After the Manchester United players returned to the locker room, Jose Mourinho began his analysis with a stern face.
"I'm very dissatisfied with your performance in the first half. The defense could clearly have been tighter, yet we still allowed Roma to seize chances and take shots. If not for our luck, we might have gone into halftime with a draw or even a deficit."
"If we perform so poorly against Roma, even if we luck our way into the final, it would only leave a stain on our careers!"
Mourinho wasn't aiming to criticize the Man United players outright just for the sake of it.
Perhaps the winning streak in the league and another victory over Man City had left everyone slightly overconfident.
This was an unavoidable human reaction.
But for elite footballers, it was the most fatal weakness.
If they couldn't learn to adjust their mindset and approach matches with more humility, failure was only a matter of time.
Mourinho had experienced that kind of heartbreaking failure himself, which was why he frequently challenged the Man United players to prevent such a tragedy from recurring.
Ling nodded in agreement, then scanned the room.
Veterans like Nemanja Matic, Ashley Young, and Antonio Valencia wore serious expressions, clearly taking the words to heart.
As for the younger players, though they hadn't experienced such setbacks firsthand, the tense atmosphere made them unanimously set aside their arrogance.
Mourinho showed a satisfied expression, tapped the tactics board, and continued.
"Later, we need to press from the start, disrupt Roma's attacking rhythm, and force them into a low-block defense."
"The overall formation can push forward, as Roma's counter-attacks aren't particularly fast. Just focus on marking their two forwards."
"..."
In the home team's locker room next door.
Eusebio Di Francesco wasn't really a coach skilled at motivational speeches; his tactical style was more data-driven, resembling that of an engineer.
"Kostas, what do you think our chances of winning are?"
Caught off guard by the coach's sudden question, Kostas Manolas was momentarily flustered before tentatively replying after a few seconds.
"50%?"
"No! In football, there's no need to talk about probabilities. When you think that way, you kill the essence of the game!"
"I want all of you to forget about those damn probabilities!"
"Whether it's the Poisson distribution probability function or Simpson's paradox, none of them can predict the outcome of a football match."
Di Francesco removed his thick black-framed glasses, instantly sharpening his demeanor, and said word by word.
"Only people can decide the result."
In the footage captured by the accompanying reporters' cameras.
The Roma head coach seemed to be giving his players a math lesson, the stark contrast between rationality and passion firing up everyone's spirits.
The fifteen-minute break passed quickly.
The Stadio Olimpico in Rome once again erupted with noise as players from both teams returned to the pitch amidst the cheers of the Curva Sud.
After the referee's whistle blew.
The second half officially began!
Before Roma's players could press forward and initiate their high-press strategy.
Manchester United struck first!
The ball was quickly switched to the left flank.
Roma's right side midfielder, Alessandro Florenzi, whose name might suggest a formidable powerhouse, actually stands at just 173cm tall and weighs only 67kg.
Even among professional players, he is considered quite slender.
Ling didn't resort to flashy feints; with a simple shift in balance and explosive acceleration, he powered through.
Florenzi was helpless against it.
He threw his entire body into the challenge, yet his opponent didn't even stagger.
It was like running into a brick wall!
Daniele De Rossi, seeing this, urgently signaled his teammates to fall back, aiming to establish a solid defensive line in front of the penalty area.
But transitioning from a high to a low block takes time.
Ling didn't slow his pace, driving diagonally into the channel, combining with Jesse Lingard in a quick one-two before sliding the ball across to the right.
For a winger, relying solely on dribbling won't take you far.
As Peter Drury noted before halftime, Ling is continuously evolving his style—transforming from a pure "explosive point" into more of a playmaker.
In simple terms, he's becoming the link.
Using his individual ability to connect the frontline, making Man United's attacks more multi-dimensional.
Juan Mata received the ball, deftly dragged it away from Kevin Strootman's pressing challenge, and laid it back to Paul Pogba.
Simultaneously, Man United's forwards rotated positions.
Ling surged from deep into the penalty area, joining Romelu Lukaku in a two-pronged assault.
To prevent Man United from gaining a numerical advantage in their box, De Rossi had to direct Radja Nainggolan from the flank to cover, shadowing Ling step for step.
On the left, Lingard pulled wide to draw Manolas' attention, while on the right, Valencia quickly overlapped and charged forward.
Pogba's reading of the game is also top-class.
Seizing the gap left by Roma's defensive adjustments, he advanced into the most dangerous area just outside the box.
When he's fully engaged in the match, he is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, if not the world.
Earlier, positional disagreements had caused friction with Mourinho, but Zlatan Ibrahimović's timely return helped ease the tension, though it was only a temporary fix.
In the past, Pogba has also played in other positions.
Such as left midfielder.
It did mask his defensive weaknesses, but with limited ability to stretch play wide for crosses or break lines vertically, his impact on the team was somewhat constrained.
Or as an attacking midfielder.
In modern football, an attacking midfielder needs strong off-the-ball movement and goal-threatening ability, areas where Pogba isn't naturally strong, requiring a partner with excellent mobility.
Lingard is a very suitable choice.
But that would disrupt the formation's balance.
So, in Mourinho's view, deploying Pogba as a defensive midfielder is the optimal solution.
However, if they can secure the league title this season, he would have the funds to make signings next season.
Bringing in a hard-working, high-coverage, dedicated defensive player would allow Man United to experiment with a single defensive midfield system, pushing Pogba further forward.
Mourinho pushed the list of potential transfer targets from his mind and refocused on the pitch.
Pogba quickly adjusted his stance, his raised right leg swinging down.
With a solid thud, the ball lifted off the ground, rocketing like a cannonball toward the left side of the goal.
Alisson Becker is very skilled.
At the critical moment, he made a diving save, blocking the ball outside the goal with one strong hand.
But the next second, he was dumbfounded again.
The ball happened to bounce right to Ling's feet.
Federico Fazio and De Rossi nearby immediately became frantic and desperately rushed over.
Faced with the easy goal that had fallen from the sky, Ling subconsciously stabbed at the ball with all his might.
When Alisson turned his head, he saw the net rippling, like a continuous series of waves.
An indescribable sense of frustration filled his heart.
For both goals, he had correctly judged the direction and even blocked the initial shots, but both times, the opponent had scored on the rebound.
De Rossi, feeling the fatigue in his body, couldn't help but feel a little disheartened.
Perhaps Roma had already reached their ceiling.
In a Serie A that lacked overall competitiveness, their squad wasn't strong enough to truly shake up the Champions League landscape.
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