LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 244
[Manchester United caps off the Premier League final round with a pleasant victory.]
[Son Jinho, quoting Winston Churchill, receives absolute support from MU fans… “We will fight till the end with the players!”]
[Goodbye, Sir Alex Ferguson. “Retirement of Manchester United’s manager after 29 years.”]
[MU fans, expressing grief over Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement… “I wish it could have been 30 years…”]
└ Please just do one more year ㅠㅠ
└ Look at those MU guys, they’re so brutal.
└ Seriously, haha, Sir Ferguson is 75 years old, and they want him to continue managing.
└ But he’s only 74 this year, you know?
└ So, does subtracting a year suddenly change the fact that he’s old?
└ MU guys have no conscience, haha.
└ Since they have no conscience, they use Son Jinho like Ronaldo, right?
└ Right? Even in Football Online if you use Son Jinho and Ronaldo together, you get tossed out, but they’re doing it in real life.
└ Seriously, even Robin van Persie is a striker, what the hell, haha.
[(Sky Sports) Champions League final poster revealed.]
└ Wow, haha, that poster turned out awesome.
└ Is the theme MSN vs SCV?
└ Look at my brother who decorated the main spot with Messi, haha.
└ Ah… the hype is unreal.
└ But my brother got naturalized and has been mentioned in movies, you know.
└ Korea expanding into the world, whoa.
└ Sometimes I get shocked watching movies.
└ ???: Oh. Korea. I love Korea.
└ ???: Why?
└ ???: Because I’m British. Whoo-hoo!
└ I’ve never been scratched while watching a movie before, haha.
└ But the seriously funny part is, it kinda reflects reality. When you see Asians in the UK, they say “whoo” and stuff.
└ Isn’t that kinda racist?
└ It didn’t seem racist. The other day I went into a pub, and out of nowhere the owner said “whoo,” so I joined in. “Are you Korean?” and gave me free beer.
└ You jerk. I went into a pub and said “whoo” after hearing you, and they looked at me like I was an idiot.
└ Crazy dude, haha.
└ Hahaha.
└ Wow, I thought it was a joke, but they really do that;;
***
[Premier League Standings.]
1. Manchester United.
2. Chelsea.
3. Manchester City.
After the final round of the Premier League, the clubs accepted the standings.
[Hull City, confirmed relegation in 18th place.]
While the relegated club’s players and fans shed tears.
[Dramatically surviving, Aston Villa fans storm the pitch.]
The players and fans of the club that dramatically survived were overjoyed and embraced each other.
4. Arsenal.
And this was also true for the battle for 4th place, deciding the Champions League qualification.
It wasn’t as fierce as the relegation battle, where livelihoods were at stake, but the fans anxiously awaited the game results.
– Chairman Hwang Geum-soon: I believed! To science!
– Cheolmo: Wow. Arsenal is going to the Champions League.
– Chairman Hwang Geum-soon: Hey, don’t challenge science!
– Cheolmo: But what’s the point of going to the Champions League? They’ll just get knocked out in the Round of 16 anyway.
– Gyeouri: LMAO!
– Gyeouri: Arsenal’s Round of 16 exit is also due to science, haha!
Arsenal, having secured their Champions League ticket, was thrilled.
5. Liverpool.
Liverpool dropped to 5th place after a draw in the final round of the Premier League, feeling frustrated.
[FA Cup final: Liverpool vs Manchester United.]
It’s only natural that the anger of Liverpool fans would be directed at Manchester United.
Well, there wasn’t any special reason.
[Manchester United aiming for their second treble?]
[(Liverpool local news) 101 reasons why MU can’t achieve their treble.]
It pained them to see their rival Manchester United thriving.
[Liverpool: “We will stop MU’s treble with our own hands.”]
After all, ruining the party of others was fundamental for a rival team.
***
At Melwood Training Center located in Merseyside.
Liverpool players were sweating profusely as they aimed to lift the FA Cup trophy in the upcoming final.
“Winning after beating MU…”
Brendan Rodgers, watching the players train, recalled his meeting with Liverpool’s CEO, Ian Ayre, after the 38th round of the Premier League concluded.
At that time, Liverpool’s Premier League ranking finished in 5th place, failing to secure a Champions League qualifying spot.
Brendan Rodgers sensed that this FA Cup final would determine his future.
“Welcome.”
He asked Ian Ayre, who greeted him in the CEO’s office.
“Is there still… a chance left?”
Ian Ayre nodded with a bitter expression in response to Brendan Rodgers’ question.
“We need an FA Cup victory to persuade FSG (Liverpool’s parent company).”
“….”
After a moment of silence regarding Ian Ayre’s response, Brendan Rodgers nodded and then stood up.
“Good luck.”
“I’ll see you next time.”
Brendan Rodgers grabbed Ian Ayre’s hand and left the room.
‘Manchester United….’
He didn’t know if he could secure victory against Manchester United, but Brendan Rodgers decided to do everything he could.
And in that moment.
“Nice shot!”
Alexis Sánchez’s shot hit the back of the net, and Brendan Rodgers applauded and raised his voice.
“Coach, are you feeling unwell?”
“Right? Why is he acting like that all of a sudden?”
The Liverpool players could not hide their bewilderment at the unusual sight of their coach, Brendan Rodgers.
***
Meanwhile, at that moment.
Liverpool’s CEO, Ian Ayre, quietly began searching for the next manager of Liverpool.
He had informed Brendan Rodgers that his position would be decided based on the FA Cup’s outcome.
However, FSG had already decided to dismiss Brendan Rodgers.
It was a bit cruel for Brendan Rodgers, but it was unavoidable for the club.
Liverpool’s situation was overly damaged compared to its glorious past.
‘Damn Hicks and Gillett!’
Massaging his temples over the dismal team situation, Ian Ayre glanced around his office to refresh himself.
His office was adorned with the brilliant history built since the days of Bill Shankly, Liverpool FC’s greatest manager.
The glorious era when they were called the Red Empire.
Although Liverpool had faced declines, first with the Heysel disaster and then the Hillsborough disaster, they still consistently lifted trophies.
And when Rafael Benítez lifted the team’s 5th Big Ears trophy.
Liverpool fans thought the long stagnation had ended and Liverpool’s golden age had returned.
However, contrary to the fans’ expectations, Liverpool’s status took another nosedive in the 2010s.
It was due to former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr.
The financial crisis triggered by the U.S. in 2008 pushed the world into economic turmoil.
This caused a chain reaction for Liverpool.
After acquiring Liverpool through a loan in 2007, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. acted to enrich themselves when the global economy faced a downturn in 2008.
As a result, Liverpool was completely ruined under their regime.
[Karim Benzema: “Liverpool is not a big club.”]
[Sunderland manager Gus Poyet, prior to the match against Liverpool… “A Liverpool without Suárez is mid-table at best.”]
Contrary to its once glorious status, it had now become a mocked team.
Despite Ian Ayre’s lack of favorable evaluations from Liverpool fans.
‘All the sins must be borne by me.’
Even for the sake of his career, he was earnest about reviving Liverpool and resolved to do everything he could.
To do that, finding Brendan Rodgers’ successor was crucial.
Ian Ayre and FSG had zeroed in on Jürgen Klopp, who had revived Dortmund with the tactic of gegenpressing as the next manager.
However, unlike the historical relaxation period, Jürgen Klopp was still fulfilling his role as Dortmund’s manager.
‘Jürgen Klopp has declined… So is Carlo Ancelotti the only option left now?’
Ultimately, Liverpool began reaching out to Carlo Ancelotti.
Although it was uncertain whether Carlo Ancelotti was the right fit for Liverpool,
It couldn’t be denied that he was the best option Liverpool could choose at this moment.
***
While Liverpool was hard at training, time was swiftly passing.
The FA Cup final against Liverpool unfolded at Wembley Stadium.
Chants for Manchester United and Liverpool echoed throughout the stadium.
Listening to the Liverpool anthem, I fell into thought.
“And you’ll never walk alone!”
Is it because they sing an anthem like Dortmund’s?
I felt a weird sensation as if Liverpool fans were cheering me on.
“You’ll never walk alone~~~”
Anyway, as I hummed the anthem.
The match of FA Cup final between MU and Liverpool kicked off with Manchester United’s kickoff.
Liverpool’s players desperately rushed as they aimed to thwart MU’s treble.
Then, in the 10th minute of the first half.
Steven Gerrard intercepted a pass, and simultaneously Liverpool’s counterattack began.
Right winger Raheem Sterling dashed ahead at high speed.
But Virgil van Dijk successfully halted Liverpool’s counterattack.
“Virgil!”
This time, Manchester United launched their counterattack.
Virgil van Dijk passed the ball to Kyle Walker, who called for him, overlapping.
Track sprinting into Liverpool’s attacking territory, Walker passed the ball to Sadio Mané and charged into the penalty box to draw Liverpool’s defense.
As Liverpool’s defense became chaotic, Sadio Mané, who had the ball on the right side, swiftly attempted a cross.
Mané’s cross landed precisely on Cristiano Ronaldo’s forehead, but the ball went straight over the crossbar.
Exchanging possession briefly, just as the game was settling into a lull.
I began to make my move.
As I took possession of the ball, cheers rang from the Manchester United stands while jeers erupted from the Liverpool stands.
I began to focus on the match, letting the jeering of Liverpool fans drift past one ear.
Compared to the hellish scene evoked by Signal Iduna Park, this was nothing.
‘Attack! Bite!’
Anyway, pretending it was a mistake, I extended the dribble a bit to lure the defender.
Dejan Lovren, taking the bait, charged forward.
“Dejan! It’s a trap!”
Skrtel tried to pull Dejan Lovren back.
But it was already too late.
Seeing Dejan Lovren hastily extend his leg toward the ball.
I gently nudged the soccer ball through Lovren’s legs and successfully stepped aside.
As Dejan Lovren was bypassed, Liverpool’s defenders rushed towards me.
Even if it meant letting go of the player they were marking, they seemed intent on preventing me from entering the penalty box.
I maintained possession of the ball while dribbling in tight spaces.
Seeing Liverpool players swaying to my every move made me smirk.
I felt like Lionel Messi.
– Today. Soccer. Fun. You too?
Right now, if I tried tea-bagging as Lionel Messi did to me, wouldn’t the Liverpool players go wild?
Anyway, drawing in the Liverpool players opened up spaces for the Manchester United forwards.
Normally, I would have passed to my teammate without overreaching.
But today, I decided to be a little greedy.
And perhaps by coincidence.
“Son Jinho!!!! Now!! Pass it to me!!”
As I focused on dribbling, I heard Cristiano Ronaldo’s voice.
I sensed Liverpool players’ focus dissipating momentarily.
Shaking off Skrtel, I targeted the lower left corner and shot lightly with my left foot.
The ball shook the net defended by Simon Mignolet,
“Whoooooo!!”
Confirming the net rippling, I rushed to where the cheers had come from to celebrate.
“…wait, this isn’t where I thought it was.”
And the Liverpool fans welcomed me enthusiastically, throwing all kinds of trash onto the pitch.