"Goalkeeper: Reina."
"Defenders: Glen Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger."
"Midfielders: Mascherano, Joe Cole, Gerrard."
"Forwards: Kuyt, NGog, Milan Jovanović."
To be frank, Fly hadn't even heard of half the players in this lineup.
This was quite unbelievable; even if his interest in football started relatively late in his previous life, it was still strange that he hadn't heard of more than a few former starting players from a European giant!
Among these starting 11, Fly only knew the goalkeeper Reina, the defender Carragher, plus the two midfielders Mascherano and Liverpool legend Gerrard.
He hadn't heard of the rest, especially the three forwards, which left Fly completely puzzled.
The only one he had a slight impression of was Kuyt.
Fly remembered that in his previous life, this guy seemed to have completed the easiest 'poaching hat-trick' in history.
However, this memory was very vague now, as Fly had lived in this world for nearly 18 years.
Regarding memories from his previous life, apart from those related to football and some major events, he had forgotten almost everything else.
It was quite rare to have even a faint, lingering impression of this guy Kuyt!
When Fly learned of Liverpool's starting lineup before the match, he couldn't help but feel relieved.
"Thankfully, we're facing a pseudo-strong team wearing the guise of a giant; this match should be relatively easy."
After the pre-match press conference, Arsène Wenger walked into the locker room and gave a few brief instructions, telling everyone to pay attention to Liverpool's intensity in physical duels.
At this time, Liverpool's only notable aspect was their physical confrontation; they had nothing else to speak of.
After giving his instructions, Arsenal's 11 starting players walked into the player tunnel, ready to follow the Main Referee onto the field.
Fly, along with the six 'brothers in misfortune,' sat on the substitutes' bench.
The substitutes' bench at Anfield is located in the main stand. Since Premier League stadiums are very standard football stadiums and do not have dedicated substitute benches like the multi-purpose stadiums in China, the substitute bench seats are directly adjacent to the fans' seats in the main stand.
This directly results in the substitute bench being right next to the fan seating in the main stand.
If you looked from a distance, you might even think the players on the bench were just regular fans who didn't make the squad and could only watch the game from the stands.
As soon as Fly sat down, he felt a deep sense of malice coming from all sorts of noises behind him.
Words like various 'FUCKs' were simply incessant.
Fabregas was worried that Fly couldn't handle it and specifically comforted him with a few words.
Honestly, even though he knew that Cesc Fàbregas would wear the Barcelona shirt in the next season and perform a story of 'Loyal and Righteous Guan Erye,' after spending this time together, Fly really couldn't bring himself to dislike Cesc Fàbregas.
Undeniably, Fabregas's concern for him was inseparable from Dad Li.
But being able to help Fly integrate into the team like this, Fly was still a little grateful.
After a few minutes, accompanied by a burst of cheers, the starting players of Liverpool and Arsenal walked out of the player tunnel with the refereeing team.
Since Fabregas, the first captain, and Van Persie, the second captain, were not playing, Arsenal's third captain, Vermaelen, conducted the coin toss with Liverpool captain Gerrard.
Gerrard ultimately guessed the coin correctly and chose to have the first kick-off.
As soon as 15:00 arrived,
The Main Referee blew the whistle to start the match.
The two ace commentators for Sky Sports, the Premier League broadcaster, Martin Taylor and Andy Gray, began their commentary in the studio:
"Ladies and gentlemen, hello everyone, and welcome to the live broadcast of the 2010-2011 Premier League season. This match features Liverpool, playing at home, against the visiting Arsenal."
"...."
After the match started, Liverpool first passed the ball around in their own half a couple of times, then quickly pushed forward, attempting to give Arsenal a shock.
Johnson dribbled to the midfield position and then passed the ball horizontally to Mascherano.
Xiao Ma Ge stopped the ball and then passed it to captain Gerrard.
Gerrard received the ball and played a through ball to the left side of the attacking third. Milan Jovanović controlled the ball and then played a one-two with NGog in the center.
Milan Jovanović created space for himself and got a chance to shoot.
Koscielny moved sideways, attempting to block the shot.
But Milan Jovanović's shot was released a step earlier.
Fortunately, the angle of the shot was quite narrow, making it difficult to score, and Milan Jovanović's effort hit the side netting to the left of the goal.
Seeing Liverpool create a seemingly threatening shot less than two minutes into the game, Arsène Wenger, standing on the touchline, pointed his finger in dissatisfaction, instructing Arsenal's players to focus and not give Liverpool such easy shooting opportunities again.
In the 7th minute, Liverpool attacked again. Mascherano dispossessed Diaby in midfield and then passed the ball to Gerrard.
Gerrard played the ball out wide, and Liverpool's right winger Kuyt crossed the ball from the flank. NGog lost the aerial duel with Vermaelen in the center, and the ball was cleared.
In the 13th minute, Liverpool completed another tackle in midfield. Gerrard got the better of Wilshere in a challenge and immediately played a through ball. NGog, holding off Eboué, forced a shot from a less than ideal position.
As a result, the ball deflected off Eboué's leg, and with goalkeeper Almunia already shifting his weight, the ball bounced and hit the right post before rolling horizontally less than 20 centimeters in front of the goal line.
Fortunately, Almunia dived towards the ball in time, bringing an end to Liverpool's dangerous attack.
NGog, who missed the golden opportunity, couldn't help but cover his face in frustration. Gerrard walked up and patted him on the head in encouragement.
"Arsenal had a difficult start. Without creating any attacking threat against Liverpool, they have already faced three potential goal-conceding situations."
"This is not the performance of a strong team. Arsène needs to find a solution."
Arsène Wenger also looked displeased on the touchline and quickly signaled to the midfield, telling Wilshere and others to be aware of their surroundings when receiving the ball.
In the opening 10-plus minutes, Arsenal had lost possession in midfield several times.
This is definitely unacceptable!
As the match progressed, Liverpool played better and better, as if they had endless energy to expend.
Especially in terms of physical confrontation, they clearly dominated Arsenal's players.
Watching the game from the substitute bench, Fly was completely confused. What was going on?
This Liverpool team was actually pressing Arsenal? Something wasn't right!
Although Fly didn't know much about the strength of Premier League teams during this period in his previous life, he knew that the current Liverpool team was definitely not considered a strong team.
Before Fabregas, Van Persie, Nasri, and Song left, Arsenal had not yet fallen to the level of the 'top four contenders' they would later become.
The current Arsenal team had the ambition and ability to win a significant trophy.
Such a team, when facing a fallen giant like Liverpool, should be playing a dominant game.
At the very least, they shouldn't be at a disadvantage on the field.
Fly remembered the recent head-to-head records of the two teams published by the media before the match. In the last 5 matches, Arsenal had a record of 3 wins and 2 draws against Liverpool, remaining undefeated!
They had won all of the last three matches!
Thinking of this, Fly was somewhat puzzled by the situation on the field.