Although Martin O'Neill wasn't Chinese, he certainly understood the principle of "a rout is like a landslide."

He didn't want the failure against Aston Villa to become a prelude to a series of Liverpool's failures.

The game against Juventus was now not only related to whether the team could advance to the Champions League quarterfinals, but also became a game to save the team's morale.

It was a must-win.

For this game, even though he knew that some of Liverpool's players didn't have much physical strength left, Martin O'Neill had to grit his teeth and send out the full starting lineup.

At this time, morale was more important. Without physical strength, as long as there was morale, they could still persevere. But without morale, even with plenty of physical strength, they were just a bunch of walking corpses.

In order to maintain the team's morale, he had to make some sacrifices.

Moreover, in training, he had told his players more than once that Liverpool had reached a very critical moment, and everyone must do their best, work together, and help the team overcome the difficulties.

He hoped to attract the attention of the players.

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Liverpool's full lineup against Juventus surprised Juventus coach Conte. He had previously seen the news of Liverpool losing to Aston Villa at home, and he also knew that Liverpool was tired.

So he thought Liverpool would rotate in this game, withdraw some of the main players who obviously couldn't run, and replace them with substitutes. In this way, Juventus might have a chance. As long as Juventus could score a goal first away from home, they would occupy a psychological advantage, and Liverpool might collapse at the first blow, right?

This was Conte's wishful thinking.

As a result, he was wrong. Liverpool started with their full lineup!

Liverpool, with their full starting lineup, showed strong fighting power on their own turf.

They ran actively on the field, and there was no sign of fatigue at all.

It was completely different from the team that lost to Aston Villa at home on the weekend.

It would even make people wonder if they really lost to Aston Villa on the weekend because they couldn't run anymore…

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"I can't see any problems with Liverpool's physical fitness…" Assistant coach Mike Phelan and Ferguson watched the game between Liverpool and Juventus on TV together. He frowned and said to Ferguson beside him.

They wanted to find signs that Liverpool was at the end of its rope from the live broadcast, but judging from what they had observed so far, the situation was not optimistic.

Liverpool's physical strength was very abundant. Suárez, who had cramps in the last game, was running without any effort. How could he look like he couldn't run anymore?

Ferguson smiled: "No, they are almost out of strength. They are really at the end of their rope."

Phelan looked at him suspiciously.

Ferguson further explained: "Originally, some of the main players should have rested in this game, because Liverpool had two away goals in hand, and they were playing at their home court. As long as they could ensure that the opponent didn't score more than two goals at home, they could advance. In this way, some players could also get a rest. But now, in order to prevent the team from collapsing, O'Neill has forcibly sent out the full starting lineup, so their physical strength can only be consumed faster… During this period of time, he must have instilled a lot of spiritual will into Liverpool players to brainwash them. The effect is good, but it is not lasting. Mike, now the more crazy Liverpool's players run, the faster they will die in the end!"

Phelan suddenly understood.

"So, their performance now is just a flash in the pan?"

Ferguson nodded: "Yes."

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O'Neill didn't know how Ferguson commented on his arrangements. At this time, he was standing on the sidelines, nervously watching the game on the field.

Juventus was not an easy opponent to deal with, even at Liverpool's home court, he did not dare to take it lightly.

Fortunately, Chen Hero gave him another reassurance.

In the thirty-third minute, Chen Hero scored a direct free kick, blasting the football into Leali's goal.

Liverpool led 3:2 on aggregate. Now, even if Juventus equalized the score, they would still be eliminated. They had to score at least two goals, and they couldn't let Liverpool continue to score.

This was much more difficult.

O'Neill breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Chen Hero score.

Liverpool fans in the stands also let out huge cheers.

Liverpool fans had also experienced some worries about the team in the past few days. Losing to Aston Villa at home also made them think that Liverpool was exhausted and was about to collapse. But now that Chen Hero scored, many people were relieved - as long as Hero continued to score, there would be no problems for Liverpool! Exhausted? That was just one game. Look at this game, look at Suárez and others running like crazy. How could they look exhausted?

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Chen Hero was also very excited after scoring. Of course, he knew the rumors outside these days were like huge stones, pressing on the hearts of all Liverpool players, making them unable to breathe. Now he kicked a huge stone away with one kick, and everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

This is the answer to everyone who doubts us!

Want to see Liverpool collapse? No way!

※※※

Juventus once pulled back a goal in the second half, but Gareth Bale quickly regained the lead for the team.

However, it was only a one-goal difference, and Juventus did not give up because of this.

As long as they could score another goal, the total score would become 4:4, and Juventus would also get two away goals. In this case, the two sides could only play extra time.

When he saw Juventus score, Ferguson clenched his fists in front of the TV, and Phelan jumped up excitedly.

They were not Juventus fans, and they definitely did not want Liverpool to be eliminated. They even hoped that Liverpool could break into the Champions League final all the way - they were not Liverpool fans, they hoped so only because Liverpool, who entered the Champions League final, would inevitably be distracted by the Champions League, fighting on two fronts. The already scarce physical strength would be even more stretched, and the energy would be divided into two parts. Martin O'Neill and his players might not pay so much attention to the league, which would give Manchester United a chance.

They were so happy because Juventus' goal kept Juventus' hope alive, and this hope would make them continue to work hard in the next game, and even put more pressure on Liverpool. And Liverpool failed to establish a winning streak early, which forced them to go all out in the next game and deal with Juventus.

This was a severe test of their physical strength and will.

The already scarce physical strength was being dragged away by Juventus at a rapid rate.

Even if Liverpool won the game in the end, it would be a pyrrhic victory, and the entire Liverpool team would be dragged down by the tenacious Juventus.

※※※

As the end of the game approached, Liverpool's pressure increased. Juventus desperately counterattacked, and Liverpool had to give up the attack and retreat completely, hoping to hold on to this one-goal lead.

Martin O'Neill replaced two players in a row, replacing Suárez and Gareth Bale with defensive players. However, he still had a substitution quota left. He was worried that Juventus would score a goal at the last moment and drag the game into extra time. In that case, he had to make sure that he still had a card in his hand.

It was not until injury time that Martin O'Neill played this third card. At that time, the score was still 2:1, with Liverpool leading at home. O'Neill's substitution was just a substitution to delay the game time, and had no other tactical significance.

In the end, Liverpool narrowly beat Juventus 2:1 at home, eliminated Juventus with a total score of 4:3, and advanced to the quarterfinals.

After the game, the fans in the stands let out deafening cheers. However, many Liverpool players did not open their arms to enjoy the cheers that belonged to them, but directly collapsed on the ground.

These ninety minutes of the game were really fucking tiring!

※※※

Ferguson and Phelan looked at each other and saw smiles in each other's eyes.

As soon as the game ended, Liverpool players fell to the ground, as if they had been eliminated. This scene was all caught in the eyes of the two.

Liverpool was indeed tired, and not just tired, but very tired.

In order to get rid of Manchester United far away some time ago, Martin O'Neill had not rotated since before Christmas. He played with one lineup for more than a month. Although he led Manchester United by more than ten points, it also made Liverpool's players very tired. They overdrawn their energy in advance.

Next, the league officially entered the sprint stage. They wanted to sprint, but they would find that their physical strength was exhausted and they could not run. At that time, they could only watch Manchester United gradually catch up from behind. The impact of that process on Liverpool was very great, which would make their psychological pressure even greater, and eventually collapse and collapse completely.

This is what Manchester United most wanted to see.

This game proved this point.

Phelan now especially admired the old coach Ferguson. Perhaps other Manchester United players did not know Ferguson's arrangements, but as Ferguson's assistant, assistant coach Phelan was very clear.

From the beginning of actively showing weakness, Phelan was not sure whether Manchester United still had a chance to complete the reversal. He had doubted it. But Ferguson was always full of confidence. Now, the facts proved his correctness and foresight.

To be able to calculate this step so early, he is worthy of being Sir Alex Ferguson!

Liverpool, even if you lose the championship in the end, you will be convinced! In today's English football, no coach can be compared with Sir Ferguson. To be placed under such an excellent opponent, this is your honor!

For a time, Ferguson's image in Phelan's heart became much taller, and he could only look up to him.