frenzy and goal frenzy never stopped.

Roma, on the other hand, thought that Liverpool was lucky when they lost the first goal.

When they lost the second goal, they felt that they were not very lucky today.

When they lost the third goal, they felt that their luck today was terrible!

When they lost the fourth goal, they suddenly woke up—our opponent is Liverpool!

Then, there was no then.

Liverpool beat Roma 5-0 at home and won their first victory in the Champions League this season.

At the same time, this was also their biggest victory this season.

Roma came to Liverpool with the intention of having a big meal, but they didn't expect to become Liverpool's meal.

When the game ended and the score lit up again, many people were stunned.

They couldn't believe it was true.

Even in the best of times, Liverpool, which has been fluctuating and sometimes good and sometimes bad, has never been able to play such a hearty game!

What happened?

They saw Liverpool players with high morale in the game, and everyone became so unfamiliar.

It was not surprising that such a team eventually defeated Roma.

But what caused such a big change in Liverpool players?

You know, just three days ago, they still seemed to be in a slump, running listlessly in the game, and they didn't even bother to fight for some opportunities, just letting them go.

What happened in just three days?

※※※

At the post-match press conference, Gerrard said calmly: "One game cannot explain anything, I will not comment on it."

When the reporters saw him like this, they couldn't wait to go up and slap him—pretend! Let you pretend again!

Gerrard was indeed pretending. He was actually very happy, but in order not to make the players proud and complacent, he had to keep a straight face and say something like "it's actually nothing more than that."

The purpose was to continue to spur his players on.

But in fact, he was ecstatic. The players' performance showed that his words had worked. And he was on the right path.

It will be fine next, just keep going along this path!

※※※

Gradually, everyone discovered that Liverpool's performance had changed, and it was a real change.

Unlike before, when Liverpool won a game, Liverpool's media and fans would start cheering about how Liverpool's state had recovered.

As a result, every time they finished cheering, Liverpool would give them a hard slap in the face, making them both embarrassed and annoyed.

Otherwise, why would Liverpool's fans split up? It was all because of Liverpool's disappointing actions...

Anyone who is always slapped in the face by the team they support will have resentment.

After all, not everyone is a "brainless fan."

So even if Liverpool won Roma 5-0 at home, they were not too happy. Just like Gerrard said, the result of one game cannot explain anything. They still have to see how Liverpool performs afterwards, the so-called "wait and see."

Liverpool's subsequent performance began to give many people confidence.

Because Liverpool started winning games in a row.

They won the game for three consecutive league rounds, and the team's ranking also climbed from fourteenth to ninth, entering the top ten.

Moreover, the result had an element of luck, but the scene best explained the problem. Liverpool also occupied the advantage in the game, and regained the feeling they gave people when they monopolized the Premier League championship. That is, as long as you watch Liverpool's game, Liverpool fans will feel at ease, because it is too safe, Liverpool will definitely win, from the scene to the result, they will win everything!

The past few games have been like this.

Everyone was a little neurasthenic because of Liverpool's results. As a result, these few games were unexpectedly reassuring to watch. Even when the opponent attacked, Liverpool's defense was very solid, and the counterattack was sharp when attacking.

So some people began to think... this time, will Liverpool really return to normal and cheer up again?

But they still didn't dare to say it, for fear that Liverpool would fall back again after a few games, and then they would be slapped in the face again, which would not be a good feeling.

So Liverpool fans are cautiously looking at Liverpool's recovery.

Liverpool's continuous victories did not receive the cheers and applause they expected, which somewhat打击(dǎ jī) (hit) the team's morale.

Gerrard noticed this, and what he was worried about was the decline in the team's morale.

At this time, he could only continue to play the villain, scolding the players for only playing a few games, and even dreaming of getting cheers and applause, and not thinking about how long they have made the fans sad and worried.

So the current situation is normal.

Tell the players not to pay too much attention to this aspect. When they perform well and convince the fans that they are not just having another episode, they will naturally get the Liverpool fans' heartfelt support.

The players felt that what Gerrard said made sense, so the crisis of morale decline passed.

But Gerrard didn't breathe a sigh of relief. From this incident, he could see that both sides were actually very fragile now. Liverpool players still needed confidence, and the Liverpool fans who could give them confidence were still watching at this time.

The best way and the only way to solve the problem is to let the team continue to win victories.

Use continuous victories and excellent performance to win back the hearts of the fans.

Then use the fans' support to increase the players' confidence, thereby forming a virtuous circle.

Then persevere until Chen Hero's return.