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

Faced with Lin Yi's question, the answers varied widely. Some people knew what Lin Yi was referring to, while others hadn't read the news or didn't understand Lin Yi's true intentions. However, with the help of those around them, everyone quickly realized that Lin Yi was referring to the interview with head coach Pellegrini.

"Do you all understand now why Manuel wouldn't let us be interviewed? It's because he wants to take all the blame, questions, and criticisms on himself and doesn't want us to bear any pressure."

Everyone in Manchester City nodded in agreement, praising Lin Yi's statement.

"I'm a very simple person. If you're good to me, I'll be good to you. If you prick me, I'll help you shave. Since you've helped me, I'll definitely find a way to repay you."

Recalling Lin Yi's usual behavior, everyone turned their gaze to Aguero, nodding thoughtfully. Hmm, this guy deserves to be beaten up.

"So when I saw that interview, my thought was very simple: Manuel took the blame for us, so we have to do something for him. What do you think?"

"That's right! Lin is right!"

"Look at how Manuel treated us, and then look at Mancini. They're both head coaches, but the difference in their character is so vast."

"We can't remain indifferent to the coach's kindness."

Everyone agreed, except for Aguero, who offered a different perspective: "Aren't you related to the boss? Why don't you just publicly support Manuel? Would Mubarak dare to fire him then?"

This time, Lin Yi didn't even need to lift a finger. Yaya Toure, who was closest to the noise, covered it with his hand, and the noise Ah Kun was making came to an abrupt halt.

Captain Kompany clapped his hands: "Enough with the chit-chat, we have to beat Liverpool in this game!"

"Take it down!"

"Take it down!"

"Take it down!"

With the same three shouts, the Manchester City players strode confidently out of the locker room.

Two highly motivated teams met at the Al-Ittihad Stadium, each determined to win for the person they were willing to sacrifice for.

The two teams were evenly matched, neither side gaining a significant advantage, and each player seemed to be burning with passion.

However, the match did not unfold as fiercely as the two sides had initially anticipated. Liverpool, the away team, adopted a 4-4-2 formation and relinquished possession from the very first minute, retreating into a defensive formation and focusing on counter-attacks.

Liverpool's fluctuating performance this season is due to Dalglish's conservative tactics.

Relying on their tenacious defense and efficient counter-attacks, they held their own against Premier League giants, with Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal all failing to gain an advantage over them.

Conversely, when facing weaker opponents, Liverpool, who are accustomed to counter-attacking, lack the ability to break through defenses. Andy Carroll, who arrived in the team for £3500 million, has only scored 2 goals in all competitions so far this season.

This has led to Liverpool being labeled as strong against strong teams but weak against weak ones.

Fortunately, their opponent today is a resurgent Manchester City, and they are playing away from home, so it's not shameful for them to start by adopting a defensive posture.

To strengthen the defense, King Dalglish not only paired Gerrard and Henderson as a double pivot, but also specially deployed Dutch striker Kuyt to partner with Suarez in the forward line, valuing Kuyt's tireless running ability and hoping that his presence could assist the midfielders in defense.

Manchester City made a very bold personnel change in this match. Pellegrini did not deploy Yaya Toure as a defensive midfielder, but instead swapped him with Milner. The African powerhouse played in the attacking midfield position, specifically to counter Liverpool's possible defensive tactics.

In this battle of wits, engineer Pellegrini proved to be the better player. Manchester City added a reliable ball-carrying point in the attacking third, which immediately pinned Liverpool down in their own half.

Following Pizarro's instructions, Silva increased the speed of his ball handling. Although Manchester City's attacking combinations still seemed immature, their ability to create threats was clearly improving, and their mistakes were relatively decreasing.

Unfortunately, commentators and analysts usually don't have that much tactical expertise, and they can't immediately see the subtle changes in Manchester City. Their opinions are similar to the criticisms from the media.

"Manchester City seem to be in control and have a much higher possession rate than Liverpool, but their overall attacking organization is still disorganized. With that, they probably won't be able to break through Liverpool's defense."

"Indeed, with the league season just past the halfway point, Liverpool has conceded the fewest goals in the first half of the Premier League season, with only 14 goals conceded in 19 games. King Kenny is undoubtedly excellent at building a defensive line."

"Liverpool's Suarez is very capable individually. Manchester City should be careful if he finds a counter-attacking opportunity."

"Manchester City's chance!"

As if deliberately designed to slap the commentators in the face, just when everyone was pessimistic about Manchester City and criticizing their attack, David Silva cleverly slipped behind Toure, who had moved forward in this match, to receive the ball.

After receiving the ball, Silva did not hesitate and immediately sent a lob pass from the spot. At this moment, Lin Yi was pulling back, and Liverpool center-back Skrtel did not dare to be negligent and followed up. Aguero just happened to cut into the open area behind Lin Yi.

Aguero deftly controlled the ball, and while the opposing defenders' attention was drawn to Aguero, Lin Yi quickly turned around and ran into the penalty area, sneaking to Liverpool's goal without anyone noticing.

Aguero didn't try to score. Relying on the tacit understanding that the trio had developed through their extra training, he used the outside of his right foot to pass the ball to the far post. There were no defenders around Lin Yi, so as long as he received the pass, it was an easy easy goal.

Danish defender Daniel Agger, who had vice-captain Carragher firmly pinned to the bench, tried his best to tackle but couldn't reach the ball, watching helplessly as it slipped past his toes.

Lin Yi was already in position at the far post, ready to shoot into the empty net, when Gerrard, wearing the captain's armband, appeared just in time.

He shoved the ball out of bounds before Lin Yi could shoot, but lost control of his momentum and crashed heavily into the goalpost with a loud "Bang!"

In a critical moment, the Red Army captain risked injury to avert danger, and his teammates all rushed to his aid.

"Well done, Steve!"

"How are you? Are you alright?"

Despite his teammates' encouragement, praise, and concern, Gerrard didn't respond. He limped to his feet and said to Lin Yi, who was standing not far away, "I'm going to win this game!"

Facing Gerrard's resolute gaze, Lin Yi curled her lip and said, "Sorry, that's what I thought too! Wait until next time, next time for sure."