From the man behind the football king to the football king.

Chapter 994 Enemies Meet
Amidst the war of words, the third Manchester derby of the season is just around the corner.

Manchester United's away game against Liverpool at Anfield Stadium will kick off at 4 p.m. GMT on April 20.

The match is scheduled for 4 AM on April 21st in China. If you go to bed early, you'll be mostly awake by then. This is much better timing than matches that start at 1 or 2 AM.

For some office workers in particular, watching this game early in the morning is just the right time to get ready for work.

Therefore, a large number of Chinese fans were still waiting in front of their TVs for the match to begin.

Online, people were already discussing the match more than ten hours before it was scheduled to begin.

Liverpool's outstanding performance this season has made the matches between the two teams full of suspense. Their first league meeting ended 2-1, and their League Cup final at the end of February also ended 3-2. Although Manchester United won both matches, neither victory was easy.

Now the two sides meet again in the league, and both Manchester United and Liverpool are eager to win this match.

For Liverpool, a home win against Manchester United would keep the league title race alive and give them a final glimmer of hope for winning the championship.

For Manchester United, a victory against Liverpool away from home would not only dampen the morale of their arch-rivals but also dash their hopes of a comeback and the league title.

Regardless, since all the coincidences have turned this match into such an important showdown, let's fight it out to the fullest.

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In the dressing room at Anfield, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is making final preparations for his players.

"The match is about to begin in ten minutes. I don't need to say anything more; I believe you all know the importance of this game. I won't deceive myself by telling you it's just an ordinary league match. Some say that in today's England, no one can reverse a Mourinho team when they have a significant lead, and the current standings seem to prove this statement correct. But I say 'bullshit!' I know we are not afraid of Manchester United, and you know that too!"

Klopp paused for a moment, then continued, "Ten years ago, Manchester City was able to close an eight-point gap with Manchester United in four games and eventually win their first Premier League title. Why can't we do the same?"

Klopp was referring to the 2011-2012 season, when Manchester City overturned Manchester United to win the title. That season, after 32 rounds of the Premier League, Manchester United were in first place with 79 points, while Manchester City were in second place with 71 points.

As the dominant force in the Premier League, Manchester United was incredibly consistent in the competition, so at that time, no one believed that they would lose the title that season. However, what happened next left everyone stunned.

第33轮，曼联客场0:1爆冷输给维冈竞技；第35轮，曼联在主场4:4被莫耶斯的埃弗顿4:4逼平；第36轮，在一场天王山之战中，曼联在伊蒂哈德球场0:1败北……

………………

After four rounds of matches, Manchester United had one win, one draw, and two losses, and their eight-point lead vanished. Furthermore, due to a worse goal difference, Manchester United were overtaken by Manchester City in the standings and lost their top spot.

In the final two rounds, Manchester United won both matches, but Manchester City did not falter. Ultimately, with both teams having 89 points, Manchester City won the title on goal difference, surpassing Manchester United to claim their first league title in the Premier League era.

This season is also considered the season when Ferguson's Manchester United dynasty truly began to collapse. Although Ferguson led Manchester United to regain the Premier League title a year later, with Ferguson's retirement, Manchester United failed to win the Premier League title for three consecutive years, which was also the first time in Premier League history that Manchester United failed to win the title for three consecutive years.

In fact, this is still the version in the present timeline. In another timeline, Manchester United has never won the Premier League title since then.

The current situation is somewhat similar to that season ten years ago.

Although the league has completed 33 rounds, due to various reasons, the top three teams in the standings have only played 31 league matches each. This means Liverpool has seven matches left to close the eight-point gap with Manchester United.

"Thanks to the league schedule, with seven rounds remaining, we have the opportunity to face Manchester United directly! If we can beat them at home, we'll have plenty of time to catch up. Let's use these ninety minutes to prove to them that Liverpool is the strongest team in the league right now!"

Klopp's impassioned speech ignited the players' passion, and they roared like a herd of wild horses about to break free, ready to crush any obstacle in their path!
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Meanwhile, in the away team's dressing room at Anfield, Mourinho addressed his players with a grave expression: "Don't think that just because we're eight points ahead, we can win the title if we can just draw away from home. That kind of thinking is very dangerous. Forget about draws. In the world of football, it's either win or lose. If you can't win, you lose. Everyone needs to bring their best and take this game with the utmost seriousness."

"Please remember, we have only one goal: to beat them at their home ground and completely extinguish Liverpool's hopes of winning the league title!"

The Manchester United players were also very excited.

This marks their sixth consecutive year dominating the Premier League!

Last summer, Manchester United's star striker Kylian Mbappé was successfully poached by Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Manchester United has not made any major signings for three consecutive years, leading many media outlets to predict the decline of the club and see it as a sign that Manchester United is beginning to decline.

But to everyone's surprise, Manchester United's performance was very stable after the start of the league, winning one game after another and maintaining their lead over their two major rivals, Liverpool and Manchester City, in the league standings.

Moreover, in the League Cup, Manchester United defeated strong opponents such as West Ham United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Liverpool to win the title, which is considered the most prestigious League Cup title in history.

In the FA Cup, Manchester United also defeated strong opponents such as Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea to reach the final.

As for the world-renowned Champions League, Manchester United also advanced to the knockout stage with four consecutive wins in what was known as the "group of death," and then defeated the dark horse Sporting Lisbon and the strong opponent Manchester City to reach the Champions League semi-finals.

Despite facing the formidable Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final, the confident Manchester United players believe that even the Galacticos cannot stop them from winning their fifth consecutive Champions League title!

If Manchester United can ultimately win the Premier League and Champions League titles, then, together with their already won Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup, Manchester United will have the opportunity to win seven titles in two consecutive seasons!
This really surprised many people.

So what happened to the prediction that Manchester United had passed its peak and was about to decline? How come they're about to win another seven trophies in a season?
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But the Manchester United players are unlikely to be surprised, having worked with Mourinho for six seasons and knowing his abilities and character well. He is upright, outspoken, and unafraid of authority. He speaks his mind directly about anything that's good for football, unlike some coaches who like to create complicated interpersonal relationships. He is particularly protective of his players; while he might harshly criticize a player internally, he is incredibly protective of them in front of the public and the media, always ensuring they receive the best possible protection.

Of course, Mourinho also has many shortcomings, such as his overly assertive personality and frequent harsh criticism of players, which may cause players to become tired of his coaching methods.

This is also a key reason why he was always implicated in internal scandals during his previous stints at Chelsea and Real Madrid. The reason these scandals didn't surface during his time at Porto and Inter Milan was simply because he retired at the height of his career.

But it is precisely because of this that the term "Mourinho's third year" has emerged in the world of football.

However, his time managing Manchester United defied the notion of "Mourinho's three-year spell".

This is Mourinho's sixth season in charge of Manchester United. The players hope to celebrate their respected manager with more trophies for his hard work.

This match against Liverpool is an important step for them in achieving their goals.

………………

Both teams had the determination and reason to win, and that's how they met in the players' tunnel.

Outside the stadium, Liverpool fans, led by the stadium DJ, chanted the Liverpool starting lineup. Every Liverpool player received a cheer, even Salah, who had been the subject of transfer rumors, though the cheers were noticeably quieter than those for his teammates. Some Liverpool fans, still resentful of the rumors about Salah's possible transfer to Manchester United, chose to remain silent rather than cheer for him, but also didn't want to boo and expose their internal unity to the opposition.

Although many players on both teams are teammates on the national team, and some even have good personal relationships, at this moment, everyone stood quietly in their own teams, looking straight ahead, and no one went to greet or chat with their friends on the opposing team.

The refereeing team emerged from the locker room, and under their guidance, the players from both teams lined up and entered Anfield Stadium.

The crowd erupted in cheers, signaling the start of the grand spectacle.

(End of this chapter)