"De Gea's ability speaks for itself."
"Lindelöf's ability speaks for itself too, so when those two are part of the same team, this Manchester United back line gives off a very peculiar feeling."
What Scholes worried about most was Manchester United's defense.
"Ashley Cole, you were a defender yourself. Who do you think is the biggest problem in Manchester United's current back line?"
Ashley Cole looked at the lineup. As a former full back, his attention naturally went to Luke Shaw and Ashley Young.
"Actually, I think Luke Shaw has a very high ceiling, but Ashley Young always gives me a strange feeling."
"He has ability, especially going forward."
"But in one-on-one defending, sometimes he just feels a little short. Considering he has to face Mané in this derby, I think Liverpool can focus on breaking through on Ashley Young's side."
Ashley Cole had spotted the weakness in Manchester United's defense.
It was not only because of Ashley Young. The center back covering Ashley Young's side was Lindelöf, and neither of them had been in good form recently, especially Lindelöf.
Klopp knew Lindelöf had ability, but his form was unstable. He often played brilliantly in one match, then poorly in the next.
Liverpool wanted to seize on that inconsistency.
On December 31, on the bus to Old Trafford, Klopp gave the players one final reminder of the tactical instructions.
"To keep an eye on Lukaku, you can't limit your focus to the center. He loves pulling wide. One moment he goes left, the next he goes right. He likes operating on the flanks, and that is our chance."
"We push Manchester United's players toward the flanks. Once Lukaku pulls wide with the ball, we force him to overlap positions with their original wide players. That disrupts United's front line setup and limits their attack."
Zubizarreta and Krawietz had studied Manchester United's counterattacking patterns thoroughly. Leo Lin's direct matchup was naturally Manchester United's midfield creator, Pogba.
When the team arrived at Old Trafford, they were greeted by those all too familiar insults. Manchester United fans were not about to show the Liverpool players any kindness.
Everyone had already grown used to that atmosphere. They entered the dressing room through the stadium's back entrance, adjusted their state of mind, and prepared for battle.
At 6 p.m. European time, the most comfortable time of the day.
The two starting lineups stepped onto the pitch at Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dreams, and the derby officially began.
The starting lineups appeared at the top of the screen, using the Premier League's new presentation style.
Player projections appeared one by one above a virtual pitch in order, giving fans a more direct visual experience.
Manchester United starting lineup projection:
Goalkeeper: De Gea.
Defenders: Luke Shaw, Smalling, Lindelöf, Ashley Young.
Midfielders: Pogba, McTominay, Herrera.
Forwards: Rashford, Lukaku, Mata.
Liverpool starting lineup projection:
Goalkeeper: Mignolet.
Defenders: Robertson, Van Dijk, Matip, Gomez.
Midfielders: Henderson, Rodri, Leo Lin.
Forwards: Mané, Firmino, Salah.
"Gomez, who has been in excellent form recently, replaces Arnold in the starting lineup for this huge match. Klopp must be hoping Arnold can feel a little more pressure from competition."
"Pairing Rodri with Henderson is also meant to stabilize the midfield defense and stop Pogba from launching counterattacks."
Referee Oliver entered the pitch with the players.
Leo Lin had only just appeared when he received Old Trafford's care.
Special care.
After all, in both direct derby clashes last season, Leo Lin had performed brilliantly. Liverpool fans had even called him a star born to play against Manchester United.
Leo Lin smiled as he felt the care from the Manchester United fans, holding his head high.
"Beep!"
The battle began.
Manchester United kicked off and first played it back to Pogba. Sure enough, they wanted Pogba to direct the attack.
Up front, Lukaku began his unpredictable performance. Whenever the commentator mentioned Lukaku's name, it was always paired with a verb.
"Lukaku pulls wide with the ball!"
"A heavy touch forward!"
"Robertson clears it away!"
...
"He pulls wide to ask for the ball. Lukaku has gone to the flank again, as if that is where he feels most comfortable."
"Pogba plays the long ball. Lukaku controls it, but he only has the option to cross."
"And sure enough, he crosses."
"Mata challenges for the header, but Van Dijk heads it clear."
"I honestly cannot understand what kind of tactic this is."
Scholes was furious.
"Why would you have your center forward pull wide, then ask smaller, physically weaker wingers to compete for headers?"
"Are you looking down on Van Dijk, or are you looking down on Matip?"
"Just look at the physical difference between Mata and Van Dijk."
"Are they even in the same weight class? You send a 50 kg fighter to box an 80 kg fighter. What do you think the result will be?"
"Or do you think Lukaku's crossing is better than that of a proper winger? I certainly don't."
In truth, there was nothing wrong with Manchester United's approach, and Scholes understood that. What he did not understand was why Lukaku's timing when pulling wide was always wrong.
On top of that, Klopp had prepared the defensive plan before the match. Every time Lukaku pulled wide, Henderson or Rodri would drop back to the flank, joining the full back to squeeze Lukaku's wide space and force him either to cross under pressure or make a useless dribble.
Liverpool were doing an excellent job of limiting Manchester United's attack.
But when it was Liverpool's turn to attack, Manchester United's defense looked uncertain.
The assignments at the back were unclear, because Leo Lin seemed to be imitating Lukaku's style. But his timing when moving out wide was much more accurate than Lukaku's.
In the 26th minute.
"Rodri carries the ball from the back and gives it to Henderson. The pass comes quickly."
"After his recent period of adjustment, Rodri's passing has become more accurate and more decisive. He has clearly made a breakthrough."
"Liverpool's frequent injuries over the previous stretch forced many players who normally would not have had chances to play into becoming regular starters."
"Although that was a difficult time, it is clear that Wijnaldum, Rodri, and Shaqiri have all improved."
"So with any difficulty, as long as you can gain insight from it and grow, then when the hard times pass and you look back, those difficulties become your teacher instead."
Henderson received the ball and immediately sent a long pass forward.
The beautiful long ball flew over Old Trafford and dropped toward the left, but the player receiving it was not Mané. It was Leo Lin.
Leo Lin ran onto Henderson's long pass, somehow appearing on the flank.
Mané's clever movement dragged Ashley Young away, giving Leo Lin crossing space out wide.
He even had time to take one settling touch. Leo Lin picked out Firmino and delivered the cross, making full use of his excellent crossing ability.
A beautiful cross flew into the middle.
Lindelöf jumped, preparing to head it clear, but Firmino was faster. His leap was better, and he reached the dropping point first. With superb heading technique, he directed the ball toward goal.
Even though De Gea reacted brilliantly and got a hand to the ball, he could not tip it over the crossbar. Instead, he pushed it into the upper netting.
There was too little space for him to deal with it. To tip it over the bar, he would have needed enough room, but Firmino's header was almost smashed straight at him.
The fact that De Gea managed to touch the ball through sheer reaction was already a top level save.
"That was too easy!"
"Manchester United let them score far too easily!"
Scholes snapped angrily.
"Manchester United's back line may as well not exist."
"After Lin pulled wide, no one went to defend him. They gave him such a good crossing position, and Firmino's goal was only natural."
"Lukaku, Lukaku, you really should watch how Lin pulls wide. That is the mystery of timing."
"Only when you pull wide at the right moment can you create goals for the team."
"Otherwise, the skill of pulling wide becomes completely meaningless."
...
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