Inside the north dressing room at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, all eleven starters sat quietly in their places, mentally preparing themselves for the match.
No one knew exactly what the others were thinking, but there was no doubt that every thought revolved around what was about to happen.
With the deafening roar of the supporters outside and so much attention focused on this match, there was little room to think about anything else. Their minds were completely locked on the game.
Mourinho pushed open the dressing-room door, walked inside, and looked around at his players.
"Feeling the pressure?"
Several players looked up. Others kept their heads lowered.
No one answered.
"More pressure than the UEFA Cup final?"
Mourinho asked again.
One or two players looked ready to respond, but when nobody else spoke, they remained silent as well.
"More than the FA Cup final against Arsenal?"
This time, Mourinho emphasized every word.
During the warm-up, he had noticed one or two players looking nervous.
That was not a good sign.
Against an opponent as strong as Manchester United, even a momentary lapse in concentration could be punished.
"This is a fucking derby!" Mourinho snapped. "The most unpredictable kind of match in football!"
"In a derby, the stronger team doesn't always win, and the weaker team doesn't always lose. Manchester City can go toe-to-toe with Manchester United and even beat them. Does that mean City are the stronger team?"
Mourinho's voice carried throughout the dressing room.
"Of course not. They make up for the difference with determination, aggression, and relentless effort. Even against Manchester United, they don't play with fear, because fear only gives your opponent confidence and makes defeat more likely."
"We have never been a team that backs down. We've already beaten clubs every bit as strong as Manchester United. Arsenal. Lazio. After ninety minutes today, I believe Manchester United will be another major club we can say we've beaten."
He paused before continuing.
"Before the match, a reporter asked me, 'Mr. Mourinho, do you really think your players can beat Manchester United? Do you really believe your players are better than theirs?'"
Mourinho looked around the room.
"My answer was simple."
"Yes."
The players were clearly responding now. The tension in the room was gradually turning into excitement.
According to Ethan, Mourinho had picked up plenty of psychological techniques from his wife over the years and had become extremely good at using them inside the dressing room to bring his players into the right emotional state before matches.
But motivation was only one part of Mourinho's preparation.
He placed just as much importance on specific tactical instructions.
"Manchester United's centre-backs are Ferdinand and Silvestre. They look formidable on paper, but I'm telling you now, they're paper tigers."
A few players raised their heads.
"Do you know what people used to say about Ferdinand?"
Mourinho gave them a moment before answering his own question.
"A ticking time bomb."
A few smiles appeared.
"Yes, exactly. A ticking time bomb. At least if there's a timer, Ferguson has some idea when it might go off. If there wasn't, he'd really have a problem."
The dressing room broke into laughter.
Ferdinand's occasional lapses had been widely discussed in the Premier League for several seasons.
His individual ability was unquestioned, but having an outstanding centre-back did not automatically guarantee an outstanding defensive unit.
"Manchester United supporters have complained about their problems at centre-back ever since Stam left," Mourinho continued. "Didier, I want you working between Ferdinand and Silvestre. Separate them. Stop them covering for each other. And when you get the chance, go at Ferdinand."
Drogba nodded.
After hearing Mourinho reduce Manchester United's defensive problems to something so simple, Ferdinand suddenly did not seem quite as intimidating.
"As for Silvestre, he relies heavily on his athleticism," Mourinho said. "Make him defend situations he doesn't want to defend."
Then Mourinho turned towards his wide players.
"Manchester United's full-backs today are Phil Neville and Fortune. That gives us an opportunity."
"We press from the first minute."
"Cristiano, Rodrigo, stay high enough to pin their full-backs back. When you receive the ball, attack them. The moment we lose possession, press immediately."
"Understood?"
Cristiano Ronaldo and Palacio nodded at once.
That was already one of the basic requirements Mourinho placed on his wingers.
"The midfield battle is crucial."
Mourinho looked towards Beckham, Kaká, and Essien.
"David, Ricardo, Michael, you have a difficult job. You're dealing with Scholes and Roy Keane. Neither of them is easy to play against."
"But I believe you can dominate that area."
"From the first minute, we make the midfield ours. Pressure them constantly. Don't let them settle."
All three nodded firmly.
Beckham in particular knew exactly what Mourinho wanted.
During the tactical meetings before the match, he had already explained many of Scholes and Keane's habits to the coaching staff and discussed the best ways to deal with them.
"Giggs and Solskjær will work from the wide areas, so we need to restrict them as well."
"Without Gary Neville, if we put enough pressure on Manchester United higher up the pitch, their full-backs will struggle to get forward. If their full-backs can't overlap, their attacks from wide positions become much less varied."
"Our defending is based on the entire system. This back line has already been tested against major clubs and Premier League opposition. We are capable of handling Manchester United."
Then Mourinho looked directly at Curtis.
"As for the Dutchman, Curtis, he's yours."
Mourinho was clearly taking Van Nistelrooy seriously.
The Dutch striker was the type of forward who could turn almost nothing into a goal, which was why Curtis had been specifically assigned to stay tight to him throughout the match.
Curtis nodded firmly.
During the two days in Cardiff, he had spoken extensively with Beckham.
Beckham had told him about Van Nistelrooy's habits and movement, along with the tendencies of players such as Scholes, hoping the information would help Curtis handle the striker.
Whether it would work was something they would only discover on the pitch.
...
The two teams knew each other well.
Among Manchester United's starters, Keane, Scholes, Butt, Phil Neville, and several others had personal connections with players on the New Manchester United side.
As the teams waited in the tunnel, players from both sides exchanged smiles and greetings.
The referee glanced at the conversations taking place around him.
It hardly looked like the meeting between bitter enemies the media had spent weeks describing.
For now, at least, the atmosphere remained surprisingly cordial.
But as the rivalry developed over the coming years and the personal connections between the two squads gradually faded, that friendliness might disappear with them.
Perhaps then the derby would begin to develop a much sharper edge.
The moment the players walked out of the tunnel, the Millennium Stadium erupted.
The noise rolled around the ground as both teams lined up beside the pitch.
Before anything else, the entire stadium stood for a minute's silence in memory of Jimmy Davies, who had tragically died in a car accident the previous day.
Every player wore a black armband.
Almost all the supporters in the stadium did the same after both clubs had encouraged them to pay tribute before the match.
Once the silence ended, the two teams gathered for the official photographs.
Then the captains walked forward for the coin toss.
Beckham, wearing New Manchester United's captain's armband, came face-to-face with Keane.
For a moment, the situation felt slightly awkward.
Then the two men embraced.
The entire stadium responded with a huge cheer.
"Two players who stood side by side for Manchester United not long ago are opponents today," Andy Gray said. "There must be some mixed emotions between them."
"I suspect Van Nistelrooy may have even more mixed feelings," Martin Tyler replied with a smile. "Since Beckham left Manchester United, Van Nistelrooy hasn't looked quite as sharp in preseason. Without Beckham delivering crosses from the right, he's naturally receiving fewer of the chances he used to thrive on."
"Solskjær, on the other hand, has been excellent during preseason."
At the coin toss, Beckham won New Manchester United the kick-off.
After shaking hands with the referee and his assistants, the two captains returned to their teams.
...
"Let's test their left side first," Beckham said as the New Manchester United players gathered in a huddle.
Drogba nodded.
"After kick-off, we'll get Cristiano attacking Phil Neville straight away. We'll move the ball over to him and see how Neville handles him."
"Rodrigo needs to keep the other side occupied," Beckham added. "Ricardo, make runs beyond their midfield whenever you can. Pull Keane and Butt around and create situations where Cristiano can get Neville one-on-one."
Everyone nodded.
Then they broke from the huddle.
The referee raised his whistle.
The match began.
Drogba immediately rolled the ball back to Kaká.
Kaká flicked it behind him with his heel towards Essien.
Essien moved the ball out to the right, where Kolo Touré stepped forward to receive it.
Giggs closed him down quickly.
Kolo responded by playing the ball inside to Beckham, who had dropped deeper to make himself available.
The moment Beckham received it, he lifted his head.
The entire picture in front of him became clear.
Throughout preseason, Beckham had received more individual attention from the coaching staff and sports-science department than any other player.
He had spent time in the club's visualization room almost every day, reviewing situations from training and preseason matches.
The coaches had repeatedly worked through his mistakes with him, showing him the positions and passing options available in each situation.
Now he immediately recognised one.
On the right, Palacio was occupying Fortune and keeping him pinned back.
His positioning had pulled part of Manchester United's defensive shape towards that side.
On the opposite flank, space had opened up.
Cristiano Ronaldo raised his hand.
He wanted the ball.
Keane and Scholes immediately moved towards Beckham.
They never got close enough.
Beckham planted his standing foot and swept a long diagonal pass across the pitch.
The ball travelled high over midfield before dropping perfectly towards Cristiano Ronaldo on the left.
Cristiano watched it all the way.
He cushioned the ball with his chest.
Before Phil Neville could get a foot in, Cristiano knocked it towards the byline and accelerated after it.
Neville reacted desperately.
Just as Cristiano was about to burst past him, the Manchester United defender slid in.
Cristiano went down.
The ball skipped away.
The referee immediately sprinted towards the incident.
He called Phil Neville over and produced a yellow card.
The foul had taken place just outside the penalty area.
New Manchester United had a free kick in a dangerous position.
"Cristiano Ronaldo has tremendous pace, excellent technique, and outstanding one-on-one ability," Andy Gray said. "Phil Neville simply couldn't deal with him there."
"And the attack came almost out of nowhere. Beckham's diagonal pass was superb. It isolated Neville against Cristiano, and Neville was forced into the foul."
"This is exactly the sort of start Manchester United didn't want," Martin Tyler added. "I suspect this was part of New Manchester United's plan from the beginning. Attack one flank aggressively, force Manchester United backwards, and establish control early."
"And now Phil Neville has a yellow card hanging over him for the rest of the match. Mourinho will be delighted with that."
Beckham walked towards the free-kick spot.
Curtis and Drogba were already moving into the Manchester United penalty area, joined by several other New Manchester United players.
"This is a very dangerous set-piece opportunity," Martin Tyler said.
"Beckham is standing over it."
"Let's see what he does."
(To be continued.)