"Speaking of which, the Champions League is about to start again. Your group draw this time is hard to judge. Good in some ways, bad in others. Do you have any plans?"
Barnett chatted with Leo Lin as they ate barbecue.
"No real plan. We'll take it one step at a time and see how it goes. Of course, finishing top of the group would be best. That has always been our goal."
Beside them, Firmino was grilling meat for Vivian.
"The main opponent is still Paris Saint-Germain. Their league dominance is too strong. That kind of control is rare."
"Because of Neymar, my national team teammate, I often watch Paris matches. They're practically dominant in Ligue 1."
Firmino thought back to Paris Saint-Germain's recent dominance in Ligue 1. It felt similar to peak Juventus in Serie A, or peak Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
"That's normal. Actually, you don't need to worry too much about that, because Paris in Ligue 1 and Paris in the Champions League are quite different, both tactically and in terms of player performance."
Barnett knew quite a lot about this. More than once, he had heard fans talk about Paris Saint-Germain's poor performances in the Champions League.
Barnett leaned back in his rocking chair, savoring the barbecue as he rocked back and forth.
"Creak."
"Creak."
Leo Lin listened to the creaking beside him and gradually drifted off. When he opened his eyes again, he was already sitting on the bench.
...
September 18, the third round of the EFL Cup. Liverpool were facing a team from League One.
The gap in strength between the two sides was simply too large. Klopp sent out a fully rotated lineup, and Rodri finally got his chance to start. His performance was excellent.
But because the opponent was too weak, it did not offer much reference value.
All the main stars were sitting on the bench. Leo Lin leaned back in his seat, chatting with Firmino while watching the match on the pitch.
Beside him, Salah kept his eyes on Shaqiri. He wanted to use Shaqiri's performance on the pitch to give his friend some advice.
The two of them were clearly competing for rotation minutes, but Salah and Shaqiri had hit it off immediately and got along very well.
In the end, Solanke scored from the penalty spot, and Shaqiri added another goal. Liverpool beat their opponent 2-0 and advanced successfully to the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
This was the final English football match before the first round of the Champions League group stage, giving all the players rotation and rest so they could enter the Champions League in their best condition.
When Neymar completed a full-length Wing Breakthrough, when Barcelona stunned Paris Saint-Germain with an unbelievable comeback, when magical Monaco reached the Champions League knockout stage...
When everything possible and impossible happens here, friends, welcome back to the Champions League.
"Paris and Liverpool are actually somewhat similar in certain ways."
"This season, Liverpool are using their midfield to free up the flanks, which is fairly similar to Paris's tactical function."
"We all know how strong Paris Saint-Germain's two wide players are. Neymar and Mbappé always create a lot of goals in Ligue 1."
"So I'm really looking forward to this match. I think something very interesting is bound to happen."
On a special Champions League program, Scholes, Wayne Rooney, and Mascherano discussed the first round of the Champions League group stage, which would begin the next day.
The key battle in Group A was a heavyweight clash in the very first round, Paris Saint-Germain against Liverpool.
"Considering the recent form of both teams, I still favor Liverpool. Since the new season began, their new lineup has gelled better than we imagined, and their squad depth has improved."
Mascherano favored Liverpool. Scholes and Wayne Rooney felt the same. In fact, the calls for a Liverpool win were clearly louder.
That was only natural. After all, Liverpool's recent form had been outstanding. But Klopp did not think that way. He had to make sure they were cautious enough.
"I don't know what other people think, but we have to be careful and cautious enough. Only then can we avoid being beaten in the Champions League."
"We won the Champions League last season. Some of you weren't in our squad then, some have already left, and for some of you, this may be your first time playing in a competition at this level."
"What I want to tell you is this. If you want to win, you have to be at your best."
September 20, Liverpool's final preparation.
Klopp had already finished setting out the tactics, and the last thing he stressed was that they absolutely could not relax or become careless.
For the first group-stage match, Liverpool would travel to Paris and face their opponent at the Parc des Princes.
The Parc des Princes was packed, and everyone in the stadium was ready for a massive battle.
ESPN's Champions League coverage began.
Scholes had already received both starting lineups.
"I have the starting lineups right here. Paris Saint-Germain are going with a 4-3-3."
"Goalkeeper: Areola."
"Defenders: Bernat, Kimpembe, Thiago Silva, Meunier."
"Midfielders: Di María, Marquinhos, Rabiot."
"Forwards: Neymar, Cavani, Mbappé."
"The deadly wide pairing of Neymar and Mbappé is the main focus for many fans."
"As for Liverpool, there has been some rotation."
"Goalkeeper: Mignolet."
"Defenders: Robertson, Van Dijk, Lovren, Arnold."
"Midfielders: Wijnaldum, Leo Lin, Henderson."
"Forwards: Mané, Solanke, Salah."
In the dressing room, the players were already prepared. After they entered the tunnel, Mbappé came over to greet Leo Lin, while Neymar chatted with Firmino, who was on the bench.
Referee Pischka led both teams onto the pitch. The battle was about to begin.
With the opening ceremony over, the match officially started.
"The match begins. Paris kick off first. Cavani plays it back directly to Thiago Silva."
"Thiago Silva controls the ball from the back and begins the attack. This is Paris Saint-Germain's tactical approach this season."
Thiago Silva controlled the ball in the back line, and Paris slowed the tempo right down. It looked harmless, but as Thiago Silva waved his right hand, Rabiot suddenly dropped back to receive the ball. He turned, drove forward, burst past Wijnaldum, and then passed left.
The moment Di María received it, he threaded a ball down the left flank. Neymar immediately went one-on-one out wide, forced his way past Arnold, and broke into the penalty area. After reaching the byline, he cut it back into the middle.
Cavani followed up and shot, but Van Dijk made a precise block, stopping Cavani's effort.
Lovren cleared it long, and the danger was gone.
"Beautiful."
"Paris Saint-Germain have created an attacking chance right at the start of the match. That was smooth from start to finish."
"This is the effect of their midfield setup. Rabiot is responsible for carrying the ball forward, Di María handles the forward passes, and Marquinhos sits deeper to protect them. The roles of all three are very clear."
"And whenever there's a chance on the flank, they will drive forward without hesitation."
"Paris are playing very proactively at home. They are here for all three points."
...
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