"Hey, Ethan!" Jim shouted from the stands to Ethan, who was standing on the touchline nearby.
Ethan, along with Messi and Curtis beside him, turned around immediately. Messi quickly greeted his landlord.
"Jim, didn't you say you were busy?" Ethan greeted him with a smile.
The noise was so loud that even though they were close, they still had to raise their voices to be heard clearly.
"Hehe, you know, a passenger called for a taxi," Jim said with a guilty smile.
Ethan laughed knowingly.
"Oh, Leo, when you go back, don't tell the landlady you saw me here, okay?" Jim suddenly remembered and hurriedly instructed Messi.
Messi was young but very smart, and he immediately nodded.
"Hey, Ethan, why isn't Richie Wellens playing today? I saw him warming up on the sidelines, so he isn't injured?" the fat man asked, confused.
"I don't know either." Ethan was puzzled too. Richie Wellens had always been the first-choice left winger in New Manchester United's warm-up matches, and his combination with Evra was good. Why was he on the bench for the official match?
Ethan knew Frank Carrack's abilities. This player was like him, very balanced in speed, passing, awareness, defending, and running. But sometimes balance also meant mediocrity.
Why give up the more unique Richie Wellens and use the more average Frank Carrack?
Ethan's doubts were soon answered at the start of the game.
When the referee blew for kickoff, New Manchester United started through Maten and Giggs. After the former nudged it, the latter immediately played it back to Smith in midfield.
Smith carried it a few steps and was closed down by the opposition midfielder, so he immediately passed to Frank Carrack on the flank.
Since Carrack was already in the opposition half, their winger stepped up to press him, but Carrack slipped a pass forward, and then a streak of black lightning flashed past them.
"Evra!" Ethan was stunned.
"Patrice! Patrice!" The crowd suddenly erupted in chants.
Carrack's pass was smooth. Evra received it, took a touch, beat the onrushing full-back, and drove to the byline.
Maten and Giggs were already taking up positions in the middle, and even Smith hovered at the edge of the box, waiting to support.
Evra looked up and fired a quick cross with his left foot.
Unfortunately, the intent was too obvious, and it was blocked by the center-back and went out for a corner.
Even though it did not lead to a goal, the fans still gave warm applause for the move, especially for Evra's lightning speed.
"So that's it." Ethan finally understood. He sighed inwardly. This was the gap between professionals and amateurs.
Although amateur teams do not require high-level tactical expertise from their head coaches, if Ethan had been in charge, he would have started Richie Wellens because of his pace, which could stretch the defense and open space centrally.
However, that would leave the left flank as a defensive liability, as shown in New Manchester United's preseason friendlies.
Steve Bruce cleverly took another route. He replaced Wellens with the more balanced Carrack, then gave Evra absolute freedom to bomb forward, with Carrack covering for him when he advanced.
This solved the defensive issue on the left. The threat Evra created on his runs was no less than Wellens', and even more subtle. Most importantly, it reduced the pressure on Smith and Makinson. Smith did not have to constantly worry about the left side.
They could attack with confidence.
One change solved several major problems. Ethan had to admit Bruce's move was brilliant.
"Get back!"
The corner taken by Lyons dropped into a good area, but Bruce failed to connect cleanly due to interference. As soon as he landed, he sprinted back toward his own half while urging his teammates to retreat.
The opposition goalkeeper's long kick was headed clear by Karl Makinson. After bringing it under control, Maten played it directly to Giggs.
Giggs dribbled past an opponent and slipped a diagonal pass to Lyons on the right.
Lyons looked up, swung his right foot, and launched a long diagonal pass that picked out the surging Evra on the left.
As expected of New Manchester United's new Beckham, Lyons' delivery arrived at the perfect moment. Evra simply used his speed to burn past the full-back, then hit the cross in one fluid motion.
Maten in the middle had already made the run and met Evra's quick cross with a first-time finish.
The distance was too close. Even though the goalkeeper reacted, he still could not reach it. 0-1.
Less than four minutes into the first half, New Manchester United scored the first official goal in the club's history, assisted by Evra and finished by Maten.
The stadium erupted. Everyone was shouting Jonathan's name. Some stood up and roared, while others waved flags embroidered with New Manchester United's crest.
From the outset, the attacking patterns were sharp, showing that Bruce had drilled them thoroughly in training. Ethan had been in the United States for the past two weeks, so he had not seen it.
"Ethan, we can win, we can win!" Jim stood up and kept shouting.
Ethan turned and smiled at him and the fans who were engrossed in the match. Yes, this game could be won.
In terms of momentum, fighting spirit, and even tactical and technical level, New Manchester United were far superior to their opponents. Failing to win a match like this would be shameful.
...
In fact, as the match progressed, New Manchester United firmly controlled the game.
As an amateur side, Leek CSOB's head coach, captain, and club president were the same person. He was also their striker, an amateur player. Because he was on the pitch, he felt the pressure and could not make accurate judgments.
When play restarted, New Manchester United attacked in waves, especially down the left with Evra.
Evra thrived in his combination with Carrack. He fully utilized his blistering speed, repeatedly ripping through the defense and swinging in crosses again and again.
However, it had to be said that Evra's crossing still needed improvement. He had many chances to deliver, and apart from the assist in the 3rd minute, the rest consistently failed to land where he intended.
Even so, the fans kept applauding Evra warmly.
The standout performer was Maten. The professional striker took three chances and completed a hat-trick, the first in New Manchester United's history. It would go down in the club's records.
As Maten's strike partner, Giggs used his pace to create space and chances for him, and he also provided an assist for Smith to score. In addition, he set up another chance for Maten that was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Equally impressive was Lyons on the right. This seemingly unremarkable Beckham imitator made two assists, then shortly after the second half began, he took a set piece near the edge of the box and scored directly from a free kick.
0-6. New Manchester United crushed Leek CSOB with six unanswered goals.
About twenty minutes into the second half, with the situation fully under control, New Manchester United began to make substitutions. Danny Collins replaced Steve Bruce, Victor Moses replaced Smith, and David Bale replaced the exhausted Rhodri Giggs.
But after Bruce went off, the players on the pitch clearly relaxed. With a six-goal lead, the win was already in the bag.
It was precisely because of New Manchester United's relaxation that the pressure on Leek CSOB eased in the next twenty minutes, and the opponents seized the chance to launch fierce counterattacks.
Fortunately, Leek had been overwhelmed earlier, and their sudden response lacked organization. In the end, New Manchester United kept it at 0-6, winning a resounding victory in the club's first official match.
When the referee blew for full time, all the New Manchester United fans in red jerseys jumped to their feet. Everyone stood, cheered and shouted, and waved the club's flags frantically to salute the heroes on the pitch.
"Go and thank the fans," Bruce said coldly, stopping the players who were about to head off.
As a former legendary Manchester United center-back, Bruce had only been in charge of New Manchester United for a short time, yet he had already left a deep mark on the newly formed team. When he said to thank the fans, even the substitutes ran out and went to every corner of the stands to show their appreciation for the traveling support.
After the match, Ethan immediately obtained the attendance figures from the stadium. A total of 3,016 fans attended, definitely breaking the official attendance record in the North West Counties League. At the same time, according to Walsh's feedback, the FA seemed surprised by the turnout.
Although the attendance for New Manchester United's first warm-up match had been extremely high, that was in Manchester. Now the away attendance was still this strong, which was a miracle at amateur level.
Even though New Manchester United had achieved excellent results both on and off the pitch, Bruce remained dissatisfied, and he vented that displeasure directly on the bus back to Manchester.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)