Chapter 87: The Seed of Glasgow (Part 2)
Facing McAllister's barrage of attacks, Gerrard walked directly down the stairs from the bench and returned to the edge of the court.
He was also very angry.
After being suppressed by Manchester United for 17 years, who else wants to advance to the next round more than him by stepping on Manchester United's corpse?
He has been struggling with this issue for the past week, and in his heart he is praying that Chen Xiaoliang's injury can be healed soon so that he can have a real fight with Manchester United at Old Trafford and celebrate the victory passionately.
It was not until the night before yesterday, after Chen Xiaoliang left, that the old Scottish man called Gerrard back.
Damn it, he actually used Giggs and Scholes as examples on the phone, saying that even a minor injury like a hamstring strain would be immediately protected, so these two people could have such a long career.
But then again, the old guy was right, and his whole life proved it.
"Hey, Steven, you can't hide from me." McAllister chased after him.
"I don't want to talk to you! Do you think this is a World Cup final? Look back at this kid. Have you ever seen a 16-year-old kid play like this?! Just think about the heights he can reach in the future!"
McAllister wanted to argue: "But right now we are..."
Suddenly, they were interrupted by a cry from the audience and the referee's whistle.
Bruno Fernandes collided with McGregor in a header, and both of them fell to the ground - the kind of fall without rolling or howling.
Both the players and the referees know that this is a real injury.
Team doctors from both teams rushed into the field.
After a while, seeing the team turn around and make a substitution gesture, Gerrard and McAllister both smiled.
It was the kind of laugh that made you want to yell "Fuck" and made you speechless with anger.
Substitute goalkeeper McLaughlin took off his jacket and stood on the sidelines ready to go on the field.
Stretcher-bearers arrived and carried McGregor out.
The referee came to the VAR and repeatedly confirmed on the screen that Bruno Fernandes jumped up to compete for the header when McGregor had already caught the ball, and his forehead hit McGregor's chin.
The referee returned to the field and showed the second yellow card to the Portuguese player who stood up with a painful look on his face and touched his forehead!
After complaining to the fourth official, Solskjaer immediately made substitutions, replacing veteran Cavani with Van de Beek, and Luke Shaw replaced Telles who also had a yellow card!
Both sides used up three substitutions!
Gerrard looked up at the clock and it was 73 minutes!
There’s still hope!
The game continues! Manchester United's formation retreated significantly! They took a defensive stance!
Solskjaer couldn't sit still anymore and started walking to the sidelines to direct the players' running and positioning.
According to the plan, Matic was supposed to leave the field after 75 minutes, but now can only continue to hold on.
Faced with Rangers' continued advancement in the middle using their numerical advantage, he could only use his body to fight against the two black players, Kamara and Aribo, as his movement speed became slower and slower. Not long after, he received a yellow card.
In the frontcourt, Van de Beek and Greenwood were like a pair of live treasures, completely sealing Manchester United's attack.
Every time the Dutch midfielder passed the ball, he would think about rushing into the penalty area, then stretch out his hand and shout for the ball, fearing that the Rangers defender would not know that he had inserted himself.
The British star was like a blind man. No matter how his teammates asked for the ball or how Solskjaer shouted, the only thing he thought about was breaking through and cutting inside.
In the 84th minute of the game, Aribo made a long shot, but De Gea saved it from going out of bounds, corner kick!
Gerrard kept shouting, "Press forward, press forward!" Ivoit walked towards the corner area. Apart from the goalkeeper, only Patterson was left in the backcourt!
Corner kick! The Rangers players on the bench clenched their fists nervously!
Chen Xiaoliang could tell at a glance that the ball was not kicked well. It went to the middle and was too close to the goalkeeper's control!
Sure enough, De Gea attacked directly!
Zhan Jun:
"De Gea jumps high!"
"One-punch shot!"
“The ball didn’t go far!”
"It flew to the penalty area line! Kamara received the ball! He's going to take a long shot!"
"McTominay blocks it! The ball hits his feet!"
"Bounce to Kent's feet!"
"Kent shoots!"
"Wan Bissaka fell to the ground to block!"
"De Gea saves again!"
"The ball refracted!"
“This ball goes in!!!”
The Rangers players were extremely excited !
Kent ran all the way to the bench and hugged Gerrard!
McAllister also raised his fists high!
This goal is Liverpool's revenge on Manchester United!
Back to the center circle, Manchester United kicks off!
Rangers continue to maintain their offensive advantage!
The score is now 3-3! The away goals of both teams are tied! One more goal will completely end the game!
However, Manchester United still held on, 95 minutes, regular time ended! The game entered overtime!
According to UEFA rules, after the European knockout stage enters overtime, both sides can have an extra substitution opportunity.
Looking at Gerrard who was explaining tactics to the players on the sidelines, Chen Xiaoliang couldn't control his emotions. He stood up and wanted to go forward and apply to play again!
Suddenly a hand grabbed him.
Chen Xiaoliang looked down and saw that it was old Davis.
Although this veteran with a powerful presence is vicious, his tough style and unyielding character, coupled with his extremely long career, make him a locker room leader in the team that is no less than captain Tavernier.
Chen Xiaoliang had no choice but to sit down.
Old Davis looked straight at the court and said coldly:
"I want to play, too. If I were 10 years younger and the coach substituted me in a game like this, I would greet his whole family and apply for a transfer the next day.
I spent seven years at Southampton before returning to Glasgow and was always captain whether it was coached by Pellegrino, Mark Hughes or Hasenhuttl.
So you know, when you first came here, I looked down on you.
When I was 34, the club told me at the end of the season that I was too old and they had to make room for newcomers.
I didn't say anything, just packed my bags and left.
This is professional football, you get paid for the job, and if you are of no use, you have to get out.
It's not that the team will keep you just because you are as loyal as Giggs or Zanetti.
Is Raul strong? The symbol of Real Madrid, but he has to go when the time comes.
I have worked for four clubs in my life, and including the youth teams, I have met nearly ten head coaches.
There are good guys, there are scumbags, there are those who have gained fame in vain, and there are those who are really capable.
Today's coaches are under too much pressure. If they don't perform well, they will face unemployment. If I were the head coach today, I would definitely let you play with injections.
As long as we can win the game, what does it have to do with me whether you get injured or not?
What's more, you are on loan. If you get seriously injured, I can just send you back to Tottenham according to the loan agreement.
Even if you can't sell for a good price because of your injury, I won't suffer any loss.
And if I can beat Manchester United today, or even win the Europa League, there will definitely be a bigger team inviting me to coach next season.
By then, you will be recuperating at home while I will be going to a new club. If the media asks about it, I can just hypocritically say a few words of regret.
Then I became successful and you were slowly forgotten.
I don't like nonsense. You have been in Glasgow for almost a year. This should be the first time I have a good talk with you, but there is one thing you have to understand:
There are very few coaches who can withstand the pressure and treat their players as friends rather than commodities.
To be honest, many of us envy you——
You should cherish the opportunity to meet such a head coach in your first year of playing football.
What McAllister said just now is right. If it were me today, I would also be willing to play with a closed injection.
But I am already 36 years old, and it is not a loss for me to try for a Europa League title before retiring.
And you? Is your life worth just one game?"
After old Davis finished speaking, he didn't wait for Chen Xiaoliang to reply. He just stood up and left, walked to the sidelines to hand out water and stretch the hamstrings of the players who were preparing for overtime.
