Chapter 451: Tenacious Manchester United (Daily Transition)

As autumn approached, the fallen leaves at Cobham Training Base grew more and more.

Chelsea players were doing warm-up exercises.

"More than ten years ago, I asked Totti how he managed to date five female stars at the same time."

"They were five hot female stars!"

"He told me, if I saw a girl I liked on TV, I should call her right away."

"So one day I made the call exactly as he said."

"Guess what happened?"

"The female star said to me, 'Oh! Totti, your imitation of Buffon's tone is spot on!'"

"Hahaha... Why aren't you laughing? Isn't it funny?"

Buffon's hearty laugh startled the two magpies on the treetops into flying away.

Dino led the staff in setting up obstacles on the training field; this time it was still the targeted "Diamond Hexagon," but the obstacle range was expanded, making the players' effective attack-defense zone narrower.

Tuchel stood with his hands in his pockets, under a black baseball cap, looking unfathomable.

Manchester United's strength is not weak; even after losing to Brighton, they remain third in the Premier League standings.

Weak against the weak, strong against the strong—the Ultimate Body Iron Hammer Gang.

De Gea was further "honed" into a goalkeeper who tops all statistical categories across the five major leagues.

Although he doesn't distribute the ball, in this era his fans still regard him as a T0-level god of goalkeeping.

The front line is as beautiful as a painting, the back line has De Gea.

Fake core Pogba, true core De Gea.

Various compilations of extreme saves left the audience exhilarated.

Guard against the opposition, guard against Maguire, guard against Lukaku, guard against Shaw, guard against Smalling...

Just looking at the paper roster, Manchester United can be described as glittering with stars.

Carrington Training Base.

Surrounded by greenery, the scenery is beautiful.

"Paul, you were almost late again!"

"Last night you were caught by the Sun's paparazzi again!"

"Although the Sun is a tabloid, its reports on male-female relationships are usually true."

Facing teammates' teasing, Pogba's expression remained stern, and he ignored them.

His life is very disciplined; he goes to nightclubs only twice a week.

"His agent Raiola helped him craft a perfect public image, but the opinions of the marketing water army weren't unified: 'Pogba never goes to nightclubs,' 'Pogba met little Luo at a nightclub, beautiful women accompanied them, they talked happily.'"

"Cheer up."

"We want to take down Chelsea at Old Trafford!"

"Time is like a rushing river; in the blink of an eye another Premier League matchday has arrived."

"The Chelsea bus slowly drove into Old Trafford Stadium."

"Under the guidance of Tuchel's staff, we arrived at the pre-match press conference venue."

"The reporters focused more of their attention on Mourinho."

"What do you have to say about facing Chelsea again?"

"Does Manchester United have confidence to withstand Chelsea's blue storm at the Dream Theatre?"

"How do you evaluate this season's Chelsea? Can Tuchel recreate a great season from over ten years ago?"

"Premier League media are harsh on Manchester United because expectations are high; most people hope the Red Devils can return to their peak, rather than become soil for gossip resources."

"Mourinho's expression was calm; he pointed to himself, then extended three fingers!"

"VIP box."

"76-year-old Ferguson took a sip of red wine."

"It's really wine."

"These years, whenever Manchester United lost, he would drink to vent his frustration; occasionally when they won, he would invite opponents or old friends for a drink."

"As for the former habit of always inviting opposing coaches to drink, after retirement he no longer maintained it."

"Old Trafford itself provides drinks to guests, but they must be withdrawn fifteen minutes before the match."

"I remember Li's Champions League debut was at Old Trafford."

"It was the Champions League qualifier two years ago, Jazz..."

"Qualifier..."

"Unpleasant memories are filtered out by the brain."

"Gazing at the red sea before his eyes."

"Ferguson, the former ruler of the Red Devils dynasty, never imagined that after his retirement Manchester United's dominance would fall to such an extent."

"Player tunnel."

"Players from both sides exchanged greetings."

"Too familiar."

"Especially Matic, this guy, showed great enthusiasm toward Chelsea's old friends."

"As well as the French Black Egg faction, the Belgian faction, the Spanish faction, and the Arsenal old friends faction."

"Suddenly."

"Li Kang saw a mouse run under his feet, instantly delighting the young ball boys."

"Mouse infestations are a historical issue at Old Trafford; occasionally mice can still be seen on the pitch during matches."

Pogba's hairstyle today is relatively normal: a dyed‑blue mohawk.

He glanced silently at the Chelsea lineup, and his fighting spirit instantly spread throughout his body.

When facing weak teams, he zones out.

When facing strong teams, he focuses.

Fans jokingly call this Pogba's ninja way.

"ESPN, ESPN, hello everyone, viewers."

"This is the live broadcast of the 2017/18 Premier League season's eighth round."

"Manchester United hosting Chelsea."

"The passionate showdown is about to begin."

"The camera cuts to the away stands, where Hermione, the protagonist of Harry Potter, appears—a loyal Chelsea fan who, over the past year, has not taken any film roles but instead focuses on women's rights activism."

"At this moment the camera switches to the VIP box, where Hills, who played for Manchester United in 1994, appears!"

The red sea surges.

Amid deafening cheers.

The referee corps leads both teams' players out of the tunnel.

As Li Kang steps onto the grass, the system prompt sound softly chimes.

【Ding, mission triggered: Impregnable Dream Theater.】

【Mission brief: After Mourinho's coaching, Manchester United now possesses a more three‑dimensional and solid defensive system, and the threat in transition attacks is extremely strong—of course… provided their defensive players can keep a clear head.】

【Mission reward: Manchester United Legend·Platinum Treasure Box.】

"Now let me introduce both teams' starting lineups."

"Manchester United's formation is 4-2-3-1!"

"Goalkeeper: De Gea."

"Defenders: Valencia, Maguire, Smalling, Blind!"

"Double holding midfielders: Herrera, Matic."

"Attacking midfielders: Sanchez, Pogba, Martial!"

"Forward: Lukaku."

-【I think this lineup is evenly matched with Chelsea… not much difference.】

-【Herrera is Hazard's nemesis, his style restrains him; in four encounters he shut down the ball king… like Kruyff meeting a golden retriever.】

-【Mourinho's second year, peak strength.】

-【The duel between Pogba and Li Kang's twin prodigies, the two strongest genius midfielders of the younger generation.】

"Chelsea's formation here is 4-3-3!"

"Goalkeeper: Buffon."

"Defenders: Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill, Marcos Alonso."

"Midfield: Li Kang, Kanté, Fabregas."

"Forwards: Hazard, Morata, William."

-【This lineup actually has no absolute finishing core; all attackers are quite selfish, causing the attacking design to be unfathomable to opponents.】

-【Soldiers follow the water's shape; the unfathomable Tuchel.】

-【We must avoid this match; the strangling game will take up much time and attack‑defense cycles, making big plays impossible.】

-【Li Mingdeng's three strikes at Old Trafford.】

Accompanied by the referee's whistle.

The match officially begins.

Manchester United possession.

Lukaku twists his bulky frame, takes a reverse‑footed kick‑off, and passes back to Matic.

Who would have thought he was a skinny little black egg last season?

Sideways, he steps forward two paces, observes the passing lane, then moves with the formation into Chelsea's half.

His fierce gaze locks onto Chelsea's goal.

Thirty years east of the river.

Thirty years west of the river.

Do not underestimate the poor youth.

The little black fatty used to be a Chelsea player; why is his revenge desire so strong?

The story starts from the 2011/12 season: Boas didn't register him for the Champions League squad, and as a result Di Matteo led the team to win the Champions League trophy.

"I haven't touched the Champions League trophy, because it wasn't something I won myself."

Hate the house and the crow.

In the years since, Lukaku often lashes out at the media to vent his dissatisfaction with Chelsea, while also taking potshots at Chelsea players.

"Lukaku pulls wide!"

"Blind pushes forward to the forty‑meter zone, receives the ball, makes a slight adjustment, then launches a long pass!"

"Diagonal bombardment!"

Blind's diagonal long pass is highly refined; he personally crafted Van Persie's "flying leap header" world‑famous painting back then.

Ajax youth academy masterpiece.

During the 2007 European U‑19 Championship, he was still a Europe‑wide famous handsome youth, acclaimed as the "Bryan Anderson of the grass field," but at age twenty his cheeks began to puff and his hairline receded.

The ball spins and spins in midair.

The camera followed its trajectory and immediately moved to the right half of Manchester United's attacking direction.

Marcos's positioning was timely, interfering with Lukaku's reception at the landing point.

Too bad.

Couldn't withstand the 200‑jin impact!

Old Trafford, instantly a wave of applause.

The visual impact was too explosive: an elephant versus a leopard!

"Wow!"

"Lukaku shoved Marcos off the flank with his butt!"

"Li Kang's cover defense!"

"Holding the position, letting the ball roll out of bounds—a reasonable defensive play, and Pogba came over in time to support."

"Chelsea's throw‑in."

Lukaku, like an elephant, kept butting Li Kang's rear.

How come he couldn't flip him over with one push?

In the end he could only watch helplessly as the ball went out of play.

Although he likes to speak ill of others, he's still a good kid.

Lukaku gave Li Kang's butt a friendly pat, then hauled up Marcos, whom he had just roughed up.

Li Kang rubbed his little marinated egg.

On the sidelines.

Tuchel sat composed on the bench, hands crossed over his chest, expression calm.

Dino took earnest notes: "Sure enough, Manchester United seized the initiative, actively suppressing Marcos on that side—right weak, left strong—drawing defensive strength, then Pogba, who had come over to support, made an arcing pass to shift the play slightly."

"Plus Sanchez shifting to midfield..."

"Mourinho's self‑designed attacking scheme is also highly targeted."

On the other side.

Mourinho wore a calm face, one hand in his pocket, the other directing the defensive formation to shift back.

Manchester United in Mourinho's second year were average at beating weak teams but excelled at tough matches.

Research into tactical solutions in the Premier League progresses extremely fast.

Mourinho‑style Manchester United likewise learned the lessons of Manchester City and Tottenham: you can't face this Chelsea head‑on when stuck in a prolonged high‑press.

"Marcos threw the ball in from the touchline."

"Manchester United weren't applying much pressure up front; everyone dropped back, even Lukaku had to cover the flank."

"Li Kang passed the ball to Hazard."

"Oh dear."

"Herrera truly is Hazard's lifelong foe! Their skin‑to‑skin contact is intense."

"Beautiful turn to shake off the defender!"

"Then square it to Morata in midfield!"

"Rumor has it... both of his feet are left‑footed!"

"Wow!"

"Is that still Morata?"

A slap in the face can come swiftly.

Who doesn't eat dumplings during New Year?

Before the deep‑lying Morata received the ball, he had already noticed Maguire out of position.

A good chance.

A huge gap.

Adjusting his body lean.

Swinging his arm.

Planting his foot.

Thud!

From thirty meters out he unleashed a world‑class strike!

Old Trafford rang with gasps of amazement.

The ball turned into a dark speck in mid‑air, flying toward Manchester United's goal.

Scientists have studied: De Gea's reaction time limit is 0.18 seconds, faster than the average lightning flash of 0.2 seconds!

His tall frame stretched out in mid‑air.

His platinum gloves clenched into fists.

Smack!

The speeding ball instantly steadied, lightly flying over the line!

"Nice, De Gea!"

"Amazing save!"

"One‑handed catch of a cannon shot!"

"That powerful long‑range shot by Morata, what a shame!"

"Chelsea's left‑side corner kick opportunity!"

Catching a cannon shot with one hand isn't a fantasy tale—Cech has done it, Buffon has done it, and Nuoyiner has done it too.

De Gea wanted to curse something, looking at Ma Datou still scratching his butt... but couldn't utter a word.

Morata clapped, his confidence doubled.

William stood at the corner flag.

William raised his hand.

William took a run-up.

Smack!

"Along the ground."

"Tactical corner kick!"

"Fabregas received the ball."

"Man United's defense began to widen its spacing."

"Heard that Tuchel's team only does a brief set-piece practice the day before the match."

"Set up the cannon!"

"Li Kang!"

Although Fabregas is no longer as strong as before, his defensive ability is top-notch.

Smack.

Lightly tapped sideways.

Just happened to catch the gap when Man United's defense widened its spacing.

Li Kang, on the left side of the top of the penalty area arc, shot on goal meeting the ball!

Boom!

The football rose quickly, spinning violently, about to trace a beautiful arc.

But it hit a big face.

"Maguire!"

《Opening with max-level aerial defense! 》

"That was close!"

"This time it's Maguire who stepped up."

"Man United narrowly escaped again!"

"Chelsea's left-side throw-in!"

"The encircling formation is about to unfold!"

Maguire smiled and gave Li Kang a thumbs-up.

Li Kang also gave him a thumbs-up.

VIP box.

Ferguson's expression was complex; he was somewhat satisfied with the Man United players' performance, but the home team's previous matches had already told him: these guys might lose their composure at crucial moments.

Old Trafford is one of the few stadiums in Europe that likes to offer applause.

Time ticked by second by second.

Chelsea launched a siege against Man United, a fierce positional battle that gripped the audience's hearts.

Applause and cheers overlapped.

Tuchel somehow had rushed to the technical area, earnestly making gestures.

Mourinho's expression grew increasingly grim.

Dino silently took notes: "There's a lot to learn from Man United's low-block defense in Mourinho's second year."

-【They've been kicking for nearly 19 minutes and still no goal?】

-【Don't rush, the good show has just begun.】

-【Will Lukaku play as a striker? He keeps drifting to the wing.】

-【The most complex attacking design vs. the most tight low-block defense.】

-【Tight as hell, Maguire's long counter-attack pass hit David Luiz's face again...】a>vas>div>Scan the code to download this site's joint Xiaoxiang gift, limited-time massive books for newcomers. div>div>div>