Chapter 182: De Bruyne Isn't Playing Well at Chelsea

Chapter 182: De Bruyne Isn't Playing Well at Chelsea

What he didn't know was that, after publicly announcing that he was going to watch the match at Old Trafford, they were already preparing there.

Lin Quan had barely appeared outside Old Trafford Stadium and hadn't even entered when they had already discovered him.

That is, he was under the watchful eye of the other team all the time, so naturally, he had nowhere to hide.

When De Bruyne saw Lin Quan in the stands as he was preparing to enter the field, he felt very happy and greeted him in Lin Quan's direction.

Lin Quan also greeted De Bruyne, but with so many people in the stands, De Bruyne might not necessarily be able to see him.

Half an hour later, the match began.

This match was the highlight of the Premier League match round, so it was specially scheduled to be played on the last day independently.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea had experienced coaching changes this summer.

Chelsea welcomed back their former coach Mourinho, while Manchester United opted for Everton's coach, Moyes.

In terms of reputation, Mourinho clearly surpassed Moyes by a wide margin.

Therefore, even though Chelsea was playing away, before the match, everyone considered that Chelsea had a greater advantage.

For Moyes, if he won this match, then he would easily overcome the difficult period at the beginning of his time at Manchester United. He could leverage the prestige he would gain by beating a strong rival to begin adjusting and even reforming the team.

But if he lost this match, his future at Manchester United would probably darken, and even the possibility of being fired at the end of the season couldn't be ruled out.

Therefore, Moyes was very conservative in this match.

He didn't intend to attack Chelsea but chose a more conservative formation to seek at least a draw.

Of course, winning the match would be ideal, but if he couldn't win, a draw would also be acceptable.

Mourinho is a master of psychological warfare, and before the match, he already understood Moyes' mentality.

He stated that facing Manchester United in the second round of the league was something he was very happy about, especially after Ferguson's retirement.

This was a way of belittling Moyes, suggesting that Moyes' Manchester United couldn't be compared to Ferguson's Manchester United.

If Ferguson were still in charge of Manchester United, Mourinho wouldn't dare to say something so arrogant.

But Mourinho wasn't purely playing with the mind; he was actually speaking the truth too:

"I admit that Moyes is a good coach, his performance at Everton is admirable, but Manchester United is a very different team, his experience with small and medium teams won't necessarily help him, it might even harm him."

Mourinho didn't believe that Moyes could follow Ferguson's legacy at Manchester United, and this, as much as it was his real thought, was also part of the pre-match psychological warfare.

By constantly mentioning Ferguson, he wanted people to compare Moyes to him, which would mean that Moyes would always live in Ferguson's shadow.

It had to be admitted that this tactic was quite ruthless.

Moyes didn't respond publicly to Mourinho's words, but obviously, he was concerned about what the "Madman" had said before the match.

In this match, Moyes wore a suit with a tie, stood meticulously at the edge of the field, and directed the match standing all the time.

His serious attitude indicated how much he valued this match.

The lineup Mourinho chose for this match was quite interesting; he didn't choose Lukaku, Torres, and Drogba, the three main forwards.

Instead, he put Xerxe as the lone striker and let Hazard, dubbed the "Second Messi" by fans, act as a false nine, forming a 4-5-1 formation without forwards.

This lineup puzzled Lin Quan in the stands.

Barcelona and the Spanish national team have been using this formation. Messi is the lone forward in Barcelona, and Lin Quan himself was the lone forward in the Spanish national team.

So, what is Mourinho doing, imitating Barcelona or imitating the Spanish national team?

Not only did Lin Quan not understand Mourinho's lineup, but Moyes, on the opposite side, was also surprised to see it.

Isn't Mourinho known for his defense and counterattack?

Why did he choose this lineup, did he want to play like Barcelona and the Spanish national team, maintaining ball possession?

Wait a moment, is Chelsea's midfield as luxurious as Barcelona's and the Spanish national team's?

Can it withstand the possession style of play?

Also, does Mourinho know how to play with possession?

He's not Guardiola!

Seeing the opponent's surprised expression, Mourinho felt a little proud.

He learned the triangle defense from Serie A in Italy, and of course, he couldn't have gone to La Liga without learning something.

He really liked the Spanish national team's 4-5-1 formation without forwards.

The 4-5-1 formation isn't something only Barcelona can play; other teams can play it too.

Before Lin Quan joined the Spanish national team, Spain's front line also didn't have its own Messi, didn't they win the World Cup and the European Championship based on a group of midfielders?

This season, their midfield isn't weak, and they have Hazard, who is good for counterattacks, up front.

They could compete with the Spanish national team without Lin Quan, and they still want to face Manchester United?

After the start of the match, Oscar, Xerxe, De Bruyne, Hazard, and others were very active.

Although Chelsea didn't play brilliant and flashy possession football, with their variety of attackers, they exerted great pressure on Manchester United in the attack.

Especially on the two flanks, they repeatedly created crises for Manchester United, endangering Manchester United's defense on the wings.

In the 10th minute of the first half, Chelsea crossed from the side, Ferdinand made a mistake clearing the ball in the area, and the ball was recovered by Chelsea's Oscar.

It was a perfect opportunity, but De Gea reacted quickly, blocking Oscar's powerful shot and saving Manchester United.

Manchester United fans in the stadium applauded De Gea for this save. Since Van der Sar left, Manchester United has tried many goalkeepers.

Finally, only De Gea has won the hearts of the Red Devils fans, and the Spaniard's performance also justified the fans' confidence.

Seeing this great save, Lin Quan also applauded his national team teammate, De Gea.

However, while applauding, he couldn't help but think:

Oscar's shot was a bit rushed. If he had adjusted a bit and shot again, it might have been better.

The situation on the field wasn't completely one-sided either; Manchester United was also attacking.

In the 23rd minute of the match, Van Persie dribbled at the edge of the area and shot from a narrow angle, but he didn't control the ball well, which hit the side netting directly, posing no threat.

After joining Manchester United, Van Persie continued his excellent performance at Arsenal. Last season he was the top scorer for the Manchester United team and also won the Premier League's top scorer title.

But in this match, Van Persie seemed to be out of form. His shots several times were off target, and it was difficult to associate him with the General Van Persie who stopped opponents as if he were a god.

Van Persie wasn't at his best, but Rooney was in good form.

In the 28th minute, Cleverley passed the ball and Rooney made his way into the penalty area, shaking off defenders and shooting towards the far angle after dodging empty space.

The shooting angle was very clever, and the quality of the shot was high, but Chelsea's goalkeeper, Cech, wasn't easy to deceive.

He threw himself to the ground quickly and blocked the ball just as it was about to cross the goal line.

After missing two consecutive opportunities, Manchester United fans at Old Trafford were frustrated.

However, during this period, the team's attack began to take shape, and the players received applause from the spectators.

These applauses were also recognition for Moyes. If he could lead the team to victory in this match, the applause from the Red Devils fans would surely be even more enthusiastic.

Lin Quan remembered that the match ended in a draw, so he wasn't very worried about the attack of both teams during the match.

Compared to the score, he was more interested in the performance of his friend De Bruyne on the field.

During the first thirty minutes, De Bruyne had played quite well.

Some of his passes on the field were key, creating several opportunities for his teammates.

But after Manchester United started to counterattack, De Bruyne seemed to lose his way a bit.

In the 32nd minute, De Bruyne committed a defensive foul and received a yellow card.

After receiving the yellow card, he was reluctant to take defensive measures, significantly reducing his defensive effectiveness on the field.

Manchester United took advantage of this situation and several times found attacking opportunities through him.

This left Mourinho very unsatisfied on the sidelines, demanding that De Bruyne be tougher in his game and firmer in defense.

Seeing this, Lin Quan couldn't help but sigh.

De Bruyne's defensive ability wasn't strong; he couldn't be used as a common soldier.

Making him play as a central midfielder was wasting his offensive talent; he should be in the attacking midfielder position, where he could deploy his attack more effectively.

If this continued, Mourinho would surely stop using De Bruyne in the second half.

And being substituted in two consecutive games early in the game would significantly reduce his tactical value in Mourinho's mind.

For most of the first half, the score remained 0-0, with neither team able to break the other's defense.

At the start of the second half, Mourinho made some changes to the lineup.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, De Bruyne was replaced, and Torres came on in his place.

De Bruyne felt very depressed when he was substituted.

His friend had come specifically to watch his match, but his performance on the field was so poor that he was replaced at the start of the second half.

This left De Bruyne feeling dejected and confused. When he was at Werder Bremen, he was one of the twin stars of the team, taking responsibility for organizing the attack up front.

But at Chelsea, he didn't have as much ball control, and Mourinho's team wasn't the type that sought to maintain ball possession.

So De Bruyne began to feel a little lost.

It was evident that he wasn't adapting well to Chelsea's tactical system, but as Mourinho was a world-class coach, De Bruyne took most of the blame and tried to change himself to fit into the team.

But after two months, all his efforts seemed in vain.

The coach's stern look clearly indicated he was very dissatisfied with himself.

This left De Bruyne feeling restless, wondering if he had a future at Chelsea.

Seeing De Bruyne's depressed expression also left Lin Quan feeling a bit uncomfortable.

But for now, he couldn't do much about it. Even if he managed to persuade Manchester City to sign him, he would have to wait until the winter transfer window to do so.

And besides, it wasn't clear if Chelsea would be willing to sell him.

After all, no one wanted to directly strengthen their rivals in the league.

The game continued on the field. In the 62nd minute, a highly controversial scene occurred:

Lampard, Chelsea's central midfielder, blocked a shot from a Manchester United player inside the area with his hand.

But referee Atkinson didn't signal for a penalty, leaving Manchester United players and fans very dissatisfied.

They demanded an explanation from the referee, but Atkinson explained it was an accident and not an intentional foul, so he didn't award the penalty.

This explanation, of course, wasn't accepted by Manchester United players. Replays on the big screen clearly showed Lampard deliberately raising his hand to block the ball's progress.

It wasn't an accident as the referee claimed, so by normal refereeing standards, this should have been a penalty.

After seeing the replays on the big screen, boos and cries of "biased referee" echoed throughout Old Trafford.

Nine minutes later, a Chelsea player was brought down in Manchester United's area, but the referee also didn't signal for a penalty.

This left Chelsea very dissatisfied, and Mourinho made a very exaggerated representation on the sideline, almost being sent off to the stands by the referee.

Finally, the match ended in a 0-0 draw, and neither team managed to break the other's defense.

It must be said that this result was very beneficial for Manchester City and other big teams.

This means that Manchester United and Chelsea, at the start of the new season, are already two points behind the other big teams.

Of course, Manchester United fans weren't happy with the result of this match.

This also made Moyes's future at Manchester United seem less secure.

Since Lin Quan was surrounded by Manchester United fans, he didn't have very intense reactions throughout the match and simply watched silently.

After all, he wasn't a fan of either team, so he watched the game with a neutral and objective attitude, without feeling excited.

This match suspiciously seemed like a mutually agreed game between both teams.

Although the final score of 0-0 seemed like both teams lost, upon closer analysis, it could be seen that this result was acceptable for both.

Chelsea could accept taking a point by drawing away at Manchester United's field.

And for Moyes, whose position at Manchester United was still not assured, resisting a strong team like Chelsea and getting a point was also acceptable for him.

For the other big teams, this result was obviously favorable.

So it turned out that everyone was in agreement, except for Manchester United fans, who ended up disadvantaged.

After watching the match, Lin Quan joined coach Pellegrini and headed to Monaco to participate in the draw for the group stage of the 2013-2014 Champions League.

This was the first time Lin Quan participated in the Champions League, and it was also Manchester City's third trip to the Champions League.

Previously, Manchester City had been eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League for two consecutive seasons, becoming a laughingstock in the European football world.

Therefore, this year, after Manchester City incorporated Lin Quan and many other players, they were determined to advance from the Champions League group stage.

There was no way they could afford to be eliminated in the group stage again.

If that were to happen, then the billions of Manchester City's owner would have been spent in vain.

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