Chapter 1 I Don't Care About the Roaring

The reporters and editors could roar and fume all they wanted; it was pointless. Eventually, everyone's attention would return to the football match itself.

It wasn't possible to hype up a game so much beforehand only to have everyone ignore the match and just watch the media hype each other up.

As the FA Cup final drew nearer day by day, everyone's attention shifted to the game itself.

When the media discovered that no matter what methods they used, they couldn't pry open the mouths of either team, they had no choice but to rehash old news: the love-hate relationship between referee James and Liverpool and Everton.

That controversial match was brought up again by the media months later. They constantly reminded readers and fans of the referee's special characteristics, and his relationship with the two teams. Through this, they wanted to tell everyone that this match was extraordinary and had many points of interest worth paying attention to.

The media's frenzy of hype made even the FA unable to sit still. They had to come out again to deny the rumors, saying that the arrangement for James to be the referee for this match had been decided long ago and had nothing to do with Liverpool or Everton. Besides, at that time, no one could have imagined that Liverpool and Everton would appear in the FA Cup final; it was simply too coincidental… They hoped that some media outlets would not engage in such boring hype.

The media's hype, however, yielded nothing except a warning from the FA. Neither Liverpool nor Everton would comment on the referee issue.

Helpless, the media had to return to the right path, but it was the most boring one.

They honestly introduced the recent state of both sides to the fans, analyzed the history of the two teams' encounters… This content was indeed very uninteresting.

But it had to be done. Careful people might be able to see which team had a higher chance of winning.

Regarding the Liverpool reserve team, there were no injury problems. The whole team had high morale. Plus, with Chen Hero and Carlton Cole, the team was strong enough, as had already been seen in the past League Cup and FA Cup matches.

In addition, they had a long rest and plenty of time to prepare.

The only problem was that the rest period was too long, and the preparation time was too long, which might cause the players to lose their feel for the game and their form.

Although Martin O'Neill had some reserve team players participate in the last four Premier League games, not all Liverpool reserve team players had that opportunity. There was always half of them who didn't get the chance.

Everton's advantage was that they were a first team, and their match experience would definitely be more extensive than that of the Liverpool reserve team.

The problem, however, was that they had just finished a long and intense season, and the whole team was exhausted. They didn't have time to rest or make any adjustments before having to play the final immediately. This was a severe test of the players' physical strength and willpower.

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Because neither side actively provoked trouble, the FA Cup final arrived in a calm atmosphere.

This disappointed many reporters.

In their opinion, this was a match full of hype, especially with James as the referee, which made the match full of infinite possibilities.

The media really wanted to see Chen Hero vehemently criticize James before the game, so that the atmosphere would be pushed to a climax before the game even started.

Who would have thought that Chen Hero wouldn't fall for it at all?

He kept his mouth shut.

But the media didn't believe that Chen Hero really had no opinion about that James.

Okay, you little fox. You don't want to be caught with a handle before the game, but you will always show your tail in the game!

Let's wait and see!

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May 20th, 4:00 PM, FA Cup Final day.

Wembley Stadium was packed, filled with Liverpool and Everton fans.

The stadium was filled with noise, with Liverpool and Everton fans singing to support their teams before the match started. This was the traditional way for English fans to cheer for their teams.

The two teams were archrivals from the same city, so you can imagine what the relationship between the two teams' fans was like. They used songs as weapons to attack each other, and they were especially energetic. For a time, the singing resounded over Wembley Stadium, echoing for a long time.

At this time, in the locker room, the two teams were making their final preparations to take the field.

In the Everton locker room, Moyes solemnly instructed the players on the final points to pay attention to.

But he couldn't hide the worry between his brows.

The game was about to start in ten minutes. But he still hadn't found his weakness, or Liverpool's conspiracy.

Logically speaking, if he hadn't found it by now, he should give up.

But for a clever person like Moyes, he could never give up. The more he didn't understand, the more he wanted to figure it out, he had to get to the bottom of it.

He always believed in his own intelligence. Believing too much, in the end, it was like this - cleverness was ruined by cleverness.

Although he had tried very hard to hide it in front of the players, the worry between his brows was still clearly seen by everyone.

Players are simple creatures on the football field - they just need to follow the coach's instructions. They don't need to think too much, anyway, the coach is there for everything. If the coach tells them to go east, they go east. So they don't need to think too much about other things.

So they didn't understand what their coach was worried about.

They didn't see any problems from Chen Hero's low profile.

But they saw problems from Moyes's expression.

What's wrong with the coach?

What is he worried about? Is he worried that we can't win the game?

Although the Liverpool reserve team is indeed not weak, it shouldn't be a cause for such worry, right?

If we Everton go all out, can't we fight them? We couldn't beat Liverpool before because Liverpool was a first team, but now the opponent in front of us is a reserve team! Can a reserve team be as good as a first team, no matter how good they are? No matter how bad we are, we shouldn't be unable to deal with a reserve team, right?

People always tend to think crookedly, especially after being preconceived.

The more they thought about it, the more the Everton players felt that this must be the case - the coach was worried that the team would not be able to beat the Liverpool reserve team, and he was afraid that saying it would affect morale, so he was particularly low-key in front of the media. He couldn't say it, so he could only worry secretly, and this worry was reflected in some of his details.

He had been a little distracted in training before. That must be the reason!

When they thought that their coach was so worried about them not being able to win, many Everton players felt sad and upset - no matter what, we are your players! This team was brought out by you! Before such an important match as the FA Cup final, can't you give us some confidence and believe in your team? What's so scary about the Liverpool reserve team? Isn't it just a reserve team? It scared you like this! Could it be that losing nine out of ten Merseyside derbies had such a big impact on you?

The Everton players, who felt that they had not gained the trust of the coach, were very hurt. Some were dissatisfied and wanted to prove their ability in the game, to prove that the coach's worries were unnecessary. Some were dissatisfied and felt that since the coach didn't believe in us, why should we work so hard like idiots? Anyway, losing the game is only natural. Others suddenly felt dejected and lost their motivation after losing the trust of the coach.

For a time, several undercurrents surged among the Everton players.

It was a pity that Moyes's mind was still on "Where did Liverpool find our problems?" "What problems did we not pay attention to that were caught by Liverpool?" He didn't pay any attention to the expressions on his players' faces at all.

Because he wasn't in the mood, his pre-match mobilization was also lackluster. This scene was seen by the Everton players, which made them even more convinced of their ideas - what they had previously guessed was no longer a guess, but a final conclusion.

Their coach didn't trust them!

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At the same time, in the Liverpool locker room, the situation was much simpler.

Martin O'Neill waved his big hand to encourage the morale and fighting spirit of the reserve team.

"Guys, what has your hard work for a season been for? Isn't it for this day? I know that the Champions League final belongs to the first team, and many of you will not be able to participate in the Champions League final."

It wasn't just many people… It was basically only one person who could participate in the Champions League final, and that person was Chen Hero. No one else could, even Carlton Cole, whose rise in speed was as fast as his dribbling breakthrough on the field, was not qualified to represent the first team in the Champions League final. First of all, he was not registered in the team's 25-man squad for the Champions League, and secondly, even if he was on the list, with his strength, he shouldn't even think about representing the Liverpool first team in the Champions League final.

Everyone was well aware of their situation, so when Martin O'Neill told the truth, no one in the Liverpool reserve team felt uncomfortable.

"But, now you have a chance, this FA Cup final, is actually your Champions League final! Treat it like a Champions League final!"

He didn't say anything else, it was that simple, but it was enough. The effect had been achieved.

The Liverpool reserve team players were inspired to fight.

The boss is right! This is our Champions League final!

The reserve team also has the glory that the reserve team can pursue!

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In this way, the two teams, with completely different moods, passed through the player tunnel and stepped onto the Wembley Stadium turf.

In the stands, fans from both sides roared like a tsunami, pushing the atmosphere to a climax.

Listening to the deafening shouts, the Liverpool fans looked around and felt their hearts surge.

We have all watched the Champions League final on TV.

In the Champions League final, when the two participating teams took the field, it was just like this.

Wembley is also a stadium that has hosted the Champions League final.

This kind of feeling, this kind of atmosphere, and this kind of stadium…

Isn't this our Champions League final!

In the shouts of the fans, they held their heads high and chest out.

This scene surprised the Everton players next to them - how did the mental outlook of the reserve team players next to them go up another level after walking out of the tunnel for such a short distance?

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Among the people who were watching these reserve team players was also the Everton coach Moyes, who had come out early and stood in front of the coaching bench.

When he saw those reserve team players walking onto the field with their heads held high and full of confidence, his brow furrowed even tighter.

He kept repeating in his heart.

That's right! That's right! They must have some secret weapon! They must have discovered some problem! They are sure of success, and the reason why they are so unscrupulous must be that we have a problem… But damn it! What the hell is our problem?!

Someone tell me!

What problem do we have that makes the Liverpool reserve team so fearless!

He roared in his heart.

No one could answer his question.

Because there was no such problem at all, if there was no problem, where would the answer come from?

Moyes fell into an inexplicable state of anxiety.

In his opinion, the confident smiles on the faces of the Liverpool reserve team players were also a sinister smile that a conspiracy was about to succeed. Especially Chen Hero, who was leading the way, it was no longer a sinister smile, but a mockery of himself! He was mocking his incompetence!