"There is no such thing as a perfect formation, but I have to admit that Manchester United's midfield is a textbook example and well worth studying," Mourinho said with admiration.
"At the same time, that combination reduces the effect that fluctuations in individual form can have on the team."
Because the system had no single focal point, the entire team would not collapse simply because one player was out of form. It would take extraordinarily bad luck for all four midfielders to struggle at the same time, and the chances of that happening were extremely small.
"As we just discussed, Jim, the academy must place even greater emphasis on coordinating the players' movement and keeping the correct distances between them."
Mourinho continued, "It is extremely difficult to regain possession once the ball has been lost, so our first priority must be to make the most of every spell of possession."
Cassel immediately nodded in agreement, thoroughly convinced.
"I've watched the footage from the previous two seasons and now have a reasonable understanding of the squad. Many of our players are very capable, but professional football is completely different from the amateur game."
"For that reason, our main focus next season will be defence."
Mourinho walked back to the tactical board.
"Last season, the team often defended with a high back line. That worked very well in the amateur leagues, where teams were generally less organised and tactically disciplined, and the results were excellent."
"But professional football is different. Every club is judged by results, and tactical discipline is much stronger."
"Playing with a high defensive line places much greater demands on the defenders and carries considerably more risk, especially when the holding midfielder is caught out of position."
"If that happens, the opposition can attack our back line directly. I don't like that."
When the defensive line pushed forward, the entire formation had to remain compact during transitions. The defenders could not simply retreat on their own.
Otherwise, the distance between defence, midfield, and attack would become too great, allowing the opposition to play through the team far too easily.
Under those circumstances, counterattacks became extremely dangerous. If the holding midfielder failed to recover his position, the demands placed on the defenders, especially the center-backs, increased dramatically.
"I prefer the team to retreat in an organised manner," Mourinho continued.
"The holding midfielder's first responsibility is to protect his position and screen the defence."
"The midfielders and forwards must counter-press immediately after possession is lost. Their task is to slow the opposition, disrupt their rhythm, and prevent them from entering the thirty-two-metre zone in front of our goal."
"Someone once calculated that ninety-seven percent of goals are scored from within that area."
"As long as we prevent the opposition from entering it easily, our defending has been successful."
He looked around the room.
"And this brings us back to what we discussed earlier. Off-the-ball movement is important in attack, but it is equally important in defence."
"We need to learn how to use intelligent and coordinated movement to cut the connection between the player in possession and his teammates."
"That will be one of our main areas of work."
Everyone immediately gained a clearer understanding of Mourinho's coaching style.
It was cautious, but not conservative.
His stability was based on the entire team. He tried to anticipate every possibility, prepare a specific response for each one, and ultimately ensure that the team achieved the desired result.
"There is something else I want to ask," Mourinho said. "What is the strongest form of cooperation between players?"
Everyone fell silent.
Even Cassel, despite his many years in Manchester United's academy, found the question difficult to interpret and did not know how to answer.
After a moment, Mourinho gave them the answer himself.
"Triangles."
"Whether attacking or defending, a triangle is the strongest structure."
"The Egyptian pyramids are triangular, which is why they have survived countless centuries of wind and sand."
"A football team works in much the same way."
"Players should operate in small groups of three. From now on, this will be a major focus in both the academy and the first team."
"In attack, we will use combinations between three players to progress gradually through the pitch."
"In defence, groups of three will support one another and control specific areas."
"From there, the structure expands. A single triangle becomes several interconnected units, and eventually the entire team moves in support of one another."
"This will give us considerable flexibility in both attack and defence and allow us to adapt to different situations."
This was clearly another concept Mourinho had brought with him from Barcelona.
Ethan remembered hearing that Barcelona's academy and first team placed great emphasis on combinations between groups of three players.
The approach fit perfectly with Mourinho's own philosophy, which also relied on using triangular relationships to control space in both attack and defence.
A thought suddenly occurred to Ethan.
In his previous life, Barcelona had been the leading example of possession-based control. Mourinho had become one of the great representatives of space control, while Manchester United had excelled through their system of off-the-ball movement.
Now, all three ideas had converged at New Manchester United.
What kind of reaction would that create within the club's tactical system?
Some people had once said that Mourinho learned only the surface of Barcelona's football rather than its true essence, particularly their structured positional play.
That meant the teams he later coached were generally limited to controlling space.
But now he had access to Manchester United's off-the-ball movement system, one that even Cruyff had admired.
What would happen when those ideas were combined?
Ethan had to admit that he was eager to find out.
What he did not realise was that Mourinho was even more excited than he was.
Mourinho had joined New Manchester United because he wanted the opportunity to put his own tactical philosophy into practice.
He had never expected to find someone like Cassel already at the club.
Over the previous two years, Cassel had helped New Manchester United build the foundations of an off-the-ball movement system, from the academy all the way to the first team.
Even more importantly, Cassel understood Manchester United's system in great detail.
He had worked closely with Eric Harrison, and Mourinho could learn from him in areas where his own knowledge remained incomplete.
This made Mourinho feel that he had been given the perfect opportunity to develop and refine his coaching philosophy.
Every manager needed a philosophy and a system of his own.
Mourinho was still searching for his.
At that moment, he suddenly felt that joining New Manchester United had been one of the wisest decisions of his career.
"Beyond training and tactics, I also have several ideas regarding the squad," Mourinho continued.
"First, we currently have only three strikers. Each has different qualities, and I'm satisfied with all of them."
"However, if we could add another technically gifted forward, it would give us more variety in attack."
"Don't worry, José. I've already started working on a deal for that kind of player," Ethan said.
"I'll have his reports sent to your office later. He's an Argentine named Rodrigo Palacio, and he's an excellent prospect."
Mourinho nodded.
He had watched New Manchester United's match footage and had a general understanding of the players' ability.
More importantly, he knew that Ethan had personally selected many of them.
He trusted Ethan's eye for talent.
"We also need two wingers," Mourinho continued. "Preferably players with pace and strong technical ability."
Krzynówek had joined Birmingham, Darren Lyons had retired and moved into coaching, while Richie Wellens had left for Droylsden on a free transfer.
That left Hleb as the only natural winger in the squad.
Olić could also play on the left, but the team was clearly short of options out wide.
"Don't worry. I already have a suitable candidate in mind," Ethan replied.
"I'll discuss him with you after the meeting. I've also asked the scouts to look for another option."
Three natural wingers, with Olić and Palacio also able to cover the flanks, should be enough for the following season.
"With Karl retiring and several other players leaving, we currently have four central midfielders: Juninho, De Rossi, Poulsen, and Essien."
"Essien is young and talented, but he is not yet consistent enough."
"De Rossi is also very young and cannot be relied upon as a regular starter yet."
"I need another midfielder with proven ability."
Ethan agreed.
He had already begun searching his memory for players who fit Mourinho's requirements and might be willing to join New Manchester United.
"Finally, I need another center-back and a right-back."
"The right-back must be quick, capable of contributing in attack, and willing to recover defensively."
Everyone understood Mourinho's reasoning.
His tactics demanded constant off-the-ball movement. A player such as Steinsson, who was tall but relatively slow, would find it difficult to establish himself as the first-choice full-back.
Mourinho expected his full-backs to push forward and support the attack.
"I may have someone in mind for right-back," Villas-Boas said with a smile.
Once everyone's attention turned toward him, he continued.
"José Bosingwa, from Boavista in the Portuguese top flight."
"He spent last season on loan at Freamunde in the third tier, although he did not play very often."
"He's still only eighteen. He's extremely quick and contributes well in both attack and defence."
"I think he could be a very good option."
Through Lourenço, Mourinho knew that Villas-Boas had an extensive knowledge of Portuguese football. He also trusted the young scout's judgment, so the recommendation immediately caught his interest.
He turned toward Ethan.
The moment Ethan heard Bosingwa's name, he remembered that Mourinho would later sign him for Porto and eventually take him to Chelsea.
He was a very capable right-back.
"The question is whether he would be willing to join a League Two club in England," Ethan said with a smile.
"I have some contact with him," Villas-Boas replied. "I can try to persuade him, but we would need to promise him playing time."
Mourinho considered it briefly before answering.
"If he proves he is good enough, he will start."
Villas-Boas understood exactly what Mourinho meant and nodded.
"My concern is that Boavista will not let him leave cheaply, especially for a foreign club."
"They have financial problems, so I doubt the fee would be less than two hundred thousand euros."
"Go ahead and negotiate," Ethan said with a smile. "We'll pay in cash."
Ethan had no doubts about the value of signing Bosingwa.
His words also excited Mourinho and the others who had recently joined the club.
They now understood that Ethan truly was willing to invest, just as he had promised.
In modern football, achieving success without spending money was almost unheard of.
Even Arsène Wenger, despite his reputation for careful spending, had invested heavily in Arsenal's squad that year.
(To be continued.)