Peter Drury: "A very good evening to you from the Theatre of Dreams! Old Trafford sits under the floodlights as Manchester United welcome the youth and vigor of Olympique Lyonnais for this Champions League Group Stage clash. Jose Mourinho's men are looking to bounce back after that frustrating draw in Germany."
Jim Beglin: "Looking at the lineups, Lyon have set up in a 4-3-3 formation. Their average age is under 25, making them truly fitting of the 'youth army' label under manager Bruno Génésio. Man United, however, are dealing with injuries. With both Paul Pogba and Mateo Kovačić suffering muscle strains yesterday, Mourinho is forced into a 4-2-3-1."
Peter Drury: "Indeed, Jim. And we see a very interesting picture on the pitch: United's front line has formed a straight 7, 8, 9, 10! Jeremy Ling is starting as a central attacking midfielder tonight, playing just behind Romelu Lukaku!"
In reality, this tactical shift was a move born of Mourinho's desperation.
Man United couldn't find a more suitable substitute for the injured midfielders.
Beep!
The referee blew the whistle to start the match.
Man United kicked off and immediately pushed forward.
Ashley Young charged down the left flank, leaving his marker in the dust.
Peter Drury: "Ashley Young, rolling back the years! He breaks through on the flank... cuts it back from the edge of the area..."
Jim Beglin: "Ling is arriving!"
Peter Drury: "LING STRIKES IT! Oh, what a blistering start! A comet tearing through the Manchester sky! It flies into the top corner! Fifty-four seconds on the clock, and the Red Devils have breached the Lyon gates!"
Old Trafford erupted in deafening cheers.
The LED screens on the sidelines flickered for a few seconds before switching to a photo of Ling celebrating with his arms crossed.
Jim Beglin: "So this is why Mourinho started Ling as a central attacking midfielder! What a brilliant, instinctive finish from deep."
On the touchline, Lyon's head coach, Bruno Génésio, hurriedly waved his hands, signaling his players to compress their formation and stabilize the defense first.
The situation gradually stabilized.
Mourinho didn't have the whole team press forward to engage in an all-out attack as he had in previous matches.
After all, Man United had already suffered four or five injuries before even reaching the grueling Christmas period.
Therefore, United had to win with the minimum physical cost. This had become Mourinho's tactical policy for the season. As for the outside world's criticism that his tactics were utilitarian and negative? He didn't care at all.
The fans had been starved for major success for so long that one or two trophies wouldn't be enough to satisfy them.
Until he won it all, there wouldn't be too much pressure from public opinion.
...
However, as the match went on, Ling discovered a problem with his new role.
The rapid development of modern football has led to the "seven-bucket model," which classifies players into seven categories: center-back, full-back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder, creator, dribbler, and finisher.
Because Ling was used to playing as a finisher, he was accustomed to looking for opportunities to break through immediately after receiving the ball.
But this was not suitable for a playmaking attacking midfielder, as it slowed down the team's passing rhythm.
In the 20th minute, the ball came to Ling's feet after a series of passes.
He subconsciously took several touches to find space for a breakthrough.
In doing so, he missed the best passing opportunity and was dispossessed by Lyon defenders Jason Denayer and Mouctar Diakhaby in a pincer move.
On the bench, Mourinho's brow furrowed, then relaxed again.
He knew he was being too demanding.
Ling had only been in the Premier League for a little over a year and had already successfully switched from a left winger to a center forward.
Now, forcing him to change his mindset and become a playmaker was not as simple as "one plus one equals two."
Tactical roles can shift as players train and learn, but it takes time.
As time went on, Ling found a clever workaround to adapt to his new role: using himself as a pivot forward to hold up the ball for others.
In the 31st minute, Ashley Young played a diagonal long ball from his own half.
Ling held off Diakhaby with his back to goal and headed the ball on perfectly, creating an excellent one-on-one opportunity for Lukaku!
Faced with Lyon defender Marcelo charging fiercely from the side, Lukaku tried to slot the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal with his right foot.
But Lukaku's right-foot ability was close to zero.
The shot went embarrassingly wide.
Peter Drury: "Lukaku is through... oh, he's missed the target entirely! Is he clearing the ball for Lyon?! From less than ten meters away, how can he miss the frame by so much?!"
Jim Beglin: "Haha. The Belgian national team's head coach, Roberto Martínez, said in an interview that it's perfectly normal for Lukaku not to use his right foot, because Maradona wasn't good with his right foot either."
Seeing Lukaku's guilt-ridden expression and the sweat on his forehead, Ling swallowed the criticism on the tip of his tongue.
He knew Lukaku's recent sharp drop in playing time had inevitably left the Belgian anxious.
But sometimes, the more you rush, the more mistakes you make.
"It's alright, there'll be more chances," Ling comforted him helplessly.
Lukaku stole a casual glance toward the coaching bench.
Seeing Mourinho wasn't angry, he finally relaxed with a long sigh of relief.
In the 37th minute, Lyon gradually found their rhythm.
They ramped up their offensive intensity, focusing their attacks on Ling's area in the midfield.
After all, compared to Pogba and Kovačić, Ling's defensive abilities were noticeably weaker.
Ander Herrera had to step up from defensive midfield to support Ling.
But the moment Herrera moved forward, a gap appeared in Man United's well-organized diagonal defense.
Lyon's Jason Denayer seized the chance, slicing through two of United's defensive lines with a simple through ball.
The pass cleanly broke Man United's front-line press.
When Tanguy Ndombele received the ball, he found open space ahead, facing Man United's last line of defense.
Lyon's synchronized forward runs left Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelöf stretched thin, forced to mark the nearest attackers.
Spotting this, Ndombele lofted a pass toward the left side of the six-yard box.
The ball sailed over Lindelöf's head, dropping perfectly for the sprinting Memphis Depay.
Peter Drury: "Ndombele clips it over the top... Depay is in! The former United man, looking to haunt Old Trafford!"
Depay, who had been sold by Mourinho to Lyon for just €15 million (though his value had since soared to €60 million), mustered all his strength.
He met the ball mid-air with a powerful left-footed volley, aiming to wash away the stain of being cast aside by Man United.
This was his revenge!
But David De Gea had already begun moving before Ndombele even passed the ball.
The instant Depay shaped to shoot, De Gea shifted into blocking mode.
His knee on the near-post side lifted to a 90-degree angle, swiftly closing the gap between his legs. He kept his chest upright and arms low.
From behind, it looked like the letter "K." This blocking technique, adapted from futsal, allows the goalkeeper to maximize their coverage area!
Peter Drury: "DEPAY VOLLEYS... SAVED BY DE GEA! Brilliant goalkeeping! He makes himself massive, the great Spanish wall stands firm!"
Maguire, seeing De Gea deflect the ball out with his leg, excitedly rushed over to give him a hug.
De Gea gave a light cough, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
The legendary Lev Yashin once said, "A great goalkeeper must not only give his all like every other player on the pitch, but also relieve the team's worries in difficult moments!"
De Gea regarded this as his professional motto.
Although modern goalkeepers like Alisson and Ederson are praised for their passing, shot-stopping is the true foundation of a goalkeeper.
If one can't make basic saves, they become a laughable liability.
Depay watched the cheerful atmosphere among the United players and silently hurried to the corner flag to take the resulting corner.
Among all the clubs in the Top Five Leagues, basically no one could dominate aerially against Man United.
Maguire, Lindelöf, and Nemanja Matić are all over 185cm tall; the nickname "Manchester Flying United" wasn't for nothing!
Maguire outjumped Lyon captain Nabil Fekir to win the header, directing the ball to Herrera outside the penalty area.
At that exact moment, the entire Man United squad charged forward!
Amid the roaring atmosphere of Old Trafford, the pitch seemed to be swept by a red mudslide.
"Spread out! Everyone spread out!" Ling shouted to his teammates while sprinting at full speed.
Lyon's young squad tracked back tirelessly.
The beauty of teamwork in football was perfectly demonstrated at this moment—both teams were competing to see who could position themselves faster!
Lukaku gritted his teeth and charged toward the Lyon half, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a familiar figure flying past him.
The distance between the two rapidly closed, and then Lukaku could only watch Ling's back fade into the distance.
Lukaku used to be called the "Lightning of Belgium"—surely there shouldn't be such a huge gap in their speed?!
Herrera transferred the ball to Riyad Mahrez on the right flank.
Mahrez didn't attempt to dribble past his marker or cut inside.
Instead, he adjusted his stance and swung his left foot fiercely, launching a long pass over the top.
Rashford, tracking the ball's trajectory, yelled at the top of his lungs, "Jeremy, to your right front!"
Hearing this, Ling accelerated even more.
Lyon defender Marcelo shared similar technical traits with Maguire—turning and speed were his biggest weaknesses.
As they approached the penalty area, Marcelo didn't dare to foul and could only watch helplessly as Ling raced past him to meet the bouncing ball.
Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes decisively rushed off his line.
As the starting goalkeeper for the Portuguese national team, his idol was Cristiano Ronaldo, so he charged out with the thought of avenging his idol's loss of the UEFA Best Player award.
Ling took in Lopes' movement.
In a flash of pure inspiration, he chose an unconventional approach. He slightly lifted his right foot, cushioning it delicately under the bouncing ball.
Tap!
With a crisp and pleasing sound of contact, a rainbow seemed to arc over Lyon's penalty area.
Peter Drury: "Ling is through... Lopes comes rushing out... OH, THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS! THAT IS SUBLIME! He chips it over the keeper! A remarkably composed finish! Lopes is left grasping at shadows, stretching his neck out like a giraffe to block a ball that was always destined for the net!"
Jim Beglin: "It is a masterpiece of a counterattack, Peter! The awareness, the technique, the absolute ice-cool mentality to execute a chip at that speed. He is simply the most perfect forward in modern football!"
Peter Drury: "Manchester United double their advantage on the stroke of halftime! Jeremy Ling, the architect and the executioner!"
Although it was just a simple goal, it showcased Ling's boundless creativity, allowing people to appreciate the true beauty of football.
"Hurricane! Hurricane!" someone in the Stretford End started chanting.
The rest of the fans immediately followed suit.
In their eyes, Ling was like a hurricane, capable of destroying all obstacles in his path!
Hearing this, Ling's smile widened.
He sprinted to the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, repeatedly raising and lowering his hands, urging the fans to cheer even louder!
The fans gladly obliged, roaring in unison.
"HURRICANE!!!"
The furious sound erupted at Old Trafford, surging into the desolate night sky as if tearing through the clouds above!
The Man United players followed closely, showering him with praise.
"What a beautiful goal!"
"Jeremy, what made you think of chipping the ball?! Shouldn't you have just blasted it and hoped for a miracle?"
Ling laughed heartily and replied, "That's the natural talent of a striker—something you lot wouldn't understand!"
At this, the United players immediately grew dissatisfied and began ruffling Ling's hair.
Recently, an unverified rumor had been circulating within the squad: rubbing Ling's hair could bring good luck.
Ling glared at each of them in annoyance, deliberately putting on a stern face.
"Do you see the captain's armband on my arm?! You should show at least some respect to your captain. I'm not some underage kid!"
Rashford teased, "All ten of us on the pitch are older than you! Ashley Young could be your uncle! It's not easy to pull off the captain's authority!"
Ashley Young's smile instantly vanished. "You think I can't play for another ten years? You might retire before I do, Marcus!"
The players burst into laughter again—clearly, no one took Ling's sternness seriously.
..
The first half soon came to an end.
Back in the locker room, Génésio delivered a passionate speech that fired up the Lyon players' spirits.
But when the second half began, Mourinho unexpectedly substituted Lukaku with Scott McTominay, shifting the formation to a 4-3-2-1 focused entirely on defensive counterattacks!
Ling was also moved back to his familiar position as the lone center forward.
All of Génésio's tactical halftime plans fell apart.
Lyon excelled at high pressing and quick counterattacks, which worked unexpectedly well against possession-based teams like Man City or Barcelona.
But against a deep-sitting Man United, it had little effect.
In the 71st minute, Man United's defensive counterattack paid off once again.
The ball was quickly switched to the left flank, where Rashford slipped a diagonal pass into the box for Ling.
Acting as the ultimate target man, Ling held off the defender with his back to goal and laid the ball off perfectly.
Mahrez arrived and curled a beautiful shot with his left foot, once again beating the Lyon goalkeeper!
Peter Drury: "Mahrez curles it home! Manchester United are out of sight! A tactical masterclass from Mourinho, executed flawlessly by his attacking trident!"
In the end, Man United won 3-0, avoiding any chance of a Champions League upset and securing their path out of the group stages!