"Is this really their home ground?"
Sitting in the seat specially arranged for him by the club, Cesc looked around Old Trafford in stunned silence.
Everywhere he looked was a sea of red.
The noise was deafening.
"Hmm..."
Díaz was equally surprised.
He knew New Manchester United were popular with supporters, but he had not realised the atmosphere could reach this level.
In terms of intensity, it was not inferior to Barcelona.
Of course, the attendance could not compare with Camp Nou.
There were probably just over 50,000 supporters present for this match, and a few sections of the stadium were not completely full.
But for a First Division club, that was already remarkable.
"Portsmouth are very strong," Cesc said. "But none of these supporters look worried."
For such an important match, one that could effectively decide the league title, the crowd should have been nervous.
Instead, everyone looked as though New Manchester United had already secured the championship.
Some supporters had even brought decorations and banners for the celebration.
"Hey, young man, are you from Spain?"
A supporter nearby had overheard Cesc and Díaz speaking Spanish.
"Yes," Cesc replied. "Are you?"
"No, no. I'm English, but I speak Spanish. Is this your first New Manchester United match?"
"Yes."
The man's face immediately lit up.
He waved his hands excitedly and had to raise his voice over the crowd.
"Then that explains it.
"If you're a football supporter, there's one thing you need to understand about this place.
"Our home ground is a fortress.
"Nobody beats us here.
"Our last home defeat came during the first couple of years after the club was founded.
"Once we had a proper home of our own, we stopped losing."
"Exactly!" another nearby supporter joined in.
"You've heard of Arsenal, haven't you?"
Cesc nodded.
Arsenal were one of the clubs currently trying to sign him.
"We beat them here.
"And Millwall? We destroyed them 10-0.
"Portsmouth aren't going to enjoy themselves either.
"We don't lose at home."
The two supporters enthusiastically began listing stronger opponents who had fallen at New Manchester United's home ground.
Arsenal.
Lazio.
Others besides.
Only then did Cesc fully appreciate just how many strong teams the Red Rebels had already beaten.
It surprised him.
But then again, a First Division club did not reach the UEFA Cup final by accident.
What New Manchester United had achieved was extraordinary.
...
"It looks as though the supporters have come prepared to celebrate the title tonight!" John Motson said from the commentary position, clearly impressed by the atmosphere inside Old Trafford.
"Yes," Martin Tyler replied.
"There are still two league matches remaining after this one for New Manchester United, while Portsmouth have one more fixture than them.
"But realistically, the title race will be largely decided tonight.
"Given the current form of both teams, I don't expect either side to make many mistakes after this."
"Harry Redknapp has approached the match very cautiously.
"Portsmouth are set up in a 4-5-1, clearly looking to defend and counter.
"They've selected two holding midfielders, so the intention is obvious.
"They want to congest the middle and disrupt New Manchester United's attack."
"New Manchester United are sticking with their usual 4-2-3-1," Tyler continued.
"Drogba starts up front.
"Robben and Hleb are on the wings.
"Kaká plays behind the striker.
"Juninho and Senna form the double pivot.
"The back four, from left to right, is Evra, Terry, Curtis, and Kolo Touré.
"Čech starts in goal.
"That's very close to their strongest available eleven."
Motson smiled.
"Both managers are taking this match extremely seriously.
"Mourinho repeatedly said beforehand that his team would attack aggressively at home and do everything possible to break Portsmouth down.
"Looking at the lineup, he certainly hasn't changed his mind.
"Senna starting instead of Essien isn't particularly surprising either.
"Essien played the full ninety minutes in the previous league match."
"Sometimes you have to admire the depth of this squad," Tyler said.
"Senna is a very good midfielder.
"Yet at New Manchester United, he's now effectively behind Essien.
"After some minor injury problems earlier in the year, even Yaya Touré and De Rossi have pushed him further down the pecking order."
"That depth is one of the main reasons they've been able to compete on three fronts.
"The players outside the preferred starting eleven are still extremely capable.
"I suspect Mourinho is using Senna tonight because of his experience.
"He's a very reliable player.
"There have been reports that he'll return to La Liga at the end of the season, but nothing has been officially confirmed."
Motson raised his voice.
"And here come the players!"
...
Old Trafford erupted.
The supporters greeted the teams with an enormous roar.
Several New Manchester United players waved towards the stands as they walked onto the pitch.
The two sides took their positions.
Cesc's attention immediately settled on Juninho, who was wearing the captain's armband.
Then he looked towards Kaká.
The Brazilian appeared completely relaxed, smiling as he waited for kick-off.
Farther forward, Drogba and Robben stood over the ball, chatting casually while they waited for the referee.
The whistle sounded.
Drogba touched the ball to Robben.
Robben immediately knocked it backwards to Juninho.
New Manchester United's shape spread across the pitch.
Cesc kept watching Juninho and Kaká.
Both moved constantly.
Kaká's passing was extremely direct and efficient, with most of his touches coming first time.
Juninho did not appear interested in slowing the match down either.
He allowed the players ahead of him to press Portsmouth immediately.
The intention was obvious.
New Manchester United wanted to overwhelm them from the opening whistle.
Portsmouth had committed large numbers to defence.
In addition to the two holding midfielders, the central midfielder and both wide players tracked back aggressively.
Even the lone striker frequently dropped deeper.
That created significant problems for New Manchester United's attack.
One side attacked.
The other defended.
Yet the tempo remained extremely high.
Before Cesc realised it, twenty minutes had already passed.
By then, he had developed a much clearer understanding of New Manchester United's football.
Their off-the-ball movement was crucial.
The players ran constantly.
Juninho might have been responsible for organising possession, but his work rate was no lower than that of the wingers.
He was always moving into positions where he could support a teammate.
Cesc noticed something else.
The players seemed to understand one another instinctively.
Whenever someone received the ball, nearby teammates immediately began moving.
One would come short.
Another would run beyond.
Someone else would open a passing lane.
The man in possession was rarely left without options.
That was especially true in the final third.
New Manchester United played with enormous confidence there.
The attacking quartet of Drogba, Kaká, Hleb, and Robben caused Portsmouth constant problems.
Their combinations and movement repeatedly created shooting opportunities.
Hleb alone had three good chances during the opening twenty minutes.
Two were saved by the goalkeeper.
Perhaps because the early pressure had failed to produce a goal, Juninho gradually began changing the rhythm.
From the stands, the difference was obvious.
The players around him slowed as well.
The defensive line stopped pushing quite so high.
The midfield and front four dropped a little deeper.
Portsmouth's formation was no longer compressed as tightly as it had been earlier.
They suddenly found more room to circulate possession, particularly through midfield.
New Manchester United's attacking intensity decreased.
But their control of the match did not.
Juninho remained composed in possession.
He constantly communicated with teammates.
When he received the ball now, he was more willing to hold it, adjust his body, and wait rather than release it immediately.
Slow periods prepared the ground for acceleration.
Fast periods were the release of everything built during the slower ones.
Cesc remembered something Redondo had once said about controlling tempo.
Juninho was demonstrating it perfectly.
Portsmouth gradually began to improve.
Their passing became more confident.
Their counter-attacks started reaching New Manchester United's half.
Cesc found himself becoming slightly worried.
Could all that early pressure without a goal eventually leave the Red Rebels vulnerable to a counter?
Then the match changed again.
Portsmouth's counter-attacks were mostly directed down their right, against Evra.
But Evra's defensive ability had improved enormously that season.
His pace had always been excellent.
Now he was stronger physically, more disciplined positionally, and far more decisive when defending.
During one Portsmouth attack, Evra held his ground perfectly and played the ball back inside to Terry.
Terry immediately cleared long towards the attacking half.
Drogba challenged the opposing centre-back slightly left of centre and won the header, directing it backwards.
Kaká met it and, without taking an extra touch, laid the ball off to Juninho.
Juninho controlled.
Looked up.
Then immediately switched play with a long diagonal pass towards the right.
Hleb received it.
With his first touch, he used the outside of his foot to knock the ball into the space behind Portsmouth's full-back.
Then he accelerated.
He reached the ball before the covering centre-back could close him down.
At the edge of the penalty area, Hleb stopped sharply.
Cut inside.
Created half a yard.
Then slipped an intelligent pass into the middle.
Drogba had drifted towards the left, dragging defenders with him.
That opened a large space through the centre.
Kaká surged into it from deep.
Hleb's pass arrived perfectly.
Kaká met it first time.
Volley.
The ball flew towards the right side of the goal like a shot from a cannon.
It passed just inside the post and crashed into the net.
The goalkeeper had no chance.
Goal!
1-0!
Old Trafford exploded.
Thousands of supporters jumped to their feet.
The Kaká chant immediately rolled around the stadium as the crowd celebrated the attacking midfielder.
Cesc sat frozen for a moment.
The goal had come so quickly.
So suddenly.
If it had happened during the opening twenty minutes, when New Manchester United had been attacking relentlessly, he would not have thought much of it.
But it had arrived precisely when Portsmouth seemed to be growing into the match.
Coincidence?
Or design?
Cesc replayed the move in his mind.
Juninho had clearly seen Hleb's position.
Robben had dropped deeper to help Evra defend, so the left side was not available.
Hleb, however, had stayed high on the right and was almost level with Portsmouth's left-back.
Once Juninho's diagonal reached him accurately, Hleb immediately had a one-on-one.
And in a one-on-one situation, the attacker usually held the advantage.
Especially an attacker with Hleb's technique.
Especially when the defender was retreating during a sudden transition.
Taking the ball from him under those circumstances was extremely difficult.
Then Cesc thought about everything that had come before.
Juninho slowing the game.
His constant communication.
The way he drew Portsmouth forward.
Then the sudden diagonal pass that isolated Hleb against the full-back.
Cesc had heard coaches at La Masia explain those principles countless times.
Until now, he had never fully understood them.
Watching Juninho, he finally did.
This was what it meant to be the true core of a team.
(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.)