Chapter 310: Champion Bubble
After round 23, leaders Chelsea and the Reds were together on a winning note. The Gunners and Manchester United suffered bitterly, with even the Reds' city rivals Everton being held to a 1-1 draw away from Myburgh.
In this way, Liverpool squeezed Manchester United into fifth place, not to mention their own top four, and the gap with Everton was also narrowed to one point.
Although the team won the Double Red Club, Bei Bald was entangled - the team is doing so well now, should it earn the league championship?
The Reds' current league points give many the illusion of a "four-tier title race", but anyone with a little more sane knows that earning four is Liverpool's priority this season.
As Tang Wu said to the media after the game, "The conflict between me and Wayne is not an accident. ”
'I know he's been Liverpool's sworn enemy from the moment he was born, whether it's at Everton or at Manchester United.
'I know what he's thinking, he wants to help Everton with a win and get United in the top four with his former club and knock us out of the Champions League.
"Obviously, I won't allow him to do that, and I warned him."
"That's what you've seen, and I'm happy with the results now. In our Chinese dialect, this is called "stealing chickens does not make rice"! ”
'Either way, there will always be one of Everton and Manchester United who will not be in the Champions League next season.
Anyway, the top four can only accommodate four teams, and the Champions League will not open your net to you just because you are a "Premier League giant".
Be's anxiety didn't last long, as the Reds gave the fans an answer for the rest of the game.
On 18 January, Liverpool beat Burnley 1-0 away. Playing against such a team in the middle of the Championship made Bei Bald really uninterested.
But it was such a team that almost drew with Liverpool in the first 75 minutes. If it weren't for the opposing defender's "Marseille sleuve" own goal at the last minute of the game, maybe Liverpool would have to play extra time or even penalties with the opponent.
The FA Cup victory kicked off Liverpool's journey on all four fronts, and three days later, Liverpool drew 0-0 with Southampton on the road.
Unlike the second-tier squad in the FA Cup, this league can be described as elite.
Morientes, Baroche, Luis Garcia, Gerrard, Manuel Pellegrino, and others who felt they could take on the role were all in the starting line-up. But such a "force-built" starting lineup still did not bring a single goal to the Reds.
In particular, the mediocre performances of Pellegrino and Morientes in these two league games have caused the media and fans to criticize Bey.
After the game, both The Sun, The Realm and The Echo pointed the finger at Beckou and his Spanish gang, believing that such a large-scale introduction of Spanish players would not benefit Liverpool. Instead, they are eating Liverpool's Premier League title.
The battalion was full of wounded soldiers, and the recruits were overwhelmed. How long can the bald last long? No one knows. After all, aside from history, Liverpool doesn't have much capital for the Spaniards to squander.
On January 26, Bei Bald, who had been on the verge of condemnation, finally ushered in a glimmer of opportunity.
In the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals, Liverpool eliminated Watford with a long-range shot from captain Steven Gerrard, and entered the final with an aggregate score of 2-0.
Steven Gerrard turned the tide in this game and Liverpool "seemed" to get back on track. Gerrard barely talked about himself after the game, instead referring more to his own team, which showed the Reds captain's ambition.
"We had a detailed game plan before this game and it was well implemented today. If you draw against a team that is weaker than you, it means that you have left yourself with a potential 'banana peel'. ”
'We've played two rounds against opponents and the fact that Watford played really well and they won themselves honours because they made our game very tough.
"We've qualified for the final at Cardiff and there's nothing more appealing for a player than playing in the final."
The victory in this game was a relief to the bald Be, who was caught in the whirlpool of public opinion, and for Liverpool, it didn't matter whether they were against Chelsea or Manchester United in the final. The important thing is that Bei Bald can have an explanation to the fans - we can also win a "consolation prize!" ”
Admittedly, the consolation prize is really not worth mentioning for the "lottery players" of the Red Army, but it is better to have a prize than to have it in the big four. After the victory, the radical fans also silenced the words, leaving the ugly words for Bei Bald after the final. Provided, of course, that he loses the title.
On 29 January, also away from home, also thanks to Steven Gerrard's free-kick, the Reds beat Bournemouth by the same score 1-0 to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.
As the so-called "only promises" in the league and "light punches" in the cup, Liverpool seems to be going further and further on a "crooked road".
Fans would certainly like to see a team win a certain competition, but if given the choice, the KOP would definitely prefer the Premier League!
On the first day of February, Morientes finally got off to the ground and scored his first Premier League goal in the league.
However, Moreau's maiden goal did not lead for the Reds, as Charlton took the lead in the 20th minute and former Liverpool midfielder Murphy headed in a corner from the right and Barlet headed home from six yards.
No one expected that the opponent would score a goal with the safest and best corner.
Liverpool then equalised in the 61st minute when Barosche pressed forward and stole Brian Hughes from 25 yards before passing the ball to Morientes, where the Spaniard deftly dodged a tackle from Fortune on the edge of the box and fired a powerful left-footed shot into the net.
After another draw on the road, the Reds returned to home and were on fire again.
On February 5, it was another dull 0-0. Even with a team like Fulham who sit 15th in the league, Liverpool can't beat their opponents at home.
Defensive deficiencies have always been a hallmark of Liverpool's season, and in the second half of the league, there seems to be a trend of intensification.
Although they haven't lost yet, three draws in a row are not much different from "winning one and losing two" in the eyes of fans.
The Reds' draw 'nightmare' is still not over, on 12 February, they lost 0-0 away to Birmingham; On 16 February, a 0-0 draw at home to Blackburn Rovers.
Five draws in the league have resulted in another cup victory, and in the FA Cup fifth round on 20 February, also against Blackburn, Liverpool finally stopped relying on the captain's goal to win.
Luis Garcia, Baroche and Morientes won the first leg of the fifth round of the FA Cup 3-0.
It was only then that the fans breathed a sigh of relief, and the Reds were directly abandoned by the first echelon in the process of 5 consecutive draws. Jose Mourinho and his Blues have a clear goal, biting the league title and not letting go.
5 draws vs 4 wins and 1 draw, in a little more than a month, Liverpool was completely opened by Chelsea. And this time, the gap is too big for KOPs to reach.
At this time, looking at Liverpool in front of you, what else is there to say?
The league championship is like a dream, a bubble that bursts at the touch of a button, and the KOPs wake up after five consecutive draws.
Don't think about those who don't have it, let's earn four with peace of mind! If you can win a few cups while earning four, it would be perfect!