Chapter 385: Stopping the Slide
The Manchester United players had no idea that their recent defeat would lead to one of their young fans being mocked by his peers and brought to tears. That incident occurred a day after their loss to Chelsea.
In the away dressing room at Stamford Bridge, they were all aware that coach Mourinho was unhappy. Mourinho didn't express his displeasure with a lot of profanity or long, sleep-inducing speeches about what the players did wrong. He simply said, "Tomorrow's day off is canceled. Triple training sessions." That was enough for everyone to understand just how displeased the coach was.
Generally, even double training sessions can make professional players frown. Triple training sessions are purely punitive.
Despite Bruno receiving the highest post-match rating from the media among the team, he wasn't happy. For him, personal accolades mean nothing compared to the team's success. If the team loses every match while he consistently gets the highest ratings, what would be the point?
Football is a team sport. Individual glory stems from the team's overall success. A player from a relegation-threatened team is never going to win the Golden Boot or the Ballon d'Or. To achieve such honors, the team needs to win championships.
Bruno transferred to Manchester United with the hope of helping the team revive and achieve greatness once more. He always saw leading this team as his responsibility.
However, the Chelsea match was a wake-up call, making him realize that the rebuilding Manchester United still had many issues that needed addressing through more time and rigorous training.
The day after returning to Manchester from London, United began their triple training sessions. Bruno even stayed behind after the sessions to do extra training.
The defeat against Chelsea sounded an alarm for him, emphasizing the urgency of their situation. He didn't come to the big city of Manchester for a vacation; he came to build a legacy. If they couldn't overcome Chelsea, how could they aim for loftier goals? The phrase "Let's create a grand future together" would just be a joke.
It seemed that Manchester United wasn't as strong as they imagined and still needed strengthening. The same applied to him.
The team's overall strength wasn't his concern, but he could work on his own abilities. One day, when facing such matches again, if the team couldn't function normally and needed a hero to save the day, he couldn't always hope for someone else to be that hero.
As the team's core player, it was his responsibility to step up during tough times. He needed to have the resolve to be the first to stand up when the team faced difficulties.
He thought back to his time at Udinese, where he had stepped up in crucial moments against Juventus to assist twice in a vital match for a Europa League final berth and scored a brace to win the Champions League.
He had earned the nickname "Mr. Clutch" in the Italian media for always stepping up in key moments.
This was why he had gained absolute trust at Udinese and why his teammates were willing to put all their hopes and dreams in his hands. Even with Guidolin's strong support, he proved his worth by consistently saving the team during critical times.
To become the team's core player, you only need to perform consistently well. But to become the team's leader, you need the courage and ability to step up in tough situations.
Bruno, while practicing his shots in the sunset, thought about the long road ahead to truly become United's leader.
But he welcomed the challenge. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left Udinese to join Manchester United during a low point in its history, embracing the challenge to become a club legend. With his skills and reputation, he could easily have joined top clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Bayern Munich, secured a comfortable starting position, earned a high salary, and possibly won league titles or even Champions League trophies.
But is that the life he wanted? He preferred saving a sinking ship over embellishing an already decorated one.
After two days of grueling triple training sessions, the team finally returned to their regular training routine. These sessions had exhausted everyone, except for a few, like Bruno, who maintained their form.
Bruno was a standout even among the most dedicated, adding an extra fifteen minutes of shooting practice after the triple training sessions, impressing his teammates with his extraordinary stamina.
Mourinho decided to revert to normal training since United had a match against Manchester City at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, needing to give the players some recovery time to avoid exhausting them before the match.
The upcoming match against City was a fourth-round League Cup match, also known as the League Cup last 16.
Despite the recent tough match against Chelsea and the intense training sessions, Mourinho still fielded his strongest lineup, making only a few changes.
As the match began, United seemed a bit nervous, perhaps still affected by the heavy defeat to Chelsea or the media criticism.
In the third minute, United's left-back Luke Shaw made a defensive error, leading to a City counterattack. Navas crossed from the right, and Iheanacho's shot from the penalty spot went over the bar.
The miss saved United, but it gave their 70,000 fans a scare.
"We need to attack! We need to attack! Show your courage!" The United fans in the stands started chanting, cheering on the team and reminding the players of what they needed to do.
Bruno ran back to defend, just missing the interception. He signaled for everyone to calm down and shouted, "Calm down! This is our home! Now it's our turn to attack!"
Then Bruno received a pass from goalkeeper De Gea and initiated an attack.
In the 14th minute, Ibrahimović, after drawing the attention of two defenders, passed the ball to the advancing Bruno, whose powerful shot from the edge of the box was barely saved by City goalkeeper Caballero.
This attack earned applause from the stands and boosted United's morale, easing their initial tension.
A minute later, Luke Shaw, who had earlier made a passing mistake, made a precise through ball from midfield. Rashford received it and drove into the left side of the box, shooting just wide.
In the 27th minute, Sane created space in the box and fired a shot that De Gea punched away.
After this, City's chances dwindled, while United gained momentum, creating several opportunities. However, Caballero's excellent saves kept them from scoring.
The Sky Sports commentator acknowledged United's dominance, suggesting that if United eventually won, it wouldn't be surprising.
"It looks like United has shaken off the defeat against Chelsea. Facing City, they are relentless, constantly threatening Caballero's goal!"
United's numerous chances were largely due to Bruno's orchestration in midfield. Using his experience and skills, he controlled the game's tempo, delivering the ball to forwards like Mata, Rashford, Herrera, and Ibrahimović. Sometimes they took shots, other times they passed to better-positioned teammates.
Such layered and varied attacks troubled City greatly.
Initially, City thought United had been exposed by Chelsea and that this match would be easy. However, United, after an initial nervous phase, showed no signs of being affected by the previous defeat.
Their performance against City was vastly different from the Chelsea game. They moved more actively and fluidly, had a stronger attacking desire, and improved attack quality.
During halftime, Guardiola adjusted his tactics, opting for a more conservative approach, focusing on counter-attacks. In the opponent's home ground, he thought that holding out for a draw in 90 minutes would be a victory. After all, United had fielded most of their main players, while City had almost entirely rotated their squad, giving them an edge in substitutions and player stamina.
Guardiola aimed to drag the match into extra time and possibly penalties, banking on City's better stamina.
The second half unfolded as Guardiola expected, with United continuing their attacks and City playing defensively.
Both teams had chances, but United had more.
However, Guardiola's plan to drag the game into extra time fell through.
In the 54th minute, the deadlock was finally broken. Ibrahimović drove into the left side of the box and passed low. Herrera missed the near post, but Mata followed up with a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner, giving United a 1-0 lead.
This was the only goal of the match.
After falling behind, Guardiola made substitutions, bringing on Sterling, Kolarov, and the returning Agüero to boost the attack. However, United held on, maintaining their 1-0 lead until the final whistle, eliminating City and advancing to the League Cup quarterfinals.
Bruno came close to scoring but was denied by Caballero's outstanding saves. After the match, he received a high rating of 8.5 and was named Man of the Match.
Mourinho was pleased with Bruno's quality on the field, but what delighted him the most was Bruno's competitive spirit.
This was a player who wanted to win at all costs, someone with a champion's heart. Such a person could lead a team from victory to victory, eventually reaching championship glory.
A leader without a strong desire to win cannot lead his teammates to achieve great goals. If he lacks belief in winning, how can he convince his teammates to believe it's possible?
A leader uncertain about his mission cannot inspire others. Michael Jordan was a competitor who wanted to win at everything, including cards and practice games. If you beat him, you had to be ready for his revenge. This drive led the Chicago Bulls to two three-peats in the NBA.
Competitiveness is a must-have trait for any great player.
Without it, no matter how skilled, a player can only be a top-tier star or, at best, a world-class giant. But how many of these giants become legends like Pelé or Maradona?
Mourinho saw in Bruno the most valuable trait—a will to succeed. On the path to becoming a legend, Bruno was already far ahead of his teammates.
This is why Mourinho chose Bruno as the team leader over others.
United had many excellent players. Besides the aging Ibrahimović, Carrick, and Rooney, there was Mata. The Spaniard was excellent but lacked the potential to lead the team, missing the competitive edge that Bruno had.
If Bruno were in Mata's shoes, facing a new player taking the core position, he would fight to outperform and reclaim his spot. But Mata lacked this aggression.
While Mata was discontent, he didn't channel it into competitive energy during training and matches. From the start, he was at a disadvantage against Bruno.
Mata could be an excellent player but not a leader.
To use a famous analogy, if United aimed to be the 1990s Chicago Bulls, Bruno had to be Michael Jordan, and Mata's role would be more like Scottie Pippen.
There could be many excellent players, but there could only be one leader.
(End of Chapter)
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