De Bruyne passed through the mixed zone and was soon surrounded by reporters.
The Belgian had endured a tough match that night, and exhaustion showed on his face.
One reporter pushed a microphone closest to him. "Kevin, you contributed a lot defensively today too. What do you think was the key to Manchester United's victory?"
De Bruyne had intended to ignore them as usual.
But this time...
He wiped the rain from his face and answered without hesitation. "Li."
"You saw Li's goals and defending, but you didn't see how much invisible work he did."
"Such as?"
"He's the hub of our entire defensive chain. He doesn't just defend on his own-he makes everyone else's defending effective."
De Bruyne looked utterly serious, without a trace of humor. He gathered his thoughts before continuing.
"Take one moment as an example. Why was Malanda able to challenge Lewandowski's header? Because Lewandowski had shaken off Umtiti, so Malanda had to cover. But that left a gap of his own. Who filled that gap? Li."
"It's a chain, and Li is the crucial link."
The reporters barely had time to process it.
Jorginho was stopped next.
The Italian had covered the third-most distance in the squad that night, behind only Li Luo and Malanda. He seemed to be injured, walking with a slight stagger.
"Jorginho, your job tonight was to protect the middle..."
"Protect?"
Jorginho shook his head. "I wasn't protecting the middle. I was sharing Li's burden. He covers so much ground. If I don't hold the middle for him, he has to look after three directions at once. Nobody can keep that up for ninety minutes."
"What does it feel like to partner Li Luo in midfield?"
Jorginho gave it serious thought.
"It's like standing in a storm, but having a