Chapter 78: Betrayal?
2020—a year where the entire world shut down because of COVID, a disease that claimed millions of lives and suspended billions from the activities they loved. In the UK, a place so deeply ingrained in its lifestyle of football, the birthplace of the sport, where citizens eat, breathe, and sleep football, the impact of the suspension was felt keenly.
But now, all that was coming to an end. While the lockdown was still in place around the nation, something happened that brought joy to the UK population—football had returned. The Premier League kicked off once again on June 17th, 2020. What a day it was, as Manchester City faced Arsenal, beating them 3-0 with goals from Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, and their very own star boy, Phil Foden.
But sadly, despite the amazing show by Manchester city the previous day, the league had already been decided before the break, with Liverpool going clear. The Reds had built an impressive 25-point lead, thanks to the high-flying attack of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, and their main man, the Egyptian King himself, Mohamed Salah. Add to that the tight defense of Virgil van Dijk, the man who no one could pass 1v1 all season along with his tactical genius and cautious yet effective defending and also the Brillance of Alisson Becker, widely considered the best goalkeeper in the world at the time. Another key figure was their 21-year-old Liverpool-born superstar, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
His crosses and vision redefined what it meant to be a full-back thanks to them and the rest of the team and last but not least the gen gen pressing master himself Jurgen Klopp the man who brought Liverpool out from the abyss winning the champions league the season before and now winning the league their first since 1990 also it was their first since the rebranding of the premier league from its previous name where they had won 18 before adding this one they would soon win it would be their 19th league trophy making them the team with the second most league title in the country only behind their sworn rival Manchester united by 1 .
Thanks to the successful showing of the premier league the lower leagues were also about to start, and joy filled the air again.
Wayne Rooney, on his way to work as player-manager of Derby County, was thinking about his future. As his team had been gaining praise for their recent form, Wayne found himself considering a full-time managerial role. Should he hang up his boots for good? Arriving at Pride Park Stadium, he felt a sense of relief. It had been a while since he’d been at the stadium, with the demands of home life—his beautiful but exhausting wife and four young boys—keeping him away. Now, with football back in full swing, it felt good to return to what he loved. The Championship was back too, albeit with strict measures in place: no fans, regular testing for players and staff, and minimal staff attendance at matches. Substitutions were increased to five, and extra breaks were added to help the players regain match fitness.
Wayne made his way through the eerily quiet stadium to his office, where he sat down at his desk. A picture of his wife and kids sat in front of him, and he admired it before turning his gaze to another photo—one of his first match as manager at Derby, a win over Barnsley. In the picture, he stood proudly at the center, flanked by his squad, including a young player who had quickly become his protégé—David Jones. Just as Wayne was reminiscing about that match, the door to his office swung open.
"Wayne!" Philip Cocu, his assistant coach and interim sporting director, called as he entered the room. "I’ve been trying to get your attention for a while now."
Wayne smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry, I was thinking about our next match. Have the players arrived yet?"