Salah wrapped an arm around Leo Lin and ran toward the fans, pointing at Leo Lin's head. He did not even know what he was trying to express. He had never seen Leo Lin score a header like that before.
"Liverpool fans, look at Lin. They can definitely tell he's improved again. Every so often, he shows us something new, and now even his heading ability has improved!"
Scholes had already grown used to praising Leo Lin, just as Gerrard had gradually grown used to it last season.
Ashley Cole put an arm around Gullit, trying to comfort his wounded pride.
"Don't be sad, Gullit. Sure, you talked a load of nonsense before the match and Lin proved you wrong, but that's not really your fault. If anyone's to blame, it's Lin for improving too quickly and too much."
"I think you should become a regular guest and keep commentating on Lin's matches with us. You'd get a lot out of it. Watching Lin play up close, commentating for the fans, and earning some extra money on top. Where else are you going to find a deal that good?"
Without meaning to, Ashley Cole had let his true feelings slip. He really did love commentating.
For a soccer fan, being a match commentator had to be a happy job.
The match was still going on. Two goals down, Lyon were forced to throw everything into attack. If the first leg ended with this score, Lyon would have no idea how much hope they still had in the second leg.
But Liverpool's powerful defensive system, the upgraded overlapping defense built by Zubizarreta, trapped Moussa Dembélé inside it.
Lyon tried again and again to create chances, but they could not even disrupt Liverpool's shape, let alone find any real attacking opportunities.
Shaqiri came on as a substitute, and Fabinho replaced Leo Lin. In the final few minutes, Liverpool steadied their defense and secured the win.
"The first leg of this Champions League Round of 16 tie is over!"
"Liverpool have beaten Lyon 2-0 away from home. They seem to have grown used to the intensity of the Champions League. Winning the title last season has clearly had a very positive effect on this team."
"On top of that, the additions of Van Dijk and Rodri have raised Liverpool's strength even further."
"They will definitely be strong contenders for the Champions League title this season. Definitely!"
Leo Lin had been substituted off to rest in the final minutes. At the moment, he was wiping the sweat from his face while chatting with Lyon players.
The broadcast camera kept cutting to close-ups of different Liverpool players, with Firmino, Rodri, and the others all appearing on screen.
The director seemed to be having fun, rotating between shots of them as if guiding the fans to notice something. Soon, the livestream chat began filling up with comments about their looks.
"I just realized that since Van Dijk and Rodri joined, plus Firmino and Leo Lin, this Liverpool squad has gotten a serious upgrade in looks!"
"We should hold a team-wide best-looking player vote and let all Liverpool fans choose the most handsome man in the current squad, then give him the title of Liverpool's Team Heartthrob!"
"I think that works. Is the head of the Liverpool Supporters' Association watching? Hurry up and organize this so we can vote!"
The Liverpool players knew nothing about it. Leo Lin was attending the post-match press conference.
"This is only the beginning. One leg doesn't mean anything. 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline, and we'll keep working hard in the second leg."
"Lyon are a club worthy of respect. They've fought hard in Ligue 1 for a long time, and they have excellent players and a bright future. I wish them all the best."
"You're right, our form has been very good lately, but that won't affect our mentality, and it won't change the results of future matches. Our goal is to win more games. It always has been."
Just listening to Leo Lin's post-match comments, you would think Lyon were the ones leading 2-0, not Liverpool.
Leo Lin always stayed humble enough and never gave the media any chance to overhype him or Liverpool.
After feeling the changes the Gullit skill had brought to his heading ability, Leo Lin began repeatedly using headers in training to look for scoring chances.
Mignolet soon felt the pain.
Every day, he had to experience Leo Lin's heading improvement for himself. During training, Leo Lin started spending more time with the center backs, using his heading ability to overpower them and sharpen himself.
But Mignolet would not have to suffer for much longer. On January 18, reporters began spotting Mike in Rome, and two days later, Mike left with his team.
Some fans had already guessed what was about to happen. After all, Liverpool's interest in Alisson was no secret.
In the World Cup that had just ended, although Brazil had not performed all that well, Alisson had attracted plenty of attention, and his performances for Roma were getting better and better.
Mike went there determined to get the deal done. Although negotiations with Roma hit plenty of obstacles, he eventually finalized the contract.
"Alisson will definitely be the biggest signing of the Premier League winter transfer window. Congratulations, you've secured another powerful player!"
The Roma president was very reluctant to let him go, but after seeing Liverpool's offer of €50 million plus €10 million in add-ons, he finally decided to sell Alisson. That money was very important to Roma.
Only 20 hours after Mike and his team left Rome, the transfer market director announced the news on the Premier League transfer website.
[Major Transfer Incoming!
The biggest signing of the Premier League winter transfer window has arrived. Congratulations to Liverpool, who have successfully signed Roma's outstanding young goalkeeper, Brazil's new guardian Alisson, for €50 million paid over two years, plus €10 million in add-ons, with the total transfer fee potentially reaching €60 million!]
Once the transfer was officially confirmed, Liverpool fans could not wait to put Alisson's player photo on the front page of the Liverpool Supporters' Association website.
The ones welcoming Alisson were still Henderson and Leo Lin. Looking at Leo Lin, whose face was full of kindness and friendliness, Alisson felt as if he had arrived in an incredibly warm family.
That lasted until the first training match the next day, when Leo Lin hammered one header after another past him, and Alisson could do nothing about it.
Watching Leo Lin score header after header, pressuring him like crazy and looking like a completely different person in training, Alisson doubted his goalkeeping ability for the first time.
Was this really the same warm, kind, and incredibly friendly Leo Lin who had welcomed him yesterday?
How had he become possessed by a demon overnight?
Was it still too late for him to pack his bags and go back to Rome?
...
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