The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 345 It's a pity there's only one Gerrard; the new season begins!
As we move into August, the start of the new Premier League season is drawing ever closer.

The European summer transfer window remains lively, but compared to the continuous big-money signings in La Liga, the Premier League's overall activity is somewhat subdued.

Especially after their disappointing performance in European competitions last season, even the buzz surrounding the transfer market seems to have subsided.

Manchester United did not have a smooth start after Moyes took over.

Barcelona were interested in Thiago, but Bayern Munich beat them to it and went all out to pursue Fabregas, which was then firmly rejected by Barcelona.

Meanwhile, rumors about Rooney's potential departure have never ceased.

To date, the team has not made any substantial progress in player recruitment.

Arsenal seems to still be in a "thrifty" mode.

Despite repeatedly emphasizing that he had a budget of £7000 million, Wenger missed out on targets such as Gaião, Higuaín, and De Bruyne.

To date, no truly top-tier star player has been willing to join Arsenal.

Manchester City is the one that can truly be called active.

Backed by the Abu Dhabi consortium, they have always seemed to have a lot of leeway in the transfer market.

After bringing in key players such as Silva, Aguero, and Yaya Toure, the club still invested over £100 million in this summer transfer window, signing several strong reinforcements including Fernandinho, Negredo, Jovetic, Navas, and Demichelis.

Chelsea welcomed back Mourinho, but they have been relatively low-key in their signings this year.

The most significant deal to date is the acquisition of winger Schürrle from Bayer Leverkusen for £1800 million.

As for Tottenham, the transfer rumors between Bale and Real Madrid continue to escalate and could very well break the football transfer fee record.

Even after losing their key player, they have already spent £2600 million to bring in Soldado and signed Paulinho from Brazil, making ample preparations for the new season.

Somewhat surprisingly, Liverpool...

Many predicted that they would be completely rebuilt after Saudi Arabia took over, but the club is very pragmatic!
In addition to signing Gaio for €80 million, Alberto was signed for €8 million; Aspas for €8.2 million; Mignolet for €10.6 million; Kante for €10 million; and Kolo Toure joined on a free transfer from Manchester City.

The total is less than 40 million euros.

among them,

Kante's arrival was particularly valuable – Chelsea had offered €3000 million to compete for him, Mourinho greatly admired the midfielder, and Chelsea even offered generous personal terms, but Kante was only interested in joining Liverpool.

The reason is actually quite simple: Gaio is here.

He considers Gaio family and a brother.

It was Gaio who made him feel the joy of playing football and introduced him to the concept of "brotherly football".

This is what led him to make his final choice.

However, Liverpool also let go of many players, such as the legend Carragher. You could say he wasn't good enough, or that he was prone to giving away goals, but he was the second player in the Premier League to make more than 500 appearances for the same club.

The first one is Giggs.

He truly deserves the praise of a Liverpool legend.

Of course.

The summer transfer window isn't over yet, so anything is possible.

Gaio wasn't sure if things would change after he, the little butterfly, came into being.

For example, will Real Madrid's dead fish eyes still join Arsenal, and will Florentino Pérez compromise again and make a record signing of Bale?

These are unknown.

Real Madrid has only signed four players so far: Carvajal, Casemiro, Isco, and Illarramendi.

However, they let a lot of people go, including Kaká, Higuaín, Albiol, Callejón, Adán, Cheryshev, Carvalho, Essien, León, and others.

It remains to be seen how new head coach Ancelotti will begin his first season.

When Gaio and Zidane were chatting, Zidane specifically praised Ancelotti, saying that Ancelotti had a wealth of tactical knowledge and that he wanted to learn from him.

Seeing the success of Deschamps and Blanc, he also wanted to become a coach.

Speaking of which, it was because Ancelotti left Paris Saint-Germain that Blanc returned to work after taking a season off.

The company that took over was Paris Saint-Germain.

For Gaio, what he cares about most about La Liga is that Neymar has finally left Brazil and joined Barcelona.

The story of yet another football prodigy is about to unfold in the football world.

This reminded him of Suarez.

After all, in the post-Dream Team era, the most impressive thing about Barcelona was the MSN trio.

Suarez has long wanted to leave Liverpool and join Barcelona.

However, the team insisted on keeping the Uruguayan striker for another year.

Let's get through this season first.

With the league about to begin.

With the offseason over, all teams have returned to training and are also playing various friendly matches.

For smaller clubs, warm-up matches are a good opportunity to fine-tune their lineups and test tactics.

Elite teams, on the other hand, often balance competition and business, using overseas trips to expand their influence and increase revenue.

Throughout July, Liverpool scheduled two friendly matches: one against Preston in Australia and the other against Melbourne Victory in Australia.

Gaio did not participate in either of these two games.

Throughout June and July, aside from the signing and unveiling ceremony, Gaio did not give any interviews and devoted all his time to training.

While the other players were reporting for duty, he did show up and greet his teammates.

Of course,
We're just nodding acquaintances at the moment.

Last season, he ultimately won but did not break 100 points.

Gaio simply allocated all his points to the attribute cap.

After a whole summer of hard training, Gaio has reaped great rewards.

He looked at his own attributes.

【Height: 184cm Weight: 75kg
盘带（+1）：93（95）；传球：82（85）

射门（+1）：89（90）；头球：44（63）

速度（+1）：77（80）；力量：75（77）

弹跳：67（72）；体能（+1）：86（90）

Defense: 33 (40); Steals: 25 (33)

柔韧（+1）：70（71）；球感：93（95）

Hidden attributes:
Injuries: 69

His dribbling, shooting, and physical fitness have all improved significantly!
Gaio was quite satisfied.

Everyone says the Premier League is intense, fast-paced, and high-intensity; he wanted to see for himself.

8 month 3 number.

This was the first full meeting of the Liverpool team since they returned to their training ground at Melwood after traveling to Australia.

Before the official start of the Premier League season, the team has two more friendly matches to play.

This is also their last chance to gel as a team this season.

In fact,
For Rodgers, the roster changes this season are minimal, which is more conducive to his performance.

Liverpool had a very strong run of performance towards the end of last season.

This is why the team was ranked seventh, but they didn't fire Rodgers.

David Dunn wields considerable power, but after Wenger made it clear he would not leave Arsenal, he chose to give Rodgers a chance.

However, he still had one request: "Set up tactics around Gaio."

This made Rogers somewhat resistant.

The head coach's office at Melwood training ground.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, creating alternating light and dark stripes on the dark carpet.

Brendan Rogers sat behind a large desk, his hands crossed on an open tactical folder, his eyes sharp as an eagle's as he stared directly at the young man sitting opposite him.

This was their first formal meeting.

Rodgers' voice was calm and steady, without any pleasantries, getting straight to the point: "Young, welcome to Liverpool, but we need to clarify a few things."

Rodgers paused slightly. "First of all, you're not the player I wanted to sign. This isn't about you personally; there are other names in my team-building plans, but the club's new strategy has chosen you."

He paused again, observing Gaio's reaction, but the latter remained calm and nodded slightly.

“It’s the team that needs you, not me. You have talent on your feet, I’ve watched the videos, but here, talent needs to serve the tactics. My system is built on high-intensity pressing, off-the-ball movement, and absolute tactical discipline. You need to understand it completely and then execute it without reservation.”

Rodgers' tone hardened, carrying an unquestionable authority: "Your weekly wage is high, your transfer fee is record-breaking, but remember, these are given to you by the club, not by me. In this office, here with me, no one earns a starting position based on their transfer fee. Who steps onto the Anfield pitch depends on only one thing: training performance and match results. Do you understand what I mean?"

Gaio remained calm and nodded, saying, "I understand, Coach. I never expected any special treatment. I respect your honesty. As for the position..."

A confident smile curved his lips. "I'm never worried about competition."

A brief silence fell over the office, broken only by the faint sound of training whistles coming from afar outside the window.

Rogers stared at him, his taut jawline seeming to soften slightly.

He finally nodded, tapping his fingers on the tactical folder.

"Good, training tomorrow at eight o'clock, don't be late."

"Yes, coach."

After Gaio left, the door closed gently.

Rogers' gaze returned to the tactics board, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

How to get along with talented and legendary players is a lesson for any head coach.

What he said to Gaio was merely out of concern that Gaio would become arrogant because of his favor.

In fact.

He trusts younger players more than established veterans.

Therefore, he hopes that Gaião can demonstrate the same dominance he has in Ligue 1.

"But the Premier League isn't Ligue 1."

Rogers muttered to himself.

What he needs to think about now is how to appease Coutinho, after all, the team has directly stripped him of his jersey and given it to Gaio, an 18-year-old kid, which is terrible for Coutinho.

On the other hand, after leaving Rogers' office, Gaio ignored his coach's words.

He knows Rogers too well.

If it weren't for the fact that Rodgers' tactical system is indeed well-suited to the Premier League, the Saudi consortium might have already made the decision to change managers.

Rodgers' football career was full of ups and downs.

He played for Reading's youth team when he was young, but was forced to retire at the prime age of 20 due to knee injuries.

But the Northern Irishman did not leave football; he chose to stay in Reading, starting as a youth team coach and eventually becoming the head of youth development.

During this period, he frequently traveled to Spain to study the language and delve deeper into Spanish football philosophy.

This experience earned him the opportunity to work with Mourinho at Chelsea.

Mourinho saw similar learning abilities and tactical insight in Rodgers, so he put him in charge of Chelsea's youth team to cultivate the Blues' future stars.

The setbacks in his playing career, his in-depth study of Spanish football, and his learning alongside Mourinho have all shaped Rodgers' current tactical philosophy.

During his early tenures managing Watford and Reading, he attempted to incorporate a Spanish passing and movement style into the traditional English 4-4-2 formation, resulting in a team that was neither fish nor fowl.

The move to Swansea is perfectly timed for Rogers.

Former managers Martinez and Sousa had laid the foundation for tiki-tata in the team, providing Rodgers with the perfect platform to implement his coaching philosophy.

His system at Swansea was built on three core principles: possession-based, frequent ball movement to create space, and zonal marking rather than fixed formations.

With the team lacking a Messi-like superstar, Rodgers made minor adjustments to the tactics to improve scoring efficiency.

He incorporated Mourinho's pragmatism into Guardiola's idealism, ensuring that the team's performance wouldn't be too bad while adhering to a possession-based style of play.

In 2012, Rodgers took over as manager of Liverpool.

Countless Kop members hoped he could recreate the glory of the Shankly era, but the reality is that players under his command such as Henderson, Downing, and Carroll are more suited to the traditional 4-4-2 formation.

After a difficult start to the season, Rodgers brought in Coutinho and Sturridge.

After recognizing Suarez's top-tier ability, Rodgers decided to build the team around the Uruguayan.

His tactics are based on ball possession, emphasizing high pressing and quick passing between groups, striving to deliver a suffocating speed in counter-attacks.

Suarez's technique, Sturridge's speed, and Sterling's dribbling skills provided the forwards with excellent running conditions.

In midfield, Gerrard remained the leader, Coutinho was responsible for organizing the play, and Henderson tirelessly covered both penalty areas.

When Rodgers first arrived at Liverpool, he wanted to build the team into the Barcelona of England, but in the end, his Liverpool was more like Borussia Dortmund of England.

Gaio sometimes sighs, "Perhaps this is the will of Heaven."

Liverpool will eventually face Jurgen, the manager of Borussia Dortmund, who lost the Champions League final this year.

Liverpool has truly become Dortmund.

He had already told Dunn that he admired the German coach of Borussia Dortmund.

I wonder if Dunn can understand what that means.

Is Liverpool without Jurgen still Liverpool?

Gaio felt that if he had experienced those seven years at Liverpool, he would not be able to imagine what it would be like for him to leave Liverpool.

Gaio took a deep breath.

Let's wait for the right opportunity.

He also wanted to see what Liverpool would become with the ample budget given to Jurgen.

Salah, Mane, and Van Dijk should be allowed to level up first.

He wants to lead the current Liverpool team and strive to achieve something.

Perhaps it is something called hope.

On his way to the training field, Gaio ran into Gerrard coming out of the locker room.

Steven Gerrard.

An absolute Liverpool legend, but perhaps no one knows that he will be released by Liverpool in just over a year.

There are probably two main reasons for this: firstly, the team was unwilling to offer Gerrard a long-term contract, and secondly, Rodgers no longer trusted Gerrard.

But all of this will change.

The team owner has changed. For the Saudi side, it's just a contract; they'll just give it to them.

Similarly, when Rodgers considers letting Gerrard go, he should also consider his own job security.

Gerald saw Gaio and took the initiative to greet him.

"Are you settling in well with the team? The weather here might not be as nice as in France, but I think the people are nice. You can come to me if you have any questions."

Gaio smiled. "The weather isn't great, but I can get used to it. Thanks, Captain."

“Just call me Steven,” Gerrard said, pointing to the training field and gesturing for a walk. “I heard you live in the Carlton Apartments? It’s a nice place with a good view, but the roof can be a bit noisy on rainy days.”

As he spoke, his fingers unconsciously tapped his thigh, a rhythm he had developed from years of playing football.

“The wind direction at Anfield is quite peculiar,” he suddenly said, referring to something seemingly unrelated. “The grass around the corner area is a bit slippery, so if you want to break through from there, you have to be careful.”

Seeing that Gaio was listening attentively, he continued, "The hot water in the shower in the innermost locker room comes slowly, so if you want to take a hot shower, you have to grab the stall closest to the door."

These details, spoken by him, are like sharing the key to his home.

“If there’s no game on Saturday, there’s a little restaurant over in Mersey,” Gerrard said, pulling out his phone and swiping a few times. “The owner’s a big Liverpool fan, and he’ll put an extra layer of cheese on his Shepherd’s Pie.”

He shared the restaurant's location with practiced ease, clearly not for the first time.

“Call me anytime if you need anything. These guys on the team may look fierce, but actually,” he gestured with his chin toward the players on the training field, especially Henderson, “they’re all just a bunch of kids who never grew up.”

"Yes, I've noted it all down," Gaio nodded.

Gerrard smiled and said, "Let's go. Although the official training doesn't start until tomorrow, we can go for a run today."

"Ok!"

When Gaio met Rogers, he was already dressed in his training gear.

Gerrard went ahead, while Gaio waited for Kanté.

Looking at Gerrard's back.

This first conversation left Gaio with a slight sense of wonder.

Born in Merseyside, Gerrard began his red destiny with Liverpool at the age of eight.

As is well known, the youngest victim of the Heathborough massacre, Jon Paul Gilhuley, was only 10 years old at the time, and he was Gerald's cousin.

The two, who have been inseparable since childhood, once made a pact to "play for Liverpool together when we grow up".

But Jon's dream was frozen on April 15, 1989, and from then on, Gerald's red silhouette carried an added burden.

He won all the titles at Liverpool.

The only thing missing is the Premier League title.

Gaio read Gerald's later autobiography, in which Gerald described his thoughts on that famous slip: "I was sitting in the back of the car, tears streaming down my face. I hadn't cried for many years, but this time, on the way home, I couldn't stop crying for a moment. When I was sitting in the car, I couldn't even tell whether the street was bustling with people or completely silent. This fall really felt like it killed me."

“I see no hope. It seems I need someone to take care of me to prevent me from committing suicide.”

Fortunately,
This slip has not yet occurred.

Furthermore, Gaio also brought along his midfield teammate from Bastia, Kanté!

He didn't believe that Liverpool, with Henderson and Kanté on the court, would have their midfield breached.

Just as I was thinking about Kanté, he arrived.

This is the only person he knows on this team.

Kante remained as reserved as ever.

He was even less comfortable here than Gaio because he couldn't even speak English.

Basically, we can only rely on translation.

The Merseyside-characteristic leaden clouds hung over Melwood's training ground, and the grass, soaked by the previous night's rain, gleamed a deep green.

There weren't many players at the training ground.

Since the official training is tomorrow, the players who came to train today are all quite disciplined.

For example, Gerrard, Henderson, Kelly, Wisdom, and others.

Now Gaio and Kanté have been added.

After sorting out his thoughts for the new season, Rodgers stood by the window, where he could see the training ground.

I saw several players on the field.

He breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that he could execute the tactics he dreamed of this season.

the next day.

morning.

It's raining lightly.

Rogers stood in the center of the field, whistle hanging around his neck, his sharp eyes sweeping over the players who were warming up.

Gaio, wearing an orange training vest, kept running.

The teammates made no attempt to hide their scrutiny.

Everyone wanted to see if this 18-year-old boy, worth 80 million, was worthy of that red.

After warming up.

Rodgers scanned everyone and said, "Alright, take a short break. We'll have a scrimmage later. The new season starts in a little over a week, so everyone get your spirits up and keep up the form we had at the end of last season. The Premier League title is ours!"

The players nodded.

Gaio and Kanté stood together.

While his teammates were sizing him up, he was also sizing up his teammates.

Downing, who had been criticized for a long time, was dealt with by Dunn.

He transferred to West Ham United for approximately £600 million.

Two years ago, Liverpool signed Downing for a hefty £2000 million, a deal that turned out to be a huge loss.

However, another player that Liverpool fans dislike, Rodgers' "favorite son" Joe Allen, is still with the team.

Gaio also sensed two slightly hostile gazes.

From Coutinho, and Sterling.

Coutinho's displeasure stems from the fact that his number 10 jersey was taken away, and now he can only wear the number 19 jersey left behind by Downing.

Sterling's displeasure makes things even simpler.

Gaio's arrival basically foreshadows his move to the bench.

After the break, the group competition began.

Gaio was assigned to the main team.

However, at the beginning of the group competition, Gaio received mostly safe balls.

Henderson passed him the ball at his feet, then quickly retreated, as if to say, "Do what you want."

When Suarez was making runs in the attacking third, he didn't even bother to raise his hand to ask for the ball; he just kept an eye on the new number 10 out of the corner of his eye.

The turning point came in a moment when it seemed like a dead end.

Gaio was double-teamed on the right wing, and Henderson had already raised his hand to ask for a pass back.

But Gaio suddenly flicked the ball with his heel, sending it flying through the legs of defender José Enrique. This Spanish left-back, known for his fierce defense, didn't even notice where the ball was at that moment.

At the same time, Gaio swiftly bypassed from the other side, completing a stunning nutmeg pass.

"Pretty!"

Someone couldn't help but shout out.

Immediately after, veteran Kolo Toure charged toward Gaio, who dribbled past him with a croquet ball and headed straight for the baseline, just when everyone thought he was going to cut inside.

Bang!
Gaio, however, accelerated towards the byline and delivered a triangular back pass to the front of the goal.

Suarez made a forward run and poked the ball, but Mignolet caught it.

But this time, the attack was successful.

Many of Gaio's teammates' expressions changed slightly after Gaio's breakthrough attack.

Especially Suarez.

He felt that the reason he hadn't scored was because he had relaxed and hadn't kept up.

He didn't think Gaio would be able to pass the ball to him; in this situation, the young players usually took the shot themselves.

Suarez noticed that Gaio was different.

Gradually, Gaio began to receive more passes.

In particular, Gerrard noticed that Gaio consistently received the balls he passed to him very well.

Again,
When Gaio curled a shot with the outside of his foot, sending the ball around the entire defense and landing precisely at Suarez's feet, the Uruguayan finally gave him a thumbs up.

"The transmission is good; it's my problem, I'm a bit out of practice."

Gaio just waved his hand and smiled.

But this group competition seemed to be made for Gaio.

quickly,

When Gaio received Gerrard's pass again in midfield, he faced a three-man press. He suddenly lowered his center of gravity, quickly performed three stepovers with both feet, and then used a Cruyff turn to get rid of the encirclement. Just before losing his balance, he took a step forward.

He then quickly pushed himself up and rushed toward the football.

His speed was so fast that his teammates couldn't keep up at all!

The defense line has been completely breached!
Bang!
Gaio rushed toward Mignolet, and instead of going past the goalkeeper, he saw Mignolet's shift in center of gravity as he rushed out and chipped the ball over him.

The football hits the net.

The ball went in.

The entire training ground fell silent for a second, followed by cheers from the teammates.

"Well played!"

"That was a beautiful goal!"

Mignolet stood there shaking his head helplessly. Had he just joined Liverpool and already faced such a difficult challenge?

Rogers tapped his fingers unconsciously on the tactics board.

He stared blankly at the French boy who was celebrating simply with his teammates, and a crazy thought suddenly flashed through his mind—the answer he had been searching for might be right in front of him.

Rodgers couldn't help but mutter to himself, "God, I might have found Liverpool's Messi."

The England-style Barcelona he wants to build might actually have a tiny bit of hope!

The rain started to fall again, but no one paid any attention.

Everyone was focused on their own thing.

Outside the training ground.

Under the awning, David Dunn and Abdullah stood side by side.

A light drizzle continued, and water dripped from the eaves, splashing tiny droplets at their feet.

Abdullah wore a well-tailored dark suit, which contrasted sharply with Dunn's casual training clothes, but he rolled up his sleeves, making him appear unpretentious.

The match on the field was full of exciting moments.

Gaião then tore through the defense with a low through ball, assisting Sturridge to tap the ball into the empty net.

"My God!" Dunn took a deep breath, his voice trembling with disbelief. "I guarantee that Gaio will be even stronger after this summer! I watched him play last season, and he's even stronger! I now absolutely believe that he will turn the Premier League upside down!"

Abdullah's eyes remained fixed on the orange figure on the field, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "David, you're right, but it's not enough. We're not just going to stir up trouble in the Premier League, we're going to dominate it!"

A gasp rippled through the crowd – Gaio had once again shaken off two defenders with a swift change of direction.

Dunn couldn't help but applaud: "He was born for the big stage!"

Abdullah finally revealed a satisfied smile, "I heard Ferguson of Manchester United say, 'Liverpool is lucky to have Gerrard, but Liverpool is also unlucky because they only have one Gerrard.' Gerrard protected Liverpool's past, and now we have Gaio, who will lead Liverpool to conquer the future."

"The players are fighting hard on the field, David, don't forget to support the team from the sidelines too. We will give you plenty of support!"

"Of course!"

David Dunn readily agreed.

He is also starting to look forward to his new career at Liverpool!
Soon.

As the final whistle blew, only the players' heavy breathing remained on Melwood's training ground.

Sweat and rain soaked through everyone's jerseys.

Gerrard was the first to approach Gaio. He ruffled the boy's hair and handed him a bottle of water: "You played well, kid. But next time I call 'pass,' you'd better not dribble past three people yourself. My reason tells me I can't pass the ball to a teammate who's being surrounded by three people."

His tone was teasing, but the admiration in his eyes was undisguised.

Gaio chuckled, "Sometimes defense isn't about having more players. Their space is too big; even if two more come, I can still get past them."

Luis Suarez then put his arm around Gaio's neck and shouted in heavily accented English, "Keep it up! Next weekend I'm going to show all the defenders what you're capable of!"

He is already looking forward to playing with his new partner in official matches.

The three of them were talking.

Everyone else was taking the time to rehydrate and rest.

The intensity of this match far exceeded any previous friendly game, but everyone's eyes were intentionally or unintentionally drawn to the boy drinking water on the sidelines.

Kolo Toure frowned as he gulped down a sports drink and exchanged a glance with Agger beside him.

The two center-backs' wry smiles carried a mixture of helplessness and unbelievable admiration.

“Honestly,” Toure wiped the sweat from his face, “when that kid was dribbling past me, I could clearly see through his feints, but my legs just couldn’t keep up.”

Ag just shook his head: "You think you've seen through it, but you haven't."

On the other side, Coutinho silently took off his shin guards, his fingers unconsciously stroking the number 10 mark on them—even though that number would no longer belong to him next season.

He gazed at Gaio, who was chatting and laughing with Suarez, from afar, his expression complex.

There was disappointment, but more than that, there was a sense of clarity that followed being deeply shaken.

When he saw Gaia, he felt a sense of powerlessness at being overwhelmed by absolute talent, which forced him to admit that this young man deserved that heavy number 10 jersey.

He took a deep breath, threw the shin guards into the equipment box, and made up his mind that he would win back the main force with his performance.

Sterling's reaction was more direct.

The young man angrily kicked the water bottle at his feet.

He realized that to guarantee his playing time, he had to put in twice the effort as before.

Even the usually serious Rogers stood on the sidelines, arms crossed, with a barely perceptible smile on his lips.

He watched as Gaio was gradually surrounded by his teammates, knowing that the locker room door was slowly opening for a true genius.

He felt that his tactics needed some adjustments.

Gaio and Kante integrated faster than expected.

This also emboldened Rogers to try out his own tactics.

There were two friendly matches to test the waters before the Premier League first round match against Stoke City on the 16th.

but,

The English media showed no mercy in their criticism of Gaio and Liverpool.

"80 million euros bet on an 18-year-old kid with only one season of outstanding performance? Liverpool's new Saudi owners seem to treat football like roulette. The Premier League is not Ligue 1. There is no adaptation period here, only naked confrontation and cruel survival rules."

“I admit his performance in the Europa League final was amazing, but friendlies and the Premier League are two different things. We’ve seen too many ‘geniuses’ lose their way in the Premier League – Remy, Cissé, and even Shevchenko back in the day. His transfer fee will be a heavy burden, not a medal.”

"His technique is impeccable, but the Premier League needs all-weather warriors. Think of the rainy nights at Stoke City, think of the physical battles at Stamford Bridge—can his slender frame really withstand it?"

"Liverpool seem to have forgotten how their last French striker fell from grace. Premier League defenders will pounce on him like hungry wolves seeing fresh meat. £8000 million? That will only make the hunt more interesting."

"Data shows that less than 30% of the players who transferred from Ligue 1 to the Premier League in the past decade have been able to truly adapt. His average duel success rate and defensive involvement are just barely passing by Premier League standards—this is not something that can be solved by dribbling past opponents."

"Let's be realistic: he needs a miracle to succeed at Liverpool. Rodgers' tactics require high-intensity pressing, while his average running distance at Bastia is only in the middle of the league – is he prepared to run 12 kilometers a week?"

Football isn't a video game! Look at his defensive attitude: a token two-step retreat after losing possession. In the Premier League, you'd get devoured by players like Fletcher and Milner!

Numerous questions arose in various media outlets across England.

People don't seem to think Gaio can succeed at Liverpool.

however,
The preseason friendly match completely silenced everyone for the time being.

In Liverpool's home game against Olympiacos, Gaio came on in the second half and scored two goals and provided two assists, breaking through Olympiacos' defense.

They turned a friendly match into a friendship-ending disaster.

After the match, some people stubbornly insisted that it didn't count because the teams in the Greek league are generally not very strong and have a loose style of play.

In their final friendly match, Liverpool hosted Celtic of the Scottish Premiership.

Gaião came on as a substitute in the second half and completed a hat-trick and two assists in just twenty minutes.

That completely stunned everyone!

In these friendly matches where tactics are being refined and new players are being evaluated, Gaio is practically a bug, or even a game-changer!

The Celtics' defense allowed Gaio to go in and out seven times.

These two matches immediately changed the tone of the English media.

"Calm down! Olympiacos' defense is on vacation, Celtic are playing like it's a charity match! Can the intensity of the Greek and Scottish Premierships even compare to the Premier League? Let's talk about 'genius' after he gets fouled three times by Shawcross in the rain at Stoke City!"

"A goal in a friendly match is something to brag about? The opponent even held back on tackles! The real test is the Premier League! Premier League defenders will teach him what English football is all about!"

"It must be admitted that his technical skills are far superior to those of his peers. His 5 goals and 4 assists may be inflated, but his rhythm and vision in handling the ball do show the characteristics of a top player. Perhaps we should reassess his adaptability."

"Shut up, doubters! We may really have a genius of the century! His dribbling makes Celtic defenders like wooden stakes, and his shots leave Olympiacos goalkeepers in despair! This is the answer we've been waiting for!"

"Okay, I might be wrong. His second chip shot was simply superhuman. Even though it was just a friendly match, there is something special about this kid."

"Two friendly matches can't prove everything, but they're enough to put an end to our doubts. His skills are clearly capable of handling higher-intensity competition. The real answer will be revealed at Anfield on August 16."

“I’m still worried about his defensive involvement, but I have to admit that his attacking talent is phenomenal. If Rodgers can use him well, Liverpool’s attack will be terrifying.”

"Who dares to call him a flop again?! Look at how he outmaneuvered those defenders! 8000 million? Now it seems like robbery! Suarez + Gaio, this will be the most terrifying attacking duo in the Premier League!"

These comments demonstrate a typical reaction pattern of the British media: from initial skepticism and ridicule, to cautious acceptance after data verification, and then to a complete shift in attitude among some media outlets and fans.

All I can say is that Gaio is winning over the English media with his performance.

For this,

Gaio himself didn't have many thoughts on this; he knew all too well the nature of the English media.

Open your mouth and come.

If The Sun hadn't fabricated the story, Liverpool wouldn't have faced such severe sanctions.

Even now, there are still signs boycotting The Sun around Anfield.

These media outlets have no bottom line when it comes to traffic.

8 month 15 number.

The lights at Melwood training facility gradually came on, and the Merseyside sky was bathed in a purplish-red glow at dusk.

Gerrard unscrewed a bottle of water, leaned against the doorframe of the equipment room, and watched Gaio, who had just finished extra training, stuffing his training shoes into his backpack.

"The first round is tomorrow," Gerrard said, taking a sip of water, his voice hoarse from exercise. "Are you nervous?"

Gaora zipped up her backpack, looked up and smiled, sweat dripping down her face: "If I said there wasn't any, Steven, would you believe me?"

Gerald chuckled and wiped his neck with a towel: "I don't believe you."

"Really!" Gaio then turned around curiously. "Steven, what was it like in your first game back then?"

Gerrard gazed at the stadium lights that were going out in the distance, his eyes somewhat dazed: "It's been too long, it was in '98, fifteen years have passed, who can remember clearly?"

He paused for a moment, then shook his head. "My mind went completely blank. I could hear my heart pounding like a drum. I was afraid of messing everything up, afraid of letting down this red jersey."

He suddenly looked at Gaio and laughed, “But now that I think about it, all that nervousness was useless. Once you’re on the field, you only need to do one thing,” he patted Gaio on the back, “trust that your feet are smarter than your brain.”

Gaio nodded thoughtfully.

“Let’s go,” Gerrard tossed the empty water bottle precisely into a trash can some distance away. “It’s another new season, the same thing over and over again for 15 years.”

Gaio sensed Gerrard's sentiments but said nothing more.

Walking silently.

The two walked side by side to the parking lot, their shadows stretching long in the setting sun.

Liverpool's night was quiet, but they all heard it—the roaring Anfield awaited them quietly tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)