Ethan and Čech sat on an empty patch of ground beside the training pitch, talking animatedly about everything from football to life away from the game. They became so absorbed in their conversation that neither noticed how quickly the time passed.
"Do you know what I was thinking when I walked over just now?" Ethan suddenly asked.
Čech frowned and shook his head. "No, Boss."
Ethan chuckled. "I was thinking that you must have been cursing me in your head. 'That boss has such an easy life. He has enough free time to stroll around the training base every day!'"
Čech immediately became flustered and waved his hands repeatedly.
"No, Boss. I would never think that about you!"
Ethan slapped him on the shoulder.
"Relax, Petr. I'm only joking. You need to learn how to take a joke, you know?"
Čech finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ethan looked up at the sky and muttered, almost to himself, "I've been thinking that we should build a new stadium."
"A new stadium?" Čech was surprised.
He thought the City Ground was already quite good. Compared with the ground where he had played in Bechyně, the conditions were excellent.
"Yes, Petr. We should build a new stadium.
"It needs to be modern, with a natural grass pitch, a roof to keep the supporters dry, and a heating system.
"It also needs a large capacity, but the stands must still feel close and intimidating. They should create so much pressure that visiting players feel their hands and legs trembling."
"I want every match to be sold out, with tens of thousands of supporters cheering for our players.
"Then our players will win match after match and give those supporters the greatest possible enjoyment.
"Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Čech stared at him, unsure how to respond.
In the end, he could only ask, "How much would that cost, Boss?"
Ethan turned toward him with a smile and raised two fingers.
"At least £200 million, not including future expansions."
"Two hundred million?" Čech was stunned.
How much money was that?
It would be enough to buy several players like Zidane.
"Surprised?" Ethan asked with a smile.
Čech nodded repeatedly.
At that moment, he realised that Ethan, whom he had always thought lived a relaxed and comfortable life, was actually under enormous pressure.
He was not like certain club owners who were interested only in pleasure or extracting profit.
He genuinely wanted to manage the club well and provide better conditions for both the players and the supporters.
That reminded Čech of the story he had heard in the dressing room before the Newton Heath Cup, along with the other stories his teammates had told him about Ethan.
He began to feel that his boss truly was an extraordinary person.
"I know it will be difficult, Petr, but as I said, this is my goal.
"To achieve it, I have to endure the cost now and prepare myself.
"When the opportunity finally arrives, I'll seize it firmly and refuse to let it slip through my fingers."
Ethan spoke with absolute confidence.
Čech listened in silence.
"It's the same for you, Petr.
"You need a goal, and right now, you need to remain prepared at all times.
"Wait for your opportunity, and when it appears, seize it."
Ethan's smile was like bright sunlight breaking through a cloudy sky.
Čech clenched his fist and nodded firmly.
After that conversation, he felt as though something had suddenly become clear.
Many things he had previously struggled to understand now made complete sense.
He also understood that he had no right to challenge Almunia at the moment.
Mourinho knew Almunia extremely well, and the Spaniard's performances had been consistently reliable.
But Čech would not give up.
As Ethan had said, he needed to remain ready at all times and wait for his opportunity.
Once it arrived, he would not let it slip away.
Watching Ethan walk away, Čech's eyes regained their brightness and ambition.
...
After defeating Cardiff, New Manchester United returned to the City Ground to prepare for the second round of the League Cup on August 21, when they would host League One side Rotherham United.
Rotherham had made a poor start to their League One campaign and were currently twenty-first, dangerously close to the relegation zone.
As a result, they did not appear to place much importance on the League Cup.
Although Rotherham played in a higher division, their overall quality was not far above that of a League Two side.
They also fielded several reserve players, weakening the team further.
New Manchester United defeated them comfortably, winning 2-0 and advancing to the third round of the League Cup.
Afterward, New Manchester United travelled away once again, this time to face Oldham Athletic.
Oldham were another typical side with a strong attack and a weak defence.
In their previous four matches, they had recorded 2 wins and 2 defeats, without a single draw. They had scored 9 goals and conceded 7, making them a highly entertaining team.
Mourinho had studied Oldham carefully.
He believed their defence was extremely poor.
Their preferred formation was also a 4-4-2, but they lacked defensive protection in central midfield, meaning their back line was often left directly exposed to opposition attacks.
Under those circumstances, Mourinho decisively adopted a 4-4-2 of his own.
Drogba, who was still being "punished" after the previous league match, was left on the bench.
Olić and Palacio started together up front.
Malouda and Hleb occupied the wings, while De Rossi and Senna formed the central midfield partnership. De Rossi focused more on attacking, while Senna handled the majority of the defensive work.
The back four consisted of Abidal, Terry, Curtis, and Touré, with Almunia continuing in goal.
Čech remained on the bench.
New Manchester United entered the match determined to overwhelm Oldham through attack.
They had scored 10 goals in their opening four league matches, more than Oldham, while their defence was considerably stronger.
Because the team frequently practised the 4-4-2 formation and its positional movements in training, the players showed no discomfort after the tactical change.
Making his first start of the season, De Rossi performed well.
His distribution and organisation in midfield were remarkably mature, and with Senna supporting him, his play became even more composed.
New Manchester United's opening goal came from his assist.
Olić and Palacio each scored, giving New Manchester United a 0-2 lead away from home.
However, Oldham took advantage of a throw-in in the attacking third to pull one back, briefly giving themselves hope of a comeback.
That hope did not last long.
Ribéry, who came on as a substitute for Hleb, cut inside from the left and fired a low shot into the net, restoring New Manchester United's two-goal advantage.
In the end, New Manchester United left Boundary Park with all three points and without too much difficulty.
After the match, New Manchester United had won all five of their league fixtures and collected 15 points.
They were level at the top of League Two with Brighton and Brentford, who had also won five consecutive matches.
New Manchester United sat second, trailing Brentford by a single goal on goal difference, with Brighton in third.
Behind them were Reading with 13 points, Cardiff with 12, and Stoke City and Huddersfield with 10 each.
With that, all of August's League Two fixtures had been completed.
Although New Manchester United had achieved an excellent record of 5 wins from 5 matches, the Manager of the Month award went to Brentford's manager, whose side were top of the table.
The Player of the Month award went to Brighton striker Kitson, who had scored 4 goals and provided 3 assists in five league matches.
New Manchester United's supporters were extremely dissatisfied with the results.
Mourinho's team had faced Cardiff among their opening five opponents, while Brentford's first five fixtures had been far less demanding.
Why, then, had their manager received the award?
As for Player of the Month, New Manchester United's supporters believed it should have gone to Juninho.
He had been the team's most consistent and outstanding performer.
However, he had not appeared in all five matches, which clearly placed him at a disadvantage during the voting.
Even so, after a demanding August containing seven high-intensity matches, New Manchester United had made a dream start with 7 wins from 7 games.
September would bring an even heavier schedule, with eight matches in total.
Three different weeks would contain two fixtures.
On September 25, New Manchester United would travel to face Reading, before welcoming Brighton to the City Ground on September 29.
Before those two difficult matches, they would play Sheffield United in the third round of the League Cup on September 18.
Although New Manchester United had been drawn at home, Sheffield United were clearly much stronger than Rotherham, making it another serious challenge.
Under these circumstances, the entire month of September promised to be extremely difficult.
The demands on the players' fitness would be especially severe.
Therefore, during the period between late August and early September, when the team had only one match each week, Mourinho instructed Faria to focus on adjusting the players' physical condition.
He also devised a detailed rotation plan based on their September opponents, hoping to maintain strong results while preserving the players' fitness and form.
Once September ended, the October schedule would be relatively lighter.
New Manchester United would play only four league matches and one League Cup tie, provided they could overcome Sheffield United.
For their first match of September, New Manchester United left Manchester on September 1 and travelled to Gigg Lane to face Bury, the club whose stadium they had once shared.
New Manchester United had rented Gigg Lane for half a season, and the two clubs were based close to one another.
Before the match, Bury's manager said he was confident his side could contain New Manchester United and climb out of the relegation zone because he understood the team very well.
Mourinho responded during his own interview.
"What Bury understand is the New Manchester United of Steve Bruce's era.
"But the Red Rebels are now managed by José Mourinho.
"If they believe impressions from two years ago will help them deal with the current New Manchester United, then they are going to be very disappointed."
The exchange between the two managers attracted considerable attention.
Because the journey was so short, more than 3,000 New Manchester United supporters travelled to Gigg Lane for the match.
They even outnumbered the home support, almost turning the entire stadium into another New Manchester United home ground.
(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.)