Moreover, Manchester United's defensive line could only be considered decent, still far from the absolute world's best.
On the other hand, Barcelona's forward line—Messi, Luis Suarez, and Philippe Coutinho—featured the top two goalscorers in La Liga.
On their bench, they had Ousmane Dembele and Malcom. Their attacking prowess was undoubtedly Europe's elite.
So, rather than using a pure defensive counter-attack and inviting pressure, it was better to be straightforward—go head-to-head!
Let's see who breaks through the other's defense first!
The Manchester United players gradually fell into deep thought, only snapping out of it when the food finally arrived.
Herrera gave a thumbs-up in admiration. "Ling, when you become a manager in the future, I'll happily be your assistant!"
"This wasn't my idea—it was the boss's!" Ling said with a laugh.
Even now, he still maintained his old habit of reviewing match tape and tactical concepts with Mourinho in his office.
Because while football emphasizes physicality and technique, tactics are the foundation.
De Gea teased him, "Seeing you head to the boss's office every day to talk tactics, we're incredibly envious!"
Everyone knew the relationship between the two—it couldn't even be described as just mentor and apprentice anymore.
Sometimes, as players, they truly envied that bond, but when it came to actually doing it themselves, they always found excuses.
Being scolded was uncomfortable, and analyzing tape for hours was too tiring.
"Hurry up and eat, or it'll get cold and won't taste as good," The restaurant owner, brought out a steaming plate of sea bass, looking at Ling with a deep sense of pride.
From Ling's early days in the youth academy to his promotion to the first team and winning the Golden Boot, he had been a witness to it all.
He couldn't help but feel emotional.
"Uncle, sit down and eat with us," Ling offered, posting a quick video update of the meal to his social media.
A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring.
Back then, the restaurant owner had given him a lot of free meals and support, but now that Ling had achieved massive wealth and success, the restaurant owner refused any direct financial repayment.
Ling could only repay him in his own way—whether by promoting the restaurant to his millions of followers or bringing the entire squad here for dinners.
"Ling, please don't promote it anymore. I'm over sixty now and don't have much desire for wealth," the restaurant owner sighed happily.
"Now, as a lifelong Manchester United fan, I just want to see you lads win a few more championships."
"Don't worry! Just for this spicy hand-shredded chicken alone, I'll fight my hardest to crush Barcelona!" Before Ling could speak, Maguire jumped in with a full mouth.
He absolutely loved the food here!
"Alright, alright, eat up. There are still a few more dishes coming," the restaurant owner beamed.
As the gathering was winding down, Ling picked up his phone and checked the sports news.
In La Liga's 31st round, Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 2-0, extending their lead at the top to 11 points.
They had essentially secured the League Title early.
In this match, Messi and Suarez each scored, but the most eye-catching performance came from the young Frenchman—Ousmane Dembele.
His tracking back and offensive contributions were vital, greatly alleviating the pressure on the flanks.
"This Dembele kid is pretty fast. Will he start against us?" Ashley Young asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
Upon hearing this, Ling showed a strange expression because, based on his memories from his past life, Dembele was similar to Raheem Sterling—a prime representative of "happy football" (wasting clear chances).
"Don't worry, Ash. If you're playing left-back, you'll only have to face Messi and Rakitic," Ling shrugged playfully.
"Only... Ling, you really dare to say 'only'?!" Ashley Young covered his face and groaned.
Ling's smile faded slightly.
Based on his memories from before his rebirth, Ashley Young was systematically destroyed by Messi in that specific 2019 match.
Eleven crosses, a 0% success rate, and a staggering 32 turnovers throughout the game.
Manchester United played terribly in that timeline, even setting three grim records overnight: their first Champions League match with zero shots on target in 14 years, only one home win in the CL that season, and becoming the team with the most own goals in CL history.
"Don't stress too much, Ash. Just treat it like you're playing for a new contract," Ling said in a lighthearted, encouraging tone.
Since the defense likely couldn't hold off Barcelona forever, they'd just have to put enough pressure up front to keep the Catalans too busy to attack!
...
As the Champions League quarter-finals approached, over at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training base in Spain.
The Barcelona players were engaged in an intense practice match.
Ernesto Valverde watched from the sidelines, his frown deepening.
Barcelona had recently faced Atlético Madrid in a physically draining title-deciding clash, while Manchester United had enjoyed a relatively lighter schedule and a week of rest.
Combined with the sheer age gap between the two squads, Manchester United held a significant physical and stamina advantage.
Therefore, playing at Old Trafford first, Valverde's plan was to stick to their traditional possession-based style to wear down Manchester United's sharpness before feeding the ball into Messi's feet.
As for whether they could score? Valverde wasn't worried.
He believed Messi was the best footballer in the world.
No one could stop him!
On the training pitch at that moment, Dembele made a slightly rough, clumsy challenge while defending Messi.
Assistant coach Jon Aspiazu immediately blew his whistle loudly. "Ousmane! Don't touch Leo during duels. What if he gets injured?!"
Dembele could only nod sullenly.
Before entering elite professional football, he had never encountered such a rule—it was only after joining Barcelona that he saw something like this.
No contact allowed? What was the point of training then? They were all teammates, so why was Messi treated like fragile glass?
After training concluded, a few defenders walked off the pitch together.
"Gerard, are you confident you can defend against Ling?" Lenglet asked quietly.
He himself had no confidence at all.
Just watching the tape, he could feel the intense, bruising impact the United striker brought.
How strong would it be in a direct physical confrontation?
"Don't make him out to be so terrifying," Pique scoffed, wiping his face with a towel. "I watched Manchester United's match against Liverpool. He is indeed one of Europe's top forwards right now. But in one-on-one situations, I'm not afraid of him because I can read through all his feints!"
Samuel Umtiti, walking beside them, curled his lips.
'Anyone can shit about that!'
During the 2012-13 Champions League season, Pique had arrogantly told the media, "If there's one team that can overturn Bayern, it's Barcelona!"
And what happened? The defense led by Pique was torn apart, conceding three humiliating goals.
The reason Pique became so famous... wasn't it just because his elite passing and control perfectly suited Barcelona's tiki-taka system?
Anyway, Umtiti didn't believe Pique was that impressive of a pure defender.
Jordi Alba chimed in with a warning. "Gerard, you'd better be careful. Sometimes, a simple burst of raw acceleration is all he needs to get past a defender. He doesn't need tricks."
"Right, right," Pique finally toned down his arrogance a bit.
Listening to his teammates' discussions ahead of them, Messi couldn't help but recall last season's Champions League disaster against Roma.
If they hadn't been killed by that shocking upset, they would have likely faced Manchester United in the semi-finals, and perhaps by then, the two could have settled their rivalry on the pitch.
This season, Ling's abilities had clearly improved once again.
"Leo, you've already scored 33 league goals this season. You're just one behind that kid across all comps. In the next match, you'll definitely surpass him!"
Seeing that Messi wasn't paying much attention to the tactical talk, Pique turned and offered some encouragement.
"I'll do my best," Messi nodded quietly.
His ultimate personal goal for this season was to reclaim the Ballon d'Or, which required massive achievements.
Just winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey wouldn't be enough.
Even if he didn't win the Champions League, he at least needed a dominant showing in the semi-finals.
Therefore, Ling was seen as his biggest direct competitor for the award, and he had to stop him in the quarter-finals!
Amid the complex, anxious thoughts of both teams' players, the date finally arrived.
April 10th. The Champions League quarter-finals ignited with fierce competition!