Suarez had been expecting—though he was unwilling to admit it—that Chen Hero would invite him out again, and he would reluctantly agree, so as not to lose face: You ask me to go, and I just go? How embarrassing! Only if you ask me repeatedly can you show your sincerity.

But he didn't get the chance. Even before the game against Manchester City, Chen Hero greeted him and chatted with him during training, but he didn't say a word about treating him.

Several times, Suarez almost couldn't hold back and wanted to ask: When are we going out to play again? I might have some time lately!

But he didn't ask the question, because it would be too embarrassing to say it!

He didn't know what Chen Hero was thinking. Could it be that his repeated refusals had annoyed him, and he no longer wanted to invite him?

Oh dear, what should I do?

He naturally didn't know that Chen Hero didn't invite him at all because Chen Hero now felt that using the means of inviting Suarez out to play to win over his relationship with Suarez was too low-level...

Friends don't necessarily have to be together playing with women and drinking to be considered friends. There are many friends who won't go whoring with you, nor are they good at drinking. Maybe you don't have much contact with each other, but if something happens, you can count on him.

After ample self-reflection, Chen Hero realized his previous misunderstanding. Now that he wants to correct this misunderstanding, he naturally can't ask Suarez to drink—maybe he can in the future, but definitely not now.

Chen Hero really stopped thinking about the mission.

Making friends to complete a mission is too utilitarian! We should make friends and complete the mission along the way, that's the right way!

He also observed Suarez and felt that Suarez was a little unnatural when he was with him. This further confirmed his guess that Suarez might have seen that he was trying to befriend him on purpose.

So Chen Hero was even more afraid to bring up going out for drinks and fun.

The two of them were just guessing each other's intentions, completely missing the mark, and they still haven't discovered each other's real problems… it’s really bizarre.

※※※

November 27th, the last league game in November, the thirteenth round of the league, Liverpool played against Manchester City at home.

Because of two consecutive winless games, their ranking had dropped to eighth, which put a lot of pressure on Dalglish.

This game was highly anticipated, so the pressure on him was even greater...

Because all the league games in this round were over, only this last game remained.

So the league rankings were already very clear.

Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham at home and were only two points ahead of Liverpool. If Liverpool could beat Manchester City at home, they could surpass Arsenal and rise to seventh place…

If this game had been played in the previous few seasons, few people would have valued it so much, and no one would have doubted that Liverpool could beat Manchester City.

But in this season, many people really felt that even if Liverpool played at home, they might not be able to beat Manchester City.

Manchester City were currently first in the league. Despite playing one less game, they were still three points ahead of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur!

After being nurtured by petrodollars several times, Manchester City, although still unable to shake off the temperament of a nouveau riche, had genuine strength.

They were not at a disadvantage when facing strong enemies.

They defeated Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 at White Hart Lane, defeated Everton 2-0 at home, and defeated Newcastle United 3-1 at home in the previous round.

Of course, the most famous and most shocking victory was when they thrashed their city rivals Manchester United 6-1 away!

You must know that in the past many seasons, Manchester United had been Manchester City's nemesis. In the Manchester derby, Manchester City had also won less and lost more. Of course, it wasn't that they couldn't beat Manchester United at all, but to beat Manchester United by such a large margin of 6-1 at Old Trafford was really unexpected.

After this game, the whole of England felt the terrifying storm brought about by the rise of the "Blue Moon."

The team had many outstanding players.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart was now the first-choice goalkeeper for the England national team and was the most outstanding local goalkeeper in English football today.

The defense had Richards, Kompany, Kolo Toure, Kolarov, and Lescott. The midfield lineup was also very luxurious—Nasri, David Silva, Yaya Toure… The front line was even better. Any one of them was a top player.

Although Tevez had fallen out with the club and was internally banned, in addition to him, there were also top stars and super shooters such as Balotelli, Dzeko, and Aguero.

In addition, with the training of Italian coach Mancini, it was not surprising that this team was now ranked first in the league.

On the other hand, the starlight on Liverpool's side was much dimmer. Only Chen Hero and Gerrard could still be considered decent, and everyone else had depreciated in value with Liverpool's decline in recent years.

The good news for Liverpool was that Gerrard would start.

Gerrard had already recovered from his injury. This was not his first start since his recovery, but at such a critical time, with the captain there, the soul was there, which could still reassure many players.

Before the game, Gerrard stood up and spoke, calling on everyone to unite and strive for victory for the team, and also supporting Dalglish to continue coaching the team.

He also talked about his injury: "I think it's completely healed. I guarantee that from now on, you will see a healthy Gerrard for a long time. The league has only been going on for a third of the season, and it's not too late to start now. Liverpool must get a Champions League spot for next season! Because we are Liverpool, who have won this competition five times!"

Worthy of being the captain and the soul of the team, his words were so domineering.

Liverpool fans also cheered: "The captain is back! Now there's no problem! The other teams in England, wait to be fucked! Our Red Army is going to catch up! By the end of the season, we will return to our rightful place!"

※※※

In the game against Manchester City, Chen Hero would meet an acquaintance—Mario Balotelli.

They had met in a nightclub in Naples, and both had left a deep and friendly impression on the other. Later, they also had frequent contact and were considered friends.

Balotelli mentioned this before the game against Liverpool.

"I've known him for a long time, and we have a good relationship! Hero is a great center forward, and it's really a pleasure to watch him play! But I'm not bad either, so I want to beat him!" Balotelli's words were a little incoherent, but it didn't prevent everyone from understanding what he meant.

Chen Hero responded: "Mario is very cute. Set off fireworks and burned down his own house? I think you guys are bored, hyping up this kind of thing every day. It's his own house, even if he really sets it on fire, that's his freedom… What? You said it was rented? Hmm… You don't understand him because you don't understand him yet. When you understand him, you will understand him!"

In response, the British venomous media commented: "Yes, we all know that's why Hero and Balotelli can be good friends…"

※※※

The game came as scheduled.

Although Balotelli and Chen Hero were the focus of media attention before the game, Balotelli did not start in this game but sat on the bench. No one was surprised. Mancini had too many good cards in his hand. His only worry every day was who to leave out, rather than not being able to find someone to send on like Dalglish…

Maybe Mancini would even hope that his team would suffer more injuries, so he wouldn't have to worry!

On Manchester City's side, Balotelli didn't play. Their starting lineup was goalkeeper Joe Hart, defenders Lescott, Kompany, Clichy, and Richards. Midfielders Yaya Toure, Barry, Milner, Nasri, and David Silva, and striker Aguero.

The bench also included Kolo Toure, Zabaleta, Balotelli, Dzeko… such strong players.

Liverpool also fielded their main players. Goalkeeper Reina, defenders Agger, Skrtel, Enrique, and Glen Johnson. Midfielders Charlie Adam, Gerrard, Lucas, and Henderson. The forwards were Suarez and Chen Hero.

This lineup was Liverpool's main lineup in most cases.

However, many people had criticized this main lineup because they felt that this lineup was awkward—Dalglish arranged four players in midfield who should have been in the center. Charlie Adam and Henderson both started as defensive midfielders. Now Henderson was squeezed to the right wing, Gerrard was on the left wing, and Charlie Adam and Lucas were in the middle.

Dalglish completely forced players who were in the wrong positions to play, just to get them on the field…

Gerrard and Henderson, these two wingers, were not good at crossing from the wings. Gerrard's most suitable position was in the center, and his long-range shots from behind were his main scoring weapon. Henderson was in the central midfield, mainly responsible for interception, defense, and long passes. Forcing him to play on the wing would only make him feel at a loss. Now Henderson's performance in the team was getting worse and worse, but because she was a player that Dalglish insisted on introducing, he could still basically start every game. Dalglish wouldn't take him down just to avoid admitting defeat to Niang—he believed that giving up Henderson would mean that he had lost to Niang, which was absolutely unacceptable to him.

So even if Henderson himself felt awkward, he had to hold on on the field.

If it really didn't work, he would move towards the center, playing an asymmetrical 442—in fact, Dalglish was now arranging it this way. Chen Hero was waiting at the front, and Suarez's position was slightly behind, looking like an attacking midfielder, or a free agent in the frontcourt.

Gerrard was on the left wing, relatively close to the wing, but he still had to move towards the center in the game. Not to mention Henderson, his position was very close to the center, almost like a central midfielder.

Lucas and Charlie Adam were behind, in the defensive midfielder positions.

Just looking at the formation's position, you could feel the awkwardness coming towards you. So you could imagine how awkward the Liverpool players on the field were…

To be honest, Henderson now wished he wouldn't play, because if he played, he would feel awkward and wouldn't perform well. He would be scolded by the media and fans for being a waste…

This put a lot of pressure on him at a young age.

But he didn't dare to make this request…

In this way, Liverpool appeared at Anfield in such an awkward posture, to face Manchester City.

※※※

ps, what else can I say, such a powerful update, isn't it worth a few votes from everyone?!