Comain himself should have thought about playing against Arsenal this weekend.
As a manager, whether it was himself, the media, or his colleagues, they would all remind him.
But he had learned the lesson of his failures in October and November. He was overcautious when fighting on two fronts. It was easier to lose if he generously said that he would distribute his energy equally.
In addition, this Champions League group stage finale was a life-and-death battle. Once Liverpool suffered a defeat, they would move to the Europa League. That kind of ending was not what anyone wanted to see.
Therefore, under such circumstances, he could only go all out and not think about the game against Arsenal this weekend.
Fortunately, the progress of the game was absolutely in Liverpool's favor. Now, with Sammy Lee's reminder, he should make the rational and right choice.
Save your strength for the BIG4 civil war this weekend!
Moreover, Fiorentina had been beaten to a pulp by Liverpool. He believed that the team would not mess up. Now Liverpool's morale was high and the whole team was highly focused on the game. There was no situation where they would underestimate the enemy.
In the 65th minute of the game, when Qin Xiong received Torres's return pass in the front field and blasted a long shot that deviated from the goal, the referee blew the whistle to stop the game and signaled for a substitution on the sidelines.
Qin Xiong turned his head to look and was a little surprised to see that Comain had chosen to replace him first.
"Liverpool, who is leading 3: 0, is the first to make a substitution. There is some commotion in the Anfield stands. It seems that the fans are not satisfied with Comain's substitution of Qin Xiong. Lucas will play to replace Qin Xiong. This should be a clear sign that Liverpool wants to hold on to the fruits of victory."
Qin Xiong walked to the sidelines and after a high-five with Lucas, Qin Xiong walked off the field. He raised his arms above his head and applauded to the fans. Comain put his arm around Qin Xiong's shoulder after he came over and said in his ear, "The team needs you for the game against Arsenal this weekend. Have a good rest now."
Qin Xiong understood why he was substituted. In fact, as a player, he rarely cared about who he would play in the next game. He did his job well and often only found out about his opponent in the pre-game preparation meeting. Then he listened carefully to the coaching staff's introduction of the opponent and game deployment.
Comain's reason for substituting him was impeccable. After all, the Premier League was about to enter the devil's Christmas schedule. He also had to preserve his fitness to cope with the cruel schedule.
Five minutes later, Comain used the second substitution.
Yossi Benayoun came on the field to replace Gerard.
Gerard received applause from the fans in the stadium when he came off the field. After he came off the field, he put on a thermal coat and sat next to Qin Xiong. He smiled easily and said, "I thought Xavi would be the second to be substituted."
Qin Xiong stared at the field calmly with his arms around his chest and said faintly, "The team needs Xavi to control the situation on the field. At least the middle and backfield can't be messed up. The most frightening situation is that the backfield doesn't even have a stable place to play the ball and there's no receiving point. With Xavi on the field, everyone will at least not be confused about the transition between offense and defense. "
Gerrard nodded, and then silently watched the game together with him.
Fiorentina had the idea of trying to counterattack after Liverpool's two main players came off the field, but Liverpool's interceptions in the middle and backfield were too fierce!
Lucas and Mascherano could help defend the flanks at will and did not have to worry about the middle defense being empty.
However, this gave Fiorentina some opportunities for set pieces. Unfortunately, luck did not seem to favor the Purple Lily. Their set pieces did not create a clear threat.
In the 80th minute of the game, Comain used the last substitution and replaced Torres with Babel. Then he let Kuyt return to the midfield and changed to a 4-4-1 formation. Liverpool's defensive strength in the middle and backfield went up another level!
Fiorentina was almost in a desperate situation.
They tried very hard to play fast attacks, but the attacking players would be drowned in Liverpool's crazy and intensive defense in the middle and backfield.
The game came to the end in an uneventful rhythm.
"The referee blew the whistle at the end of the game. The 2009-2010 UEFA Champions League Group E games are all over. In the last focal battle, Liverpool defeated Fiorentina 3: 0 in Anfield with Qin Xiong's brace and Torres' goal.
In the other game, Lyon defeated Di Bissegni 4: 0 at home.
The final standings of this group are as follows.
Lyon won 4 out of 6 games, drew 1 and lost 1, with 13 points.
Liverpool won 4 out of 6 games, drew 1 and lost 1, with 13 points.
Fiorentina won 3 out of 6 games, with 9 points.
Di Bissegni lost 6 out of 6 games, with 0 points.
Although Liverpool and Lyon had the same points, Liverpool drew 1 and lost 1 in the record of the two teams, so they could only settle for second place in the group.
Fiorentina was more regretful that they could only move to the Europa League. Prandelli's team could not create a miracle in Anfield, which made their past three consecutive victories and efforts ultimately go down the drain.
For Liverpool, it was good news to successfully advance to the Champions League's top 16, but they were ranked second in the group, which meant that there was a high probability of drawing a strong opponent in the Champions League's top 16 draw. However, in view of Liverpool's recent comeback, they should not be afraid of any strong opponents.
Well, after the Champions League group stage is over, the Champions League will temporarily say goodbye to us. We can only watch the Champions League again in the middle of February next year. Audience friends, see you again in February 2010! "
After the game, Anfield reverberated with the fans singing the team song in unison. Qin Xiong stood up and took the jersey he had taken off before. He walked to the edge of the stands, and the fans in the stands scrambled to ask him for the jersey.
He looked around and saw a little boy about ten years old. He walked forward and personally handed the folded jersey to the little boy. The little boy should have come to watch the game with his father. His father had a surprised smile on his face and kept thanking Qin Xiong. He also praised Qin Xiong's wonderful performance in the game.
Qin Xiong reached out and stroked the hair of the shy little boy. Then, he looked at his father and said with a smile, "I also look forward to the day when I can bring my child to watch a football match. That feeling will definitely be great!"
"Of course! But first, your child must be a fan and have his own side to support. "
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind. I hope he's a fan and has his own favorite team."
Qin Xiong kept raising his hands and applauding the fans as he left. At the exit of the players' tunnel, the media waited for Qin Xiong's arrival.
He simply accepted the reporters' questions and only expressed his views and position when he was asked if he was worried that Liverpool would draw a strong team in the Champions League's top 18 final.
"Liverpool won't have any worries or panic. It's our opponents who should pray that they don't draw Liverpool. Otherwise, their Champions League journey will be over."
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