Chapter 19 Liverpool

"Liverpool might be able to fight Manchester City!"

"The only team that can stop Manchester City is Liverpool!"

"Last season, Manchester City was beaten so badly at Anfield that they ran away with their tails between their legs. This season, Liverpool will teach Manchester City a lesson again!"

From Arsenal to Tottenham, from Leicester City to Chelsea.

Almost before every game, you could see this strange argument in the media.

As many people hoped that Manchester City would continue to win, there were just as many who wanted to see Manchester City lose, and preferably by a large margin!

Liverpool is indeed a very tricky opponent. Since Klopp took over at Anfield, Liverpool's record hasn't improved significantly. Their ranking is even worse than before Suarez left for Barcelona.

But Klopp's team has a very strange attribute. When you think they are stable, they lose to you. When you think they are unreliable, they win, and they beat their opponents so badly that they can't even lift their heads.

At the beginning of the season, Liverpool had a bizarre game where they lost 1:3 to newly promoted Watford, but they also had a thrilling 4:1 victory over Chelsea.

It was after losing to Liverpool that Chelsea suddenly started playing well and went on a winning streak.

In the last league game, Liverpool thrashed Manchester United 6:0 at Old Trafford, creating the biggest score difference in the history of the Premier League's "Double Red" derby.

The last time Liverpool beat Manchester United like this was during the Guangxu era.

Liverpool never shows mercy against strong teams, so many people are full of confidence.

They believe that Liverpool has a great chance of defeating Manchester City!

Another very important reason why Liverpool is favored to ambush Manchester City is the tactical style of Klopp's team.

His core tactics are high-pressure pressing and defensive counter-attacks. Klopp has successfully integrated the libero tactics of German football and the winger swarm tactics of the Netherlands, creating a brand new all-out attack and all-out defense style of play.

In fact, both Guardiola and Klopp highly value high-pressure pressing, because it allows them to win the ball closer to the opponent's goal and launch efficient counter-attacks quickly.

Once the ball is won in a high position, the probability of scoring a goal is naturally much higher than slowly advancing from one's own half.

This high-pressure pressing tactic is the strategy used by both coaches when transitioning from attack to defense. However, their requirements for the team are different when transitioning from defense to attack or organizing defense and attack.

Klopp's style of play is very simple and direct. It is a typical pragmatism, with extremely fast offensive and defensive transitions.

When transitioning from attack to defense, he uses high-pressure pressing. When transitioning from defense to attack, he emphasizes the speed of ball movement and forward momentum.

Liverpool's games are often wide open, which is determined by Klopp's attitude towards the game model.

Guardiola's teams, whether it's Manchester City, Barcelona, or even Bayern Munich, are also good at pressing when transitioning from attack to defense. But when transitioning from defense to attack, their style changes abruptly. They are not in a hurry to move forward, but pursue overall formation movement.

Manchester City only speeds up in special circumstances, when Zhao Gang can find a teammate in the frontcourt with one pass and launch a sharp counter-attack.

Usually, they only launch an attack when all players have reached their offensive positions. Guardiola is best at controlling the game, tearing apart the opponent's defense with patient passing.

This is a typical idealist.

Another very strong contrast between the two coaches' tactics is the players' physical fitness.

Klopp's team has a very high number of offensive and defensive transitions throughout the game, and each transition is extremely fast, with full acceleration and full confrontation. This places almost abnormal demands on physical fitness, which is one of the reasons why the team's record is sometimes good and sometimes bad.

Once the players are not in good shape, they are likely to collapse even against weak teams.

But when facing strong teams, they are energetic and full of fighting spirit, so they are not afraid of any strong team.

Manchester City's games focus on controlling the rhythm throughout the game, so the physical exertion is much less than other teams. Therefore, even with a dense schedule, they can still perform steadily in the league.

The tactical characteristics of the two coaches have also become a reason why many people are optimistic that Liverpool can beat Manchester City.

Liverpool's stability is much worse throughout the season, making it basically impossible for them to compete with the stable Manchester City in a full season. But if they perk up and want to win a game, their mad dog-style of play has many advantages, and it can even be said to restrain Manchester City's style of play.

This Premier League game naturally attracted a lot of attention.

Many of Liverpool's famous players have stepped forward. Unlike the strange and arrogant attitude of those Manchester United legends, Liverpool's predecessors are quite low-key.

They did not belittle Manchester City, and of course, they would not put pressure on Liverpool or Klopp.

In their opinion, it is still a bit difficult for Liverpool to achieve a great revival immediately, and Klopp should be given more time.

They shouldn't be as eager for quick success as Manchester United.

As for this game, Liverpool should have a good chance of winning. Liverpool's form has been very strong recently, especially after the last game where they thrashed Manchester United.

This shows that this Liverpool team definitely has the strength to fight tough battles.

"Liverpool is on the road to revival. Klopp has already proven himself. His tactical philosophy is definitely suitable for Liverpool. I believe that if he is given another two to three years, he will definitely be able to build Liverpool into a strong team in the Premier League and even in the whole of Europe.

Both teams are now in good competitive condition. Manchester City's offensive firepower is the best in the entire Premier League, and Liverpool is also the team in the entire Premier League that scores the most goals through high-pressure pressing and defensive counter-attacks.

It is difficult for me to give a clear answer as to who will win between these two teams, but I believe that this will definitely be a goal fest, and it will definitely be full of passion and joy for the fans." After experiencing the last game where they completely crushed the Red Devils, Liverpool legend Carragher was very confident in Liverpool, but he did not casually say that Manchester City would be defeated at Anfield.

Liverpool's other legend, Gerrard, who had just announced his retirement last month, also expressed his views.

"I am very pleased that Liverpool's current players are full of strength and passion. Klopp is a charismatic super coach. He uses his temperament to influence the team. Liverpool is now on the right path.

Manchester City has also won almost all of their opponents with their dominant performance. They only got a draw at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester City players all have very strong ball control and passing skills. They will make their opponents exhausted and difficult to parry, but unfortunately, Liverpool is a team that never stops running, so it is difficult for Manchester City to defeat Liverpool with their favorite methods.

I think... the biggest variable should be Zhao. His style is more suitable for the current Liverpool, not Manchester City.

His impact... my God, it is difficult to imagine what tactics Klopp will use to limit him.

I am optimistic that Liverpool will win, but the process will be quite dangerous. I predict that there should be six or seven goals in this game."

Of course, Zhao Gang would watch some of the speeches made by the media and legends of his opponents before the game. Compared with the arrogant Manchester United team, Zhao Gang had an extremely good impression of these Liverpool legends.

The Manchester United legends not only criticized their opponents, but also looked down on their own team's players and coaches. He really didn't understand where their sense of superiority came from. They kept touting DNA, and look at what they have done to the younger generation of Manchester United players.

On the other hand, Ferguson, who created the Manchester United dynasty, never said anything inexplicable.

In Zhao Gang's view, those so-called Manchester United legends who lie on their laurels and make wild claims are just a bunch of parasites, relying on the reputation of the dynasty created by Sir Alex Ferguson, sucking the blood of Manchester United, and increasing their pitiful sense of existence.

Zhao Gang was indeed full of expectations for Klopp's Liverpool.

The youth storm during the Dortmund era made Zhao Gang extremely yearn for it. That team, which snatched two Bundesliga titles from Bayern Munich, was built by Klopp himself.

Zhao Gang first knew about the Dortmund team before he knew about the crazy fans at the Westfalenstadion.

Putting aside off-field matters, Zhao Gang has always respected Klopp's passion and tactics.

It can be said that his expectations for the match against Liverpool far exceeded those for other Premier League teams, and were comparable to those for Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

On December 26th, Manchester City traveled to Anfield to challenge the Reds Liverpool away from home.

Like Manchester United, the entire home stadium of Anfield was a sea of red.

Everywhere there were fans wearing red jerseys and waving red flags.

They shouted madly, cheering for their home team, wishing they could throw out all the energy and enthusiasm in their bodies.

This season's Liverpool still seems to be out of the running for the Premier League title, but the fans' enthusiasm remains undiminished. They have been supporting their team for decades.

Even without trophies or championships, they will never abandon them.

Just like the extremely infectious emotions displayed in their team song.

You'll never walk alone!

With a length of only two and a half minutes, the lyrics are simple and unadorned, but accompanied by a strong sense of rhythm and a compact and coherent melody, it is deeply shocking.

"When you walk through a storm,

Hold your head up high,

And don't be afraid of the dark!

At the end of the storm,

Is a golden sky and the sweet song of the lark!

Walk on through the wind,

Walk on through the rain,

Though your dreams be tossed and blown,

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,

And you'll never walk alone!

You'll never walk alone!"

The loud singing and lyrics almost perfectly matched Liverpool's current situation. They were groping and moving forward in their decline, their hope never extinguished, and the fans never left!

Only by truly experiencing this kind of trough after glory, struggling forward in the abyss, will you be able to experience true excitement and happiness at the moment of success.

Liverpool fans have been waiting and persevering.

These lovely and respectable fans are also the greatest help for the team to move forward in the dark.

Never walk alone.

Zhao Gang stood in the player tunnel, listening to the cheers of the Liverpool fans, as if the entire Anfield was about to explode.

Those fans who raised their arms and shouted, their expressions even a little distorted, were crazy about football.

Only when you are truly in it can you feel this shock and beauty.

This is the romance of men. They are crazy, obsessed, and cannot be understood by ordinary people, but they never need to be understood by others.

The players from both sides entered the field one after another.

On the Dragon Country's Premier League broadcast platform, Teacher Zhan Lu was already hungry and thirsty.

As a famous Liverpool fan, Teacher Zhan once had a famous commentary that expressed his disappointment, which was widely circulated.

"Benteke, just push it into the empty net early, damn it!" Accompanied by a helpless sigh, you can see his love for Liverpool.

And because of his fiery love for Liverpool, and because his appearance is somewhat similar to Liverpool player Mane, fans gave him the title of "White Mane".

This game was painful and joyful for him.