Guardiola has been dealing with reporters and the media for a long time.
He knew very well that at this moment, praising the opponent was more effective than a pale explanation.
"Nothing Can Defeat Us"
This was the headline on the front page of the Echo.
"At the start of the season, Liverpool managed a 0:0 draw at home against Man City."
"In the subsequent league title race, Liverpool has always been at a disadvantage. We have always been the chaser."
"Since the league was restructured, as a traditional giant of European football, we have yet to win a single Premier League title."
"And this season, our direct competitor is the defending champion, Manchester City, who won the title last season with a record-breaking 100 points."
"There was a time when we pessimistically thought that Liverpool would miss out on the team's second Premier League title again this year."
"When everyone was waiting to see Liverpool become a laughingstock, we, at the Etihad, gritted our teeth and won this crucial 6-point battle with unyielding tenacity."
"Playing away from home, we fought back from the brink of defeat and won the most important Premier League match of the season!"
"Guardiola believes it was the rain that changed the result of the match. He is wrong. Because nothing can defeat us. Because we are Liverpool. We ourselves are a miracle!"
As the mouthpiece of Liverpool, the Echo naturally sided with the club.
Under their incitement, the blood in the chests of many Liverpool fans was ignited.
After taking a two-goal lead and then being caught up in a short period of time, their mood had once sunk to the bottom.
At that time, they had sadly thought that Liverpool would probably miss out on this year's league title again.
But Tendou stood up.
A young player, who was about to turn 18, had kicked away the gloom hanging over the heads of the people of Liverpool with two goals.
The Manchester Evening News, on the other hand, criticized Guardiola's tactics in its report, believing that he did not understand England enough, because English football is always accompanied by rain.
He should have been prepared from the moment he took charge of Manchester City, instead of using the rain as an excuse for losing afterward.
At the same time, they were still praising Tendou in the report.
"TJ, a young man who is about to turn 18, is gradually becoming the hottest star in the world at Anfield at an astonishing speed!"
"With the outstanding performance of this exceptionally talented young man, Liverpool has taken a victory from the Etihad!"
Well, although the Manchester Evening News was unhappy that Man City had lost, they couldn't help but be sarcastic towards Liverpool, mocking them for relying on a young player to win.
But their praise for Tendou was genuine.
Tendou's performance in these few matches was there for all to see.
So far, his streak of assists in consecutive matches has not been broken, while his goal-scoring streak was interrupted for one match.
However, with his brace in this match, his goals per game average has also risen to over 1.
This was terrifying.
Messi and Ronaldo had not yet completely faded, but another player whose goal droughts were measured in minutes seemed to have already appeared.
The most frightening thing was that besides his goals and assists, Tendou's tackle and pass completion rates had both reached a staggering 90%.
This was a complete and utter monster.
Of course, Manchester City had not yet admitted defeat. They still had more than a dozen rounds to overtake Liverpool again.
After the match, Isagi Yoichi's mood could not calm down for a long time.
He had originally planned to meet up with Tendou after the match but ultimately gave up on the idea.
Because the two of them were no longer on the same level.
This trip to England had left a deep impression on him.
After the Neo Egoist League, he had become a household name in Japan. His posters were even plastered on the streets.
A while ago, when he was walking on the street, he would even encounter fans who came up to ask for his autograph.
But in England, the people here had no eyes for him at all, treating him as just a tourist.
The only ones who could enjoy the frantic following of fans here were the world-class stars.
Clearly, Isagi was not one yet.
After experiencing the top-tier football of the Premier League, he then went to France, Italy, Germany, and Spain, seeing what top-tier world football was really like.
After a full circle, he returned to Blue Lock.
At this time, the 23 players selected for the Blue Lock roster had gathered again.
During this period, Ego Jinpachi had arranged different training methods for everyone.
For example, for Isagi, Ego had him go and witness the world's top football and, targeting his characteristics, sent him many match videos to study.
Isagi had gained valuable experience and a path forward from this.
Itoshi Rin had gone to a temple to dispel his hostility.
Barou had gone to train with the national rugby team. Chigiri had gone swimming. Bachira had gone to an elementary school to teach children how to play football.
The training methods were varied and strange. What should have been proper football training was turned into a social experiment by Ego.
But magically, everyone felt that they had benefited greatly.
"Long time no see, Yoichi. What kind of training did you do this month?" Bachira saw his friend and came over to greet him cheerfully.
"Mr. Ego had me go watch matches in the top five leagues and also had me watch a lot of game tapes."
"You actually watched the Man City vs. Liverpool match live?"
Bachira had clearly also watched the match. When he learned that Isagi was actually there, he was filled with envy.
"That's so great. I watched it at home. At the time, I was thinking, if only I were there."
"But Liverpool and Man City are really so strong."
"Yeah, not just in the league. I feel like they'll also get very good results in the Champions League. They're title favorites."
The group chatted happily and then ran into the others who had returned to Blue Lock, such as Mikage Reo and Chigiri Hyoma.
Reo said seriously, "It's not that easy. Liverpool's next opponent is Bayern! This match will be tough for your team."
Speaking of Bayern, everyone's expression became a bit more solemn.
A month has passed since that top-of-the-table clash between Man City and Liverpool.
During this period, Liverpool and Man City had been frantically accumulating points in the league.
The title race had entered a white-hot stage.
Liverpool had won 1:0 away at Brighton, then 4:2 at home against Crystal Palace, and then successively defeated Leicester City, West Ham United, and Bournemouth, achieving a long winning streak.
Manchester City was not far behind. Apart from a draw away at Chelsea, they also had not lost a single match.
However, because of that one draw, they were now 3 points behind Liverpool.
Such a point difference was clearly not secure, especially with Liverpool's Champions League opponent being Bayern.
Many fans began to worry.
Before Tendou joined Liverpool, the team had already played all their Champions League group stage matches.
He had missed the last match against Napoli.
And in the round of 16 draw, Liverpool had been unlucky enough to draw the southern kings, Bayern Munich.
This year's Champions League round of 16 matchups are as follows:
Atlético Madrid VS Juventus.
Schalke VS Manchester City.
Manchester United VS Paris Saint-Germain.
Tottenham VS Borussia Dortmund.
Lyon VS Barcelona.
Roma VS Porto.
Ajax VS Real Madrid.
And Liverpool VS Bayern.
When this draw came out, Klopp's face immediately darkened.
Speaking of which, Liverpool's luck in the Champions League draw this year was really something else.
In the group stage, they were placed in Group C with PSG, Napoli, and Red Star Belgrade.
It was widely regarded as the group of death.
And then in the knockout stage, with so many opponents, Liverpool had to draw Bayern.
One careless slip, and they might become the "Round of 16 specialists."
Of course, Bayern was also very troubled by this draw. Liverpool had lost in the Champions League final last year. The club had spent a massive 150 million pounds in the summer, with the goal being the Champions League title.
It could be said that neither side was satisfied with this draw. At least the fans were very dissatisfied, all cursing Real Madrid and Barcelona for having a "good godfather."
...
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