@UtdTactics: Mourinho masterclass. Sit deep, absorb the German press, and hit them on the counter. Ling is inevitable.
@Bundesliga_Eng: Nagelsmann is a genius, but you can't out-tactic pure pace and power. Ling destroyed that high line.
After the match, Mourinho took a deep breath and walked up to Nagelsmann on the touchline.
"Your tactical philosophy is quite good," Mourinho praised warmly. "Keep persisting with it, and you'll surely achieve great results. I look forward to our next encounter."
Nagelsmann shook Mourinho's hand, looking slightly frustrated, and posed a question.
"I notice you rarely change your main framework. Doesn't that make your tactics too simplistic?"
"The Top Five Leagues have schedules lasting nine months," Mourinho replied, shaking his head.
"Stability is the most important thing."
Upon hearing this, the young Nagelsmann fell into deep thought.
...
December Arrives
When December arrived, Manchester's temperature didn't drop much due to its coastal location, though the day-night temperature difference became much more significant.
At the Carrington Training Base.
"Just one lap left, hurry up and finish it!" Ling urged Romelu Lukaku.
Ling's breathing remained completely steady as he jogged alongside the big Belgian.
Due to the tight December schedule, the Man United players had reduced their training intensity, basically only doing the most fundamental recovery exercises.
Except for Lukaku.
This guy had barely played since the season started, making him undoubtedly the freshest player at Man United in terms of match fatigue.
So Ling simply brought Lukaku along for his grueling extra training, doing everything possible to get Lukaku's fitness back on track as soon as possible.
After all, Man United would desperately need another reliable striker in the future.
As the fixtures grew increasingly congested, Ling gradually felt overwhelmed—a problem the system's injury immunity module couldn't completely solve when it came to sheer mental and physical exhaustion.
He knew he had to reduce his playing time, or things would certainly go wrong by the crucial knockout stages in February.
Mourinho had also discussed this matter with him, Ling always left the impression of performing better against stronger opponents—otherwise, he wouldn't have achieved the miracle of a hat-trick in the Champions League final.
They needed to save him for the big games.
Though Lukaku was utterly exhausted from the extra running, he never complained, knowing both Ling and Mourinho had his best interests at heart.
After several days of training, the 14th round of the Premier League commenced.
The Manchester United players arrived at snow-blanketed Southampton, Britain's largest seaport and the famous departure point of the Titanic.
Last season, Southampton finished 17th, just three points above the relegation zone.
Their start to this season had been equally disappointing, they sat second from bottom in the league with only 10 goals scored in the first 13 rounds.
Mourinho fielded a partially rotated lineup.
Ling was wrapped in a thick down jacket on the substitutes' bench, discussing the match situation with Matić.
"Kovačić has shown significant improvement recently," Ling observed. "His forward progression isn't as slow as before, and his passing choices have become more sensible."
"McTominay is doing well too!" Matić added. "Especially his defensive positioning—it's almost seventy percent as good as mine."
Ling chuckled, then frowned at the pitch. "How is Lukaku's right foot still so poor? He managed to sky it from 15 meters out!"
Fortunately, Mourinho didn't deploy a purely defensive formation against the strugglers, but instead set up multiple attacking options in the front line.
Relying solely on the rusty Lukaku wouldn't lead to quick goals.
In the 39th minute, Jesse Lingard broke into the right side of the penalty area and delivered a cutback pass across the goalmouth.
Kovačić stylishly finished with a backheel to make it 1-0.
Just before halftime, Lukaku finally made a positive contribution, laying the ball off to the right side at the edge of the penalty area.
Mahrez fired a powerful shot into the far corner to make it 2-0!
The second half was rather uneventful, as United comfortably controlled the game.
But in the 88th minute, a comical scene unfolded when Lukaku accidentally stepped on the ball and twisted his ankle while trying to control a simple pass.
Ling had to be brought on as an emergency substitute to replace the injured Belgian.
But before Ling could even warm up properly or touch the ball, the referee blew the final whistle.
Looking at Matić, who was sneaking a laugh from the bench, Ling spread his hands helplessly.
"Feels like I don't even need to shower when we get back."
Mourinho, standing beside him, vigorously ruffled Ling's hair. "Next time this happens, I'll send Nemanja on instead."
Matić's smile instantly froze upon hearing this.
He stared resentfully at Mourinho, thinking: 'Does love really disappear so quickly? I even donated a football stadium named "Mourinho" in my hometown!'
But coming to his senses, Matić nodded in agreement. "Boss, it's settled then. You must send me on next time. Wouldn't it be nice to pocket tens of thousands of pounds in appearance fees for nothing?"
The Manchester United players all laughed, putting their arms around each other's shoulders as they returned to the dressing room.
Falling snowflakes drifted slowly down, leaving only the Southampton players on the pitch.
Southampton defender Maya Yoshida watched the retreating figure of Manchester United's number 7, his thoughts drifting to that same fixture a year ago.
Back then, Yoshida had partnered with Virgil van Dijk in central defense, repeatedly thwarting Ling's attacking attempts.
Who would have thought that just over a year later, Ling had become Manchester United's standard-bearer, Van Dijk had established himself as a superstar at Liverpool, while he remained stuck at a relegation-threatened Southampton.
The enormous gap filled Yoshida with frustration.
...
After briefly tidying up, Ling went to attend the post-match press conference, where journalists immediately became animated.
However, none of the reporters asked about the current match, since Ling had played for less than five minutes.
"With Manchester United already qualified for the Champions League knockout stage, which team would you most like to face in the Round of 16?" a reporter asked.
"Well, Barcelona," Ling said, half-jokingly, half-seriously. "Because our boss is the only manager in football who has led teams to defeat Barcelona three times."
"Ling, Barcelona have already secured top spot in their group and qualified early, same as Manchester United. Group winners cannot face each other in the Round of 16," The Guardian reporter reminded him dryly.
"Your only options now are group runners-up like Atletico Madrid, Roma, and Schalke 04."
"Alright, then Atletico Madrid it is," Ling shrugged. "We didn't get enough of a challenge from them in the UEFA Super Cup last time, so I hope we get to play them over two legs."
Ling's tone was utterly casual, as if he were discussing what to eat for dinner tomorrow.
Manchester United fans watching the live broadcast felt a slight tremor in their hearts.
Atletico Madrid were currently second in La Liga, a full eight points ahead of third-placed Real Madrid, and their overall strength was absolutely not to be underestimated.
Moreover, it was worth remembering that the Atletico Madrid side in the European Super Cup final had been far from their best due to a lack of pre-season fitness.
If the two teams were to face off again now, no one could confidently say United would win—in fact, most neutral fans believed Atletico held the advantage.
This was largely due to Diego Simeone's recent implementation of a so-called "logging tactic," a brutal strategy specifically designed to target the opposition's key playmakers.
Whenever the opponent's star player received the ball, Atletico players would resort to aggressive, rotating tactical fouls, doing everything possible to stifle his influence—even if it meant turning the match into an ugly, foul-ridden battle.
What's more, Atletico's players had been specially trained to make their fouls subtle and difficult for referees to detect.
Just a few days earlier, they had used this very approach to secure a draw against Barcelona and a victory over Real Madrid.
Real Madrid's rising star, Vinícius Júnior, had even remarked to the media after the match.
"Thank God, another game where I came out unscathed."
Under Atletico's targeted tactics, Vinícius had been completely neutralized on the wing and by the end, he had even begun to play with fear.
"Ahead of the European Golden Boy award announcement later this month, how confident are you in winning it?" another reporter raised his hand to ask.
"Before the final whistle blows, it's best not to discuss results. I think the same applies to awards," Ling sidestepped the question smoothly, knowing it was always wiser to err on the side of caution.
The English journalists were far from pleased.
In their eyes, Ling was already a massive shoo-in for the award and his response came off as excessively modest.
But then again, when had the English media ever been known for understatement?
Their hype wasn't just ordinary exaggeration. If an English player scored a 60, they might talk him up to a 70.
But if a player was genuinely world-class? They would demand perfection.
Why had so many English wonderkids failed to live up to their potential? Because they had lost their way amid the media's relentless, suffocating hype.
"In four days, you'll be facing Arsenal. Do you—"
Ling didn't answer any more questions.
He stood up and left the venue with Mourinho.
He couldn't care less what the media said or how they tried to bait him.
Focusing on his own performance was what truly mattered.
---------
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