Everyone could see that Liverpool was heading for a mass exodus this sumr!
That included Mascherano, Aquilani, and even Torres...
Almost every player who could attract a buyer was thinking of leaving Liverpool.
Because they saw no future there!
Firing Benitez?
At the end of the day, it was a asure of last resort.
At the very least, it would show the Liverpool fans that the team was trying to make a change.
But whether that change would be for the better or for the worse, who knew?
"What if we sell Mascherano and Torres?" Comoli made a very bold proposal.
"Are you crazy?" Ian Elton’s eyes widened. "If we actually do that, the fans will tear you to shreds!"
Comoli chuckled. "I was just throwing it out there."
But Ian El was listening intently. "Do you think Wang Shuo has more potential than Torres?"
"No!" Comoli stared at Ian El and said, enunciating each word, "It’s not just potential. Right now, Wang Shuo is already stronger than Torres, and he gets injured less!"
’Stronger than Torres?’
’How is that possible?’
"He’s only 19!"
"That’s why I think we should seize this opportunity."
’He’s already this strong at 19. In a few more years, when he’s even more mature, just how terrifying will he be?’
Torres was already 26 years old.
And his injuries had been piling up in recent years.
"I refuse to believe you can’t see it. Every ti Wang Shuo gets the ball, our midfielders and defenders are terrified. Looking at the current European Football Scene, only the top three or four players have that kind of ability."
Ian El could certainly see how good Wang Shuo was, and he had to admit it.
But the idea of selling Torres to bring in Wang Shuo was fundantally unrealistic.
Unless Torres himself wanted to leave.
But after Torres injured his knee, he decided to have surgery imdiately so he could play in the South Africa World Cup, and the club had given him its full support.
So, he wouldn’t leave!
Torres was not Arsenal’s Van Persie!
There was no doubting that kid Van Persie’s talent. In all his years at Arsenal, Wenger had focused on developing him, patiently sticking by him despite his nurous injuries.
Back in the Netherlands, the kid had been a troublemaker who played on the wing.
He was still constantly causing trouble after joining Arsenal, but Wenger never lost faith in him and even converted him into a center-forward.
He even went to great lengths to establish him as the team’s top striker after Henry left.
Many in the British dia even wondered if Van Persie was Wenger’s illegitimate son.
Yet Van Persie still kicked up a fuss about his salary whenever he felt like it, and now he was demanding the club make better signings, complaining that the squad wasn’t competitive enough to win titles.
’Good thing that kid is at Arsenal.’
’If Van Persie were at Liverpool,’ Ian El thought, ’I’d want to get right in his face and ask: "You little shit, after all these years and all those injuries, what’s your appearance rate? And you have the nerve to say the squad isn’t competitive?"’
So players are just like that.
The club treats them well, and they take it for granted, as if it’s what they’re owed.
...
The shot count for the first half was 12 to 1.
Dortmund held an overwhelming advantage.
During the halfti break, Klopp was full of praise for the team’s performance.
But at the sa ti, he sternly reminded everyone that Liverpool were no pushovers.
Klopp once again brought up the ’05 Champions League final.
"I don’t want Dortmund to beco the second AC Milan!"
For the second half, Klopp’s strategy was to stick with the sa tactics.
Klopp believed Liverpool’s biggest change in the second half would likely be bringing on Babel.
The Dutch forward had decent speed, but his performance this season had been awful.
This was also why Benitez chose Kuyt to play center-forward instead of Babel.
But based on the first half, the starting lineup hadn’t been effective.
"If Babel cos on, we’ll have to watch out for Liverpool’s counterattacks."
Klopp also wasn’t sure if Aquilani would be brought on.
The Italian midfielder’s skill was beyond doubt.
Benitez was no fool; how could a player he’d spent so much money on be a total flop?
So-called "flops" often aren’t a matter of skill, but rather a problem with adapting.
For example, Veron moved from Serie A to the Premier League, and while his performance at Manchester United earned him the label of a massive flop, he was actually quite good in certain matches.
Any team that underestimated Veron often paid a heavy price.
If Aquilani ca on and linked up with Babel, Dortmund’s response would be to dominate the midfield.
During the 15-minute halfti, Klopp went over all the potential second-half scenarios with his players.
When the two sides returned to the pitch, Liverpool hadn’t made any substitutions.
After switching sides to start the second half, Dortmund imdiately went on the attack.
Just over a minute into the half, Wang Shuo dropped back to the center to receive the ball and then powered through the middle on a driving run.
First, he got past Lucas Leiva. Then, he used his speed to blow past Mascherano’s defensive zone before shaking off Daniel Agger with a feint at the edge of the box.
But just as Wang Shuo was about to make his Breakthrough past Kalg, Glen Johnson suddenly cut in to provide defensive support.
Left with no choice, Wang Shuo ca to a sudden stop. After shielding the ball, he laid it off to Reus, who was near the left corner of the box.
Reus blasted a shot directly, but it flew just wide of the goal!
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