Although Mourinho had spoken boldly and caused a considerable stir among the supporters, his work behind the scenes was meticulous.
On his first official day in charge of New Manchester United, Walsh, who had already received instructions from Ethan, gave him all the available recordings of the club's matches from the previous two seasons. The collection was incomplete, but it still allowed Mourinho to gain a much better understanding of the team.
After receiving the footage, Mourinho and Villas-Boas shut themselves inside their office and studied it day and night with great enthusiasm. Mourinho knew that if he wanted the players to carry out his tactical ideas as quickly as possible, he first had to understand every one of them.
Faria occasionally joined them, but he spent most of his time with Professor Fryer and the other researchers. He was fascinated by The Lab, which was probably unique in European football.
When Mourinho first invited him to New Manchester United, Faria had hesitated. He felt that working in League Two would be a waste of his ability and had been reluctant to accept. Mourinho eventually persuaded him to help for one season, promising that he could leave afterward if he still disliked the club.
However, soon after arriving, Faria realised that New Manchester United were filled with ambition at every level.
The modern training complex, although not yet fully completed, was far beyond what anyone would expect from a League Two club. Even many Premier League sides lacked facilities of this standard.
Manchester City were reportedly rebuilding their training ground at Carrington that year. According to Scarlett, however, despite the enormous amount of money being spent there, its design was neither as practical nor as advanced as New Manchester United's.
Faria was particularly interested in the research being conducted by Professor Fryer, Derek, and the others. As a fitness coach with his own approach to recovery training, he understood exactly how valuable their work could become if it succeeded.
When he learned how much money and effort Ethan had invested in the research over the previous few years, he could not help sighing. Very few owners would be willing to spend so heavily on something like this.
Even so, Faria had to admit that it was absolutely worthwhile.
The player monitoring system and physical database were already taking shape, while several areas of research had achieved significant breakthroughs. From the following season onward, Derek would prepare an individual dietary programme for each player based on his physical profile.
These would not simply be dull restrictions on what the players were allowed to eat. Derek's plans would also take their personal preferences into account.
Every player would therefore receive a different menu, making the programme easier to accept while helping each of them manage his body more effectively.
The injury-prevention system had also entered the testing stage and was ready for limited use, although its effectiveness would need to be assessed over time.
For injury treatment and fitness recovery, The Lab had proposed hiring four additional massage therapists. Together with the two already employed by the club, that would bring the total to six.
The increase was necessary because of the academy's expansion and the growing number of players.
After Ethan approved the proposal, the club's two existing therapists recommended four experienced specialists from other British cities. All four were British-born professionals trained in traditional therapeutic massage.
Ethan arranged accommodation for them near the Newton Heath Training Base and also helped their families settle in Manchester, allowing them to devote themselves fully to the club.
Following Faria's suggestions, the massage room inside the training building was prepared for immediate use. Plans were also drawn up for an indoor swimming pool and a recreation room.
The recreation area would include video games, table tennis, billiards, and other facilities the players could use to relax during breaks.
Faria also made several recommendations for the club gym and requested new training equipment designed to support his conditioning and recovery programmes.
The cost was not excessive, so Ethan approved the purchases without hesitation.
...
After five full days, Mourinho and Villas-Boas finally finished reviewing all the available match footage. They immediately called Cassel, Paul Hampson, and the rest of the coaching staff together for a meeting.
As club owner, Ethan was invited to attend, along with Walsh.
"First of all, I want to say that New Manchester United's tactics over the past two seasons were highly effective," Mourinho began. "Bruce is a very capable manager. His work on the defence last season was particularly impressive."
He paused briefly.
"Unfortunately, I still need to make some changes."
Mourinho drew New Manchester United's regular lineup from the previous season on the tactical board, focusing on the variations between the 4-4-2 and the 4-5-1, before giving his assessment.
"When we used a 4-4-2, the attack was clearly more stable, but the midfield was slightly vulnerable. This was especially obvious during the first half of the season, when Juninho had not yet adapted to the team."
"His role in that 4-4-2 was extremely important, and his difficulties left the entire side too passive. Bruce later changed the system specifically for him and moved to a 4-5-1. That was a very intelligent decision."
Mourinho stepped back from the board and smiled.
"Ferguson appears very fond of the 4-4-2, but as Jim has already explained, he also places great emphasis on fluidity. During matches, Manchester United's shape frequently becomes a 4-5-1."
"It is a more balanced system, with greater emphasis on midfield control and possession. In other words, it balances control of the ball with control of space."
"I'm sure everyone here is familiar with Manchester United's famous midfield four. I have also studied them in detail."
Mourinho looked around the room.
"Which of those four players do you believe is the most important?"
He first turned toward Marginson.
Marginson thought for a moment.
"Roy Keane. He is the heart of Manchester United's midfield."
Mourinho nodded, then looked toward Lyons.
"I would say Scholes. He connects the midfield with the attack."
"What about the rest of you?" Mourinho asked.
"I think it's Beckham," Cassel said with a smile.
The others immediately turned toward him in confusion.
"Beckham has an exceptional work rate, reads the game brilliantly, and possesses outstanding technique," Cassel explained. "Many people assume that because he does not rely on dribbling, his technical ability must be limited."
"But I know very well that his technique is not inferior to Giggs's. They are simply two completely different types of player."
"That still does not necessarily make him the most important member of the four," Mourinho said with a deliberate smile.
"He can deliver accurate forward passes and switches of play over more than thirty metres," Cassel replied simply.
Mourinho immediately praised him.
"Exactly, Jim. That is what makes Manchester United's midfield so dangerous."
"According to the available research, when a modern professional footballer is passing under pressure, the lowest-risk distance is roughly ten to fifteen metres. At that range, the success rate is around eighty percent."
"That means approximately eighty percent of those passes will reach their intended target with a margin of error of no more than a metre, and often with no noticeable deviation at all."
"When the distance increases to twenty metres, the success rate falls below sixty percent. At twenty-five metres, it drops to a miserable twenty percent."
"That is why a team's off-the-ball movement must usually keep passing distances within roughly ten metres. Every player must remain in constant motion."
"When we attack, we try to reduce the distance between our own players. When we defend, we try to increase the distance between the opposition's players, or isolate them completely."
Cassel could not help admiring the explanation.
He understood the principle himself, but he had never considered it in such precise statistical terms, especially the relationship between passing distance and accuracy.
Mourinho had most likely learned that approach at Barcelona.
"As we have just established, the success rate for passes beyond twenty-five metres is extremely low," Mourinho continued. "Yet Beckham can consistently deliver accurate passes over more than thirty metres."
"You should all understand how frightening that ability is."
Mourinho clearly admired Beckham, or at least the player Beckham was at that stage of his career.
Listening from the side, Ethan could not help thinking of Xavi and Xabi Alonso, who had been regarded as master passers in his previous life.
Neither possessed Beckham's range, yet both would become the metronomes of their respective teams.
That alone showed just how underrated Beckham truly was.
"I have always believed Beckham's ideal position is central midfield," Mourinho added. "Only there could he fully exploit his ability to switch play over long distances."
"I still do not understand why Ferguson continues to use him on the right."
"It is to preserve the balance of the midfield as a unit," Cassel replied with a smile.
His understanding of Manchester United far exceeded that of anyone else in the room.
"You may have noticed that there is no single central figure in Manchester United's midfield," Cassel continued. "In fact, you could argue that all four of them are central figures."
"It is precisely because the system has no single focal point that each player can use his own strengths so naturally."
"Why is that?" Ethan asked.
He had always been interested in tactics, especially since Manchester United's midfield quartet was widely regarded as a textbook combination.
Villas-Boas was seated one place away from Ethan, with Mourinho between them. He looked across, smiled, and began explaining.
"The central figure in a midfield is usually the player who controls the tempo of the match. He decides when the game should slow down and when it should accelerate. That is why such a player is often called the metronome."
"But look at Manchester United's four midfielders."
"Keane is the most traditional type of central figure. He distributes the ball, organises the midfield, and takes responsibility for the defensive work."
"Beckham can also act as a metronome through his sudden long switches of play."
"Giggs changes the tempo with his pace, dribbling, and movement inside."
"Scholes influences the direction of the attack, while his ability to make sudden late runs from deep is exceptional."
"All four can control the tempo, and all four have different ways of changing it."
"So which one is the true central figure?"
Villas-Boas smiled.
"That is the source of Manchester United's strength. Their midfield operates almost entirely through understanding and chemistry."
"Whichever player recognises a weakness in the opposition is the one who changes the tempo and delivers the decisive blow."
Ethan was left almost speechless.
Whenever he had watched Manchester United in the past, he had simply thought their midfield was powerful.
He had never realised that, when analysed properly, it was this sophisticated.
A team with no fixed centre and no fixed pattern.
Was that not football at its most formless?
(To be continued.)