After defeating Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round, Jose Mourinho had no desire to mock anyone.
Facing reporters in the press room after the match, he simply said.
"Chelsea is a very good team."
It might have been a sincere compliment to his former players, or perhaps a nostalgic affirmation of his own past at Stamford Bridge.
Upon hearing this online, Chelsea fans surprisingly did not immediately refute it for the first time in a long while.
Deep down, they too acknowledged that Mourinho was Chelsea's most successful and important manager in history.
Because he was the one who had instilled that crucial, unapologetic fighting spirit into the club's DNA.
However, just as Mourinho had thought before the match, the bond between the two sides had largely drifted away with the wind.
...
"I find myself liking Stamford Bridge more and more—it's becoming our lucky ground!" Marcus Rashford grinned.
On the team bus back to Manchester, everyone chatted idly to pass the time.
"Harry, today Sergio would rather kick the ball out of bounds into the stands than pass it short to you," Rashford said mischievously, leaning over the aisle.
"I'm not trying to stir things up, but if it were me, I definitely wouldn't stand for that level of disrespect!"
"That's right, that's right!" Jesse Lingard added. "Look at David—he always trusts you! Mostly."
The Manchester United teammates, not wanting the matter to die down quickly, chimed in one after another, fanning the flames.
"Hey, hey, hey, talk all you want, but leave me out of it!" David De Gea quickly stopped his teammates while laughing.
Actually... if he had been on the field at the time, he probably wouldn't have passed to Maguire under pressure either.
Mainly because this guy occasionally has severe lapses in concentration!
If Maguire's timing was off by even half a beat, it could easily lead to a fatal turnover and a one-on-one opportunity for the opponent.
"Ling, you really need to rein them in as captain. If they keep going, I'll lose all my confidence for the final," Maguire said.
He knew his teammates were joking, so he deliberately put on a pained, exaggerated expression as he spoke.
"You'll probably have to take that up with Antonio," Ling shrugged and put his headphones back on.
Recently, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka's performances stabilizing rapidly, Antonio Valencia had been spending most of his time on the bench.
If nothing unexpected happened, the veteran would likely transfer at the end of the season to another team to earn a bit more for his retirement.
Thinking about Valencia's ten youthful years at the club—from assisting Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney, to Robin van Persie and Chicharito, and now to Rashford and Ling—it was filled with glorious Manchester United memories.
So lately, his mood hadn't been the best, and Ling wanted the old captain to be more involved in the banter.
At least to make his final days here happier.
"Alright, Harry, listen... even if it were Edwin van der Sar and Rio Ferdinand back in the day, van der Sar wouldn't have passed the ball in that dangerous situation," Valencia said with a wise smile.
"See? Hear what he said?"
With a club legend backing him up, Maguire's confidence immediately soared.
"The captain was just comforting you, mate. Only someone as silly as you would take it seriously," Lingard added another quick jab.
The bus instantly became lively again, with everyone enjoying the happy moments of camaraderie.
Ling looked at his teammates' relaxed faces and the back of the boss at the front of the bus, revealing a happy smile.
Turning his head, he gazed at the streetlights flashing by outside the window.
He hoped they could all stay exactly like this, moving forward together toward the same goal.
...
On the day before Manchester United's Premier League Round 27 match against Arsenal, during a live Sky Sports interview program a pundit debate is currently happening.
"Although everyone is likely familiar with them, let me formally introduce Thierry Henry and Gary Neville," host Jamie Carragher said to the camera.
"Today, our opening topic is—effort."
Carragher passed the metaphorical microphone to Neville.
"What do you think this word means for football, Gary?"
"Hmm... Sir Isaac Newton once said that geniuses succeed because they lack perseverance, but I don't quite agree with applying that to football," Neville put on a thoughtful expression.
"Effort should be the absolute most important thing in football. I didn't have Juliano Belletti's technique, Michel Salgado's dominance, Ciro Ferrara's versatility, or Cafu's blistering speed. Perhaps when people vote for the best right-back of that era, very few outside of hardcore Manchester United fans would mention me."
"But the truth is, I was no genius, yet through sheer effort, I made countless geniuses disappear on the right flank." At this point, he deliberately glanced at Henry with a smirk. "For example, this one sitting next to me."
Upon hearing this, Henry's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Knowing Neville as he did, how could this guy have so much literary flair all of a sudden?
He must have hired a ghostwriter and probably spent the whole night memorizing the script in the mirror!
"You never actually stopped me back then, Gary!" Henry retorted defiantly, laughing.
Seeing the two about to come to blows right then and there over nostalgia, Carragher quickly changed the subject.
"Tomorrow's match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Old Trafford—what scoreline do you two predict?"
"Without a doubt, Manchester United will win comfortably. Let's say 4-1," Neville didn't hesitate.
Henry, however, fell silent for a long moment. "Arsenal's current overall strength is indeed inferior to Manchester United's, but I believe the lads can put up a decent performance."
As for why he avoided making a firm prediction?
Truthfully, he lacked confidence himself.
Arsenal's recent results were dreadful: a 1-3 loss to Manchester City and a humiliating 1-5 defeat to Liverpool.
Even results like these might have been somewhat acceptable against top sides, but the real issue is that Arsenal has lost its fighting spirit entirely.
Meaningless, deliberate possession, no longer pursuing substantive attacks—playing as if they were the ones leading.
There's a popular saying in the Premier League now.
"If you fall behind, you fight! Losing by one is a loss, losing by two is still a loss, but you must never lose your morale!"
Crystal Palace holding Manchester United to a draw at home, Cardiff City relentlessly attacking Manchester City, Burnley coming from behind to beat Liverpool away...
Even if those smaller teams concede a few more goals, they still make your penalty area tremble, make you shudder at the thought of facing them next time.
They never accept a slow, simmering defeat.
And it's this precise spirit that Arsenal lacks.
It's partly Arsene Wenger's lingering legacy and partly the modern players' fault.
Midfielder Matteo Guendouzi is still too young and erratic, while forwards Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are like well-behaved isolated kids.
The only tough guy with Arsenal DNA, Aaron Ramsey, isn't even getting a contract renewal.
Henry sometimes wonders: 'if Jeremy Ling were currently at Arsenal, what would the Gunners become? Would Wenger have left? Could the Gunners win the Champions League?' (No)
"Since we're talking about Manchester United, let's discuss Ling. What are your impressions of him as a player?"
As a competent host, Carragher kept the conversation flowing and signaled the producers to play a highlight reel.
"His speed, strength, and technique have reached their absolute peak," Neville said, his eyes and expression revealing genuine sincerity.
"He combines elite goal-scoring ability with raw individual skill, finding all sorts of ways to put the ball in the net. A perfect modern center-forward."
Neville wasn't as disingenuous as before.
Since last season, he had gradually been won over entirely by Ling's performances, almost as if seeing a reflection of his own former United work ethic.
The same hard work, dedication, and never a hint of tabloid scandal.
Henry didn't play devil's advocate this time either.
Watching the elegant yet brutal dribbling on screen, he genuinely felt a desire to lace up his boots and play alongside Jeremy Ling.
"Ling's physical impact on the defensive line is formidable," Henry analyzed. "Those 180-degree turns, sharp-angle changes of direction, continuous feints... Honestly, he reminds me of Ronaldo. O Fenômeno. Not Cristiano Ronaldo. Both of them give me the feeling that they don't seem to belong to this world when they have the ball."
...
@ArsenalFanTV: Henry comparing a United player to R9... it hurts me, but he's not wrong. Ling is built different.
@RedDevilsDaily: Neville finally admitting Ling is a monster! Took him long enough.
@GunnerGooner: If we don't get thrashed tomorrow, I'll count it as a win. Our mentality is shocking right now.