Chapter 993 War of words

Mourinho was complaining about the official Premier League schedule, but his words still contained some ridicule for Liverpool. Liverpool coach Klopp naturally would not pretend not to hear it. He jumped out to refute: "Mourinho complained about the schedule being too tight? Then why didn't he talk about the fact that they had one more day of rest than us between the Champions League quarter-finals and the FA Cup semi-finals? Liverpool did not complain about the FA's schedule when they played in the FA Cup semi-finals. How come when it comes to Manchester United, the ordinary schedule becomes an unacceptable bad arrangement? I understand, Mourinho must have found an excuse for Manchester United's failure in advance. If Manchester United loses to Liverpool away, then the blame can be completely put on the FA..."

"Moreover, in the FA Cup semi-final, our opponent was the powerful Manchester City. We played very hard and fought until the very end, using up all our energy. And what about Manchester United? Facing an opponent with no fighting spirit, they won without any bloodshed. They even made substitutions in advance to prepare for the match against us. I don't believe that they wasted energy in this game. This is no different from an internal warm-up match!"

Klopp not only scolded Manchester City, but also mocked Crystal Palace...

The quarrel between these two teams has caused a lot of criticism among other teams. Burnley and Southampton said aggrievedly that they can't participate in the Champions League. Is it my fault? Manchester City and Crystal Palace were also criticized.

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The two world-class coaches are arguing non-stop, and the verbal battle is just as intense at the player level.

Manchester United's central defender and vice-captain Maguire also expressed his agreement with Mourinho's point of view in an interview, believing that the schedule was too unfavorable for them.

In this regard, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson ridiculed Maguire for being like a woman. He said: "As a professional player, complaining about the schedule is not manly enough in my opinion. The schedule is fair. Everyone may have a schedule that is not to their liking. So what should we do? Does everyone have to change the schedule when they are not satisfied? Manchester United can ask for a schedule change today, and other teams can do so tomorrow. In this way, won't the whole league be in chaos?"

In response to Henderson's ridicule of his teammates, Manchester United captain Bruno hit back: "Liverpool players had better not speak nonsense. They are obviously the beneficiaries of the schedule. We are just fighting for our legitimate rights and interests."

Liverpool's youth player Arnold sarcastically said: "This is the first time I have seen the league leaders so fussing about a small matter. It seems that they also know that facing us at Anfield is a terrible thing."

Firmino said: "If I were a Manchester United player, I would shut up during this time, rest and train well, instead of complaining about not having enough rest time and using my rest time to show up in the media."

Some Manchester United players also expressed confidence. For example, Rashford believed that they would win away from home. He told reporters: "Nothing is more exciting than defeating our mortal enemy away from home and winning the league championship!"

Robertson responded: "There is nothing more exciting than beating our arch-rivals at home."

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Of course, in the war of words, Salah is a name that no one can avoid.

Before the game, some Liverpool media wrote articles criticizing Manchester United's behavior of poaching players from other teams, saying that this behavior was damaging the competitiveness of the entire Premier League and British football as a whole.

"...Manchester United has invented a trick, that is, if they cannot beat an opponent on the court, they can use money to win the opponent in the transfer market and poach the opponent's core players. This not only enhances their own strength but also weakens their competitors. It is really a good strategy that kills two birds with one stone." The Liverpool media sneered.

There is also public opinion that the news of Salah's imminent transfer to Manchester United before Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final match was a long-planned move by Manchester United officials, aimed at interfering with Liverpool's preparations for the Champions League and shaking Liverpool's morale.

Manchester United's media strongly refuted this statement. The Guardian published an interview with Manchester United's CEO Giarretta Cristiano, who said: "... I want to remind Liverpool, who always talk nonsense, that it was not us Manchester United who first announced the news at the official level, but you Liverpool. It was not our Manchester media and reporters who first broke the news, but a third-rate tabloid... It is nonsense to say that Manchester United did this to attack Liverpool. As a hegemon that has ruled the Premier League for 30 years, do we need to care about a small team that has never been involved in the Premier League?"

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"Now the Liverpool media has started to hype up the transfer of Salah again, just to find excuses for their next failure. They are turning all the hatred to Manchester United. I think there is a very bad trend in England, that is, the unscrupulous stigmatization of Manchester United... Liverpool believes that Manchester United's practice of poaching players has damaged the interests of British football, but in fact, it is Liverpool themselves who are poaching players!"

"...Liverpool media always brag about their youth training ability, as if Liverpool's first team are all trained in their youth training camp. But look at their starting lineup, except for Arnold, who else is trained in Liverpool's youth training camp? On the contrary, Manchester United, which they slandered and attacked, has three main players who came from the team's youth training camp, Rashford, Greenwood and Bellingham. In addition, players such as McTominay and Elanga have gradually established a foothold in Manchester United's first team."

"In addition to these players who have established themselves in Manchester United's first team, there are even more Manchester United youth players playing for other Premier League teams. Lingard, Drinkwater, Dean Henderson, Welbeck..."

The Manchester media's counterattack was very sharp and to the point. In fact, Liverpool and Manchester United are both trying to recruit players from various teams to build their first team, but this is actually a normal transfer behavior. It's just that from their respective standpoints, there will be different interpretations.

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During the war of words, some media interviewed Salah and asked him whether he had mixed feelings about the upcoming game.

Salah shook his head and said: "No. I am a Liverpool player now. My mission and goal is to help Liverpool win the championship. There is no sign of me and Manchester United. Who can tell whether I will continue to stay in Liverpool next season or transfer to Manchester United or any other team?"

Klopp refused to discuss topics related to Salah. He said: "Mohamed is still my player now. What do you want me to say?"

Alexander-Arnold was also reluctant to talk about Salah during the interview, but his starting point was not to help Salah get rid of the public opinion storm, but to disdain to mention Salah's name. This winger of Salah on the field used to have a very good relationship with Salah, but after the media revealed that Salah might transfer to Manchester United, the Liverpool youth player said directly in an interview with reporters: "Don't mention that person's name to me."

As a good friend of Salah, Robertson will naturally not be spared by the media at this time, but his response is more tactful. The Scottish left-winger told reporters: "Everyone has the right to choose. Even if Muhammad really leaves Liverpool in the future, as his friend, all I can do is wish him well. But I also believe in his professional ethics. He will definitely try his best in the next game."

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Bruno, who is both a good friend and rival of Salah and is considered by some media to have played a pivotal role in Salah's storm, has not been forgotten by the media. In the pre-match press conference of the Red Devils, many reporters approached him and asked relevant questions, and Bruno answered them very frankly.

"I have noticed the recent media reports, but I didn't know about this matter before the media reported it, let alone that I was the matchmaker..."

"If Mohammed really joins Manchester United, I will welcome him very much. This will be a very good result. We can get a great right winger, and Mohammed can also get the championship honor he dreams of. Having said that, I also extend a sincere invitation to Mohammed: Brother, come to Manchester United, let's do something big together! There is no future in Liverpool!"

Bruno's words caused protests from the local media in Liverpool, but Bruno didn't care at all. He smiled and said: "It is Muhammad's freedom to go wherever he wants, and no one can blame him for this. Of course, the timing of the news being exposed is indeed a bit... subtle, but this is not Muhammad's responsibility. I don't think everyone needs to hold on to this point. Muhammad himself certainly doesn't want things to turn out like this. Let's shift our attention to the game. To be honest, leave the transfer market to the managers. Now it's a matter of the football field..."

A reporter suddenly asked: "Will you go to Liverpool one day?"

Hearing this question, Bruno laughed and said, "How is it possible? I don't even want to go to Real Madrid, so why would I want to go to Liverpool? I have been a Manchester United fan since I was a child, and now I am very happy in Manchester United. I have won everything here and won the respect of all Manchester United fans. In this case, what reason do I have to go to Liverpool? Is it to destroy everything I have created and start over again? I'm not sick!"