Chapter 556 Can't Handle the Fans

Although Chen Yingxiong had successfully taken care of his son, he couldn't handle those fans.

Because he couldn't play, whatever he said now was meaningless. As long as he didn't do it, there would always be people who were skeptical.

Most importantly, he had to prevent this from happening within the team.

So, before training the next day, he found head coach Gerrard alone and told him about his worries.

After listening, Gerrard frowned and nodded. "What you said is also what I'm worried about, Yingxiong. I've also heard the rumors outside. Do you have any suggestions?"

"I think one thing those people outside are saying is correct. If the team is just waiting for me to come back and save them, there's no future."

Gerrard nodded.

"So you have to inspire those people's fighting spirit. Use whatever method you want, but you can't let them lose motivation for the game."

Gerrard thought for a while and said to Chen Yingxiong, "That's possible, but…you can't be there."

Chen Yingxiong found it strange. "Do you have something you want to say behind my back?"

"No, I just think it will be more effective if you're not there."

Chen Yingxiong rolled his eyes.

Gerrard smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Okay, just cooperate with me this once."

※※※

For the benefit of the team, Chen Yingxiong had no choice but to cooperate with him.

Chen Yingxiong did not participate in training the next morning.

This not only surprised the reporters and fans waiting outside the base, but also made the Liverpool players feel very strange.

Without special circumstances, Chen Yingxiong never missed team training, and he rarely even arrived late.

There had been many rumors about him recently, but he was absent from team training at this time, which inevitably led to more speculation.

The reporters wondered if the habit of a twenty-three-year professional career had finally disappeared. Did Chen Yingxiong also feel that it was boring to only participate in training without playing in games, so he simply didn't come?

The players felt the oppressive atmosphere.

In today's training, head coach Gerrard came in with a dark face, looking displeased with everyone.

The players didn't dare to breathe loudly and could only bury their heads and train honestly.

Until the end of training, Chen Yingxiong did not appear on the training ground, which further strengthened the players' ideas—the captain must be feeling sad because of the fans' unwarranted doubts, so he didn't come.

Everyone felt a little injustice for their captain. His performance was impeccable. He had always been the pillar of the team. Those fans had benefited from him for more than ten years, so how could they slander him now if they wanted to?

※※※

After training, Gerrard did not dismiss the team directly, but had them form a circle, with himself standing in the center.

The words he had been brewing all morning were finally about to be said to everyone.

"I know you must be very strange as to why Yingxiong, who never misses training, didn't come today. I believe you also know the rumors that have been circulating outside the team recently. Our fans have suddenly become distrustful of our Yingxiong. Everyone should have seen the impact of those voices. Our fan base is splitting…Yesterday, this matter finally affected Yingxiong. His son was pointed at and scolded at school, scolding his father, Yingxiong, scolding him for being incompetent, scolding him for not being able to bring victory to the team, scolding him for needing to be responsible for the team losing last season's league title and our terrible ranking this season!"

Although Chen Yingxiong had told Gerrard about his son's experience, the truth was not like this at all. But if he told it as Chen Yingxiong said, Gerrard felt it would be meaningless and have no deterrent effect. Naturally, it would not be able to move the players.

So Gerrard took the liberty of changing it to the current version.

This was much more serious than the accusations Chen Yongxiang had encountered before.

But the effect was quite good. Look at the players' expressions, some were angry, some were ashamed.

The last time that Manchester City fan, Paul Gruel, brought up Chen Yingxiong's son, it caused a storm of criticism in public opinion.

This time, his innocent son was lying down and getting shot again.

"But in fact, these responsibilities have nothing to do with Yingxiong and his lovely six-year-old son! Yingxiong laid a good foundation for us before he was banned last season. We once led Arsenal by five points. The championship was not lost in Yingxiong's hands, but in our hands! This season's poor results have nothing to do with Yingxiong. It's our responsibility! Since it's our responsibility, why should a six-year-old child suffer such unwarranted accusations?"

Gerrard's tone became more and more stern, and his voice became louder and louder. The players around him lowered their heads, even those who had been angry before.

"So today, Yingxiong didn't come to training. He asked me for leave because he wanted to stay home with his son. His son was criticized so much that he didn't want to go to school anymore, and he didn't want to face such unwarranted accusations from his classmates. Can we scold those who accuse Yingxiong's son? No! Because they, like Yingxiong's son, are all children. They shouldn't be responsible for anything. We should be responsible!"

Here, Gerrard was not lying. Chen Yingxiong did not come to training today and was indeed staying at home with his son. His son did not want to go to school temporarily because of this matter.

"If you want Yingxiong's son to be able to hold his head high in front of his classmates, if you don't want to add any more wounds to a six-year-old child's young mind, then raise your heads!"

Gerrard roared, and many players reflexively raised their heads. They saw Gerrard's angry expression.

"You are all adults! You earn high salaries that ordinary people can't earn in a lifetime. You enjoy the pursuit of the media and fans. You live in luxury houses, drive luxury cars, and are never short of women…You have enjoyed so many benefits. Now it's time to pay the price for it! Take on your responsibilities as adults and solve problems for an ordinary six-year-old child! Are you still expecting to wait for Yingxiong to come back and win the championship for you? You are Liverpool players! You are not parasites on Yingxiong! Liverpool is not Yingxiong's team alone, it is everyone's. When Liverpool encounters difficulties, what should we do?"

Every word he said was like a knife, piercing the players' hearts.

Carlton Cole was the first to jump out. As the team's vice-captain, and the only one besides Chen Yingxiong who had come from that era.

He had long been unable to stand the current situation. The team's results were declining, the fans were causing internal divisions, and the media was constantly mocking Liverpool, saying stupid things like "The Liverpool dynasty is over," which made him unhappy when he heard it.

"We should let everyone know that even without Yingxiong, we can defeat our opponents and achieve victory!" he replied loudly. "Because we are Liverpool! We are the greatest team in England! Yingxiong has defended this honor for us for seventeen seasons. Now it's our turn, guys! We are not cowards! We are not parasites who can only bask in Yingxiong's glory! We are not teammate A! We are glorious Liverpool players!" He stood up and shouted loudly.

Gerrard smiled in his heart.

Carlton Cole was really good! As expected of the best player trained by Liverpool's youth academy, his feelings for Liverpool were perhaps deeper than anyone else on the field.

Cole had already stoked the fire, so he naturally had to strike while the iron was hot.

Gerrard continued, "Carlton is right! Now is the best opportunity to prove that you are great members of this great team! I'm telling you, I don't expect you to fight all the way to the top of the league now! But, at the very least, we can't throw a mess to Yingxiong before he comes back! Not everyone can become a hero, and can determine the ownership of the championship alone, but small people also have the glory and dignity of small people! Do what you can, and do your best! We are the foundation of a team! Without us, there would be no team! You must fully realize this. Liverpool is not Yingxiong's Liverpool alone, but the Liverpool of all our players!"

Gerrard was the captain of Liverpool and the captain of England when he was young, so it was not awkward for him to say such inspiring words.

Moreover, these words of club identity, said by him, a legend of the club, were more convincing than those said by a head coach who was randomly found from somewhere else.

Because Gerrard had grown up from Liverpool's youth academy, played for Liverpool until he retired, and then entered Liverpool's coaching staff, eventually becoming Liverpool's head coach. It can be said that he dedicated his whole life to this team. No one knows the meaning of the name "Liverpool" better than him, and no one is more suitable than him to teach the players in front of him from this perspective.

His words made many players tremble with excitement, wishing they could start the game immediately, and then they would prove to the head coach and the fans that they were not cowards and that they were not parasites on Yingxiong.

Carlton Cole roared even louder, "Guys! What we can do is like on the field, defend, pass, and control the ball desperately, pave the way for Yingxiong before he runs into position. Finally, pass the ball to him! Let him complete the final kick! In the first half of the season, we will defend the ball for him, and in the second half of the season, we will watch Yingxiong score goals!"

Looking at the performance of these players, Gerrard was still expressionless, but he was very happy in his heart.

Yingxiong, old buddy, I didn't let you down!

Don't let me down either!