For the Liverpool fans, it was another disappointing season. The team ended up with nothing in all four categories and only ranked fourth in the league, which was inversely proportional to the fans' expectations before the game. It seemed that the Liverpool fans would have to continue to wait if they wanted the Reds to restore their former glory.
Last summer, Liverpool was one of the teams with the biggest moves in the Premier League transfer market. Their total spending was second only to Manchester United. Among them, the Spaniard, Torres, joined. The €36 million price tag made him the king of the new season. In addition, Benítez had recruited Voronin, Babel, Yossi Benayoun, and other strong players. For a time, the strength of Liverpool's bench was greatly enhanced and could withstand the pressure of multiple battles.
Then, in the winter, the team spent €9 million to bring in the Slovakian player, Shkotl, and set a record for the team's center back. The young defender had squeezed out Hyypia and made people forget that Agger, who had been injured for a long time, was the hope of the Reds' defense.
Benítez's Liverpool performed well in the early part of the season. In the four games in August last year, Liverpool won three and drew one, including a draw with Chelsea. The team's performance also gave people hope of competing for the title, but the team's instability was exposed again. In the next seven games, Liverpool remained undefeated but got five draws. They suddenly pulled away from the top of the list.
A similar situation occurred again after the New Year. January was the most intensive period of the season, but Liverpool drew four and lost one. They were out of the title early. In fact, Liverpool's trend this season was the same as in previous seasons. They had no hope of winning the title in the winter and rebounded strongly in the second half of the season to get a ticket to the Champions League, but the gap between them and the top was 11 points.
Although the lineup was strong, their performance was sometimes more like a pseudo-strong team. In this season's top four, they continued to be at the bottom. They lost to Manchester United twice, drew with Arsenal twice, and drew with Chelsea twice. They did not win a single game, especially in the visit to Old Trafford. The Reds were defeated by Manchester United 3-0. It was no wonder that they could only rank fourth in the league.
In the English EFL Cup, Liverpool was eliminated in the eighth round of the finals. In the FA Cup, they were also swept out in the quarterfinals.
It could be said that Liverpool's fans and senior management were very dissatisfied with their results.
Especially in the Champions League, last season's Champions League runner-up was swept out by Li Ang's Inter Milan with a humiliating score, which made Liverpool's American boss very unhappy.
That was why the Liverpool Football Club's top management had not made up their minds to renew Benítez's contract.
Benítez's contract with Liverpool would expire at the end of May 2010. The Liverpool Football Club's top management had intended to wait for a while to see Benítez's results in the next season. However, it was clear that Benítez was not satisfied with this. He thought that although Liverpool's results were not ideal, they were not that bad. After all, he had led Liverpool to the UEFA Champions League in his first season and had led them to the finals again last season. Such results were enough to put Benítez into the ranks of champion managers. The hesitation of the Liverpool Football Club's top management on the issue of contract renewal made Benítez unhappy.
It was also at this time that Inter Milan contacted Benítez.
Although he was shocked by the news that Li Ang was leaving Inter Milan, it was clear that Benítez was very tempted to take over the legacy of Li Ang's championship team …
*****
The news in The Sun that Inter Milan had invited Benítez to coach shocked the entire football world.
Who Inter Milan invited to coach was not the focus of attention. What ignited all of this was the message behind the news: Li Ang was leaving Inter Milan!
This was explosive news!
Immediately, almost all of the world's sports media was "flooded" with headlines with the same meaning.
"Breaking news! Li Ang and Inter Milan break up?! "
"The departure of Inter Milan's king?!"
"Suspected conflict erupts between Li Ang and Inter Milan's top management!"
"Li Ang and Inter Milan break up amicably?!"
"After conquering Apennine, he turns around and leaves?!"
Similar headlines quickly filled the media.
In addition, the explosive news derived from this explosive news spread even more wildly.
"Barcelona's selection of manager has suddenly changed. The future of Guardiola, who was previously thought to be in charge of the First Team, is in doubt. Barcelona's top management is seriously considering the possibility of inviting Li Ang to coach." – Mundo Deportivo.
The newspaper also changed its attack on Li Ang to praise Li Ang. "There is no doubt that Li Ang's tactics are the closest and most suitable for Catalonia's football. And for this great champion manager, Barcelona's locker room will not be a problem …"
Catalonia's other mouthpiece, News of the World, also used the players' voices to express their welcome to the China champion manager. "According to the news we received from Barcelona, the team's captain, Puyol, highly admires Li Ang and believes that this champion manager is very suitable for Barcelona. In addition, young players, including Harvey and Iniesta, have also expressed their recognition of Li Ang … The team's young rising star, Messi, also praised Li Ang as a respectable super manager …"
"Ronaldinho, who may leave the team, has also suspended his transfer operation. Obviously, the Brazilian superstar is paying attention to this matter. If Li Ang takes over Camp Nou, Ronaldinho is eager to restore glory under this top manager."
Not only Barcelona, but also the city of Madrid began to bustle.
Marca "confidently" stated that Li Ang would indeed leave Inter Milan, and Real Madrid's president, Calderón, was doing his best to invite Li Ang to coach Real Madrid.
Another media, Real Madrid's mouthpiece, AS, also expressed a similar view. "Although Schuster led Real Madrid to win the La Liga title, Schuster was never the first choice of Real Madrid and Calderón. Li Ang is the one that Real Madrid has been chasing. When the opportunity for Li Ang to take over Bernabéu comes again, Real Madrid should not be silent."
It was not just Spain.
In Germany, Bild also broke the news that if Li Ang really broke up with Inter Milan, Bayern Munich would do whatever it took to invite Li Ang to the Allianz Arena.
In England, it was previously rumored that Chelsea's boss, Abramovich, admired Li Ang. Now, in the words of The Guardian, Abramovich had ordered Chelsea's CEO, Kenyon, that after Li Ang left Inter Milan, the only new owner must be Chelsea.
In addition, the Daily Mirror said that after Li Ang's Inter Milan bloodbath in the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal's top management expressed dissatisfaction with Wenger. They were also exploring the possibility of inviting Li Ang to coach Arsenal.
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