January 2nd, 2020.
Manchester United opened the new year away to Arsenal in the 21st round of the Premier League.
Mahrez cut inside and scored before halftime, giving United a narrow lead, while Ling remained on the bench after the exhausting Christmas schedule.
Mourinho had no intention of risking his most important player unnecessarily, especially with several cup matches and the Champions League knockout rounds approaching.
The players on the pitch understood the message clearly.
They could not rely on Ling to rescue them every time something went wrong.
Arsenal controlled more possession under Arteta, but they struggled to penetrate United's midfield shield.
Kanté, Matić, and Herrera repeatedly disrupted their combinations, while United remained far more dangerous whenever they moved forward.
In the end, Manchester United won 2–0 without needing to bring Ling on.
...
Meanwhile, China U23 continued preparing for the Olympic qualifiers with scouting reports, training resources, and tactical analysis supplied through Ling's academy project.
He followed their progress and offered advice when necessary, but his own attention remained firmly on Manchester United and England.
With the youth-team matter left to the professionals he had appointed, Ling turned his focus back toward the battles awaiting him in Europe.
...
Manchester United continued their demanding January schedule.
Even without Ling in the starting lineup for every match, United comfortably defeated Norwich and Wolves, maintaining their position at the top of the Premier League.
Their only setback came in the League Cup semifinal, where Manchester City secured a narrow first-leg victory.
Mourinho showed little concern.
"The players say they feel more motivated when Ling is rested because they finally have more opportunities to show themselves," he joked. "But against Liverpool, he will certainly play."
...
January 27th, 2020.
Only one day remained before Manchester United hosted Liverpool in the 24th round of the Premier League.
Manchester was rarely quiet before the North West Derby, but with first place at stake, the city had become even more restless than usual.
Liverpool supporters arrived early and in enormous numbers, convinced that this was finally their opportunity.
They had held United to a draw at Anfield earlier in the season; now, victory at Old Trafford would give them three points, move them to the top of the table, and place the foundations beneath what they hoped would become Liverpool's first Premier League title.
Manchester United's supporters were less certain.
Ling had been carefully managed throughout January after the exhausting Christmas schedule and had not started a match of this intensity since the derby victory over Manchester City.
United had continued winning against weaker opposition, but Liverpool were an entirely different proposition.
Form mattered in football.
A player could be physically fit, technically sharp, and mentally prepared, yet still require time to rediscover the rhythm of the highest-level matches.
Against Liverpool's pressing, speed, and aggression, even the smallest hesitation could become fatal.
Some supporters suggested that Ling should begin on the bench, allowing him to observe the tempo before entering later if United needed him.
Others considered that idea ridiculous.
This was the biggest league match of the season, and Ling had spent years proving that pressure sharpened rather than diminished him.
Most ultimately chose to trust him.
At Carrington, Mourinho was making sure that trust would not be misplaced.
"Ling, stop dropping so deep. Push higher!"
He waved his tactical board irritably from the touchline.
During the recent matches and training sessions, Ling had occasionally drifted back toward midfield to help progress the ball.
The habit was understandable, when United fielded rotated lineups, he naturally felt responsible for connecting every phase of the attack himself.
But Liverpool were not Norwich or Wolves, and this was not a match in which he could waste energy collecting possession beside the defensive midfielders.
Manchester United had elite players in every position.
Kanté, Herrera, Matić, Havertz, Bruno, and the defenders behind them were capable of resisting pressure and delivering the ball into advanced areas.
Ling's task was to remain where he could cause the greatest damage.
"Understood!"
Ling raised a hand in acknowledgment.
After several days of full training, he had already regained most of his competitive rhythm.
There were still occasional moments when he tried to shoulder too much responsibility, but those details were gradually disappearing.
At this level, however, even a minor positional mistake mattered.
A few meters too deep could allow Liverpool's center-backs to step forward.
A delayed run could close a passing lane.
A moment of poor coordination could decide the match.
Fortunately, United's attacking system had been built around Ling for years, meaning his teammates instinctively adjusted their movements according to his position.
"Our structure revolves around him," Mourinho said quietly. "That makes the adjustment easier."
Faria nodded as he studied the training data on his tablet.
"He's adapting quickly. A few days ago, there was still some hesitation in his movements, but today it's barely visible."
He swiped to the next tactical diagram.
"Liverpool have changed recently. Their proportion of long passes has increased, especially with Henderson playing more often while Keïta is unavailable. They're becoming more direct, using early switches and diagonal balls toward the full-backs."
Klopp had built his reputation on intense pressing and fast ground combinations, while Liverpool had also become one of the leading examples of possession beginning with the goalkeeper and center-backs.
Yet short passing alone often struggled against compact defensive blocks.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson capable of striking long diagonal passes, Klopp had gradually incorporated more direct English-style football into his system.
Liverpool could now press through the center, circulate possession patiently, or suddenly bypass midfield entirely with one sweeping ball toward the opposite flank.
The results had been excellent.
"What worries me most is our left side," Mourinho admitted, rubbing his temple. "Alex Sandro offers more going forward than defensively, while Ashley Young no longer has the acceleration to follow Trent for ninety minutes."
"We'll need help from midfield."
"If necessary, Kanté shifts across. His mobility gives us the best chance of controlling that channel."
The solution sounded simple, but every adjustment created another problem.
Pulling Kanté toward the wing opened space centrally, and Liverpool possessed more than enough quality to exploit it.
That was the nature of elite football.
Every answer created a new question.
The forty-five-minute session soon ended, and the players returned to the dressing room. Mourinho repeated the most important tactical instructions for the following day, then left them to recover.
"Ling," Wan-Bissaka said as he moved closer, "how did it feel spending January bullying those weaker teams in training?"
Ling gave him a flat look.
"If beating weaker opponents means dribbling past them, what does it mean when I dribble past you every day?"
"That's completely different," Wan-Bissaka replied immediately. "I'm not weak. You're just ridiculous."
He had been beaten by Ling countless times in training, but in his mind, that said nothing about his own defensive ability.
It merely proved Ling was abnormal.
"Give everything tomorrow."
Ling patted him on the shoulder, his expression turning serious. "If we lose this match and eventually miss the chance to win three consecutive Premier League titles, we'll regret it for the rest of our careers."
"Don't worry," Wan-Bissaka declared. "I'm in brilliant form. While you were being rested, I was the one holding the entire team together."
Maguire immediately turned around.
"You?"
"Yes, me."
"I was commanding the defense."
"You scored an own goal."
"That was an advanced defensive pass."
Within seconds, both men were loudly claiming credit for United's January results, and the dressing room filled with laughter.
The lighthearted atmosphere did not mean they underestimated Liverpool. It meant the players were comfortable enough to approach the biggest match of the season without allowing the pressure to consume them.
...
The following afternoon, Matt Busby Way disappeared beneath a vast procession of red.
Manchester United supporters marched toward Old Trafford in tightly packed groups, singing club songs and waving scarves above their heads.
Liverpool fans arrived from the opposite direction, bringing their own banners, chants, and confidence.
It did not take long for several confrontations to break out.
Riot police intervened quickly, separating the groups and removing the most aggressive troublemakers before the situation could escalate.
They were accustomed to dealing with the hostility surrounding this fixture.
The hatred between the two clubs had been passed down through generations.
It was woven into football, industry, geography, and pride.
Inside Old Trafford, the pre-match press conferences began.
"After observing Ling in training over the last several days, I can assure you that his condition is excellent," Mourinho said calmly. "He has been rested, not injured. There is an important difference."
"Will the lack of recent high-intensity matches affect him?"
"If an elite Premier League player appears against weaker opponents, that does not automatically mean he can produce the goals Ling produces. His level has remained extremely high."
Another reporter asked about Liverpool supporters already speaking as though the league title were theirs.
Mourinho's expression barely changed.
"I remember visiting Anfield with Chelsea in 2014. Before the match, I saw shirts being sold with Liverpool already presented as champions."
He paused.
"Then Gerrard slipped."
A few reporters failed to suppress their laughter.
"We won that match, and their championship dream disappeared. I proved then that premature celebration can be dangerous. Perhaps I will remind them again tomorrow."
Years earlier, seeing those title shirts had awakened something vicious inside Mourinho. He had wanted to destroy Liverpool's celebration before it began.
He had succeeded.
And he believed he could do it again.
In the neighboring press room, Klopp offered a very different assessment.
"There is an interesting expression in football—the FIFA virus," he began. "Players sometimes struggle after returning from a change in rhythm or after a period without major matches."
"The physical level, tactical speed, and mental demands are different. Jose says Ling is completely ready, but Jose loves his player. Perhaps that is an emotional judgment."
Klopp adjusted the brim of his familiar baseball cap.
"Ling is dominant, of course. But no player can ignore objective reality."
"Virgil will handle him. We will take three points from Old Trafford and make our challenge for the Premier League title very clear."
Liverpool's front three had been outstanding recently, with Salah scoring in five consecutive matches. Klopp had every reason to feel confident.
Soon, the players completed their preparations and gathered inside the tunnel.
There were no handshakes, jokes, or casual conversations.
Even players who were friendly away from football avoided acknowledging one another.
In the North West Derby, personal relationships were temporarily irrelevant.
For the next ninety minutes, they were enemies.
The camera moved slowly along both lines, lingering longest on Ling.
His limited appearances during January had already affected global Premier League viewing figures.
Now the league's most marketable player was returning to the starting lineup in its most fiercely contested match, with first place hanging in the balance.
The broadcasters could hardly have asked for a better stage.
Peter Drury's voice carried over the first sweeping image of Old Trafford.
"A rivalry born of neighboring cities and sharpened by generations of ambition returns to the Theatre of Dreams."
"Manchester United against Liverpool—red against red, history against history, and tonight, the summit of English football placed between them."
"Liverpool arrive believing the long wait may finally end. Manchester United stand in their way, defending not merely first place, but the possibility of a third consecutive Premier League crown."
Jim Beglin continued as the lineups appeared.
"United return to their familiar 4-3-1-2. De Gea starts in goal, with Wan-Bissaka, Thiago Silva, Maguire, and Ashley Young in defense. Kanté, Matić, and Herrera form the midfield platform, Havertz plays behind Grealish and Ling."
"Mahrez has been excellent recently—three braces in three matches—but Mourinho has chosen Grealish's movement and ball carrying beside Ling."
"Liverpool are at full strength in their usual 4-3-3: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, and Mané."
Drury's voice rose as the teams entered the floodlights.
"United seek to protect the throne. Liverpool have come to take it."
"Old Trafford is ready."
BEEP!
The North West Derby has began!
---
This should be 10 chapters of U23 China's olympics but i just erased it and you already knows who win it anyway.