Chapter 244: Depay's Challenge
On the evening of September 15th, Udinese faced Manchester United in their first Champions League match of the season. It was a clash between the Serie A leaders and the third-placed team from the Premier League.
Unlike Udinese's perfect start in Serie A, with three wins and no goals conceded, Manchester United had a somewhat shaky beginning, achieving only three wins, one draw, and one loss in their five Premier League matches. They were third in the standings but already five points behind their city rivals, Manchester City.
Both teams were missing their captains for this match. Di Natale, who would turn 38 next month, failed to pass the pre-match fitness test and was not included in the starting lineup. Wayne Rooney felt discomfort in his leg and was also left out of Manchester United's squad.
This match marked the first-ever encounter between Udinese and Manchester United, and it was Bruno's first time facing Manchester United as an opponent, captaining his team.
Manchester United's starting lineup included Martial as the center forward, with Ashley Young and Depay on the wings, Mata as the attacking midfielder, and Herrera and Schweinsteiger as the defensive midfielders.
For Udinese, apart from Iraqi midfielder Adnan replacing Di Natale in the starting lineup, the team was unchanged from their previous Serie A match.
Right from the start, Manchester United took the initiative and launched an aggressive attack. In the third minute, Blind made a left-wing pass to Depay, who used his speed to surpass Adnan, entered the box, dodged Cancelo, and scored with a left-footed shot from seven yards out.
1-0, Manchester United took the lead.
Depay celebrated wildly, seemingly challenging Bruno. Both born in 1994, Bruno had stolen the spotlight from his peers. While many of his age group were still fighting for playing time, Bruno, as the core of Udinese, had already won the Champions League, Europa League, and Serie A, becoming a successful figure.
Depay, who had been successful among his peers, debuted for PSV Eindhoven in 2011 and quickly became a key player and attacking force. Last season, Depay scored 28 goals in 40 matches for PSV, leading them to the Eredivisie title and becoming the league's top scorer with 22 goals. He then transferred to Manchester United during the summer window.
However, compared to Bruno's achievements last season, Depay's accomplishments seemed minor. Bruno won the Serie A Golden Boot and assist titles, as well as the Champions League Golden Boot and assist titles, becoming one of Europe's top stars.
Despite this, the proud Depay was not convinced by Bruno's superiority. After the Champions League draw, Depay had issued a challenge to Bruno in an interview with reporters. Tonight, he was extremely excited, almost like a fighting rooster.
Now, having scored against two of his peers and given Manchester United the lead in front of Bruno, Depay was naturally ecstatic.
Adnan and Cancelo were both peers of Depay. Adnan, born in December 1993, was 21 and one of the core players of the Iraqi youth team that reached the semifinals of the 2013 U-20 World Cup. Cancelo was a key player for Portugal's youth team that won the 2013 U-20 World Cup.
Depay didn't participate in the U-20 World Cup because the Netherlands didn't qualify. However, he did compete in the U-21 European Championship in Israel, where the Dutch team reached the semifinals.
Seeing the triumphant Depay, Bruno, standing near the center circle, felt a surge of anger. He knew that Depay's pre-match taunting had worked. On a normal day, Adnan and Cancelo wouldn't have made such a significant error, and Udinese had been mentally prepared for Manchester United's early onslaught, yet Cancelo had fallen for it.
Bruno didn't blame Cancelo, knowing he must be feeling terribly guilty. The psychological impact was unpredictable and beyond even Cancelo's control. This mistake was now a reality, and if Udinese lost to Manchester United tonight, it would be a disaster. Cancelo would be condemned by Depay's taunts, unable to lift his head again, potentially leading to a decline in form and eventually a transfer.
Worse, this kind of situation couldn't be easily cleared up unless Cancelo defeated Depay head-on. But if Cancelo focused on a personal duel with Depay, it would be extremely dangerous for Udinese's defense.
Considering all this, Bruno quickly pulled at the captain's armband on his left arm. With Di Natale unavailable, Bruno, as the team's vice-captain, naturally took over the captain's role.
While Manchester United's players were still celebrating, Bruno walked quickly to Cancelo. As expected, Cancelo lowered his head in regret upon seeing Bruno.
"I was just..." Cancelo began, but Bruno interrupted, "I understand!" Bruno cut him off, preventing him from continuing. There was no need for explanations; the goal had been conceded. Understanding how and why it happened was enough. The focus now should be on playing well for the rest of the match.
"Look at that guy," Bruno pointed towards the celebrating Manchester United players, with Depay looking especially thrilled. "I feel like running over and kicking him," Bruno laughed.
As a Manchester United fan, Bruno was naturally familiar with Depay, who joined the club with the reputation of being Cristiano Ronaldo's successor and wearing the iconic number 7 shirt. However, Depay's career at Manchester United started strong but declined significantly, eventually being labeled as one of the club's worst number 7s.
Cancelo smiled at Bruno's words and replied, "I feel the same."
"We can't kick him, but we can beat him!" Bruno encouraged. "I'd love to see him sulking after losing."
Cancelo didn't respond verbally but nodded firmly, sharing the sentiment.
Bruno patted Cancelo's shoulder and nodded at Adnan, who also nodded silently, understanding everything without words.
Depay targeted Cancelo, and Cancelo had indeed been affected, along with Adnan. But for this match, Udinese's left side relied on their partnership to face the challenge.
"Alright, everyone, we conceded, but let's score more and get back in the game. Let's go!" Bruno clapped his hands and shouted, fulfilling his role as captain.
"Alright, let's go, everyone, stay focused!" Badu joined in. As one of the more experienced players in the team, his voice carried weight.
"No problem, it's just one goal, we can get it back!" Forward Théréau echoed.
"From now on, Manchester United won't get past midfield!" Widmer added fiercely.
Bruno raised his right fist, nodded at his teammates, and walked back to the center circle, signaling the referee to bring the Manchester United players back to restart the game. After all, how long could they celebrate for a single goal?
This was Friuli Stadium!
"Van Gaal is taking a big gamble with this game."
Standing by the home team's bench, Guidolin watched Bruno encourage the team and perform his captain's duties. He initially wanted to speak but decided Bruno had already done enough.
"Manchester United is using a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Martial in the center, Depay and Ashley Young on the wings, clearly aiming to suppress our full-backs. But this also means their midfield is affected," analyzed Portoluzzi.
"Carrick isn't playing; only Schweinsteiger is, with Herrera and Mata in midfield. This indicates a focus on controlling the midfield, but neither Herrera nor Mata contributes much defensively."
Herrera is a midfielder with a blend of Xavi's awareness and Iniesta's dribbling skills but lacks physical strength for tough tackles. Mata, on the other hand, is not a defensive player, which led to his fall out of favor with Mourinho at Chelsea and his subsequent transfer to Manchester United in the winter of 2014.
Van Gaal's gamble lay in hoping that Udinese's midfield, weakened by the departures of Kanté and Guilherme, would lack defensive solidity. Despite Udinese's clean sheets in the first three Serie A rounds, their midfield suppression had indeed weakened significantly.
If Udinese couldn't provide enough midfield pressure, Manchester United would get more opportunities and potentially control the match, which had been Udinese's strength.
Conversely, if Udinese managed to control the midfield and effectively press Manchester United, the Red Devils would be in danger as they might not withstand Udinese's attacks.
(End of Chapter)
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