After the conclusion of the 32nd round of the Premier League, the standings at the top of the table saw a few minor shifts.
The current top six were: Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Arsenal.
Although pundits often claim there are no weak teams in the Premier League, the top spots are still heavily dominated by the traditional "Big Six."
After all, modern football is a ruthless business—without money, you can't buy elite players, and without elite players, you can't achieve consistent results.
How often does a miracle like Leicester City actually happen?
...
Time quickly moved forward four days, and the 33rd round of the Premier League began.
Manchester United once again visited Molineux Stadium.
This left Wolves fans unable to sleep well the night before—hadn't the two teams just faced off in the FA Cup quarter-finals?
How could they be matched up again so soon? The English FA's scheduling was simply a mess!
Some frustrated Wolves fans even held up banners protesting the quick turnaround.
Since Manchester United's massive Champions League tie against Barcelona was still a full eight days away, Mourinho had no reservations and fielded his strongest starting lineup.
It was nearly identical to the last match against Wolves, except David De Gea was reinstated as the starting goalkeeper.
Whether it was a matter of pure superstition or tactical chemistry, whenever De Gea stood behind Harry Maguire, the "Big Head" performed exceptionally well.
Not only were there no clumsy mistakes, but his passes were also limited to smart, safe options.
This left Sergio Romero fuming on the substitutes' bench.
He leaned over and complained to Ander Herrera, "Harry is really something! He ruined two of my cup clean sheet bonuses, and both times it was with his hand randomly touching the ball!"
His gritted teeth showed genuine frustration.
"Don't worry, Sergio. It's mainly because you two haven't played together long enough, and the chemistry hasn't developed yet. Give it another two years, and Harry definitely won't make those mistakes with you again!" Herrera offered with a comforting pat on the back.
"In another two years, I'll be back in Argentina for retirement!" Romero retorted irritably.
Coincidentally, down on the pitch, Ling received the ball just outside the penalty area, turned sharply, and curled a stunning shot into the Wolves' net.
Martin Tyler: "Ling turns... and curls it beautifully into the far corner! A touch of sheer class from him! The young captain delivers once again for Manchester United!"
Gary Neville: "He just finds space where there is none, Martin. The Wolves defenders gave him half a yard, and in the Premier League, that is fatal. A brilliant finish from him."
Herrera promptly leaped up from the bench to celebrate loudly, immediately shifting the topic away from Romero's complaints.
"Do you guys think we can actually win against Barcelona?"
"I'm quite confident. When it comes to matches against Barcelona at Old Trafford, we've got a great historic record!" Phil Jones, a veteran of the Red Devils, was well-versed in all sorts of club statistics.
"But that's Messi. If you were asked to defend him, wouldn't you be afraid?" Herrera casually remarked.
Having previously played for Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, he had faced Messi quite a few times and understood exactly how formidable the Argentine's abilities were.
To be honest... he felt that with Phil Jones's current level, it would be a disaster.
"Who said I'm going to defend Messi?" Jones looked puzzled and countered. "Shouldn't that be Kante's job? He's quick on his feet and precise with his tackles. Even if he can't stop Messi entirely, he can definitely make him uncomfortable! Isn't that our tactical goal?"
"If you put it that way, it does make sense," Herrera nodded in agreement. Then, he slapped his thigh emphatically.
"Besides, we have Jeremy!"
"From an objective standpoint, I don't think he's any worse than Messi! From a subjective standpoint, I think he's even better!"
The players on Manchester United's substitutes' bench all rolled their eyes in unison at Herrera's blatant fanboying.
Was that even something worth mentioning?
65th minute.
Loud cheers erupted once again from the traveling away supporters' stand.
Martin Tyler: "Maguire launches it long! Ling flicks it on beautifully with his head... Mahrez is through!"
Gary Neville: "Mahrez controls it, glides past the defender in one fluid motion, and slots it home with his left foot! That is clinical counter-attacking football!"
Martin Tyler: "2-0 to Manchester United! They are cruising at Molineux!"
Shortly after, Mourinho made a substitution, bringing on the young Mason Greenwood to replace Ling, giving the teenager a chance to gain some valuable Premier League experience.
Unfortunately, no further goals were scored.
Manchester United created a few more chances, but whether it was poaching in the box or dribbling past defenders, Greenwood was noticeably lacking compared to the captain he replaced.
Regarding this, the United fans weren't harsh.
After all, it wasn't that Greenwood was bad, Ling was just overwhelmingly good.
In the end, Manchester United took all three points from Molineux Stadium, maintaining their firm position in second place on the league table.
Concluding at the exact same time was Manchester City's game against Cardiff City, with no surprises there. City comfortably won 2-0.
Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sané each scored a goal, with the latter now ranked second in the league's goalscoring charts, just four goals behind Ling.
Don't think four goals is a massive gap.
Keep in mind that Manchester City shows zero mercy when they dominate weaker opponents, often racking up absurd scores like 6-1 or 7-0. If Sané hits a hot streak and gets a bit of luck, he could potentially catch up in a single weekend.
However, the Manchester United fans weren't worried, because they knew Ling's characteristic style: steady improvement, finishing strong!
This was also evident from the odds offered by the bookmakers, who heavily favored Ling to retain the Golden Boot.
...
After securing the three points, the Manchester United players decided to have a small, private gathering, heading back to the restaurant in the city center.
On one hand, it was to reward themselves for their grueling recent schedule, and on the other, to boost morale ahead of the monumental Champions League quarter-finals.
During the free time before the food arrived, everyone chatted casually. Naturally, the topic shifted to their upcoming opponent: Barcelona.
"N'Golo, didn't you single-handedly mark Messi out of the game during last year's World Cup?" Rashford wore a cheeky grin, clearly joking with the humble midfielder.
Who knew Kante would actually take the compliment seriously, quickly waving his hands to deny it.
"No, no, we all did it together as a unit."
This wasn't false modesty on his part.
If you watched the tactical replay of that France vs. Argentina match, you'd see Messi attempted quite a few dribbles, but each time, a different French player was there to cover the space defensively.
That collective effort was the key to their defense.
"Guys, actually, I think you're focusing on the wrong thing. We shouldn't be thinking about how to defend," Ling cleared his throat and leaned forward.
"Attack! Barcelona's backline is Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Clément Lenglet, and Jordi Alba. Aside from Pique, none of the others are particularly dominant in one-on-one defending. If it's me and Riyad up front, we can definitely pin down their defense."
As Ling spoke, he felt words weren't enough, so he pulled out a small tactical whiteboard from his bag and started drawing arrows.
"Also, Barcelona's midfield lacks mobility," Ling tapped the board. "So, we should attack down the left flank as much as possible, aiming to stretch their shape and pull Sergio Busquets out of his central position. Then we rapidly switch play to the right and overload Ivan Rakitic. That directly connects our midfield and attack."
The tactics were conceptually simple, but executing them flawlessly under the lights of Old Trafford definitely wouldn't be easy.
But the reasoning held true.
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Holy crap, Arsenal just won the league... have you all been prepared for Arteta is better than sir alex or saka is better than messi argument ?