De Bruyne is Not Doing Well at Chelsea

What Lin didn't know was that after he publicly declared his intention to watch the game at Old Trafford, preparations were made there. 

The moment Lin appeared outside Old Trafford, he was spotted even before he entered. 

In other words, he was under surveillance the entire time, so he had nowhere to hide.

Seeing Lin actually in the stands, De Bruyne, who was about to start warming up, felt very happy. He waved in Lin's direction, greeting him.

Lin waved back at De Bruyne, but with so many people in the stands, De Bruyne might not have seen it.

Half an hour later, the match began.

This game was the highlight of the Premier League round and was specially scheduled for the last day. 

Both Manchester United and Chelsea underwent managerial changes this summer. 

Chelsea brought back their former manager Mourinho, while Manchester United chose Moyes from Everton.

In terms of reputation, Mourinho was far more renowned than Moyes. 

So despite Chelsea playing away, most people believed Chelsea had the upper hand.

For Moyes, winning this game would help him smoothly navigate his early difficulties at Manchester United. Victory against a strong opponent would give him the prestige needed to adjust or even reform the team.

However, losing this game would likely darken his future at Manchester United, possibly leading to his dismissal at the end of the season.

Thus, Moyes was very conservative in this match. 

He didn't intend to go head-to-head with Chelsea and instead opted for a more defensive lineup, aiming for a draw but hoping for a win. 

Winning would be ideal, but if that wasn't possible, a draw would be acceptable.

Mourinho, a master of mind games, had already seen through Moyes' mindset before the game. 

He declared that facing Manchester United in the second round of the league so early, especially after Ferguson's retirement, was something he was very happy about.

This was a dig at Moyes, suggesting that his Manchester United couldn't compare to Ferguson's.

If Ferguson were still at Manchester United, Mourinho wouldn't dare say such things, no matter how arrogant he was.

But Mourinho wasn't just playing mind games; he was also being truthful:

"I admit, Moyes is a good coach. His performance at Everton was admirable, but Manchester United is a very different team. His experience at mid-level clubs might not help him and could even hinder him."

Mourinho didn't believe Moyes could successfully follow in Ferguson's footsteps. This was both his true thought and part of his pre-game mind games.

By constantly mentioning Ferguson, he aimed to have the public compare Moyes to Ferguson, ensuring Moyes would always live in Ferguson's shadow.

One has to admit, this tactic was quite vicious!

Moyes didn't publicly respond to Mourinho's comments, but it was clear that he cared a lot about Mourinho's pre-game remarks.

In this match, Moyes wore a suit and tie, meticulously standing on the sidelines, directing the game with utmost seriousness.

His attitude showed how much he valued this game.

Mourinho's lineup for this game was intriguing. He didn't choose Lukaku, Torres, or Demba Ba as the center forward.

Instead, he had Schürrle as the lone striker and had Hazard, often nicknamed the second Messi by fans, play as a false nine, forming a 4-5-1 formation with no true striker.

Seeing this lineup, Lin was momentarily stunned.

Barcelona and the Spanish national team both used this formation, with Messi as the lone striker for Barcelona and Lin himself for the Spanish national team.

So, the question was, was Mourinho imitating Barcelona or the Spanish national team?

Not only was Lin puzzled by Mourinho's formation, but Moyes was also shocked by it.

Wasn't Mourinho best known for counter-attacking football?

Deploying such a formation, did he intend to play a possession-based game like Barcelona and the Spanish national team?

But that didn't make sense!

Did Chelsea have a midfield as luxurious as Barcelona or the Spanish national team?

Could they play possession football?

Besides, could Mourinho even play possession football?

He wasn't Guardiola!

Seeing his opponent's surprised expression, Mourinho felt a bit proud.

He learned the small triangle defense in Italy and surely picked up a few things in Spain.

He was quite satisfied with the Spanish national team's striker-less formation.

This kind of formation wasn't exclusive to Barcelona; other teams could play it too.

Before Lin joined the Spanish national team, they didn't have a Messi of their own, yet they still dominated with a group of midfielders.

And this season, his midfield lineup wasn't weak, and with a forward as skilled at dribbling and attacking as Hazard, they could definitely compete with the Spanish national team without Lin. Beating Manchester United would be a piece of cake.

After the game started, Oscar, Schürrle, De Bruyne, and Hazard were all very active.

Although Chelsea didn't play the most beautiful possession football, their multi-pronged attacks put enormous pressure on Manchester United.

Especially on the wings, they constantly created danger, making Manchester United's flank defense very precarious.

In the 10th minute of the first half, Chelsea crossed from the wing, and Ferdinand's clearance in the penalty area was a mistake. The ball landed at Oscar's feet.

It was a golden opportunity, but De Gea reacted quickly, blocking Oscar's powerful shot, saving Manchester United from danger.

The Manchester United fans applauded De Gea. Since Van der Sar left, Manchester United had tried many goalkeepers.

In the end, only De Gea won the hearts of the Red Devils fans, and his performance justified their trust.

Seeing this save, Lin also applauded his national team teammate, De Gea.

However, while clapping, he couldn't help but think:

Oscar's shot was a bit rushed. If he had taken a moment to adjust, it might have been better.

The game wasn't entirely one-sided. Manchester United had their attacks too.

In the 23rd minute, Van Persie broke through near the penalty area and took a shot from a tight angle, but the angle was too sharp, and the ball hit the side netting without posing a real threat.

Since joining Manchester United, Van Persie continued his excellent form from Arsenal. Last season, he was Manchester United's top scorer and the Premier League's top scorer.

But in this match, Van Persie seemed off his game. His shots were below par, making it hard to connect him to the unstoppable force he was under Ferguson.

While Van Persie's form was lacking, Rooney was in good shape.

In the 28th minute, Cleverley passed the ball, and Rooney squeezed past the defender at the edge of the box, creating space to shoot towards the far corner.

The shot was very tricky, with high quality, but Chelsea's goalkeeper Cech wasn't easily beaten.

He swiftly dived and blocked the ball just before it crossed the goal line.

After missing two chances, Manchester United's fans at Old Trafford were very frustrated.

But seeing the team starting to build some momentum in their attacks, they applauded their players.

This applause was also an acknowledgment of Moyes. If he could lead the team to win this game, the Red Devils' fans would surely give him even more enthusiastic applause.

Lin remembered that this game ended in a draw, so he wasn't too focused on the attacks from both sides.

Compared to the score, he was more concerned about his friend De Bruyne's performance on the field.

In the first 30 minutes, De Bruyne did quite well.

His passes in the attacking third were crucial, creating many opportunities for his teammates.

However, as Manchester United launched their counterattacks, De Bruyne's performance began to falter.

In the 32nd minute, De Bruyne committed a foul on defense and received a yellow card.

After getting the yellow card, he became hesitant in defense, significantly reducing his defensive effectiveness on the field.

Manchester United capitalized on this, frequently targeting him as the weak point for their attacks.

This made Mourinho on the sidelines very dissatisfied, demanding that De Bruyne play tougher and defend more decisively.

Seeing this, Lin couldn't help but sigh.

De Bruyne wasn't strong defensively, so using him as a workhorse was a waste of his attacking talent.

He should be playing as an attacking midfielder, focusing on offense.

If this continued, Mourinho would surely bench De Bruyne in the second half.

And if De Bruyne was substituted early in two consecutive matches, his tactical value in Mourinho's eyes would significantly drop.

For the rest of the season, De Bruyne might end up spending most of his time on the bench.

At the end of the first half, the score was 0-0, with neither side able to break the deadlock.

In the second half, as expected, Mourinho made personnel adjustments.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, he substituted De Bruyne with Torres.

When De Bruyne was taken off, he felt very down.

His friend had come all the way to watch him play, but he performed so poorly that the coach substituted him shortly after the second half began.

This left De Bruyne feeling both frustrated and lost. At Werder Bremen, he was one of the team's twin stars, responsible for most of the attacking organization.

But at Chelsea, he didn't have as much possession, and Mourinho's team wasn't focused on maintaining possession.

As a result, De Bruyne started to feel a bit lost.

He clearly felt that he wasn't fitting into Chelsea's tactical system, but because Mourinho was a world-class coach, he blamed himself and tried to adapt to the team.

But after two months, all his efforts seemed in vain.

From the coach's stern expression, it was clear he was very dissatisfied with him.

This made De Bruyne uneasy, unsure if he had a future at Chelsea.

Seeing De Bruyne's heavy-hearted look, Lin also felt a bit bad.

But there was nothing he could do for now

. Even if he persuaded Manchester City to step in, it would have to wait until the winter transfer window.

Moreover, it was uncertain whether Chelsea would be willing to sell.

After all, no one wanted to strengthen a direct league competitor!

...

The game continued. In the 62nd minute, a highly controversial incident occurred:

Chelsea's midfield core, Lampard, blocked a Manchester United shot with his hand in the penalty area.

But the referee, Atkinson, didn't award a penalty, causing great dissatisfaction among Manchester United players and fans.

They chased the referee, demanding an explanation. Atkinson explained that it was an accidental handball and didn't constitute a foul, so he refused to award a penalty.

Naturally, this explanation didn't satisfy the Manchester United players. The replay on the big screen clearly showed that Lampard deliberately raised his hand to block the ball's direction.

It wasn't an accidental handball as the referee claimed, so by normal standards, it was clearly a penalty.

After seeing the replay on the big screen, the boos and chants of "black whistle" echoed throughout Old Trafford.

Nine minutes later, Chelsea players were brought down in Manchester United's penalty area, and the referee again didn't award a penalty.

This made Chelsea very unhappy, and Mourinho's dramatic performance on the sidelines almost got him sent to the stands by the referee.

In the end, the game ended with neither side breaking the deadlock, resulting in a 0-0 draw.

This result was very beneficial for Manchester City and other big teams.

It meant that Manchester United and Chelsea were now two points behind other title contenders right at the start of the season!

Of course, Manchester United fans were very dissatisfied with the result.

This also made Moyes' future at Manchester United look uncertain.

Since Lin was surrounded by Red Devils fans, he didn't show any strong reactions and quietly watched the entire game.

After all, he wasn't a fan of either team, so he remained neutral and objective.

This game gave the impression that both teams were playing to a draw.

Although a 0-0 scoreline seemed like a lose-lose situation, in reality, both teams could accept this result.

A draw away at Manchester United was acceptable for Chelsea.

And Moyes, still finding his footing at Manchester United, would also accept a point against a strong team like Chelsea.

For other big teams, this result was very favorable.

So, this ended up being a situation where both sides were somewhat satisfied, except for the disappointed Manchester United fans.

After watching the game, Lin and coach Pellegrini headed to Monaco to attend the 2013-2014 UEFA Champions League group stage draw.

This was Lin's first time participating in the Champions League and Manchester City's third attempt.

Manchester City had failed to get past the group stage in their previous two attempts, becoming a laughingstock in European football.

So this year, after bringing in Lin and several other players, Manchester City was determined to advance from the group stage.

No matter what, they couldn't fail in the group stage again.

If they did, all the billions Mansour invested would be in vain.