I'm 198cm tall. Are you giving me a Maradona template?

Chapter 293 A Highly Popular Competition

Who can stop Liverpool?
This is indeed a problem.

At least no one will pin their hopes on Huddersfield.

The last match in October.

Liverpool travel to John Smith Stadium to challenge Huddersfield Town.

Huddersfield may not be very well-known.

But this is a powerhouse from the ancient days of English football.

This team once established its own dynasty in the English top flight in the 1920s and was hailed as the strongest team in the world at the time—in other words, it had a glorious past.

However, very few Huddersfield Town fans today have actually seen the team win a top-flight league title.

Most Huddersfield fans calmly accept the reality that their team is just an unknown small club in the English professional system – where in the world are there so many big clubs? Everyone's eyes are focused on the top of the pyramid.

But without a massive base.

Can the pearls at the very top still be pearls?

At least.

In England.

No Huddersfield Town fans will abandon their former club and support Liverpool simply because of Liverpool's dominance.

Such things are not unheard of, but they are extremely rare.

At John Smith Stadium, Huddersfield fans maintained their high level of enthusiasm and fighting spirit, cheering for their team.

But they could only watch helplessly as their team was torn apart by Liverpool's powerful attack.

After the game.

Many Huddersfield Town fans sat dejectedly in their seats.

Some people covered their faces with their hands, looking dejected, while others slumped in their seats, somewhat at a loss.

Huddersfield Town fans were thrilled to avoid relegation last season, but the team hasn't made many reinforcements this season. They've only managed 4 points in 10 league matches so far, making them a strong relegation favorite.

Or.

Huddersfield Town will most likely be relegated this season if they fail to turn things around in the second half.

but.

The fans at Huddersfield Town have gotten used to it.

Their team has long been relegated to the Championship and League One, occasionally getting promoted to the Premier League, and then falling back to the second division like a shooting star.

Frustration is only temporary.

When their players came down from the stands to thank the crowd.

Cheers erupted again at John Smith Stadium.

For a relegation-threatened team like Huddersfield Town.

They never even dared to dream of getting points from a league powerhouse like Liverpool—if they could, it would make their fans happy for months.

A direct competitor to the relegation-threatened team.

Ultimately, it was still the other relegation-threatened teams.

For those big fans who follow Liverpool...

They were simply disappointed by Liverpool's continued winning streak, which seemed to have no end in sight.

Desperate.

"3-0! Liverpool easily defeated Huddersfield Town away from home, extending their winning streak to 10 games. They have won all 10 league matches since the start of the season, and with 30 points, Liverpool sit atop the league table."

In the commentary box.

The commentators were all impressed by Liverpool's incredible form.

The camera panned across each Liverpool player.

This team is undoubtedly a champion.

Liverpool's winning streak has truly left their rivals in despair.

On November 1st, in the League Cup match, Liverpool hosted Derby County. As before, Liverpool fielded a reserve lineup, along with Sunny and some youth team players, and ultimately defeated Derby County 3-1 to advance to the League Cup quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Liverpool's opponent will be Bournemouth.

11 month 4 day.

Round 11 of the league.

Liverpool will host Cardiff City at Old Trafford.

Cardiff City from Wales also failed to make a mark at Anfield.

Liverpool secured a 2-1 victory at home.

11 consecutive wins!

three days later.

11 month 7 day.

The fourth round of the Champions League group stage.

Liverpool will host Shakhtar Donetsk.

With Sunshine scoring twice, Liverpool won 2-0 at home, securing their fourth consecutive victory in the Champions League group stage. Meanwhile, Lyon and Hoffenheim drew in another match, meaning Liverpool qualified for the knockout stage with two games to spare.

In the next round, they only need to win to secure first place in the group one round in advance.

The third day after the match.

The league match this weekend.

Liverpool will host Fulham at Old Trafford.

Fulham did give Liverpool a bit of trouble.

Until the 80th minute of the second half.

Liverpool finally broke the deadlock.

A long-range shot from the sun helped Liverpool break through Fulham's defense.

Fulham, who were hoping to get a point at Anfield, also suffered a defeat due to this goal conceded.

Liverpool also secured a 1-0 victory over Fulham with this goal, extending their winning streak to 12 games.

They are getting closer and closer to Arsenal's record of 14 consecutive wins in a single season.

After 12 rounds of league play, there will be a two-week international break.

This left Liverpool supporters somewhat disappointed.

Liverpool have been in incredibly hot form lately.

Liverpool fans would love for this incredible form to continue indefinitely.

An unexpected international match day.

I'll be back in two weeks.

Whether she can maintain such a good condition is uncertain.

Who knows, the FIFA virus might even knock out a few of you.
Liverpool fans' concerns are not unfounded.

Back from an international match day.

Liverpool indeed have a few more injured players.

Salah suffered an ankle sprain during a match for the Egyptian national team and will be out for about two weeks.

This shouldn't have too much of an impact, at least not on this key match against Arsenal in the 15th round of the league.

Salah will definitely make it.

The key lies with Van Dijk.

Virgil van Dijk suffered a hamstring strain while playing for the Netherlands national team.

This muscle strain will take at least four weeks, optimistically four weeks, but less optimistically it could be more than six weeks. By the time he returns, the December competitions will probably be almost over.

With a packed schedule ahead, the key defender is sidelined due to injury.

This has indeed caused Liverpool considerable trouble.

The center-back pairing of Joe Gomez and Matip is not reassuring.

This gave Liverpool fans a vague feeling of returning to the era of "Ferrari in the front and tractor in the back".

The only thing that brings comfort is...

Yang Guang still doesn't need to participate in national team matches.
The first match after returning from the international break.

It was the 13th round of the league.

The team is playing away against Burnley.

Burnley have performed well in recent seasons, and their upward trend is obvious.

This team plays a tough style of play, a typical English team, using a 4-4-2 formation, emphasizing defense and crosses from the flanks, and relying on set pieces and aerial advantage.

Their head coach, Sean Dyche, took over Burnley in 2012.

After years of kneading.

Last season.

Burnley's historic seventh-place finish in the league, securing their qualification for the Europa League, marked a pinnacle moment in the club's history.

Although Burnley's squad and overall strength are no match for Liverpool's.

But this isn't a game of animal chess; it's football.

Although Shawn's team doesn't have any big-name stars, their tactics are very mature, and their tactical proficiency and team cohesion are quite high.

Especially since they are playing at home.

Before the match.

Many observers believe that Shane's team still has a fighting chance.

Burnley could give Liverpool a run for their money at home – and that’s certainly a possibility given the absence of Salah and Van Dijk. But the game started off like this.

Liverpool took the initiative away from home, using their powerful attack to suppress Burnley.

Burnley were forced to retreat into their penalty area to defend.

Burnley, known for their long balls and crosses, were taught a lesson by Liverpool in this match, who used the same tactics to their advantage.

Liverpool from the start of the match.

They opted for a high-ball, high-hitting strategy, passing the ball over the sun's head.

Let the sunshine challenge Burnley's two tall and muscular center-backs, Ben Mee and Tarkowski.

Two strong English-style center-backs in direct defense.

It retreated step by step under the impact of the sunlight.

Burnley's goalkeeper Joe Hart performed admirably in this match, making several crucial saves against the Suns' attacks.

But in the end.

Even if Joe Hart had an extra pair of hands.

They couldn't withstand the repeated attacks on the goal.

Thirty-first minute of the match.

Liverpool score.

They took the lead away from home.

But as long as the deadlock is broken.

The suspense of the match was essentially over.

Ultimately, Sean Dyche's team only managed 7 points after 13 league matches.

In the relegation zone.

Precarious.

For a team like Burnley.

Their historic entry into European competition is a reward for their hard work.

However, competing on two fronts often proved difficult for them, ultimately hindering their league performance.
After winning this match.

Liverpool have now achieved a 13-game winning streak in the league.

The record that is closest to Arsenal's.

Only one game left!
And before that.

Liverpool will first host Lyon at home.

The schedule is very tight: on November 30, Liverpool will host Lyon in the fifth round of the Champions League group stage; on December 3, they will play Watford away in the fourteenth round of the league; and on December 6, they will play Arsenal away in the fifteenth round of the league.

Such a dense schedule.

This is for Liverpool.

It is also a serious challenge.

under these circumstances.

Liverpool opted to make some rotations for their Champions League match.

This is not an easy decision to make.

But Klopp did it anyway.

Sunshine was still in the starting lineup.

The team drew 1-1 with Lyon at home in this match.

Liverpool won four and drew one of the five group stage matches, earning 13 points and securing their qualification for the knockout stage.

Hoffenheim only has 10 points, so they theoretically still have a chance to beat Liverpool in the final round, close the points gap with Liverpool, and even surpass Liverpool in goal difference.

so.
Liverpool cannot yet claim to have secured first place in the group.

However, considering that their goal difference is 6 more than Hoffenheim's.

Basically, they are unlikely to slip to second place in the group unless they lose by a large margin.

Liverpool are 99% certain to have qualified as group winners.

despite this.

This match ended in a draw.

This brought some relief to many people – Liverpool finally didn't win.

This also gave Arsenal fans a glimmer of hope – the Champions League draw interrupted Liverpool's winning streak, and their form might decline further in the weekend's match?
To know.

This match is Liverpool's away game against Watford.

Perhaps Arsenal fans care more about the outcome of the match than Watford fans.

because
For Arsenal fans.

They certainly don't want their record to be broken by Liverpool.

Talk about it.

Watford is indeed a relatively high-profile team in the Premier League this season.

Under the leadership of head coach Javier Gracia.

Watford have developed a unique style of play centered around high pressing, quick counter-attacks, and set pieces.

Through highly efficient pressing and tackling in the attacking third, rapid attacks down the flanks, and the powerful attacking duo of Deeney and Gray in the center, a highly efficient pressing and counter-attacking system was formed.

Watford started the league season with a four-game winning streak.

Although their performance dipped slightly afterward.

But after 13 rounds of the league.

Watford remain in ninth place in the league with 20 points.

This is for a grassroots team that hasn't invested much in its development.

This is quite an achievement – ​​they are somewhat similar to Burnley last season, with a mature tactical approach, high tactical cohesion, strong finishing ability from their two centers, and a focus on a single competition, resulting in fewer injuries.

In addition, they were playing on their home turf.

Therefore, it's understandable that people have high hopes for Watford.

If Liverpool win the game, they will equal Arsenal's record.

This also led to the game attracting a great deal of attention.

It even surpassed the highlight of this round – the North London derby.

The English Premier League is highly commercialized.

Matches like internal battles between the Big Six.

In general.

They will not be scheduled to be played in the same round.

When arranging the schedule.

The Premier League usually schedules these key matches to be staggered, aiming to have a high-profile clash in each round to attract international fans and keep the Premier League fresh and active in the media and online.

This level of commercial development capability puts La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga far ahead.

not only.

The Premier League is vying for fans in the world's largest single market.

Many matches.

All of them are scheduled for noon.

at noon.

That's 7 PM in China, far away.

And derbies like the one between Arsenal and Tottenham are highly talked about.

Therefore, very few matches are played before midnight – which means that even fans in England who want to watch the game have to wait until noon or in the afternoon.

The Premier League is capable of becoming the most profitable league.

Not without reason.

Just look at their attitude towards making money, and you'll know they deserve to make money—La Liga and Serie A matches scheduled for noon are basically just side games.

High-profile matches like the Spanish El Clásico cannot be scheduled for daytime.

This means.

If Chinese fans want to watch the Spanish El Clásico.

That means you have to watch it at 2 AM, 3 AM, or even 4 AM.
And what about the Premier League?

The Reds vs. Reds meeting.

You can watch it at 10 or 11 pm.

Who is sincere?

It's crystal clear.

This North London derby is also scheduled for 10 p.m. China time.

But in China.

People are more focused on Liverpool's away game against Watford at the same time – when scheduling the matches, the Premier League officials certainly did not anticipate that Liverpool would actually equal Arsenal's 14-game winning streak in this round of the league, causing this match, which should not have received more attention than the North London derby, to now be more popular than the North London derby.

This level of popularity.

Not just in China.

The same is true in England.

(End of this chapter)