Football: The strongest post-2000s Chapter 049

(PS: Sorry, I had something to do, so the update is a bit late.)

Klopp had already decided to promote Li Qing to the first team, which meant there was no point in watching the rest of the match. He still had many things to do as the head coach, especially with Swansea coming to Anfield this weekend.

Li Qing didn’t know that his performance had already been recognized by Klopp. Having helped the team regain the lead, he was still full of fighting spirit, aiming to help the team secure the victory completely.

With over forty minutes left in the match, the opponents had enough time to equalize, or even take the lead.

The bald middle-aged man standing in the northeast corner of the stadium was very interested in Liverpool U 18’s number 28 player. He was thinking… perhaps he could talk to Begiristain about finding a way to bring this super genius to Manchester City.

From Li Qing’s performance, he was very much like Messi back in La Masia. In terms of goal-scoring efficiency, he was even stronger than Messi when he played for Barcelona B team.

As long as he could continue this talent, not to mention surpassing Messi, he would at least not be much worse than Messi.

This… no matter how much money it cost, it would bring returns!

“Awoo awoo awoo—”

At the same time, the few Liverpool fans let out a massive, tsunami-like roar, cheering on the monstrously talented Li Qing.

Manchester City U 18 star players Sancho, Foden, Diaz, and Nmecha shook their heads repeatedly as they watched Li Qing score a hat-trick. They never imagined that Liverpool U 18, which they had utterly crushed four months ago, would become so strong under Li Qing’s leadership.

Sancho and Foden, the twin stars, exchanged glances, seeing their own helplessness in each other’s eyes.

They had tried very hard since the beginning of the match, but Li Qing’s performance was abnormal. Through three opportunities, he helped Liverpool U 18 take the lead twice in a row.

Manchester City U 18 head coach Lee Carsley was very frustrated. It wasn’t the first time he had told his players to concentrate during the four periods when goals were most easily conceded. Now, two goals had been conceded during the two easiest periods.

If they had maintained focus at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half, the score would likely be 2:1 instead of 2:3.

Liverpool U 18 head coach Neil Critchley quickly recovered from his excitement, then swiftly called over captain Masterson to arrange the upcoming defense.

Manchester City had conceded two goals at home, they definitely wouldn’t let it go!

“Beep~”

With the referee’s whistle, the match restarted. Perhaps influenced by Li Qing’s exceptionally good performance, Manchester City U 18 players’ attacks were no longer decisive, appearing hesitant.

Manchester City U 18 head coach Lee Carsley watched, his face clouded with gloom. In this situation, there was very little he could do as the head coach. He had already encouraged his players, but whether they could overcome it depended on their self-psychological adjustment ability.

Then, his gaze turned to Li Qing, who was the most eye-catching player for Liverpool U 18.

It was already very difficult to score a hat-trick in a strong-on-strong match, but every goal from the young player in his eyes was astonishing, especially the first and third goals, which seemed to be scored specifically to target their morale.

In stark contrast were the Liverpool U 18 players on the field; they were all full of fighting spirit and energy. Many 50- 50 ball contests were won by their “who else but me” momentum.

This… was not a good sign.

Facing the decline in player form, Lee Carsley could only make changes to the personnel on the field.

Less than ten minutes into the second half, Manchester City U 18 made two positional adjustments in a row.

Neil Critchley looked back at the substitutes’ bench, deep in thought. Eventually, he shook his head, deciding not to make any changes for now.

Based on the current state of the players on the field, there was no need for adjustments yet. The players were in high spirits, and the second half had only just begun a few minutes ago, so their physical energy was still abundant. Substitutes might not be able to perform as well as the players already on the field.

Let’s wait and see…

Time ticked by, minute by minute. Sancho, who had previously contributed a goal and an assist for Manchester City U 18, became active again. He used his dribbling and passing to put continuous pressure on Liverpool U 18’s defenders.

As time went on, Diaz and Foden’s forms were also re-activated.

The improvement in game quality brought by the resurgence of Manchester City’s three youth talents—Sancho, Foden, and Diaz—was quite evident.

In the sixtieth minute, Sancho’s long-range shot from outside the box hit the outside of the right post and flew out of bounds, serving as a warning to Liverpool U 18’s goal.

Li Qing remained Liverpool U 18’s most threatening player during this period. His ball control, breakthroughs, and passing caused panic in Manchester City U 18’s defense. For this, Manchester City U 18 players even received two yellow cards.

If one were to define this match beforehand, it could be described as ‘Li Qing fighting Manchester City U 18 alone’.

The ball came to Li Qing’s feet again. Facing the double-team of two defenders, he continuously used basic pushes, pulls, and turns to dribble, always maintaining control of the ball, which greatly shocked the fans watching from the sidelines.

This… ball control, is too excellent, isn’t it?

However, Li Qing, whose skill, dribbling, and ball control had not yet reached eighty, was not refined enough in handling details. Therefore, when encountering a third defender, he would appear somewhat flustered. However, because Manchester City U 18 players were worried about defensive loopholes being exploited on the far side, they did not send too many defenders.

Nevertheless, individual effort could never compare to the entire team. Manchester City U 18, as the only undefeated team in the entire England Youth Super League, was significantly stronger than Liverpool U 18. Sancho used his excellent footwork and speed to break through to the byline and deliver a high-quality cross.

Substitute Hardy swept the ball into the net from inside the box after falling, helping Manchester City U 18 equalize.

The live commentator first focused the camera on Sancho, then turned it to Li Qing, who had scored a hat-trick for Liverpool U 18 in this match.

The former excitedly raised his arms in celebration, while the latter stood with his hands on his hips, his young face filled with intense unwillingness.