"Chelsea's midfield and attack are disconnected again," Sky Sports pundits, Marco didn't hold back in his criticism.
"Alonso has lost possession too many times on the flanks, and the key issue is he doesn't track back! Then there's Ross Barkley, passing the ball straight to Manchester United players. With Kovacic neutralized by Kante, Jorginho hasn't stepped up to organize either, mostly playing safe sideways passes."
But Manchester United's attacks were equally ineffective.
Deploying Lingard as a central attacking midfielder was akin to abandoning organization in the final third.
Lingard simply lacked the dribbling and passing range.
He was willing to do the dirty work with an engine that never stops, but when he occasionally managed to find Lukaku's feet, the big Belgian struggled to convert.
In the 68th minute of the match.
Mahrez gave it his all, brilliantly dribbling past both Barkley and Marcos Alonso before delivering a precise long pass from the right side of the box.
Peter Drury: "Mahrez puts it on a plate! Lukaku surges forward to meet it! WHAT A MISS! He sends it wide of the gaping goal! He has squandered a golden opportunity right in front of the net!"
Watching from the bench, Ling covered his face with both hands.
When it came to crucial, tight moments, Lukaku truly had a terrible habit of falling short!
Even Manchester United fans couldn't hold back on social media.
@UtdFaithful: Flat-top haircut, beer belly, Lukaku misses a fucking open goal! Get him out of my club!
@RedDevilsDaily: The camera showing Ling burying his face in his hands says it all. He must be so tired of watching this.
As the saying goes, Waste an opportunity, and you'll pay the price.
In the 76th minute, Eden Hazard showcased his absolute best form of the season.
Peter Drury: "Hazard drops the shoulder! He evades McTominay! He dances past Phil Jones! Bailly can't get near him! EDEN HAZARD! A maestro at work! He glides through the red shirts like they aren't even there and slots it into the far corner! Stamford Bridge breathes the sweet scent of a genius in full bloom!"
2-0!
All the pent-up frustration in Hazard's heart poured out as he ROARED toward the sea of blue in the stands.
In the end, Chelsea defended the honor of Stamford Bridge, securing a two-goal victory in the first leg.
...
After the match, Mourinho didn't make excuses, telling reporters.
"We didn't perform well enough today, but we have total confidence in overturning the result at home!"
However, the post-match backlash came on strong from rival fans and the media.
Anyone unaware might have thought Manchester United had just been relegated.
This left Manchester United fans feeling extremely frustrated.
Not a single player from their strongest core lineup had played the full match—was it really that strange to lose away to Chelsea's first team?
...
Three days later, in the 23rd round of the Premier League, Manchester United's opponent, Brighton, became the unfortunate victim of their pent-up rage.
Just 20 minutes into the match at Old Trafford, Ling scored twice with a towering header and a lethal volley.
But that wasn't the end
During stoppage time in the first half, Mahrez dribbled into the box from the wing, was tripped by a defender, and the referee pointed to the spot.
Ling stepped up and calmly converted the penalty.
A first-half hat-trick for him!
The goals got him fired up. After halftime, he received the ball on the left side of the box, shook off the defender with a series of feints, and curled a beautiful shot toward the far corner.
Unfortunately, he aimed too precisely, and the ball struck the crossbar.
But Mahrez followed up on the right side of the box, replicating Ling's move with a curling shot that slipped past the goalkeeper's fingertips and into the net.
Manchester United declared their return to form with a resounding 4-0 victory.
Just four days later, an uneasy Arsenal welcomed Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium.
The FA Cup fourth-round clash was about to begin!
...
"Wu Lei has arrived at Espanyol and completed his medical and contract signing. He is expected to make his debut for the team in February."
"Recently, the Future Talent Search Program, led by Manchester City legend Sun Jihai and Manchester United captain Jeremy Ling, has officially begun!"
Ling put down his phone and got up to leave the training room.
Ever since the domestic investigation into the football association and the league began, Chinese football had gradually shown signs of a resurgence, with a noticeable increase in the number of youth training institutions.
Additionally, young players under the age of 12 were finally being sent to clubs in the top five European leagues with Chinese capital backgrounds for proper training.
As someone who enjoyed the immense support of Chinese fans and was undoubtedly a beneficiary of Chinese football, Ling believed he had an obligation and responsibility to give back.
He wanted to do whatever he could to try and reverse the current downturn in his nation's footballing landscape.
In fact, at the end of last season, he had already considered this issue and arrived at an answer: he would use his massive influence at Manchester United to help suitable young Chinese players enter the famed Manchester United youth academy.
However, the problem was that he lacked the time and energy to scout and select the right candidates himself.
Coincidentally, Manchester City legend Sun Jihai had approached him.
Since retiring, Sun Jihai had devoted himself to grassroots and school football.
After completing his work as the coach of the national Olympic team the previous year, he launched the Future Football Talent Search Program from Bin City.
They were currently selecting children born after 2008 to form the first team for their youth training program.
The two hit it off immediately and formed a partnership.
First, they collaborated with relevant departments in Bin City to rent the Puxin District Youth Training Center.
The facilities there were among the best in the country, more than sufficient for the children's daily training and living needs.
Second, they invited a group of professional coaches with top-tier coaching certificates to provide the children with an educational model that combined football and academics.
In other words, a dual-track development of sports and education.
After all, given the current highly competitive state of domestic education, few parents were willing to go all-in and let their children devote themselves entirely to football.
In fact, doing so without a backup plan would be irresponsible toward their future.
Moreover, throughout the entire youth training process, aside from providing free full-board accommodation, there were absolutely no other hidden charges.
As long as a child had enough talent, the program would take care of the parents' financial concerns!
The youth training program's equipment and apparel were even fully sponsored and provided by Puma through Ling's joint brand.
The reason this massive project could be established so smoothly was not only due to the combined influence of Ling and Sun Jihai, but also stemmed from the deep love and understanding of football in Bin City.
Otherwise, bureaucratic issues such as venues, permits, and school coordination would not have been so easily resolved.
Finally, they leveraged Ling's influence to provide direct trial opportunities at Manchester United for the most outstanding performers.
Do not underestimate this opportunity.
Currently, clubs in the top five European leagues were tightening their youth training policies.
For example, the Premier League's strict "homegrown player" policy required teams to have at least eight locally trained players in their squads.
(This was the exact reason why transfer fees for average British players were always so inflated).
...
At the entrance of the Carrington Training Base.
"Sun..." Ling paused, suddenly unsure of what to call him.
Sun Jihai was twenty years older than him, so neither "brother" nor "uncle" seemed entirely appropriate for a professional setting.
"Ling, nice to meet you!" Sun Jihai noticed Jeremy's awkwardness and proactively stepped forward, extending his right hand with a warm smile.
"When I was four, I went with my dad to watch a Binzhou Shide match. Back then, I saw you guys win the FA Cup, the Ninth National Games, and the Super Cup," Jeremy smiled casually, taking the initiative to steer the conversation and show respect.
"Actually, we're from the same hometown! I'm from Hengdaohe Township in Zhuanghe City. How about you?" Sun asked.
"I'm from Jinzhou District, not far from you at all."
It must be said, when fellow townsfolk meet abroad, emotions run high.
The bond between the two instantly grew much closer.
Plus, Sun Jihai had once played for Manchester City and had a deep understanding of the Premier League, so they quickly found common ground.
Jeremy glanced at the boys, around 9 or 10 years old, who were nervously hiding behind Sun Jihai.
Looking at them, he seemed to see a reflection of his own younger self.
"Only five of them?" Jeremy asked.
"Only five for now, but there will be more in the future," Sun Jihai replied with a confident smile.
Half an hour later, the trial was underway.
"Pull wide and use the full width of the pitch!"
"Pay attention to the tempo when advancing, and combine wing play with central attacks!"
Youth coach Cox shouted instructions to the young players on the field, occasionally signaling the assistant coach to hold up a board for substitutions.
"Boss, what do you think of that kid?" Ling pointed to a child in the center of the green pitch—the one who had just received the ball, beautifully shaken off his marker, and quickly switched play.
Today, Ling had gone to great lengths to persuade Jose Mourinho to come out and watch the trial match.
Otherwise, given Mourinho's obsessive work habits, he'd likely be locked in his office reviewing match footage or analyzing Chelsea's tactics right now.
"Not bad," Mourinho yawned, not particularly interested.
In his decades-long coaching career at the highest level, he had seen far too many "prodigies." The young players on the field clearly didn't catch his elite eye.
"Boss, take another look, just one more," Ling urged softly.
Back when Ling had first left his hometown to join the Manchester United youth academy, he had trained and eaten alone every single day.
To be honest, it was a frightening and lonely experience.
That's why he wanted so desperately to create better conditions for the next generation, hoping someone could follow in his footsteps without suffering the same isolation.
"Hmm... his tactical awareness is quite good, and his control of the tempo is decent," Mourinho finally admitted, squinting at the boy.
"But he desperately needs to work on his physicality."
Mourinho had always been a serious, demanding evaluator!
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