"Bullshit! You're not scoring another goal!"
After making the save, Neuer let out a loud roar.
So far, the first half of the match had been a disaster for Bayern.
The number one in the Bundesliga was being thoroughly dominated by the number one in the Premier League.
In over 30 minutes, they had only managed a meager two shots, with only Noel's being on target. The other was miles off.
Neuer was seething with anger.
Taking advantage of this save, he roared in Tendou's direction.
Tendou smiled with the air of a CEO and gave him a thumbs-up.
Salah came over and patted his shoulder in consolation.
Missing a free-kick is perfectly normal.
The player with the highest free-kick conversion rate in history is Juninho, who scored a total of 77 free-kicks in his career, with a conversion rate of 15%.
So, missing a few shots is the norm!
"Don't let him get to you. He's trying to interfere with you. You're kicking great. He's yelling at you because he's afraid of you," Henderson said, coming over to remind him, worried that Tendou lacked experience.
But Tendou didn't need the reminder.
"I won't be disturbed by him. I've already breached the goal he's guarding, and I've done it twice."
As Tendou said this, he held up two fingers towards Neuer.
The German god-keeper understood his meaning and was thoroughly enraged.
After that, neither side managed to score again, and they entered the locker rooms with a score of 2:0.
During the halftime break, the singing at Anfield was deafening.
Even the most critical Liverpool fans were satisfied with this scoreline.
The gloom from the draw against Burnley was swept away.
In the broadcast booth, Gerrard was still regretting that last shot.
"What a pity. That last free-kick in the first half was saved."
"TJ's free-kicks are a huge threat. He is absolutely a master-class player in this aspect."
"Neuer made a crucial save, otherwise the score would be 3:0 right now!"
In the world of football, every extra goal in a lead multiplies the psychological advantage.
What's more, this was a two-legged tie.
If Liverpool could go to the Allianz Arena with a 3:0 lead, then under the pressure of the league, Bayern might choose to give up on the Champions League and focus on the league.
Coming back from a 3-goal deficit is very, very difficult. It means Bayern would have to score 4 goals while keeping a clean sheet against Liverpool to come back.
"Liverpool's current form is excellent. 2:0 might not be the final score of this match," the host said, his mood relaxed.
He was happy to see a Premier League team thrashing a Bundesliga team.
This would help him speak with more confidence when facing his German colleagues.
"Yes, but Bayern will definitely make adjustments in the second half. They can't let Liverpool play so comfortably," Gerrard said, his eyes filled with nothing but admiration as he watched the replay of Tendou on TV.
"They will most likely come out to attack in the second half."
"Pretend to continue defending, and then launch a surprise attack."
Klopp was laying out his tactics in the locker room.
He told his players not to relax.
Kovač's control over the Bayern locker room was not strong enough. Previously, some players had questioned his tactics in interviews.
The current Bayern players did not completely trust their manager.
As long as the few veterans in the team spoke up, the Bayern players would most likely listen to them, not Kovač.
Ribéry, Thomas Müller, and Noel all had this kind of influence.
They had been playing for Bayern for a long time and had brought countless honors to the club.
After they retire, these people will most likely enter the Bayern management. The locker room politics are deep.
A manager like Kovač, with few honors to his name, could not keep these meritorious players in check.
In fact, in the Bayern locker room, Thomas Müller had already challenged Kovač.
"Niko, we need to hear your opinion."
Hearing this, Kovač's face immediately turned ugly.
"I'm not questioning you, nor do I mean any disrespect, but we all want to win," Müller said. In his heart, he already felt that if Bayern wanted to achieve anything, this Croatian had to go.
He couldn't bring the tactics that Bayern wanted.
But that was a matter for next year. This year, they still had the league and the Champions League to fight for. Although he looked down on this Croatian, Müller still put the bigger picture first and spoke very politely.
Kovač's expression softened a little. He said, "Focus on defense, play on the counter-attack. That Liverpool kid can't possibly score every free-kick that well."
"In the second half, the first thing we need to do is defend. Don't concede another goal. On the counter, give the ball to Coman, let him target Arnold's defensive weakness, and then give the ball to Noel..."
He rambled on and on, but his tactical plan hadn't changed at all.
And, playing like this was too simple. Liverpool was not some small team; they were a giant club on the same level as them.
Defend, pass to Coman, break down the wing, and then cross.
This tactic was too monotonous. To put it bluntly, it still relied on individual ability.
"The Liverpool players are not idiots," Ribéry, compared to Müller, did not give Kovač much face.
He said directly, "They are the number one in the Premier League. Even Manchester City's complex passing and control can't easily penetrate Liverpool's defense. Breaking down the wing and crossing, you think such a simple tactic can break through Liverpool's goal?"
"And, we're already two goals down. We need to score now!"
...
With two of the big bosses speaking up one after another, no one else in the locker room dared to breathe.
Müller was a German international and captain. He had been in the Bayern youth academy since 2000 and had been playing for the club for 19 years.
Only a club legend like him had the right to speak to the head coach like this, without worrying about being benched or sent down.
Ribéry had also played for Bayern for a long time, and he was already 35 this year, on the verge of retirement.
At this stage of his career, he only hoped to bring something to Bayern in his final moments.
"Then what do you want? If you question that my tactics are useless, you can boldly state your thoughts!" Kovač was flustered and spoke directly in Croatian.
It was only after the translator explained that Müller and the others understood.
This move made most of the Bayern players feel unhappy.
Kovač was now working for Bayern; he should be speaking German. This was a basic level of respect.
"Make a substitution. Let Thomas and Franck come on!" Noel also spoke up at this time. He couldn't stand the manager's incompetence. He said, "We can't just sit back and defend. We have to fight back!"
Liverpool's trident's attacking power was in the top three in all of Europe.
In the past, they lacked an organizer who could activate them.
With Tendou's arrival, Liverpool had gained the creativity they needed most. Now, the trident's firepower was on another level.
Sitting back and defending was a dead end.
They had to fight back, to push them back, to effectively reduce the risk of conceding goals.
...
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