Chapter 28 Influence

With the season progressing, Martin O'Neill suddenly found himself influenced by Chen Hero, as his strategic focus had unknowingly shifted to the Europa League, rather than the domestic league.

Liverpool was currently in first place, two points ahead of second-place Manchester City, three points ahead of third-place Manchester United, and seven points ahead of fifth-place Newcastle. It could be said that the top four positions were relatively secure.

Therefore, when considering personnel arrangements and rotations, he would unconsciously put the league aside and prioritize the Europa League.

He felt that this was all a result of that Christmas dinner. The words of Chen Hero and Suárez had stirred something within him.

A Europa League title... Wouldn't it be better if they could secure Champions League qualification for next season and also win the Europa League this season?

Even better, wouldn't it be the best if they could win both the league title and the Europa League this season?

So, as soon as the Europa League draw results were announced, he started researching Besiktas' information.

He even forgot that there was a league match before the game against Besiktas... Of course, as such an excellent professional coach, how could he forget? He just didn't take the opponents in the twenty-eighth round of the league seriously...

Real Madrid's next league opponent was Bolton, a team they had defeated 4-0 at Anfield in the first half of the season. It was normal for Liverpool not to take them seriously. Even if this was an away game...

So, in the end, Martin O'Neill paid the price for his carelessness.

Liverpool, who had been unanimously favored before the game, unexpectedly lost 1-3 to Bolton away!

In order to prepare for the Europa League away game against Besiktas four days later, O'Neill made rotations. This rotation was relatively large, because the away game against Besiktas was going to be very difficult. If he didn't ensure that all the main players were in good condition, O'Neill wouldn't be confident that he could escape unscathed from the away game—the reputation of Turkish teams' home stadiums was well-known and deafening.

The question of whether the team could escape unscathed from Turkey was still up in the air, but they had already been carried out of Bolton's Reebok Stadium...

O'Neill believed that even with a large rotation, he could still beat Bolton away, or at least draw. That way, even if Manchester City won the game, they could still maintain the top spot with a goal difference advantage.

Who would have thought that the team would lose cleanly to their opponents 1-3 away from home?

Because of the loss in this game, Liverpool was surpassed by Manchester City and became second, and was also tied on points with Manchester United. Their second place in the league might not be secure either.

But Martin O'Neill didn't have time to regret the loss in this game and had to consider how to deal with Besiktas.

O'Neill's strategy was that it was okay to lose away, but not by too much, and it was best to score an away goal.

Then return to the home stadium to fight to the finish.

The first leg away and second leg at home schedule was favorable to Liverpool, so they naturally had to make good use of it.

But what he was most worried about was Chen Hero.

※※※

Chen Hero discovered that after Martin O'Neill became the head coach, he had many more private talks with him than any other coach he had worked with before.

Did this mean his status was important? Sure enough, a game like the away game against Besiktas still required him!

Chen Hero felt a little smug.

But when Martin O'Neill explained his intentions, Chen Hero was speechless.

He wasn't there to talk about how to win the game at all, but to talk about how to reduce the chances of getting cards.

"Everyone knows that your temper is relatively... um, fiery, Hero. I think the other side may make some arrangements targeting this. And Besiktas' home atmosphere is very fiery, I'm worried that this will affect you... So no matter what happens in the game, you must stay calm, Hero!"

Looking at the coach's worried expression, Chen Hero didn't know whether to laugh or cry—was his reputation that bad?

"Don't worry, boss. My goal this season is to score at least twenty goals in the Europa League and win the Europa League title, so I won't miss any games so easily!" Chen Hero had to comfort his coach.

"Of course, I know that, but you can always get a little hot-headed on the field, especially when the opponents may be provoking you... So when you encounter that kind of situation, you must, must restrain yourself!"

Seeing the boss so nervous, Chen Hero suddenly wanted to tease him.

"What if the opponent swears at me?" Chen Hero asked, pretending to be serious.

"Endure!" O'Neill said decisively, fearing that Chen Hero would really fight with the opponent because of this.

"What if the opponent fouls me maliciously?"

"Endure!"

"What if the opponent hits me?"

"Endure!"

"Hey, boss!"

"Uh... okay, if they hit you, just fall to the ground..."

"Should I cover my face?"

"Um... you can!"

"Boss, did you graduate from La Masia Film Academy?"

Martin O'Neill finally realized that Chen Hero was joking with him. For a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Don't take it lightly, Hero. I'm serious. If the other side really has physical contact with you, don't go head-to-head, because you'll only suffer. It's their home stadium, and the referee's decisions will definitely favor them." Chen Hero's character was prone to impulsiveness, which was O'Neill's biggest concern.

The most famous example of his impulsive personality was when he was in Napoli, against Barcelona. After being framed by Alves, he was furious and elbowed Butzkes, an "innocent bystander" to the ground. He had been wronged, and if the club had appealed, they might have had a chance to have the red card penalty revoked. Even if they couldn't change the penalty, they could have won public opinion and support.

But Chen Hero chose a response that many people considered unprofessional. He had his revenge, but he was banned by UEFA for eight games...

This incident was very famous, and Martin O'Neill knew about it even before he coached Chen Hero. At the time, the whole of Europe was reporting on this matter, and there were debates, with some supporting and some opposing, with a huge momentum.

So Martin O'Neill was particularly worried that Chen Hero would have such a situation in the game against Besiktas, and he would explode as soon as he was provoked.

Chen Hero had his own ideas: "Don't worry, boss. If they dare to use any conspiracies against us, I'll make them pay!"

"Hey, Hero, did all my words go in one ear and out the other?"

"What are you thinking, boss? Of course, I'll make them pay with goals!"

Martin O'Neill then smiled. "That's the best, that's the best."

If Chen Hero could really focus all his attention on the game, that would be great, and he wouldn't have to worry about anything.

※※※

It was no wonder that Martin O'Neill was so worried about this, because he had already smelled danger.

With three days to go before the game, the media on both sides had already begun to hype up the game.

In order to cheer for Liverpool, the English media brought up the game in which Liverpool had defeated Besiktas 8-0 at home to talk about it in detail.

This game was indeed something for Liverpool people to be proud of, because it was the biggest single-game score difference record in the history of the European Champions League—breaking the record of seven-goal victories previously held by Juventus and once tied by Arsenal.

At the same time, this was also the biggest victory for the Red Army on the European battlefield since their 10-1 victory over Finnish team Pallosura in 1980.

The English media used this method to cheer for Liverpool.

What is an enemy to them, is a hero to us.

The 8-0 victory that Liverpool was so proud of was naturally a deep shame for Besiktas.

For Liverpool, it was a proud record, for Besiktas, it was a pillar of shame.

This game was a game that Besiktas didn't want to think about at all. Who would have thought that with the draw of Liverpool, this matter would be exposed by many British media, which made Besiktas feel very angry.

The Turkish media was also talking about this matter, but they were definitely not complacent and smug. What they were promoting was "revenge."

Since that 0-8, Besiktas and Liverpool had never met again, so naturally there was no chance for revenge.

Besiktas had been ridiculed for five years, and finally had a chance for revenge. They must have been holding back a lot of energy.

You have to know that the power of hatred is very powerful.

So, thanks to the media, the atmosphere suddenly became unprecedentedly tense.

Although Martin O'Neill kept trying to cool things down in interviews, constantly emphasizing that the past was the past, and he himself had no feelings about that game, after all, he had not coached the team at that time, and many people in the current Liverpool team had not experienced that game... but it had little effect.

Liverpool Football Club had already issued a warning to Liverpool fans who were planning to travel with the team to Istanbul to cheer them on, requiring them to follow the team together and try to go out in groups, not alone or in groups of three or five, but in groups of a dozen to be safe.

When Leeds United played against Galatasaray in the Champions League, there was a tragic incident in which two Leeds United fans were stabbed to death in Turkey.

No one wanted such a tragedy to happen again.

Therefore, Liverpool Football Club issued such a warning. The club even hoped that if it was not necessary, fans should not go to Turkey and just watch the live broadcast on TV at home. Anyway... um, whether this game has the on-site support of fans or not is the same.

But at this sensitive moment, anything you do can be wrong.

The official warning from Liverpool Football Club caused protests from the Turkish side. The Turkish Tourism Bureau directly said that this was a kind of discrimination against Turkey, and that this was definitely not an isolated phenomenon, but the norm throughout the European continent.

"...They always put a lot of unsubstantiated charges on our heads. This is unfair! This is discrimination!"

It was elevated to this level all of a sudden, so Turkish fans were even more angry...

"This is discrimination! Damn it! We must give Liverpool a good look!"

"The British don't want their people to come to Turkey? Fine, we don't want these damn bastards to come either! Drive all the British out of Turkey!!"

"Defeat Liverpool, and show those arrogant Brits a thing or two!"

…

This fire seemed to be burning brighter and brighter...