Mourinho slammed his fist against the tactics board with a "bang," launching into a furious tirade.
"Although I don't want to criticize individual performances, some of you have been so poor that you simply don't deserve to win."
"You need to understand, I'm not talking about one or two games, but three, four, five, even half a season—your performances in goals, assists, pressing, and tackling have all been declining."
As Mourinho counted on his fingers one by one, the temperature in the dressing room seemed to drop to freezing point.
All the Manchester United players trembled, as if stripped naked and thrown into a blizzard.
Mourinho, like an enraged lion, scanned the room and continued his rebuke.
"So I think it's enough, because others are fighting for opportunities too and everyone should have their chance."
"But when you get that chance and fail to deliver a good enough performance, then you must, and you can only, accept the terrible outcome."
"That's on you!"
"I suggest every one of you remember my words clearly, or it'll be too late for regrets later!"
"It's as simple as that!!!"
With that, Mourinho stormed out, heading to the post-match press conference.
Sitting in the corner, Martial couldn't conceal the resentment in his heart, his hands clenched so tightly that his fingernails nearly pierced his flesh.
'It was you who stripped me of the No. 9 jersey.'
'It was you who kept me on the bench for so long. And now you're shifting the blame onto me.'
The Manchester United players glanced subtly toward the corner, just starting to relax when they noticed Ibrahimovic standing up, their nerves tightening once again.
Mourinho might scold people, but he never resorts to physical confrontation.
This one was different.
Ibrahimovic looked at the young Manchester United players, the curses on the tip of his tongue ultimately left unspoken as he softened his tone slightly.
"If you came to Manchester United just to collect a paycheck and stroll around casually, then tell me now."
"The transfer window isn't over yet. I'll speak with José about finding more suitable clubs for you."
"If not, then you must take every match seriously, because everyone else is putting in the effort to win."
"Today's match is in the past. Don't dwell on what's already happened. Learn from it and keep moving forward."
After speaking, Ibrahimovic glanced at Martial from the corner of his eye and quietly began packing his gear.
Throughout his career, he had encountered many immature players.
To put it bluntly, he had once been like that himself—subconsciously believing he could never be at fault.
Whenever conflicts arose with others, he would develop strong resistance, his attitude in training turning negative and extreme.
Fortunately, someone had helped him correct that unhealthy mindset.
Now, whether as a teammate or a senior player, he didn't want to see Martial go down that same destructive path.
Ling watched Ibrahimovic's commanding figure and thought to himself that Mourinho and Ibrahimovic were a perfect match.
With the former's stubborn personality, he often clashed irreconcilably with players.
But with the latter in the mix, it actually helped stabilize the locker room.
....
Half an hour later, on the bus back to Manchester, although the atmosphere remained tense, it was no longer suffocating.
The Manchester United players understood that the manager's criticism was directed at their actions, not at them personally.
As long as they maintained the right attitude, they wouldn't be subjected to unwarranted scoldings.
After returning to the training ground, Mourinho held a brief meeting before announcing the start of a two-week break.
Whether you were heading off to play for your national team or vacationing on the beaches of Hawaii, he didn't care in the slightest.
As he had said, everyone was fighting for opportunities.
If you didn't cherish yours, someone else surely would.
Then Mourinho and Ibrahimovic set off for Monaco to attend the Champions League group stage draw.
Ling sighed.
He would have liked to go too, but he wasn't important enough yet.
So he could only return to his dorm, review the previous match and watch the live broadcast on TV.
"Welcome to the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League group stage draw and UEFA awards ceremony."
"The camera focuses on Ronaldo, Messi, and Buffon—the top three nominees for UEFA Best Player."
"..."
Ling couldn't help but zone out momentarily.
Although the venue was filled with star players from various teams, they all seemed overshadowed by the brilliance emanating from those two individuals.
When would he ever stand on that awards podium himself?
Ling shook his head.
He hadn't even secured a solid starting position yet, and here he was fantasizing about winning awards.
He needed to keep his feet on the ground!
Ling gave himself a stern mental lecture before continuing to watch with keen interest.
First presented was the UEFA President's Award.
Totti, who announced his retirement last season, stood up and slowly walked onto the stage.
"It's an honor to receive this award. My dream was to wear only one team's jersey throughout my entire career, and now I can truly say I've achieved it."
The audience responded with continuous applause.
No matter how football evolves, players who remain loyal to one club throughout their careers deserve everyone's respect.
Next came the Champions League Best Goalkeeper award.
Juventus' veteran Buffon held the trophy high and declared.
"I'm proud to receive this award at my age."
"If there's a secret to winning awards, I believe it's maintaining my hunger for honors. That's the only way I know how to perform at the highest level."
The players also gave him warm applause.
Most of them had grown up watching Buffon play, and now they were key players for top clubs while he was still active.
They simultaneously mourned for Juventus and Italy's substitute goalkeepers.
Then the atmosphere shifted as it became Real Madrid's exclusive showcase.
Champions League Best Defender: Ramos!
Champions League Best Midfielder: Modric!
Champions League Best Forward: Ronaldo!
UEFA Men's Player of the Year: Ronaldo!
There was no helping it.
After all, Real Madrid was the first team to successfully defend the Champions League title since the tournament's reform.
Their dominant performance last season made sweeping the midfield and forward awards completely undisputed.
Ronaldo held his trophy representing glory and delivered his acceptance speech with a smile.
"I play for a fantastic team, Real Madrid."
"I love scoring goals, I love winning trophies, whether team or individual awards. I feel very happy right now."
While walking off stage, Messi shook hands with Ronaldo to congratulate him.
Their relationship was actually quite good, with mutual respect between them, not a rivalry like their fans.
It was just some extreme fans who kept stirring up conflicts under banners like 'If you like Ronaldo, you must hate Messi' and 'If you like Messi, you must hate Ronaldo.'
Anyway, Ling didn't pay attention to such messy matters.
He opened his phone and played 'Good Luck Comes.'
He hoped Mourinho wouldn't have too much bad luck.
He didn't want his first Champions League campaign to end without even making it out of the group stage.
As the cheerful, festive melody played.
Ling stared at the screen in astonishment.
Damn, the best possible draw!
Is Manchester United UEFA's favorite son?
Group A: Benfica, Manchester United, Basel, CSKA Moscow
Group B: Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Anderlecht, Celtic
Group C: Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Roma, Qarabag
Group D: Juventus, Barcelona, Olympiacos, Sporting CP
Group E: Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Liverpool, Maribor
Group F: Shakhtar Donetsk, Manchester City, Napoli, Feyenoord
Group G: Monaco, Porto, Beşiktaş, Leipzig
Group H: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur, APOEL