Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 557: Exposing Manchester United's True Colors, Spurs' Misfortune

"Looks like our Prince just doesn't accept Lord Ling!" "Isn't Ibrahimović 35 this year? How is he still in such great form?" "I thought he came to Manchester United to retire, but who knew he'd become their key player!" "With this goal, Ibrahimović has scored 4 goals in the first four matches. His scoring efficiency is on another level compared to other Manchester United strikers!"

Fans were shocked by Ibrahimović's outstanding performance. It was unbelievable for a player of his age to deliver such a display. Many players see a rapid decline after turning 30, with their stats worsening significantly. But at 35, Ibrahimović was still delivering a dominant performance, as if the player on the field was the 25-year-old version of himself. It was incredible.

Though Manchester United was still trailing by one goal at this point, Ibrahimović's goal ignited a spark of hope in many fans' hearts. This season's Manchester United was different from last season's. They had already secured three consecutive wins. Victory tends to mask problems, and this winning streak made Manchester United seem like a completely different team. They were full of energy and determination, reminiscent of the Red Devils under Sir Alex Ferguson.

For Manchester United fans, comebacks were their specialty. The Red Devils had staged countless dramatic comebacks in the past. Mourinho showed great decisiveness, making substitutions right at the start of the second half. He sent Herrera and Rashford onto the pitch, determined to maintain the momentum they had built at the end of the first half.

Guardiola just glanced at Mourinho on the Manchester United bench without letting his opponent's moves disrupt his own plan. He decided to observe the game's flow before making any adjustments. Mourinho's substitutions had an effect. Soon after the second half began, Manchester United seized control and frequently attacked Manchester City's goal.

At Old Trafford, Red Devils fans were doing everything they could to create a great atmosphere, cheering loudly for their team. They were desperate to defeat their rivals and win this Manchester Derby!

Under the cheers of over 60,000 fans, the Manchester United players were playing as if they had adrenaline pumping through their veins, launching wave after wave of attacks. In the 59th minute, Rooney's shot hit the post, and United missed a great chance to equalize. Five minutes later, Ibrahimović's volley deflected off a defender's leg and narrowly missed the goal, just skimming the post.

United's attacks were not only relentless but also highly dangerous. Manchester City's defense was under severe pressure, barely holding on. Guardiola couldn't sit still any longer. He called Fernandinho over and sent him on to replace Gundogan, who had been struggling against United's aggressive tactics. At the same time, he substituted David Silva for Leroy Sané to add more speed on the wings.

These changes greatly improved City's situation. With Fernandinho and Kante acting as defensive walls, Manchester City's backline became much less vulnerable. Meanwhile, Sané's presence made City's counterattacks more threatening. Moreover, after 20 minutes of intense pressing, Manchester United's players began to tire, and they had to pull back a bit to catch their breath.

All these factors combined allowed Manchester City to weather Manchester United's storm. The game reached a stalemate, with neither side able to break the other's defense. If this situation dragged on, it would certainly favor Manchester City, as they were the ones in the lead. As long as they ran down the clock, they would secure the win. But for Manchester United, playing at home, this scoreline was unacceptable.

So, in the 81st minute, Mourinho used his last substitution, sending Martial on for a fullback, clearly signaling that he was willing to go all out for the win! Guardiola's response was swift. As soon as he saw Mourinho's move, he called Zabaleta to start warming up, preparing to come on.

"You want to increase your attack? Fine, I'll strengthen my defense! If four defenders aren't enough, I'll play five. Let's see how you like that!"

Mourinho was furious when he saw City's substitution. Guardiola was playing dirty, using his own tactics against him! But there wasn't much Mourinho could do about it. Back when he was at Chelsea, he had tried to implement Spanish-style possession football, but it had failed. That failure led to players like De Bruyne being sidelined and eventually forced out of the club.

Little did Mourinho expect that after leaving Chelsea, De Bruyne would transform at Manchester City into one of the world's best attacking midfielders. It was quite a shock. De Bruyne, who had been on Mourinho's mind, was finally substituted in the 83rd minute by Zabaleta. Guardiola had left him on for two extra minutes to see if City could capitalize on United's weakened defense after they took off a fullback.

Unfortunately for Guardiola, despite losing a fullback, Manchester United's defense remained solid, and their desperate energy made it difficult for City to break through their midfield. Since De Bruyne's presence no longer added much value, especially as he was not contributing defensively and was exhausted, Guardiola decided to sub him off for a rest.

In the final minutes of the game, Manchester United players became increasingly frantic. Ibrahimović, Rooney, and Fellaini all committed fouls and received yellow cards. Rooney's tackle on Lin Quan in the 87th minute nearly sparked a brawl between the two teams.

Up in the stands, Sir Alex Ferguson's face grew grim. Before the match, he had confidently predicted that United would win at home, and he came to Old Trafford brimming with optimism. But what greeted him was disappointment. Watching the players push and shove on the field, he could only shake his head.

Mourinho had done as well as anyone could since Ferguson's departure, but this Red Devils squad still had a long way to go if they wanted to beat Manchester City. Ferguson knew this better than anyone. After all, when he took over, Manchester United had been in ruins, and it took him years of hard work to restore them to their former glory.

"Give Mourinho more time and patience," Ferguson thought to himself.

Meanwhile, the on-pitch scuffle ended with Rooney and Pogba receiving yellow cards for Manchester United, while Fernandinho was also booked for City. The referee handed out cards equally, defusing the situation.

With that, Manchester United's momentum was broken, and they failed to create any more chances against City's solid defense. The match ended with Manchester City winning 2-1 at Old Trafford, securing their fourth consecutive win and snapping United's three-game winning streak, pushing United out of the title race group.

This match demonstrated City's strength to the world. Despite losing a key midfielder like Kroos, their overall power remained intact, making them one of the strongest teams in both the Premier League and all of Europe's top five leagues.

In the later match, Chelsea drew away at Swansea, allowing City to top the table with 12 points, leading the league. Chelsea, with three wins and one draw, sat in second place with 10 points. Everton, after a 3-0 win over Sunderland, leapfrogged United into third place, while United dropped to fourth, now three points behind City.

But there was some good news for Manchester United. Due to their poor performance last season, they had missed out on the Champions League and were playing in the Europa League instead. The Europa League's opponents were generally weaker than those in the Champions League, meaning United would face less wear and tear from multiple competitions.

If Manchester City happened to slip up due to their Champions League commitments, United might still have a chance to catch up. Of course, being the ambitious manager he is, Mourinho wouldn't give up on the Europa League. United hadn't won a trophy in quite some time, and Mourinho was determined to win whatever silverware he could, be it the Europa League, FA Cup, or League Cup!

It might not be the big treble, but winning a "small treble" wouldn't be too bad either!

On September 15th, the Champions League group stage officially kicked off.

Manchester City hosted Borussia Mönchengladbach at home. The two teams had faced each other in last year's Champions League group stage, where Mönchengladbach were thoroughly beaten by City. This time, they came prepared, setting up with five defenders to try to contain City's attack.

It was a good idea, but the execution was lacking. Aguero was in fiery form in this match. He scored twice in the first half, once with his head and once with his feet. In the second half, he completed his hat-trick with a pass from Lin Quan. Lin Quan himself added another goal in the 72nd minute, twisting the knife further.

The players of Mönchengladbach were shell-shocked. How could this be? Even with five defenders, they still conceded four goals? While they were busy contemplating life, substitute Gabriel Jesus scored yet another goal, making it 5-0.

By the end of the match, the Mönchengladbach players left the field dejectedly, heading straight to the airport to fly back to Germany and lick their wounds. Manchester was truly a city of heartbreak for them. If they had their way, they would never come back.

If City's 5-0 thrashing of Mönchengladbach was shocking, Barcelona's 7-0 demolition of Celtic at the Nou Camp was outright brutal. In that match, both Messi and Suárez completed hat-tricks, while Iniesta added another goal. Since Neymar's departure, Iniesta seemed to have rediscovered his form, providing an astonishing five assists in this game.

Barcelona's resurgence was good news for football fans. The most anticipated match in Group C was, without a doubt, the showdown between Manchester City and Barcelona. The stronger Barcelona were, the more thrilling this match would be.

"I can't wait to see the Prince and Messi face off again!" "Yeah, both players are at the absolute top of their game. Just seeing one of them play is a blessing, but watching both of them in the same match is a rare treat!"

Fans had long enjoyed comparing Lin Quan and Messi. Their skills, positions, and playing styles were almost identical. For years, there had been debates about who was better, and the media never failed to stir the pot whenever they had the chance.

However, Lin Quan and Messi had a good relationship. They saw each other as friendly rivals, always looking to learn from one another, rather than the bitter rivalry the fans imagined.

…

Among the four English teams competing in the Champions League, Manchester City wasn't the only one to win. Leicester City, Champions League newcomers, also started strong, beating Club Brugge 3-0 away to take the lead in their group.

But the other two English teams weren't so lucky. Arsenal, in Group A, managed to claw back a 1-1 draw against PSG in Paris, despite conceding in the opening 30 seconds. Sánchez scored the equalizer, and the match was filled with tension, culminating in a brawl in the final minute, with both Verratti and Giroud being sent off.

For Arsenal, this result was acceptable. After all, it was an away game, and on paper, PSG had the stronger squad. Taking a point at the Parc des Princes was a decent outcome. However, for PSG, it was frustrating. If they can't beat Arsenal in the return match in London, they might lose the top spot in the group. And if luck goes against them and they finish second in the group, they could end up facing a giant like Manchester City or Real Madrid in the Round of 16. That's not a scenario they'd want to think about…

Of the four teams, Tottenham was the unluckiest. Despite dominating at home, they lost to Monaco. In this match, Monaco's attacking midfielder, Bernardo Silva, shone brightly, catching the attention of several scouts, who added him to their priority watchlists.

Spurs' defeat severely hurt their chances of advancing from their group. Their next match is a daunting away fixture against CSKA Moscow, one of the Champions League's most notoriously difficult venues. Moreover, CSKA Moscow is no pushover. They drew away at Bayer Leverkusen in their first match, proving that all four teams in this group are strong contenders. There are no weak teams here!

This group truly deserves its title as the "Group of Death!"

(End of Chapter)

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