December 16, 2021, Liverpool Training Ground.
It had been a full week since Leo returned from injury, and the team doctors had cleared him to start matches again. With nothing else to do, he wandered around Liverpool's training complex.
By now, Leo treated Liverpool's headquarters like his own home, and everyone there regarded him as family.
It was already eight in the evening, but Leo noticed that the lights on one of the training pitches were still on. That was unusual.
Because of his injury, it had been a long time since he had done any extra training, and just as long since he had wandered around the training ground in the evening.
As he approached the pitch closest to the cafeteria, Leo spotted four figures.
One was tall and powerfully built. Another, of average build, stood beside him. A third, of ordinary height, was holding what looked like a mate cup. In front of them stood a somewhat slender England fullback, openly challenging the Argentine midfielder facing him.
"Come on! Get past me if you can!"
Alexander-Arnold looked completely serious, while Núñez and Gakpo stood off to the side watching the show.
Then Gakpo suddenly noticed Leo walking toward them.
"Núñez, it's the captain!"
As soon as Núñez saw him, he immediately warned Mac Allister and Alexander-Arnold.
"Knock it off. The captain's here."
Mac Allister had barely turned around before Leo was already standing in front of him.
"Good evening, Captain."
Alexander-Arnold hooked an arm around Leo's. Of the four, he was clearly the closest to him. After all, they had been teammates for years.
"Drinking mate on the training pitch, Mac Allister? You're really slacking off in training."
Leo smiled as he took the mate from Mac Allister.
The young Argentine midfielder always seemed a little flushed, quiet, and shy off the pitch, but once a match began, he became incredibly tenacious.
"How long have you four been staying behind to train together?"
Gakpo answered.
"Since the day the fans started mocking Núñez like crazy. I saw Núñez training by himself first, so I joined him. Then Mac Allister and Alexander-Arnold came along too."
Leo smiled at Núñez.
Whenever the Uruguayan striker smiled, his eyes narrowed into thin lines, and now he looked slightly embarrassed.
Leo knew all four of them had been under heavy criticism from the fans lately.
Mac Allister had gotten off a little easier, though his performances as a number six were still questioned from time to time.
Leo took a couple of sips of mate, returned the cup to the locker room, changed into his football boots, and came back onto the pitch.
Núñez and the others watched him.
Gakpo had actually suggested a while ago that they invite the captain to join their extra sessions. They all knew that with Leo's ability, his guidance might help them escape their current struggles much sooner.
But none of them had felt comfortable asking him.
They had not been able to contribute enough to the team lately, and all four felt guilty about it. That was exactly why they had started putting in extra work.
"Núñez, there's nothing wrong with liking shots toward the far corner. The important thing is whether you can generate enough power and spin while still keeping the shot accurate."
Leo began demonstrating with the ball.
Núñez stood nearby and watched with intense concentration, unwilling to miss even the smallest detail.
Under the starry Liverpool sky, Leo's instructions and the sounds of the players training echoed across the pitch.
"Gakpo, getting your feet tangled when you're dribbling doesn't mean your Ball Sense isn't good enough. You're an excellent professional player. You're just lacking confidence."
"When you dribble, you start thinking about your next move before you've even finished the one you're making."
"You're trying to do two things at once. That's why it keeps happening."
"Mac Allister, playing in a deeper role has definitely disrupted the midfield rhythm you were used to, but you can absolutely play well there."
"What you need to do is move the ball, control the tempo, keep it within a range where you're always in control, and make sure it's far enough away from the opponent."
"That gives you plenty of time to manage possession for the team from a deeper position."
"Alexander-Arnold, if you can't improve your defending quickly, then make full use of your attacking ability."
"Use your excellent long passing to switch the ball to your teammates, especially into areas far enough away from you. That way, even if the opposition wins it, they can't immediately launch a counterattack."
"It'll also give you and the players around you more time to reorganize the right side defensively."
Two full hours later, the five of them finally finished their extra training and collapsed onto the grass.
"Leo, I'm sorry. I haven't been able to contribute much to Liverpool lately."
"Before I joined Liverpool, I said in an interview that I came here to help you. But it feels like I haven't been able to do anything."
Mac Allister spoke, and the others fell silent.
For a moment, Leo could barely even hear them breathing.
"Have we been eliminated from any competition?"
Leo looked at them and smiled.
"We're sixth in the league right now, but we're only twelve points off first place."
"I've won the Premier League with Liverpool by more than twelve points before, so we can absolutely make up those twelve points."
"We're in the semifinals of the EFL Cup. We still have the FA Cup ahead of us. We're still in the UEFA Champions League."
"We still have a chance to win every trophy."
Leo placed both hands behind his head, breathed in the cool night air, and closed his eyes.
The others lay down beside him.
Then Leo's calm, clear voice reached them.
"I still have one goal left to achieve."
"The day Mané left, I promised him at the airport."
"The day Firmino and Henderson left, I wiped the tears from their faces and made them the same promise."
"Last season, when we finished without a single trophy, I put my hand over the crest on my chest and made that promise to every Liverpool supporter."
"I promised them that I would make Liverpool the first team in history to win seven trophies in a single season!!!"
...
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