After the first three rounds of the Champions League group stage, the standings in Group F were as follows:
Man United: Two wins, one draw, 7 points.
Lyon: Two wins, one loss, 6 points.
Hoffenheim: One win, one draw, one loss, 4 points.
Shakhtar Donetsk: Three losses, 0 points.
The qualification scenario wasn't overly complicated, but neither was it too straightforward.
For Man United to secure early qualification, they needed to achieve at least one draw and one victory in their two November group stage matches.
However, that period coincided with a crucial domestic fixture, where Man United would face league leaders Man City away from home.
Jose Mourinho had already devised a plan for this: tactically abandon the match against Shakhtar Donetsk.
If he played his starters, the squad would need to travel all the way to Ukraine and return with only four days of rest—insufficient for the players to recover their optimal condition before the Manchester Derby.
Even if the Shakhtar match ended in a draw or a loss, it wouldn't have much impact on qualification, Mourinho was confident about defeating Julian Nagelsmann's Hoffenheim at home in the final round.
Mourinho truly valued his tactical preparation.
Footballers may appear to have freedom, but during the season, they have even less flexibility than regular workers, with no real weekends or holidays.
Furthermore, the real essence of their job lies in tactical arrangements and training drills—analyzing an opponent's speed, defensive habits, or whether they prefer to drop deep or press forward.
To maintain peak competitive form, players dare not indulge excessively even during breaks.
So, when the Manchester United players returned to the Carrington Training Base for physiotherapy and heard Mourinho announce a rare day off, they cheered in unison.
...
That evening, Ling drove to the Herrera residential area, intending to ask Maria out for a walk.
As soon as he knocked on the door, he was met with a grim face.
Pep Guardiola was in a foul mood!
It wasn't because Ling had come to see his daughter—Guardiola had long since approved of Ling—but because of the recently concluded Champions League match where his Man City side drew 1-1 with Juventus.
Man City's almost certain three points had turned into one, making the qualification scenario in their group increasingly complicated.
"Let's go," Guardiola sighed, gesturing for Ling to come inside.
While Maria was upstairs changing into her sportswear, Guardiola had asked Ling to wait in the living room.
Ling had just sat down on the sofa when he noticed the laptop on the coffee table.
The screen showed footage of the Man City vs. Juventus match, Guardiola was reviewing the previous game.
"Since you're here, let's watch it together," Guardiola said, waving his hand dismissively.
Then the two of them stared at the screen.
Ling awkwardly cleared his throat, wondering if this counted as spying on the opponent's tactics.
But there was no need to hide such things, as it wouldn't reveal Man United's tactical plans.
On the screen, in the 24th minute of the first half, Man City's Kevin De Bruyne delivered a low diagonal pass to Sergio Agüero, who calmly slotted the ball into the far corner past Gianluigi Buffon.
"Oh, not bad," Guardiola nodded at his team's goal. "Have you reviewed tonight's match yet?"
"Every night after a match, as per the boss's requirements, I review the game," Ling replied truthfully.
"Initially, I focused on my own performance, but gradually I started paying attention to the overall tactics."
Ling had reviewed nearly 300 matches last season.
Even the slowest learner would gain considerable insight from that.
But Guardiola's tactical philosophy is like a complex, precision instrument—not something one can simply learn and understand by watching a few videos.
If Ling had tried to figure things out entirely on his own, he would never have reached his current level of tactical understanding.
Guardiola picked up his coffee.
He wanted to use this opportunity to test Ling's tactical thinking. "How does Jose usually teach you to review matches?"
"Should I step out?" Maria's voice suddenly called from the stairs.
She had already changed into her sportswear but waited until their discussion ended before speaking up.
Ling couldn't help but complain inwardly—Guardiola was clearly up to no good!
So Ling just smiled without responding to Maria.
They turned back to the screen.
Once the second half began, Juventus gradually intensified their attacks.
When regular time ended, Leonardo Bonucci delivered a precise long pass from the backfield to Cristiano Ronaldo, who calmly slotted the ball into the net to equalize 1-1.
Although many claim Ronaldo is nearing the end of his career, this match served as a masterclass in crossing, positioning, shooting, distribution, and attacking movement.
Meanwhile, Man City's forward line repeatedly squandered excellent opportunities.
Raheem Sterling, Agüero getting older, Phil Foden still too young, Leroy Sané with his fiery temper...
Football pundits claim Guardiola prefers a "false nine" system, but the real issue is he's never had a top-class, ruthless striker at his disposal.
The result was barely acceptable, but the process was too painful for Guardiola to watch.
If not for Juventus' poor finishing earlier in the half, Man City might have suffered a home defeat.
After watching a wave of Man City's failed attacks, Guardiola asked, "Any thoughts?"
Ling rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Man City's attacking patterns seem one-dimensional today. Juventus habitually uses their fullbacks to press high, and during their recovery runs, forwards could easily exploit the vast open spaces left behind. But your team didn't capitalize on that."
Guardiola raised an eyebrow slightly.
Though Ling's answer was simple, it hit the core of the issue.
Usually, Guardiola's technical team would conduct targeted analysis and use it as the basis for detailed tactical arrangements, commonly referred to as "match content planning."
Watching Manchester United secure victories with almost no effort, Guardiola grew increasingly envious of Mourinho the more he thought about it—it seemed all the good fortune had fallen into his rival's lap by getting a striker like Ling.
If this draw affected the upcoming Manchester Derby, City might miss out on the championship because of it.
Man City now had to go all out in every remaining match.
...
Summer cicadas chirped incessantly while cool stream water gurgled past.
Ling and Maria strolled along the fitness trail outside the Herrera estate.
"When I saw you and Dad discussing tactics earlier, I suddenly thought you two would make a perfect partnership," Maria said, her eyes curving into a smile. "Jeremy, have you ever considered moving to Man City?"
Ling flicked her forehead gently with his knuckle.
"I'm very happy at Manchester United. I have familiar teammates, a great coach, and fans who support me."
"Ouch!" Maria rubbed her forehead, complaining of the pain. "I was just making conversation, not trying to convince you to transfer! Actually, I think you're better off at United too—at least Old Trafford is close to my university so you can visit often."
They only started heading back when Guardiola called to hurry them home.
The next day, Ling woke early to complete his recovery training before driving Maria to Manchester University.
He realized he'd only shown up during orientation—nearly two months had passed without him attending classes.
Fortunately, his professional player status served as a shield; no ordinary university would tolerate such severe absenteeism.
Still, Ling hadn't fallen too far behind in his coursework.
He submitted all assignments to his professors' emails on time, and they often used his work as exemplary models.
After all, being part of one of the world's biggest clubs meant he could directly consult United's expert staff whenever he encountered difficulties with his sports management studies.
Recently, Ling had been planning to create his own personal brand, but his agent, Jorge Mendes, was completely overwhelmed lately and had no time to come to England to discuss the matter.
As for the reason? Cristiano Ronaldo was caught up in massive controversy.
First, in the opening match of the Champions League group stage against Valencia, Ronaldo clashed with the opposition center-back over a challenge, merely lightly patting Jeison Murillo's head.
Murillo immediately started acting, falling to the ground and wailing dramatically.
Ronaldo received a red card and was suspended for one match.
That incident alone wasn't a big deal, but misfortunes never come singly.
In 2010, Ronaldo was deeply embroiled in a rape case, which had been settled out of court.
However, a few days ago, the victim requested a retrial.
The key issue was that the leaked evidence put Ronaldo in a difficult position, the victim reportedly repeatedly shouted "No," yet the actions did not stop.
Mendes was shuttling frantically back and forth between the U.S. and Italy to handle this tricky legal situation.
Left with no choice, Ling had to postpone his branding plans.
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