Chapter 461 - 461
In early October, the Premier League entered another busy stretch, and the Champions League group stage continued.
Manchester United traveled to Salzburg, Austria, to face Red Bull Salzburg away.
As a club under the Austrian Red Bull football network, Salzburg had access to substantial resources and had long since become another "black-market shop" in European football.
Their sporting director was Ralf Rangnick, hailed by some as the godfather of modern pressing football.
His eye for young talent was even sharper than his tactical coaching ability.
For instance, Mané had once played for Red Bull Salzburg.
Players like Hwang Hee-chan, Erling Haaland, Takumi Minamino, and Dominik Szoboszlai in the current squad were gradually showcasing their potential.
It was rumored that Haaland had already caught Borussia Dortmund's attention and could transfer during the winter window.
"Quick, quick, quick! Press them properly!"
Coach Jesse Marsch urged from the side.
He had previously coached the New York Red Bulls in MLS, winning trophies and achieving notable success.
But the intensity of MLS was well known.
Coaching Red Bull Salzburg was a new challenge, and against Manchester United, he had to deliver a strong performance.
After all, the pressure from United was immense.
"Do you think we can win?" Takumi Minamino asked.
"We definitely have a chance. Manchester United are strong, but they're not unbeatable," Hwang Hee-chan replied.
He suddenly remembered the online storm from a while ago.
During the summer, after Ling's England decision caused huge debate, Hwang had made a few careless comments in private that somehow leaked out. He had mocked Chinese football, saying that even if Ling helped their youth projects, it would not change anything quickly.
Minamino had been even more slippery.
With that smiling face of his, he said things that sounded polite on the surface but carried a sharp edge underneath.
If someone did not know better, they would think he had trained at La Masia's acting school.
"Too bad he chose England," Minamino said with a faint smile. "If he had gone back to play for China, Japan and Korea would have had plenty of chances to teach him humility."
"No worries. We'll get our chance tonight," Hwang said with a sly smile. "If we beat Manchester United, we'll humiliate him properly. He make our Son Heung-min look bad!"
"Deal," Minamino nodded.
In their eyes, Ling's personal strength was terrifying, but football was not one person's game.
Besides, club football was different from national-team football.
A Ballon d'Or-level player could still lose if his team failed to function.
"Come and train," Haaland said with a frown.
Since arriving at Red Bull Salzburg, he had always felt that these two were not exactly good people.
They liked gossiping behind others' backs too much.
But since he was about to leave anyway, he could not be bothered to interfere.
...
Soon, Champions League matchday arrived.
Red Bull Arena was packed with 30,000 fans cheering for Salzburg.
Ling pointed at Hwang Hee-chan and Takumi Minamino on the opposing side and said, "Remember those two. We're going to teach them a lesson later."
"Ling, do you have a grudge against them?" Wan-Bissaka asked, confused.
"A huge one," Ling nodded.
"Don't worry, then. I'm in top form today. I'll tackle them extra hard for you!"
Wan-Bissaka rolled up his sleeves.
If the boss said to do it, he would do it.
After all, following Ling had never led him wrong.
"I'll help too," Bruno Fernandes volunteered.
If he wanted to establish himself at Manchester United, he needed Ling's approval.
There was no other way.
That was simply how dominant Ling's status was.
Not far away, Hwang Hee-chan and Takumi Minamino noticed the hostile gazes coming from the Manchester United players.
They could not help shivering.
...
Back in the dressing room, Mourinho cleared his throat and said, "Don't underestimate Red Bull Salzburg. If they were in the Premier League, they'd likely be somewhere in the mid-to-lower table."
"Their high-pressing system is similar to Liverpool's.
They use the excellent mobility of young players to press, then deliver the ball to the forward line in the shortest possible time."
"So don't linger in midfield today. We need to move the ball quickly as well, or we'll risk being dispossessed and countered."
Mourinho took every match seriously.
This was part of his nature, unrelated to age or experience.
"Salzburg's left-side defense is relatively weak," Ling added. "If there's a chance, try an over-the-top long pass. I won't have much pressure competing with them for speed."
"Alright. We need to win as many Champions League group-stage matches as possible early on," Mourinho said with a nod. "Secure qualification quickly, then we can prepare properly for the tight Christmas schedule."
"Let's go!"
After everyone shouted encouragement in unison, they walked out of the dressing room.
📰 Sky Sports: Manchester United Travel to Salzburg as Champions League Group Stage Continues
📰 The Athletic: Mourinho Warns United About Red Bull Salzburg's Pressing Machine
📰 Manchester Evening News: Ling Starts as United Look to Maintain Perfect European Run
📰 UEFA: Salzburg's Young Attack Faces Reigning Champions Manchester United
📱 @UCLWatch ✔
Salzburg vs United is basically Europe's biggest talent factory against Europe's current final boss.
| ↳ 📱 @AjaxMarketWatch
| Reply: Scouts watching Haaland, Szoboszlai, Minamino, Hwang... and Ling reminding everyone what the finished product looks like.
📱 @UnitedStand ✔
Mourinho actually sounds cautious about Salzburg. That usually means the opponent is dangerous enough to be annoying.
📱 @TacticalTim ✔
Salzburg's press can cause problems if United get lazy in midfield. The key is whether Ling can pull their shape apart before they trap United centrally.
...
Red Bull Salzburg versus Manchester United.
Salzburg head coach Jesse Marsch was no conservative. On the contrary, his tactical philosophy was very innovative.
He deployed a 4-2-2-2 formation.
Up front, Haaland and Hwang Hee-chan partnered as the two strikers.
Minamino, Szoboszlai, Bernède, and Junuzović formed the midfield structure.
In defense, Rasmus Kristensen, Ramalho, Wöber, and Ulmer lined up.
This essentially concentrated resources in the center, with the flanks relying heavily on the full-backs.
That was related to the characteristics of Salzburg's players.
Haaland and Hwang formed a tall-and-fast combination with strong impact, but their heading ability was not especially dominant.
So Salzburg simply avoided forcing play wide and instead focused on penetrating through the center to exploit vertical space.
After all, this lineup worked wonders in the Austrian Bundesliga.
As for Manchester United, they fielded their classic 4-3-1-2, with little change from the previous match.
Only Havertz on the central axis was replaced by Bruno Fernandes.
As Mourinho predicted, Salzburg began with high-pressure pressing, determined to dominate the central area.
Fine.
Manchester United did not contest them there.
Instead, they spread the play to the wings.
As for Ling, he continuously made runs around Grealish.
His goal was simple.
Keep breaking through Salzburg's flanks, force them to shift defensive resources, and open up space in the center.
When tactics and execution combined perfectly, results came quickly.
"Ling drops toward the left to receive!"
"Salzburg press fiercely, surrounding him with three players almost instantly!"
"Is he going to take them on himself?"
No.
Wasn't team effort better than going solo?
Ling found a gap in the three-man press and passed the ball back to Nemanja Matić.
Matić played a through ball down the sideline to find Alex Sandro.
The Brazilian full-back burst past Rasmus Kristensen and curled a cross from near the byline toward the far post.
Grealish.
The foul magnet timed his run perfectly, throwing himself into a sliding shot.
"Oh, it rolls just past the post!"
"Manchester United found an opening early, but they couldn't convert it into a goal."
"Still, you can already tell they're playing comfortably."
The Salzburg players breathed a sigh of relief.
"What's wrong, Ballon d'Or winner? Afraid to take me on?"
Minamino approached Ling and taunted him sarcastically.
"Idiot."
Ling turned away without even looking back, returning to his position.
He would take him on later.
Minamino's face turned pale with anger.
He had wanted to provoke Ling, trying to play the Materazzi trick.
But who knew the other guy would not even engage him?
...
As time passed, Marsch's frown deepened.
His team struggled to make interceptions in dangerous areas, and their attempts to penetrate through the middle were largely ineffective.
Who could blame them?
The defensive midfield trio of Ander Herrera, Kanté, and Nemanja Matić was simply too difficult to break through.
Haaland had barely touched the ball for a while, and on the rare occasions he did receive it, he was immediately marked tightly by that seemingly clumsy centre-back.
He could not leverage his physical advantage at all.
Meanwhile, Manchester United were truly finding their rhythm and gradually taking control of the match.
"Wan-Bissaka!"
"That tackle sends Hwang Hee-chan tumbling, and the referee tells them to play on!"
"He breaks down the wing... oh, he's gone for the long pass straight away?"
Ling glanced back and could not help thinking to himself.
The technique was far too rough.
If that pass had come from Scholes, he would probably already be through on goal.
By the time he brought the ball under control, Salzburg had already recovered defensively and formed a tight line inside the penalty area.
Hwang Hee-chan had even tracked all the way back from the attacking third.
Faced with the double-team from Hwang and Ulmer, Ling tested the waters with a few feints while keeping the ball at his feet.
No movement.
Perhaps because there were two defenders marking him, Salzburg had relaxed their control over the area right in front of goal.
The space was there.
If he could get past them, there would be a chance.
His right foot suddenly stepped over the ball, feinting outside.
Ulmer instinctively followed.
But the next moment, he realized Ling had pulled the ball back with his right foot, elegantly shaking him off.
Now, he could only place his hopes on his teammate.
Without hesitation, Hwang Hee-chan went in for a sliding tackle.
He believed the distance was close enough, and he had timed it perfectly during Ling's touch.
There was no way he could miss.
"Sibaiiiii!"
Hwang had already thrown his body into the tackle, only to see Ling react with even quicker footwork.
A flick of the ball.
A narrow shooting window opened.
"A low stabbed shot!"
"That's in!"
Hwang watched helplessly as the ball hit the back of the net, pounding the turf in frustration.
How could he have missed that tackle?
He could not understand it.
Ling paid no attention to Hwang, but as he passed Minamino, he flashed a mocking smile.
Exchanging words with that guy would only cheapen himself.
"Ling is just too good."
Haaland could not help sighing, feeling a faint trace of disappointment.
He had once thought the gap between them was something he could close.
But those two precise touches just now were something he might not be able to replicate even after years of practice.
"It's fine. We're still young," Szoboszlai comforted him.
"But Ling isn't old either. He's only twenty-one, just two years older than us!"
Haaland felt his future suddenly looked bleak.
Every footballer shared the same dream.
The Ballon d'Or.
And in the future, that award might be monopolized by one person.