Ling's post-match interview from the previous game was widely publicized, and Atletico Madrid fans took to social media to voice their strong displeasure.
What did he mean by "not enough of a challenge"?
Did Ling really believe Manchester United could easily defeat Atletico Madrid?
A flood of taunts and ridicule inundated the comments section of Ling's Twitter account.
But within hours, United fans rallied to his defense and a fierce war of words erupted between the two sides.
...
@AtletiFanatic: You only won the Champions League by luck! What's there to be proud of?
@RedDevilsDaily: What's wrong with a bit of luck? Should we be proud like a certain team that loses every final, always to Real Madrid?
@SimeoneSZN: If you've got the guts, face us again! We'll show you what real football is.
@UtdFaithful: During the European Super Cup final, Atletico fans celebrated like they'd already won the title! You're experts at dirty fouls, yet you not only lost the match—you couldn't even win the fights. How utterly embarrassing.
The above were relatively rational comments, not to mention the countless ones that involved deeply personal insults.
In comparison, Manchester United fans were even more aggressive.
After all, since the 1990s, Manchester United had maintained a dominant position in the Premier League.
The long-standing "big club effect," coupled with Sir Alex Ferguson's prestige, even led to the emergence of the famous "Fergie Time."
At that time, most Premier League clubs bitterly resented Manchester United. As a result, Manchester United fans developed an extremely combative nature.
On the internet, they would aggressively criticize not only other teams but even their own club without hesitation.
Public opinion storms rise quickly and fade just as fast. In this era of rapid information flow, people's attention is quickly diverted.
However, this incident had lingering effects. Ling not only faced targeted attacks during matches but also saw his social media platforms overrun.
The key issue was that a video of an Atletico fan's racial discrimination toward him had been leaked.
Although the Spanish FA didn't take racial discrimination seriously, most La Liga players cared deeply about it.
During that past Super Cup match, Ling had been completely consumed by rage—if a pig wearing an Atletico Madrid jersey had passed by, it would have likely been kicked twice by him.
Last time, he nearly had his nose broken, yet he only got a three-match ban while the Atletico player received six.
...
In the Atletico Madrid locker room, players who had just finished training were also discussing the matter.
Diego Costa scowled fiercely. "I hope I never run into that kid again, or I'll show him what I'm made of."
Beside him, Filipe Luís rubbed his nose, a trace of resentment flashing in his eyes.
Goalkeeper Jan Oblak curled his lips, thinking the fight hadn't been intense enough and couldn't help but fondly recall the chaotic brawl.
Atletico manager Diego Simeone slowly walked into the locker room, cleared his throat, and said.
"Currently we're tied with Dortmund at 10 points. For the final Champions League group stage match against Club Brugge, everyone must stay sharp! We must aim to advance as group winners!"
The Atletico Madrid players immediately exchanged glances, thinking Simeone's subsequent explanation sounded somewhat blustering.
"It's not that I'm afraid of Man United," Simeone had added. "On the contrary, I'd love to face them, but definitely not in the round of 16."
Truth be told, none of them wanted to face Man United either.
The "logging tactic" could be effective, but only against less physical opponents.
Whether on or off the pitch, Ling resembled a God of War.
After watching Manchester United's recent match footage, Simeone realized Ling had clearly improved, especially in his ability to switch tactical roles effortlessly.
If they faced Man United again, Simeone genuinely lacked confidence in winning.
After all, which team in the Top Five Leagues would dare claim they could easily defeat Manchester United?
...
December 6th.
At the Theater of Dreams, the Premier League's 15th round was about to begin: Manchester United versus Arsenal!
There are no weak teams among the Premier League's 'Big 6'.
If Manchester United approached the match with an underestimating attitude, the result would surely disappoint.
After a 22-year-long Arsène Wenger era, Arsenal had ushered in a brand-new era under manager Unai Emery.
For the team, the fans, and even Emery himself, this marked an unfamiliar beginning.
Looking back at Emery's coaching career, he has won numerous championship trophies.
His most famous achievement was leading Sevilla to three consecutive Europa League titles from 2014 to 2016.
However, after taking over PSG, not only did they get eliminated in the Champions League round of 16 twice, but they also suffered that infamous 6-1 comeback defeat to Barcelona.
During his time at PSG, Emery was dubbed the "Tactical Kaleidoscope" by fans—essentially, a tactical fanatic, even more obsessive than Julian Nagelsmann.
Though starting this Premier League season with two consecutive losses was embarrassing, Arsenal had quickly regained their form.
The fact was, after losing to Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal had gone unbeaten in 19 consecutive matches across all competitions, solidifying their position in sixth place while aiming for the top four.
Inside the Arsenal team bus arriving at Old Trafford, footage of Manchester United's matches was being played.
The Arsenal players looked somewhat bewildered, having watched for over an hour what was reportedly Emery's "special preference" for video analysis.
When he interviewed for the Arsenal job, Emery had prepared over 300 pages of PowerPoint slides analyzing every Arsenal player's technical characteristics.
During the pre-match press conference, Emery gave a measured response to the reporters' questions.
"Fourth place? We can revisit this topic after the 30th or 32nd round. If we are still in the top four of the Premier League by then, there's a chance we might finish in the top four. Facing Man United is undoubtedly a huge challenge—they might be the best team this season."
In the adjacent press conference room, Mourinho was in a similar situation.
Although Arsenal's current ranking wasn't high, a closer look at their recent results revealed a startling fact: they were incredibly resilient.