Chapter 444: The Right Way to Vent
Bruno himself didn't protest, but his Manchester United teammates were very unhappy, raising their arms to signal to the referee about Ki Sung-Yueng's foul. Finally, the referee, Swarbrick, ran over and showed Ki Sung-Yueng a yellow card.
Receiving the yellow card, Ki Sung-Yueng was still furious, waving his arms and shouting loudly in his native language to the referee. He feared being sent off if he spoke in English.
His actions didn't go unnoticed by the Manchester United fans, some of whom cursed him loudly, while others flipped him off. Although Manchester United fans had a good impression of Koreans because of Park Ji-Sung, they didn't think much of this Korean player.
Bruno bent down to rub his calf, relieved to find it was fine. If he had been injured by a "stick" and couldn't continue the match, ultimately leading to a loss, it would have been really frustrating.
...
The rest of the first half passed with both sides engaging in physical confrontations, with football taking a back seat. Neither side wanted to lose face in these physical battles. Mourinho was very unhappy with the situation and criticized the team during halftime for focusing too much on physical clashes and forgetting to play football.
"Our goal is what? It's not to kick a few of them off the pitch, but to win this match! Focus on the game!"
"But their play is too dirty..." Rashford complained. As one of Manchester United's biggest threats, he had been heavily marked in the first half and was now changing his shirt, which was covered in dirt and grass stains.
"That's the referee's job, not yours," Mourinho snapped at the players, then pointed at Bruno. "Look at Bruno! He's set a good example for you. He rarely goes to argue with the referee. Even when fouled, he uses legitimate means to fight back."
Everyone looked at Bruno, and Lingard exclaimed, "We can't compare, coach! Bruno's body is stronger than ours. Did you see how their number 4 kicked his leg? And Bruno was fine! He's a freak!"
...
Mourinho realized using Bruno as an example might be unfair to the others. Bruno's physical fitness was exceptional. Expecting other players to be unfazed after being fouled was unrealistic. He changed his approach.
"Alright, if you're fouled, protect yourselves. But don't go down too easily, or our attack will stall. We know why Swansea does this, to disrupt our rhythm with fouls. If we stop our attack ourselves, we're falling into their trap."
After pondering for a moment, Mourinho continued, "In the second half, Swansea will attack because they're behind and need to avoid relegation. I want you to stay calm under their fouls. Don't get caught up in their game. Take the chance to score and secure the win."
Trailing Swansea had to attack, and while attacking, they couldn't use fouls as effectively. This was Manchester United's opportunity. Bruno's goal in the fifteenth minute of the first half was crucial. If the score were still 0-0, Swansea could keep using their foul tactics to make Manchester United lose their composure and make more mistakes, leaving gaps in the defense.
One counterattack would be enough for Swansea to take three vital points and become the first team to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford this season. But with Manchester United leading, Mourinho had more strategic leeway.
...
On the other side, Swansea's coach, Paul Clement, was also criticizing his team.
"Our defense in the first half was terrible! Federico, you're 1.9 meters tall. How did their number 8 beat you to the ball?"
"He judged the ball's trajectory very well," Federico defended himself.
"Don't explain!" Clement snapped. "Can't you judge the trajectory too?"
Seeing Federico turn his head away, Clement changed the topic. "Your fouling was good, but we can't just foul. We need to equalize!"
...
As the players returned for the second half, Bruno put his arm around Maguire's shoulder, reminding him to stay calm since he already had a yellow card. Bruno worried that repeated provocations might cause Maguire to act impulsively and regret it later, hurting the team.
"Stay cool, no matter how they kick or foul you," Bruno advised.
"How do I stay cool, Bruno?" Maguire asked.
"Smile, keep smiling," Bruno replied. "Or think of it as mocking them."
Maguire grinned, "Like this?"
Bruno laughed and patted his shoulder, "I'm joking, but seriously, stay relaxed and don't let their fouls work."
"I'll try, Bruno... but sometimes anger isn't easy to control," Maguire admitted.
While not an overly aggressive player, Maguire wasn't a pushover either. Provoked enough, he could lose his temper.
"Then take out your anger on their goal! Try to score in the second half, Harry!" Bruno encouraged, giving him a firm pat on the back.
...
Early in the second half, Manchester United earned a free kick near the penalty area. Swansea continued their fouling tactics, despite their coach urging them to focus more on attacking. Bruno's direct free kick was saved by Fabianski.
Paul Clement was unhappy with his team conceding a dangerous free kick so early, especially against Bruno, a set-piece specialist. Besides Bruno, Manchester United also had Rooney, Ashley Young, and Carrick, who were all good at free kicks.
But Clement could only shout instructions from the sidelines. Once the game started, a coach's influence was limited. He kept urging his players to attack.
Under his encouragement, Swansea began to show some attacking intent. In the 56th minute, Tom Carroll broke through Valencia on the wing and crossed, but Llorente's shot was blocked by Maguire and went out for a corner.
Seeing Swansea creating chances, Clement relaxed and sat down. Swansea fans began singing to cheer their team on. However, the corner kick didn't result in a shot on goal. Instead, De Gea punched the ball out, and it landed at Bruno's feet.
...
Bruno, with Ki Sung-Yueng right behind him, didn't turn but passed sideways to Rashford. Rashford passed to Rooney, who then passed to Bruno, who had turned and run upfield.
Receiving the ball, Bruno made a long diagonal pass to the right. Swansea, having just taken a corner, hadn't fully retreated, leaving large gaps in their defense. Bruno spotted one of these gaps and sent the ball there.
The pass seemed long, but the fans saw Lingard sprinting down the right wing, realizing it was perfectly placed. With no defenders around, Lingard received the ball comfortably, drove into the box, and shot towards the far post. Fabianski, diving for the near post, had his leg trailing, and Lingard's shot hit it, bouncing over the goal.
"Lingard shoots! Saved by Fabianski! He's been excellent today; he can't be blamed for the goal..."
Despite missing, Lingard gave a thumbs-up to Bruno, acknowledging the excellent pass.
"Manchester United missed a chance to extend their lead. What a pity... Bruno's pass was brilliant, slicing through Swansea's defense!"
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10