Chapter 371 - 371

April 22nd.

The temperature in Manchester rose to a pleasant 18°C, and the atmosphere in the city grew lively accordingly.

On the massive LED screen outside City Tower, a landmark building in central Manchester, a giant promotional poster came into view.

On the left was a striking, passionate red, on the right, a cool, arrogant sky blue.

In the foreground, the captain and star players of both teams, Ling and Kevin De Bruyne, faced each other in profile, showcasing an intense confrontational aura.

"Glory to Manchester United!"

Whenever groups of Manchester United fans passed by City Tower, they would unanimously shout this phrase, pointing up at the red half of the screen.

Just as the lyrics of the famous song go.

Red has always represented the footballing glory of this working-class city, and many people around the world first learned of Manchester solely because of Manchester United.

Because of Old Trafford!

However, while Manchester United once conquered the world and built a global empire, they could never truly own this city completely.

Because there was always a shade of blue that could not be ignored, stubbornly resisting in the shadows.

Tracing the origins of the bitter rivalry between the two clubs, one might have to go back to 1974.

Denis Law, the legendary "King" who had controversially transferred from Manchester United to Manchester City, scored an infamous backheel goal that brought Manchester United dangerously close to relegation.

And that was the very last touch of his professional career.

At the time, furious and desperate Manchester United fans stormed the pitch prematurely, hoping to abandon the match and nullify the result.

But Manchester United's fate of relegation to the Second Division was already sealed by other results.

Later, when Denis Law was interviewed by the media, he said with genuine heartbreak.

"Manchester United was the team I loved most in my life, yet I dealt them the most fatal blow. I even wished the referee would disallow that goal, for whatever reason, as long as it didn't count. I was inconsolable."

And Denis Law's unintentional betrayal during that era was not the only painful memory Manchester City left for Manchester United.

In 1989, fans of both clubs clashed violently in the stands, setting the dark record for the largest-scale conflict in the history of the Manchester Derby.

But what physically pained Manchester United fans the most that day was Manchester City's humiliating 5-1 victory on the pitch.

"Three years and then another three years, everything is still so terrible. Stop making excuses and get lost already! Sir Alex Ferguson!"

Back then, Old Trafford was plastered with banners bearing similar messages from impatient fans.

But football stories often don't unfold as expected.

Sir Alex Ferguson grasped a lifeline—the FA Cup title.

He also unearthed the famous Class of '92, creating an unprecedented, dominant dynasty for the Red Devils that lasted two decades.

However, no matter how brilliant and dazzling Manchester United were globally, on every derby day leading to Old Trafford, the melodious tune of Manchester City's "Blue Moon" anthem would ring out punctually from the away end.

The clash between red and blue would forever exist.

There were many more intense stories between the two clubs in the future: Roy Keane's brutal, career-ending flying kick at Alf-Inge Haaland, the perceived traitor Peter Schmeichel cartwheeling for City, Gary Neville's passionate "Badge Kiss," Wayne Rooney's stunning, gravity-defying bicycle kick...

Now, a new chapter was about to be written.

In a studio building right next to City Tower, Ling was being interviewed by the media ahead of the mega-clash.

"Although Manchester City haven't won the League Title in the past two seasons under Guardiola, they've delivered convincing, outstanding performances to reach the Champions League semis. Are you seriously worried about the match three days from now?" Jamie Carragher asked, crossing his legs in his tailored suit.

In truth, Carragher desperately hoped for a gritty draw between Manchester United and Manchester City, so his beloved Liverpool could retain their fading title hopes.

Ling didn't overly disparage Manchester City but evaluated them from a cool, objective perspective.

"Mr. Guardiola's transformation of Manchester City has been very successful. I'd say his traditional tiki-taka football hasn't disappeared; it has evolved into a much more physically efficient and beautiful modern system."

"Just as Mr. Guardiola said recently, the current Manchester City is almost perfect," Ling added.

Before Gary Neville could retort defensively, Ling shifted his tone with a slight, confident smile and said, "Note that I said 'almost'—many teams have already provided the tactical solution this season: extreme high-intensity pressing and ruthlessly efficient counterattacks!"

After waiting for a moment and finding no tactical follow-up, Carragher eagerly asked, "So what is Manchester United's specific targeted tactic for Sunday?"

Ling smiled without answering, raising an eyebrow.

Did Carragher really think he could trick him into revealing Mourinho's game plan on live television?

Who did he think he was dealing with? A rookie?

The higher the stakes of a match, the more absolutely crucial the hidden tactics become.

Knowing the opponent's strategy in advance could even allow a weaker team to overcome a stronger one, let alone teams of similar, elite caliber.

Moreover, Mourinho was particularly paranoid and wary of such matters—after all, the Portuguese had been betrayed by moles too many times in his career.

Although Ling had a great relationship with him, crossing that line and leaking tactics would undoubtedly cause massive dressing room trouble.

"Didn't Ling already tell you, Jamie? It's just one word—efficiency!" Neville offered a quick way out for the captain.

But Carragher didn't take the hint and pressed further, "You make 'efficiency' sound incredibly simple, Gary, but it's actually the hardest tactical problem to solve in football. Different teams implement it with vastly different results—like the difference between a buyer's catalog photo and the actual product. Manchester United must have specific pressing triggers and plans. Could you elaborate on how you plan to bypass Rodri?"

Ling didn't even feel like complaining.

What was Carragher thinking?

Did the Scouser really want Manchester United to lose that badly?

"Alright, let's respectfully move on to the next question, which many fans are actually curious about," Neville intervened smoothly, with his higher emotional intelligence, shifting the focus to safe celebrity gossip.

"Everyone knows about your highly publicized relationship with Pep Guardiola's daughter, Maria. Could you share how you two actually met? Must make family dinners awkward!"

"Well... after qualifying for the Champions League final last season, our whole team went out to a private bar in town to celebrate..." Ling trailed off, rubbing his nose awkwardly.

How should he truthfully describe what happened next on live TV?

Kyle Walker getting drunk and harassing Maria, and me stepping in as the hero to throw him out?

It didn't feel quite right to air dirty laundry.

But Neville seized the opportunity and enthusiastically filled in the missing details for the audience, having heard the rumors.

"Rumor has it, shortly after that night, Kyle Walker was mysteriously demoted to the youth team for two weeks. Manchester City's official reason was 'poor training attitude'..." Neville said gleefully, winking at the camera.

After a long pause, Neville asked seriously, his tone shifting. "One final football question, Ling: What do you think will ultimately decide the outcome of the Manchester derby in three days? Tactics? Luck? Individual brilliance?"

Ling lowered his gaze in deep thought for a moment, then pointed out the studio window toward the massive poster on the city tower.

"Whether the players truly care about playing for their respective club."

It was an enigmatic, heavy answer, but it left both Neville and Carragher in stunned silence.

Because they both understood exactly what he meant.

Although being a professional footballer is ultimately a highly-paid job, it still fundamentally requires faith.

Faith!

Faith or belief isn't a religious concept here.

To put it more simply in football terms: When you pull that heavy jersey over your head, you know anything is possible.

You should fight for championships and historic glory, not just a paycheck.

You must train hard every single day, pushing yourself to the absolute brink of physical doubt.

You cannot slack off even for a fleeting moment; you cannot stop moving forward.

You perform in front of tens of thousands of desperate, working-class fans, giving your absolute best to help the collective team achieve glory.

That's what you're supposed to do.

That's faith in the badge!

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