Michael Sterling stood in the lobby of the hotel waiting for the team bus. He checked his phone. He opened the social media app. It was a mistake.
A video was trending. It was a famous pundit sitting in a studio laughing.
"Barnsley?" the pundit laughed. "Look. It is a nice story. It is a fairy tale. But this is Anfield. This is the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp eats fairy tales for breakfast. I predict 5 to 0. Maybe 6."
Michael turned off the phone. He put it in his pocket.
"They are very confident," Arthur Milton said walking up next to him. Arthur looked pale. The old scout was wearing his lucky red beanie hat even though it was August and quite warm.
"Let them talk Arthur," Michael said. "Pressure is for tires. We are not tires. We are the car."
The team walked out of the elevator.
They looked different today. There were no smiles. No jokes.
Diego Nunez looked like he was going to war. He wore big headphones and stared straight ahead.
