Although the punishment sounded terrifying, Drogba's training load did not actually increase by much.
Mourinho simply instructed Moniz to arrange additional drills designed around Drogba's weaknesses, with a particular focus on improving his finishing.
Drogba also had to undergo sessions in the laboratory's Meditation Chamber after regular training. There, footage of the mistakes he made during matches and training would be shown to him.
After all, the laboratory did not only track players during matches. It also monitored their performances on the training ground, all with the aim of helping them improve more quickly.
Ethan enjoyed walking around the training ground after the sessions ended.
He especially liked watching the players complete their extra drills. Seeing them work hard and train diligently always lifted his mood.
The development plan for the area surrounding the City Ground had already been finalised.
In the future, when New Manchester United renovated the stadium, they could convert all four corners into commercial areas for lease simply by shifting the position of the pitch slightly.
Across the road stood a large Walmart shopping centre, while several other major retailers were also preparing to move into the area.
Manchester City Council had clearly identified the district as one of the city's next major development zones, and many companies were already showing interest in the surrounding land.
New Manchester United had played two home matches in their opening four league fixtures, with attendance exceeding 13,000 on both occasions.
That placed them among the best-supported clubs in League Two.
Reading, Cardiff City, and Queens Park Rangers also attracted strong home crowds. Reading's average attendance was close to New Manchester United's, while Cardiff and QPR both averaged more than 10,000.
New Manchester United had sold more than 9,000 season tickets for the campaign, with demand proving exceptionally strong.
Individual match tickets were already fully reserved, demonstrating the club's growing appeal since entering the professional leagues.
Unfortunately, the City Ground was somewhat old and had no executive boxes.
As a result, many wealthy supporters who wanted to book private suites were unable to do so.
Even so, New Manchester United's home atmosphere was undoubtedly among the most passionate in League Two.
Several visiting players who lacked experience of such surroundings had expressed surprise during post-match interviews.
They said they had finally witnessed the atmosphere of the Red Rebels' famous fortress, a ground already renowned throughout England.
Ethan was naturally delighted by the strong attendances.
At the same time, he instructed Mark to investigate whether building a new stadium would be feasible. This included studying supporters' opinions and every practical issue involved in such a project.
Many clubs faced government resistance when attempting to rebuild or replace their stadiums because construction inevitably affected nearby residents and businesses.
New Manchester United did not have that problem, since Ethan had already purchased all the surrounding land.
The biggest questions were how large the new stadium should be and where the team would play while construction was underway.
Those were the real headaches.
Of course, the project remained only an idea for now. Turning it into reality would require a considerable amount of time.
Arsenal had decided to build a new stadium in 1999, but it would not be completed until 2006.
The entire process would take seven years and cost almost £400 million, an astonishing amount of money.
New Manchester United's stadium did not need to be as large as Arsenal's immediately. It could be expanded gradually in the future, but the initial construction costs would still be enormous.
The previous year, Premier League side Leicester City had proposed building a new 32,000-seat stadium at an estimated cost of £40 million.
To help finance it, they had sold their first-choice striker, Emile Heskey, to Liverpool for £11 million, making a transfer profit of £8 million.
Ethan had studied Leicester's stadium plans.
The new ground would only be slightly larger than Filbert Street, which had been built in 1891 and held around 22,000 supporters.
Its facilities would also be only moderately improved.
That was not what Ethan wanted.
He believed that spending £40 million on such a limited upgrade made little sense. It would be better simply to expand the existing City Ground, since the overall difference would hardly justify the expense.
The reason Arsenal and Wenger were willing to save every possible penny to build the Emirates Stadium was that they understood how much additional income and commercial value a new ground could generate.
They were even willing to take on substantial debt to make it happen.
Arsenal's stadium was in London, while New Manchester United's was in Manchester. Both were major cities.
If used properly, a modern stadium could become a permanent source of income for the club, just as Old Trafford had for Manchester United.
Ethan's view was simple.
Either they did not build at all, or they built something modern.
The stadium did not need to be enormous at first. Preserving a powerful home atmosphere mattered more than anything else, and additional capacity could be added later.
Even so, the project would still require at least £200 million, especially once New Manchester United's commercial plans for the surrounding area and supporter facilities such as bars were included.
"Now isn't the time," Ethan muttered to himself.
If a League Two club announced plans to build a £200 million stadium, they would be laughed out of football.
Only strong results, growing supporter interest, and rising attendances could make such a project worthwhile.
That was why Ethan had chosen to expand the North Stand rather than rebuild the entire stadium.
He also planned to continue enlarging the City Ground the following summer, hoping to attract even more supporters.
...
"Hey, Petr. Why are you sitting here looking so miserable?"
As Ethan passed through the training area, he saw Čech sitting alone and turning a football over in his hands, looking dejected.
"Ah, Boss. It's nothing!" Čech replied, somewhat startled.
He knew Ethan wandered around the training base almost every day and often stopped to speak with the players.
They all thought highly of him. Since Ethan was still young himself, many of them felt comfortable talking openly with him.
"Something on your mind?" Ethan asked.
He sat beside Čech, took the ball from his hands, and played with it a few times.
His touch was nowhere near as good as Čech's, and he could not handle it with the same ease.
Čech shook his head but remained silent.
Ethan could roughly guess what was wrong.
The young goalkeeper was probably disappointed by his lack of playing time.
Since preseason, Čech had remained on the bench and had even been competing with David Green for the backup goalkeeper position.
He had received little playing time and few opportunities to prove himself.
New Manchester United had already played five competitive matches that season, four in the league and one in the League Cup.
Every other player in the squad had been given an opportunity.
Even Ribéry had come off the bench and performed well.
Only Čech remained unused.
At times, he wished he could at least play for the reserves, as David Green did.
Ethan felt helpless about the situation.
He knew Mourinho wanted to give every player minutes, but Almunia had been extremely reliable.
Across five matches, New Manchester United had conceded only three goals, and none had been directly caused by Almunia.
With the team winning continuously, Mourinho clearly had no reason to replace a goalkeeper in good form.
The position was also uniquely sensitive.
Čech was young and had never received formal goalkeeping education before joining the club.
That made Mourinho uneasy.
He worried that the pressure of competitive football might overwhelm Čech and lead to costly mistakes.
This was professional football.
A single point could decide an entire season.
Mourinho did not want the whole team to suffer because of one gamble, so his squad rotation did not extend to the goalkeeper.
"Boss, are you disappointed in me?" Čech suddenly asked.
Ethan paused, then smiled.
"What? Are you starting to doubt yourself again?"
Čech shook his head.
"I don't know."
Ethan tossed the ball back to him.
Čech caught it firmly with one hand, his head still lowered.
"Do you think you're ready?" Ethan asked.
Čech looked surprised, unsure why Ethan had asked such a question.
"There's a saying I believe is true. Opportunities usually go to those who are prepared.
"So I'm asking you, are you ready?"
Čech knew Ethan would never interfere with Mourinho's tactical decisions, but he still nodded.
"Yes."
To his surprise, Ethan shook his head.
"No, Petr. I don't think you are ready yet."
Before Čech could object, Ethan continued.
"You're still doubting your own ability.
"Goalkeeper is a unique position. Of the eleven players on the pitch, only one is allowed to use his hands.
"Why?
"That doesn't mean the goalkeeper has an advantage. On the contrary, I believe it is the most difficult role to replace."
"If a goalkeeper plays for a weak team, he may face constant pressure for the entire match.
"He could concede three, four, or even six or seven goals in a single game.
"Do you know how damaging that can be to a professional player?"
"But if he plays for a strong team, he may have almost nothing to do for 90 minutes because the opposition is too weak and remains completely suppressed.
"He receives no opportunity to show what he can do."
"Then, in the final minute of stoppage time, when everyone begins to lose concentration because the match is almost over, the opposition suddenly shoots from distance and scores a brilliant goal."
Čech became deeply absorbed in Ethan's words, as though he were the goalkeeper who had stood idle for the full 90 minutes.
"Petr, at that moment, everyone looks at the goalkeeper.
"The manager, the supporters, his teammates, the opposition, even the referee.
"Everyone is watching him.
"If he saves the shot, people say he simply did his job.
"But if he fails and the ball goes in, he becomes the scapegoat."
"That seems very unfair, doesn't it?" Ethan asked seriously.
Čech was about to nod, but then he suddenly understood what Ethan meant.
He shook his head.
"No, Boss. That's what being a goalkeeper means."
Ethan burst out laughing.
Had Čech nodded and complained that it was unfair, Ethan would have believed he still needed far more development.
But that answer satisfied him.
It proved Ethan had not misjudged him.
This was still the Čech he remembered from his previous life.
The Čech before the injury.
A true goalkeeping prodigy.
(To be continued.)