At 2:00 PM, there were still 2 hours until the match began.
Manchester City's home ground, the Etihad Stadium, was already packed to the brim.
"Hey, Jude!"
"Don't be sad!"
"Take a sad song and make it better!"
"..."
The Manchester City fans must have been very individualistic people.
Their team anthem was called "Blue Moon," but they preferred to sing this song created by The Beatles, "Hey Jude."
This was because the song was created in 1968, and 1968 was a very important year for Manchester City fans.
Because in this year, Manchester City won their first First Division title.
Not the current First Division, but the top tier of English football at the time, which can be understood as the current Premier League title.
"Na, na, na..."
After singing this song, it was followed by Manchester City's team anthem.
Dressed in their sky-blue jerseys, they cheered for their team in this way, fighting alongside them.
"So... so amazing!"
Isagi Yoichi had come here alone, feeling like a country bumpkin, soaking in the atmosphere.
The passion in his chest was already boiling, without any need for encouragement.
This was the world's top league. This was where Tendou was now competing.
Isagi felt the fervent football culture, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.
He had originally planned to give Tendou a call but ultimately decided against it, not wanting to affect Tendou's preparations for the match.
He ate something, then walked around, looking at this magnificent modern stadium that could accommodate 60,000 fans.
And then, he saw the Liverpool team bus, driving into the stadium.
But the Liverpool bus was not having an easy time. They were surrounded by frantic Manchester City fans, who were throwing eggs and other things at the bus.
This infuriated the Liverpool fans.
Manchester is only 55 kilometers in a straight line from Liverpool. More than a third of the Liverpool fans had come to the stadium to support their team.
Manchester City, to show the inclusivity of their home ground, had allocated 20,000 seats for them.
Dressed in various versions of Liverpool's jerseys, they clashed with the Manchester City fans.
The scene was extremely fiery, no less so than the recent Double Red Derby.
Because this was a battle for the top spot in the league.
Isagi was deeply shocked by all of this.
...
On the Liverpool side, they had finally managed to get into the stadium.
By this time, they were already furious.
The Manchester City fans' behavior was undoubtedly dangerous. One careless move could have resulted in an injury to a Liverpool player.
There have been many such incidents in history, but the football hooligans seem to enjoy it, taking the opportunity to vent their destructive desires.
Fortunately, they were all unharmed.
"In a title race, Liverpool being the away team is a huge disadvantage."
In the broadcast room, Zhan Jun continued his commentary with his Liverpool accent.
Looking at the frantic Manchester City fans, his expression was solemn.
"This year, Manchester City is fighting on three fronts. They don't want to let go of any of the titles. They're aiming for the treble!"
"Of course. This is Guardiola's team."
"I saw in the news that De Bruyne seems to be making his comeback in this match?"
"Specifically choosing the title race showdown for his comeback?"
"What else? If they lose to Liverpool, they'll be overtaken in the league table!"
"On paper, the two sides are evenly matched. So Director Zhan is right. Manchester City has the home advantage. It won't be easy for Liverpool."
"Whoever wins could very well win the title. And it just had to be an away game for Liverpool. What bad luck."
"Maybe Klopp has a good trick up his sleeve?"
"What good trick could he have? If he had a good trick, they would have won at home last time instead of struggling to a draw."
The fans in the bullet comments were also frantically discussing this match.
Many Liverpool fans were very worried.
This was Liverpool's last league match against Manchester City this season. If they lost, the title race would be incredibly difficult.
This was a crucial battle worth a full 6 points.
In fact, it wasn't just the fans; the Liverpool players were also nervous.
Salah sat in his place, looking up at the ceiling, trying to empty his mind.
Mané was listening to music, meditating with his eyes closed.
Van Dijk tightened his already-tied shoelaces, then, not feeling at ease, continued to tighten them.
Firmino?
This guy was the most ridiculous. He was literally performing a ritual in the locker room.
Henderson was also constantly making the sign of the cross on his chest.
The great battle was imminent.
Liverpool's squad was incomplete, and it was an away game.
Manchester City's team anthem seeped through the air and into the Liverpool locker room, rumbling.
Everyone's scalps tingled.
Tendou was also watching the show, trying his best not to get nervous, but then he suddenly discovered something.
In the show, Isagi Yoichi had come to the match. He was sitting in the Liverpool fans' stand, looking a bit lost.
"Why is this guy here?"
Tendou didn't think this was a bad thing; on the contrary, it was a good thing.
He could rack up another wave of popularity points.
The premise was not to get his ass kicked by Manchester City.
It was almost time to go on.
Klopp took the opportunity to lay out the opening tactics.
He chose to set up a deep defense, leaving enough space for Salah, Mané, and Tendou to attack.
In the Liverpool lineup now, these three were the ones with the most explosive power.
Klopp no longer cared about Tendou's position.
On offense, he was an attacking midfielder, and he could also move to the wing according to his own judgment.
He even had Firmino actively drop back to create space for Tendou when he made forward runs.
Tendou's heading was better, his vision was wider, and his passing was more sublime.
As a target man, his role was even more important than Firmino's.
And, having Firmino drop back didn't mean he was out of the attack. It was to utilize his long-range shooting ability.
When Tendou, Salah, and Mané in front were pulling the enemy's defense apart, Firmino could take the opportunity to unleash a powerful shot.
A staff member knocked on the door, reminding them that it was almost time to go on.
The entire Liverpool team stood up together and strode out of the locker room.
When they were lining up in the players' tunnel, the Manchester City players walked over from another direction, and the two sides glared at each other.
Even a normally mild-mannered person like De Bruyne had a sharp glint in his eyes today.
The Belgian core had been plagued by injuries since the World Cup and the start of this season.
He had been in and out of the lineup this season, and he was clearly not fully recovered yet. But for this blockbuster match, he had chosen to make an early comeback.
Prince was also in the lineup, the world's number two staring at him with ill intent.
...
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