Young players were generally more relaxed and disliked too many restrictions, especially those who had already achieved a little success. Without realising it, they often began to show a trace of pride.
That pride might not weaken their determination to keep improving, but it was still something Mourinho would never tolerate.
Several of the club's new signings arrived at the training ground on time. However, a few players were still taking their time in the dressing room, chatting about their holidays and completely unaware of what was happening outside.
Essien, De Rossi, Evra, and David Green formed the younger group in the first-team squad. They all lived near Newton Heath, often spent time together, and had become close friends.
They also got along well with several academy players, so many supporters already regarded them as part of the club's own generation.
The four gathered in the dressing room, laughing loudly as they discussed where they had gone on holiday and what they had done, completely ignoring the fact that most of their teammates had already left.
They became so absorbed in the conversation that they almost wished they could remain in the dressing room and skip training entirely.
Crouch, Abidal, Distin, Steinsson, and Poulsen formed another close group. All of them had been important players on the pitch and had spent an entire season together.
After nearly two months apart, they had plenty to talk about.
However, when they finally strolled out of the dressing room, they discovered that their teammates and the coaching staff were already standing in neat lines. The scene looked almost like a military inspection.
The sight startled them.
They immediately hurried toward the group, found their places, and stood properly.
Beside Mourinho, Faria checked the stopwatch in his hand and carefully recorded the names of the players who had just appeared, along with the exact time each one joined the line.
Hleb and Almunia emerged shortly afterward.
Then the doorway remained empty.
Another two minutes passed before Essien and the others finally left the dressing room, still laughing and talking.
The moment they saw the scene on the training pitch, they reacted exactly as the others had.
They sprinted toward the line, each trying to reach his position first.
Inside the training building, Ethan stood beside a window where the players could not see him, watching everything unfold with an amused smile.
He knew those young troublemakers were about to suffer.
Mourinho showed no impatience.
He waited calmly until Essien and the others had formed a proper line. Only then did he step forward from the coaching staff and stand before the players.
"Good morning, champions. Congratulations."
A false smile appeared on Mourinho's face.
"You won the league and cup double last season and secured promotion for the second year in a row. That is an excellent achievement, and you deserve praise."
The players were still young and failed to notice anything wrong with his tone.
They burst into laughter, thinking their new manager seemed pleasant and easy to deal with.
"My name is José Mourinho, and I am your new manager. I previously worked as an assistant coach at Barcelona."
"This is my first job as the manager of a professional team. My record as a head coach is empty. You could even say I have no experience at all."
"So, should I do something badly or make any of you unhappy, you may speak to me directly, anytime and anywhere. My office door will always be open."
The players liked what they heard.
It seemed to prove that the new manager was friendly and willing to discuss anything.
They soon abandoned that impression completely.
"But!"
Mourinho deliberately raised his voice, startling the young players.
"Before any of that, I think we should settle a few accounts."
He took a sheet of figures from Faria, then smiled and waved it toward the squad.
"Eric, Peter, you were one minute and twenty-one seconds late. I'm counting from the moment you entered the line."
"Silvan, Christian, you were one minute and thirty-six seconds late."
Mourinho looked at them.
"I must say, your ability to organise yourselves is terrible. Perhaps next time I should paint a white line on the pitch so you know exactly where to stand."
Several players immediately laughed.
Those whose names had been called did not find it amusing.
Essien and the other youngsters laughed the loudest, but their smiles soon disappeared as well.
Faria had recorded the exact moment each player joined the line.
The last group had been almost four minutes late.
Essien and the others quickly realised the seriousness of the situation.
"In the dressing room, I placed a small booklet inside each of your lockers. Did any of you notice it?"
Mourinho raised a copy in his hand.
"It was directly beneath your training kit."
The players stirred uneasily.
Some had not noticed it at all.
Others had seen it but paid no attention and simply tossed it aside.
Poulsen had even thrown his copy into the rubbish bin.
"Christian, I should remind you that after training, you had better search through the bin and find it."
Mourinho looked directly at him.
"And try not to get it dirty. Otherwise, I'll be delighted to see how good your handwriting is when you copy the entire thing by hand."
Poulsen's expression immediately turned miserable.
He clearly remembered that after throwing the booklet away, Hleb had dumped more rubbish on top of it.
"The booklet clearly states that anyone less than five minutes late will receive additional training."
"Anyone more than five minutes late will be fined, and serious or repeated offences may lead to suspension."
Mourinho's smile now looked almost devilish.
"So I'm pleased to tell you that no one will lose any money from his account today."
"But the rest of your day is going to be unpleasant."
A chill ran through the players.
"Although I would very much like to punish you immediately, Professor Fryer needs to collect your post-holiday physical data."
"So all of you will report to The Lab now."
Mourinho paused.
"I'll deal with you afterward."
The players initially breathed a sigh of relief.
Then they remembered what would be waiting for them later, and none of them could feel happy.
Their steps toward The Lab became noticeably heavier.
Once the players had left, Mourinho led the coaching staff around the training area that had been prepared for the session.
He inspected every piece of equipment carefully and overlooked nothing.
"Honestly, José, without conventional fitness drills, can this really prepare the players for an entire season?" Schmeichel asked.
As a professional footballer, he understood how important preseason conditioning was in England.
He raised the issue because Mourinho was new to the country. Schmeichel worried that Mourinho might apply methods suited to leagues with a winter break, only to discover too late how punishing the English schedule could be.
"I understand your concern, Peter," Mourinho replied. "But I'm not afraid of the winter schedule. I know what it involves, and I believe we can handle it."
He then looked around at the rest of the staff.
"And what you just did was exactly right. Speak openly to me."
"We are partners. We should be able to discuss everything. That applies to every one of you."
Mourinho's confidence and directness immediately impressed the coaching staff, especially Darren Lyons and Karl Marginson.
Both had only recently retired and were still taking their first steps into coaching.
Almost every issue felt new, unfamiliar, and interesting to them.
"We use ball-based training because it helps the players understand one another more quickly and develop chemistry faster," Faria explained confidently.
"If the intensity is high enough, ball work can provide physical benefits equal to traditional conditioning drills."
"Exactly," Mourinho added. "That is why all twenty-four players must give one hundred percent in every session."
"They may be young. They may enjoy nightlife and parties."
He smiled slightly.
"But that won't matter, because soon they won't have the energy for either."
The coaching staff burst into laughter.
They were beginning to realise that Mourinho was not nearly as cold or distant as he appeared. He was also an intelligent and engaging manager.
Some people naturally possessed the ability to make others believe in them.
Ethan had it.
Mourinho had it too.
...
When the players returned from The Lab, the coaching staff were already waiting on the pitch.
Under Faria's direction, they first completed a thorough warm-up.
Because Mourinho preferred ball-based sessions and intended to train at high intensity, Faria had to ensure the players were fully prepared beforehand to reduce the risk of injury.
As Mourinho had promised, the session contained a large amount of ball work.
That did not mean the training was easy.
Quite the opposite.
After ninety minutes of relentless, high-intensity work, every player looked miserable.
The less powerful players with weaker stamina suffered most.
Ribéry, in particular, was pushed so hard that he nearly collapsed on the pitch.
Once the session ended, Mourinho allowed the players a short rest before sending them together to the dining area inside the training building.
Every meal had been prepared by The Lab according to the individual player's physical condition and personal preferences.
Mourinho's booklet required the entire squad to eat together after training.
The rule was intended to prevent players from following unsuitable diets, and The Lab was given full authority over the process.
While the squad ate, Ethan watched from outside the dining room.
He had observed Mourinho's entire first session and was very satisfied.
At the very least, it had shown that the Portuguese manager was capable of establishing control over everyone in the squad, including respected figures such as Schmeichel.
That was a very good sign.
Just as Ethan began to relax, his phone rang.
"Hello, David."
It was Beckham.
"Fancy meeting for lunch, Ethan?" Beckham asked.
"Of course. I'm hungry too," Ethan replied immediately.
He knew Beckham had been dealing with a great deal of trouble recently.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ 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.)