The Sacrificial Banner

Yang Yang often said that fans always underestimated the competitiveness of professional football.

Why did he say that?

Because they easily overlooked one thing: from professional players to professional coaches, they all relied on football to make a living. They ate, slept, rested... everything they did was for the sake of playing better.

When a person focused on one thing for a long time, the ability that erupted from that focus could be terrifying. Surely, many people could imagine that.

But what if a group of people all focused on the same thing for a long time?

What if two groups of people focused on doing the same thing from different angles at the same time?

The reason European professional football was the world's top professional league was that it was also where competition was the most brutal.

Three days earlier, Liverpool had lost 3–1 to Chelsea at home, suffering a devastating blow.

Everyone felt that Liverpool was finished. Not only were they unlikely to win the title, but their hopes of advancing could only be entrusted to a miracle.

Many even felt that Liverpool might collapse completely, because after finishing the second leg of the Champions League, they would face Arsenal, followed by an FA Cup semifinal against Manchester United.

Such a devilish schedule could absolutely cause Liverpool to lose not just one match, but all their efforts for the entire season.

But what Liverpool had to face came not only from within the team, but from outside it as well.

Why had Liverpool lost 3–1 to Chelsea? Where had they lost? What lessons were worth learning?

Allardyce, Blackburn's Head Coach, immediately provided an answer!

In just three days, this renowned English manager, reputed to be the earliest local coach to conduct tactical data analysis, had made a move