The King of Rome

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01/01/2023

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Surprise New Year present in the Merseyside for Liverpool fans

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The Italian legend had his very first press conference at Anfield this afternoon as he signed a 30 000 pound-a-week, 4 year contract with the Merseyside-based club. He comes in to attempt to save Liverpool from relegation as they sit at the very bottom of the Premier League, having lost 6 games in a row under former manager Zidane, who only lasted 4 months in England. The appointment might come as a surprise to many people as Totti was rumoured to have been rejected by Liverpool back in August but the owners of the club clearly showed their intentions to go to the next level. The former Roma manager left after a slow start to the season and his departure is said to have been triggered by a bad relationship with fans who were angry about the rumours of him leaving in the summer and a bad relationship with the board as well, who just like when Totti left the club as a player, maltreated the club legend, forcing him to resign from his position. Totti leaves an incredible squad behind him but fans are now expressing their regret and wished Totti the best of luck for the rest of his career, hoping that he'd one day come back to Italy to manage.

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First official press conference for our new manager, Francesco Totti
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"Francesco, welcome to England! This is obviously your first venture in football, both as a player and manager, outside of Italy. How do you feel?"

It's absolutely amazing, I'm really happy to be able to take on a new challenge here in Merseyside. It's been a tough couple of months for me in Rome because of some issues with the board and the fans and the players but it's just incredible to walk in here at Anfield and I can just already feel the atmosphere of all the fans. I'm really happy to be here and I hope I can bring some success to the club, obviously in a difficult situation right now.

"I've got to say, your English is very good! Are you looking forward to meeting the players?"

For sure, it kind of reminds me of when I joined Inter for my first managerial job and I was very stressed about meeting the players because I was so used to being around Roma players before but I'm very excited, I know there are a lot of young promising players in the team and some club legends too like Coutinho and I'm excited to meet them all for sure.

"Your first game in charge will come against Manchester City in the league just tomorrow. Are you nervous about facing a team also in difficulty this season but most importantly a team that you almost joined last month?"

Not really you know, I did have an interview with the club but in the end they decided that I wasn't the right candidate for the managerial position and the board here accepted to take me on so if anything, it gives me the chance to show the Manchester City owners how wrong they were to not sign me! Other than that I mean obviously the first game is always the most important game as a manager of a new club and the fact that it's against such a big team in the Premier League will mean there will be an amazing atmosphere but also a lot of pressure so now it's up to me to make sure the players are ready for tomorrow.

"We'll get on to the last question now then; you're Liverpool's first ever Italian manager in the history of the club. Does that give you extra motivation to succeed?"

I don't really pay attention to those sort of things to be honest. Liverpool have had a couple of amazing managers in the past and I'm just happy to be able to come in and try to do as well as those managers did. The club has a lot of history and I'm just really happy to be able to be a part of it now and hopefully we'll have a fantastic time here at the club.

"Alright everyone well that does it for the first press conference of Liverpool's new manager Francesco Totti! Francesco, thank you very much and we'll be hoping to see you after the Manchester City game!"

Thanks everyone for your questions and for coming out today, I'm looking forward to an amazing time in England!

 
You caved in! haha how many Roma stars will follow you there?
 
Tobey Mason said:
You caved in! haha how many Roma stars will follow you there?
Click to expand...
When the job became available again, I felt it'd just make sense for the story if I took it! ;)
Not sure who I'll bring with me but I'm definitely keeping an eye on El Shaarawy and the wonderkid Biro. No chance Kenedy would move for less than 50 million...
 
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02/01/2023
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The club:

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Anfield (capacity: 58 800)

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Current top goalscorer View attachment 154175: Philippe Coutinho (5)
Most assists View attachment 154173: Philippe Coutinho (7)
Most bookings View attachment 154172: Felipe Provoste (4 yellows) / Philippe Coutinho (1 red)
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What an honour to be part of this club. I can't wait for the first game against Manchester City later today! We're travelling to the Etihad so it'll be hard for sure but it will be a really great game for sure too. I really can't wait for my first game at Anfield too. After my nightmare last few months in Rome, this just feels absolutely amazing. There's a lot of pressure on me to succeed for sure given the club's history but I'm confident I can take them right to the top again, just like Istanbul against Milan and in the Premier League as well. Given that we're currently bottom, we're going to have to work really hard but after having Zidane and Klopp as managers, I think they'll be used to strong personalities and I definitely won't go easy on them, especially for this Manchester City game. One player I'll definitely be counting on is Coutinho considering how good he's been for such an underperforming team this season. Henderson will also need to be exemplary if we want to succeed with the 19 games left in the league this season and finally, Will Hughes will be the one player I'll play close attention to. He's the vice-captain currently and with 119 games for the club already, he'll definitely be my first choice once Henderson retires so I'm really expecting a lot from him. Anyway, this has been a fantastic first day in Liverpool and I can't wait for the first game given how amazing the Liverpool fans are, even away from home!

 
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02/01/2023

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Liverpool sign promising English goalkeeper David Siddall from Leicester for 7.5 million pounds

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Liverpool fans seem to already worship Totti as he brought in an actual goalkeeper to replace the youth keepers that have been playing since the beginning of the season, effectively leading the Reds to concede 47 goals in 19 games. Brought in for just 7.5 million pounds from Leicester City, the English youth international said he felt ready for a challenge and was happy that he signed on the day of a match, meaning he'll be able to start the game and hopefully put in a good performance in net, something not seen for Liverpool since the beginning of the season as Zidane ignored the fact that the Reds completely lacked a quality goalkeeper. With the game against Manchester City now just a few hours away, this signing will the players some confidence as they prepare to face a team who's also lost their manager and in difficulties at the moment. Question is, who will come out on top?
 
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03/01/2023

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Totti's debut a success as Liverpool steal win at the Etihad

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View attachment 154150 View attachment 154146Starting line-up View attachment 154149: Siddall, Provoste, Schär, Fosu-Mensah, Ellis, Redmond, Henderson,
Hughes, Coutinho, François, Fékir
Bench View attachment 154148: Markovic, Matip, Gray, Clyne, Kondogbia, Lesniak, Bernard

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Liverpool were absolutely clinical up front and incredible in defense as they managed a narrow 2-1 win at the Etihad on this Monday afternoon as Ellis had a dream debut for Liverpool, starting the game at left-back to replace the injured Moreno and grabbing himself a 7.5 match rating in his very first professional game. Totti was delighted in his post-match interview as he talked about how effective defensive football can be when you go up against stronger teams such as Manchester City and how statistically, they should have never been in the match but never gave up and got an incredible victory for his first match in charge. He especially thanked Sacha François as the French striker scored the winning just a minute after City's equaliser, gifting Liverpool all 3 points and taking them to 19th, just 3 points off safety but with one more game that Brighton, who shifted to bottom of the league but play against Burnley later today.

I could not have dreamt of a better start at this club. This just went against everyone's predictions and expectations and we got a victory that puts us in a great position for the future, despite not deserving the 3 points as much as Manchester City did. Nevertheless, I'm REALLY happy about this result because we showed all the Liverpool fans that they shouldn't give up on us and that the players and I will keep fighting and fighting until the final whistle and until we climb up that table to try and finish in the top half if we can. Sacha was incredible out there and responded really well to City's equaliser that had really crushed us so again, what a performance! I can't wait for the next Premier League game now! However, we do have to face Bradford for the FA Cup 3rd round first so let's just get on with that.
 
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07/01/2023
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Easy win for Liverpool as they go through to the FA Cup 4th round
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View attachment 154120Starting lineup View attachment 154119: Siddall, Provoste, Schär, Matip, Ellis, Redmond (View attachment 154114), Henderson, Hughes, Couthinho, François, Fékir
BenchView attachment 154113: Moreno, Fosu-Mensah, Gray, Clyne, Kondogbia, Lesniak, Bernard

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An expected easy win for the Reds who go through to the next round of the FA Cup hoping for a good cup run this season with the Premier League title obviously out of reach and being knocked out of the Capital One Cup. Liverpool also have the Europa League with their First Knockout round games in mid-February to look forward to. Totti's record with Liverpool stays perfect so far with 2 wins from 2 as they now prepare to face Leicester next week at Anfield for the Italian's first league home game since taking over about a week ago. It seems like he has a pretty set starting 11 so far with Matip making his way back into the lineup after his return from injury but could leave after reported interested from Arsenal to sign him. Nevertheless, the Reds have many youngsters and Fosu-Mensah who could come in and replace him if he was to leave. Overall a great performance from the Merseyside club with Redmond getting the man of the match award with 3 assists.

What a win. Just like the papers said, it was nothing less than expected but it's still really nice to go out on the field and just play our game and win by such a big margin. With our next game against Leicester, who are really overperforming this season sitting in 6th in the league, I might rotate the team a little bit to give other players a chance to impress me but things have been going really well with the current team and our defensive 4-4-2 so we'll have to see if a change is really necessary. I'm very happy with Ellis' performances in his first two games for the club as well and might just keep him in until Moreno is completely clear to play!

 
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12/01/2023

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Liverpool prepare for Fékir departure with 22-year old 10 million pound signing

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The young Serbian comes in a very talented squad and will definitely come in handy for Liverpool given his technique, pace and amazing dribbling skills. With Fékir on the go, the Reds have invested in the 22-year old who's played 5 games this season but revealed himself as a great young talent during a loan spell at Real Sociedad, during which he scored 15 times and made 13 assists in 35 appearances. With Liverpool's game against Leicester in just 2 days, we could see the Serbian striker up top alongside François as he will start getting ready for his debut.

 
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14/01/2023
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Another narrow win for Liverpool as they slowly climb up the table

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View attachment 154072View attachment 154071Starting lineup View attachment 154070: Siddall, Clyne, Schär, DeFreitas, Moreno, Redmond, Henderson, Hughes, Coutinho (View attachment 154069), François, Cenic
Bench View attachment 154068: Ellis, Markovic, Gray, Provoste, Kondogbia, Lesniak, Bernard

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It was yet another win for Liverpool who now have 3 in 3 since Totti took over just 2 weeks ago as his side grabbed a deserved win against Leicester, having somewhat dominated the game. The Reds will once again have Coutinho to thank for yet another amazing performance this season but the talk of the day was for Jovan Cenic, who joined the club 2 days ago but was put up front in the starting lineup ahead of Fékir, relegated to the reserves. The Serbian scored the first goal of the game by getting in a good position in the box and grabbing a nice goal to score on his debut. Redmond and Moreno scored the two other goals for Liverpool, with the latter scoring on his very first game back from injury which delighted Liverpool fans. In his post-match press conference, Totti remained calm and explained that for now, his side were taking games just one at a time and trying to get the best results they could and that he was delighted it was working in their favour so far.

Phew, that was a close one! When they scored in the 80th minute, I honestly thought that they could come back and draw the game. With this win, we're up to 18th now. Not exactly something you'd usually hear from a Liverpool manager but the situation was REALLY bad here when I arrived. Thankfully, things are slowly turning around and the players and fans are all happy with our football so far. I knew Jovan could make an impact straight away as well which was why I decided to stick him up front and well, he delivered! I'm not too worried about Fékir leaving now because for 10 million pounds, we might've gotten one of the bargains of the season! For David however, life doesn't seem to be going that well. He conceded 3 goals in 2 games so far but I know he's got potential to be amazing, he's just not had the chance to show that yet because our defence is pretty leaky so hopefully, that gets better in the next few weeks and he can actually showcase his talent.
 
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21/01/2023
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Liverpool struggle to overcome Villa but get out of relegation zone

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View attachment 152875View attachment 152874Starting lineup View attachment 152873: Siddall, Clyne, Schär, DeFreitas, Moreno, Markovic, Hughes, Henderson, Coutinho, Ponce, CenicBench View attachment 152872: Ellis, Redmond, Gray, Provoste, Kondogbia, François, Bernard

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Liverpool were dominated on a wet afternoon at Villa Park but still managed to come away with all 3 points as their ascension back to European spots continues, now being in 16th place. Hughes scored a great goal in the first 10 minutes to give Liverpool the lead at the half and Villa were unable to convert any of their chances until the 87th minute which was eventually too late for the home side. It's a good win for the Reds who despite being very convincing on the field, got the job done and moved up the table which was their objective since Totti's arrival just 3 weeks ago. They take on Tottenham in a couple of days in what will be Totti's biggest test in England since his arrival and what should be a very interesting and exciting game!

Phew! I thought we wouldn't get the win today! We did really well to hold on in the last few minutes considering how dominant they were on the field out there, I was actually really impressed. Anyway, we're finally out of the relegation zone which just sounds stupid for a club of our stature to be in a position like that but what can you do, Zidane didn't really manage very well here. I'm really excited for our next game against Tottenham which will surely be a tough game but I like a challenge, and that's why I came here in the first place anyway!

 
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loving this, even more so now you're at Liverpool! :D Do you mind posting a sc of your current squad?
 
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24/01/2023
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Liverpool lucky to draw against Tottenham

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View attachment 151485View attachment 151484Starting lineup View attachment 151483: Siddall, Clyne, Schär, DeFreitas, Moreno, Markovic, Hughes, Henderson, Coutinho, François (View attachment 151482), Cenic
Bench View attachment 151481: Ellis, Redmond, Gray, Provoste, Kondogbia, Ponce, Bernard

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Liverpool will definitely be satisfied after grabbing a 1-1 draw against Tottenham in what was Totti's biggest game yet in the league. The Reds took the lead quite late on but Spurs replied immediately after, having dominated for the whole game. The fans would have probably wanted to see a bit more from their side at home but a point against a top 4 side is definitely better than what they've been getting all season long and Totti's now managed to get the Reds out of the relegation zone and sit in 16th, level on points with Southampton in 15th. With an FA Cup 4th round game coming up against Carlisle, the Italian legend will definitely get the opportunity to experience with his side a little bit before they take on Reading, as Totti's undefeated run with Liverpool continues.

That was a close one. I'm very happy we got a point against such a strong side but I think for me, the worst about this is losing Lazar. He's out for over a month and he was a key player for us when he started playing again so I just now hope that whoever takes his place really steps up because this club needs a great winger capable of scoring goals, just like Coutinho. We've been in good form lately so I'm confident that if we keep going like this, we could even get in the top 10 by the end of the season but it'll require a LOT of work so hopefully the players know that and they'll do their best not just for me and themselves, but especially for the fans considering the atrocious football they've been watching until January. They deserve better considering the club's history and I don't want the jokes about Liverpool not winning a single title to last a lot longer so hopefully we can change all that soon.

 
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28/03/2023
View attachment 1051972Unconvincing Liverpool advance to next round

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View attachment 151453View attachment 151452Starting lineup View attachment 151451: Siddall, Hernandez, Schär, Provoste, Moreno, Gray (View attachment 151450), Hughes, Henderson, Coutinho, François, Cenic
Bench View attachment 151449: Ellis, Redmond, Wain, Clyne, Kondogbia, Ponce, Bernard
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I felt like it would be good for us to have some depth in the squad and Cesar was one of the best free agents I've seen in a long, long time. He's also won a Champions League with Azul so he'll definitely be a great addition to the squad.

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Liverpool snatched up a nice win against Carlisle in the FA Cup 4th round as Totti's impressive start with the Reds continues, however some fans have been questioning the quality of the performances put in by the team as their team conceded two goals against a 4th division side who never really looked dangerous looking at the stats. There have been some questions asked in the league as well following Totti's decision to stop using his favoured formation that worked so well for him at Roma and opt for a defensive 4-4-2 but ultimately, the results don't lie and Liverpool have not lost a game in a month which will definitely please the fans.

I would have probably wanted more goals scored and less conceded, but we're through to the next round nd it's all that matters. I'm very happy with our start to the year 2023 and I definitely don't regret leaving Roma for this. This club is amazing and the fans always support us 100% whether it's home or away and whether we're losing 5-0 or winning 2-1. Hernandez played really well on his debut and rightly so, he's the best right-back at the club! I now hope he'll be able to do the same against some bigger sides in the Premier League. Up next, Reading. They got promoted last season after finishing 3rd in the Championship and are in 12th so let's just say they've been performing quite well for a newly promoted side, so we'll need to stay very focused.

 
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31/01/2023
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Coutinho gifts Liverpool 3 points against Reading

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View attachment 151433View attachment 151432Starting lineup View attachment 151431: Siddall, Hernandez, Provoste, DeFreitas, Moreno, Henderson (View attachment 151422), François, Cenic, Coutinho, Gray, Hughes
Bench View attachment 151430: Ellis, Redmond, Schär, Clyne, Kondogbia, Ponce, Bernard
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Great job from us to get back up the table! Another 3 points for us which makes this really great and we're definitely getting better and better by the day!
And yet another win for Liverpool! They seem to be unstoppable at the moment and considering how awful they were under Zidane, it's a big improvement for sure! The Reds were definitely helped by Mangala who got himself sent off in the first half and Coutinho definitely took advantage of that as he scored twice in the last 24 minutes despite going a goal down twice during the game. Being in 14th is definitely still not good enough for the Merseyside club but they're now just 4 points away from the top 10, which is something that will excite the fans given their horrendous start to the season.

What a win! I never thought we'd get the win but what a little magician Coutinho is! I really hope that the fans soon consider him a club legend because after everything he's done for the club since joining from Inter, I don't know where Liverpool would be without him. Again, I'm really proud of our start and at this rate, we're set for a much better end to the season. If there is one thing we need to really, REALLY improve on though, it's our defence. Come on, 54 goals conceded in 24 games? I know most of those were conceded before January but still, even since I've arrived we've not been very solid defensively. We have Wolverhampton next so let's get pumped for that.
 
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04/02/2023
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Solid away victory for Liverpool sees them climb up to 12th

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View attachment 151382View attachment 151381Starting lineup View attachment 151380: Siddall, Clyne, Schär, DeFreitas, Moreno, Henderson, François, Cenic, Coutinho (View attachment 151379), Gray, Hughes
Bench View attachment 151378: Ellis, Redmond, Provoste, Hernandez, Kondogbia, Ponce, Bernard

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It was probably Liverpool's most convincing performance in the Premier League since Totti's arrival and it proved to be a great one indeed as the Reds won yet again, this time away from home against Wolverhampton. The Wolves have actually impressed this season following their promotion 2 years ago and finished 8th last season but now sit in 10th after their defeat to Liverpool. Coutinho was the man of the hour once again as the Brazilian grabbed yet another goal but François also continued his goalscoring form as the club's 2 top goalscorers got their side the win.

Yes! Fantastic win that is really now showing that we mean business. Coutinho I mean, is there anything else I should say about him apart from the fact that he really is one of the world's best players? I don't think so. He's got the potential to still be the club captain after Henderson retires and at this rate, I will make him the captain for his last season no matter what! What a player he is. I'm also glad to see players like François step up more and start scoring goals too, it shows we're not a one-man team. Anyway, we keep climbing the table which is great for us and ahead of our next game against Norwich, both the lads and I are confident.

 
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12/02/2023
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First defeat for awful Liverpool under Totti

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View attachment 151367View attachment 151366Starting lineup View attachment 151365: Siddall, Clyne, Schär, Fosu-Mensah, Ellis, Gray, Hughes, Henderson, Bernard, Coutinho, Cenic
Bench View attachment 151364: Moreno, Redmond, Provoste, Hernandez, Kondogbia, Ponce, François

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Liverpool suffered their first defeat under Francesco Totti as the Italian boss made the controversial decision of dropping François to the bench despite the Frenchman's impressive recent performances in what cost him some important points. Norwich were 9th in the league whilst Liverpool were in 12th and a win for the Reds could have seen him maybe move up in the top 10 but they couldn't resist Norwich's attacks and suffered a 2-0 loss even though it could have been worse as Berahino missed a penalty in what could have been a hat-trick for him. With Liverpool playing in the Europa League in just 4 days, Totti's decision to field a somewhat weaker team is kind of understandable but the fans will definitely not be happy that it cost the club 3 points in the league.

Well then, let's just say I wasn't expecting that. No offence to Norwich, they're a great team, but on paper we were better and we just didn't deliver. It was an awful performance and I'm ashamed of myself and the decisions I took today. The Europa League is so soon that I was just scared to put out the best players, I didn't want to risk their fitness ahead of such an important game. With us not having even a small chance of winning the league, it's my duty to bring at least one trophy to the club's cabinet at the end of the season as I promised some of the players and the board so the Europa League and the FA Cup means a lot to me. It will definitely be an emotional game for me in the Europa League though. I never really talked about the draw for the First Knockout round but hint, it's last year's Champions League winners who once again got knocked out in the group stages and now play in the Europa League:
Yup, Roma at the Olimpico. Oh God. Let's just say that I didn't leave the club on great terms and even though I'd like to go back there to manage one day, this game will be very emotional and tense. As the Liverpool manager, it's my job to take my team past anyone but it'll be tough to knock out Roma if we do manage to beat them. The game is just in 4 days and we definitely will need to not only prepare physically, but more mentally than anything. Come on Liverpool!

 
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