"Boss, this is risky, but if you've made up your mind, I'm willing to bear all the consequences with you!"
Newcastle's assistant coach followed beside the manager. Seeing that the manager was determined to make a substitution and change the formation, he felt uneasy, but he could not say it outright. So he tried to hint at it indirectly, hoping to make his manager reconsider a bad idea.
"Good. Seeing you like this really moves me. With you standing beside me, I feel much more at ease!"
Newcastle's manager was deeply pleased. He was happy to see his assistant coach firmly choose to stand with him at such a difficult moment.
"Boss, what I mean is, if we absolutely have to make this tactical adjustment, I'm willing to accept all the consequences."
"But should we maybe think about it a little more? Do we really need to take such a big risk?"
"After all, Liverpool might be waiting for us to make exactly this kind of adjustment."
"So once we make the change, isn't it possible that we'll end up walking right into their trap instead?"
Newcastle's manager did not think so. He still trusted his own judgment, because he believed his ability was enough to see through Liverpool's hidden tactics.
He wanted to take the initiative back. Having the initiative in Liverpool's hands made him panic. That feeling of unease was like being put through psychological torment. No one could endure that endless kind of pain.
Newcastle officially made their substitution and tactical adjustment. Klopp made no changes, because his starting lineup had been designed from the beginning to attack Newcastle after they changed formation.
After Newcastle changed shape, the clearest difference was that they no longer tried to stop Liverpool through effective defensive actions. Instead, they used pressing from the front line and midfield to ease the pressure on their defense.
But looking back at every match, any team willing to press against Liverpool had always met the same fate. No matter how strong your pressing was, could it really be stronger than my herding-style pressing?
After the second half began, Newcastle did indeed start pressing.
Leo Lin began executing the herding press he was best at, while the front three once again closed in on Newcastle's penalty area step by step, like they were herding chicks together. Newcastle's sense of danger was rising little by little.
Newcastle defenders Lascelles and Reed both felt that intense pressure.
"After Newcastle changed tactics, they're the ones being slowly surrounded by Liverpool instead."
"This is the herding-style pressing Liverpool are so good at. Once they close the cage around you, trying to break free is like being a bird trapped in a wooden cage. No matter how much you want to escape, you can't."
Newcastle's nickname happened to be the Magpies. Right now, that magpie was flapping its wings, trying to fly higher and higher. But the higher it flew, the harder it would fall. Liverpool were slowly reaching their claws toward the magpie's wings, binding them bit by bit.
In the 56th minute!
"Lascelles sends a long ball toward Murphy. Murphy receives it and brings it down. That wasn't easy."
"Robertson wins it!"
"Murphy's way of breaking through is very simple. He's the kind of player who relies on acceleration, but his absolute pace isn't actually that fast, so his current role on the pitch is a little awkward."
Even before Robertson completed the tackle, Liverpool's midfield and front line had already begun shifting their positions. By the time Robertson won the ball, the herding-style pressing setup was complete.
Robertson played a beautiful long ball to Salah, a huge switch of play across the pitch.
Salah looked as if he was about to control it, and Reed behind him thought the same. But as Salah went to take the ball, he lifted the sole of his foot high enough to leave a clear gap between his boot and the grass.
That gap allowed the ball to bounce under Salah's foot and roll forward. With that move, Salah let the first point of contact go, and the second ball was already being collected by the sprinting Arnold. Reed had no chance of catching Arnold now.
"There's far too much space on the right!"
"Newcastle's defensive line has been cut open!"
"Arnold has plenty of time to deal with this ball now. He can shoot himself or choose to pass!"
Arnold, who had recently been kept out by Joe Gomez, had been waiting for a chance to show something better. That was what healthy competition within the squad was all about.
Klopp had kept starting Joe Gomez partly because Gomez really was in excellent form, and partly to push the young Arnold to improve as quickly as possible. Liverpool fans had placed far too much expectation on him.
So this time, Arnold's desire to prove himself was even stronger. He did not choose to pass. He only glanced briefly toward the middle before carrying the ball toward the goalkeeper himself.
His curling shot flew in, breaking through Newcastle's goal at St. James' Park.
"GGOOOAAALLLL!"
"Arnold!"
"Arnold, who has been kept out by Joe Gomez for so long, scores in this match and helps Liverpool take the lead against the Magpies!"
"Newcastle United changed formation first, but after the change, they look worse than they did before!"
"Salah's fake control gave Arnold a semi-one-on-one chance. That was a beautiful move, and Arnold showed his excellent shooting technique too!"
After scoring, Arnold tugged at his shirt as if venting everything inside him. All the Liverpool players rushed over to comfort him. After all, he had been a starter last season, only to be kept out by Gomez this season. Of course Arnold had not been feeling good about it.
"Arnold, as long as you can rediscover your form and keep contributing to the team, I'll still support you!"
"Arnold, this is Liverpool! This is your team, and it's our team too. We won't give up on you, and we know you won't give up on yourself. We all believe in you completely!"
"If Liverpool want to win more trophies, every position needs competition. It's not just Arnold. Even if Lin's form isn't good enough one day, or if his performances stay poor for a stretch, he'll be replaced by Fabinho or Wijnaldum too."
Ever since Klopp arrived at Liverpool, he had always had his own bottom line. No one would keep starting forever unless they kept performing well enough.
After play resumed, Liverpool switched to a new attacking method. They no longer used herding-style pressing and instead changed to rapid counterattacks.
This was no ordinary counterattack. The speed of Liverpool's attacks was so fast that the fans instinctively held their breath. Just watching the Liverpool players sprint across the pitch made them feel tired.
In the 79th minute, Liverpool slowly reduced the pressure in the front line, drawing Newcastle forward bit by bit. As a result, Newcastle's defensive line kept pushing higher and higher.
Then Leo Lin's through ball allowed Mané to fully open up his stride. Firmino made a beautiful run to the far post, met Mané's cross, and headed it into the net.
In the end, Liverpool defeated Newcastle 2-0 and successfully claimed all three points.
...
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