The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 382 Liverpool's top management is in turmoil, and no one is secure except Gaio!

Countless French fans were thrilled by this.

The French team of today is far from the French team of the turn of the century, according to the latest FIFA national team rankings.

France is currently ranked 17th.

This is even though the French team has had a good recent record, improving their ranking from over 20th.

and so.

When the French team was drawn into the same group as the world's number one ranked team, Spain, French fans exclaimed that it was a "group of death"!
"It would be good enough if we could qualify for the playoffs."

"Just don't get thrashed by Spain."

No one expected that the French team would not only not fall behind, but would also advance directly with a perfect record, leaving the World Cup favorite Spain behind.

This surprise completely ignited the long-suppressed emotions of French fans.

As the captain who carried the team forward, Gaio naturally became the focus of everyone's praise.

On social media, discussions about Gaio have already flooded the screen, with fans' comments full of excitement and approval: "When we were in the same group as Spain, I almost spilled my coffee on my computer while watching the draw live."

Looking at it now, who is Spain?

We have Gaio!
He breaks through to the baseline from the right flank like he's crossing the street; the defenders from Australia and Finland simply can't catch up. Is this the core of a team of 17?

He's clearly the world's best striker!

"When France beat Finland 3-0, I jumped up in the bar when Gaio volleyed that shot with the outside of his foot! The guy next to me clinked glasses with me and said that was a goal I could brag about for ten years. I think it's more than that. With Gaio on the team, France really has a chance in next year's World Cup!"

Parking lot at Clairefontaine base.

The teammates stood in twos and threes beside the car, their jackets draped over their arms, holding half-finished bottles of mineral water in their hands, and speaking softer than during training.

With the World Cup qualifiers over, the national team's training camp has come to an end. The next time they will reunite will be during the warm-up matches before next year's World Cup.

Giroud stuffed the last training shirt into the trunk, turned around and saw Gaio walking over with a black sports bag. He immediately greeted him with a smile: "Yang, go back and rest for a couple of days. Don't push yourself too hard in training in Liverpool!"

He patted Gaio on the arm, his tone slightly teasing, "Next time Arsenal plays Liverpool, watch out, I'm genuinely afraid of you."

Gaio smiled and nodded: "You too, score more goals in the league, and we'll need you to hold off the opponents in the penalty area for next year's World Cup."

The two hugged each other gently.

Not far away, Varane was helping Ribery carry his luggage. When he saw Gaio, he waved to him and said, "Remember to watch Real Madrid's game when you get back!"

Gaio laughed and replied, "Don't always think about poaching me to Real Madrid. Just play well in La Liga first, and I'll treat you to dinner when we win the championship!"

Varane raised an eyebrow: "I'll remember that! If we win the championship next year, we'll have to celebrate properly!"

As Ribery walked over, he smiled at Gaio and said, "Youth is great, 16 goals in 8 games, really impressive." He patted Gaio on the shoulder and said, "Don't relax when you get back. No matter how tough the league is, you have to stay in form. The team will still need you for the World Cup next year."

Gaio nodded seriously: "Don't worry, I will definitely prepare well."

As they were talking, Deschamps walked out of the office building, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on Gaio.

He didn't call Gaio by name, but just gave him a look. Gaio understood and followed him to the shade of a tree not far away.

The wind rustled the leaves, just enough to drown out their conversation.

“Your performance on the wing has been top-notch in these few rounds of World Cup qualifiers,” Deschamps said, his voice a little softer than usual. “But when you get back, watch some videos. Learn from those free-roaming forwards who can link up the whole team, who can play on the wing or in the middle, like Zidane in the past, and the superstars who can energize the attack in the middle now. Learn how they observe the rhythm of the game and how they connect their teammates’ runs.”

He paused, his gaze fixed on Gaio's eyes, and said, word by word, "Next year's World Cup opponents won't be as easy to deal with as in the World Cup qualifiers. Germany, Brazil, Argentina—each team's defense is difficult to break down. The team needs you not only to be a scorer, but also to become the offensive core that can break the deadlock. I hope to see you truly shine on the world stage in the World Cup."

Gaio nodded seriously: "I'll remember that. I'll find the video to watch when I get back."

Deschamps patted him on the back, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the other team members.

Gaio stood in the shade of the tree, watching his teammates leave one by one.

Giroud honked his horn as his car passed by, Varane leaned out of the window and waved, while Ribery gave him a thumbs up.

The chill in the wind seemed to have lessened.

As captain, Gaio waited until everyone had left before saying goodbye to Deschamps and leaving with Kanté.

Kanté remained silent and taciturn, appearing to others as Gaio's sidekick.

And this time.

Kanté gazed at the oak forest in Clairefontaine with a hint of anticipation and asked Gaio, "Do we have a chance to win the World Cup? I don't even remember the last time France won it."

Gaio smiled and said, "Then you should celebrate properly next time and remember that day."

So, will it?

"Of course!"

"Thank you, Yang."

night.

Gaio returned to his home in Liverpool.

He received a call from Gerrard, who immediately asked, "Have you seen the news?"

Gaio was completely confused and honestly said no.

"Then go online and check out the news about our team during the international break, and then call me back."

"it is good."

Gaio was also a little curious, as he had been following French football news closely lately.

I haven't been paying much attention to Liverpool news.

He was also a little curious as to why Gerrard called him at the end of the international break.

however.

When he searched it up, he was instantly dumbfounded.

"Liverpool's management is in turmoil, with all the executives from the Henry era being replaced!"

Liverpool CEO Abdullah admitted that, apart from Gaião, no one's position is secure.

Gaio never expected that such a thing would happen in just over a week.
Fortunately, the English media outlet Daily Mail provided the background information.

The reason for this is somewhat laughable.

At a party in Liverpool, Liverpool driver Sloan got into a verbal and physical altercation with Liverpool executive Ian Ayr and other club officials. Sloan said the incident stemmed from provocation by Liverpool players' liaison officer Ray Horn, which caused him to lose his temper.

Sloan accused Horn of "robbing Liverpool FC in broad daylight" in front of Al and other guests.

Because of this conflict, Sloan was sacked by Liverpool the very next day.

Sloan felt wronged by being fired.

They then took Liverpool to court through the labor arbitration office.

What was originally a seemingly insignificant civil lawsuit has attracted attention due to Sloan's revelations.

During the court hearing, Sloan revealed Horn's involvement in reselling tickets.

Sloan was a police officer before being hired by Liverpool as a driver in July 2009. He usually drove for Liverpool's management and some first-team players.

Sloan said he got the inside information from his close friend Frank Felt.

Frank Fürth, a former police officer, now runs a security company. On match days, Fürth and his colleagues are responsible for security at Anfield.

Because of work, Fürth met Horn, who was scalping tickets.

During his testimony in court, Sloan stated, "In early October 2012, Fürth told me that he was worried that Horn was reselling tickets that were originally allocated to the players. Frank told me that he and his colleagues had witnessed Horn making transactions with people in the hotel and had even taken photos of the signing of the contracts. Fürth was concerned that this situation might have been going on for more than a day or two and that Liverpool should launch an investigation."

According to the investigation, Sloan did not lie; several people in the know, including Philt, revealed Horn's ticket scalping in court.

The free tickets that Horn spilled were originally intended for Enrique and Sahin.

Liverpool's team performance was steadily improving, and its commercial development was also on track.

However, a series of scandals damaged the club's image. For example, Suarez's racist remarks and biting incident on the pitch once made Liverpool the target of widespread condemnation.

Liverpool is now embroiled in another scandal involving ticket scalping by high-ranking officials.

Saudi Arabia is furious!
then,

Saudi Arabia, which originally intended to adopt a moderate approach, planned to retain some of the original management to run the team.

But after this incident occurred.

In the past, management would simply fire everyone!

Leave no one behind!
Because of those white headscarves in Saudi Arabia, no one expected that the management of a team would actually engage in something like reselling tickets.

The tickets only cost a few yuan!
This amount of money isn't even a fraction of their allowance.

That's so cheap!
Then, Gaio saw another news item.

The gist is that after the changes in Liverpool's management, Rodgers lost his supporters.

Rodgers' future at Liverpool remains uncertain.

Also.

Following news of changes in Liverpool's management, David Dunn gave an exclusive interview to the Daily Mail.

When asked about Rodgers' future at Liverpool, his answers consistently revolved around uncertainty, offering no clear support for the manager whatsoever.

"The progress that Rodgers has made in Liverpool over the past period is obvious to all. The team's ranking in the league has steadily risen, and the performance on the offensive end is also very convincing. In particular, players like Gaião can perform at a top level in his system, which shows that he has his own ideas on tactical refinement."

It's difficult to give a definitive answer at this stage because the new team hasn't completed the handover yet. They need time to sort out the club's current situation, including the first team's tactical system and the coaching staff's working methods, all of which need to be evaluated one by one.

We cannot use past standards to judge future decisions, after all, the new management team has its own evaluation criteria and goals.

In the world of football, the compatibility between coaches and management is very important.

If the foundation of previous cooperation changes, then whether the two parties can continue to work together requires more detailed communication.

All I can say is that Liverpool is currently in a phase where it needs to reposition itself, and all positions related to the team, including the coaching staff, may be included in the evaluation scope of the new management.

It's too early to discuss staying or leaving. What we can see is that the club is in a critical period of transformation, and stability and alignment with the new plan will be the core of all future decisions.

As for whether Coach Rodgers will lead the team to achieve this goal, that's not something I can judge; it depends on the new team's final decision.

David Dunn's words were actually ambiguous.

On such matters of principle, not affirming is tantamount to denying.

After reading this series of news reports.

Gaio never expected that after returning from playing two games for the national team, the club would undergo such a dramatic change!
soon.

Gaio dialed Gerrard's number.

"Have you finished reading the news?" Gerrard's voice came first. "The entire leadership has been replaced, there's the Horn vote scalping issue, and Rogers' uncertain future. Anfield is in complete chaos right now."

Gaio nodded. "I just finished reading it. I really didn't expect so many things to happen in just over a week. It was all so sudden."

"The Saudis are too decisive, but that also shows they want to manage the team well. As for the coaching staff," Gerrard paused, "there are rumors that they may not keep Rodgers, after all, all the senior executives who supported him have left."

I'm contacting you because I want to know your attitude. You're the core of the team now, and both the new management and the media are watching your attitude.

If you could express your support for Rodgers, or even just mention wanting to maintain a stable coaching staff, it would be a boost for him. But if you don't have any ideas, we'll have to be prepared if they do decide to change coaches later.

Gaio was silent for two seconds.

He then replied calmly, "Steve, I understand what you mean, and I know you're doing this for the good of the team. But to be honest, I never want to get involved in these things. Who the management changes, whether the coach stays or leaves—those are decisions for them to make. As a player, I don't understand and don't want to understand these complicated matters."

If the new management feels the need to change coaches, it's because they're considering the team's long-term interests.

For me, no matter who is sitting on the coach's bench, all I have to do is train hard, play well, kick the ball into the opponent's goal, and help the team score points.

This is my duty.

Gerrard sighed softly on the other end of the line, his tone more understanding: "I knew you'd say that. And it's true, you've always focused on the field and never gotten involved in these off-field matters. But seeing the team so turbulent, I'm always worried it will affect your performance on the field."

"Don't worry," Gaio smiled. "No matter what changes off the court, our goal on the court remains the same: to win every game we can win. Even if there is a coaching change, as long as the tactics are in place, we can adapt as quickly as possible."

Gerrard's relieved laughter came through the receiver: "That's true, I feel much more at ease knowing you said that. Just keep your focus and don't let these things get to you. I'll let you know if there's any new information. Just focus on preparing for the next training session."

"it is good!"

Gaio responded.

Just as he hung up on Gerrard, another call came in.

David Dunn!

(End of this chapter)