"I never thought I'd one day say something like 'an upgraded version of Gullit.' In my eyes, Gullit was already an upgraded version of an ordinary player."
After Scholes blurted out "an upgraded version of Gullit" without thinking, even he was stunned by what he had said.
Gullit, sitting beside him, was just as stunned, not by Scholes' words, but by Leo Lin's header.
Leo Lin had already scored twice with headers!
It was the first time in his career he had achieved that feat.
"Leo Lin has scored two goals with headers!"
"Liverpool continue to lead Arsenal. Their tactics are simple, but Arsenal just can't guard against them."
"In the Premier League today, any team that still insists on playing a header-based tactic would definitely be mocked and ridiculed for not understanding what modern football is really about."
"But Liverpool aren't only playing for headers. They're choosing the right tactic based on their opponent's weaknesses. That's why this seemingly simple header tactic has worked so well in this match!"
Leo Lin charged toward Robertson. The two jumped up and bumped backs in midair.
Firmino followed right beside Robertson, quietly nudged Robertson with his shoulder, then nudged Leo Lin as well, pretending he had also joined in the collision celebration.
"Keep heading it. Keep going high. Let's play it exactly like this!"
"Guys, get the rhythm going. Get the headers going. We'll score even more!"
Leo Lin started using the word "play" to fire up his teammates, because Liverpool really were playing with freedom.
Emery made a substitution, bringing on Lacazette for Ramsey.
"Arsenal are adding another center forward. Lacazette is coming on!"
"Liverpool are making a change as well. Wijnaldum comes on for Fabinho!"
After both sides made their changes, Arsenal wanted to add another attacking point up front and create more chances for themselves.
But against Liverpool's unreasonable aerial assault, Arsenal's back line still looked powerless.
The 83rd minute!
"A corner for Liverpool. Arnold will take it. I wonder how many fans still remember the corner miracle he once created."
"Near post!"
"Firmino!!!"
"It's three-nil!"
"Firmino scores with a near-post header!"
"Arsenal have been battered senseless by Liverpool today. They actually made such an obvious mistake and left a man completely free!"
Firmino happily ran toward Krawietz. This was the corner kick tactic Krawietz had told him about before the match.
Krawietz wrapped an arm around Firmino, and the Liverpool players gathered together to celebrate.
"From the coaches to the players, the entire Liverpool team is in an outstanding atmosphere!"
"With a team like this, it's hard to give the credit to just one person, because every single one of them has contributed!"
The match ended three-nil. Liverpool won their match in the 21st round of the league and continued their commanding lead at the top of the table.
From the players' smiles after the match, to the laughter in the dressing room, to the smiling faces of Krawietz and Leo Lin at the press conference, laughter had become Liverpool's only mood at that moment.
Until an offer arrived on Mike's computer.
Until a well-known transfer journalist reported Real Madrid's offer for Krawietz.
Until Liverpool fans learned that Real Madrid had invited Krawietz with a huge-money offer.
Whether it was smiles, grins, or laughter, all of it disappeared in that instant.
[Breaking news!
Real Madrid have extended an invitation to Liverpool's master analyst assistant coach Krawietz. The offer is reportedly set to reach five million euros, and they will also give Krawietz the highest salary currently available in the assistant coaching field!]
If the choice were Liverpool's alone, they would reject Real Madrid outright.
They would never let Krawietz leave, but the decision was in Krawietz's own hands.
If Krawietz wanted to leave, no one could force him to stay. Real Madrid could even activate Krawietz's contract clause directly, buy out the remainder of his deal, and bring him into Real Madrid's coaching staff.
"Real Madrid are trying to build a stronger coaching team. They've brought in Pintus, that monster of fitness training, and they also want to buy Dortmund's assistant coach. Now they've set their sights on Krawietz!"
Krawietz had been with Klopp for a long time. He was Klopp's most trusted assistant.
Even with Zubizarreta's help, Klopp understood how important Krawietz was to him.
Ever since the offer was exposed, Klopp had been gripping his phone every day. The two-day break meant he and Krawietz had no way to meet.
He really wanted to message Krawietz, but he did not.
He did not want anything he said to interfere with Krawietz's choice. If Krawietz wanted more money, or if he wanted to coach at Real Madrid, Klopp would not force him to stay. That was Krawietz's own decision.
The situation was becoming difficult. Two days later, when the players returned to the club for training, Krawietz did not appear, and no one dared ask Klopp what had happened.
Tabloid reporters filmed Liverpool's training session, and Krawietz was nowhere to be seen. That set off a frenzy of discussion among Liverpool fans.
"If Krawietz leaves, I'll still be fine. I still have bald Zubizarreta. I'll hug him to sleep!"
"Zubizarreta is excellent, but if the price of him coming to Liverpool is Krawietz leaving, then I'd rather none of this had ever happened."
"If Krawietz leaves, he'll still be alive to me, but for Liverpool, it will be a massive blow."
Neither Liverpool nor Real Madrid had confirmed the final news about Krawietz.
On January 25, in the 22nd round of the Premier League, Liverpool traveled away to face Brighton. Although Liverpool beat Brighton two-nil and took all three points, the person sitting beside Klopp on Liverpool's bench was Zubizarreta, not the ever-smiling Krawietz.
"Has Krawietz already left the club? Reports say Real Madrid's offer is one he can't refuse!"
"Liverpool have lost a trusted assistant and an important contributor to last season's five-title triumph. Will the team be hit hard?"
"Will the club bring in other assistant coaches to fill the gap left by Krawietz's departure?"
At the post-match press conference, the reporters asked question after question about Krawietz, but Klopp said nothing.
"Lin, why don't we go talk to the boss? As long as Klopp is willing to speak up and ask him to stay, Krawietz will definitely stay!"
On January 26, in the club cafeteria, Firmino could not hold back anymore. He did not understand why Klopp was not doing everything he could to keep him.
In truth, Leo Lin did not quite understand either. No matter what, shouldn't he at least say a few words asking him to stay?
Seeing Klopp sit down opposite him with a tray, Leo Lin wiped his mouth and decided to go over and ask.
The players had far too many doubts piling up inside, but none of them dared ask Klopp directly. All they could do was rely on Leo Lin, Klopp's favored player, to speak for them.
The moment Leo Lin stood up, the Liverpool players unconsciously put down their knives and forks and stared at him, waiting for him to get some news about Krawietz out of Klopp.
Leo Lin walked toward Klopp step by step. Just as he stopped in front of Klopp and was about to speak, a familiar figure suddenly pushed open the cafeteria doors.
"Where's the chef?"
"Get me two portions of your best boiled eggs!"
"And a plate of spaghetti with extra-spicy sauce!"
"Three pieces of roast meat too!"
Everyone looked up, and what came into view was Krawietz's smiling face.
"What are you all staring at?"
"Did you really think I'd leave you charming bastards?"
...
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