After drawing at home against Everton, New Manchester United performed well in their next two preseason friendlies, winning 1-0 and 2-1 respectively, bringing their seven preseason matches to an end.
Their excellent performances in those friendlies gave New Manchester United supporters plenty to look forward to in the new season. Although the strength of the opponents had varied, New Manchester United had controlled most of the matches apart from the one against Everton. In particular, the players' energy and movement on the pitch gave the supporters high hopes for the team.
Under those circumstances, New Manchester United finally welcomed their first League Two match after a week of rest.
As the opening match of the new season, New Manchester United attached great importance to it. They arrived in Shrewsbury, northwest of Birmingham, two days in advance, training at a local school as they prepared for the upcoming League Two fixture.
After seven preseason matches, Mourinho decided to start Kitson as the lone striker, with Crouch kept as a surprise option. The rest of the lineup remained largely unchanged. Malouda and Hleb played on the wings, Juninho Pernambucano, Alou Diarra, and Poulsen formed the midfield, while the back four, from left to right, consisted of Abidal, Terry, Distin, and Bosingwa, with Schmeichel in goal.
This starting lineup had performed well against Everton and continued to impress in the later preseason friendlies. Kitson's intimidating presence in the penalty area, in particular, made Mourinho's 4-3-3 system with wingers even more effective.
However, this starting lineup, which both Mourinho and the New Manchester United supporters had high hopes for, believing it could achieve something in League Two this season, ran into stubborn resistance from the home side at the Prostar Stadium, located beside the railway line on the outskirts of Shrewsbury.
Shrewsbury had performed terribly in League Two the previous season. If they had not pulled off an unexpected upset against Rochdale in the final round, they would have been relegated to the National League. It was also because of that match that Rochdale lost their playoff place and ultimately failed to earn promotion.
This season, Shrewsbury's preseason form had still been poor, with two draws and three defeats from five matches, and their opponents had not been particularly strong. Because of that, New Manchester United supporters were very confident before the match.
But who would have thought that Shrewsbury would land a heavy blow on New Manchester United from the very start?
In the third minute, after Shrewsbury launched wave after wave of fierce attacks against New Manchester United's defence, a cross from the left found their tall number 9 striker unmarked in the middle. He headed the ball past Schmeichel.
During the goal, Bosingwa had pushed forward and failed to recover in time, allowing the opposition left winger to cross with ease. In the middle, Terry and Distin both lost their markers, giving the number 9 striker a simple opportunity to take.
That made Mourinho so furious on the touchline that he almost rushed onto the pitch to drag the players off and scold them.
He had repeatedly reminded them before the match to pay close attention to the opposition's left-wing crosses, especially at the beginning of the game, and to keep a close watch on their tall number 9 striker, never giving him easy chances in front of goal.
But Terry and Distin had both ignored his instructions. Neither of them had appeared in their assigned positions in time, which left Mourinho deeply disappointed.
"Hey, you lot, do you want to find out what happens when we get back?" Mourinho roared from the touchline, gesturing sharply. "Do you remember what I told you before the match? Push up, all of you, push up!"
Perhaps sensing their manager's anger, the players on the pitch no longer dared to be careless.
Bosingwa, in particular, became far more cautious at right-back. Whenever Malouda and Abidal pushed forward down the left, he would first consider the space behind him before dropping slightly deeper to hold his position.
As a result, Shrewsbury's counterattacks gradually began to be contained by New Manchester United.
However, the opponent's defence was also extremely stubborn. They gave nothing away and refused to allow New Manchester United even the slightest advantage.
In that situation, New Manchester United adopted a more direct approach, looking for Kitson up front and using him as the team's focal point, while Malouda and Hleb formed the second wave of attack.
As a result, the tactics began to resemble those Bruce had used the previous season, only with Kitson replacing Žigić, Malouda replacing Kržinović, and the defensive responsibilities slightly adjusted. Poulsen took on Essien's role from last season, while Alou Diarra played a role similar to Poulsen's old one.
With just a small adjustment, the team's attack came to life.
Juninho, in particular, began to push forward more decisively from midfield. He became more daring with his dribbling and passing, knowing that Poulsen and Alou Diarra would cover for him.
Although Alou Diarra's stamina and strength in midfield were not as impressive as Essien's, he could provide Juninho with a stable passing option behind him. His passing and off-the-ball movement were better than Essien's, which greatly reduced Juninho's pressure.
In addition, Alou Diarra's height in the center improved New Manchester United's ability to win aerial balls in midfield, and he was not afraid of physical challenges. That was why Mourinho had chosen him as a starter.
However, Shrewsbury clearly noticed New Manchester United's adjustment and immediately dropped deeper, intending to protect their lead.
Even though it was still only the first half, that did not stop them from becoming conservative. They believed that if New Manchester United failed to score for long enough, they would eventually expose gaps again, and that would be Shrewsbury's best chance to secure victory.
...
It seemed the opponent's strategy had worked.
Throughout the first half, New Manchester United dominated the match, but they simply could not find a way through Shrewsbury's goal.
During halftime, Mourinho told the team to play with more patience, since New Manchester United had firmly controlled the first half.
However, he also reminded the players to be alert to the opponent's counterattacks while attacking, because he had noticed Shrewsbury's quick left winger constantly lurking around New Manchester United's defensive line.
In that situation, conceding another goal would be fatal.
With a goal in hand, Shrewsbury played without any urgency.
Their defence was like a fortress, giving New Manchester United no clear chances at all. New Manchester United's attack also seemed short of variation, as they kept looking instinctively for Kitson as the focal point.
Shrewsbury's manager had already noticed this during halftime, so he instructed his center-backs to focus on marking Kitson. That immediately stifled New Manchester United's attacking plan.
"José, this isn't working!" Villas-Boas came over and reminded Mourinho.
Mourinho nodded with a stern expression.
From the flow of the match, New Manchester United had an absolute advantage, but they had not created many chances that truly threatened the opponent. Shrewsbury had clearly made up their mind to defend.
"Rodrigo!" Mourinho shouted toward the bench.
Palacio sprang up from the bench, and Villas-Boas immediately signalled for him to warm up.
A few minutes later, the situation on the pitch remained unchanged.
Mourinho called over Palacio, who had been warming up on the sideline.
"When you go on, you'll play as a striker alongside Dave. I'll tell them to pass to you as much as possible. Use your technique and speed.
"Remember, don't hesitate and don't be afraid of losing the ball. We have the advantage right now. Even if we lose possession, they won't be able to counter easily.
"You need to keep attacking their defence with Alexander. Understand?"
Amid the deafening cheers from the stands, Mourinho patted Palacio firmly on the shoulder, signalling him to go on. Then he walked back toward the touchline.
Taking advantage of a stoppage in play, Mourinho called Juninho Pernambucano over and instructed him to stop playing high balls from then on. Instead, he wanted the team to keep the ball on the ground and pass more often to Palacio.
At the same time, he told Alou Diarra and Poulsen to drop deeper and focus on defending, because the team was switching to a 3-5-2 formation.
Was he joking?
This was José Mourinho's first official match as a manager. How could he lose?
Palacio replaced Bosingwa, who had performed poorly in the match.
After coming on, he partnered Kitson up front, and the team immediately shifted to a 3-5-2. Alou Diarra and Poulsen operated as a double pivot, with Juninho Pernambucano playing as the central attacking midfielder. The rest of the lineup remained unchanged.
As a result, New Manchester United's pressure on Shrewsbury became even more complete.
After Palacio came on, he was extremely active. His speed, dribbling, and ability to beat defenders stood out in the New Manchester United team.
Soon after entering the match, he produced a neat piece of skill, stopping suddenly before accelerating past an opposition defender. That immediately reignited the cheers of the New Manchester United supporters, who had been frustrated for a long time.
After Palacio's introduction, the players on both flanks were also brought to life, especially Hleb on the right.
With his own excellent technique, he linked up smoothly with Palacio, throwing the opposition defence into chaos.
In the eighty-first minute, Palacio dribbled past an opposing defender and played a diagonal pass to Hleb, who had moved toward the byline.
Hleb looked up, spotted Kitson in the box, and decisively sent in a cross.
Kitson, who had been frustrated for eighty minutes, firmly held off the opposing center-back behind him and headed the fast-arriving ball.
The ball flew past the goalkeeper and into the net.
1-1!
After scoring, Kitson was visibly excited, and New Manchester United's morale soared. They were full of confidence that they could still win the match.
However, Shrewsbury's manager clearly had no intention of letting New Manchester United get their way.
He conservatively decided that taking one point from the opening round would still be a good result, so he brought on another defensive player.
In the end, New Manchester United's first professional match, as well as Mourinho's first official match as a manager, ended regretfully in a 1-1 draw.
Despite holding a clear advantage, their failure to secure victory left the entire team feeling frustrated.
But this was only the beginning!
(To be continued.)
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