On the afternoon of August 14, the new Premier League season opened with Liverpool travelling to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham Hotspur. By half-time, Liverpool were already 2-0 ahead, with Djibril Cissé and Michael Owen scoring once each. Tottenham tried repeatedly to respond on the counter, but Liverpool's pressure never really allowed them to establish any rhythm, and it quickly became obvious that Benítez's side were a very different proposition from the Liverpool team that had struggled so badly the previous season.
Xabi Alonso, one of Benítez's major summer signings, was outstanding in midfield. His range of passing immediately stood out, and several of his long balls caused Tottenham serious problems. One of them released Owen to open the scoring. Cissé, who had cost Liverpool £14 million, then added a goal of his own, and in the space of a single half had already convinced much of the Kop that he could prove an ideal partner for Owen.
Tottenham had spent heavily themselves, bringing in several talented players including Michael Carrick from West Ham, but their new-look side lacked cohesion. That was particularly evident in defence, where Liverpool repeatedly exploited gaps with well-timed runs from Owen and Cissé. Benítez's team were not as dominant as the eventual scoreline suggested, but tactically they controlled the match and gave Tottenham very little. Owen added his second after the break, completing a comfortable 3-0 victory and giving Liverpool the perfect start to the season.
Later that evening, the rest of the leading contenders entered the competition. Manchester United hosted Newcastle, Arsenal travelled to Everton, Chelsea welcomed West Bromwich Albion, and New Manchester United began their title defence away to Aston Villa.
On paper, Manchester United against Newcastle and Arsenal away at Everton looked like the more difficult fixtures. New Manchester United's trip to Villa Park and Chelsea's home match against newly promoted West Brom were expected to be relatively straightforward. The results, however, were even more emphatic than anyone anticipated.
Manchester United demolished Newcastle 5-1 at Old Trafford. Rooney scored twice, while new arrivals Robinho and Diego both found the net, and Van Nistelrooy added another. Newcastle had been widely tipped to push towards the upper end of the table, so the ease with which Ferguson's side dismantled them immediately attracted attention.
Chelsea responded with an even bigger statement, crushing West Brom 6-0 at Stamford Bridge. Shevchenko scored a hat-trick, Lampard added two, and Verón completed the rout with a long-range strike. West Brom were pushed deep almost from the opening whistle and spent most of the match defending around their own penalty area. The biggest difference from the previous season was Chelsea's organisation in possession. Deco, Verón, and Emerson controlled midfield almost completely, circulating the ball calmly and launching one attack after another whenever West Brom were forced out of shape.
At Goodison Park, Arsenal were equally ruthless, beating Everton 5-1. Henry scored twice and provided an assist, while Reyes, Ljungberg, and Pires all got on the scoresheet. Henry had effectively decided the game before half-time, and Everton never recovered.
Against that backdrop, New Manchester United's 2-0 victory over Aston Villa looked almost modest.
There were also clear signs that Mourinho's revised attacking structure was still a work in progress. Drogba was dropping deeper more often, Kaká was being encouraged to attack the space ahead of him, and the two wingers were expected to create room for those central movements. At times, however, the timing was not quite right. One player would move before another had cleared the space, and several promising attacks broke down because the front four were not yet completely synchronized.
Even so, the Red Rebels had lost none of their underlying quality. Beckham was excellent, scoring with a powerful long-range effort after arriving late from midfield before producing a superb diagonal pass for Cristiano Ronaldo to score the second.
After the opening round, Chelsea led the table on goal difference. Arsenal and Manchester United followed with identical points and goal differences, with the Gunners placed second. Bolton, who had beaten Charlton 4-1, were fourth, Liverpool fifth, and New Manchester United sixth.
Once the opening weekend was complete, the early analysis naturally centred on Chelsea. Many commentators argued that Ancelotti had already justified his appointment. He had brought Shevchenko with him in outstanding form, but perhaps more importantly, he had found a role that brought the best out of Verón. Chelsea suddenly looked capable of combining their physical strength with genuinely attractive attacking football.
Manchester United's recruitment also received widespread praise. Diego and Robinho both looked worth the investment from the first match. The two former Santos stars had added technique and unpredictability to Ferguson's attack, and he had even adjusted Scholes's role to give them more freedom between the lines. It was still obvious that the Brazilians had not completely adapted to their new teammates, but the potential was clear. If Ferguson could fully integrate them, Manchester United's attack could become considerably more dangerous.
New Manchester United were viewed differently. Their quality was not in question, but most observers could see that Mourinho was altering certain details within the system after Palacio's departure. Kaká, Robben, and Drogba were all being asked to make slightly different movements, and the changes had not yet become second nature. Even so, there was a widespread belief that once those adjustments settled, the champions would remain extremely difficult to stop.
On August 21, the second round produced another series of emphatic victories. Chelsea beat Birmingham 4-1 away, Liverpool defeated Manchester City 3-1 at Anfield, Manchester United thrashed Norwich 4-0, and Arsenal swept Middlesbrough aside 5-1.
Those results placed obvious pressure on New Manchester United, who played a day later. It was the first Premier League match at their new stadium, and Blackburn threatened to spoil the occasion by taking the lead. Mourinho's side struggled for much of the first half, but after the interval they raised the tempo and scored three times to win 3-1.
Beckham was involved in almost everything, registering two direct assists and playing the pass that began another scoring move. Blackburn nevertheless made the champions work for the points, and the victory came at a cost when Kaká was forced off after a heavy challenge. The initial assessment suggested he would miss at least the next couple of matches.
Mourinho described it afterwards as a bitter victory.
Only a few days later, New Manchester United were back at home, this time against Bolton, who had also opened the season with two straight wins and were sitting above the champions in the table. Their early form had been one of the stories of the season, with Jay-Jay Okocha particularly influential, and Mourinho treated the match with the seriousness it deserved.
Without Kaká, he changed the midfield. De Rossi came into the starting eleven alongside Beckham and Essien, giving New Manchester United three central midfielders with the strength and energy to compress space. Mourinho did not want them simply sitting deep, though. Beckham, De Rossi, and Essien were all encouraged to make forward runs whenever the opportunity appeared, allowing the team to compensate for Kaká's absence through movement and long-range threat.
Beckham continued his outstanding start to the campaign. Cristiano Ronaldo and Robben were still struggling to find their sharpest form after Euro 2004, but Beckham showed no such fatigue. With Essien and De Rossi giving him protection and support, he was able to advance more frequently and became a constant threat around the penalty area.
In the first half, Robben crossed from the flank and Beckham timed his run perfectly, arriving between the defenders to head home his second goal of the season. After the break, Bolton began to tire, but Beckham seemed to become more energetic. In the 79th minute, he received the ball near the edge of the area and slipped a perfectly weighted pass through the defence for Villa, who finished one-on-one. It was Beckham's fourth assist of the campaign and sealed a 2-0 victory.
The other contenders refused to slow down. Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 4-0 away, Arsenal defeated Blackburn 3-0, Manchester United saw off Everton 2-0, and Liverpool beat Portsmouth 3-1. The relentless winning runs meant New Manchester United's position near the top barely improved despite another victory.
Compared with Chelsea's explosive start and the smooth performances of Manchester United and Arsenal, the champions seemed to be working much harder for their points. Much of their attacking influence was also running through Beckham, something the media were quick to notice.
New Manchester United's final league match of August came against Charlton at home, shortly before the international break. Once it was over, many players would leave for national-team duty, and two weeks later the Red Rebels were due at Stamford Bridge to face an in-form Chelsea side.
Given the congested opening schedule, Mourinho intended to rotate. The staff were paying almost as much attention to physical condition and tactical development as to the immediate result.
The media, however, had become fascinated by something else.
A record.
Nottingham Forest's run of forty-two unbeaten matches in the English top flight had long been regarded as one of the great benchmarks of the domestic game. New Manchester United had completed the entire previous Premier League season unbeaten and then won each of their first three league matches of the new campaign.
Without making any deliberate attempt to chase history, they had reached forty-one consecutive league matches without defeat.
Beat Charlton, and they would equal Nottingham Forest's record.
Until reporters began asking about it, almost nobody inside Newton Heath had paid much attention. Ethan, Mourinho, the coaching staff, and the players had simply been focused on collecting points, particularly with Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool all starting so strongly.
Now that the figure was everywhere, however, it became impossible to ignore.
Forty-one matches.
One more and they would equal a record that had stood for years.
The achievement brought pride, but it also created pressure. What had previously been an unbeaten run became a target hanging over the players, and Mourinho could see the effect almost immediately. Against Charlton, several of them looked more cautious than usual, as though the thought of being the team that lost the record had made every mistake seem more dangerous.
Mourinho started in his usual 4-2-3-1, with Agüero replacing the injured Kaká as the attacking midfielder. The young Argentine struggled, however. Charlton denied him room between the lines, crowded him whenever he received the ball, and prevented him from turning towards goal. He worked hard but never really imposed himself.
When nothing changed after half-time, Mourinho made his move in the 63rd minute.
Kaká, who had recovered more quickly than initially expected, came on.
Before sending him onto the pitch, Mourinho kept the instructions simple. He did not want Kaká worrying about defensive coverage or dropping too deep to organise possession. Beckham could dictate the game, Essien could protect the midfield, and the team's pressing structure would provide additional cover.
Kaká's job was to attack.
He had spent more than an hour watching the match from the bench and had already identified where Charlton were vulnerable. Almost immediately after coming on, he carried the ball straight through the centre, forcing two defenders towards him before threading a pass into the space behind them. Drogba turned onto it and finished first time.
1-0.
Once the deadlock was broken, Kaká became increasingly influential. Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi deliberately widened their positions and made runs that dragged defenders away from the centre, opening more space for the Brazilian to attack directly.
In the 83rd minute, Beckham sent another precise diagonal pass towards Drogba inside the box. The striker rose above his marker and flicked the ball on towards the far post. Kaká had been waiting outside the immediate danger area, but the moment Drogba made contact, he accelerated into the space and stretched out a boot to turn the ball into the net.
2-0.
It was Kaká's first goal of the season, and his relief was obvious as he celebrated with his teammates.
On the bench, Cassell was already talking Agüero through what had changed after Kaká's introduction. Rather than simply telling the youngster that he had played badly, he broke down the problems he had encountered: where he had received the ball, when he had held it too long, which spaces he had failed to attack, and how Kaká had manipulated the same defensive structure after coming on.
The analysis would continue later in the club's video-review and simulation facilities, where Agüero could study the situations again and understand exactly how to improve. That process was considered just as important as giving talented youngsters minutes on the pitch.
New Manchester United won 2-0 and matched Nottingham Forest's forty-two-game unbeaten record.
Mourinho did not look particularly interested in celebrating it.
At the post-match press conference, he dismissed the significance of the statistic when reporters repeatedly asked about it. Records, he said, mattered far less than keeping his squad healthy and competitive. The next two weeks concerned him much more because so many players would now leave on international duty, some travelling enormous distances before returning only days ahead of the Chelsea match.
The calendar offered little respite. With Mourinho placing greater importance on the league and the coming Champions League campaign, he used the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid as an opportunity to rotate heavily. Michael Johnson, Mikel, Messi, Ishmael, and several other younger players started.
Real Madrid also rested a number of first-choice players, although experienced figures such as Makélélé and Juninho Paulista remained in their line-up. That difference in maturity eventually told, and New Manchester United lost 2-1.
It was the second consecutive season in which the Red Rebels had failed to win the UEFA Super Cup.
Mourinho was hardly devastated.
What worried him far more was the stream of reports beginning to arrive from the national teams.
Sometimes the thing a manager fears most is exactly what happens.
(To be continued.)