Chapter 167 A Strange State

Throughout the first half, Chen Hero had shots on goal, but no goals. This wasn't exactly rare. But if you watched the first half of this match, anyone would find this situation abnormal.

Because Chen Hero's performance was truly quite bad.

It wasn't just that he didn't score.

Chen Hero noticed it, too.

He felt very awkward in the game.

Because he was always using the wrong foot!

When he faced Manchester United players, the ball always ended up on his weaker left foot.

Once or twice, he thought it was a coincidence. Three or four times, he felt something was wrong. If it always happened, there had to be a reason.

Rio Ferdinand was in a very good mood, because he had successfully contained Chen Hero in the game!

Ferguson had repeatedly told all the defenders before the game that when Chen Hero got the ball, they should force him to the left, forcing him to control the ball with his left foot. If he went to the right, they should defend tightly. If he used his left foot to control the ball, then they shouldn't bother with him. As long as he didn't use his right foot to shoot, there was no threat.

Before the game, the Manchester United players were skeptical of this strategy—Chen Hero was so powerful that no matter the opponent or the method, he couldn't be defended against. He would score anyway. It seemed that the only thing that could make him play abnormally was himself. How could such a simple method stop him?

Fortunately, Manchester United's coach was Ferguson, who had enough authority. Although they didn't quite believe it, they still followed his instructions.

Now everyone was convinced by Ferguson, because it really worked!

When the ball landed at Chen Hero's left foot, he seemed to not know how to play. Even simple passes were not done well. As for shooting, it was completely off target. Dribbling past someone? Forget about it!

"Hero shot it high again! His performance today is terrible! In such an important match, he has not contributed his strength to the team."

"It's really strange, Hero's performance is puzzling!"

"Chen Hero is not in good shape today, but who knows what happened?"

……

Until the end of the first half, Chen Hero did not have any good performances.

During the halftime break, the commentator used a very serious term to describe Chen Hero's performance: "Like sleepwalking!"

This description was really serious. No one had ever said that about Chen Hero before.

※※※

Chen Hero's sleepwalking performance also affected Liverpool's overall performance.

Manchester United were already leading 2-0 in the first half. It looked like the suspense of this game had been lost.

Martin O'Neill frowned.

He had found the problem, but he couldn't solve it.

To be honest, although they were bitter rivals, he admired Ferguson. Such an inconspicuous weakness, he hadn't even noticed it himself. But Ferguson not only noticed it, but also thought of a way to exploit this weakness.

Chen Hero's left foot... He had never really cared about it before.

He always thought that even if he wasn't good at using his left foot, he still had his right foot. His powerful right foot could completely compensate for the weakness of his left foot.

Who would have thought that this weakness would become the key to determining the outcome!

Chen Hero himself had figured it out, and he also knew that this problem could not be solved in a halftime break.

In fifteen minutes, he couldn't possibly train his left foot to be as good as his right foot... And the left foot was already a habit. It would be really difficult to change...

Chen Hero felt very frustrated when he thought of this—would other teams be able to use this to make him perform poorly in the future?

He suddenly felt that his career, which had been smooth sailing, had encountered a huge crisis!

Martin O'Neill frowned, and Chen Hero lowered his head. For a while, the atmosphere in the locker room was a bit heavy.

Some of the other players knew what had happened to Chen Hero, while others were confused and didn't know why Chen Hero's condition was so abnormal.

※※※

In the Manchester United locker room, it was a completely different atmosphere of joy. The Manchester United players were all excited about successfully defending against Chen Hero.

Ferguson's expression was calm.

He looked at the happy Manchester United players, but he didn't seem as happy as them.

Just defending against Chen Hero made them so happy. Were these really Manchester United players?

They were so frightened by one Chen Hero… What would this Manchester United team become after he left?

※※※

The second half of the game did not change at all. Chen Hero was still restricted by his left foot. Although he tried very hard to get the ball with his right foot, he would be surrounded by the opposing players as soon as he controlled the ball with his right foot.

Passing the ball out at this time was the only good way.

Chen Hero didn't perform well, and Liverpool as a whole was unprepared for this. So their performance was not very good either.

In the end, in this very crucial game, Liverpool lost 0-2 to Manchester United.

When the whole game ended, Old Trafford let out a huge cheer.

Because the Manchester United fans knew very well what the victory meant.

Earlier, Manchester City had lost their game.

Manchester United used this game to tie with Manchester City. Now the two teams had the same points.

The two teams had the same points, and Manchester United temporarily ranked first in the league with a goal difference advantage over Manchester City.

What could be more gratifying than defeating your bitter rival and topping the league table?

※※※

Manchester United fans cheered for the victory in the stands, while Liverpool players hurried off the field.

For them, it was a disappointing weekend.

They had made the most complete preparations, but they did not expect to lose to Chen Hero's left foot.

Chen Hero also seemed very depressed, but he was not frustrated. Because he had decided to strengthen his left foot practice in the副本 (copy/instance).

At the post-match press conference, Ferguson praised the performance of the whole team, but he did not mention his tactics.

O'Neill said that he accepted the loss, but he did not give up hope of winning the championship.

"We are only four points behind the top of the league, there is still hope!"

Many media outlets felt that Martin O'Neill was bluffing.

Obviously, Liverpool would focus on the Europa League at the end of the season, and it would be enough to ensure the top four in the league. And from the current situation, they should have no problem getting into the top four in the league, and they can participate in the Champions League next season.

Under this premise, wouldn't it be better to win the Europa League championship? You know, Liverpool's momentum in the Europa League is quite good. They have the title of "King of Cup Competitions."

What many reporters were most concerned about was why Chen Hero's state was inexplicably low in this game.

O'Neill shrugged: "You said he was in a slump? I don't think so. He worked very hard, as usual, he was just a little unlucky."

O'Neill didn't tell the truth, because he didn't want to admit that Ferguson's tactics were really effective in containing Chen Hero. Otherwise, Liverpool's opponents would probably follow suit in the future.

And in that case, how should he respond?

The season was coming to an end, and he didn't want to create any complications at this juncture. We'll solve any problems in the pre-season training camp.

The reporters didn't get what they wanted from Chen Hero either.

Because Chen Hero didn't accept their interviews at all.

※※※

A match that should have been evenly matched and attracted much attention, the English national derby, ended in this way, which really made people not know what to say.

Although they lost the game, Liverpool fans still gave the team a lot of support and help.

They also showed understanding for Chen Hero's abnormal performance in the game. After the game, no Liverpool fans scolded Chen Hero. After all, in the past one and a half seasons, Chen Hero had already conquered the fans with his actual actions. It was impossible to overturn his previous contributions with one bad performance in one game.

The local media in Liverpool also affirmed and forgave Chen Hero's performance.

"He must be too tired... Scoring twenty-three goals in the Europa League, such a crazy performance has consumed too much of his energy. So it is normal for his state to fluctuate in one game."

"It doesn't matter if Hero doesn't perform well in the game. As long as he can continue to play for Liverpool."

……

Although from the coach to his teammates, from the media to the fans, no one criticized him, Chen Hero did not let himself off the hook.

During dinner, Cabrella found Chen Hero clumsily picking at spaghetti with chopsticks. She found it strange.

First of all, Chen Hero always ate with knives and forks. Unless he went back to China, she rarely saw Chen Hero use chopsticks.

Secondly, he was not left-handed.

Chen Hero noticed that Cabrella was staring at him.

He explained: "I'm trying to become a left-hander."

"Why?"

"I don't want my opponents to take advantage of my left foot's weakness again!" Chen Hero said fiercely.

Yes, losing the game against Manchester United was actually a big blow to Chen Hero, although he didn't show it. The team lost to their bitter rivals, and they were getting further and further away from the league championship. All of this was because his right foot was restricted by the enemy.

This time it was just a league game, not even a final to decide the league championship.

What if this kind of thing happened in the Europa League final and the Champions League final next time?

If he lost the championship at that time, it would be a regret for a lifetime, and he was afraid that he would never forgive himself...

Such a thing must never happen!

To this end, he had to start training his left foot now, starting with the proficient use of his left hand.

He felt that as long as he could cultivate himself into a left-hander, the problem of his left foot would naturally be solved. When his left foot was trained, he would be ambidextrous, and he would also have the world's top heading skills, strong body, delicate technique, outstanding awareness... Could anyone in this world be able to stop him?