Training resumed, and Rodgers' expression remained locked in a grimace from morning to evening. The severity never lifted, not even when the session concluded.
Julien genuinely wanted no part of the politics. Managing a football club was a delicate balance of personalities and egos. How many managers could handle mid-table sides brilliantly, only to implode the moment they took charge of a major club? There were too many to count.
The reason was simple: they couldn't command the dressing room. Couldn't impose authority on well-known stars, couldn't steer the complex web of personalities that came with managing elite players.
Julien had kept his mouth shut publicly. Even when Gerrard brought it up in private, he'd deflected. He absolutely didn't want to trigger dressing room chaos.
He wasn't some Ligue 2 backup anymore, scrapping for minutes. His position had changed fundamentally. Now, every word he spoke, every gesture he made, could send ripples through the entire Liverpool squad. He understood this with perfect clarity.
If Julien so much as hinted at criticism of Rodgers right now, even in a roundabout way, the dressing room would fracture. The supporters would split. It would be open warfare.
And he refused to be that catalyst.
The days blurred together. September gave way to October, and with Liverpool competing in only domestic competitions, they enjoyed a manageable schedule. No League Cup fixtures cluttering up the calendar meant mostly one match per week.
Meanwhile, the Premier League sides juggling European commitments faced a different reality. Midweek brought another round of Champions League group stage battles.
Among them, one fixture carried particular weight for sentimental reasons.
October 1st marked the seventeenth anniversary of Arsène Wenger's arrival at Arsenal. On that date in 1996, Wenger had left Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan to take the reins in North London.
What followed became the stuff of legend.
On this anniversary, Arsenal hosted Napoli in their second Champions League group match. At the pre-match press conference, journalists inevitably steered the conversation toward Wenger's future and what it felt like to manage one club for seventeen years.
Wenger's tone was reflective sounding lost in nostalgia, "These seventeen years have brought ups and downs, but throughout I've received steadfast support from the club. They've always shown faith in me, and I want to stay here forever.
This place has made me an Arsenal legend. I love Arsenal.
Over these years, I've turned down many offers. I've always believed Arsenal is special, different from anywhere else. Now we have a genuinely competitive squad. That's what I want to prove."
When asked about contract renewal negotiations, Wenger was naturally philosophical,
"I don't need long negotiations to extend my contract. I don't believe anyone should doubt my commitment to this club. My focus is on leading the team to perform well this season. When you feel you're doing the job properly, that's when renewal becomes worth considering. When the right moment arrives, it can be done easily. Right now, I don't consider it the most important issue."
He continued with voice tinged in nostalgia,
"Seventeen years is truly a long time, though perhaps it's also passed in the blink of an eye. Time flies, the years flow like a song. You don't need to constantly look back. I believe that's the most important thing.
That said, when you do look back, you discover we worked incredibly hard over those years. We were extremely consistent. That helps you evaluate the present. For me, the most interesting thing is always tomorrow's match.
I've never felt I lack motivation. Quite the opposite, I want even more.
The beauty of football is its uncertainty, the future's open possibilities.
Every next match is a new adventure.
That's why you must remain completely focused."
On such a significant occasion, Arsenal's players ensured they didn't disappoint their manager. They took down Napoli 2-0 at the Emirates, with Olivier Giroud getting himself on the scoresheet.
After the match, Julien sent Giroud a congratulatory text message.
Giroud's reply showed his confidence, "I'm feeling absolutely brilliant right now. Give me service and I'll finish it! Really wish the World Cup was this month, I can't wait to link up with you on the pitch."
The phrase "give me service and I'll finish" immediately brought another target man to Julien's mind.
Though in fairness, Giroud didn't need to worry about not getting game time together. The October international break was approaching fast, bringing with it two friendly matches for France. Julien would definitely be involved, even if it was only a question of how many minutes he'd get.
After responding to Giroud, thoughts of target forwards led Julien's mind toward Romelu, which naturally triggered memories of Kevin.
Curious, Julien pulled up the match reports for England's four Champions League representatives.
Manchester City had been demolished 3-1 at home by Bayern Munich. The scoreline alone was harsh, but the manner of defeat made it genuinely humiliating.
For most of the match, City had been utterly dominated on their own pitch—a rare and ugly sight for a side that typically terrorized opponents at the Etihad.
Manchester United, meanwhile, had scraped a 1-1 draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Manchester clubs had truly become the Manchester shambles. Both sides were still adapting from managerial changes, fumbling through matches without identity or conviction.
London's representatives fared better. Arsenal's victory stood in stark contrast to Chelsea's 4-0 demolition of Romanian giants Steaua București away from home.
But De Bruyne? He hadn't even made the matchday squad.
The omission clearly related to his recent interview, which had evidently rubbed José Mourinho the wrong way.
In that interview, De Bruyne had been brutally honest with the journalist:
"I don't need to hide it—I'm not happy here. Not at all. The media have speculated endlessly about my relationship with our Manager, but the truth is we've only spoken twice. Mourinho said he wanted me to stay, but what happened after I stayed? From pre-season until now, whether it's domestic matches or Champions League fixtures, I can barely get a look-in."
The journalist had pressed: "So you're considering leaving?"
De Bruyne's answer was clear, "A transfer is absolutely an open option for me. Maybe even the only option. I requested a loan move in the summer. The club rejected it. Now the word is I might not even be allowed to go out on loan in the winter window either.
But I have to play football. That's not some luxury request—it's fundamental for any professional. I told the manager directly: 'I feel like the club doesn't genuinely want to keep me, so why not just sell me?'
I don't want to go through another cycle of loan-return-loan. That's just wasting time."
The final question was: "Aren't you worried these comments will affect your relationship with the club?"
De Bruyne's tone held zero emotion, "I'm just being honest. If staying here means being the sixth choice, what's the point?
I've never doubted my ability. I just need to be somewhere that actually lets me play. If Chelsea can't provide that, I have to find a team that will.
This isn't me being just impulsive. It's taking responsibility for my own career."
Words like that? Not many managers would be pleased. But truthfully, De Bruyne's predicament genuinely was frustrating. Under Mourinho, he couldn't get minutes. Chelsea had blocked his summer loan request. They'd prevented him from going elsewhere temporarily, and now winter might bring the same restriction.
No wonder he'd decided to tear off the diplomatic mask.
Julien wasn't particularly surprised by any of it. This was vintage Mourinho—a manager with clear ideas about what he wanted, almost to the point of stubbornness.
Though perhaps "stubbornness" was too harsh. From another perspective, successful people inevitably possessed a degree of inflexibility. You couldn't bend with every breeze and still build something great.
De Bruyne's transfer situation was actually quite straightforward from Liverpool's perspective.
David was willing to put in a bid for him. The issue was simple but significant: would Chelsea actually sell De Bruyne to a direct Premier League rival?
And beyond that, Liverpool would need to move quickly to avoid being gazumped by other interested parties.
With that in mind, Julien even checked the latest news from Bayern Munich.
As a guest analyst on German television's ZDF, Oliver Kahn had been discussing Bayern's performance alongside Pep Guardiola, who'd joined them in the studio after the match against City.
Kahn's analysis focused on Bayern's dominance, "The most striking aspect was Bayern's complete control of midfield. The team shape was impeccable, and the high-intensity pressing in tight areas was instant and ferocious. Extremely effective."
The host then asked an interesting question to Kahn, "Many people were confused when Pep came to Munich, because how do you improve a treble-winning side? It seems almost impossible. Do you think Pep has made Bayern better?"
Kahn gave an emphatic answer, "As I mentioned, Bayern's biggest improvement has been in midfield.
Pep has introduced his classic possession-based philosophy to Bayern, but this isn't a simple transplant of Barcelona's system. It's been tailored specifically to Bayern's existing style and the characteristics of the players available.
And Bayern must maintain midfield control, because as defending champions, opportunities to play on the counter-attack will become increasingly rare. We have to dominate the middle of the pitch."
The host immediately turned to Guardiola for his reaction to Kahn's assessment.
Pep responded with typical self-deprecation and humor, "We're good friends, so he's being very kind to me!"
Finally, Kahn played interviewer himself, asking Guardiola, "Today you appeared to deploy a false nine system again. Will you continue with that approach going forward?"
Guardiola turned serious, making it clear everything depended on context, "It all depends on the specific opponent and the team's situation. Against Manchester City today, we needed an attacking player with a greater running range, so I used Müller instead of Mandžukić. But Mandžukić's importance to the squad is self-evident."
Julien skimmed through the coverage quickly. His only real hope was that Guardiola wouldn't set his sights on De Bruyne. Kevin would slot perfectly into Pep's tactical system, the technical quality, the vision, the work rate. It was an ideal fit.
But Liverpool needed De Bruyne just as much. Perhaps even more desperately.
So please, Julien thought, let Liverpool get there first and complete the signing before Bayern started circling.
________________________________________________________
Check out my patreon where you can read more chapters:
patreon.com/LorianFiction
Thanks for your support!