In recent years, the gulf in quality between the teams competing in the UEFA Cup had become increasingly obvious.
The opening round of qualifying had already produced several one-sided scorelines, prompting some to wonder whether the overall standard of the competition had declined.
UEFA's policies undoubtedly played a part.
Clubs from Europe's weaker footballing nations often dominated their domestic leagues but lacked the quality to compete internationally.
They could be overwhelmed not only by the leading clubs from Europe's five major leagues, but even by teams from those countries' second tiers.
Yet their domestic positions allowed them to qualify for European competition year after year.
In reality, many of them were little more than tourists.
They appeared, played their matches, and went home.
Participation mattered more than achievement.
Avenir Beggen, New Manchester United's opponents in the UEFA Cup qualifying round, were one of the strongest clubs in Luxembourg.
But they were strong only by Luxembourg's standards.
The country sat outside the top 100 of the FIFA rankings, possessed a small population, and had little footballing tradition.
The standard of its domestic league, and therefore its clubs, was not difficult to imagine.
Even so, Mourinho treated the away leg in Luxembourg seriously.
He again selected a 4-2-3-1 formation, the system he intended to use throughout the season.
He believed that fielding five midfielders would allow New Manchester United to dominate the centre of the pitch, apply greater pressure, and control matches more effectively.
Drogba started as the lone striker.
Ribéry and Hleb played on the wings, with Kaká operating centrally behind Drogba.
Juninho and Essien formed the midfield pair.
Evra, Terry, Curtis, and Kolo Touré made up the back four, while Čech started in goal.
It was the first European match in New Manchester United's history.
Almost five thousand passionate Red Rebels supporters travelled to Luxembourg.
Unfortunately, Beggen's ground held only four thousand spectators, leaving many of the visiting fans stranded outside the stadium.
The recent reputation of English supporters abroad also led the Luxembourg authorities to treat the occasion seriously.
A considerable police presence was deployed to maintain order.
As the competitive season progressed, New Manchester United were gradually finding their rhythm.
After winning both their league and League Cup matches, they produced another excellent tactical and technical performance in Luxembourg.
The Red Rebels dominated from beginning to end.
At times, Beggen appeared less like an opponent and more like a training partner as New Manchester United tore through their defence repeatedly and scored seven goals.
Drogba was outstanding.
He completed a hat-trick and provided two assists.
Hleb scored twice, while Juninho converted a direct free kick.
Villa, who replaced Drogba from the bench, added the final goal.
Despite the scale of the victory, it attracted little attention across Europe.
The English press, particularly newspapers and television stations in Manchester, covered it extensively.
Elsewhere, however, the response was muted.
That reflected the UEFA Cup's limited profile, particularly during the qualifying rounds.
Even Champions League qualifiers rarely attracted widespread attention.
Nevertheless, a 7-0 away victory gave New Manchester United the best possible beginning to their European campaign.
More impressive than the scoreline was the control they displayed.
Beggen were completely dictated to from the opening whistle and failed to produce even one sustained period of resistance.
Was European football really this easy?
Some of the New Manchester United players began feeling almost invincible.
Their confidence grew particularly quickly after seeing how completely they had dominated foreign opposition.
Mourinho had no intention of allowing that confidence to become arrogance.
...
"I suggest you take a careful look at this."
Mourinho slammed a thick bundle of reports onto the table in the meeting room at the training complex.
The players, who had been in excellent spirits only moments earlier, immediately stiffened.
The noisy room fell silent.
"I obtained these figures from Opta.
"We attempted 34 shots during the match.
"Impressive, isn't it? It sounds like a complete massacre.
"But only 14 were on target.
"Not even half.
"Would anyone like to explain that?"
Faria and the other assistants stood against the walls, quietly observing.
They knew the players were about to receive a harsh lesson.
Their confidence had become excessive after such an emphatic European victory.
For a squad made up largely of players in their early twenties, that reaction was understandable.
They were young and had experienced little at the highest level.
Mourinho still refused to tolerate it.
He understood that complacency could halt a team's progress faster than almost anything else.
New Manchester United had played with tremendous intensity the previous season.
After enduring the difficult early period of Mourinho's first year, the team had exploded into life and won three trophies.
It was a remarkable achievement.
Mourinho wanted even more that season.
Publicly, the club spoke about avoiding relegation.
Privately, Mourinho had already told Ethan that promotion to the Premier League was his true objective.
Anything less would be failure.
Complete failure.
Even winning the UEFA Cup would not compensate for missing promotion.
The most striking feature of New Manchester United's football was the force of their collective belief.
They were exceptionally good at building momentum and using it to overwhelm opponents.
It had begun when Ethan founded the Red Rebels and gave the club its identity.
Bruce then led them to consecutive promotions.
Mourinho added another promotion, followed by the previous season's treble.
With every success, the team's confidence and determination had grown stronger.
Why had they destroyed Ipswich and Beggen?
Because every New Manchester United player had entered those matches determined to dominate.
They wanted to suffocate their opponents, outfight them, and break their resistance completely.
Ability mattered, but mentality was just as important.
If one heavy defeat shattered that belief, rebuilding it would be extremely difficult.
Without it, what separated New Manchester United from a team like Ipswich?
The Red Rebels had beaten Beggen 7-0.
The following day, Ipswich defeated another European opponent 9-0 at home.
Did that suddenly make Ipswich a great team?
"You need to think carefully about your performance," Mourinho continued.
"We have always played efficient football, but against Beggen we became wasteful and careless.
"If you believe this club exists merely to humiliate opponents in the qualifying rounds before being humiliated ourselves once the real competition begins, then you are mistaken.
"Think about how New Manchester United reached this position in the first place."
Mourinho straightened and studied every player in the room.
Some remained composed.
Others had clearly allowed victory to affect their judgement.
That did not frighten him.
They were young and inexperienced.
It was precisely why he needed to intervene.
"In my opinion, none of you has any reason to be arrogant.
"Neither do I, nor do any of them."
He pointed towards his assistants.
"From the beginning, we have all fought for this club because we wanted to prove ourselves.
"In fact, there may be only one person here with genuine grounds for pride, and that is the owner.
"Have any of you ever seen him behave arrogantly?"
"He was named one of Time magazine's most influential people in the world last year.
"He appeared on the cover.
"He possesses extraordinary wealth.
"Yet have you ever seen him look down on anyone?
"He remains humble and just as determined as ever.
"What about you?
"What are you still fighting for?
"If you cannot answer that question, then I will answer it for you.
"You do not deserve to remain at this club."
Mourinho turned and left the meeting room.
The players remained behind in thoughtful silence.
They were young, but they were not foolish.
Every player capable of joining New Manchester United was intelligent enough to reflect, analyse, and understand what was in his own best interests.
As they considered Mourinho's words, they began to appreciate how extraordinary the club's rise had been.
Compared with everything New Manchester United had achieved, their individual contributions were only a small part of the story.
Without the club, what would any of them be?
Several players remembered what Mourinho had told Cristiano Ronaldo after the victory over Ipswich.
"Put your hand over your heart, Cristiano.
"Look at the crest and the name on the front of your shirt.
"Then remember that your own name is printed on the back for a reason.
"The name on the front will always matter more than the one on the back."
Curtis was the first to rise.
He glanced around at his teammates, left the meeting room, and knocked on Mourinho's office door.
After being invited inside, he stood before the manager with a solemn expression.
"I was wrong, Boss.
"I have nothing to be proud of.
"I'll accept whatever punishment you decide, and I promise I will never go clubbing during the season again."
After the victory over Beggen, reporters had photographed Curtis drinking in a bar in central Manchester.
He now regretted it deeply.
Evra entered next and admitted his mistake.
He had also been part of the group.
Terry, Essien, and several others followed.
They were close friends and had gone out together to celebrate the European victory.
By the following morning, photographs of the night had appeared across the front pages.
Eventually, the entire first-team squad crowded into Mourinho's office.
One after another, they admitted their mistakes and apologised.
Mourinho listened and nodded.
Despite his anger, he remained satisfied with the character of his players.
Compared with the scandals surrounding young footballers at many other clubs, New Manchester United's squad remained disciplined and positive.
Even so, he wanted them to become more professional and demonstrate greater commitment to the club.
"Very well.
"We have an agreement.
"When you make a mistake, you accept the consequences.
"Every player who went clubbing will be suspended for three matches and fined one week's wages.
"If this happens again, you will be placed on the transfer list."
Mourinho's tone left no room for negotiation.
(To be continued.)
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