“Drinking too much before a match isn't good.”

Chen Hero turned his head to follow the voice and found that the head coach was standing right next to him.

“I haven't started drinking yet, boss.” Chen Hero pointed to his glass, which was indeed full.

Dalglish sat down next to him and beckoned to the bartender for a beer.

“Are you nervous about tomorrow's final, Hero?” Dalglish asked Chen Hero next to him after taking a sip of his beer.

“What's there to be nervous about?” Chen Hero asked in surprise.

Dalglish saw the surprise in his expression, which didn't seem fake. Then he understood and smiled, “That's right, you're a player who's participated in the Champions League final, so this League Cup final really isn't anything to you.”

“But… I'm a little nervous,” he said.

Chen Hero found it strange that the head coach would say something like this to him. Dalglish was the King of Anfield, and he always seemed strong in front of people. Nervous about a League Cup… Are you kidding me, boss?

Seeing the surprise in Chen Hero's eyes, Dalglish knew that he didn't believe he would be nervous.

“After all, this is my first final in twelve years since I left the head coach position, and… the League Cup has a special meaning for me—as a head coach, the only thing I'm missing is a League Cup.” As he spoke, Dalglish laughed.

“I've won the FA Cup, the league championship, and the only thing missing is a League Cup. This is my last season at Liverpool, and I don't know if I'll continue coaching… Those people are right, as a head coach of a top club, I haven't worked on the front lines for twelve years, and I know too little about the world of football today. I'm a little out of touch with the times. So I really hope to fulfill this wish—to achieve a Grand Slam in my coaching career…”

Chen Hero's heart skipped a beat, and that task floated into his mind—so that's how it is! With such an urgent wish, no wonder the reward for this task is so generous…

“This is my wish, maybe that's why I'm a little nervous because I so desperately want to win this championship…” Dalglish laughed self-deprecatingly.

Chen Hero looked at the old man who usually treated him well and blurted out, “Don't worry, boss. We're sure to win this championship!”

“So sure?”

“Of course.” Chen Hero nodded.

“Don't put any pressure on yourself because of what I said, Hero…”

“I'm not feeling any pressure, actually… well, whether you say these things or not, I still want to win the League Cup, boss.” Chen Hero scratched his head and grinned. “Who doesn't love a championship?”

Dalglish chewed over Chen Hero's last sentence repeatedly.

“Who doesn't love a championship… well said, Hero. We all love championships. Liverpool hasn't had a championship in six years, and that situation itself is a mistake that must be corrected.”

Chen Hero thought of something else: “Boss, if we win the League Cup, and the FA Cup, and finally get a Champions League spot, will you not have to leave?”

He had just thought about it, and Chen Xing and the others felt that the reason why Dalglish was not suitable to be the team's head coach was nothing more than his poor coaching performance. If the team's performance was good, Dalglish would have no reason to leave, right?

Dalglish laughed after hearing Chen Hero's words. He was gratified by Chen Hero's support for him—my comeback to coach Liverpool wasn't as bad as they said, at least someone still supports me!

At the same time, he laughed at Chen Hero's naivety. His departure was not simply due to poor performance…

“Even if we win the Premier League title, I'm still leaving. And I'm not being fired, I'm leaving on my own.”

“Huh, everyone outside is saying you're being…”

Dalglish smiled, “The contract is there, and if I don't agree, I can still stay. But I've thought about it, if everyone says that my departure is a good thing for Liverpool's revival, then I can leave… I've also thought about it these days, Liverpool has many problems, I'm not the only one, but my departure can indeed help solve these problems. So, even if we can win all the championships, I will still resign. And, Hero, do you think Liverpool's current problems can be solved by one or two championships?”

Chen Hero thought for a while, then shook his head, “I don't understand much, but I think if we have a championship, will we have more time to… do something? I always feel that the team is a bit lacking in confidence, and it's easy to become impatient when we encounter setbacks, which doesn't seem like a top team… When I played for Napoli, we didn't have such a performance. Maybe the championship can bring confidence?”

Dalglish laughed, “The championship can only bring arrogance and recklessness to the current Liverpool, not confidence. This team… it's really time for a major overhaul. All I can do is make the process a little less painful.”

The future of a club, this kind of topic is still too profound for Chen Hero today. His knowledge and experience are not enough to support him to consider such deep-seated issues, such as why winning a championship can only bring arrogance and recklessness to the current Liverpool?

Seeing him frowning and thinking, Dalglish couldn't help but laugh again. This person, sometimes he is a responsible man, and sometimes he is like an innocent child. Some people say he is good, some people think he is hateful, coaches are eager to have him, but also headache about how to treat him… It is really a contradictory combination. He felt that his relationship with Chen Hero was pretty good, perhaps because he had a good impression of this straightforward person at first sight.

From Chen Hero, he vaguely saw the style of the players in the 1980s and 1990s.

Today's world of football is really becoming more and more monotonous…

People like Hero are becoming as rare as pandas.

So he supports Chen Hero, no matter what outrageous things he does, he will firmly stand by Chen Hero's side. Even if there are different opinions, he will never express them publicly.

“Don't think about it, Hero. Everyone loves championships. So do your best to win a championship tomorrow!” He patted Chen Hero on the shoulder and then drank the beer in his glass.

Putting down the glass, he got up and left.

Chen Hero turned his head and looked at the boss's back, and suddenly felt that his always upright body was a little hunched.

In fact, the boss is not tall, only one meter seventy-three in height. Now that he is older, he has a tendency to shrink. But in the hearts of many Liverpool players, perhaps the name "King Kenny" is too loud, and many people look up to him.

On the training ground and in the locker room, he is always full of aura. Even when facing his arch-rival Ferguson, he is not inferior at all. He tries to instill in these people the ideas of "what is the spirit of Liverpool" and "what does the name Liverpool mean", as if he wants to pass on his mantle to future generations.

However, it seems that the effect is minimal.

The name "Liverpool" is far less important than money and fame. The practice of relying on loyalty and identification with Liverpool to keep players is outdated… Yes, the boss is right, he is indeed outdated.

Even if you can win a championship, I am afraid you will not be able to keep people? In this day and age, what is there to talk about without money…

Chen Hero shook his head, he seemed to understand why Dalglish must leave in the end even if he had a championship.

An outdated person leading a top team eager to revive in this era is really a tragedy!

After drinking the wine in his glass, he also got up and left.

All he can do is to win the only championship missing in his coaching career for the boss in tomorrow's game. At least let him not leave with regret.

If there was no task, no background of Dalglish's departure, Chen Hero would not have paid attention to a League Cup. He had played for Zenit Saint Petersburg and Napoli, and he didn't pay much attention to domestic cup competitions. When he was in Napoli, Mazzarri didn't even let Chen Hero play in the Italian Cup in order to focus on the domestic league and the Champions League.

Therefore, Chen Hero himself lacks understanding of domestic cup competitions and feels that they are just a waste of time, and any team that can compete for the domestic league title will look down on them.

What's more, the League Cup is even more useless than the FA Cup, and he simply despises it.

But now, he has to take it seriously and play his best.

※※※

Chapter 26 The North London Derby

On February 26th, before the final against Cardiff, most of Liverpool's players were watching other ongoing Premier League matches.

The focus of this round was the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Arsenal's home stadium.

This is London's most famous derby, and even Liverpool players will pay attention to it. Just like the El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona is not only watched by fans of the two teams.

Although everyone is a Liverpool player, they still have a second team in their hearts… Some people support Tottenham, while others like Arsenal.

These two teams have no deep hatred with Liverpool, and there is no psychological burden to support them.

Tottenham's start was perfect, with Saha breaking the deadlock for the team in the fourth minute and the away team taking the lead.

Then Adebayor extended Tottenham's lead with a penalty in the thirty-fourth minute.

It looked like Arsenal was going to lose this North London Derby at home.

Arsenal's days have not been easy this season. They were once beaten 8-2 by Manchester United away from home, which scared many people at the time. After Wenger let go of Fabregas, the team went from bad to worse, and rumors about his dismissal were rampant.

It was somewhat like the meaning of brothers in trouble with today's Liverpool.

But now Arsenal is ranked fourth, and this result can still participate in next season's Champions League qualifiers.

In any case, life is better than Liverpool's.

Liverpool players could only see here, because they had to set off for Wembley Stadium to prepare for the League Cup final later.

On the way to Wembley Stadium, everyone was still discussing the North London Derby between Tottenham and Arsenal. Whether they supported Arsenal or Tottenham, everyone felt that Tottenham's number three player Gareth Bale was simply a genius! He is the key figure for Tottenham to lead Arsenal by two goals. He assisted Saha's goal, and he also created Adebayor's handball…

“It would be great if someone like that could come to Liverpool!” Someone said this, and then was ridiculed.

“Don't even think about it, it's impossible! Their current ranking is much higher than ours!”

“That's right, Tottenham has a chance to participate in the Champions League…”

This topic was quickly dismissed by everyone, and no one mentioned it again. They began to discuss who would win between Arsenal and Tottenham.