Chapter 332: UEFA Award Ceremony, Reunion with Reus!
August 16 marked the start of the 2014-2015 Premier League season. Manchester United, who had spent nearly 200 million euros during the summer, was set for the opening match. Their ambitious summer signings clearly showed they were aiming high. This opening match presented an excellent opportunity for Manchester United to demonstrate to the world that they are back.
The Premier League took good care of Manchester United by matching them against Swansea, who finished 12th last season. The stark difference in the value of both teams made the match seem predictable. Manchester United's team was valued at over 600 million euros, while Swansea's was under 80 million euros. Given such a huge disparity in value, the match seemed a foregone conclusion.
Everyone expected Manchester United to win, especially since they had never lost an opening match at Old Trafford since 1972. With such a strong squad on paper, it seemed impossible for them to lose to a mid-table team.
Eager to witness this victory, countless Manchester United fans from around the world filled Old Trafford to capacity. Even the retired Sir Alex Ferguson was there, chewing gum and looking relaxed, confident in Manchester United's victory.
However, 90 minutes later, the score was set at 1-2, with the home team trailing. The highly favored Manchester United delivered a disappointing start to their fans worldwide. The match exposed the same issues seen during their International Champions Cup games: the team did not play cohesively but rather like a group of individuals.
Post-match, the media criticized manager Van Gaal for sticking to the 3-5-2 formation, which had already proven outdated at the World Cup. His stubbornness to change tactics and implement this formation at Manchester United evidently did not suit the team. Not only was Van Gaal criticized, but also the high-profile players in the team were rebuked for their poor performances despite their high salaries.
However, Rooney was the exception. His bicycle kick goal brought a glimmer of hope for Manchester United, though they ultimately failed to capitalize on it. Media remarked, "In the end, only Rooney proved reliable, and he's one of the few players brought up by Sir Alex Ferguson still in the team. Manchester United is still riding on the legacy left by Sir Alex."
Manchester United's upset in the opening match made other big clubs nervous about following in their footsteps. Indeed, other top teams struggled in their games. Tottenham faced West Ham and, despite an early red card, clenched a win in stoppage time. Arsenal, after falling behind early, managed to come back and secure a win with a last-minute goal in stoppage time. Liverpool, after an early lead, almost saw a turnaround but secured a win with Sturridge's 80th-minute goal.
These teams won, but the thrill and danger of the games left their fans heart-pounding. When it was Manchester City's turn, their fans were much more relaxed. Unlike other teams, City hadn't made significant changes over the summer, and with Lin Quan in the team, their fans were not worried about their form. Indeed, Lin Quan scored early and assisted David Silva to help the team dominate early on. In the second half, Manchester City played even more comfortably, effectively shutting down the opponent.
In the 78th minute, Lin Quan assisted again, helping Aguero score, and secured a 3-0 victory, which was also the final score. Newcastle, playing at home, were thoroughly outplayed. Post-match stats showed City controlled over 80% of possession and tripled Newcastle's shot count. City dominated the game, not giving Newcastle any chance at all.
After the first round of matches, Manchester City, with this convincing win and a goal advantage, topped the leaderboard right from the start. Other teams' fans lamented as they saw a repeat of last season where City never relinquished their top spot and smoothly sailed to the championship. Now, seeing City top again so early, they feared another repeat of last season.
... A week later, the second round of Premier League games kicked off. Chelsea first played, temporarily topping the leaderboard with a 2-0 win over Leicester City. Arsenal, playing away at Everton, nearly faced a defeat but managed a comeback with two goals in the last eight minutes, securing a tough draw. Arsenal fans, relieved they hadn't lost, began to worry about the season's prospects in such a competitive league.
Manchester United, hopeful of a rebound after their opening loss, ended up barely drawing against Sunderland away. With just one point from two games, Manchester United was near the relegation zone, infuriating their fans. Critics continued to target Van Gaal, and betting companies even started taking bets on when he would be sacked.
As attention focused on Manchester United's struggles, Manchester City returned home to face an old rival, Liverpool, for the third time in a month. City was glad to meet Liverpool again, having figured out how to beat them. Liverpool fans, on the other hand, were not eager for this match. After Suarez's departure, Liverpool hadn't quite fixed their attack, and facing City now seemed a guaranteed loss, as proven by their previous two defeats. They didn't want a third.
Despite Liverpool's request to postpone the match due to City's intense upcoming schedule, City refused. Conceding to postponement would only increase their burden later in the season. Denied the delay, Liverpool arrived at the Etihad Stadium not hoping for a win but determined not to lose again.
But they really didn't want to lose another game, so Liverpool abandoned the dignity of a top club and parked the bus at Etihad Stadium! Seeing the opponent's defensive setup, Manchester City fans were stunned. It's not that top clubs can't deploy such tactics, but it's rare because it's a strategy usually forced upon weaker teams by stronger opponents. Top clubs have their pride, so it's seldom seen that they show weakness before the game even starts—unless the opposing team's strength is immensely formidable, like the Barcelona of old. When facing that era's Barcelona, even the biggest clubs would defensively hunker down—parking the bus was not shameful against them because not doing so could lead to a disastrous defeat.
The fact that Liverpool parked the bus at Etihad could either mean they admitted their inferiority to Manchester City, or they recognized City's strength as akin to that legendary Barcelona team. Despite Liverpool's defensive tactics, Manchester City did not ease their pressure. In the 41st minute, Lin Quan once again broke through Liverpool's goal with a free kick, nearly killing the game as it shattered Liverpool's hopes of a draw.
Therefore, in the second half, Liverpool indeed abandoned their passive strategy and desperately tried to attack head-on with Manchester City. This decision turned out to be unwise. In the 55th minute, Lin Quan scored his second goal of the game. By the 69th minute, Aguero had also found the net. And the onslaught wasn't over; in the 78th minute, De Bruyne, receiving a pass from Lin Quan, scored the fourth goal of the match. Manchester City led 4:0 against Liverpool!
Manchester City's demonstration was clear: not parking the bus could be lethal, and indeed, it was brutal. But Manchester City's scoring spree wasn't done yet. In the 83rd minute, their defender Zabaleta also scored a goal—unfortunately, it was into their own net. Navas was a bit helpless; despite the team's excellent performance, he had hoped to add another clean sheet to his record, but who could have predicted such a betrayal by a teammate?
Ultimately, Manchester City, playing at home, defeated Liverpool with a score of 4:1, securing their second consecutive victory and overtaking Chelsea at the top of the leaderboard. After suffering three devastating defeats to Manchester City within a single month, it was rumored that Liverpool fans developed a condition known as 'Fear of Manchester City.'
After this round of games, Pellegrini and Lin Quan flew to Monaco to attend the draw ceremony for the 2014-2015 Champions League group stage. Lin Quan had participated in this event twice before, but the attention he received this time was unprecedented. As he arrived at the venue in a dedicated car, the place was swarming with reporters—over 300 journalists had been waiting, and they swarmed him the moment they saw him, blocking his entrance.
"Lin, what are your expectations for Manchester City this season?" "Lin, is defending the Champions League your goal for this season?" "Lin, are you confident about winning the Ballon d'Or?" Questions bombarded him, coming too fast for Lin Quan to either fully hear or answer them individually. He only had one thought: Is this what it feels like to be a top superstar?
Lin Quan briefly answered a few trivial questions, then apologized with a gesture to the reporters, indicating he needed to proceed to the award and drawing ceremony. Security personnel came over and escorted him out of the crowd. The reporters, held back by security, could no longer hassle Lin Quan.
"How does it feel to be a superstar?" he was greeted by a familiar face upon entering—Mario Reus, grinning annoyingly. "Is your foot okay?" Lin Quan glanced at Reus's recently injured left foot and asked. "Cough, let's remain good friends and not talk about that," Reus responded. Before the World Cup, he had injured his left ankle during a warm-up match for the German team. The timing was devastating as it was too close to the World Cup, causing him to miss the 2014 tournament. This injury was especially painful for Reus and the German fans, as Germany had lost the final to Spain, missing the championship.
If Reus had been present, his dynamic ability to drive and burst could have significantly boosted Germany's offensive power. Known for his tireless running, Reus could contribute massively not only in attack but also in defense, unlike the physically weaker Özil or the solely hard-shooting Müller. But unfortunately, it was he who got injured.
Watching Germany lose to Spain from home, Reus felt both agony and self-blame. He blamed himself for getting injured at such a critical time, unable to contribute to his team. "It's tough with an ankle injury; it can easily become a recurring issue. I suggest you rest it for a few months, minimize your playtime and skip the national team matches for a while," Lin Quan advised, remembering how unlucky Reus was in 2014. Not only did he miss the World Cup, but he also re-injured the same spot—his left ankle ligament—during a Euro qualifier right after the World Cup.
These injuries greatly affected Reus and also impacted Borussia Dortmund's performance in the league and in Europe. The season turned out to be a disaster for Dortmund, as they struggled in the league following the departure of key players like Götze and Lewandowski. As Bundesliga teams adapted to Dortmund's tactics and even developed counter-strategies, Dortmund found it increasingly difficult to play effectively.
In such circumstances, a fighter like Reus would only push himself harder, which could only lead to more injuries... It was a vicious cycle. Better to properly heal at the start of the season than to keep getting injured. This season was doomed for Dortmund anyway; it wasn't something Reus could fix alone—it was a systemic issue. However, convincing Reus of this was not going to be easy.
Sure enough, after hearing Lin Quan's advice, Reus laughed and said, "That won't work. The team is counting on me; I can't just desert them!"
Moreover, for the teams subsequently drawn into this group, it can definitely be described as a 'group of death'! Yero was quick to act, drawing several teams in rapid succession. Shakhtar Donetsk was drawn into Group H, Benfica into Group E, Dortmund into Group D, Basel into Group B, Juventus into Group A, and Schalke 04 into Group G. Among these, Dortmund and their Group D seed, Arsenal, were already well acquainted. The two teams had encountered each other in last year's Champions League group stage, trading wins and effectively tying. However, Dortmund, thanks to their goal difference advantage, finished above Arsenal to claim the top spot in the group, relegating Arsenal to second place and qualification. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal can seek revenge this year.
After the second-tier draw concluded, the third and fourth-tier draws were conducted swiftly. Among these 16 teams, there were not many strong squads, but one team that had won the Champions League multiple times had been absent from the competition long enough to be placed in the third tier—this team was Liverpool! Liverpool's luck was neither good nor bad; they were drawn into Group B with Real Madrid. While Real Madrid was a powerhouse, the second-tier Basel was of moderate strength. If Liverpool could defeat Basel, they would likely secure a spot in the knockout phase. However, challenging Real Madrid for the top spot in the group would be difficult with their current strength.
Liverpool's progress in the knockout stages would largely depend on luck if they couldn't top their group. This year's Champions League groups were relatively balanced, without the emergence of a 'group of death' like last year. If one had to name a 'group of death,' it would be Group E, where Bayern Munich resided. Of course, this label of 'death' applied to the other three teams in the group, as Bayern would likely secure first place easily unless they faltered. The other three teams in the group were Benfica from the Portuguese league, Roma from Serie A, and CSKA Moscow from the Russian league. Their strengths were relatively equal, with CSKA Moscow slightly weaker but having a formidable home advantage. The remaining two teams weren't very strong, and their ability to advance would depend heavily on their performances.
For Manchester City, the draw was very favorable. They were placed in Group C with Monaco from Ligue 1, Leverkusen from the Bundesliga, and Zenit from the Russian league. None of these teams posed a significant threat to City, except perhaps Zenit in away games. After the draw, Manchester City fans began discussing potential knockout stage opponents.
"Looking at the second-place teams from other groups, none are very strong. As long as we keep up our performance, reaching the quarterfinals shouldn't be a problem!" "That's too conservative; we should at least aim for the semifinals!" "The semifinals depend on luck. What if we draw Real Madrid or Barcelona in the quarterfinals?" "Aren't Real and Barca both teams we've defeated before? What's there to fear?" "This season's Real Madrid has gelled better and become stronger; we really shouldn't underestimate them!" "True, we were lucky to win in the semifinals last season. If it weren't for Lin Huang's exceptional performance and the crucial away goals, we could have been the ones eliminated!" Recalling that battle at the Bernabeu, many City fans felt nervous. At the 80th minute of regular time, Real Madrid was leading 3:1, and City was on the brink of elimination. If Lin Huang hadn't scored that crucial goal to take the game into extra time, they wouldn't have lifted the Champions League trophy.
"Barcelona is also formidable this year; we've seen Messi and Neymar's capabilities in the Champions League and La Liga, and now they've added Suarez. The attacking power of their front trio is unimaginable!" While others might focus on Suarez's controversies, City fans were more concerned about his abilities. Last season, City had a draw and a win against Liverpool, and the victory was a tense affair. This season, they had already defeated Liverpool three times in a month. Liverpool with and without Suarez seemed like two different teams.
"Also, we're the defending champions, so other teams will definitely study us and play more conservatively against us, which will make our games tougher." When Barca was at its peak, other teams would set up defensively against them. While City isn't yet considered a 'galactic' team like that, being targeted and studied is inevitable.
Therefore, for many fans, reaching the quarterfinals would be a satisfactory achievement. Advancing to the semifinals or even the final would be a bonus. City fans were cautious, aware of the difficulties in defending their title. However, the betting agencies disagreed! After the Champions League draw, they immediately released the odds for the season, placing Manchester City ahead of both Real Madrid and Barcelona as favorites to win. (End of chapter)