The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 378 I'm not happy here; transferring is an open option.
"It would have been so nice to stay at the top of the table, but we ended up drawing with a relegation-threatened team and handing it over to them. Arsenal had a five-game winning streak and were chasing us so fiercely, but we, on the other hand, made the same old mistake of dropping the ball when we encounter weak teams!"

We can't rely on 18-year-old Gaio to carry the team every time, can we?
Gaio is practically being used like an iron man!

The team just played a full match in the Manchester derby and only had three days of rest. Today, the substitute came on to score and carry the team, otherwise they wouldn't have gotten a single point!

Can't Rogers think of ways to get someone else to step up?
If you keep pushing Gaio like this, he'll get injured sooner or later!

even,

Some fans are already calling for Rodgers to be sacked.

"Rogers, get out of here! If you can't manage, resign on your own. Don't occupy this position and delay things!"
What kind of lousy tactics are these against Sunderland?

Stop messing with Liverpool!
With such poor skills, how can he be a head coach?
Gerrard is getting old, and he wants to win a championship in his last few years. But you're just wasting his time here. You're almost using up all his energy!
Besides, Gaio is only 18 years old, right in the prime of his career. Following you will only make him a troubleshooter; if things continue like this, you'll ruin his potential!

In short.

Liverpool fans realized that despite a significant improvement in the team's strength this season, they were still playing terribly without Gaio.

I was very unhappy.

You know, what they're hoping for is for the team to win the damn Premier League title!
Liverpool has never won the Premier League title, and this fact alone is used by Manchester United fans to mock Liverpool, no matter how many times they beat Manchester United.

Can they tolerate this?!

not to mention,
A team that truly aims to win the championship wouldn't be unable to function without just one player.

Top players should help their teams break through the ceiling and raise the upper limit, not rely on them to guarantee the lower limit, as is the case now.

Needing a player to guarantee a minimum standard is not how a championship-contending team should be. How can fans not be furious?
Liverpool's post-match press conference.

Rogers' brow was still furrowed as he answered the reporters' questions one by one.

Regarding Sunderland, he said, "Sunderland defended very tenaciously. They packed their formation very tightly, giving us very little space, which made the first half very difficult for us."

When asked about the attacking struggles in the first half, he did not shy away from the topic: "We did not find our rhythm in the first half. The connection in the attacking third was not smooth enough. Suarez and Sterling's runs failed to break through the opponent's defense, and the crosses lacked accuracy. These are the things we need to summarize. Against a dense defense, we need more diverse attacking methods and cannot rely solely on penetration through the middle."

When asked why Gaio wasn't brought on until the second half,

Rogers paused briefly before replying, "I know everyone is looking forward to Gaio's appearance, but we have to admit that it's a crime to make an 18-year-old play two games in a row with only three days of rest. He needs rest."

Gay is an outstanding player, and his ability is undeniable, but the team cannot put all the pressure on an 18-year-old from the very beginning.

I wanted to get the other players into a rhythm of teamwork, but unfortunately we couldn't do that in the first half.

Speaking of Gaião's equalizing goal before the final whistle...

Rogers replied, "Gaio's performance was fantastic. His composure and skill on the court far exceed his age, and that's his value. He can always make a difference for the team in crucial moments."

Regarding losing the top spot, Rodgers seemed calm: "It's too early to talk about the top spot when only six rounds of the league have been played. Arsenal played very well this round, and they deserve their current position. We need to learn from this draw."

We had the ability to win this game, but we didn't do well enough in the details, such as our attacking efficiency in the first half and our efforts to limit the opponent's counter-attacks. These are areas we need to improve.

When a reporter raised concerns about over-reliance on Gai, he immediately responded, "I don't deny Gai's importance to the team, but the word 'reliance' is inaccurate. It's 'need.' We need Gai, just like Arsenal needs Ramsey and Manchester United needs Rooney."

We will strive to make changes, to make our offensive system as balanced as possible, and to allow other players to take on more responsibility. We need everyone to participate, not just one person.

When Rogers' words were reported.

Liverpool fans were not buying it.

Rodgers is downplaying the issue and hasn't even taken responsibility for his part. Judging from his words, he doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with drawing against a relegation-threatened team.

"Still saying Sunderland has a tough defense? They're a relegation team!"
They played terribly, and they still have the nerve to blame the opponent?
If it weren't for Gaio's last free kick, we would have lost 0-1 today!

No shame!
Now you've drawn with a relegation-threatened team and lost the top spot, yet you still won't admit your coaching mistakes. All you do is talk the talk, say you need to analyze, that you missed some details—so you, Rogers, bear absolutely no responsibility?

"It's too early to talk about the top spot when the league has only been in six rounds?"

Bullshit!
Ping's mother is Sunderland!

Not Manchester City or Chelsea!
Without Gay, we would have lost today!
One point?
That's what Gaio earned, it has nothing to do with you!
You, on the other hand, dodge the question and beat around the bush, not even daring to admit it was my fault. How can a coach like that lead a team to a championship?

It's not just the fans.

The English media's consistent style is to add fuel to the fire.

At such times.

The media is also "discussing" Liverpool's match, after all, in England, the media and fans are under the most pressure.

Let alone clubs, even the national team is under pressure!

How badly was Beckham subjected to cyberbullying back then?

If it weren't for that brilliant free kick, who knows what would have happened in the end.

The Daily Mail wrote, "For Liverpool, who are aiming for the title, a draw against relegation-threatened Sunderland would be tantamount to a defeat."

After the game, Rodgers emphasized that the league season was still early, but avoided the core question: why did the team have no way to deal with the tight defense except to wait for Gaio to come on?

Arsenal's five-game winning streak has caused Liverpool to relinquish their top spot. Even more worrying is their inability to find a solution to their attacking problems without Gaião, a far cry from the form expected of a title contender.

Sky Sports wrote, "Liverpool played like a mid-table team not just tonight, but in fact for the past few rounds. Gaião's brilliance has masked most of the team's problems."

In this match, the accuracy rate of crosses was less than 30%, penetrations through the middle were frequently intercepted, and the forwards lacked coordination and understanding.

It wasn't until Gai came on that the team finally found a way to break the deadlock, almost single-handedly earning Liverpool a point.

Rodgers' tactical adjustments were too slow, and his use of Gaio was too conservative. The coach bears a significant responsibility for this draw due to his flawed decision-making.

Many Liverpool legends also came out to comment.

but,

Liverpool legends aren't quite as phenomenal as Gaio imagines future Manchester United legends to be.

Most people just want the team to stay stable.

After all, Liverpool's performance in the past few years has been really terrible.

For the past four seasons, they have consistently finished sixth, seventh, or eighth in the Premier League.

They can't even qualify for European competitions!
With the new season seemingly within reach, as a former player, I really don't want the team to run into trouble at this crucial moment.

Especially considering that the team has just changed hands.

Stability is paramount, everyone knows that, but sometimes stability is tantamount to a slow death.

As for the fans, they discussed it for a long time.

After all, fans are the group of people most easily swayed by emotions.

the next day.

Liverpool players trained as usual.

The morning dew at Melwood training ground hadn't completely dried yet. The weather was gloomy today, not exactly good weather, but that's typical for England.

Sunshine is a rare commodity.

Training had just ended when Gerrard, his training uniform collar soaked through, walked to the sidelines and saw Gaio sitting on a bench, unscrewing a water bottle.

He walked over and sat down, tossing his sports towel over: "I just saw you competing with Henderson during the shuttle run, aren't you tired?"

Gaio took the towel, wiped his forehead, and handed back the half-bottle of water with a smile: "It's alright. I'll practice more to improve my stamina. The Premier League is much more intense than Ligue 1."

Gerrard took a sip of water, paused for a few seconds, and then got straight to the point, "You didn't start last night, were you upset?"

He stared at Gaio's profile, afraid that the boy was hiding his emotions.

Gerrard also went through that age, so he understands that spirit all too well.

Wasn't I the same when I was young?
As long as they're in good form, they'd love to start every game and show off all their skills on the field so everyone can see them.

Not to mention that Gaio has been performing so brilliantly this season, it's perfectly normal for him to be unhappy about being dropped from the starting lineup.

but,

Gaio genuinely had no complaints. "It's fine. I just play according to the coach's instructions, and when it's my turn to play, I do what I'm supposed to do. There's nothing uncomfortable about it."

He looked up at Gerrard, who was still frowning, and added, "Besides, they tied it in the end, so the result isn't bad."

Gerrard smiled and nodded. "Indeed, we are only one point behind Arsenal, who are in first place. Over the years, everyone has said that we have dropped the ball badly, but if our opponent is Arsenal, we don't need to worry too much."

Gaio smiled knowingly.

Gerrard glanced in the direction of the coaching staff in the distance, and lowered his voice slightly, "However, no matter how much the opponent falters, we still need to do what we should do. Sometimes a team needs some changes to get things going smoothly. Staying stuck on the old path is not a solution."

Gaio understood the implication in his words, but did not respond to the topic of "change".

Some things don't require him to say or do anything at all.

Someone will do it.

Instead, Gaio suddenly pointed at Gerrard's shoelaces and burst out laughing: "Captain, what's wrong with your shoelaces? They came undone halfway during the shuttle run practice, and you almost fell over. Henderson was holding back his laughter so hard he was almost in tears!"

As he spoke, he deliberately swayed his body, mimicking Gerrard's posture at the time.

Gerrard was taken aback by his amusement. He looked down at his loose shoelaces hanging at his ankles and laughed along. "Wasn't it because the field was just watered? I didn't notice when I came this morning, and my shoes slipped when I stopped suddenly."

He brought the topic back to the present, "But to be honest, if I hadn't made the starting lineup yesterday, I would have been wondering what the coach was thinking by now."

Gaio tossed the towel to Gerald. "Do you think you can make the grass stop being slippery just by thinking about it?"

He looked up and winked at Gerrard.

"Hey, you little rascal, you know how to take advantage of a situation!" Gerald laughed, his tone much more relaxed. "That's good, you can still joke with me, you're more composed than I was back then."

The teaching assistants were already waving to signal that a new round of training was about to begin.

Gai stood up and deliberately stepped on the wet grass next to Gerrard, splashing a little water: "Hehe, Captain, if you slip again in the next game, I'll save the video and make a Gerrard slip highlights when you retire. I believe a lot of fans will like it."

"You dare!" Gerald pretended to slap Gaio on the back of the head, but instead slapped him on the shoulder instead. "Alright, let's go, let's continue training, haha."

Two shadows were cast on the cold, damp grass. Laughter mingled with shouts from teammates in the distance, and the somber and serious atmosphere of yesterday's game had long been quietly dispelled by Gaio's teasing about the slip in the Melwood wind.

Training resumed.

Rogers' expression had been serious since morning and hadn't relaxed at all.

They maintained this until the end of training.

Gai really didn't want to deal with these things. Team management is an art. Many head coaches do well with mid-to-lower-tier teams, but what if they cause a locker room explosion when they coach a top team?
Because it can't be suppressed.

Gaio made no public statements, not even when Gerrard spoke to him privately.

I just didn't want to cause chaos in the locker room.

He's no longer that junior substitute in Ligue 2.

His every move could cause turmoil throughout Liverpool, and he knew that all too well.

If Gayo had subtly said anything bad about Rodgers at this point, the locker room and the fans would probably have been completely divided.

But he won't do that.

Time flies.

September has passed and October has arrived. Liverpool is focused on one competition, playing one game per week unless there is an EFL Cup match.

Meanwhile, other Premier League teams with European competition commitments continued their Champions League group stage matches midweek.

And among them,
Perhaps the most memorable one is Wenger.

10 month 1 number.

It was the 17th anniversary of Wenger's tenure as Arsenal manager. On October 1, 1996, Wenger arrived at Arsenal from Nagoya, Japan.

This marked the beginning of his legendary professional career.

On this day, Arsenal played Napoli at home in the second round of the Champions League group stage.

therefore,

During the pre-match press conference, many reporters asked Wenger whether he would renew his contract with Arsenal, and what it was like to manage a team for seventeen years.

Wenger said,

"I've experienced ups and downs over the past 17 years, but I've always received strong support from the club. They've always expressed their trust in me, and I'm willing to stay here forever because it will make me an Arsenal legend. I love Arsenal."

Over the years, I've turned down many offers; I've always believed Arsenal is different. Now we have a very competitive team, and that's exactly what I want to prove.

Will the contract renewal be successfully completed?

Wenger's response was: "I don't need a lot of negotiations to get a contract extension. I don't think anyone can question my commitment to the club. I want to focus on leading the team to a good performance this season. Contract extension should be something to consider when you feel you're doing well. It can be done when the right opportunity comes. Right now, I don't think it's the most important issue."

Wenger then added with another sigh: "Seventeen years is a long time, but it may also be just a blink of an eye. Time flies, and life is like a song. You don't need to look back on the past. I believe that's the most important thing."

Of course, if you look back, you'll find that we've worked very hard and performed consistently well. This helps you assess the current situation. For me, the most interesting thing is leading the team in tomorrow's game.

I never thought I needed any motivation; on the contrary, I wanted even more. The beauty of working in football is the uncertainty of the future. The next game is always a new adventure, so you need to be extra focused.

And on such an important day.

Arsenal players did not disappoint Wenger.

They won 2-0 against Napoli at home.

among them,

Giroud scored a goal.

After the match, Gaio even sent Giroud a congratulatory text message.

Giroud replied, "I feel great right now, I'll take whatever you give me! I really hope this month is the World Cup, I can't wait to play with you."

Upon hearing that it was available, Gaio instinctively thought of another big center.

Actually, Giroud doesn't need to worry about not being able to play together. The international break in October is coming soon, and they will have two friendly matches then.

Gaio will definitely play; it's just a matter of how much playing time he gets.

After replying to Giroud's message.

Gaio thought of Lukaku, and then he thought of De Bruyne.

Gaio looked at the match reports of the four Premier League teams.

Manchester City suffered a humiliating 1-3 defeat at home to Bayern Munich. The reason it is considered a humiliating defeat is that Manchester City was at a significant disadvantage for most of the game, which is extremely rare for a Manchester City team known for its strong home record.

Manchester United drew 1-1 with Shakhtar Donetsk away from home.

The Manchester clubs have truly become the Manchester bears.

Both sides are completely bewildered by the change of coaches.

As for the London rivals, Arsenal won at home.

Chelsea secured a resounding 4-0 away victory against Romanian giants Steaua Bucharest.

unfortunately,

De Bruyne wasn't even on the roster.

This is also related to a recent interview with De Bruyne, who probably offended Mourinho.

De Bruyne during a press interview.

He stated clearly, "I have no reason to hide it. I am not happy here, not at all. There is too much speculation in the media about my relationship with Mourinho, but the truth is that I have only had two serious conversations with him. Mourinho said he hoped I would stay, but what happened after I stayed? From preseason until now, whether in the league or the Champions League, I have hardly received any opportunities."

Reporter: "So you've considered leaving?"

De Bruyne said, "A transfer is definitely an open option for me, and even the only option. I applied for a loan in the summer, but the club rejected it. Now the news in the winter transfer window is that I may not be able to get a loan either."

But I have to play football. This isn't a luxury; it's fundamental for a professional player. I told Mourinho frankly, 'I don't think the club really wants to keep me; they might as well sell me.'

I don't want to go through the cycle of loan returns and then loaning out again; it's a waste of time.

The reporter concluded by asking, "Aren't you afraid that these words will affect your relationship with the team?"

De Bruyne's tone remained unchanged. "I'm just being frank. If staying here only makes me the sixth option, what's the point?"
I've never doubted my abilities; I just need a place where I can play. If Chelsea can't provide that, I have to find a team that can.

This isn't impulsive; it's taking responsibility for one's career.

How many head coaches would be happy to hear such a statement?

But in fact, De Bruyne is currently in a rather unpleasant situation.

He couldn't get playing time under Mourinho.

Furthermore, they insisted on keeping him at Chelsea in the summer, and even his loan request was rejected, so he may not be able to be loaned to another team in the winter transfer window.

This is what caused De Bruyne to break off relations.

Gaio wasn't too surprised by this; that's just how Mourinho is.

He is a coach with his own ideas.

You could even call him stubborn.

On the other hand, successful people are all somewhat stubborn.

The De Bruyne transfer issue.

it's actually really easy.

David Dunn would be willing to make an offer for him, but the only problem is...

Would Chelsea be willing to sell De Bruyne to a Premier League rival?

Simultaneously.

There's also the worry of being outmaneuvered.

to this end,

Gaio also took a look at the news about Bayern Munich.

As a commentator for German television channel ZDF, Kahn and Guardiola, who came to the studio after the match, were analyzing Bayern's performance together.

Kahn analyzed that Bayern's most outstanding feature was their complete control of the midfield. Their overall formation was reasonable, and their pressing in close quarters was timely and fierce, with very obvious results.

Subsequently,

The host asked Kahn, "Many people are puzzled by Guardiola's arrival in Munich, because it's almost impossible to take a treble-winning team to the next level. Do you think Guardiola has made Bayern better?"

Kahn gave an affirmative answer: "As I just said, Bayern's biggest improvement is still in the midfield."

Guardiola infused Bayern with a typical possession-based style, but this was not a simple transplant of Barcelona's style; rather, it was tailored to Bayern's style and the characteristics of its players.

Furthermore, Bayern must maintain control of the midfield, because as the defending champions, their counter-attacking opportunities will inevitably decrease, making it crucial to maintain midfield control.

The host immediately asked Guardiola what he thought of Kahn's answer.

Guardiola humbly and humorously said, "We're good friends, so he gave me a lot of face!"

At last,
Kahn acted as a reporter and asked Guardiola a question: "You seemed to have used a strikerless formation again today. Will you continue to use it in the future?"

Guardiola seriously stated that everything depends on the specific opponent and the team's situation. "Facing Manchester City today, we need an attacking player with a larger running range, so I replaced Mandzukic with Müller, but Mandzukic's importance to the team is self-evident."

Let's take a quick look at Gaio.

I just hope he doesn't target De Bruyne for the time being.

Because De Bruyne is a perfect fit for Guardiola's tactics, but Liverpool also needs a player like De Bruyne.

Therefore,
Let Liverpool intercept the deal first!
(End of this chapter)