New Manchester United lined up in a 4-3-3 formation for this match, the system Mourinho had used most often since taking charge of the club.
Although it occasionally shifted into a 4-4-2, it more closely resembled a 4-2-3-1.
Of course, within New Manchester United's current tactical system, the precise formation was no longer especially important.
Drogba started up front in this friendly.
The tall Ivorian centre-forward was exactly the type of striker Mourinho preferred. He was not a clinical finisher, but he possessed outstanding physical attributes, considerable strength, and decent technical ability.
He could act as a focal point in attack, create and take chances himself, and bring his teammates into play.
Crouch had not travelled with the team to Ghana.
New Manchester United were currently negotiating with Portsmouth. There was still a difference in valuation, but an agreement was expected.
After all, Crouch wanted to leave, and New Manchester United had no intention of keeping him. It was that simple.
The two wingers were Malouda and Hleb.
Although Malouda lacked Wright-Phillips's pace and technique, he worked extremely hard on the pitch and performed consistently. Wright-Phillips, by contrast, was more easily affected by his emotions, which caused greater fluctuations in form.
Hleb had been one of New Manchester United's most consistent players over the past two seasons.
Since Darren Lyons retired, he had firmly established himself as the team's first-choice right winger. No one had been able to threaten his status, not even future superstar Franck Ribéry.
The three central midfielders were Juninho, Essien, and Senna, with the two Brazilians playing further forward.
Essien operated alone as the defensive midfielder, which was clearly Mourinho's way of maximising the attacking ability of Juninho and Senna.
Essien also possessed some attacking ability, but compared with the complete box-to-box midfielder Ethan remembered from his previous life, he needed to improve defensively if he wanted to secure a regular starting place, particularly in his lateral interceptions and tackling.
His stamina was excellent, but he made too many unnecessary runs, resulting in poor interception efficiency.
Moniz had already told Essien directly that there was still considerable room for improvement in his defensive game.
Of course, Essien was excellent at making forward runs, and his outstanding stamina allowed him to recover after joining the attack.
However, since the team was still in the process of building chemistry, Mourinho had assigned him more defensive responsibilities.
The back four, from left to right, consisted of Abidal, Terry, Curtis, and Bosingwa. It was the same defensive line New Manchester United had used last season, with all four players remaining at the club.
Almunia continued in goal.
Every member of New Manchester United's first-team squad had travelled to Ghana, leaving eleven players on the bench. However, no one knew which of them Mourinho intended to use.
...
Ethan sat in the stands watching the match alongside Ghanaian President Kufuor.
In addition to keeping an eye on New Manchester United's players, he was also paying close attention to the Touré brothers of Liberty Professionals.
Since this was their first preseason friendly, New Manchester United clearly had not yet found their rhythm.
The players lacked sharpness, particularly in their movement and understanding with one another, which resulted in several mistakes.
Even so, New Manchester United still defeated Liberty Professionals 2-0, with Hleb and Juninho both scoring directly from free kicks.
Judging from the scoreline alone, New Manchester United appeared to have dominated, but in reality, their advantage came mainly from their greater tactical discipline.
Liberty Professionals played in a much less organised manner, allowing New Manchester United to control the match.
This was especially evident in the second half. After New Manchester United introduced a large number of substitutes, Liberty Professionals briefly caused them considerable trouble.
Yaya Touré, playing in central midfield, was particularly impressive. He was clearly eager to demonstrate his ability in front of Mourinho and attract the manager's attention.
His older brother, Kolo Touré, also produced a very assured performance.
He played at right-back and was responsible for marking Malouda on New Manchester United's left wing.
Throughout the match, he carried out his task extremely well. Malouda gained almost no advantage against him, and neither of New Manchester United's goals had much to do with Kolo.
In the second half, however, Kolo made an overlapping run and combined impressively with Yaya. Unfortunately, Yaya's subsequent long-range effort went wide.
"It looks like they won't be staying in Ghana much longer," Ethan said quietly to Mark.
Mark naturally understood who he meant and nodded.
Given the Touré brothers' current ability, if they remained in Ghana, European clubs would discover them sooner or later, especially after New Manchester United had attracted so much attention with the charity tournament.
The event had drawn interest not only across Africa, but also from major European newspapers and media organisations.
The stadium disaster in Ghana had caused an enormous international reaction, which indirectly brought further attention to the charity tournament.
The large number of reporters and media representatives present proved that.
"How do you plan to handle it?" Mark asked, knowing Ethan must already have an idea.
Ethan thought for a moment.
"Contact some clubs in Belgium and find out whether any of them need a midfielder.
"Loan Yaya there for three years. If he still hasn't established himself in the national team by then, he should at least be eligible for Belgian citizenship, and we can bring him back to play for us."
In later years, Manchester United and Chelsea would both maintain feeder clubs in Belgium, specifically for players who could not yet obtain British work permits.
When Ethan played Football Manager in his previous life, he had always referred to such Belgian affiliates as work-permit clubs.
Mark nodded in agreement.
Given New Manchester United's current influence, establishing a formal feeder club in Belgium would be unrealistic unless they spent heavily, and Ethan was unwilling to do that because it would make the club look like reckless newcomers.
However, arranging a loan move for Yaya Touré should be possible. New Manchester United's scouting network in Europe was already in place, and the club had built connections with many teams.
Finding a Belgian club willing to take Yaya on loan would not be too difficult.
"But you must make sure he gets regular playing time. It doesn't matter whether it's in the Belgian First Division or Second Division.
"What matters is competitive experience. That's what has real value," Ethan added.
Mark smiled and agreed.
He was not ignorant about football. He naturally understood how important first-team experience was for an 18-year-old.
He would not make such a basic mistake, especially since he could clearly see how highly Ethan valued the two brothers.
...
After the match, Ethan went to the area outside the Liberty Professionals dressing room and waited for the players to come out.
Melo and Mark accompanied him.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived, they saw Mourinho speaking with Liberty Professionals' head coach in the corridor outside the dressing room.
Both men were smiling as they talked. Mourinho then met with the Touré brothers personally and appeared extremely impressed by them.
"It looks like we won't be able to keep them," Melo joked.
Ethan patted him on the shoulder.
"It doesn't matter if we can't keep them.
"Africa will become a major source of football talent in the coming years. That's why I acquired Liberty Professionals.
"I also plan to establish football academies across Africa. When that happens, you won't have to worry about finding talented players."
"Neither will you," Melo replied with a chuckle.
Ethan smiled and walked forward.
"José, I was just looking for you!" Ethan called out.
"Perfect. I was looking for you as well!" Mourinho replied eagerly.
Ethan stood there calmly, waiting for Mourinho to speak first.
Mourinho was about to say something when he glanced at Melo and suddenly laughed.
"The right-back you mentioned wouldn't happen to be Kolo Touré, would it?"
Ethan spread his hands. "Who else did you think it was?"
Mourinho smiled and shook his head.
"I was just about to discuss him with you.
"I've only just learned that he has already made enough appearances for his national team to qualify for a work permit.
"I thought I had discovered him, but it turns out he was your choice all along!"
"Yes. Kolo Touré has performed exceptionally well at right-back since joining Liberty Professionals," Melo explained.
"At first, I thought Mr. Yu had acted on impulse, but he not only arranged loans for the Touré brothers, he also regularly sent staff to monitor their physical condition and provide training advice."
"So they are New Manchester United players?" Mourinho felt a headache coming on.
As the head coach, not even knowing that his own club had signed two such players was difficult to accept.
"Of course, José. Because of their work-permit situations, we couldn't make much use of them before.
"Kolo has now met the national-team appearance requirements, but Yaya still hasn't.
"After this charity tournament, I plan to loan him to a Belgian club and hope he can earn regular national-team call-ups as soon as possible," Ethan said regretfully.
Yaya Touré was also an exceptional talent.
As the defensive midfielder in Barcelona's treble-winning side, his potential was beyond doubt.
Even now, he already possessed considerable ability.
After attracting attention through the charity tournament and then gaining experience in Belgium, it should only be a matter of time before he was selected regularly for the national team.
"So, what do you think of the right-back I signed for you?" Ethan asked Mourinho with a smile.
"What more could I ask for?" Mourinho replied with a grin.
Everyone burst out laughing.
The group left the stadium together, chatting as they walked.
Behind them, the Touré brothers were still speaking with their coach, completely unaware that their futures had changed dramatically because of this match.
For young African players from impoverished families, leaving Africa to play in Europe was an extraordinary turning point.
They could earn more money, support themselves and their families, and build a brighter future. It seemed almost like paradise.
But Ethan knew that paradise was not always perfect, and those who entered it were not necessarily free from hardship.
Professional football was cruel.
How far the brothers could go would ultimately depend on their own choices and efforts.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ 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.)