At the Manchester City training ground, the air was thick with a gloomy heaviness.
Pep Guardiola's chin was covered with gray stubble, and his face was etched with deep lines of exhaustion.
It seemed the impact of the Champions League elimination the night before was profound, weighing on him like a physical burden.
Guardiola believed Manchester City's overwhelming strength made them deserving of the Premier League title, but he had frantically hoped for an unprecedented breakthrough in the Champions League—he wanted the Big Ears trophy.
But he never dreamed they would fall just before the semifinals.
It seemed Manchester City was missing something crucial—something intangible like spirit, heritage, or perhaps just luck.
In last season's Champions League round of 16, Manchester City won 5-3 against Monaco in the first leg, only to be eliminated after a disastrous comeback defeat in the second leg.
This season, the nightmare repeated.
They suffered double defeats against Liverpool in both legs.
While Liverpool's strength had undeniably improved after signing Virgil van Dijk, Manchester City had also defeated Liverpool twice in the league and were clearly superior on paper.
One could only say that Liverpool possessed that mystical "Champions League DNA," as evidenced by their miracle comeback against AC Milan in the 2004-05 season.
Guardiola suddenly felt a pang of regret for fielding his full-strength lineup in that losing effort.
Not only did they fail to advance, but the physical toll would also affect their upcoming league match.
After all, Manchester United were even more challenging opponents than Liverpool.
He glanced up at the pitch, where the Manchester City players were engaged in a fierce intra-squad scrimmage.
De Bruyne received a pass from Gundogan and curled a beautiful low-driven shot around the defenders.
Bernardo Silva, without even controlling the ball, swept it directly toward the center with instinctive flair.
Raheem Sterling, following up like a predator, knocked the ball into the net.
Guardiola's furrowed brow relaxed slightly.
At least the players' form remained sharp, seemingly unaffected by the recent defeat.
Especially Kevin De Bruyne.
Since joining Manchester City in the 2015-16 season, the Belgian had gradually been molded into the absolute core of the Blue Moon Army, the key engine driving their attacks.
Particularly his precise passing, which was almost robotic in its perfection.
There was a saying within the Manchester City squad: if you received a pass from Kevin and felt uncomfortable, it meant the ball wasn't intended for you.
It sounded exaggerated, but it was the god's honest truth.
After all, this was the man who had led Wolfsburg to challenge the hegemony of Bayern Munich.
With 15 assists this season, he led the assists chart alone, sitting on the throne of creativity.
It was worth noting that Leroy Sané and David Silva contributed 12 and 10 assists respectively, securing the second and fourth spots on the assists leaderboard.
Fortunately, Ling's 11 assists placed him third, preventing Manchester City from completely monopolizing the top three and sparing some pride for the other Premier League clubs.
"Kyle, you need to be careful with Ling during the match. Don't recklessly stick out a leg, or he'll make you look silly."
Vincent Kompany's tone was deadly serious.
In last night's match against Liverpool, Kyle Walker's form had been poor.
He was repeatedly beaten by Sadio Mané, and one of the goals was directly linked to his defensive lapse.
So Kompany was worried—shitting bricks, honestly—about whether Kyle Walker could contain Ling, especially since the stats suggested Ling was even more formidable and unpredictable than Mané.
"Don't worry, Vinny."
A fierce determination surged within Kyle Walker's chest.
In the previous match between these sides, Ling had been deployed as a right winger, tearing Fabian Delph apart, so the two never faced off directly.
If Ling played as a left winger in the upcoming match, Walker vowed he would make sure the youngster felt the intensity of a real Premier League physical battle.
Kyle Walker considered himself among the top three active right-backs in the world and had thwarted countless talented players.
Last night's match had left him simmering with frustration, and he needed an outlet—Ling was the perfect target to vent his anger on.
He aimed to shut down Ling completely to reassert his dominance, helping Manchester City reclaim the top spot.
For this, he had even skipped his usual night out partying, conserving every ounce of his energy.
"Good to hear you're confident."
Seeing this fire in Walker's eyes, Kompany said no more and went to brief other teammates.
The match against Manchester United was crucial for Manchester City, and for him personally, as the captain longed to lift one more league title before his legs finally gave out and he retired.
...
April 15, 2018.
The quiet city of Manchester once again buzzed with electric excitement.
The Etihad Stadium in the east was packed to capacity, with blue and red colors sharply divided among the crowd like oil and water.
Since the Saudi consortium took over, Manchester City's performance has been steadily improving. They have signed many star players, and their global fanbase has grown exponentially.
However, this doesn't mean Manchester City lacks loyal local supporters.
On the contrary, the loyalty of City fans ranks among the top three of all Premier League clubs.
These are the fans who have followed the club through promotions and relegations, sticking by them even when they dropped down to the third tier of English football.
No matter how turbulent the club's situation became, the die-hard fans never chose to abandon them, instead continuing their unwavering support through the dark ages.
They sang "Blue Moon" at the top of their lungs, waving their scarves to create a massive blue tide.
Not far away, there were also many Manchester United fans.
Although very few away tickets were released, they still made it to the stadium, with some even offering massive wads of cash to scalpers just to get through the turnstiles.
At exactly 2:00 PM.
A pre-match press conference was underway in the luxurious conference room.
Reporters from major media outlets swarmed the venue, firing questions one after another under the news officer's strict supervision.
"Mr. Guardiola, are you confident about tonight's match?"
Guardiola gently adjusted the microphone, looking pensive.
"Football is unpredictable, just like last night's match where Roma achieved the impossible against Barcelona."
"However, our Champions League match was scheduled a day later than Manchester United's, so our players' form and fitness are at a disadvantage. This match will undoubtedly be very challenging."
"But I still believe the initiative lies in our hands."
This was completely different from his remarks before the first meeting between the two teams this season.
It seemed that after the previous defeat, Guardiola no longer dared to claim certain victory. He had been humbled.
Another reporter raised their hand to ask a question.
"What's your assessment of Valverde's tactics regarding the Barcelona game?"
Guardiola pondered for a moment.
"He is an excellent coach."
Meanwhile, in another conference room.
Mourinho responded to reporters' questions with a detached, almost bored tone.
"Arrogant? No, no. I've won eight league titles—I don't get carried away just by beating Bayern Munich."
"My players aren't arrogant either. No matter what victories we achieve, we approach every match seriously."
A reporter from The Guardian raised their hand: "If Manchester United wins tonight, they could secure the title two rounds early..."
Mourinho waved his hand dismissively to cut off the reporter. "We'll talk about the future when it comes. It's too early to discuss the title now."
"Valverde? Just looking at last night's match, his tactics were absolute rubbish. He has strong attacking players yet chooses conservative play—I really can't understand it."
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