"I'm satisfied with the way my players performed. They played very well and caused AC Milan plenty of problems. We created more chances than they did. With a little more luck, we could have been sitting here as the winners."
Mourinho remained defiant when reporters questioned him at the post-match press conference.
His comments immediately caused a stir.
The Portuguese manager had effectively blamed the defeat on bad luck, making it obvious that he was not entirely satisfied with the way AC Milan's victory was being portrayed.
Statistically, New Manchester United had taken seventeen shots to Milan's eleven and had also registered more attempts on target.
But football matches could not be judged by shooting statistics alone.
Mourinho knew that perfectly well.
His real intention was obvious.
By blaming the defeat on luck, he risked making himself look stubborn or unreasonable in the eyes of the media.
But he also drew attention away from his players' mistakes.
If anyone wanted someone to criticise, Mourinho was offering himself.
His attitude was simple.
His players could be criticised inside the club.
Everyone else could keep their opinions to themselves.
With a single answer, Mourinho stole the focus of the press conference from Ancelotti.
Reporters immediately turned on him, throwing one provocative question after another in his direction.
But Mourinho was exceptionally good at handling the media.
Again and again, he found ways to answer difficult questions without giving the reporters what they wanted.
He did not care how outsiders viewed him.
He cared about his team.
The last thing he wanted was for his young players to lose confidence because of one defeat.
If someone had to absorb the criticism, Mourinho was more than willing to do it himself.
Even when reporters asked about losing the UEFA Super Cup and missing the opportunity to make history, Mourinho turned the conversation towards the wider season.
"I think it's actually useful for my team to experience a match like this now," he said.
"It shows the players the gap between us and the very best teams in Europe."
"That gives us something to work towards."
"We're still young."
"We're still developing."
Mourinho paused.
"If we meet AC Milan again next year, they'll be one year older."
"And we'll be one year more experienced."
"Next time, I expect us to be the ones sitting here as winners."
...
Mourinho's comments dominated the sports pages across Europe the following morning.
Plenty of newspapers mocked the Portuguese manager's refusal to accept defeat gracefully.
Still, even his critics admitted that he had brought an energetic and talented young side to Monaco and caused AC Milan serious problems.
Milan, however, had been more composed.
More experienced.
More mature.
New Manchester United had played with enormous intensity, but AC Milan had controlled the important moments.
The Red Rebels had often looked as though they were playing the match on Milan's terms.
Perhaps Ancelotti had become too conservative late on when Milan tried to protect a two-goal lead and almost allowed New Manchester United back into the match.
Overall, however, few could argue that AC Milan had not deserved the trophy.
English newspapers were more sympathetic towards Mourinho's claim that the defeat had come at a useful time.
Three days after the UEFA Super Cup, New Manchester United were due to play their fourth Premier League match of the season.
How Mourinho managed the players psychologically after their first major setback could have a significant influence on what happened next.
The Super Cup defeat also meant that New Manchester United slipped down the Premier League table while other clubs continued playing.
With one match in hand, they fell to fifth.
Arsenal currently occupied first place after winning all four of their opening matches.
Wenger's side had started the season superbly.
Ethan remembered just how strong Arsenal would become that year.
Their first league meeting with New Manchester United was scheduled for December 26, in the eighteenth round of the season, away at Highbury.
Before that, New Manchester United would also have to face Liverpool.
The increasingly congested schedule was one of the main reasons Ethan remained realistic about the club's league ambitions.
His target was European qualification.
The Champions League would be ideal.
At the very least, he wanted another place in the UEFA Cup.
After all, New Manchester United were still newly promoted.
Mourinho might have taken responsibility publicly for the Super Cup defeat, but the players were still affected by it.
Three days later, against fellow newly promoted side Portsmouth at Old Trafford, New Manchester United started with almost their strongest available eleven.
Even so, they struggled.
Portsmouth defended deep, stayed compact, and refused to give New Manchester United space.
For ninety minutes, the Red Rebels could not find a breakthrough.
0-0.
It was a frustrating draw.
...
After the Portsmouth match, Cesc Fàbregas finally returned to Manchester after representing Spain at the FIFA U-17 World Championship.
Cesc had been outstanding in Finland.
He finished the tournament as both the Golden Ball winner and the leading scorer, further strengthening his reputation as one of the most promising young midfielders in Europe.
Ethan and Mourinho met with him shortly after his arrival.
After discussing his schedule and physical condition, they decided to give him three weeks off.
Cesc would return to Spain, spend time with his family, and properly recover.
He had travelled directly to Manchester after the tournament and had not yet had the opportunity to go home.
Cesc was pleased with the decision.
He also promised that he would maintain his fitness during the break and return ready to compete for a place as quickly as possible.
Mourinho told him clearly that he considered him an important member of the first-team squad.
Seeing Cesc leave for his holiday helped Ethan put the recent results into perspective.
The defeat in Monaco and the draw with Portsmouth had pushed New Manchester United outside the top seven, but the season was still only beginning.
Then September arrived.
And with it came the international break.
For Mourinho, the interruption at least provided time to study the team's recent performances and think carefully about what adjustments would be needed over the coming weeks.
New Manchester United might have been Premier League newcomers, but after their success the previous season, a remarkable number of first-team players were now full internationals.
Čech was already the Czech Republic's first-choice goalkeeper and looked secure in the role.
Evra and Ribéry had both been called into the France squad.
Evra's position was becoming increasingly established, while Ribéry remained closer to the fringes, although his international breakthrough had come much earlier than Ethan remembered.
Kolo Touré and Drogba were key players for Ivory Coast.
Curtis, Terry, and Beckham had all been called up by England.
Curtis and Terry were not guaranteed starters, but both were now regular members of the squad.
Beckham remained England's captain and a first-choice midfielder.
Essien was Ghana's starting defensive midfielder.
Cristiano Ronaldo had been called up by Portugal.
Kaká was already an important player for Brazil.
Palacio's excellent start to the Premier League season had earned him an Argentina call-up as well.
Four goals in three league matches had made the Argentine one of the early stories of the season.
His performances were also attracting renewed attention from major European clubs.
AC Milan were particularly interested.
They had already made several approaches, but Ethan had rejected them all.
Palacio himself had no intention of forcing a move.
He wanted to remain at New Manchester United and continue developing.
There were more international call-ups throughout the squad.
De Rossi captained Italy at youth level.
Chiellini was also involved with Italy's youth setup.
Vidić was already a starting centre-back for Serbia and Montenegro.
Robben was gradually establishing himself with the Netherlands.
Philipp Lahm had also received a call-up from Germany.
By the time everyone departed, only David Villa and Almunia remained among the senior Spanish players at Newton Heath.
The two could only joke about their situation.
Villa was competing for recognition in an era when Raúl and Fernando Torres were already established names for Spain.
Almunia faced an even more difficult path.
Even beyond Casillas, Spain had several strong goalkeepers competing for places, including Palop, Valdés, and Reina.
A widespread international call-up looked impressive from the outside.
For Mourinho, it created another problem.
Most national teams would play twice over the following two weeks.
Players travelling to Africa and South America faced particularly demanding journeys, including long flights, disrupted sleep, and major changes in time zone.
The physical cost could be significant.
Ethan therefore asked the sports-science department to prepare individual recovery programmes for everyone travelling on international duty.
The goal was simple.
When the players returned to Manchester, the club wanted them ready to play again as quickly and safely as possible.
Before the international break was over, however, Villas-Boas brought Ethan another report.
...
New Manchester United's scouting department had developed rapidly.
Its work was not limited to gathering information on opponents.
It had also become increasingly effective at identifying young talent.
Joe Hart, currently the first team's third-choice goalkeeper, had originally been discovered through the scouting network.
Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey, two of the academy's most highly rated prospects, had been found the same way.
The department continued to monitor young players throughout British football.
Across the British Isles alone, New Manchester United employed fifteen scouts responsible for different regions.
Walcott and Ramsey were products of that system.
The network also extended throughout continental Europe, West Africa, and South America.
Villas-Boas headed the department.
He had originally arrived as one of Mourinho's trusted staff members and now oversaw the club's entire scouting operation.
He reported primarily to Mourinho, but he also prepared regular reports for Ethan.
The system itself had become highly organised.
Scouts around the world evaluated players according to a standardised internal framework.
Their reports included technical ability, tactical understanding, physical qualities, mentality, personality, and long-term potential.
Once a scout entered a new player into the club's database, the recruitment department in Manchester received an alert.
Villas-Boas would then review match footage and available performance data himself.
The first question was whether the player had enough potential to eventually reach New Manchester United's level.
The second was whether his style of play suited the club.
If both answers were positive, the scout responsible for that region would be instructed to continue watching him over a longer period.
Whenever possible, the club preferred reports from matches against strong opposition.
Anyone could look impressive when the level of competition was poor.
The real test came when the player was placed under pressure against opponents who could expose weaknesses.
Once Villas-Boas became convinced that a prospect was genuinely worth pursuing, he would travel to watch the player himself.
Only then would the club begin speaking with the player and his representatives.
The first question was always whether the player was interested in joining New Manchester United.
If both sides were willing to proceed, Villas-Boas would then work with Mourinho and the academy staff to determine the best development plan.
Some players would remain at their current club.
Some would move directly to Manchester.
Others would sign and then leave on loan.
New Manchester United had developed a clear philosophy for such cases.
Once the club signed a young player, it accepted responsibility for that player's development.
Not every academy prospect would eventually reach the first team.
That was impossible.
Even Ajax, one of the most respected academies in world football, could never promote every talented youngster it developed.
Only the best would ultimately establish themselves at senior level.
The rest still needed proper coaching, sensible career planning, and help finding the right next step.
That principle applied to every youngster New Manchester United recruited.
And in the latest scouting report Villas-Boas placed on Ethan's desk, several names immediately stood out.
Ethan recognised them.
(To be continued.)