Chapter 4 Four Updates! Please Vote! Please Vote for Monthly Tickets!!

Of all the people who were happiest about Liverpool's entry into the Champions League semi-finals, it wasn't actually Liverpool's players, but rather Manchester United's coach, Ferguson.

Of course, one thing is separate from another.

Ferguson's Manchester United team had just been eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals, so he wasn't very happy. But the next day, he found out that Liverpool had passed the test against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, and his mood suddenly improved. As a battle-hardened coach, he had to learn to control his emotions.

Having seen many storms, Ferguson was mentally prepared for a loss in a game. After all, he was actually planning to give up on the Champions League.

The current Manchester United is not what it used to be. The old Manchester United could compete for championships on multiple fronts. The current Manchester United is in a period of transition, and it's already good enough to do its best in one battlefront, not to mention winning several championships.

Giving up on the Champions League and mainly competing for the domestic league title was a strategy that Ferguson had decided on long ago.

The domestic league title is still very symbolic. If Liverpool wants to restore its former glory, it must first win the league title, because they have never won the English Premier League trophy.

As for the Champions League, they have already won it, but they haven't surpassed Manchester United domestically. If they want to dominate in England, they must first pull Manchester United from the throne.

How could Ferguson allow Liverpool to do this under his nose?

Anyway, the current Manchester United doesn't have the ability to win championships on both fronts, so it's better to put all its efforts into one battlefront. Which battlefront is more important? It's definitely the domestic league.

So Ferguson decided to give up the Champions League and concentrate on the domestic league.

Losing the Champions League was already within his plan, so even if he was unhappy, he wasn't that unhappy. But when the good news of Liverpool's entry into the semi-finals came, his mood improved a lot.

Liverpool's entry into the semi-finals would further prevent them from giving up on the Champions League. At the very least, they would have to reach the final. As for what to do after reaching the final, Ferguson couldn't care less. By that time, the Premier League would have already been decided.

Liverpool would definitely be distracted on both fronts, so they wouldn't be able to concentrate on domestic competitions. Maybe they would give up on the domestic league because of this?

That would be the best!

This was the situation that Ferguson hoped to see.

At the same time, something that made Ferguson very happy was that although Liverpool won against Real Madrid in this game, they also paid a very heavy price.

Gerrard and Şahin were injured one after another, which wouldn't heal in just one or two games. It would definitely affect the team's performance and results in the domestic league.

And it should be known that the next league game would not be easy...

Liverpool would welcome Arsenal at home!

The last time the two sides played, Liverpool was almost defeated by Arsenal.

Ferguson hoped that this time, although Arsenal was playing away, they would not be afraid of strong enemies and dare to fight and charge, and pull the damned Liverpool from the top of the league!

※※※

Ferguson was happy, so O'Neill was naturally unhappy.

The joy of eliminating Real Madrid and advancing to the semi-finals only lasted for one night. When Martin O'Neill woke up the next morning, he felt a headache as soon as he opened his eyes.

Gerrard was injured, Şahin was injured. In the position of organizing midfielder, Liverpool didn't have anyone. Now Martin O'Neill either had to change the formation and play tactics without an organizing midfielder, or let Charlie Adam, who had been out of battle for a long time, take the lead.

This was only targeting the team's situation in the league, not to mention the next Champions League game. Suárez and Sánchez were both suspended, and Liverpool was facing a serious shortage of personnel.

Moreover, Liverpool's semi-final opponent was not weak, it was Bayern Munich, a giant from the Bundesliga.

It would be a miracle to eliminate Bayern Munich with such a depleted lineup.

O'Neill thought about it and felt that the semi-finals were the best time to give up on the Champions League. In this case, even if the team was eliminated, no one could blame him.

In fact, by leading the team into the Champions League semi-finals, he had greatly exceeded the previously scheduled mission goal, and originally no one could blame him anyway.

O'Neill made a decision, and now he had to make another decision.

How to deploy his troops and how to play in the game against Arsenal.

※※※

The media's praise for Liverpool's victory over Real Madrid on the road always came to an end. Soon everyone turned their attention back to the league. Once they turned back to the league, everyone frowned and began to worry about Liverpool instead of cheering for them.

Because Liverpool's situation was indeed too difficult. The players were injured, exhausted, and they still had to face the challenge of a strong enemy like Arsenal.

Arsenal is currently ranked sixth in the league, not far from Chelsea, who is ranked fifth and fourth. They are the kind of team that can get rid of the top two with a little effort, and then get a Champions League spot for next season.

So even if they are playing away, they have no reason to surrender.

For Liverpool, such opponents are the last thing they want to encounter, and it will definitely be a hard battle.

Before the game, many people speculated about how Martin O'Neill would respond.

Now that Liverpool has reached the Champions League semi-finals, and one step further is the Champions League final, will O'Neill give up the domestic league to fight for the Champions League title? Anyway, with their current points, they can almost be considered to have locked in a Champions League spot for next season in advance, and they don't need to struggle for a Champions League spot. In this case, they can concentrate on playing in the Champions League.

But these people didn't know that Liverpool's goal this season was not the Champions League, but the domestic league! For Liverpool, who has never won the Premier League title, a league title is far more attractive than the Champions League.

So when Liverpool's starting lineup was released, many people were surprised—Martin O'Neill did modify their starting lineup for the away game against Real Madrid, but the modified positions were where Gerrard and Şahin were.

In other words, Liverpool basically used the same starting lineup as in the last game against Real Madrid.

Playing consecutive games, he did not let the players rest, but sent out the strongest lineup!

Many media exclaimed that Martin O'Neill was going to fight on two fronts and advance side by side.

※※※

Manchester United also learned about Liverpool's starting lineup.

Whelan was surprised: "Do they still want to win a double crown?"

Ferguson didn't care whether his bitter rival was going to win a double crown, he snorted: "I'm afraid they won't be able to win either of the two crowns in the end!"

Martin O'Neill's actions surprised Ferguson a little. He didn't expect O'Neill to be so tenacious and so greedy. This was obviously a way of not wanting to give up on the league, otherwise he would have made a large-scale rotation, and it is estimated that he would only leave Chen Hero on the field to brush up on his goal count.

But this was also good. Liverpool and Arsenal were fighting to the death, and in the end, it was definitely a situation where both sides were hurt. Even if they could pass this game dangerously, they would pay some price, and these prices would definitely affect the final battle between Liverpool and Manchester United.

He wanted to see how Liverpool would compete with his Manchester United in such a situation!

※※※

Not only was Whelan, the assistant coach of Manchester United, surprised, but Arsenal and everyone else was also very surprised.

Wenger thought before the game that Liverpool would rotate, and this game might be Arsenal's chance to return to the top four in the league.

Who would have thought that Liverpool would not give way and would have to stand in front as a roadblock.

It seemed that this game was going to be a tough battle again...

Wenger sighed.

He couldn't understand why O'Neill had to do this, even if he didn't rotate all of them, wouldn't it be okay to rotate half of them?

But no, O'Neill didn't make any rotations to other positions except for replacing the injured Gerrard and Şahin with Lucas. He didn't even replace Gareth Bale or Sánchez with Adam Johnson...

He just used the same lineup against Real Madrid to deal with Arsenal.

※※※

Wenger thought it was a fierce battle, that was his personal opinion, most people didn't think so, they felt that Liverpool's sending out this tired army was a way of courting death.

The players were exhausted, they had just finished a fierce battle, and they were injured, how could they deal with another strong enemy?

They all knew that Martin O'Neill was unwilling to give up the league easily, and still wanted to struggle. But this would only make them die more miserably...and not only die in this game, but all the following games would be affected.

Even ordinary fans understood this principle, didn't Martin O'Neill, a battle-hardened professional coach, understand it?

So they all felt that Liverpool would lose, would exhaust all their strength at home, and then lose the game.

But they were all wrong.

Wenger guessed right.

※※※

This was a fierce battle!

When the game started, everyone quickly realized that this was indeed a fierce battle.

Liverpool, who had returned from defeating Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, did not show any signs of fatigue. On the contrary, the aura emanating from their bodies made people smell the taste of hell. They were like people who had struggled to climb out of hell. They had experienced countless dangers that surpassed ordinary people's imagination, and only then did they return alive from that terrifying place. They inevitably carried the taste of that place on them.

They were already used to this taste, but it could make their opponents feel frightened!

For those who didn't even dare to think about the hellish scenes, this was hell!

The Liverpool players who returned from hell did not show the fatigue that everyone expected. On the contrary, although they were covered in dirt and their clothes were ragged, their bodies and spirits had been tempered in the furnace of hell, becoming as strong as steel.

There was no emotion in their eyes that any normal person should have, and they had no mercy for their enemies.

They were simply a group of demon warriors from hell!

Such a group of demons had even higher and more terrifying fighting power than before!

They came from hell, wielding their scythes to their heart's content, and reaping lives without mercy!