Liverpool ultimately defeated Arsenal 2-0 at their home stadium.

They successfully advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup, while Arsenal suffered elimination in their first FA Cup match of the season.

After the game, all of Arsenal's players refused to be interviewed, perhaps out of shame, or perhaps because they were unhappy about losing.

In any case, they all hurried past the reporters without stopping for interviews.

The reporters, unable to stop the players, questioned Wenger at the press conference.

Wenger spread his hands: "I told you before that the Liverpool reserves are a very strong team, but you didn't believe me. What did you say in your media? You thought I was making a fuss, that I was disgracing Arsenal. You saw the match, didn't you? Does anyone still think I exaggerated?"

A group of reporters looked at each other, not expecting Wenger to be waiting for them...

They had indeed criticized and ridiculed Wenger mercilessly before.

So Wenger's counterattack was reasonable.

But... but, using his own team's failure as a weapon for counterattack, wasn't that a bit foolish?

After all, although we were counterattacked by him, his team was also eliminated. Whose loss is greater?

It's obvious.

We were mocked by him, but it only made us lose face a little bit. Besides, how many reporters aren't thick-skinned? So maybe they didn't even feel that much.

But his team was eliminated in the first round of the FA Cup. Is that acceptable?

For a giant like Arsenal, failing to even pass the first round of the FA Cup is the biggest failure, right?

In the face of such a big failure, doesn't Wenger feel any pressure at all?

Even if he's on the board of directors of Arsenal, he can't be indifferent.

So they really couldn't understand why Wenger still had the face to use his team's failure to lecture them reporters.

They naturally didn't understand how much Wenger hoped his team would lose this match.

If losing a match could be exchanged for a greater victory, he would do it without hesitation.

An excellent coach must be an excellent tactician, but also an excellent strategist.

A strategist's vision cannot only focus on one city or one place. When necessary, they must have the courage to cut off their wrists, giving up some games, even if those games seem important.

The vision must be long-term. The victory or defeat of a match right under your nose is unimportant, but if it can be exchanged for future glory, then it should be done without hesitation, with no wavering in the heart.

Wenger is such an outstanding coach.

Perhaps many people can't imagine that Wenger would use the failure of this match to exchange for a greater victory.

So they can't understand it.

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Arsenal was depressed after losing the game.

Liverpool, on the other hand, was in high spirits after winning.

Liverpool's players were in high spirits and seemed very happy during interviews.

Although they didn't score, all the goals were scored by Chen Hero alone. But after two seasons of League Cup and FA Cup experience, the Liverpool reserve players had long regarded Chen Hero as one of their own.

They were just as happy when Chen Hero scored.

Moreover, their contribution on the defensive end in this game was no less than Chen Hero's.

If it weren't for their tenacious defense, Arsenal might have scored before Chen Hero did.

No matter what angle you consider it from, the Liverpool reserve players were entitled to feel happy about this match.

Moreover, the victory in this match greatly boosted their confidence—even Arsenal's first team has fallen at our feet, what else is there to be afraid of?!

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After the game, the media were all surprised that the Liverpool reserves had so easily defeated Arsenal's first team at home.

In addition to surprise, there was naturally praise.

All kinds of compliments and flattery sprung up like mushrooms after rain.

In the pens of these media, the Liverpool reserves were already more powerful than Manchester United.

They came to this ridiculous conclusion in this way—in the first half of the season, Arsenal defeated Manchester United 1-0 away, and now the Liverpool reserves defeated Arsenal 2-0 at home. These are the known conditions. Since Arsenal defeated Manchester United, it can be known that Arsenal is stronger than Manchester United, and since the Liverpool reserves defeated Arsenal, it can be known that the Liverpool reserves are stronger than Arsenal. Therefore, the Liverpool reserves are stronger than Arsenal, and also stronger than Manchester United. Therefore, the Liverpool reserves are stronger than Manchester United...

Sounds absurd, right? But the media often makes simple comparisons like this. In fact, they themselves know that this kind of comparison is very stupid. But how else can they attract attention? Sometimes deliberately making a fool of yourself is also a marketing tactic.

The Liverpool reserves are certainly not stronger than Manchester United.

Even if they can defeat Arsenal, it is only in specific circumstances, under specific conditions, that a specific result occurs.

But everyone doesn't care that much. At this time, praising a civilian hero and advocating the "victory of the common people" is the best way to ignite everyone's passion and enthusiasm.

The reason why the FA Cup and League Cup can still maintain their vitality in English football under the impact of the Premier League and Champions League is largely due to their constant upsets.

In fact, everyone likes to see the good show of underdogs defeating giants, but in the Premier League, this hope is too slim. Even teams like Bolton and Charlton cannot be considered underdogs. The real underdogs are those lower-level league teams, the lower the better, such as amateur teams, such as League Two and League One teams.

Although the Liverpool reserves come from a famous club, they can be considered underdogs, after all, they all came from the youth team and have not yet proven their abilities in higher-level competitions. It is not to say that the youth team of a giant is necessarily more powerful than the youth team of an average team. Some players from the youth team of a giant may only be able to play in the Championship, League One, League Two... or even amateur teams in the end.

Since everyone likes to watch underdog legends, and the Liverpool reserves can indeed be considered underdogs.

Then naturally it should be widely publicized.

This is indeed the most worthy of reporting and attention recently.

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While the outside media were almost sickeningly praising the Liverpool reserves, life was not easy for Arsenal.

Because they had to play Liverpool twice in a row at Anfield within four days, Arsenal did not return to their Colney training base in London after the FA Cup match.

Instead, they continued to rent a training ground at Everton's Bellefield training base for training.

At the Bellefield training base, Arsenal's proud stars were standing in front of Wenger with their heads bowed, not daring to breathe loudly.

They had not been scolded by Wenger. In fact, Wenger hadn't said anything yet, but the players were already like this.

They were ashamed.

Because before the game, they had arrogantly thought that they could defeat the Liverpool reserves.

Who would have thought it would end like this?

Not only did they not defeat the Liverpool reserves, but they were beaten by the Liverpool reserves without any power to fight back. In the last half of the game, they could only defend desperately to barely ensure that they didn't lose the ball, let alone counterattack.

They were beaten so badly by the Liverpool reserves in full view of the public that they almost couldn't recognize their own mothers.

They had caused this humiliation themselves. If they had listened to the boss before the game, perhaps they wouldn't have ended up like this...

They didn't know that the boss wanted them to lose. If they didn't lose, they couldn't deceive Liverpool. So in fact, they lost well, they lost wonderfully, they lost perfectly and impeccably.

In this way, Liverpool would be even more convinced of their previous statement, believing that Arsenal really couldn't pose any threat to them.

The reserve players are young people, who are at an age where they are energetic, easily impulsive, and easily carried away. A little bit of achievement can make them cocky.

With the media fueling the flames like this, Wenger believed that the Liverpool reserves would definitely underestimate the enemy.

He himself is a coach who likes to train young players, so he naturally has a deep understanding of the psychology of young people. He was confident that his guess was accurate.

The Liverpool reserves were taken care of, now it was time to take care of his players.

Before, the players were blindly confident, but now they had gone to the other extreme, blindly self-deprecating. He had to restore their fighting spirit, otherwise, even if Liverpool was deceived by him, the final result would still be Liverpool winning.

He looked at the players, who were now like dogs with their tails between their legs, dejected, with their ears drooping, not saying a word.

Perhaps in their hearts, they would rather he scold them all, so that they would feel better.

But he couldn't do that, because once he did, the resentment in the players' hearts would be reduced, or even disappear.

Although they were hurt by losing to the Liverpool reserves, they were, after all, proud stars, and they must feel a little unconvinced about this failure in their hearts. They couldn't believe that they had lost to the Liverpool reserves without any power to fight back.

This feeling of unconvincedness may be very small now, but it was what Wenger needed most.

Because this emotion would become Arsenal's anger for revenge in the second match.

As long as he provoked it well.

He took a breath and said, "Now, throw yesterday's game into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean!"

Everyone looked up in surprise, looking at the coach in front of them. There didn't seem to be any anger on his face.

But they would rather the boss scold them all than be like this, making them feel uncomfortable in their hearts.

The more gentle the boss was to them, the more ashamed they felt.

In the end, they simply wished the ground would crack open and let them all crawl in.