Before stepping into the locker room, José Mourinho casually straightened his suit jacket and glanced back at his assistant coach. "Does it show?" he asked.
"If you were ten years younger, I guarantee Hollywood stars would be throwing themselves at you!"
Flattered, Mourinho strode in with a relaxed smile. Inside, his star players Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba were casually juggling a football, passing it back and forth. Meanwhile, Claude Makélélé and Michael Essien seemed off their game, sitting quietly, lost in thought.
Even Petr Čech and Paulo Ferreira, usually the most energetic in the squad, stood by the locker room window, gazing wistfully at the bustling Old Trafford pitch.
Mourinho knew exactly what was happening.
Simply put, it was pre-match nerves. There's an old saying: "Repeat a lie often enough, and it becomes the truth." If one media outlet claimed Manchester United were superior, nobody would care. But when 140 outlets all declared United stronger than Chelsea, doubt would inevitably creep in.
You might not show fear, but deep down, you'd start questioning yourself.
Mourinho, of course, had his own way of dealing with this—trash talk. He'd done it before, and he wasn't afraid to do it again.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
He bent down, beckoning his scattered players to gather. When they sluggishly shuffled over, Mourinho flashed a grin.
"I've got some good news for you all. Before we arrived at Old Trafford, our owner promised me—any player who scores today gets a £1 million bonus per goal. And that's after taxes!"
"Whoa!"
"Seriously?!"
"Is our dear Abramovich really that generous?"
Instantly, the gloomy atmosphere vanished. Players—starters and substitutes alike—buzzed with excitement, chattering away.
Mourinho didn't rush them. Instead, he planted one foot on a wooden bench, watching them with pride.
"Seems like you're all fired up now! But what if I told you that's just the appetizer?"
Lampard, who had played the most minutes this season, leaned in eagerly. "What, a vacation? I'm so jealous of that lucky bastard Claire! If I get the chance, I'll teach him a lesson on the pitch!"
"Our sponsor, MSC Cruises, has promised that if we beat United today and raise their flag at Old Trafford, every player can bring two guests on an all-expenses-paid luxury cruise to Abu Dhabi!"
The locker room erupted like a boiling kettle. The players celebrated as if they'd already won.
To be fair, it wasn't just hype. MSC Cruises, though not a global household name, dominated Britain's international cruise market, rivaling even the famed White Star Line. Their routes covered Europe, South America, South Africa, and even held 50% of the Middle Eastern cruise market. The only reason they weren't more famous? They were a privately held family business.
Mourinho watched the energized scene with satisfaction. When he first arrived at Chelsea, the club had been in shambles. Back then, the Premier League wasn't the competitive battleground it was today—it was a two-horse race between Manchester United and Arsenal, with everyone else just making up the numbers.
But then, ambitious owner Roman Abramovich brought in Mourinho, and the Portuguese manager delivered. Chelsea quickly assembled a formidable squad and developed a tactical identity built on rock-solid defense.
In Mourinho's eyes, Chelsea had already pulled far ahead in the league after just two months. The title was inevitable. But today? Today was about teaching the old giants of Manchester United a lesson.
"Our biggest advantage over United is our impenetrable defense. If we stick to our 4-3-3 formation, they won't break us down in the first half."
"You've all seen the lineup. Up front, Drogba (No. 15) leads as our center-forward, with Robben (No. 16) and Duff (No. 11) on the wings. In midfield, Makélélé (No. 4)—I need you to bring that same intensity you had at Real Madrid. Shut down Claire and Cristiano Ronaldo's counterattacks. Don't let them near our defensive midfield. Lampard (No. 8) and Essien (No. 5), you two have the toughest job. This match hinges on you—because United's biggest threat is their counterattack."
"In defense, Terry (No. 26) and Carvalho (No. 6), you're starting together as our center-back duo. Cole (No. 3) and Ferreira (No. 20), support them. If we keep a clean sheet in the first half, this game is ours."
"Oh, and I heard today's the debut of some new kid. Seems like half the media is here just to see him."
"If any of you want the spotlight, well… he's your target. Because if we can humiliate United once, we can do it again. And again. I want them to never live this down!"
By the time Mourinho finished speaking, the dark cloud over Chelsea had completely lifted—as if it had never been there.
With unwavering confidence, Mourinho led his team out onto the Old Trafford pitch. The players followed, some even mimicking gun-finger gestures toward the United squad.
A sharp-eyed photographer caught the moment, and soon, the image spread across sports networks.
As the 2:30 PM kickoff drew closer, the entire Premier League held its breath. Sir Alex Ferguson, however, remained unfazed, calmly observing his players.
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