Chapter 499: The Red Wolves
"Every team has its own strategy for building a team. Not all teams can spend nearly unlimited funds like Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea. Liverpool has never been that kind of team, and I've never been that kind of coach," Klopp said.
"This Liverpool team is very young, with a core lineup mostly made up of players born in the '90s. This brings endless potential to our team. What we need to do next is fully tap into that potential."
Regarding the match, Mourinho lavished praise on Bruno and the players, especially highlighting Bruno's role as the team captain. He commended Bruno for stepping up at crucial moments, which was highly admirable.
The Manchester United coach also mentioned that if not for the referee's mistake, Manchester United should have scored in the first half. "That was a very obvious and undeniable handball. It should have been a penalty. Our players appealed, but the referee maintained his original decision. I believe everyone saw that it was a wrong call."
In response to Mourinho's mention of a penalty, Liverpool coach Klopp said he hadn't seen it. "I didn't notice if it was a handball, but I think the referee made what he thought was the wisest decision at the time. My player did not intentionally extend his arm, so it shouldn't have been a severe punishment."
Liverpool losing 0-2 to Manchester United at home wasn't a huge upset, especially considering it was an improvement over last season's 0-4 defeat at home.
...
During this summer transfer window, both teams made effective signings. Manchester United spent a lot to bring in Harry Kane and Mbappe, filling their biggest gaps and making the team stronger than last season.
Liverpool, although not as active in the transfer market as Manchester United, successfully retained their key player Coutinho and brought in the sharp striker Salah, which was also significant for Liverpool.
Currently, Liverpool's biggest problem is their defense. Since Carragher retired, Liverpool has lacked truly top-tier defenders, with the defense conceding around 50 goals each season, far from the performance expected of a top team.
Of course, the high number of goals conceded isn't just due to the defenders; the goalkeeper is also a crucial factor. Liverpool's goalkeeper, Mignolet, is not considered top-tier.
Mignolet's abilities might be enough for a mid-level Premier League team, but for a top club like Liverpool, especially during their rebuilding phase, Mignolet is somewhat lacking.
However, as Klopp mentioned, Liverpool cannot spend money as freely as Manchester City, Chelsea, or Manchester United. Their owner, John Henry, although wealthy, does not have the deep pockets of a Sheikh or an Abramovich.
So, given the current strength of the two teams, there's indeed a significant gap between Liverpool and Manchester United.
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Midweek, Manchester United faced AS Roma at Old Trafford in the third round of the Champions League group stage. This was a crucial match for determining who would top Group C.
For Manchester United, Roma is both a familiar and an unfamiliar opponent. They are familiar because the two teams have met many times historically, six times in total. They are unfamiliar because the last time they met was ten years ago.
In fact, all six encounters between Manchester United and Roma happened a decade ago, during Manchester United's last reign over Europe.
In the 2006-2007 season, as Manchester United was emerging from a brief slump, they faced Roma in the Champions League quarter-finals. United lost 1-2 away but won 7-1 at home, with Ronaldo scoring his first Champions League goal, securing their spot in the semi-finals.
A year later, in the 2007-2008 season, Manchester United faced Roma four times in the Champions League. In the group stage, United won one and drew one, with scores of 1-0 and 1-1. In the quarter-finals, United won both legs, 2-0 and 1-0.
It can be said that Roma witnessed Manchester United's rise to the top of Europe!
Now, ten years later, the two teams meet again in the Champions League. The sparks they will create are highly anticipated.
For Bruno, Roma is not an easy opponent. During his three years at Udinese, he faced Roma six times, with a record of 2 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses.
In Bruno's last year at Udinese, Roma even completed a double over them.
Those experiences were bitter for Bruno at the time.
In those three years, Roma was one of the few teams that managed to hold an advantage over Bruno-led Udinese.
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On matchday, media from around the world gathered in Manchester to cover the game between Manchester United and Roma.
The previous day, two English teams had already played their Champions League matches, with good results: Manchester City defeated Napoli 2-1 at home, and Tottenham drew 1-1 with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
In this context, as the reigning Premier League champions, Manchester United's match against a strong team like Roma attracted significant global media attention.
Pre-match news was abundant, discussing Manchester United's historical advantage over Roma, the infamous 7-1 thrashing, and Roma's favorable record against Bruno.
The media hype added suspense to the match.
As the match approached, irrelevant news faded, and everyone focused on whether the teams were at full strength and the tactical setups the coaches would employ.
Finally, the match began, with Old Trafford packed to the brim. Many loyal fans waited outside the stadium until the last five minutes before the match, holding signs saying, "I need tickets," hoping for a last-minute chance to buy a ticket.
However, their wait was in vain. Tickets for this match were highly sought after, with many sold out a week in advance. Those available at the last minute were snapped up instantly.
Fans waiting for tickets stubbornly stayed outside, while inside, the stadium was buzzing. The floodlights were on, and the noise from the stadium could be heard from afar.
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The players entered the field, lining up for photos and shaking hands with the opposing team.
As captain, Bruno stood at the front, shaking hands with each Roma player first.
The first to shake hands with Bruno was Roma's captain for the day, Strootman. Normally, Strootman isn't Roma's captain or even the first vice-captain, but with De Rossi and Florenzi not starting, the captain's armband went to Strootman, who had been with Roma for four years.
Bruno and Strootman were old foes, having faced each other multiple times during Bruno's tenure at Udinese.
Despite often outperforming Strootman individually, Roma usually had the upper hand over Udinese, much to Bruno's frustration.
...
After the handshakes, the captains exchanged team flags and decided the kickoff. Bruno deliberately lost the coin toss to gain the right to kick off.
For Bruno, kicking off first was more advantageous, like having the first move in a game of chess.
United's fast and direct style required applying pressure immediately, making the kickoff advantageous.
After the coin toss, the captains returned to their teams. Bruno gathered his teammates for a brief pre-match pep talk.
"Guys, we must win this one. I've said this many times this week, so I won't repeat it. I just want to say one thing—let's show them our football!"
Harry Kane stood in the center circle, foot on the ball, waiting for the referee's whistle.
Rashford and Mbappe were positioned on the wings, with Bruno in the center. Manchester United always directed the ball to him at kickoff.
Kante stood behind Bruno for support.
The formation was compact at kickoff. Once Bruno received the ball, the formation would spread out, with the wingers pushing forward, Kante moving laterally, and the defense dropping back to create space for Bruno's pass.
On TV, the players had taken their positions, waiting for the match to start.
The referee and the fourth official synchronized their watches, and the whistle blew!
(End of Chapter)
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