Just as Calderon and Antonio were discussing their next steps, an interview with Allen published in the Yorkshire Post quickly spread online.
On the official Twitter account of the Yorkshire Post, fans who were mocking Li Shiguang for being cold-blooded and ruthless yesterday have turned around and started criticizing Antonio and Maicon, and even dragged Calderón, who is far away in Madrid, into the fray.
"I told you before, you should sit on the fence in these kinds of situations. But Antonio is really stupid. Barnett's license was suspended for 18 months last year because of Ashley Cole's case, and the suspension period hasn't even expired yet, and he still dares to go against the grain!"
"Can you really prove that Maicon had private contact with Real Madrid just based on one recording? Isn't it normal for him to want more salary after playing well?"
"Hey upstairs, Maicon's current weekly wage is 40,000 euros. If you multiply that by five, it'll be 200,000 euros! Find me a right-back in the world of football who earns 200,000 euros a week!"
"Indeed! The guy above makes a good point. This is clearly a deliberate attempt to put pressure on Leeds United because they don't want to renew the contract!"
"Look at Maicon's stats since he joined Leeds United! Calderon only wanted to pay 10 million euros to take him away. Is Real Madrid going bankrupt? Hahahaha!"
"Florentino is so generous. Calderon is such a stingy bastard. Leeds United have already said they won't reject normal offers, and he still contacted the players to put pressure on the club. I really despise such underhanded tactics!"
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Li Shiguang returned to Leeds that afternoon. Allen immediately reported to him on the online sentiment after the news was published that day. Seeing that public opinion was gradually moving in a positive direction, he stopped paying attention to the issue.
Anyway, the winter transfer window will open in less than a month.
Li Shiguang has already made his decision. Leeds United's official website will be the first to update the news of Maicon's sale during the winter transfer window. Given Maicon's performance and statistics this season, many clubs are sure to jump at the chance to compete with Real Madrid...
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Three days later, Leeds United hosted Liverpool in the 16th round of the Premier League.
Losing Deisler, the team's playmaker, after the transfer window closed has had a significant impact on Liverpool's performance this season. After 15 rounds, Liverpool has only managed 6 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses, and is currently ranked 7th in the standings, already 16 points behind Manchester United, who are ranked first.
Although there is a gap in the recent form of the two sides, as the focus of this round, the media and fans generally believed that the two sides were at least evenly matched before the game started.
However, to everyone's surprise, Leeds United made the game a foregone conclusion in just 45 minutes.
Li Shiguang used the same starting lineup as the previous match, and Maicon was still not included in Leeds United's squad. However, people no longer seemed to care about this issue, and even commentator Lineker didn't mention it.
In the 9th minute, Ribery broke through Riise's defense on the right wing and crossed the ball. Ibrahimovic, who was rushing into the penalty area to try and get a header, saw the ball about to fly past him. So, to the gasps of the fans, he repeated the brilliant move he had made in the Eredivisie before.
Before everyone's eyes, the 1.95-meter-tall Ibrahimovic leaned forward, then raised his right foot from behind, precisely flicking the ball with his heel towards the Liverpool goal guarded by Reina. The Spaniard never expected Ibrahimovic to use such a move to complete the shot, so he didn't have time to make the correct reaction. In the end, the ball grazed the underside of the crossbar and went into the net.
1-0, Leeds United have had a dream start!
After the restart, Liverpool, who were trailing, began to organize a counterattack, but in the 25th minute, Leeds United seized another counter-attack opportunity!
This was originally Liverpool's attacking move. Gerrard attempted a long-range shot from outside the penalty area, but Kompany made a diving save to block it. The ball then landed at the feet of Podolski, who had retreated to his own half.
Upon receiving this unexpected windfall, the German didn't hesitate. He immediately turned and sprinted towards Liverpool's penalty area. Eventually, after drawing the defense of Carragher and Hyypia on the edge of the box, he passed the ball between the two center-backs. Ibrahimovic, who was waiting in the middle, unleashed a powerful shot that sent the ball flying into the bottom left corner of Liverpool's goal!
2-0, Leeds United have extended their lead!
The game continued, but Liverpool's morale was clearly affected by being two goals down. Despite Benitez shouting encouragement to his players from the sidelines, there was still no improvement.
Li Shiguang naturally noticed this and, seizing the opportunity, he didn't let it slip by. Under his command, Leeds United pressed forward with all their might, putting Liverpool under tremendous defensive pressure.
Finally, in the 40th minute, Leeds United's relentless attack paid off once again!
Alonso and Rivaldo executed a brilliant combination play just outside Liverpool's penalty area. After shaking off Gerrard's defense, Alonso chipped the ball towards the left side of Liverpool's box. Bale, making a high-speed run down the left flank, successfully beat the offside trap and, receiving the ball near the byline, swept it directly towards Liverpool's goal.
As a result, because the ball was moving very fast, none of the players rushing to the goal touched it, and even Reina, who was already on the ground, didn't touch it. Before everyone's eyes, the ball flew at an extremely fast speed towards the far post.
Then, Torres, who hadn't scored yet that day, rushed over, fell to the ground, and gently deflected the ball into the undefended goal with his right foot.
3-0!
To be honest, Benitez was already desperate when he saw Torres score another goal on the sidelines. He knew that the chances of winning the game today were slim.
Moreover, some away fans who had traveled a long way with Liverpool stood up from their seats and prepared to leave early, as they really didn't want to see their home team being slaughtered like this away from home.
However, the tragedy was not over yet. Just four minutes later, Leeds United came back with a vengeance.
Liverpool's two flanks, which had already been thoroughly exploited by Bale and Ribery in the first half, started to falter again.
Bale, who had switched from the left to the right wing, received a pass from Modric in the middle and used the simplest and most powerful dribble to break through Riise's defense. Then, on the edge of the penalty area, he faced Carragher who was pressing him, made a sudden stop and change of direction, created a shooting angle, and curled a beautiful shot with his left foot.
Despite Reina's swift save, Bale's shot was too precise, finding an absolute dead corner. Even with Reina fully extended, he couldn't touch the spinning ball and could only watch helplessly as it breached his goal for the fourth time!
Leeds United thrashed Liverpool 4-0 at home in less than 45 minutes...
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