January 1st, 2000. New Year's Day at the turn of the century, a day of great commemorative significance.
Ethan woke before dawn, leaning against the headboard and thinking about the upcoming FA Cup match. He was a little worried.
New Manchester United were a newly formed team with many young players, and that was a double-edged sword. If handled well, these players could create one miracle after another. But if handled poorly, it could lead to a string of heavy defeats, turning New Manchester United's efforts over the past half-season into dust.
Therefore, New Manchester United attached great importance to this FA Cup match against Arsenal. Even if they lost, it absolutely could not become a crushing defeat that completely stripped the players of their confidence and fighting spirit. Otherwise, how would they play in the National League for the next half year?
Thinking about Arsenal's squad this season, up front, they had the Dutch veteran, the "Ice Prince" Bergkamp, Davor Šuker, who could "play the violin with his left foot," Arsenal's future star and "King of Highbury" Henry, and the tall Nigerian striker Kanu. Every one of them was a world-renowned forward.
Their forward line was dazzling with stars, and their midfield was no less impressive. Overmars, Petit, Vieira, Ljungberg, Parlour, and other Premier League stars formed a midfield strong in both attack and defence, with a reputation no weaker than the forward line. Moreover, Vieira, who had been suspended by the FA two months ago for spitting at an opponent during a match, had now served his ban. Wenger would surely put him in the starting lineup for the FA Cup to help him regain his form as quickly as possible.
Their defensive line consisted of Ashley Cole, Winterburn, Sylvinho, Adams, Upson, Keown, Bould, Dixon, Luzhny, and others, all solid fighters. Add Seaman and Manninger guarding the goal, and the strength of this defence had steadily improved compared to last year.
Wenger's pre-season slogan of aiming to win the league with only four defeats was based on his confidence in the team's strength. Unexpectedly, the team's integration had not been smooth enough, and with Manchester United in exceptionally good form this year, Arsenal had been stuck in second place.
In contrast, looking at New Manchester United from a future perspective, the team's star power still fell short of Arsenal's, but they would not be completely passive and beaten. However, while New Manchester United were being judged through a future lens, Arsenal were being judged by their present strength.
Although there was never absolute certainty on the football pitch, upsets could not happen all the time, and miracles could not be performed everywhere. Otherwise, they would not be called upsets and miracles.
"Why are you awake? Worried about today's match?" Eva asked sleepily after gently kissing Ethan's cheek.
Ethan nodded. "You're not a football fan, so you wouldn't understand. This match is very important!"
"Then starting today, I'll become a New Manchester United fan, the most loyal fan, unwavering until death!" Eva smiled charmingly, her hand under the covers teasing Ethan's chest.
That morning, a cold winter drizzle fell outside. Inside the room, the bed was warm and cosy, and neither Ethan nor Eva wanted to leave its warmth.
Eva was returning to New Zealand tomorrow, and who knew when she would have time to come back. This made the two, who had only just become intimate, very reluctant to part. Fortunately, both of them clearly understood that they should focus on building their careers while they were still young.
"I'm getting up. You sleep a bit longer!" Ethan reluctantly left the bed.
He went into the bathroom, took a hot shower, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and even shaved in front of the mirror.
Maybe it was because he had recently become a man, but his beard seemed to grow especially fast and was a hassle to shave.
"Are you going to the training base?" Eva came to the bathroom door.
"Mhm, I should go and take a look, then I'll head to the stadium!" Ethan tried hard to keep his eyes from wandering over Eva's body.
Seemingly pleased that she could attract Ethan's attention, Eva suddenly pounced on him from behind and pressed herself tightly against him. She leaned close to his ear, kissed his earlobe, and said, "I'm going to watch your team's match today!"
"Why?" Ethan felt a headache coming on. "Last time, we were accidentally photographed by a reporter and caused such a big stir. If you go again this time, it will definitely confirm the rumours."
"What's there to be afraid of? I'll just disguise myself. Besides, I'll drag Victoria along for company. Who could say anything then?" Eva said with a sly smile.
But Ethan still did not want her to go because he did not know what kind of match it would be tonight. What if they lost? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?
However, Eva seemed determined. No matter how Ethan tried to persuade her, she stubbornly insisted on going to the stadium to watch the match. With no other choice, Ethan had to agree. But before leaving home, he repeatedly urged her to disguise herself well.
Seeing Ethan off, Eva wore a triumphant smile. Over these past few days, she had truly experienced the warm, comforting feeling of having a man to rely on. She felt that although she had only spent a few days with Ethan, they were the happiest and most blissful days of her life. All the days before seemed to have been wasted.
Her only hope now was that such days could continue forever, for a lifetime.
...
Ethan arrived at the training base. This had been his daily morning habit. He used to come even earlier to exercise, but ever since being with Eva, he had been lingering in bed in the mornings, sometimes even fooling around until noon before getting up.
Fortunately, he was the owner of this club. Otherwise, with his recent late arrivals and early departures, he would probably have been fired long ago.
Since there was a match in the afternoon, the first team had no training scheduled for the morning. Only the youth-team players trained as usual.
As Bruce's assistant, Cassel also did not come to the training base. The youth-team training was led by Cassel's assistant, Paul Hampson, along with the other youth coaches.
As usual, Ethan stood behind the wire fence, watching the youth team train from a distance, completely absorbed.
Under Cassel's guidance, a significant part of New Manchester United's youth training involved possession drills focused on off-the-ball movement. These young players ran back and forth on the pitch, passing the ball between them, weaving through the gaps like little fish slipping through cracks in the rocks, elusive and smooth.
Curtis, Muntari, De Rossi, and the others had been promoted to the Under-19 youth team. They would represent the club in the Under-19 youth league matches, along with some other young players of the same age. However, in terms of ability, those players were clearly not as good as Curtis and the others.
Ever since Ethan suggested that he switch to defensive midfield, De Rossi had made great progress, especially with his fierce determination during matches. Combined with Muntari's support beside him, New Manchester United's midfield defence had become very tenacious and solid. Behind them was Curtis in the back line, showing strong leadership qualities.
Because of their young age, Messi, Ismael Miller, and Michael Johnson had to remain with the youth team for the time being. However, the club also organised matches against youth teams from nearby clubs. Messi and the other two had performed exceptionally well in these matches, so Cassel planned to promote all three players to the reserve team next year to take part in the Under-19 youth league.
Even from behind the wire fence, Ethan watched very carefully. Every pass, every tackle, every interception, he saw clearly, like a researcher observing from around the training pitch.
These people on the pitch represented the future of the club.
"Boss!" Curtis ran over during a training break. Over the past year, he had grown taller and stronger.
Besides Curtis, Messi, Michael Johnson, Muntari, De Rossi, and the others also gathered around. They were obviously the ones who usually spent more time together and had better relationships. As for Ismael Miller, he was doing warm-up exercises alone in the distance, still as unsociable as ever.
"Will you guys go and watch the match live today?" Ethan asked casually.
"Yes!"
"Definitely!"
The young players answered in unison.
"Boss, will we win today?" Curtis suddenly asked.
All the young players around them immediately fell silent, looking at Ethan with hopeful eyes.
Ethan's heart skipped a beat, but he forced a relaxed smile. "What do you think? Curtis, do you think we can win?"
"Of course!" Curtis replied without hesitation, looking confident as he clenched his fist. "Arsenal aren't scary. We almost beat them at Highbury last year. If it weren't for the referee helping them, we would have beaten them. This year, our team has become so much stronger. Beating them definitely won't be a problem!"
After saying this, Curtis looked excited. "Arsenal, second in the Premier League, being defeated by a team from the National League. How shocking would that be, right?"
It had to be said that after spending so much time with Ethan and Bruce, Curtis's personality had changed somewhat. At the very least, whether speaking or acting, he now seemed to possess a convincing, leader-like quality.
All the young players immediately joined in the commotion, shouting slogans about being able to win, being able to defeat Arsenal, and so on.
Hearing this, Ethan also felt a surge of ambition. If even these young players were so confident, then how could he, as the club owner, be any less?
"That's right, Curtis. You're absolutely right. Although we may be weak, our hearts are incredibly strong. We will defeat Arsenal. We will make everyone clearly recognise that there is a powerful team rapidly growing in the National League. In a few years, we will appear in the Premier League, we will compete in Europe, we will build one astonishing achievement after another, and we will create a football history that belongs entirely to New Manchester United, to each and every one of you, and that will be recorded in the annals!"
"This is what we, New Manchester United, live for!"
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)