After the light drizzle, the air at the training base became exceptionally fresh.
Čech did not leave with his teammates. Usually, once training ended, everyone would go their separate ways.
He had heard that an indoor football league was being held in the building next to the training facility. The competition featured three-a-side and five-a-side matches, and the winners could receive bonuses, souvenirs, and other rewards.
This competitive format had been proposed by the club's coaching staff, along with the captain and vice-captain. The players were fanatical about indoor football. As soon as training ended, they would rush to the indoor hall in groups, sometimes playing for hours without feeling tired.
Although he really wanted to form a team with his teammates and participate in the internal league, Čech ultimately did not go because he knew he had more important things to do.
In a corner of the training ground, he silently gripped the ball. With one hand in front of the other and his legs bent, he moved the ball back and forth between his hands, constantly switching their positions. It was somewhat similar to basic basketball training.
After practising for a while, Čech tossed the ball high into the air and extended his hands, using his palms, the backs of his hands, his wrists, and his forearms to strike it and keep it aloft. He constantly changed the point of contact and switched between his left and right hands, silently counting the number of touches.
After completing this somewhat tedious training for a while, Čech let out a breath and found a place nearby to sit.
"I've heard this kind of training can improve a goalkeeper's feel for the ball and strengthen his hand control. Is that true?"
Ethan had arrived at some point, but he had remained silent and watched quietly. He only stepped forward after Čech stopped.
"Bo... Boss!" Čech stood up, a little startled.
Ethan gestured for him not to be nervous and told him to sit down. He noticed that Čech's head was still lowered.
"I told you before, Petr, don't keep your head down. Didn't you hear what Coach Ricardo Moniz shouts most often during training?"
After saying that, Ethan imitated Ricardo Moniz's tone and shouted in a strained voice, "Hey, Didier, don't keep your head down! Look up, look up! Do you understand what 'look up' means? Don't you even know how to raise your head?"
Čech was amused by Ethan's performance and chuckled.
During training, Drogba always played with his head down, which led to constant criticism from Coach Ricardo Moniz. Coupled with his rough technique and frequent passing errors, he was often on edge.
"Do you feel that what I said at the press conference put pressure on you?" Ethan asked after seeing Čech smile. The weight in his heart eased slightly, and he decided to have a deeper conversation with him.
He had seen everything that happened on the training ground that day from his office. He knew Mourinho was right, but he also knew Čech must have felt wronged. He could not take sides, so he had to handle it in his own way.
This had always been Ethan's approach.
"No, Boss. I'm very grateful to you because you trust me, even more than I trust myself!"
"Then have you ever wondered why?" Ethan asked.
Čech was stunned and shook his head. He really had not thought about it.
"Let's look at it from another perspective. I'm the owner of this club. I gave you a contract, I pay your salary, and I expect you to represent our team in important matches. If you fail, my losses will be greater than yours, and I will suffer more. So why do I have confidence in your ability while you doubt yourself?"
Ethan's words left Čech speechless. He truly did not know why he felt so unsure of himself.
"I chose you after carefully considering thousands of candidates. I have a feeling that you will become a world-class goalkeeper, so I'm giving you this opportunity."
"I even went as far as using the Special Talent Clause. Unless you want to tell me that I misjudged you, making me look like a fool in front of the media and allowing those who want to see me fail to mock my lack of judgment."
"No... that's not it. I don't think that way, Boss!" Čech said nervously.
Ethan patted Čech firmly on the shoulder. "That's right. You shouldn't think that way. You should have confidence in yourself. At the very least, have confidence in me. I won't be wrong!"
Čech hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
"As I told you when we first met, Mr. Mourinho is a very capable head coach. He has high standards for his players and high expectations for you, so naturally, he is stricter with you. I remember Mr. Mourinho often telling the players that details determine success or failure. That's why he scolded you today!"
At this point, Ethan smiled.
"I believe he will continue to scold you often in the future. He may frequently bar you from first-team training or even demote you to the youth team. But you must understand that he does this because he values you. Just as I value you, which is why I sent Schmeichel to the Czech Republic to find you. It's the same principle!"
"Do you know John Terry?" Ethan suddenly asked with a smile.
"Of course!" Čech nodded.
Terry was the team's starting centre-back. He had known that before he even arrived.
"When he first came here, Mourinho scolded him until he was miserable. It was much worse than what you're going through now. But after all that criticism, he is now the team's starting center-back, an untouchable player, and someone who will become one of our club's backbone in the future!"
"You should also know Curtis Davies, the vice-captain!"
Čech nodded. There was no way he would not know England's future star.
"When he was first promoted from the youth team to the first team, he was also scolded mercilessly. But look at him now. He has become so successful that he even serves as vice-captain. Can you imagine how miserable he was back then?" Ethan asked with a laugh.
Čech immediately shook his head. He really could not imagine the usually confident vice-captain being berated by the head coach.
However, Mourinho often shouted at players during training. He would even stop sessions to pull a player aside and criticise him by name. This made Čech feel that Mourinho was not actually being too harsh on him. At least he treated him the same as everyone else.
This realisation made Čech feel much better.
"The same goes for De Rossi and Essien. They were heavily criticised last season, but both of them have improved a great deal. Essien is currently with Ghana's national youth team at the World Youth Championship, and he has been performing quite well. Ferguson even called me personally to try to buy him as Keane's successor!"
Čech could not help but gasp. "Then... Boss, you didn't agree, did you?"
"Of course not!" Ethan said with a chuckle. "He is the future of our team. I won't sell him. The same goes for Curtis, Terry, De Rossi, and the others. And of course, you. You will be our starting goalkeeper in the future!"
"We have a tradition at this club. Those who are scolded by Mourinho eventually become starters. You might not believe it, but you can't doubt it because all the players recognise it. So I have a feeling that you'll soon get a chance to challenge for the starting position. You should be ready and seize it!"
After hearing this, Čech nodded firmly.
"Also, I think you should participate in the indoor football league," Ethan suggested.
"Why?"
"Indoor football is intense and exciting, and it's excellent for improving a player's technique. Besides, all your teammates are participating, so you should join them. You're part of this team. Also, after the indoor matches, many players stay behind for extra training. Juninho practises free kicks, while Messi and Ishmael also stay behind. You can join them."
...
As they walked from the training ground to the indoor football hall, they could hear the noise from inside before they even entered. It was loud, and the matches were clearly intense, judging by the excitement of the players watching from the sidelines.
To make the league more interesting, the coaching staff had split up the South American combinations. Technically gifted players such as Juninho, Palacio, Senna, and Messi were placed on different teams, with other teammates assigned around them.
The teams were not randomly arranged. In fact, with a little attention, it was not difficult to see that the players on each team had certain tactical connections. For example, Drogba was grouped with Malouda, Hleb, De Rossi, and Alou Diarra, while Curtis was grouped with Bosingwa, Juninho, Wright-Phillips, and Ribéry.
The five-a-side teams were divided according to the players' positions on the pitch in order to improve their chemistry and strengthen their coordination in their respective areas.
In the three-a-side format, this small-scale positional coordination was even more obvious. For example, placing Evra, Terry, and De Rossi together clearly took into account their positioning on the pitch.
Although indoor football improved technical ability, Ethan did not think New Manchester United would become a technical side like the future Barcelona or Arsenal. It would be difficult to make De Rossi play like Xavi because they were two completely different types of players.
New Manchester United's style was to control possession while taking over and controlling the spaces occupied by the opposition, thereby controlling both the ball and the pitch. The purpose of improving technique was to increase the efficiency of the players' quick passing and receiving. After all, any style of football required sufficient technical ability to ensure that the players could execute it properly.
Ethan felt that technique was like a lubricant. It could make the devastating heavy tank that was New Manchester United run smoothly and quickly, while pushing the club's tactical philosophy to its limit.
If New Manchester United was like a tractor, Ethan hoped it would be tough, resistant to collisions, and capable of carrying heavy loads, while also being fast. Ideally, it would be faster than the Ferraris and Lotuses on the motorway. And when taking corners, it should even be capable of drifting.
Ethan believed that when that day truly arrived, it would be the moment New Manchester United took flight.
He also believed that day would come very soon!
(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.)