Chapter 512: The Round of 32
After three consecutive tough matches, Bruno finally got a chance to catch his breath as the world of football entered the season's third international break, the last one for 2017.
Since Portugal had already secured their spot in next year's World Cup in Russia, this international break featured two friendly matches aimed at training and evaluating new players. After consulting with Bruno, coach Santos decided not to call him up for this session of the national team.
Bruno wasn't the only one left out; Cristiano Ronaldo was also not called up.
For Bruno, this international break was a rare opportunity to rest. Since the start of the new season, he had hardly had any rest. Even though Mourinho tried to rotate the squad as much as possible, Bruno was not one of the players he rotated. Since the Community Shield in early August, Bruno had only missed two League Cup matches, playing in all other 17 games.
In addition, Bruno spent the summer with the Portuguese national team participating in the Confederations Cup in Russia. Essentially, he hadn't had a proper rest in 2017.
At 23 years old, Bruno was in his prime, full of energy. However, the constant matches had taken a toll, leaving him feeling somewhat fatigued.
This international break came like rain after a long drought for Bruno.
...
During the two-week break, Bruno didn't plan any extensive trips. Aside from attending an Armani event in Milan, he spent the rest of the time vacationing with Vanessa on the island of Mallorca.
While on vacation, Bruno kept an eye on the Portuguese national team's progress. Without their two superstars, Portugal achieved one win and one draw in their two friendlies, defeating Saudi Arabia 3-0 and drawing 1-1 with the United States.
Meanwhile, the European playoff matches for the World Cup qualifiers were also concluded. In the two-legged playoffs, Croatia beat Greece 4-1, Switzerland edged Northern Ireland 1-0, Sweden shocked Italy 1-0, and Denmark crushed Ireland 5-1.
Italian fans were the most disappointed, as their team failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958.
With Peru's 2-0 home victory over New Zealand, returning to the World Cup stage after 36 years, all 32 teams for the World Cup in Russia were confirmed. These 32 teams include 14 from Europe, 5 from South America, 5 from Asia, 5 from Africa, and 3 from North and Central America.
The seedings were also finalized. Hosts Russia, along with the top seven teams in the world rankings—Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland, and France—formed the first pot. The second pot included Spain, Peru, Switzerland, England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, and Croatia. The third pot featured Denmark, Iceland, Costa Rica, Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, and Iran. The fourth pot comprised Serbia, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
The lowest-ranked team to qualify was Saudi Arabia, ranked 63rd in October, followed by South Korea, ranked 62nd, both lower than 57th-ranked China. However, Panama and other teams were all ranked within the top 50.
The World Cup group stage draw will take place on December 1st. The draw rules stipulate that each group will contain one team from each pot, and teams from the same continent, except for Europe, cannot be in the same group. No group can have more than two European teams.
...
After the two-week international break, the league resumed.
Manchester United's match was on Saturday evening, at home against newly promoted Newcastle United.
Last season's three promoted teams performed impressively in the league. After 11 rounds, Brighton was eighth, Newcastle tenth, and Huddersfield, who lost to United, were fourteenth, three points clear of the relegation zone.
Newcastle's stable performance saw them win matches they were supposed to win and struggle in tougher fixtures. They had scored 10 goals and conceded 10, boasting one of the league's best defenses but struggling in attack, ranking 14th in goals scored.
However, few expected Newcastle to take points from Old Trafford, as United seemed too formidable. In the lead-up to the match, the British media mainly speculated on how many goals Newcastle would concede.
Manchester United were confident of victory.
...
"GOOOOOOOOOOOALLLL!!!!" Andy Gray stood up, shouting, "Only thirteen minutes into the match, and we have a goal! The visitors, Newcastle, have made a surprising start at Old Trafford!"
"Yedlin scores for Newcastle! 1-0! Look at the visiting team's bench, Benitez is jumping up and down like a 200-pound kid who just stole a candy!"
Seeing the excited Newcastle players celebrating and Benitez cheering, Mourinho didn't get angry about the early goal; he just muttered, "Hillbillies!"
Was one goal worth all that excitement?
He seemed to have forgotten how wildly he celebrated his team's goals.
Mourinho got up from his seat, dusted himself off, and walked to the sideline. Taking advantage of the opponents' celebration, he loudly called out the names of several players and brought them to the sideline.
"When the game resumes, the visitors will likely focus on midfield battles with us," Mourinho said. "Respond with intensity in midfield! Let them know this is our turf!"
Kanté nodded, understanding that this message was primarily for him.
"Meanwhile, we can try hitting them behind their lines. Their right-back is pushing up high; the space behind him could be our chance to score!"
Mourinho quickly drew lines on his tactical board, indicating passing routes from Gündoğan to the forward players, directing the attack towards the left.
"We'll target their right flank!"
Gündoğan and Bruno both nodded.
Gündoğan then asked, "Coach, what if they pull back their defense instead of contesting the midfield?"
Mourinho replied, "Then we try to draw fouls!"
Gündoğan nodded, "Got it!"
The three players returned to the pitch. Faria, next to Mourinho, commented, "Gündoğan is a thoughtful player."
"Indeed, he's good. He dares to ask questions and has ideas," Mourinho agreed.
Such young players were appreciated by any coach.
Of course, Mourinho knew Bruno wouldn't ask such questions due to his vast experience. Bruno knew what to do in various situations, showcasing the importance of star players who can make quick decisions without the coach's specific instructions.
As the game resumed, just as Mourinho predicted, Newcastle didn't pull back but pushed their defense forward, leading to a fierce midfield battle.
"José, how were you so certain they would contest the midfield?" Carrick asked.
"With the game just starting, Benitez would know that pulling back now wouldn't hold a 1-0 lead. Their best choice is to fight in midfield, push their defense up, and protect the box with a chained defense," Mourinho explained on his tactical board.
Carrick watched Mourinho, both surprised and impressed. A world-class coach's ability to predict the opponent's tactics was truly remarkable.
"If..." Carrick was about to ask another question when the crowd's roar interrupted him. He and Mourinho looked up at the pitch.
Kanté, assisted by Van Dijk, had intercepted the ball and quickly passed it to Gündoğan. The German turned with the ball and saw Bruno, Rashford, Harry Kane, and Mbappe sprinting forward.
Where to pass?
Gündoğan decided almost instantly and passed to the left.
This was what the coach had just reminded him of, and Gündoğan also noticed the gap behind Newcastle's right-back Yedlin.
Newcastle's goal had come from Yedlin's high push, assisting with a cut-back to the box, where Lindelof slipped, and Gayle scored from the deflection off the post.
Emboldened by his assist, the American right-back frequently pushed up in subsequent plays.
Gündoğan launched a long pass to Rashford on the left.
Quick, skillful, capable of passing and shooting—these were the hallmarks of this outstanding Manchester United academy product!
With Gündoğan's pass, United had more attacking options!
Most importantly, Rashford was the closest United player to Newcastle's goal.
With space and speed, who else would you pass to?
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