"Tempo is an abstract concept, and many people misunderstand it.
"They assume tempo simply refers to how quickly players run, and that controlling it means directing their movement.
"That is not correct."
After training, Redondo began explaining his ideas beside one of the academy pitches.
His audience quickly grew.
Michael Johnson, Essien, De Rossi, and even Juninho gathered around him, while several members of the coaching staff also came to listen.
All of them paid close attention, almost like students attending a lecture.
"Anyone here who has received professional coaching will know that tempo is defined by the sensation created by the movement of the ball.
"It is something you feel, which is why the idea can seem so abstract.
"The speed of the game is determined by how quickly the ball moves, not by how quickly the players run."
As Redondo shared his understanding, he resembled an experienced teacher.
The younger players, particularly Michael Johnson, listened with obvious admiration.
"Tempo is crucial both in attack and defence.
"If you play at one speed throughout a match, your opponents will quickly become familiar with the movement of the ball.
"They will anticipate your passing and take up their positions earlier.
"At that point, your circulation becomes ineffective.
"That is when you need to change the tempo."
Redondo smiled.
"Some people may ask whether playing quickly is always better.
"I don't believe it is.
"Even if your team can play at extraordinary speed, what then?
"A football match lasts ninety minutes.
"Can you find eleven superhuman players capable of maintaining the same intensity for the entire match?
"And even if you could, how would they identify gaps in the opposition or deliver accurate passes while the ball was moving so quickly?"
"To play at a high tempo, you need excellent technique, vision, and an exceptional understanding of the game.
"The faster the ball moves, the greater the demands on all three.
"Maintaining that speed for ninety minutes is impossible.
"That is the weakness of many English clubs, and of the England national team.
"They lack the ability to control the tempo."
"If we look across English football, Beckham is probably the player with the greatest understanding of tempo.
"Both Keegan and Eriksson have tried using him in central midfield, hoping he could dictate the pace and slow the game down when necessary.
"Neither attempt succeeded.
"Why?"
"So controlling the tempo isn't something one player can do alone?" De Rossi asked, immediately recognising Redondo's point.
"Exactly."
Redondo gave him an approving look.
The young Italian was intelligent.
"Tempo never belongs to one player.
"If ten of the eleven players are moving the ball and transitioning at full speed, how can the remaining player slow everything down?
"He will be forced to accelerate simply to remain connected with the team.
"That is England's greatest problem."
Ethan listened from the touchline and found himself deeply impressed.
As a transmigrator, he knew Redondo's analysis was remarkably accurate.
In later years, many experts discussing England would argue that the national team lacked a true controlling presence in midfield.
The issue went far beyond debates about Scholes and Gerrard.
At its heart, the problem was tempo.
Who controlled the rhythm of England's matches?
"Movement without the ball is vital," Redondo continued.
"But that movement must still be built around the team's tempo.
"In my view, as modern football develops, trying to dominate possession high in the final third becomes increasingly ineffective.
"Teams are placing greater emphasis on defence.
"As a result, the main area of possession has moved deeper into midfield, often towards the team's own half.
"That places it in the territory of the holding midfielder, where the team can prepare both its attack and its defensive transition."
"Many people ask why the holding midfielder is so important.
"Some teams use their full-backs to change the pace suddenly through overlapping runs.
"That can be very effective because the movement is unexpected.
"But it cannot be sustained for an entire match.
"You cannot ask both full-backs to make constant forward runs without consequence.
"Their position also imposes natural limitations.
"The holding midfielder, by contrast, occupies the ideal area of the pitch for controlling tempo, both because of his position and because of his role."
Redondo smiled with a hint of admiration.
"Consider why Barcelona's use of the holding midfielder has been so successful.
"By placing the player who dictates the tempo deeper, they reduce the distance and time required to move between attack and defence.
"That improves efficiency.
"The player controlling the tempo also controls the transition between the two phases.
"What could be more efficient than that?"
"Using a holding midfielder as the team's central reference point offers another advantage.
"It stretches the opposition's defensive shape and creates more attacking space in the final third.
"A fist strikes harder after it has first been drawn back.
"When the moment comes to attack, the holding midfielder and the rest of the team should already understand where the opposition is vulnerable.
"They can then accelerate suddenly, exploit that weakness in the quickest and most direct manner possible, and deliver the decisive blow."
"But if the holding midfielder remains deeper during the attack, doesn't the team need another player ahead of him to connect the play?" Michael Johnson asked.
He had also understood Redondo's point quickly.
Redondo regarded the young Mancunian highly.
Johnson possessed good physical qualities, while his technique was simple, efficient, and free of unnecessary flourishes.
His passing also had a distinctive quality.
With the right development, he could become an excellent midfield metronome.
"Of course," Redondo replied.
"Think about Manchester United's famous four-man midfield.
"Who dictated the tempo?
"Roy Keane.
"But the other three midfielders also helped change it.
"When United attacked, they helped determine the direction and speed of the move.
"That was what made their midfield so dangerous.
"In most teams, the player ahead of the holding midfielder becomes the attacking reference point in the final third.
"That role is usually performed by an attacking midfielder or a withdrawn forward."
Ethan immediately thought of AC Milan's future partnership between Pirlo and Kaká.
Pirlo would dictate the tempo from deep, while Kaká would serve as the attacking focal point.
Their understanding would allow Milan to overwhelm many of Europe's greatest clubs.
New Manchester United were already using a similar structure.
Juninho acted as the metronome, while Kaká became the attacking reference point.
Juninho might not possess Pirlo's eventual world-class command of tempo, but his ability was more than sufficient for the Red Rebels to dominate League One and compete strongly in the UEFA Cup.
That advantage was particularly significant in England, where many teams lacked genuine control over the pace of a match.
"Modern football is placing greater emphasis on efficiency," Redondo continued.
"That applies to both shooting and passing.
"When should you deliver the ball to an attacking player in the final third?
"At the moment he is directly facing the opposition's defensive line.
"If he receives the pass then, he can threaten immediately.
"That is the ideal moment.
"A pass delivered at precisely that instant changes the tempo of the attack without warning and becomes extremely difficult to defend."
"The days when a team could focus on keeping possession in the final third are disappearing.
"Doing so against a compact modern defence is usually foolish.
"Even teams that value possession above everything else will eventually move their circulation deeper.
"That draws the opposition forward, increases the available space in attack, and reduces the risk of losing the ball in dangerous areas."
Hearing this, Ethan thought of Barcelona.
Why did many ordinary supporters find their possession football dull or even sleep-inducing, while tactical experts praised it so highly?
Because the experts understood the importance of controlling possession from deeper areas.
Barcelona would eventually become exceptionally good at doing precisely that.
That did not mean Ethan wanted New Manchester United to copy Barcelona.
Such an approach would be extremely difficult to reproduce in England.
Every footballing country possessed its own tactical traditions.
English football valued pace and directness.
Barcelona's exact system might not succeed there, but its underlying principles could still be adapted.
Once a person understood the principle, countless variations became possible.
"To put it simply, controlling tempo means playing quickly when the moment demands speed and slowing down when it does not.
"The slower periods allow the team to recover its structure and prepare the next attack.
"The acceleration is the result of that preparation.
"It is the explosion that follows the build-up."
As Redondo concluded with those words, Ethan immediately began applauding.
The others soon joined him.
Redondo's understanding of tempo, developed through years as one of the world's finest holding midfielders, was extraordinarily profound.
Many professionals understood the theory.
The real difficulty was implementing it.
A team needed enough tactical intelligence to recognise the right moments, along with sufficient technical quality to carry out the required actions.
Ethan had always believed England's difficulties with tempo came partly from weaknesses in basic technique.
Many English players were forced to play quickly because slowing down exposed their limitations in close control, passing, and decision-making.
When such a team faced opponents capable of dictating the tempo, the problem became obvious.
Once their speed was neutralised, they had no alternative.
They could only allow the opposition to control the match and subject them to sustained pressure.
With that thought in mind, Ethan reconsidered Mourinho's 4-2-3-1 system.
He had to admit that it offered exceptional control.
The players' movement was highly flexible.
Their actual positions rarely remained as rigid as the formation suggested.
However, the central principles never changed.
Control the tempo.
Control the ball.
Control the space.
Once New Manchester United achieved all three, they controlled the match itself.
That was the quality many professionals identified when assessing the Red Rebels.
Balance.
At this stage of the club's development, Mourinho's tactical system was already close to complete.
To improve further, they would require refinements in personnel.
The wingers needed to mature, while the player dictating the tempo from deep might eventually need to become stronger.
Juninho was excellent, but his ability to control matches was not quite world-class.
For the moment, however, New Manchester United's midfield was more than strong enough to dominate their current level.
No wonder Ferguson had praised Mourinho's tactics so highly.
Ethan reflected on the difference between a professional and an amateur.
He understood these ideas only after someone explained them clearly.
Ferguson could recognise the underlying principles almost immediately.
That was the mark of a genuine tactical master.
Ethan occasionally wondered what would happen if Ferguson's Manchester United faced the current Red Rebels.
Could Ferguson devise a system capable of neutralising Mourinho?
What Ethan did not know was that Ferguson had considered the same question and did not possess a confident answer.
His conclusion was that the result would depend upon the players' performances and the tactical changes made during the match.
At best, he believed Manchester United would have only an even chance of winning.
Ethan had little time to continue thinking.
Professor Fryer was approaching from the direction of the laboratory.
Judging by the documents in his hand, Redondo's full diagnostic report was ready.
Ethan could only wonder whether the Argentinian superstar would ever play again.
(To be continued.)