The in-team free-kick competition was, of course, won by Tendou in the end.
His elevator ball technique, comparable to peak Ronaldo, conquered every single player at Liverpool.
Although it was not explicitly stated, from now on, if Liverpool had a free-kick in a prime position, they would definitely think of this clever boy.
"Who won the free-kick game?"
"TJ won."
Krawietz's face was full of amazement.
In his eyes, Tendou was now a treasure trove.
From this treasure trove, you could pull out any valuable treasure you needed.
"Buy him a pizza for me. Remember to give it to him in front of everyone."
"Oh, and ask him what flavor he likes."
Klopp said without looking up.
Krawietz nodded and couldn't help but ask again, "You're paying for this, right?"
"...I'll reimburse you later. Put it on the club's tab."
"You're so cheap!"
Krawietz was defeated, but this kind of small joke was a testament to their friendship.
"How's the team's physical condition?"
"Most of the players are in the safe zone. TJ's stamina is also very good; he has a strong recovery ability."
"Several of the starting midfielders are also recovering well and have a chance to return ahead of schedule."
Liverpool was fighting on multiple fronts this year.
They had to compete in the Champions League, the league, and the FA Cup. Plus, Klopp's high-press tactics were very demanding on the players' stamina.
As the season entered its middle phase, Liverpool had to monitor the players' health every day.
This is what makes the Premier League schedule so insane.
Besides the league, there is also the FA Cup and the League Cup. If you have European commitments, you have to participate in four major competitions every year.
"Finally, some second good news," Klopp said, relieved.
The first good news was, of course, that Tendou was a bargain.
A goal and an assist in consecutive matches—with such a performance, Liverpool would have to give him a raise at the end of the season.
Currently, the highest-paid player at Liverpool is Salah, with a weekly salary of 400,000 pounds, with a maximum floating amount of up to 500,000 pounds (goal bonuses, league/Champions League performance bonuses, etc.).
Next is Van Dijk, with a weekly salary of 350,000 pounds, with a maximum floating amount of up to 400,000.
Alisson is at 250,000, with a maximum floating amount of up to 300,000.
These three are the highest-paid players at Liverpool.
Below them are Arnold at 200,000, Henderson at 160,000, Robertson at 160,000, Mané at 150,000, Jota at 140,000, and Tendou at 130,000, all in pounds.
This is the salary structure of a giant club. Even the starting players of upper-mid-table teams earn the top salary at a club like Tottenham.
Harry Kane, the star of England, currently earns the same salary as Arnold.
This is also the reason why star players move to giant clubs after they have made a name for themselves.
Smaller teams cannot offer such high salaries to players.
This year, the total market value of Liverpool's entire squad has reached a staggering 1 billion pounds, second only to Manchester City's 1.05 billion.
Transfermarkt has not yet announced Tendou's market value, probably because they are collecting more data.
But looking at his performance, fans generally believe that Tendou's first Transfermarkt value will start at 30 million Euros. At that time, Liverpool's overall market value is expected to surpass Manchester City's.
At 4 p.m., after training, Salah once again invited his teammates to be guests at his house.
Tendou participated with Riko. The group had a BBQ at Salah's house and watched the Manchester City vs. Everton match.
The Liverpool players generally believed that the Toffees couldn't cause any trouble for Manchester City, but they still hoped that Everton could create a miracle and get a point at City's home ground.
However, that did not happen.
Manchester City very decisively scored 3 goals in the first half to lock in the victory.
If nothing unexpected happened, after this match, Liverpool would be kicked back to second place by Man City.
"Manchester City's passing in front of the goal is too dangerous."
"Yeah, one slip-up and the ball is passed into the goal."
The Liverpool defenders were under a lot of pressure.
Guardiola's tiki-taka is not the kind of passing for the sake of passing. Even in front of the goal, they will penetrate your defensive line with rapid passes.
This puts huge pressure on the opponent's defense. In such a dangerous position, any mistake can lead to conceding a goal.
In the eighth round, Liverpool had already played against Manchester City, a difficult 0:0 draw at home.
And as expected, although Manchester City eased off in the second half, allowing Everton to score a consolation goal, that was all they could do.
After turning off the TV, the Liverpool players all felt immense pressure.
If Manchester City kept winning like this, Liverpool would not get a chance to breathe.
Of course, for Manchester City, if Liverpool didn't lose, their pressure was also great.
Now it was a competition of who had more resilience.
Arnold just felt that his team was very unlucky.
In previous seasons, with Liverpool's current points, their probability of winning the title would be at least 60%, but now they could only be in second place.
One can only say that Man City's dominance over the league was too terrifying.
And this was not the end. With Guardiola's arrival, Manchester City would be the hot favorite to win the Premier League for the next few years.
According to the history of the original world, Manchester City would create the magnificent feat of winning the Premier League 4 times in a row, creating a new history for the league.
And in 7 years, Guardiola and his Manchester City would take home a total of 6 Premier League trophies.
To encounter such an aircraft carrier at a time when you have the best chance of winning the title is truly a disheartening thing.
"The coach plans to give up the FA Cup to focus on the league and the Champions League."
"The gaffer will be crucified by the English media for that."
"Of course they'll criticize. If all the teams give up the FA Cup, how will they get their ratings?"
Henderson was very clear about the English media's usual tricks.
If Klopp dared to play his substitutes in the next round of the FA Cup, regardless of whether they won or lost, they would accuse Klopp of disrespecting the FA Cup.
To exaggerate, it could even be elevated to disrespecting English football.
They don't care if you're fighting on multiple fronts or how many players you have injured. In short, you can't give up. Giving up is disrespect!
"Don't worry about it so much. Just play our own game."
"By the way, TJ, where are you living now?"
Salah asked about Tendou's residence.
"In an apartment not far from the team's base. Jonathan arranged it for me. The environment is not bad."
The place Tendou was currently living was not far from the Liverpool base, with a monthly rent of 1,000 pounds. Because he had a woman with him, he rented an apartment with as much space as possible and complete facilities.
If he were single, 700 pounds would have been enough for Tendou.
"You can live better, TJ," Salah said, pointing to a spot not far from his own villa. He would never compromise on his material life. "Buy a set. We all live here. If you don't have enough money, I can lend you some first."
Salah lived in the affluent area of Liverpool. 2 million pounds was already quite luxurious.
Henderson had bought a set for less than 2 million, including renovations, although he was often teased by fans for his taste, having decorated his house like a museum.
"I'll consider it," Tendou nodded.
Liverpool was a very good platform. He had no thoughts of transferring for the time being. Purchasing a property here would also make Liverpool support him more.
...
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