Rafael Benitez signed a player in the summer of 2007, but the new season has been mediocre, with a tepid league run and just one point from the first three rounds of the Champions League group stage.

With Agger's serious injury, Benitez once again reached out to the American boss to ask for money to buy people, but was refused, Benitez was in a bad mood and went to the press conference to vent.

Reporter: "How much transfer fee do you think you can get in January?"

Benitez: "I can only train and coach my team as usual. ”

Someone asked, "Do you have a target for reinforcements now?"

Benitez said: "I can only train and coach my team as usual. ”

Another reporter asked, "What is your long-term plan?"

Benitez said: "I can only train and coach my team as usual. ”

The reporter sensed the problem: "Is there anything that makes you unhappy?"

Benitez said: "I can only train and coach my team as usual. ”

A reporter asked unwillingly: "Do you have anything else to say?"

Benitez said: "I can only coach my team when I train as usual. ”

Benitez played with his childish temper and said more than a dozen times in a row, "I can only train and coach my team as usual", and Gillette and Hicks were shocked when they heard Benitez do this, and hurried to publish a statement in the newspaper Echo.

The first statement read: "We have invested heavily in the transfer market this summer, and in the next two weeks we have to go all out to win a couple of big games and it's too early to talk about winter transfers. By December. We'll sit down and talk to the manager about that. ”

The second statement said: "There are many rumors in the newspaper published today. But we don't feel the need to say anything about it. We've fought some good battles, but it's not time to be content. Porto on Wednesday night, then Bolton Wanderers and Reading: Marseille and Manchester United will be the bigger test in a few weeks' time. Both we and Rick Parry are planning to dive into the issue of player additions with Rafa in mid-December, and now is not the time. ”

After reading two innocuous and rambling statements, Liverpool fans began a rally, marching from the Beatles' Cavon to Anfield. Everyone holds a sign that reads "We believe in Rafa".

Benitez immediately reconciled with the Yankees and asked for a transfer fee of around £6 million – which he later used to sign Skrtel.

By the winter of 2007, there were already doubts about Liverpool's American boss, and it was from Liverpool's local "The Echo".

The front-page article was written by Tony Barrett, the Echo's ace correspondent, who first questioned why Liverpool's two American owners had halted the new stadium because they had no money – they had only spent £150 million on the Liverpool club, borrowing the rest, and predicted that the loan from the Royal Bank of Scotland would drive Liverpool to a dead end.

For Tony Barrett's opinion: Most people are skeptical, after all, the Americans have only been here for 10 months. Although there is a bit of a misunderstanding with Benitez now, the general trend is that the two sides are working together.

Now that two years have passed, and when I look at Tony Sr.'s words, it can be said that he fully foresaw everything that would happen in the future, and it was not bad!

After that, the relationship between Benitez and his American boss was like a fire and water.

The American boss also thought that Benitez's status in the hearts of the fans was too high and the influence he could create was too great for them to control, so he had the idea of changing the coach.

They put their ideas into action, and the first person they contacted was Jurgen Klinsmann.

And admitted it in front of the media.

To this day, no one understands why Hicks would admit it in public.

Yes, there was a bit of friction between the Liverpool manager and the chairman over the transfer issue, but with Benitez publicly showing weakness, the matter should come to an end.

Hicks just brought it up again, and that's a problem.

However, Hicks was also inspiring: "No one knows if Rafa will leave because of that misunderstanding, I mean, there are other clubs that do want him. What's more, our meeting with Klinsmann was just a private gathering."

Hicks' home in Texas, USA, is next to Klinsmann's, and they knew each other before Hicks invested in Liverpool.

However, Hicks would not believe the "private party" he was talking about.

Liverpool FC CEO Rick Parry was also involved in the meeting between the two owners and Klinsmann, but Parry was quite tight-lipped and did not reveal the slightest information about this to Benitez.

With Hicks' mouthful, Benitez and Fearful begin to fight each other.

The "Klinsmann incident" caused an uproar among the fans, and Liverpool fans organized a massive anti-American demonstration.

Writing in The Echo, Liverpool's all-time leading goalscorer Ian Rush, pointed out directly: "Hicks's remarks about Klinsmann, which may not be in American circles, are unacceptable in England. Especially for Liverpool, the conflict has to be resolved internally, and more importantly, please give the manager enough respect!"

In the 2007-2008 season, Liverpool's Champions League road was quite bumpy, with only one point in the first three rounds of the group stage, and then Benitez's team went on a killing spree, scoring 16 goals in the last three rounds to advance, and after destroying the invincible Inter Milan and the fierce Roma in the knockout rounds, the semi-finals met the unstoppable Real Madrid!

Liverpool played at home first, Hicks and Gillette had to go to Anfield to watch the game, and after a security assessment, the stadium security told the two owners that it was best not to come because the fans were really disgusted with them.

However, Hicks and Gillette watched the entire match in the VIP box.

Yes, Liverpool lost to Real Madrid 3:4 at home, and the Bernabeu returned with a heavy defeat and fell outside the final.

Gillette and Hicks insisted on coming to Anfield to watch the game, not because they cared much about Liverpool's results, but because they wanted to make a feature film.

The film is mainly used to brag about their investment in Liverpool as a way to attract more money, and will also be used as a promotional advertisement for their sale of the hockey team and baseball team in the United States.

At half-time, two American owners broke into the home team's players' dressing room with their camera crew

Qin Xiong was thoughtful when he learned the inside story of what happened at Anfield in the past two years, and it was impossible for him to remember everything related to Real Madrid, but he still remembered some important moments of the game.

He didn't expect that in such a crucial semi-final, Liverpool would be disturbed by their own people at half-time!

This is very reminiscent of the rumours that in Istanbul, AC Milan, who led 3-0 in midfield, will open champagne to celebrate the championship (to be continued). )