It was a drizzly morning on June 25, with dark, oppressive rain clouds overhead.
Half an hour before training, players who had received raises and could now afford cars drove themselves to the training base. Those who could not afford cars arrived by taxi or bus, hurrying into the facility.
Except for Essien, who was still participating in the World Youth Championship, all twenty-two first-team players arrived on time at the training base, including Franck Ribéry, who had been sent to the reserves and youth team for physical conditioning last season.
In the dressing room, the players returning from holiday were all in good spirits.
Last season, they had helped the team win promotion to League One with their excellent performances, and now they had received their well-deserved reward. Every player's salary had increased, and the club had signed new contracts with them.
This satisfied the young players, and they were also happy to stay with the team.
For them, this was a job, a job that sustained their lives.
At the same time, thanks to the club's success, they had become darlings in the hearts of the supporters, which excited and thrilled these young men.
Juninho walked into the dressing room. Since Schmeichel had decided to retire, he had become the team captain, with Curtis Davies as vice-captain. Davies was also the first player from New Manchester United to be selected for an England national team, hailed as the club's future hope.
This summer, many people in this dressing room had received invitations from other clubs, with Curtis being the most sought-after. However, they all ultimately stayed, not only because the club offered them higher salaries and new contracts, but also because they liked staying with this relatively familiar team.
If they changed teams, who could guarantee that it would be better than their current situation?
For these relatively young players, they wisely chose growth over fame and fortune.
"These are the four players who just transferred here this year: Didier Drogba, Marcos Senna, Giorgio Chiellini, and Petr Čech!"
After speaking, Juninho introduced the new teammates to the other players in the dressing room, allowing them to familiarize themselves with one another. Then he arranged their lockers and finally told them to change.
For professional players, they had to learn to accept the comings and goings of teammates. This was an essential lesson for every professional.
"Lads, Mr. Mourinho doesn't like anyone being late, so we need to hurry. Otherwise, I don't know what kind of punishment he'll have waiting for us!" With that, Juninho was the first to run out of the dressing room.
Curtis, Terry, and the others also laughed and went out one after another.
Those who were slower immediately became flustered, rushing about, and soon they all left, leaving the dressing room empty.
When they arrived at the training ground, they indeed found head coach Mourinho standing sternly in the center of the pitch, with the coaching staff on both sides. Coach Faria, as in every previous training session, held a stopwatch, clearly calculating whether they were late.
Having witnessed Mourinho's strictness last year, the players dared not be careless this year, lining up neatly and orderly.
Although Distin and Ståhlson had left midway through last season, Kitson and Poulsen had left after the season, and Schmeichel had retired, New Manchester United had added Drogba, Senna, Chiellini, and Čech this season. The number of players had not changed much, but the squad's potential had significantly improved.
These guys were all future European-level stars, every one of them a formidable individual. Ethan was reluctant to let any of them leave, so after the season ended, he started working on salary increases, which was why he had managed to keep them all.
Otherwise, perhaps a few more would have left.
However, even with the salary increases, Ethan only raised their salaries to League One level, while promising that if the team were promoted again, their salaries would increase once more.
For these players, whose profession was football, loyalty was built on salary, on ensuring they received the treatment they deserved.
Ethan knew this better than anyone.
...
"Stop, Petr Čech!" Mourinho suddenly called out to the player who had just run out of the dressing room.
Everyone's gaze immediately focused on the newly joined Czech teenager, whom Ethan had hailed as a genius goalkeeper. He stood there somewhat at a loss, feeling the rain spray onto him, seeping into his training kit from his neck, making him feel wet and uncomfortable.
"Why isn't your ankle taped?" Mourinho asked, his face cold.
Čech was stunned, looking at his ankle, which was covered by his football boot. Although his socks were high, if one looked closely, it was not difficult to see that it was indeed not taped. Yet Čech looked utterly bewildered.
"I... I don't know, sir!"
"Don't know?" Mourinho's tone was very stern. "Then you should remember from now on that every goalkeeper, the moment he steps onto the training ground, must ensure he is one hundred percent ready, but you clearly haven't done that!"
Petr Čech was so anxious he almost cried. In the Czech Republic, no one had ever taught him about taping, which was why he had found it strange when he saw Almunia and David Green taping their ankles in the dressing room earlier, but he had not asked further.
"Go back and tape it. Once you're done, go train by yourself on the side!"
With that, Mourinho, his face cold, turned around, ignored Čech completely, and walked directly to the first-team players.
"Do you think the weather in England is terrible?" Mourinho's tone was icy.
The players dared not even breathe too loudly, afraid that making a sound would give Mourinho an excuse to pick on them.
"Do you think you've completed a good season, the club has offered you better contracts, you've all bought cars, stepped into a comfortable footballer's life, attracted attention from many teams, and now you feel like you're goddamn stars?"
Mourinho paced back and forth along the line of players, his sharp gaze sweeping over each one.
"I'm telling you, when that self-satisfied feeling of being a star appears in your hearts, you should press a hand to your chest and ask yourselves, who gave you all this, and who made you what you are today?"
"It's football! It's this football that you kick around. Without it, you wouldn't be where you are today. But football is very cruel. Once you start feeling too good about yourselves, that's when you'll be punished. At that time, I will ruthlessly abandon you, and then you'll see how many of those clubs chasing you now will still be interested!"
"Prove yourself with ability. That is the rule of the football pitch. It isn't there for you to accept. It is there for you to obey!"
After speaking, Mourinho sent the youngsters to the laboratory for their physical examinations.
Watching the players jog toward the dressing room under the lead of the two captains, Schmeichel came up behind Mourinho.
"José, don't you think you were too harsh on Čech?"
Mourinho looked at his assistant. Not only did he not think it was bad for Schmeichel to voice his opinion directly, even if it questioned him, but he thought it was good. At least it proved there were no issues within the coaching staff.
"No, Peter. If he is a genius, then he must understand that details determine success or failure. A player who can't even handle the details properly, no matter how extraordinary his talent is, is destined not to become a top-class star!"
At this point, Mourinho saw Čech run out of the dressing room, waved him directly toward the laboratory, then smiled and said, "I know he hasn't had professional goalkeeper training before, but that doesn't mean he can be treated specially. On the contrary, I think this should push me to be even stricter with him. Only then will he feel that he is one of the New Manchester United players!"
Schmeichel was clearly convinced by Mourinho. He felt that Mourinho, like Ethan, had his own way of doing things, and they both clearly knew what they were doing and what they wanted. Then they would use their unique methods to influence everyone around them.
Perhaps this should be called personal charisma.
"Peter, I believe in Ethan's judgment. Since he thinks highly of Čech, it proves Čech must have his unique qualities. I hope you can try your best to unearth his potential. A coach's greatest role is not in displaying his own talent, but in unearthing the potential of the players he trains. Although this might leave the coach unknown to the public, everyone will understand, and I believe the players will also understand, the true value of the coach!"
Mourinho said this earnestly to Schmeichel, who was walking beside him.
Many goalkeeper coaches became coaches after retiring as goalkeepers, but some succeeded and some failed. Why?
Because they could not distinguish between being a goalkeeper and being a goalkeeper coach.
The former was about displaying one's own talent and ability to prove one's value, but the latter was different. The latter's value was determined by whether he could train a top-level goalkeeper, unearth the potential of the player he trained, and maximize that player's ability.
If he did not understand the gap between these two roles, then Mourinho would consider replacing Schmeichel, even if he had once been a great goalkeeper. As a goalkeeper coach, he would be unqualified.
Having been reminded once by Ethan, and now again by Mourinho, Schmeichel clearly discovered his own problems. He understood that he indeed had a long way to go on this path, so he humbly accepted Mourinho's reminder.
No one was born all-powerful. Only by constantly discovering one's mistakes and continuously improving could one make progress and achieve greater glory!
(To be continued.)