Football: The strongest post-2000s Chapter 074

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Before the training ended, assistant coach Krawietz announced the eighteen-man squad for tomorrow night’s Premier League Round 23 match at Anfield at 8 PM. Li Qing was the only player promoted from the youth team to be included.

The other seventeen were Karius, Mignolet, Milner, Lovren, Matip, Clyne, Klavan, Moreno, Emre Can, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Lucas, Lallana, Coutinho, Origi, Firmino, and Mané.

Li Qing’s inclusion in the squad was naturally not because he outran Mané in a straight line, but because his own abilities impressed Klopp’s coaching staff.

When the full squad was announced, Alexander-Arnold and Woodburn were already mentally prepared, so there were no emotional fluctuations. Upon hearing of Li Qing’s inclusion in the squad, they immediately offered their blessings, hoping that Li Qing could make an appearance in tomorrow night’s Red-Blue Derby and perform as brilliantly as he did in the FA Cup.

“It’s not me bragging, but as long as the gaffer gives me a chance, I’ll definitely make Conte’s team lose their way!”

“Who is Conte?”

Alexander-Arnold asked curiously.

“Antonio Conte, Chelsea’s head coach!”

Firmino, who was passing by, gave Li Qing a thumbs up: “Hahaha~ Conte, that description is spot on!”

Compared to the less-regarded FA Cup, Liverpool placed great importance on the Premier League. Players included in the eighteen-man match squad went directly to the hotel after training, unlike the FA Cup where they only went on the day of the match.

As soon as Li Qing’s inclusion in Liverpool’s eighteen-man league squad appeared on the Premier League’s official website, a large number of media outlets showed high interest. INS, Twitter, Weibo, Facebook, and other personal social media sites quickly reposted it, and Dongqiudi immediately sent out an official tweet.

Li Qing, at just 15 years and 348 days old, set the record for the youngest FA Cup appearance and youngest goalscorer. So, tomorrow, at 15 years and 351 days old, can he set the record for the youngest Premier League appearance?

The youngest Premier League goalscorer?

Meanwhile, Chelsea head coach Conte couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow when he saw Li Qing’s name on Liverpool’s eighteen-man squad list.

For some reason, he felt a bit uneasy seeing this teenager, not yet sixteen years old, on the match squad.

Could it be… his appearance would threaten the team’s chances of getting points away from home?

Thinking of this possibility, he shook his head. Could a teenager not even sixteen years old decide the outcome of a Premier League match?

Impossible!

Every player in his team was a star player known to fans worldwide. Could they lose points away from home?

Still impossible!

Moreover, he knew Klopp quite well. For such an important league match, why would he abandon experienced and capable star players to use a young player with no Premier League experience?

If it were an FA Cup or League Cup trial, a match concerning next season’s Champions League qualification spots would definitely not do!

Clearing his thoughts, Conte focused his attention on Firmino, Mané, and Coutinho. In his opinion, only these three players could threaten his team’s defense.

Li Qing arrived at the hotel parking area by team bus. From a distance, he saw the entrance surrounded by Liverpool fans in red jerseys, holding up banners, slogans, or fan scarves. Some player fans even held up player posters to show their personal affection for that player.

Strangely, there were more fans holding Klopp posters than player posters.

Li Qing, waiting in line to get off the bus, felt a little sour. He hadn’t seen a single poster of himself.

Hmph!

Just wait!

Don’t let this young master appear in tomorrow night’s match, otherwise, I’ll make myself known to fans worldwide!

The next morning, Li Qing woke up early. While his roommate Firmino was still asleep, he washed up and had breakfast. After resting for about an hour, he went to the hotel’s gym for a warm-up.

Li Qing’s enthusiasm was noticed by Klopp’s coaching team. They exchanged glances, and each could see a hint of movement in the other’s eyes.

The 23rd round of the 2016- 2017 Premier League season was different from usual. The ten matches in this round only had two kick-off times: seven matches started at 8 PM on January 31st, British time, and the remaining three started at 8 PM the next day, which was 8 PM on February 1st.

Liverpool’s home match against Chelsea could be said to be the most anticipated clash of this round. Therefore, there were many reporters in Liverpool. Besides local British reporters, there were also a large number of media reporters from Europe and all over the world.

Dongqiudi, which boasts the largest fan base in the world, even sent dozens of reporters to the front line of the Red-Blue Derby to bring the latest information to domestic fans.

Of course, this was a planned arrangement, and Li Qing’s sudden emergence gave them more newsworthy angles to explore.

Dongqiudi reporter Lu Lu had indeed become popular in the past two days due to Li Qing’s excellent performance, but several quick-witted domestic media outlets had already sent reporters to Liverpool to get a piece of the pie, which greatly annoyed him.

With two hours left until the match, at 6 PM, the entire Liverpool team took the bus to Anfield. Compared to the FA Cup Fourth Round match two days ago, the Premier League was clearly more important, which could be easily discerned from the fans’ enthusiasm.

From Liverpool’s hotel all the way to Anfield, a large number of home fans could be seen.

London is only about 300 kilometers from Liverpool, not too far, so from Liverpool city center to Anfield, many Chelsea fans in blue jerseys could be seen.

Sitting on the bus, Li Qing felt his heart rate gradually quicken. The nervous feeling was like a restless first time.

Along the way, the Liverpool fan anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” echoed throughout the city. Li Qing, closing his eyes to adjust his mindset, felt the blood in his body slowly accelerate, his fists naturally clenched, as if possessing infinite power.

Outside Anfield, the plaza was already packed. The Liverpool team bus had to slowly enter the designated parking lot under the escort of security personnel.

The singing of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was still loud. Li Qing followed Firmino out of the bus door. Countless flashes went off from the side, and the clicking sounds continuously rang in his ears.

Although Li Qing was not a big-name player, at 15 years and 351 days old, he was very likely to become the youngest player to appear in the Premier League. The previous record was held by former Fulham player Matthew Briggs, who was 16 years and 65 days old at the time.

If Li Qing could appear in the Red-Blue Derby, then… these pre-shot materials would be very useful. _

Feilu reminds you: Three things to do when reading – collect, recommend