Martin Tyler: "Although Liverpool made special defensive arrangements to double-team Ling from the start, they still paid the price early on with that yellow card!"
Gary Neville: "And crucially, it was Van Dijk who received the card, Martin. That will have a huge impact on how aggressively Liverpool's defensive line can play for the next seventy minutes!"
Martin Tyler: "Now, 30 minutes into the match, Manchester United has had 6 shots on target, while Liverpool only has 2. The statistics tell the story of United's early dominance."
Gary Neville: "I have a strong feeling Manchester United's goal isn't far off. They should take the lead before the first half is over."
Neville spoke confidently.
Although Liverpool's overall squad had become nearly complete after several massive waves of signings under Klopp, the key structural issue remained the lack of a true, creative midfield core.
Most of their high-quality attacks were created organically through their famous Gegenpressing rather than sustained midfield possession.
But when Manchester United completely bypassed the midfield and directly advanced the ball through direct passes to the edge of the box in the attacking third, Liverpool's high press simply didn't work as effectively.
Jurgen Klopp naturally noticed this tactical problem from the touchline and made some subtle adjustments.
Midfield interception! Klopp signaled to his players.
Use smart positioning to restrict Manchester United's passing lanes, pressing aggressively only when a clear opportunity or heavy touch arises.
At this exact moment, the player advancing with the ball for Manchester United was Ander Herrera.
Liverpool's formation suddenly shifted visually, switching dynamically from zonal marking to an aggressive man-to-man press!
The ultimate goal was to trap United and force them into making a mistake in a dangerous area!
Ander Herrera found all his forward passing lanes immediately blocked by red shirts and could only pass back safely to Kante, who was supporting from behind.
But Roberto Firmino was waiting for exactly this pressing trigger!
The Brazilian striker applied strong, sudden pressure from behind Kante, disrupting the Frenchman's rhythm, and loudly called for his teammate.
"Sadio, help me!"
Sadio Mane immediately closed in aggressively from the side to spring the trap.
Turning and passing back to the center-backs was definitely not an option for Kante.
If Liverpool intercepted it there, they would directly face the defensive line with terrifying speed.
The risk was simply too great.
Left with no other choice under the intense squeeze, Kante had to look sideways for Nemanja Matic.
Little did Kante know, his desperate thoughts were already perfectly anticipated by Liverpool's pressing trap.
Mo Salah and Jordan Henderson immediately rushed over like rabid dogs, ruthlessly sandwiching Matic from the front and back before the ball even arrived.
Faced with the already-formed press upon receiving the pass, Matic panicked. He chose to blindly hoof the ball forward to clear the danger.
But Liverpool's defensive line had pushed up as a cohesive unit.
Together with Fabinho, they easily controlled the landing point of the aimless clearance, giving Ling no chance to fight for the first ball.
"Watch out for the counter!!!" Ling shouted loudly to his teammates in their own half as he watched the ball headed back down by Fabinho.
However, his desperate warning came a bit too late.
Firmino dropped back into a false-nine position, calmly controlled the header, turned fluidly, and slotted a lethal diagonal pass perfectly behind the scrambling Matic.
Martin Tyler: "Liverpool's pressing has paid off brilliantly! Firmino finds the pass!"
Gary Neville: "Salah, sprint!"
In the Sky Sports studio, Jamie Carragher suddenly stood up from his desk, his eyes fixed intensely on Liverpool's number 11 on the monitor.
At the exact same time, the traveling Liverpool fans in the away stand erupted with deafening cheers!
Seeing Salah change his running line to cut inside, Harry Maguire stepped up heavily to press the Egyptian, but unfortunately, his tackling speed was far too slow against a player of that caliber.
Salah deftly feinted, dropped his shoulder, and changed direction smoothly, cutting inside to the edge of the penalty area.
Another convincing fake shot drew David Luiz in, before Salah quickly slotted a disguised pass to his left, where a blur seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Martin Tyler: "Mane arrives... volley! GOAL!!!"
Gary Neville: "Oh, that is devastating from Liverpool!"
Martin Tyler: "Beautifully worked! The Red Arrows Trio, arguably the strongest trident in world football right now, combine flawlessly!"
"Long live Gegenpressing!!!" Carragher shouted triumphantly in the studio, practically spitting as he spoke.
His eyes were filled with nothing but pure provocation as he looked across the desk at Neville.
'You've been talking nonsense with me every single day, Gary. Why aren't you bragging now?!'
Even if Salah's raw individual ability wasn't quite as universally feared as Jeremy Ling's right now, Liverpool possessed the strongest attacking trio in football, with a combined market value exceeding three hundred million euros.
No matter how good Ling was, could he really take on three world-class forwards by himself?
Neville pursed his lips and remained tight-lipped on air, thinking to himself that he never fights losing battles.
He would let Carragher be arrogant for now—there would be plenty of opportunities to strike back later in the broadcast.
As for why he was still so confident? Since Ling joined the first team, Manchester United had never lost a North West Derby.
Neville had now become blindly confident in the number 7.
At that moment on the pitch, Mane, elated after scoring the opener, sprinted excitedly toward the VIP stands where Sir Alex Ferguson was seated.
The Senegalese forward pounded his chest vigorously and proudly displayed the Liverpool crest directly to the furious Manchester United fans in the lower tier.
Yes, he was deliberately provoking them.
"Damn Liverpool scum!"
"Bastards!"
"Serves you right for never winning the Premier League!"
The die-hard Manchester United fans were utterly furious, hurling barely touched drinks like cola, coffee, and beer down from the stands toward the celebrating players.
Fortunately, the cups were made of soft plastic, otherwise, Mane might have been knocked out with a concussion from the barrage.
Mane quickly took a few steps back onto the pitch to avoid the shower of drinks, listening to the bitter insults and taunts.
He instead flashed a bright, mocking toothy grin, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Even if we don't win the title this year, we definitely won't let you lot win it either!!!"
As he spoke, he glanced toward the center circle and noticed Ling casually conversing with his teammates, completely ignoring his provocative antics.
Mane couldn't help but feel annoyed by the lack of reaction.
In their first North West Derby last season, he had clashed fiercely with Ling and had long wanted to humiliate the United captain thoroughly.
But the problem was, he never got the chance to get the better of him.
Seeing Ling's expression devoid of any visible disappointment or anger, Mane grew increasingly irritated.
He gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, I hope you can stay that calm when you lose the match.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pitch.
'Klopp's tactics are indeed impressive, but the 4-3-3 formation has a natural, exploitable flaw—the single defensive midfielder,' Ling thought to himself before addressing his teammates in the huddle.
"Liverpool's pressing adjusts dynamically based on the ball's position," Ling explained quickly, pointing.
"Their ultimate goal is either forcing us into cheap mistakes or making us resort to blind long passes under heavy pressure."
"Long passes aren't necessarily bad for us, but the landing point needs to be exclusively in the attacking third, not the midfield."
Mourinho had specifically opted not to start Riyad Mahrez today precisely to improve the physical success rate of aerial duels and hold-up play in the attacking third with Rashford and Ling.
As long as United's long passes could land deeper near the Liverpool box, Manchester United could swarm Fabinho and win the second balls.
Wasn't this the exact tactical opportunity they were looking for to bypass the press?
"I understand," Maguire nodded, his large head bobbing with a look of sudden realization.
After all, his long-passing and diagonal switching ability was quite decent, making him a solid ball-playing center-back when given time.
"Just don't try to dribble out of the back!" Ling emphasized with utmost seriousness.
He couldn't help but suspect that Maguire had misunderstood his instructions and would try something foolish.
He then turned to his goalkeeper. "David, keep a close eye on Harry and scream at him promptly if he tries to carry it."
"Got it, skip!" De Gea took a deep breath.
Lately, his coordination with Maguire had been decent, so hopefully, the big defender wouldn't relapse into his old, clumsy habits under the derby pressure.
With the defensive buildup issues addressed, the focus shifted to the attack.
Ling walked over to Pogba. "Paul, when we attack later, try to drop back a bit deeper into midfield and see if you can draw Fabinho out of position with you. That way, Marcus and I can ruthlessly exploit the massive space left behind him."
Pogba thought for a moment before nodding earnestly.
A while back, he had been performing somewhat erratically, but after experiencing Mourinho's ruthless disciplinary methods, he quickly reverted to his focused former self.
Moreover, during training two days ago, Ling had privately approached him to discuss the pros and cons of his approach.
Pogba has a childish temper, but he's certainly not lacking in football intelligence.
If he continues to slack off on the job, Mourinho will definitely bench him again.
As for inciting teammates to engage in locker room politics against the manager—just look at who holds absolute sway in the Manchester United locker room now.
From respected veterans like Valencia to young academy players like Greenwood, and even "outsiders" like Maguire, there's no doubt they all support Ling as their undisputed leader.
There's simply no room for a mutiny.
As if feeling that merely nodding wasn't enough, Pogba solemnly said to Ling.
"I understand the plan."
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