The path to becoming a football legend began with being ousted from Carrington by Manchester United.

"Slow?" Silva didn't understand what the other person meant at first. If we're talking about slow, this 32-year-old veteran in front of him is the slowest person on the training field. Even goalkeeper Joe Hart is more agile than him.

Pizarro patiently explained, "I'm not referring to absolute speed, but rather the rhythm of handling the ball."

"David, I guess you're used to the passing and possession style of the Spanish national team. You like to pass the ball laterally and pursue the ultimate ball control. When you can't score, you always give people a sleepy feeling."

"It's not fair to say this tactic is bad; after all, the Spanish national team won the South Africa World Cup using it."

"But that style probably isn't suitable for the current Manchester City, because Lin isn't good at passing the ball, and the team's understanding is still far from sufficient."

"More importantly, since Manchester City has two sharp weapons, Ling and Aguero, why not use them? As the midfield core, I think you can try to play more simply. Whenever these two have an opportunity, immediately pass the ball forward and let them solve problems with their individual abilities."

"Back in Rome, Mr. Spalletti always emphasized to us that we should break down the opponent's defense by frequently rotating positions. Once we found an opening, we should pass the ball forward immediately and break through the opponent's goal with a vertical, direct, and rapid attack."

"But now, when you get the ball, you have to control it, pass it back, and pass it around. Lin, Akun, and Samir also have to fiddle with it when they receive the ball. All of this slows down the pace of the attack. Fleeting opportunities can slip away because while you're controlling the ball, others are constantly making runs and cuts."

"A faster pace makes it easier for everyone to be on the same wavelength, you know what I mean?"

David Silva suddenly had a moment of enlightenment. Just as Pizarro said, he had initially intended to emulate the extreme ball control style of Spain.

However, one point was overlooked: during the 2008 European Championship, when Torres was in excellent form, Aragonés did not adopt a strikerless tactic, and the attack was always centered around Torres.

Until the 2010 World Cup, Torres was in poor form due to injury, and Del Bosque had no choice but to switch to a strikerless formation.

Since Manchester City has two outstanding individual strikers, Lin Yi and Aguero, there is no need to waste time with the opponent. As soon as they create an opportunity, pass the ball to these two outstanding strikers and try to strike decisively.

Thinking of this, Silva bowed to Pizarro, solemnly expressing his respect.

The honest Pizarro was completely flustered, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do with his hands and feet.

"Please stop, David. You'll figure it out eventually without me. I was just sharing my experience playing in Rome. Please stop."

"Look, look, our David is bowing to the new David!" Aguero jumped around like a monkey, bouncing about Lin Yi.

"So annoying!" Lin Yi first kicked Aguero aside with a roundhouse kick, then looked thoughtfully at Silva and Pizarro in the distance, muttering to himself, "An elder in the family is a treasure, the ancients were right."

Silva turned around, clapped his hands, and shouted to everyone, "Guys, give it a try! I have something new in my head, let's give it a shot!"

"Get up and get to work, brothers!" Kompany shouted.

"Hey, you little mule, keep up!" Lin Yi called out to Aguero to join him.

Seeing that the team's core players, captain, and vice-captain had initiated the extra training session, the other players stood up and responded.

Pizarro just smiled and waved his hand, saying, "That's all I can do. Please let this old man go."

Just as Manchester City were putting in extra training, their next opponent, Liverpool, had just finished their training session for the day.

Coincidentally, after training, the Liverpool players did not rush to leave the Melwood training ground, but instead gathered around captain Steven Gerrard and vice-captain Jamie Carragher.

"Is the news reliable?" Jay Spearing, a central midfielder and a product of Liverpool's Kirkby youth academy, was the first to ask.

The question Spearing asked was about a little-known rumor that was caught between the consecutive upsets of Manchester United and Manchester City.

According to The Sun, dissatisfied with the team's inconsistent performance, then-Liverpool chairman Tom Warner, at the behest of John Henry, Liverpool's American owner and also the owner of the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball, met with the team's manager, Kenny Dalglish.

According to The Sun, Kenny Dalglish will likely be sacked early if Liverpool fail to finish in the top three of the league this season and qualify for the Champions League.

When faced with Spearing's question, Carragher shook his head helplessly: "I tried to probe him indirectly several times, but the boss was tight-lipped and didn't reveal any information to me. He just told me to focus on playing football."

The "boss" that Carragher was referring to was their childhood idol, King Kenny Dalglish.

Spearing was very unhappy. He had always idolized Dalglish, and now he complained on behalf of his idol: "We've reached the semi-finals of the League Cup and are 5th in the league, which isn't too bad. Why did the Americans fire our king?"

Spearing's view was echoed by many, who believed that the players were not as cold-blooded as American businessmen, and that they felt closer to Dalglish, with whom they spent every day.

Gerrard said with a bitter face, "I'm afraid it's not that simple. We don't have any European competitions to play this season, which will cause the owner to lose a lot of money. At the beginning of the season, he invested more than £5000 million in signings. If the final results are not ideal, I think there is a high possibility that the Kings will be blamed."

"What should we do then?"

"We must do something to save our king."

"Quiet!" Liverpool captain Gerrard gave the order, and the locker room fell silent instantly. "It's very simple: play every game well from now on, for the King, for ourselves, for Liverpool, and for all the Kop."

"Manchester City are currently 3rd in the league, and we are 6 points behind them. This is a must-win game. If we want to break into the top three, we must beat Manchester City and win this game that is worth 6 points."

"We just took them out at Anfield not long ago, and I believe that if it happens once, it will happen again. There's nothing to be afraid of at Etihad."

"Defeat Manchester City! Save the King!"

"Defeat Manchester City! Save the King!"

"Defeat Manchester City! Save the King!"

The Liverpool players chanted in unison three times, their morale soaring, completely united as one.

Soon, it was the evening of January 3, 2012, and the highly anticipated match between Manchester City and Liverpool in the 20th round of the English Premier League was about to kick off.

Just before the Manchester City starting players finished their final preparations and were about to take the field, Lin Yi suddenly called out to everyone in the locker room.

"Hey guys, have you been watching TV lately?"