In the second half of the preseason friendly, Mourinho changed the entire lineup.
Crouch became the lone striker, Wright-Phillips replaced Malouda, and Alou Diarra came on for Olić, immediately shifting the team into a 4-3-3 formation.
As Mourinho had said, a 4-3-3 demanded more from every position, but it also placed greater pressure on the opposition. Although it was an attacking formation, Mourinho's defensive requirements differed from Bruce's. He demanded that the entire team retreat in an organized manner, with both wingers dropping back. This transformed the formation into a 4-5-1, leaving only one striker up front.
Judging from their performance, the players were still somewhat unfamiliar with Mourinho's demands, particularly during transitions between attack and defense. There were still coordination problems between the two wingers and the full-backs. In addition, Terry and Distin, who replaced Gareth Turner in the fifty-fifth minute, lacked chemistry as a center-back partnership.
The clearest example came in the seventy-eighth minute.
Droylsden, who had been pinned inside their own half by New Manchester United throughout the second half, launched a counterattack. Richie Wellens used his impressive pace to cut inside before crossing into the penalty area. Neither Terry nor Distin recovered their positions in time.
Had Almunia, who replaced Schmeichel, not reacted so well, Jonathan Mitten would probably have scored.
Mourinho frowned on the touchline.
He had no doubts about the fighting spirit shown by the players on the pitch, but he was somewhat concerned about the team's ability to adapt to his new tactical system.
"Louis, it seems our most urgent task is not to make every player adapt immediately to the new tactics and movement system. We need to establish a settled starting lineup as quickly as possible," Mourinho said with concern as he watched the players on the pitch.
His assistant, Rui Faria, nodded.
"That's true. We have a new manager, and half the starting lineup has changed. We can't demand too much from them immediately. As for squad rotation, I think that should wait until the first-choice lineup has developed an understanding."
The League Two season contained a large number of matches, and it was impossible to complete the entire campaign with only one lineup. Rotation would therefore be essential.
However, Mourinho's current problem was that even the starting lineup had not yet developed enough cohesion, so how could he rotate the squad?
Rotation might even make things worse. Poor performances could damage the players' form and confidence, which would be disastrous.
Although New Manchester United's execution of the new tactics was still far from complete, their overall strength remained considerably greater than Droylsden's. They eventually won the friendly 3-0 with ease.
After the match, David Pace spoke emotionally to Ethan about his frustrations, but he also understood clearly that unless Droylsden increased their efforts, they would only fall further behind New Manchester United.
Mourinho led the players toward the stands after the final whistle to thank the supporters.
At the same time, Walsh announced on behalf of the club that all proceeds from the match would be used to establish a charitable foundation serving the local community. Ethan and David Pace would personally donate one million pounds and five hundred thousand pounds respectively.
Walsh also used the opportunity to inform the supporters that he had reached a preliminary agreement with the FA to stage a charity cup match at the stadium before every season.
The competition would provisionally be named the Newton Heath Cup. All ticket revenue, commercial sponsorship income, and other proceeds from the competition would be transferred to the charitable foundation and used to serve the community.
Walsh's announcement immediately drew loud cheers from the supporters.
Most of them were ordinary local people. When they heard that the club they supported was taking their welfare so seriously, how could they not be moved?
After returning to the Newton Heath training ground, several local journalists who had heard the news from the Butcher's Arms Ground rushed over.
Scarlett even secured an exclusive interview with Ethan.
During the interview, Ethan explained that this was one of New Manchester United's initiatives to serve its supporters. In the future, the club would continue introducing more measures to help both supporters and players.
"I remember the famous Scottish manager Jock Stein once said, 'Football is nothing without fans.'
"New Manchester United was founded by supporters, so it will always belong to them and serve them!"
The following day, Ethan's words appeared on the front page of the Manchester Evening News.
His statement caused a considerable response among football supporters throughout Manchester, with many showing their support for Ethan's actions by donating generously to the Red Rebels Charity Foundation.
The response was so strong that even many overseas supporters expressed their desire to contribute.
Ethan therefore added a donation section to New Manchester United's official website, allowing supporters from abroad to make direct contributions.
Some supporters were poor, while others were wealthy, but the foundation treated everyone equally.
Whether someone donated one pound, two pounds, dozens of pounds, or hundreds, New Manchester United's supporter relations department carefully recorded every contribution and sent a small, carefully designed charity gift to the address provided by the donor.
Once the foundation had been formally established, it would also create a complete archive containing the names and information of every donor.
Every expense and source of income would be publicly disclosed online. Supporters who donated physical items would also receive thank-you cards or receipts explaining where their contributions had been sent and how they had been used.
To make this possible, Ethan partnered with a local Manchester charity when the foundation was created. The organization sent experienced staff to assist New Manchester United with the management and organization of its charitable work.
The initiative caused a considerable reaction throughout Manchester and the rest of England.
Although New Manchester United had made no deliberate effort to publicize the matter, the English media had no intention of ignoring such a newsworthy story. They examined every detail and reported it extensively.
This indirectly helped New Manchester United gain wider recognition, while David Pace and Droylsden also benefited greatly.
...
While Ethan and Walsh planned the foundation, New Manchester United's preseason training and friendly schedule continued in an orderly manner.
After the match against Droylsden, Mourinho began deliberately establishing a settled starting lineup before focusing on building understanding within that core group.
The lineup remained unchanged in both training sessions and preseason matches.
Mourinho initially preferred Crouch at center-forward.
However, after two preseason matches, he discovered to his dismay that despite the striker's enormous height advantage, his heading ability was poor and he lacked physical strength. He could barely hold his ground inside the penalty area.
Crouch could cope against less physical center-backs, but once he encountered strong defenders, he struggled badly.
Kitson, by contrast, performed well in the preseason matches.
His displays were not spectacular, but his presence inside the penalty area caught Mourinho's attention.
Kitson was also 1.91 meters tall, and as a former center-back, he had a powerful build. At eighty-two kilograms, he was a genuine penalty-box battering ram.
As for the center-back pairing, Mourinho designated Gareth Turner as a backup.
John Terry was the defensive leader Mourinho had personally chosen, while Distin and Hangeland competed for the other starting position.
Based on their preseason performances, Distin clearly held the advantage over Hangeland because he was faster. Hangeland shared Terry's weakness, which was his slow turning speed.
Mourinho had firmly established Abidal as the first-choice left-back, leaving Evra in a substitute role.
Similarly, Essien, the young player who had impressed at the Under-17 World Cup, lost his starting place to the newly arrived Alou Diarra.
Both players were somewhat dissatisfied.
However, they did not go so far as to rebel. After speaking with Mourinho, they appeared to recognize their own weaknesses and trained with even greater enthusiasm, clearly hoping to impress him through their effort.
It was under these circumstances that New Manchester United welcomed Everton, Liverpool's fierce rivals, to the City Stadium.
...
Everton at the time were far from the Premier League force they would later become under David Moyes.
For several consecutive seasons, their main objective had been to avoid relegation. Their overall strength ranked somewhere between the lower half and the bottom of the Premier League.
Even so, Everton remained a Premier League club.
That summer, they had signed the English football prodigy Paul Gascoigne, the formidable Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen from Hamburg, who would later join Real Madrid, and Italian defender Alessandro Pistone from Newcastle.
Although Nick Barmby, who had enjoyed an excellent season the previous year, had transferred to Liverpool, Everton's overall strength had not declined significantly.
Gravesen's arrival, in particular, injected fresh energy and aggression into their midfield.
Everton's performance in the friendly clearly demonstrated the frightening attacking power and overall superiority of a Premier League side.
Their speed during transitions between attack and defense was especially impressive, and they repeatedly forced New Manchester United to play at their tempo.
New Manchester United used a 4-3-3 formation in the match, but because they were pushed back for long periods, it looked more like a 4-5-1.
Kitson was left isolated up front as the lone striker, but he was largely marked out of the match and struggled to make any meaningful impact.
However, although New Manchester United's counterattacks repeatedly came to nothing, Everton were unable to turn their dominance into goals.
Whenever Everton entered New Manchester United's half, they were met with ruthless defensive resistance.
Every player on the pitch strictly followed Mourinho's prematch instructions, protecting every inch of space inside their own half.
Everton still managed to create several opportunities through individual skill, but they ultimately failed to score.
The match ended in a dull 0-0 draw.
Even so, it once again showed New Manchester United the strength of a Premier League side, particularly a traditional English team like Everton that emphasized physical challenges and fast transitions between attack and defense.
Of course, this was Everton's first friendly after returning from their training camp, so the players were inevitably short of match sharpness.
That was also one of the main reasons New Manchester United had managed to defend their own half so effectively.
Regardless, Mourinho's team had successfully passed their test against Premier League opposition.
(To be continued.)