Chapter 538: Internal Conflict?
Seeing Van Dijk holding onto the ball and looking around instead of passing immediately, Son Heung-min ran up to pressure him. Under pressure, Van Dijk hurriedly passed the ball to the left flank, where Luke Shaw received it.
Van Dijk's pass was powerful, and Shaw had to chest it down to keep it from going out of bounds. By the time he got the ball under control, Trippier was already on him. Panicking, Shaw thought only of dribbling past Trippier. He attempted a nutmeg, but Trippier anticipated this, closing his legs and intercepting the ball. Shaw realized the ball hadn't come with him just as Trippier took off toward United's goal.
"Ah! What a chance! After 40 minutes, United's defense finally has a big gap. Trippier is racing forward with only two United center-backs and the goalkeeper ahead of him... Spurs' counterattack!" the commentator exclaimed.
...
After passing the ball, Bruno kept moving to link up with teammates and was now the closest United player to Trippier. He sprinted from an angle, aiming to intercept. Knowing he was late, Bruno chose a risky sliding tackle that could earn him a red card: a flying tackle aimed at Trippier's heels.
Trippier, sensing Bruno's move, nudged the ball forward and leapt over Bruno.
"Oh! Bruno missed the tackle! He's been beaten!"
...
United's center-backs, Van Dijk and Maguire, rushed to cover Trippier's run, leaving only Valencia guarding the central space. Trippier, instead of shooting, spotted Morata and passed the ball across.
The ball went through Maguire and Van Dijk, reaching the unmarked Morata. The 6'2" Spanish striker calmly controlled the ball and shot. De Gea's dive was too late; the ball rolled into the net just inside the post.
"Goal!" the Spanish commentator shouted. "Morata! Alvaro Morata! He scores! Spurs break the deadlock with a classic counterattack!"
Morata celebrated with his signature move, cupping his ear, inviting the Spurs fans' cheers, which they delivered loudly.
"Yes! Spurs!"
...
"Damn it!" De Gea, furious after conceding, yelled at Shaw, "You should've been more decisive!"
Shaw, having chased back to the box without preventing the goal, felt wronged, "How is this my fault? If Virgil hadn't passed so hard..."
Van Dijk, hearing Shaw blame him, was incensed, "Why were you so far away? If I'd passed softly, they would've intercepted it just the same! You were already at the halfway line before I passed!"
Teammates turned on each other, neither admitting fault. Bruno and Kante rushed over to defuse the situation.
"Stop arguing! Enough! We still have a whole half to play. Instead of arguing, think about how we'll score!" Bruno urged.
...
TV commentators also noticed the spat in United's box. The Spurs commentator cheered, "It looks like there's infighting in United's ranks. This is great news for Spurs. Infighting will weaken their fighting spirit! Our players should capitalize and aim for another goal before halftime—there are still five minutes left, why not?"
The United commentator, pulling his hair, lamented, "How can they argue in such an important match? This is the worst time for infighting. Wait until after the match in the locker room if you must argue... Now they're trailing and fighting among themselves... It's a disaster! Is United's winning streak really going to end today?"
Thanks to Bruno, Kante, and other teammates' efforts, Van Dijk and Shaw were separated, but they refused to look at each other, still fuming. Bruno, the captain, had no time for further counseling as Spurs ended their celebration and watched United's squabble with amusement.
With five minutes left in the half, United needed to prevent Spurs from exploiting their disarray for another goal. But this was a temporary fix. During halftime, they had to resolve the Van Dijk-Shaw conflict and make tactical adjustments to score and win the match.
...
Thanks to Bruno and Kante, United held firm for the remaining five minutes. Despite Van Dijk and Shaw's ongoing tension, both players stayed professional, knowing their responsibilities. Spurs' hopes to exploit the infighting were dashed.
With one of the Premier League's and world football's best defenses, United held strong when determined to defend.
The halftime whistle blew with the score at 1-0, Spurs leading.
Spurs fans applauded their team for leading mighty United and continued booing Harry Kane and United. Despite Kane's several interceptions and counterattacks from his understanding of Spurs' midfield, he hadn't scored, but Spurs fans didn't relent.
Kane, undeterred by the boos, held his head high proudly. Bruno, however, had no time to concern himself with Kane's clash with the Spurs fans. He quickly exited the field, reflecting on a half where he had little impact, struggling to find gaps in Spurs' defense.
The bigger worry was the conflict between Shaw and Van Dijk. Infighting like this was demoralizing. Bruno had noticed Mourinho's angry expression, anticipating a halftime outburst. But he hadn't given up. With 45 minutes left, he and United still had time to turn things around.
...
Surprisingly, Mourinho didn't lash out at halftime. Instead, he handed gloves to Van Dijk and Shaw, puzzling everyone.
"What's he doing?" they wondered, even more confused than the rest.
Mourinho addressed the bewildered players, "I'm giving you a chance. During this 15-minute break, settle this with a glove duel. Resolve it here and now. On the pitch, forget it and focus entirely on the game. Understood?"
Everyone understood now. Under Mourinho's provocation, Van Dijk and Shaw hung their heads, realizing their behavior's disgrace.
Mourinho pointed at their gloves, "What? Don't want to duel now?"
Shaw hesitated, "Uh... we don't need a duel, boss. We... um, we're fine..."
"Are you sure? You're absolutely sure there's nothing to resolve?" Mourinho pressed.
"I'm sure," Shaw nodded.
Mourinho looked at Van Dijk, who quickly nodded too, "I'm sure too. Arguments happen on the pitch. We both want to win, sir. It's over now..."
Mourinho retrieved the gloves, "I hope you mean that because, in the second half, you won't have time for duels. We must duel with Spurs. We conceded, but what bothers me more is our first-half performance."
He turned to Bruno, "Our midfield struggled. We got bogged down in Spurs' trap. Stalemating in midfield isn't what I want. We must change this in the second half, not getting stuck in midfield battles—that's Spurs' plan. If we get dragged into a midfield tug-of-war, they win."
As an observer, Mourinho saw the situation clearly, explaining it simply to his players.
"So, we need to speed up in the second half. Bruno, reduce your time on the ball, and sometimes, let others lead the attack. We don't have to rely solely on you to organize."
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