After the match, Richard sat in his office, scrolling through financial and other reports, when he heard a knock on his office door.
"Come in," he said.
Soon, O'Neill and his entire coaching staff entered the room, accompanied by captain Cafu as the players' representative.
Richard began by praising the entire team for their performance over the past two months, noting that it was a significant achievement.
"Now," he said suddenly, his tone growing serious.
In four days, City would face an opponent that had haunted them like a nightmare—one that still lingered in the minds of the fans: Derby County.
The memory of City being relegated from the First Division to the Second Division was still fresh—marked by a crushing 5–0 defeat to Derby County that sent the club straight into hell.
