An 18th Birthday[Transition Chapter]

"Happy Birthday!"

As soon as Lin opened the door to his home in Munich, he was greeted with a surprise.

It was already past midnight in Germany, but Guardiola, Sela, and the others were all waiting for him at the door.

It turned out that Guardiola had specifically asked him to come over to celebrate his birthday!

Lin scratched his head, realizing that he had been so busy with work that he had forgotten about his own birthday.

"Lin, don't just stand at the door, come on in!" 

Seeing Lin still standing at the entrance, Sela quickly pulled him inside.

"Brother, put this on!" 

Twelve-year-old Maria stood on her tiptoes and placed a hat on his head, still warm from her touch.

"Thank you, Maria!" 

Lin was deeply touched. The moment he stepped inside, it felt as if all the pressure on him was lifted, and he felt completely at ease, as if he had returned to a safe haven.

"No need to thank me. Did you come alone?" 

Maria stood on her toes, looking outside as if she were searching for someone.

"Yes, it's just me!" 

Lin closed the door behind him, shutting out the howling wind, and immediately felt the warmth of the room enveloping him, bringing an indescribable comfort.

"Big brother, make a wish! The candles are already lit!" 

Marius, being thoughtful, took the things from Lin's hands, set them aside, and pulled him over to the table.

A cake was on the table, with candles already lit—exactly 18 of them.

"Alright!" 

Lin sat down, closed his eyes, and made a silent wish.

"Brother, I want to eat cake, the piece with the most cream!" 

Seeing him open his eyes, five-year-old Valentina climbed onto his lap, making her request loudly.

"Alright, alright, I'll give it to you. Be careful not to get cream all over yourself!" 

Lin indulgently cut her a large piece of cake. The little girl squealed in delight, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and then eagerly started eating her cake.

It was getting late, and the little girl was probably really hungry by now.

"Once you finish your cake, it's time to go to bed. It's getting late!" 

Sela swiftly cut the cake, handing a slice to each child, reminding them to brush their teeth after eating.

"Hehe, we were planning to celebrate your birthday tomorrow, but your younger siblings insisted on waiting for you. Before you arrived, Valentina was so sleepy she was nodding off like a little chick," Guardiola said with a laugh, sitting across from Lin, his eyes soft as he watched his children.

No matter how things went at work, every time he returned home and saw these little angels, all the stress seemed to melt away.

Guardiola had what many envied—a harmonious family. Sela was a wonderful wife and mother, and he himself had never been involved in any scandals. His children were not only smart and well-behaved but also accomplished, with the eldest making him so proud he couldn't help but raise his head high whenever he mentioned him:

"See that young man who plays like Messi? That's my son!"

"Let me guess, you're in such a good mood because you won at home against Chelsea, right?"

Lin had returned in a rush, heading to the airport right after his match and hadn't yet had a chance to check the results of the other Champions League games.

"Is it that obvious on my face?" 

Guardiola stroked his chin, a little surprised.

"Of course. Beating Mourinho is the only thing that could make you this happy!"

Just like Messi and Ronaldo, in the world of football, people often compared Mourinho and Guardiola.

Both were leading figures among the generation of middle-aged coaches, and both had reached the pinnacle of success early in their careers—one leading Barcelona to establish the Dream Team III dynasty, the other leading a non-top-five-league team to a miracle Champions League victory.

The media loved to stir up their rivalry, especially after Mourinho joined Real Madrid, which brought the tension between them to its peak.

One of the reasons Guardiola left Barcelona, aside from his relationship with Rosell, was the growing dominance of Mourinho's Real Madrid in the 2011-2012 season. Although Mourinho's football was often criticized for being overly pragmatic, it frustrated Guardiola to see his meticulously crafted tiki-taka style being figured out and countered.

After leaving Barcelona, Guardiola spent time refining his tactics, focusing on countering Mourinho's defensive strategies.

His team's dominant performance in the European Super Cup and now in the Champions League gave him great satisfaction, especially since Bayern wasn't even at its peak yet.

"What was the score?" 

Lin asked, pulling out his phone to check the result online.

"3-0!" 

As Guardiola answered, Lin found the score online.

The result surprised Lin. Chelsea wasn't a weak team; they were known for their strong defense. How had Bayern managed to thrash them 3-0?

Curious, Lin watched the highlights of the match. Bayern's formation was unconventional, with Guardiola employing a 3-3-3-1 setup.

He had Javi Martínez switch from defensive midfield to center-back, and his center-backs move to the flanks. This way, when Martínez moved up, his teammates could cover for him, maintaining the integrity of the defense.

In attack, Martínez's involvement increased Bayern's numbers, providing more options for passing and making it harder for Chelsea to defend.

More importantly, Martínez's deep-lying position made it difficult for Chelsea to press him effectively. When he advanced with the ball, Bayern's formation resembled two inverted triangles, amplifying the threat from the wings.

With ample support, Ribéry and Robben launched frequent attacks from the flanks, scoring twice in the first half through quick counterattacks. Chelsea's counterattacks, however, were stymied by Bayern's diamond-shaped defensive formations, with four layers of interception preventing them from getting close to the penalty area. The flanks were also well-guarded, leaving Chelsea with few options.

After bringing on Mandzukic in the second half, Guardiola's team scored again through a set-piece, demonstrating their ability to score in different ways.

The 3-0 scoreline almost guaranteed Bayern's place in the quarterfinals. Chelsea, known for their lack of firepower, would find it incredibly difficult to score three goals at home. What's more, they would need to prevent Bayern from scoring at Stamford Bridge. If Bayern scored, Chelsea's chances would be finished.

Guardiola had not only defeated Mourinho but had effectively ended the tie in the first leg.

"Bayern's tactics could work for you too. I noticed Kroos moved further back during the game, which was a good adjustment. Ideally, Fernandinho should start, with Yaya Touré being replaced. With Kroos and De Bruyne, City doesn't need a box-to-box midfielder like Yaya," Guardiola pointed out City's issues and offered his advice.

Lin nodded in agreement. Mourinho had mentioned the same problem. With both top coaches highlighting Fernandinho's importance to City, it was clear he was a key player. However, due to the strained relationship between Pellegrini and Fernandinho, it seemed unlikely that Fernandinho would be utilized any time soon.

"Losing to Chelsea isn't all bad. A team that stays unbeaten for too long starts to feel the weight of that streak," Guardiola shared from his own experience. Bayern was currently on a 45-match unbeaten run, the fourth-longest in the top five European leagues. They were closing in on Arsenal and Juventus's 49-match records and weren't far from AC Milan's 58-match unbeaten streak.

Given Bayern's dominance in the Bundesliga, many expected them to challenge Milan's 21-year-old record.

But as Bayern's coach, Guardiola knew better than anyone how difficult it was to maintain such a streak. Each match added more pressure, with the players becoming increasingly conscious of the unbeaten record and the difficulty of setting new records.

Because these records were so hard to achieve, the players were eager to etch their names into football history. But the more they cared, the more it affected their performance, leading to inconsistency.

Luckily, Guardiola's tactical approach brought stability to his team's performances in the league. Yet, even for a dominant team like Bayern, maintaining an unbeaten record was challenging. In a fiercely competitive league like the Premier League, where City lacked a strong legacy, continuing an unbeaten run would be even harder.

In Guardiola's view, losing their unbeaten record could be beneficial for Manchester City.

Lin largely agreed. In fact, City had shown signs of what Guardiola described even before the winter break, narrowly extending their unbeaten run with a few last-minute goals from him. Now, with the burden of maintaining an unbeaten record lifted, the team could play more freely.

...

With another match just two days away, Lin didn't stay long in Munich. After resting for the night, he flew back to Manchester the next day.

By then, all the results of the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 had come in.

Aside from City's dominant victory, the other three Premier League teams all failed to win.

Arsenal lost 1-4 at home to Barcelona, effectively ending their hopes of progressing, with Wenger's team once again falling at the Round of 16.

Mourinho's Chelsea lost 0-3 to Bayern, sharing Arsenal's likely fate of elimination.

Seventh-placed Manchester United managed a 1-1 draw away to Galatasaray, securing an away goal that gave them a better chance of progressing than Chelsea and Arsenal.

In stark contrast to the Premier League's woes, La Liga teams

 shone brightly.

Barcelona beat Arsenal 4-1, Real Madrid thrashed Olympiacos 6-1, and Atlético Madrid secured a 1-0 win over AC Milan.

All three Spanish teams won their away games, showing their strength.

With the Premier League's dismal results and La Liga's success, debates over which league was the best reignited.

Based on recent Champions League performances, La Liga was undoubtedly the world's top league.

Last year, no English team made it to the quarterfinals, and this year, only two at most might make it, with Manchester United's place still uncertain.

Given the current form of both Manchester teams, few expected them to win the Champions League.

In contrast, all three Spanish teams were among the top five favorites to win the tournament, with Real Madrid and Barcelona ranked first and third, and Atlético fifth.

This led the British media to lament: "Who will stand up to defend the Premier League's honor?"

...

Lin, however, wasn't concerned with defending the Premier League's honor. He only cared about his team's performance.

On February 22, Manchester City hosted Stoke City.

Before the game, Lin showed Pellegrini the Bayern-Chelsea match footage. After watching it, Pellegrini seemed thoughtful.

In this match, he implemented some of Guardiola's tactical insights into City's midfield.

The adjustments worked well. At home, City played a dominant attacking game, winning 3-0 and shaking off the shadow of their three-game winless streak.

While City was beginning to regain their form, Chelsea, demoralized by their loss to Bayern, started to struggle.

Mourinho, known for his inability to tolerate losing to Guardiola's teams, was particularly affected by the defeat, leading to some questionable tactical decisions in their next game.

By the 90th minute of Chelsea's match, the score was still 0-0. If the match ended that way, City's lead would have extended back to 10 points.

But in stoppage time, Chelsea captain Terry stepped up, scoring a header to break Everton's defense and secure a last-minute win.

With that victory, Chelsea earned three hard-fought points, keeping the gap with City at eight points.

However, Mourinho had no time to play mind games with City. He was preoccupied with the media's relentless comparisons between him and Guardiola, which annoyed him greatly.

"The Champions League isn't over yet. We'll win at home and advance," Mourinho insisted, refusing to concede defeat and claiming that Chelsea could still pull off a miraculous comeback.

But the journalists were skeptical. In Champions League history, only one team had overturned a three-goal deficit—Deportivo La Coruña, in their famous comeback against AC Milan (with the exception of Liverpool's miracle in Istanbul, which happened within one half).

Most people believed Mourinho was just stubbornly holding on to hope.

Chelsea owner Abramovich was also furious at the prospect of his team exiting the Champions League so early. He had first approached Guardiola before re-signing Mourinho. Now, seeing Mourinho defeated by Guardiola again deepened Abramovich's belief that Mourinho wasn't on Guardiola's level.

Adding to the tension, Mourinho had been pushing for more control over Chelsea, wanting to become the club's all-powerful manager. This power struggle further soured Abramovich's view of Mourinho, making him increasingly displeased with the Portuguese coach.

Fortunately for Mourinho, he still had a chance. The next match between Manchester City and Manchester United would be a highly anticipated Manchester Derby.

In such a high-stakes clash, if Manchester United could halt City at home, Chelsea would have a chance to close the gap.

If Chelsea could reduce the points difference to five, their chances of winning the title would increase significantly.

Chelsea hadn't won the league in four years, and if Mourinho could secure the Premier League title, even a Champions League exit wouldn't be seen as a complete failure.

Not only Chelsea but the entire Premier League was focused on the Manchester Derby.

For Manchester United, a loss in this game would drop them to eighth place, further widening the gap between them and the European qualification spots to over 11 points.

With only 10 league games remaining, making up an 11-point deficit would be extremely difficult.

If they failed to qualify for the Champions League, Manchester United would face the embarrassment of missing out on Europe's top competition for the first time in 18 years.

Without the exposure of the Champions League, their commercial revenue and match bonuses would decrease, forcing Manchester United to lower player wages.

Lower wages, combined with the absence of Champions League football, would significantly reduce United's appeal to top players and could even lead to current stars leaving.

This would severely weaken Manchester United, potentially sending them into a downward spiral.

In short, Manchester United was teetering on the edge of disaster, with nothing but ruin behind them.

All of this was blamed on Moyes's poor management. The solid foundation Sir Alex Ferguson had left him had been squandered in just one season.

United fans had lost faith in Moyes, and calls for a new manager were growing louder.

This season, United had been dreadful in matches against top teams, with their only victory coming against Arsenal. They hadn't won any other big matches.

If they lost to City, they would suffer a home-and-away defeat to their rivals, setting the worst Manchester Derby record since 1970.

Rumor had it that the Glazer family, United's owners, had lost patience with Moyes. They were planning to attend the match in person, and if Moyes couldn't defend United's honor at Old Trafford and lost to City again, he would likely be sacked.

For Moyes and his Manchester United, this Manchester Derby was a must-win.

At 7 p.m. on March 1, the highly anticipated Manchester Derby kicked off at Old Trafford.