With New Manchester United fighting on two fronts, the schedule had become relentless, with a match roughly every three days. Training therefore focused primarily on recovery, with The Lab and the coaching staff doing everything possible to restore the players physically and keep them fresh enough to compete.
Mourinho's rotation policy had worked well. Although the team had gone through three consecutive league draws during the run-in, they had still kept the pressure on Arsenal while remaining unbeaten in every competition all season. Inside the dressing room, that unbeaten record had become a source of enormous pride.
"Even if we end this season without another trophy, I still think this has been an extraordinary year for us."
Ethan spoke firmly during one of the club's regular first-team dinners.
"Last season we won the UEFA Cup, but people called it one of the weakest editions of the competition in years. They also reminded everyone that we weren't even a top-flight side. This season, from the very beginning, we've shown that what happened last year wasn't some accident."
As he spoke, Ethan moved slowly around the room, resting a hand on players' shoulders as he passed, reinforcing the sense that what he was saying applied to every one of them.
"People keep telling us we should give up one competition and concentrate on the other. I haven't done that. Is it because I'm desperate to collect trophies?"
The players shook their heads.
They knew him too well to believe that.
If Ethan had wanted the easiest possible route to trophies, he could have used his wealth years ago to buy an established Premier League club. Instead, he had stayed with New Manchester United from the beginning and helped build it step by step.
"I want every player and every coach here to remember something. Giving up before the fight starts has never been part of this club. When we were much weaker and faced teams that seemed far beyond us, we still competed. We played Arsenal when they looked untouchable and never approached the match believing we had already lost. Now that we're stronger, are we supposed to become less courageous?"
Again, heads shook around the room.
Every professional in the squad knew the club's history by now. New Manchester United had been built around the idea that however large the gap appeared, they would at least force the opponent to prove it on the pitch.
"We're the only Premier League team to beat Arsenal this season. Not only that, we beat them twice. If this were a knockout tie, they'd already be out. But this isn't a knockout tie. It's the league, and that means consistency matters more than two head-to-head results."
Ethan looked around the room.
"I know how tired you are. I know how much you've already put into this season. But I believe the work will be rewarded. Don't think about defending the UEFA Cup. Don't think about winning the league. Don't worry about what Arsenal are doing or what anyone else is doing. Think about the next opponent."
By then he had returned to his place at the front of the room.
"Play the next match properly. Then the one after that. Arsenal will make mistakes. We just have to be close enough when they do."
Ethan raised his glass. Alcohol was forbidden during the season, so every player in the room was holding water, but they lifted their glasses anyway.
"To us."
...
On May 1, New Manchester United hosted Everton. With the second leg of the UEFA Cup semi-final against Valencia approaching, Mourinho rotated heavily.
Villa started up front, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Ribéry on the wings. Fàbregas played as the advanced midfielder, while De Rossi and Yaya Touré formed the deeper pairing. The back four consisted of Philipp Lahm, Vidić, Curtis, and Maicon, with Čech in goal. Ishmael Miller, Messi, Michael Johnson, and several others began on the bench.
The match proved difficult. Everton had been inconsistent all season and had failed to reproduce the surprise form of the previous campaign, leaving them hovering uncomfortably close to the relegation places. David Moyes set up with Li Tie and Thomas Gravesen together in central midfield, using their work rate and physicality to make life difficult for New Manchester United.
Gravesen in particular played right on the edge.
Soon after the second half began, he flew into a heavy challenge that injured Yaya Touré and forced him off. The referee responded with little more than a warning.
Mourinho was furious. He repeatedly complained to the assistant referee, insisting the challenge was worthy of a red card and struggling to understand how Gravesen had escaped without even a booking.
Even so, Mourinho was careful not to push too far. At this stage of the season, another touchline ban would only hurt the team, so after making his point he forced himself to let the matter go.
Yaya's injury required an immediate change. Mourinho studied the bench before deciding on Michael Johnson.
The Manchester-born midfielder was already being compared by some observers to Steven Gerrard, although their games were not identical. Johnson was an excellent passer, comfortable carrying the ball, strong from distance, capable of contributing at both ends, and dangerous from free kicks. He was another academy player the coaching staff regarded very highly.
Less than three minutes after coming on, Johnson found space during a forward run and struck from long range.
The shot crashed against the crossbar with a crack loud enough to echo around Old Trafford. The entire frame of the goal seemed to shake, and Everton's goalkeeper could only turn and stare at it.
After that, Johnson and De Rossi began taking greater control of midfield. Neither backed away from the physical battle with Gravesen and Li Tie, and as New Manchester United stopped being pushed around centrally, their attacking momentum gradually improved.
By the 65th minute, however, the score was still 0-0. Mourinho decided on another change. Fàbregas, who had struggled to influence the match, came off for Messi. Ribéry moved inside, while Messi took his usual position on the right.
The substitution had an immediate effect.
Messi continued the excellent form he had shown in recent substitute appearances. Every time he received the ball, Everton's defenders were forced backwards by his close control and acceleration. His understanding with Michael Johnson was particularly impressive, with Johnson repeatedly finding him through medium and long-range passes into comfortable attacking positions.
After several attempts to beat his man outside, Messi changed the pattern in the 76th minute. He drove inward from the right and clipped a pass towards the far post. Cristiano Ronaldo arrived and struck powerfully, but the goalkeeper reacted well and parried it. Villa followed up, only for his effort to hit Yobo.
The loose ball dropped awkwardly in the area. As Everton's goalkeeper tried to recover, Ribéry appeared behind Villa and stabbed the ball into the net before anyone else could react.
1-0.
Ribéry celebrated wildly. He had spent much of the season rotating in and out of the starting eleven, but whenever Mourinho used him, he contributed. Left wing, right wing, attacking midfield, he could fill all three roles without significantly reducing the team's level, making him one of the most useful attacking players in the squad.
Once again, one of New Manchester United's younger players had produced the breakthrough.
And the academy influence was not finished.
With Villa tiring, Mourinho replaced him in the 81st minute with Ishmael Miller. The Spaniard had not scored that afternoon, but seventeen goals in all competitions was already an excellent return and placed him ahead of Drogba in total goals for the season.
Ishmael immediately caused Everton problems. His combination of size, acceleration, and surprisingly delicate technique made him extremely difficult to defend, and Yobo found himself repeatedly dragged into uncomfortable situations.
In the 87th minute, Messi received a pass from Ribéry on the right, beat the full-back, and crossed into the penalty area. Ishmael exploded away from Yobo, reached the ball before the advancing goalkeeper, and stooped low to head it into the far corner.
2-0.
That finished the match.
During the replay, Andy Gray repeatedly highlighted Ishmael's timing and acceleration. Yobo was hardly a slow defender, especially for a centre-back, but once Ishmael began his run, the Everton defender had been left behind.
"He's got elements of Drogba's game, but he's different," Gray said. "He's quicker over the first few yards, more explosive, very comfortable with the ball, and he attacks defenders directly. He's developing into a frightening centre-forward."
Thanks to Ribéry and Ishmael, New Manchester United won 2-0.
Unfortunately for Mourinho, Arsenal also won, beating Fulham 1-0 away, so nothing changed at the top of the table.
...
Five days later, on May 6, New Manchester United travelled to Valencia for the second leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final.
Benítez's side had lost 2-0 at Old Trafford and attacked from the opening whistle, desperate to overturn the deficit. Vicente, Aimar, and Mista immediately caused problems, and the New Manchester United defence, this time led by Terry, looked unusually uncertain.
In the 26th minute, Valencia scored through Vicente.
Five minutes later, Albelda arrived from midfield to make it 2-0.
The aggregate score was level.
New Manchester United were in trouble. The accumulated fatigue of months spent fighting on two fronts had begun to show, and several players looked flat both physically and mentally.
Mourinho used half-time to reorganise the side. He encouraged both full-backs to overlap more aggressively and instructed the team to tighten the distances between the three lines. Vicente had caused repeated problems down the flank, but both Valencia goals had ultimately been created through Aimar, so Mourinho's priority was to suffocate the Argentine's space.
The adjustment exposed a weakness in Benítez's structure.
Valencia's three attacking players had been operating close to New Manchester United's defensive line. When Mourinho pulled his own shape deeper and more compact, those attackers naturally followed the space towards goal. Valencia's midfield and back line then stepped forward to support them, stretching the team vertically and leaving larger areas behind the defence.
Ordinarily, Baraja and Albelda were excellent at controlling precisely those spaces through positioning and ball recovery. Mourinho, however, abandoned the patient build-up game almost entirely and instructed his players to go direct towards Drogba.
The second half became a demonstration of what Drogba could do as a target man.
Ayala was one of the most respected centre-backs in Europe, but Drogba dominated their physical battle. He won headers, protected the ball, brought teammates into play, and repeatedly forced Valencia's defensive line backwards.
The first goal came when Drogba held off Ayala and created the opening for Palacio.
2-1.
Then Villa, who had replaced Robben, made it 2-2 after another move built around Drogba's ability to occupy the centre-backs.
Valencia had gone from being level on aggregate to chasing the tie again.
Late in the match, Kaká slipped a pass through the middle. Drogba powered beyond Ayala, reached the ball first, and drove a fierce finish past the goalkeeper.
2-3.
A remarkable turnaround was complete.
New Manchester United had gone into half-time two goals down and under enormous pressure, then scored three times after the break to win the match outright. Mourinho's tactical changes during the interval were widely praised afterwards, particularly his willingness to abandon the team's usual build-up patterns once he saw how Valencia were positioning themselves.
The 3-2 victory gave New Manchester United a 5-2 aggregate win and sent them into the UEFA Cup final.
Their opponents would be Barcelona.
Rijkaard's side had beaten Bayern Munich 1-0 at Camp Nou to secure their place. Barcelona had endured plenty of criticism earlier in the season, but their late surge in La Liga and increasingly convincing European form had restored much of their reputation.
On May 20, Barcelona and New Manchester United would meet at Ullevi in Gothenburg.
One match for the UEFA Cup.
Before that, however, New Manchester United still had two league fixtures to play.
(To be continued.)