Chapter 445: Guardiola: Lin Quan is a Genius!
Actually, Mourinho was overthinking it; Guardiola's tactic wasn't targeting anyone specifically. He arranged the lineup for two reasons:
1. Manchester City's main striker, Aguero, hadn't fully recovered from an injury he sustained with the national team. Aguero's thigh injury required at least three to four weeks to heal completely. To avoid worsening his condition, Guardiola decided to rest him. After all, facing Manchester United would definitely be a tough battle, and aggravating Aguero's injury would be detrimental to both him and the team.
2. Guardiola wanted to test his new tactics to further develop Manchester City's overall attacking capabilities. Judging by Kroos's goal earlier, the desired effect had already been achieved. Now that United had started attacking, their opportunities had increased. Guardiola was eager to see if other players could surprise him.
At halftime, after the break, Mourinho indeed made a substitution. He replaced the underperforming Mata with a homegrown player from Manchester United's academy—Jesse Lingard, also known as "Lingardinho." Although not a top-tier star, Lingardinho enjoyed the treatment of one, with countless fans creating numerous jokes about him, making his fame far exceed his actual abilities. Whether this was a good or bad thing remains uncertain.
Lingard's attention and the countless jokes about him indicated that he had some skill. A player with too little talent wouldn't even get the chance to play, let alone attract fan attention. Despite the criticisms, Lingard had clear strengths. His positive attitude on the pitch and his love for running made him a favorite of Mourinho. Otherwise, Mourinho wouldn't have put him on the field at this crucial moment.
Manchester City's midfield was known for its sweeping abilities, so Mourinho brought on a young, energetic player to outpace them. If Lingard could seize one or two opportunities to score, he would be hailed as a hero. Of course, for a player under 23, Mourinho didn't have such high expectations yet.
Lingard appeared very excited after coming on, showing no signs of pressure or tension despite the two-goal deficit. Instead, his face displayed a pure, bright smile, like sunshine! Seeing this young player so confident and unafraid, United fans had high hopes for him.
Lin Quan noticed Lingard being subbed in and gave him a second look. Lingard, feeling Lin Quan's gaze, responded with a bright smile. Just as the rumors said, he was always smiling. But would he still be smiling after the match?
With Lingard on the field, United's attack changed. Without Mata's organization and passing, their attacks became more direct, focusing on breaking through from the wings. Lingard, full of energy, naturally got many attacking opportunities.
In the 55th minute of the second half, Schweinsteiger made a brilliant pass to Lingard, who sped down the field towards Manchester City's half. Lingard seemed to be flying, running faster and faster. Seeing their new player charging towards the goal, United fans were thrilled: Was he about to perform a solo miracle?
Lingard's speed was so great that even his teammates and nearby City players couldn't keep up. On the sidelines, both Mourinho and Guardiola stood up, their eyes fixed on Lingard, now the focus of millions of fans watching the match. However, Lingard was unaware of all this; he was just running joyfully, carefree.
As he neared the penalty area, van Dijk rushed to meet him. Lingard didn't seem to consider van Dijk a threat. Feeling unstoppable, he believed he could easily get past this opponent with a few moves. But as he continued running, van Dijk cautiously retreated, not making any rash tackles. The distance between them closed rapidly, but as it did, Lingard felt increasingly uncomfortable. Van Dijk had blocked his path, forcing him to change his dribbling pace and direction.
Realizing the defensive strategy, Lingard tried to speed up and change direction to get past van Dijk. However, van Dijk suddenly stepped forward, using his body to block Lingard without making any fouls. Lingard felt as if he had hit a wall, his balance disrupted, speed reduced, and the ball slipping away, rolling towards City's penalty area where Kompany collected it.
United's aggressive attack ended abruptly. On the sidelines, seeing van Dijk stop the attack, Guardiola smiled approvingly and applauded. "Well done, Virgil!" Kompany, having passed the ball, approached van Dijk for a high-five. Over the past two seasons, van Dijk had improved rapidly. Although he lacked Kompany's experience, his skills were on par or even superior. While Kompany had reached his peak, van Dijk was young and had much room for growth, with a bright future ahead.
Seeing Lingard's attack easily neutralized, United fans were disappointed. "It's okay, just one missed opportunity. With his speed and positive performance, he'll get more chances," reassured a fan. Mourinho wasn't too concerned about Lingard's missed opportunity either, as the chance was created by his own effort. Recognizing Lingard's speed, Mourinho instructed Schweinsteiger to pass to Lingard more often. Schweinsteiger understood and kept feeding the ball to Lingard whenever possible.
However, United's intentions became too obvious, and City was prepared, making their tactics less effective. In the 72nd minute of the second half, Lingard finally got another chance. Once again, he charged towards City's goal, but this time Kante was defending him. Focused on the goal and van Dijk, Lingard didn't notice Kante closing in on him.
When Lingard noticed Kante suddenly appearing beside him, he was shocked! This guy is so fast! When did he overtake me? How did I not notice?
Seeing that he was about to miss this scoring opportunity, Lingard didn't think twice and prepared to shoot immediately. However, this action offended Kante. "You're this close to me, and you still dare to shoot in my presence? Do you think I'm just air?" With a quick poke of his foot, Kante disrupted the ball under Lingard's feet. Lingard swung his leg but missed the ball, lost his balance, and fell flat on his back, looking ridiculously comical.
The stadium erupted in laughter. Even United fans couldn't help but chuckle at Lingard's awkward fall.
"Is this guy here to entertain us?"
"Oh my, that was hilarious! This kid must be a joker!"
City fans and some neutral fans were almost rolling on the floor laughing. How could there be such a funny player? That's Kante, one of the most renowned midfielders in the Premier League and the entire football world. How could you ignore him like that?
After missing two opportunities, fans realized this guy wasn't reliable. For the rest of the game, although Lingard continued to run all over the pitch, it was mostly ineffective. When City intensified their defense on him, he didn't get any more chances. Especially with Kante marking him, Lingard was completely shut down, unable to do anything against him.
Every time Schweinsteiger managed to get the ball to him, it was quickly disrupted or intercepted by Kante, sometimes even turning into a counter-attack opportunity for City. This frustrated United's players to the point of exasperation. This kid is a liability! Seeing that Lingard couldn't even hold the ball, his teammates gradually stopped passing to him, and Lingard slowly faded from the game.
After extinguishing United's attacking efforts, City's offense went into full swing. In the 79th minute, City made seven or eight consecutive passes in the front field, fully mobilizing United's players. Their attention was focused on the ball, instinctively moving towards whoever had it. Lin Quan and David Silva crossed positions again, with Lin Quan taking the ball to the wing and then suddenly passing it to the open space in front of United's defense. De Bruyne, who had been lurking, suddenly surged forward and unleashed a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, once again penetrating United's goal.
3-0!
This goal essentially killed off any suspense in the match. Unless the peak-era Red Devils resurrected on the spot, there was no way they could turn the game around. Clearly, that was impossible, so the 3-0 scoreline remained until the end of the match.
City had once again conquered Old Trafford, the Theater of Dreams. After the game, Guardiola walked over to Mourinho to shake hands. Mourinho, unhappy with the defeat, wanted to ask Guardiola, "What is this all about?" But he ultimately didn't say anything, unable to admit he was inferior to Guardiola.
As the match ended, City's players, including those on the bench, rushed onto the field, celebrating wildly at United's home ground. They were celebrating not only their victory in the Manchester Derby but also their 10th consecutive win in the league, setting a club record for the best start in history. This wasn't just a record for City; it was also the best start in Premier League history. A 10-game winning streak was an explosive achievement across Europe.
Major media outlets were quick to report on City's accomplishment. At the post-match press conference, Guardiola attended with Lin Quan, who had been named MVP of the match.
The Times reporter asked first: "Coach Guardiola, how do you evaluate this match?"
Guardiola replied seriously, "It was an exciting game. The opponent was strong, but unfortunately, their midfield core couldn't play. Otherwise, our victory wouldn't have been so easy."
Paul Pogba had been diagnosed with a severe cold before the match, which left Mourinho struggling with his lineup. Pogba's value and ability were undeniable; if he had been on the pitch, City wouldn't have dominated the midfield so easily. So, Guardiola's words were not just modest or complimentary; they were truthful.
"How did you come up with the idea of using a formation without a forward?" asked a reporter from The Guardian.
Fans and journalists had many questions about Guardiola's unconventional lineup. At the start of the match, seeing City's formation, everyone thought, "This lineup is insane!" But by the end, they were praising it. Guardiola had done it again, coming up with a genius tactic. The 3-0 result proved that Guardiola's lineup was not only correct but also highly successful. With the strong control of the three defensive midfielders, City's possession was high, and their attacking opportunities far outnumbered their opponent's. The entire match saw City passing, shooting, and scoring, while Mourinho's counter-attacks were ineffective. Martial was almost invisible, and although Lingard had two shining moments, he was quickly shut down. Every attacking point for United was firmly suppressed by City, leading to their collapse.
Guardiola chuckled, "Aguero's injury hasn't fully healed, and I don't have a suitable center forward in the team." Hearing this, everyone nodded. It seemed like a forced decision. But then they heard Guardiola say, "Of course, I also wanted to give Lin more responsibilities and see his limits, to see if he could surprise me."
"Did Lin Quan meet your expectations?" asked a BBC reporter eagerly.
Guardiola nodded with satisfaction, saying proudly, "Absolutely, Lin is a true genius. You never know his limits!"
"How does he compare to Messi?" someone suddenly asked, causing Guardiola to fall silent instantly.