Ling passed the ball back to Pogba from the center circle and immediately charged like a bull into Liverpool's defensive third.
But... Fabinho, Van Dijk, and Matip immediately formed a tight defensive triangle, surrounding him completely.
There was no way out, and no space to operate.
His teammates simply didn't dare pass the ball to him.
After all, with those three massive players standing there closing the passing lanes, forcing a breakthrough was too difficult.
Even for someone like Jeremy Ling.
However, by heavily double-teaming the United captain, Liverpool inherently relaxed their marking on other areas of the pitch.
N'Golo Kante received the ball in midfield and delivered a surprising, sweeping long pass behind Henderson.
Martin Tyler: "Kante launches it forward!"
Gary Neville: "Actually, I think Manchester United should write a thank-you letter to Chelsea. Kante's attacking and passing ability was gradually honed under Conte and Sarri! You have to remember he rarely made progressive passes like this before arriving at Old Trafford!"
Rashford received the ball beautifully and flicked it in the opposite direction, just avoiding Henderson's aggressive pressing. But Henderson turned and relentlessly continued to press the winger.
The Liverpool captain is the type of player with average natural talent, who was almost sold by Brendan Rodgers to Fulham years ago. In the end, he only stayed by stubbornly refusing to leave.
Since then, Henderson had been like a changed man, arriving at the training ground earliest every day and leaving the gym last. He had never even drunk alcohol.
Most players who can compete in the top five leagues have the determination, desire, and persistence to succeed.
Of course, there are exceptions.
"Give it to me, Marcus!" Ling broke free from the momentary double-team and shouted toward Rashford.
The next second, the ball was fizzed to his feet.
Without waiting for the three Liverpool players to collapse and press him again, Ling directly played the ball back with one touch.
He is not the type of player who stubbornly forces his way through blindly.
When tightly marked by elite defenders, he serves as a pivot, acting as a temporary transfer hub in the attacking third.
This way, his teammates can play more comfortably into the space he creates.
Pogba received the layoff and continued to switch the play to the left.
Rashford received the ball again, drove down the flank, and lofted a high cross to the near post of the penalty area.
Martin Tyler: "A cross towards Ling!"
Gary Neville: "Ling rises! With terrifying hang time, he outjumps Matip and cleverly flicks the ball with his head to the far post!"
Martin Tyler: "RASHFORD IS THERE!"
Amid the gasps of Manchester United fans, Rashford volleyed the dropping ball fiercely with his right foot, but Alisson Becker parried it out for a corner with a strong hand.
Gary Neville: "Manchester United's attacking play is incredibly fluid! You can see that while Mourinho builds his foundation on defense, he has also carefully crafted United's attacking patterns in training!"
Although Neville kept praising Mourinho verbally on air, he was also very curious in his heart.
After all, Mourinho is not historically as adept as Guardiola at coaching fluid attacking play, and there have even been instances where his attacking system had collapsed at previous clubs.
Why has it been getting progressively better and better over the last two seasons at United?
Neville racked his brains but couldn't find the answer.
At that exact moment, Rui Faria on the touchline raised a similar question to his boss.
"People outside believe my tactical philosophy is based solely on defense, emphasizing physicality and strict discipline," Mourinho said with a light, arrogant laugh, watching the corner being set up.
"But the real core is 'transition.' The process from defense to attack must be fast, ruthless, and precise!"
"As for building the attacking system, it's easier than you think, Rui, and you know the exact reason for that."
"Ling!" Faria suddenly understood, his eyes widening.
Having worked as Mourinho's loyal assistant coach for nearly twenty years, he knows all too well what kind of striker Mourinho likes most.
Originally, his ultimate prototype was Didier Drogba, but now it's definitely Jeremy Ling.
Looking back at the historic squads with which Mourinho won titles—Drogba, Diego Milito, Karim Benzema—they all had solid finishing and elite playmaking abilities.
To put it simply, they could selflessly serve the system.
"That's right. What surprises me most about Ling isn't his freakish physique, but how he knows exactly how to play with his brain. He switches roles at different stages of the match, making the entire attacking system smoother," Mourinho couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Encountering such a complete player is a blessing for any head coach.
"Boss, you're right, but I still think Ling's raw dribbling ability is the one thing we absolutely can't do without to break low blocks!" Faria voiced his own opinion.
Mourinho shrugged noncommittally and continued focusing on the intense match.
Manchester United's corner kick had just been taken, and while it did find Ling, he had absolutely no space to jump cleanly against the combined physical might of Van Dijk and Matip.
Fortunately, Pogba swept up the second ball, denying Liverpool any chance to launch their trademark devastating counterattack.
...
The match grew increasingly intense and physical from that point onward.
After receiving the ball deep in his own half, Matip looked up and saw Ling charging toward him like a freight train, forcing the defender to play a rushed, safe pass to Fabinho.
'Is he specifically targeting me today?' Matip glanced nervously at Ling pressing beside him, his brow furrowing tightly.
That was indeed the exact tactical case.
Since Matip was currently Liverpool's key passing outlet from the back due to his ball-playing ability, as long as Ling could disrupt him and make him uncomfortable in possession, Liverpool's midfield and attack would struggle for service.
Fabinho immediately passed sideways to Henderson under pressure.
As a defensive midfielder tasked primarily with doing the dirty work, asking Henderson to orchestrate attacks under a high press was somewhat unreasonable.
Martin Tyler: "Henderson launches it toward Mo Salah with a trademark diagonal long pass!"
Gary Neville: "The delivery is spot on! He's isolated against Ashley Young!"
Salah controlled the dropping ball cleanly in front of him, executing several rapid body feints, but none managed to completely shake off the veteran Ashley Young.
Veterans are veterans, after all—their positioning and experience are invaluable.
However, Salah simply knocked the ball past him and accelerated explosively.
Ashley Young, slow to react to the raw pace, was instantly left trailing by more than half a body length.
Age catches up with everyone, Young thought grimly.
Without hesitation, he reached out and cynically grabbed a fistful of Salah's red shirt, hauling him down!
BEEP!!!
The referee, well aware of the boiling intensity of the North West Derby, immediately blew the whistle for a professional defensive foul and showed Ashley Young a yellow card.
Nearby Liverpool players who tried to aggressively confront Young were swiftly waved back by the official.
Gary Neville: "The referee's control of the game today is solid—much better than those blind, deaf, or paranoid officials we usually get! Now, about this foul: Young had to do it. Their defense was resolute, but you simply cannot give Salah any chance to shine."
Just a few minutes later, Liverpool struck back physically.
While Rashford was dribbling dangerously down the wing, Andy Robertson first tried to shove him off the ball unsuccessfully before sliding in with a brutal, scything tackle, sending the winger tumbling.
Rashford clutched his leg and gritted his teeth in pain.
Old Trafford instantly erupted with piercing, furious boos directed at the Scotsman.
Once again, the referee acted promptly, flashing a yellow card to Robertson to silence the enraged Manchester United players surrounding him.
He also called Ling and Henderson over, sternly instructing both captains to advise their teammates to control their boiling emotions.
However, neither captain nodded in agreement.
Control emotions in the North West Derby? Impossible.
Then how did Paul Ince's furious outburst after turning against his former club, Gary Neville's provocative display of the United badge to rival fans, and Steven Gerrard's infamous red card just 38 seconds into the match happen?
Regardless of whether they had any energy left, they would fight until the final whistle—that's the unique, toxic passion of the North West Derby!
Not a literal war, yet fiercer than war!
As the tension on the pitch escalated, players from both teams gradually became more aggressive and physical in every challenge.
20th minute.
Fabinho was caught off guard for just a brief moment in midfield, and Ling sprinted into his blind spot to receive a zip pass from Pogba.
The fierce Brazilian midfielder immediately turned to chase back.
But Ling, having finally found an opportunity to run at the defense, was determined to make the most of it!
So he accelerated sharply toward Matip.
"Help me, Virg!" Seeing Ling bearing down on him at full speed, still at least ten meters away, Matip began shouting frantically for cover.
There was no other choice—he was simply too panicked by the pace.
His technical characteristics are quite similar to Maguire's, both sharing the fatal flaws of slower speed and turning circles, making them easily overpowered by fast, direct forwards.
Van Dijk quickly moved closer to double-team upon hearing the call.
But just then, a gap opened up on the right side. Ling directly changed direction without losing speed and exploded forward into the space!
Martin Tyler: "Ling accelerates! Is he even human? My knees hurt just watching that change of direction!"
Gary Neville: "Ling is going to power straight through the middle!"
'FUCK—— 'Van Dijk thought.
He promptly halted his momentum and collided heavily with Ling without hesitation!
Even though he had a chance to keep up in a footrace, he wouldn't risk it.
The two players crashed directly into each other like two trucks, both falling hard to the ground!
The objective is achieved, Ling lay on the turf, watching the referee jog over and pull out a yellow card for the Dutchman, thinking to himself with a smirk.
Liverpool's defense against him was far too tight today.
If he didn't make them wary of his pace and draw cards, he would struggle to perform in this match.
'This motherfucker is so sneaky,' Van Dijk angrily shook his head as he accepted the booking.
He actually understood Ling's intention to draw the foul, but he didn't dare to gamble by letting him run.
This kid's explosive power was too terrifying!
If he didn't commit a tactical foul right there, there was a very real chance he could have just waltzed past him and scored.
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Manager fic will be released on sunday! it was far better than i expected, there is no glorifying chinese but it will highlight the sentiment of the 'only british know football', like what sir jim ratcliff said in manunited acquisition saga.