Chapter 242 England’s annual feast, the Red Devils Derby!

At the end of the last century, the completion of the 58-kilometer Manchester Waterway marked the beginning of the feud between Liverpool and Manchester.

It allowed ships traveling to and from Manchester to avoid all Liverpool docks, which not only greatly reduced shipping costs but also dealt a heavy blow to Liverpool.

The people of Liverpool regarded the behavior of the people of Manchester as a humiliation to themselves and expressed their dissatisfaction with words and actions.

The Manchester native fought back relentlessly.

In this way, the two cities became enemies because of shipping.

The century-long feud not only failed to be resolved, but became more and more intense over time. Football, as a competitive sport, became a new battlefield for Liverpool and Manchester people.

People gave it a suitable name, the Double Red Meeting!

Whenever Liverpool plays against Manchester United, it attracts a lot of attention.

As a result, the game became full of tension, and often before the end of the first half, the number of red and yellow cards would exceed one hand.

For example, Gerrard was sent off after only 43 seconds on the bench in the last Red Devils derby of his career.

Some might say he is a pure Scouser, educated and taught to hate Manchester United.

But in fact, other non-local players will also be infected by the atmosphere, causing their emotions to rise and even lose control.

Just like Suarez, who has joined Barcelona, ​​he once insulted Evra with racist language during a game, and the two clashed in front of tens of thousands of fans.

Two days before the Manchester derby, thousands of people flocked to Liverpool, making this small port town bustling with activity.

Liverpool fans had made preparations early, such as banners, posters, gongs and drums.

Although Liverpool has declined since the Miracle of Istanbul and gradually entered a turbulent period, it has never stood at the top of Europe again and has never won the domestic English Premier League championship.

Liverpool fans could only sit in the dim bar, listening to the Beatles music they had memorized by heart and occasionally talking about their memories of Istanbul.

But this is ultimately a meaningless sigh.

Later, Rogers completely lost the most important thing of Liverpool, its iron blood.

It wasn't until October 8, 2015 that a German named Jurgen Klopp became the new owner of Anfield.

The Beatles brought rock and roll to Liverpool, and Klopp brought heavy metal to Liverpool.

Tireless running, brave fighting, and rapid offensive advancement are the distinctive characteristics of heavy metal.

Liverpool fans saw hope in Klopp! But Manchester United's performance last season made them sad. After all, the worst thing in the world is to see the mortal enemy live better than themselves.

The Premier League title and the Champions League title. They had been looking forward to them for who knows how many years, but in the end Manchester United won them all. They could accept it if it was Manchester City, but why did it have to be Manchester United?

So they are determined to defeat Manchester United, return to second place in the league table, and then pull that damn Manchester City down!

Major media outlets are also promoting the match in advance to increase the popularity of the Red Devils Derby.

"The most crucial match in the first half of the Premier League, the annual feast of the Red Devils!! "

"After 17 rounds of the Premier League, Liverpool has 15 wins and 1 draw, Manchester United has 16 wins and 1 loss, and the difference between the two teams is only 2 points!"

"A century of love and hatred, endless grudges!"

"How will the new Golden Boy Award winner perform? Please stay tuned!"

Chu Feng and his teammates took an 11-hour flight. They insisted on staying awake on the flight in order to prevent their biological clocks from being disrupted and affecting their condition for the competition two days later.

After returning home, Chu Feng couldn't bear it anymore and fell asleep.

The next day, the Carrington training base was surrounded by the media.

Chu Feng, who had just completed his recovery training, was stopped by reporters as he drove out of the base gate.

"Chu, do you have anything to say about tomorrow's game?"

The reporter passed the microphone into the car.

Chu Feng had only one answer to this meaningless question: "Of course, to win, and to win beautifully!"

"Liverpool's Van Dijk is called 'the best central defender in active service' by fans. Since the start of this season, no one has beaten him in a 1vs1 match. Do you have confidence?"

The reporter then asked questions.

“I think in football, no one person can be called the best because it is a team sport.”

"If a player is called the best, it means he has not met anyone stronger than him."

Chu Feng answered seriously.

The reporters outside the car were immediately shocked. What did Chu Feng mean by this? It was like saying, "I am stronger than you!"

After the security personnel at the training base drove away the reporters, Chu Feng stepped on the accelerator and sped away. As for whether his remarks were too arrogant, no one would care even if they were exaggerated, because tomorrow's game was a Reds game! On the contrary, if he said something modest and plain, the fans would think he was giving in in advance.

Liverpool players on the other side were also interviewed.

"Whether it was last season or this season, Manchester United's tactics made me see no desire to win. They always huddled back and played defensive counterattacks!"

"Chu? He is an excellent striker and has won many honors, but I think he is too young to face Liverpool!"

"The best centre-back? I don't want to talk about myself."

Van Dijk's remarks were equally explosive. —— "Good afternoon, audience friends!"

"I am now outside Anfield. The Reds' derby is the most classic duel in English football. The countless clashes between the two teams in the past have left countless classic memories for the fans!"

"Thousands of police officers are already on standby at the scene to prevent fans from getting emotional and causing serious clashes!"

“There are only four hours left before the game starts and we can see the streets are already packed with fans!”

Zhan Jun was wearing a Liverpool jersey and Zhang Lu was wearing a Manchester United jersey, and the two were conducting an off-field interview.

"Hello, what do you think about tonight's game?" Zhan Jun randomly found a passerby and handed him the microphone.

"What do you think? We have maintained an undefeated record in December, scoring 23 goals and conceding only 3 goals! We can definitely beat Manchester United!"

"Allez!"

Passersby bowed their heads to kiss the Liverpool logo and shouted hysterically into the microphone.

The Liverpool parade troops nearby noticed the interview with LeTV Sports and crowded over to declare their victory.

“Liverpool must win!”

"Liverpool! Forward! Forward!"

“You’ll Never Walk Alone!”

“.”

The fanatical atmosphere made Zhan Jun very excited. As a veteran KOP for decades, he almost shouted along.

Although Chu Feng is his family, he still likes Liverpool.

Because of his father.

"My father is a loyal fan of Liverpool, and this is the most unforgettable moment of his life in my memory. This is also the biggest reason why I have been attached to Liverpool for so many years and have never left it." Zhan Jun said in an interview.

The interview team soon arrived at another entrance of the stadium.

Although the number of Manchester United fans was much smaller, they were not inferior in momentum at all and sang the team song in a mighty manner!

The interviewer was changed to Zhang Lu.

"Victory to Manchester United!"

"Glory! Manchester United!"

"We have the almighty Chu, no one can stand in our way, including that damn Liverpool!"

The roar of Manchester United fans was extremely loud, and some of them held up the Manchester United No. 7 jersey and showed it in front of the camera, their faces filled with pride.

Zhang Lu couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

I didn’t expect that the young boy has grown into the leader of the Red Devils and is loved by so many people.

"So what do you think the score of tonight's game will be?"

Zhang Lu asked.

"Three to one! Three of us, one of them!"

"Best player? Of course it will be Chu. He can at least score two goals and show those Liverpool players what the strongest striker in the Premier League is!"

"Carrington boys, go, go!"

After the Manchester United fans finished speaking, they waved flags and walked towards the entrance.

Soon, buses with the Liverpool and Manchester United logos slowly drove towards Anfield from both ends of the street.

The fans group was instantly excited!

Chu Feng closed his eyes and rested with noise-canceling headphones on. Although he had made up for his sleep the day before and resumed training yesterday, he was still tired from the long journey.

Today is another tough battle and we must seize any time to rest.

The rest of the Manchester United players also adjusted their condition in their own way. For example, De Gea was listening to rock music, Pogba was chatting online, and Lingard was video chatting with his newborn child. It is impossible to say that they were not nervous. After all, in terms of schedule, Manchester United played two more games.

But at most I would be a little nervous, and there would definitely not be a trace of fear.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

We must beat Liverpool even if it costs our lives!

All Manchester United players had the same idea as they walked out of the club bus one after another. ——Pre- match press conference.

Klopp's answers to reporters' questions were explosive.

“We will try our best in this game.”

"I have thousands of reasons to win the Reds derby, one of which is that I don't want to look at your faces and answer rubbish questions about losing at the post-match press conference. I think my players will help me win!"

"Tactics? It's still high pressure. Whether it's offense or defense, we are much stronger than last season."

"Chu? Van Dijk will limit Chu. Although this task is difficult, I believe he can do it."

The reporters in the audience looked at each other in bewilderment. According to Klopp's habit, he would flatter the opponent before a strong confrontation to build up his reputation.

For example, last season, he said that Mourinho was the most successful coach in the world and that Manchester United players were among the best in the Premier League.

Why did you change your temper today?

The meeting room next door was equally bustling.

"Although it may sound like I'm making excuses, the fact is that Manchester United is at a disadvantage and the Club World Cup has left the players too tired."

"It might be hard for us to resist the onslaught of Liverpool risk."

"So my tactics will be more conservative, still focusing on defensive counterattacks."

"Van Dijk's comments? There was a lot of arrogance in his tone. I think he needs to remind himself that he comes from a club that has never won the league title in the past 27 years.

Mourinho doesn't like criticism of his tactics.

The news interview was full of tension, making fans look forward to tonight's game even more.

At this time at Anfield Stadium, the players are warming up before the game.

There was no communication between the two teams, they were like the most familiar strangers.

The stands on all sides were filled with various banners, and there was a giant TIFO on the KOP stand with Liverpool's "Black and Gold Trident" painted on it! Liverpool fans never thought that Liverpool could have a more luxurious and sharper attacking line than Torres, Kuyt, Suarez and Sturridge! Last season, the Black and Gold Trident set a record, that is, in a single season of the Champions League, three players on the same team scored double digits at the same time.

With the black and gold trident in front and the luxurious defense in the back, Liverpool fans are full of confidence in today's game! Manchester United fans in the away stands unfolded a poster in the wind.

On the huge and magnificent red throne sits a young man wearing Manchester United's No. 7 jersey, and next to him are 21 Premier League championship trophies.

In the 1994 Manchester United derby, Liverpool fans held up a banner that read "Come back when you win 18 league titles!"

In the 2011 Manchester United derby, Manchester United fans held up a banner that read "You asked us to come back when we win 18 league titles, and now we are here!"

In the 2018 Manchester United derby, Manchester United fans held up a banner that read "Now we have 21 league titles, what about you!?"

The breath Chu Feng exhaled turned into white mist, and he took a step forward and fired a long shot! The football was like a cannonball, and it went into the goal from the upper right corner!

De Gea gave a thumbs up and praised: "Chu, remember this feeling. I guarantee that Alisson will never be able to save it!"

Chu Feng smiled and nodded.

Even though his previous condition was not very good, after arriving at Anfield and listening to the noisy sounds, every cell in his body became active.

After the players finished warming up, they returned to the locker room to make final preparations.

The coaches of both teams said the prepared motivational words to arouse the emotions of every player, and the players of both teams walked out of the locker room howling.

The atmosphere in the narrow player tunnel was extremely solemn.

There have been many conflicts between the two teams here, and even the head coach has come out to join the fight. Manchester United had a vicious incident not long ago, when Chu Feng took the ball and beat up Atletico Madrid players.

Therefore, the English Football Association made the most thorough preparations and placed more than a dozen anti-explosion police on standby.

The referee of this game is Atkinson, who is nicknamed "the four blind men in the Premier League - the condemned" by many fans. As for why he is called "the condemned".

Because he seems to be a supporter of Confucianism, doing good deeds every day on the court, all conflicts and tackles are allowed.

Foul? No!

Pull out a card? Impossible!

It was as if God was telling him how to referee the game.

I don’t know what the English Football Association was thinking when they dared to let Atkinson referee the Manchester derby.

As the noise at Anfield grew louder, the referee team led the players out of the tunnel.

The light in Chu Feng's vision blossomed and turned into a boiling red ocean, and a strong sense of oppression surged into his heart.

He took several deep breaths and stepped heavily onto the grass! "Good evening, audience friends!"

"Now we are broadcasting live the 18th round of the 2018-19 Premier League!"

"Liverpool vs Manchester United!"

"A fierce battle between the two strongest teams, the annual feast of England, the Red Devils Derby!"

"Here are the starting lineups for both teams!"

"Klopp deployed a 4-3-3 formation, goalkeeper:."

"Van Dijk, who joined last season, has already worn the captain's armband and he defended Liverpool with an outstanding performance!"

"Liverpool's summer transfer window signings are nothing short of lavish, with Fabinho for €75 million, Keita for €60 million, and Alisson for €60 million. The team's overall strength has been greatly enhanced."

"Liverpool have gone 17 games unbeaten and can even try to challenge Wenger's unbeaten record!"

"Let's take a look at Manchester United's starting lineup. Mourinho also arranged a 4-3-3 formation. The goalkeeper is:."

"Manchester United just finished the Club World Cup final yesterday. I heard Mourinho rushed back to the UK overnight and hasn't slept yet. I hope he doesn't fall asleep during the game."

"Coach Zhang, what do you think of Manchester United's starting lineup?"

Zhan Jun looked at Zhang Lu next to him.

"Manchester United's midfield is a bit weak. Both Pogba and Kovacic are players who are better at attacking than defending."

"Liverpool's front line players are small and agile. I think they will cause a lot of trouble for Manchester United's defense!"

"But according to what Mourinho said before the game, the tactics of defensive counterattack are mainly used, piling up players in the backcourt to increase the defensive density and reduce the sprint space that Liverpool needs most!"

"Then we seized the opportunity when Liverpool were passing the ball in the frontcourt and found Xiaochu directly at the front point after regaining the ball."

"As long as Xiaochu can hold the ball under the pressure of Liverpool players and hold on until Manchester United switches from defense to offense and his teammates come to support, Manchester United still has a good chance."

Zhang Lu has a very thorough understanding of football.

"Okay, let's turn the camera to the green field. The players from both teams are already in position!"

"The game is about to begin, let's wait and see!"

(End of this chapter)