Liam's struggles

On August 22, in the second round of the Scottish Premiership, Dundee United played their first home game of the season against newly promoted Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Perhaps due to the weaker opponent, or maybe because of fan expectations, manager Peter Houston decided to give Liam Carter his first start in the league.

Since his brilliant performance against Liverpool in the UEFA Cup qualifiers, Liam had become a fan favorite at Dundee United.

But in this match, he did not perform well—in fact, it was one of his worst performances so far.

During his post-match self-reflection, Liam realized that he had spent most of the game battling with Inverness' defenders instead of focusing on his true strengths—beating defenders with skill and delivering key passes.

As a wide player, his main job was to create opportunities for teammates, but he allowed himself to get caught in too many physical duels, which limited his effectiveness.

That being said, he wasn't the worst player on the pitch.

The club's new summer signing, Danny Cadamarteri, performed even worse.

Dundee United was the stronger team, and even though Liam didn't shine on the right wing, the midfield still created plenty of chances.

However, Houston had built his attack around Cadamarteri, expecting him to lead the forward line—but the veteran striker wasted multiple clear chances, completely killing the team's momentum.

In the end, Dundee United suffered a humiliating 0-4 home defeat against a newly promoted club.

As Liam walked off the pitch, he overheard a fan's frustrated rant:

"They only lost three to Liverpool, but now they concede four against a newly promoted side? What a joke!"

It was at that moment that Liam truly understood—the Scottish Premiership was not as easy as he had thought.

His technical ability was probably good enough, but his physicality wasn't.

The British style of football clearly required greater strength, endurance, and aggression than what he was used to.

His strong performance against Liverpool was likely because he had caught them by surprise—but in the Scottish league, where physical battles were constant, his weaknesses were being exposed.

System Progress

After weeks of training and adapting, Liam's system stats had improved:

Technical Ability: 67

Physical Ability: 62

Mental Ability: 74 (increased slightly)

His Talent Card Fusion had also progressed:

Flank Speedster: 40%

Crescent Cross: 25%

Next Talent Unlock: Still 8% away

Frustrated with his recent struggles, Liam called his mentor, Luka Savage, for advice.

"Liam, physical battles are important, but players can adapt to them," Savage reassured him.

"Some guys don't look strong, but they still perform well in the Premier League. That's because they've mastered the rhythm of physical confrontations."

"Your biggest issue right now isn't just strength—it's the fact that you've just transitioned from the youth team to senior football. You haven't adjusted to the physical pace of the professional level yet."

"As soon as you find that rhythm, I'm sure you'll start making a real impact at Dundee United."

Encouraged by Savage's words, Liam became determined to find that rhythm as quickly as possible during training.

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August 28 – Third Round of the Scottish Premiership

For their third league match, Dundee United traveled to Edinburgh to face Heart of Midlothian (Hearts).

Hearts were considered a historic Scottish club.

Though they had never won a league title, they had won multiple Scottish Cups and were the only non-Glasgow club to qualify for the Champions League after the tournament's restructuring.

In Scotland, Rangers and Celtic had dominated football for over a century.

Of the 114 Scottish league seasons, only 13 titles had been won by teams other than Rangers or Celtic.

Their dominance extended to the Champions League spots as well—every year, the two clubs took Scotland's only two qualification places.

The only exception came in 2005-06, when Hearts shocked everyone by finishing second in the league, beating Rangers to claim a Champions League spot.

Match Recap: Hearts vs. Dundee United

Against a strong Hearts team, Dundee United played well.

After conceding an early goal, they fought back in the second half and equalized, securing a 1-1 draw.

On the surface, drawing away against a solid team like Hearts was a respectable result.

But in the bigger picture, it wasn't good enough.

Dundee United's Disastrous Start

After three league games, Dundee United's record was:

0 Wins

2 Draws

1 Loss

2 Points

Second from the bottom in the league table.

The Scottish sports newspaper "Herald Sports" published a harsh analysis of Dundee United's start to the season:

"As last season's Scottish Cup champions, Dundee United impressed in the UEFA Cup, even drawing against Premier League giants Liverpool at Anfield. But in domestic football, they've fallen apart."

"After three league games, Dundee United have yet to win a single match, sitting near the bottom of the table. If this trend continues, manager Peter Houston's time at the club may be running out."

"Houston needs a savior—a player to step up and turn the team's fortunes around. But it's clear that Cadamarteri, his chosen star striker, is past his prime. Despite being given the central role in attack, he has failed to deliver."

"And what about Liam Carter, the young talent who stunned Anfield? He has the potential, but he's still too raw to lead the team just yet."

"If Dundee United don't turn things around soon, they could become yet another victim of the European competition curse—the same phenomenon that has dragged many smaller clubs into relegation battles after a surprising European campaign."

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Across Europe, many small clubs that unexpectedly qualified for European tournaments often struggled or even got relegated the following season.

This wasn't always due to fixture congestion—in many cases, these teams exited European competitions early yet still collapsed domestically.

Some football experts called this phenomenon the "European Competition Curse."

For Dundee United, the warning signs were clear—if they didn't turn things around soon, they could find themselves fighting to avoid relegation instead of competing for European spots.

Liam Carter knew that if he wanted to help save the team, he needed to adapt—fast.

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