In a remote village on the German map, there's a place that gave birth to a football miracle.
Its name is Sinsheim.
With a permanent population of only 3,300, it is somehow home to a team in Germany's top-tier league: TSG Hoffenheim.
In the 2016-17 season, Hoffenheim finished fourth in the Bundesliga, achieving their best-ever result and qualifying for the Champions League playoffs.
Unfortunately, they lost to Liverpool and dropped into the Europa League, marking their debut in European competitions.
However, in the 2017-18 season, Hoffenheim finished third in the Bundesliga, securing direct entry into the Champions League group stage!
Every Hoffenheim fan wore a joyful expression, perfectly matching the literal meaning of the club's name: "Village of Hope."
...
After arriving at Frankfurt Airport, the Manchester United players still had to transfer by bus for over an hour.
Ling gazed through the bus window at the picturesque, scenic countryside.
The streets were adorned with football-themed elements, and most shops had closed early.
The local residents were flocking to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena on the outskirts of Sinsheim, a stadium capable of seating 30,000 fans.
Suddenly, Ling heard the cheers of the local fans and shifted his gaze to see a teenager on a skateboard, looking as excited as a cute marmot.
The man responsible for this rural miracle was Hoffenheim's 31-year-old head coach, Julian Nagelsmann.
"He's been outstanding at Hoffenheim," observers noted. "If he can maintain this, he'll soon take the next step in his coaching career!"
At the pre-match press conference, Nagelsmann appeared very excited.
He behaved like an ardent admirer of Jose Mourinho.
"I've never met Mou before, so I'm really looking forward to finally seeing him in person," Nagelsmann smiled.
"About four years ago, goalkeeper Tim Wiese started calling me 'Mini Mourinho.' I was still an assistant coach back then, eager to learn everything. Of course, Mourinho and I have different football philosophies, but having a nickname associated with him certainly isn't a bad thing. He's already won 25 trophies and is one of the biggest names in world football. I'm thrilled to have the chance to challenge his team."
Nagelsmann continued, "Oh, and I absolutely love his press conferences! Especially during last season's Champions League final when a reporter asked, 'Are you confident about winning?' and he replied, 'I don't know, because I've never lost a Champions League final.' His press conferences are always full of highlights. He is very experienced in all kinds of situations."
Mourinho also showed goodwill to his young counterpart, shaking his hand warmly before the match.
However, once the whistle blew, Nagelsmann showed why he was a true tactical genius.
His intricate tactics perfectly blended dismantling, pressing, offense, and defense.
In fact, his style was more akin to Pep Guardiola's—emphasizing strategy, teamwork, and imaginative ideas.
Hoffenheim fielded their full-strength lineup, while Man United opted for a partially rotated squad.
The United players were already exhausted from long-distance travel and the strain of playing three matches in a single week.
Even Ling's injury immunity module couldn't completely eliminate the deep physical fatigue.
Hoffenheim lined up in a standard 3-4-3 formation and quickly implemented a classic "trap-style" press.
Instead of abandoning their attacking intent against the European champions, they took the initiative and leveraged their home advantage.
When the ball was shifted to the wings, Hoffenheim's forwards, wing-backs, and midfielders on the same side continuously pressed the ball-holder, instantly creating a numerical advantage to win back possession.
Nagelsmann had anticipated United's moves perfectly.
By employing a chain-like defensive movement—with full-backs making vertical runs to join the press—Hoffenheim reduced the need for lateral movement, solidly maintaining their midfield structure.
What does it mean to be a precise German mechanic? Look at Nagelsmann's tactical design to contain Ling.
It was truly breathtaking.
On the surface, it seemed like Hoffenheim was just overwhelming Ling with numerical superiority.
In reality, it was about cleverly occupying space to isolate Ling from his teammates.
They deployed three forwards to cut off the passing lanes between Man United's center-backs and defensive midfielders.
They intentionally left United's full-backs unmarked, forcing them to play the ball out wide.
When that happened, the other two Hoffenheim forwards dropped back, cutting off the central passing lanes to Ling again.
As a result, Ling found himself completely isolated.
He was forced to constantly drop deeper and deeper just to receive the ball, which positioned him far away from the goal and diminished his attacking threat.
In fact, this tactical blueprint was a secret gift Guardiola had prepared to use against Mourinho later in the season, but Nagelsmann had thought of it first and put it into practice flawlessly.
With Paul Pogba not starting and Mateo Kovačić seemingly sleepwalking through the game, the driving ability of Nemanja Matić and Scott McTominay left much to be desired.
Ling's form in this match wasn't particularly strong either.
Although he managed two shots on target, they were taken from too far out and easily saved.
The first half concluded quickly, tied at 0-0.
When the second half began, Mourinho's frown deepened.
He quickly made adjustments, ordering his team to shift the ball widely across the flanks to stretch Hoffenheim's compact formation.
This cleverly resolved the issue of insufficient attacking width.
Even if mistakes occurred, United's numerical advantage out wide allowed them to reorganize their attacks.
However, amid the increasingly loud cheers from the Hoffenheim fans, the home players' morale kept rising.
They defended heroically, withstanding Man United's frenzied late attacks.
Beep! Beep! Beeeeep!
The Rhein-Neckar-Arena erupted with deafening cheers.
They had created the only rural miracle in the history of the top five European leagues, and now they had managed to draw against the defending Champions League winners!
As for the Man United fans, they never expected their team to settle for a 0-0 draw in just the second round of the group stage.
...
Returning to the locker room, Mourinho's face was as dark as storm clouds.
Even with a rotated squad, Man United should not have performed like this!
He believed the players' mentality was the core issue.
After achieving great success last season, people often become complacent.
Some wallow in past glories and decline, while others reignite their desire for victory.
Mourinho's anger surged, and he didn't bother sparing the players' feelings.
"Hoffenheim wanted victory more today!" he shouted. "When the better-performing team draws, the underperforming side has no excuse. Kovačić, do you want to stay here and actually play, or do you want to return to Real Madrid and warm the bench?! Rashford, I need to see what you're actually capable of!"
Everyone faced harsh criticism, and even Ling wasn't spared.
After venting his frustration, Mourinho meticulously analyzed the players' performances, pointing out exactly where they fell short.