Chapter 199: Two Matches, Three Goals Created—The Dominant Core Keeps Rising, Trouble Ahead for Manchester United
For the current Chelsea squad, scoring goals was still not quite second nature.
Despite the second-half tactical shift and a more conservative approach, the 3–0 win over a newly promoted side didn't feel like anything to celebrate—at least not for Leon or Mourinho.
While the rest of Chelsea's players and coaches smiled and congratulated each other after the match, Leon and Mourinho's calm composure seemed a bit out of place.
Some Premier League fans even thought they were being overly smug.
But then again—consider this:
Back at Real Madrid, against teams like this, Leon and Mourinho would've expected a 5–0 minimum.
So most fans decided to withhold judgment—for now.
Of course, for Chelsea fans, the first official performance of the season from both Leon and Mourinho was near-perfect.
The newly crowned midfield core, in his Premier League debut, had already notched two assists.
The manager, in his first league game back, had steered the team to a dominant 3–0 victory.
Great football, impressive showings from young players—what's there to criticize?
London's media and Chelsea fans were full of praise after the opener.
With Chelsea's next match coming eight days later, Mourinho generously gave the team two days off.
The players were thrilled.
After a grueling preseason and a perfect start to the league, they finally had a moment to breathe.
But on August 19th, Cobham wasn't empty.
Leon showed up in the afternoon for training.
He greeted the staff warmly and walked into the locker room with De Bruyne.
After a session focused on long passes and long shots, the two hit the recovery room until 7 p.m. before heading out for dinner nearby.
Leon's every move was now closely watched by the British press.
When The Sun published his entire day's itinerary, the internet exploded.
Morning jog near his private villa.
Chatted with neighbors. Trimmed his own backyard lawn.
Drove to a private boxing gym for a midday workout.
Returned home for lunch and a scheduled nap.
Met up with De Bruyne for training.
Finished with a modest seafood dinner and a quiet evening stroll before heading to bed.
Fans were stunned.
No partying.
No fancy restaurants.
No late-night clubs.
No beer.
Not even a sleep-in?
British fans were baffled.
Leon had the fame and fortune to live a luxurious, carefree life.
But this?
Even regular Premier League players lived more lavishly than this.
And the fact that The Sun—of all outlets—found nothing juicy in his private life?
That told them everything.
It seemed the stories from Spanish media about Leon's simple, disciplined lifestyle were 100% true.
The next day, as Leon drove to Cobham again, he unexpectedly ran into Hazard and Lukaku, who were also there for extra training.
News of Chelsea's entire front-four youth core training during their break made the front page of Sky Sports the following morning.
But when regular training resumed, the first thing the coaching staff did was sit the youngsters down for a serious talk.
Mourinho wasn't impressed.
"You don't need to copy Leon," he told them.
"Back at Madrid, even he had to get medical approval before maintaining that kind of training intensity.
You need to listen to your bodies. Learn to rest properly."
De Bruyne and the others were momentarily defiant.
But during the day's full training session…
Leon breezed through the drills.
Meanwhile, they were gasping, aching, and dragging their feet.
The defiance vanished instantly.
Leon's recovery ability was on another level.
The media hadn't been exaggerating after all.
So instead of trying to keep up, they focused on working harder and learning from the veterans.
That pleased Mourinho.
Now, it was time to focus.
Next up: a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
The team was cautious but excited.
It was the first major clash of the new season.
But to Mourinho?
United posed very little threat.
Not anymore.
It wasn't just about their squad.
It was also about the manager.
Chelsea's coaching staff had ranked all Premier League teams based on preseason evaluation.
United?
Top six… maybe.
But more likely just outside.
Yes, they were defending champions.
But in Mourinho's eyes?
No longer elite.
For this showdown against Manchester United, José Mourinho's expectations were clear:
Go to Old Trafford and take all three points.
He didn't care if it was a narrow 1–0 or a more solid 2–0—just win.
When Mourinho announced this goal during the pre-match tactical meeting, nearly the entire Chelsea squad was shocked—
All except for Leon and Zlatan.
After all, Manchester United had ruled the Premier League for years, and the shadow of Sir Alex Ferguson's era still loomed large.
The name "Old Trafford" still carried weight.
But Mourinho's unshakeable confidence lit a fire under the squad.
After thorough preparation and drills, Chelsea arrived in Manchester a day early.
For Leon, Manchester wasn't unfamiliar.
Last season, he had played twice in this city—
Both times, he had walked off with stellar results.
Frankly, he couldn't find even a trace of intimidation when thinking about United.
To someone already used to the endless jokes and memes about "Banter FC,"
It was hard to take post-Ferguson Manchester United seriously as a top-tier club.
If Leon had to summarize this version of United?
It was a glamorous coffin for anyone dreaming of revival.
On matchday, as Leon stood at Old Trafford, his eyes held no fear.
Just confidence… and a touch of pity.
That look alone made countless United fans furious.
Add in the "grudge" from last season when Leon helped Madrid eliminate United from the Champions League—
Red Devils everywhere were desperate to see Mourinho and Leon humbled.
But once the match kicked off, that dream quickly faded.
In the opening minutes, Leon locked down the midfield like a fortress, shutting down Rooney and Mata's link-up play.
United's attacking momentum died at the top of Chelsea's defensive third.
Having already played a full Premier League match, Leon now had a feel for the refereeing style—
And he used that leeway to show the Premier League veterans what elite pressing really looked like.
United's midfield—Rooney, Cleverley, Carrick—had all played against Leon before.
They knew he was aggressive and precise on both ends.
But Leon remembered them too.
He recalled Cleverley's weak physique, poor positioning.
And Carrick's molasses pace, his fatal flaw.
Had Rooney agreed to sacrifice more and shadow Leon all match,
Leon might've handed creative duties to Hazard and focused solely on neutralizing Rooney.
But Rooney couldn't constantly track back, and Moyes certainly wouldn't waste his best forward like that.
Which meant United's midfield was doomed.
Once again, Leon became the focal point from the opening whistle.
He dropped deep to help stifle Rooney and shut down United's wings.
Then transitioned smoothly into attack, bursting forward through Cleverley's defensive gaps and dragging Carrick out of position.
Every push and pull left United's midfield in tatters.
Hazard and De Bruyne thrived under Leon's cover.
And as Ashley Cole and Ivanović bombed forward, United's flanks began to crumble.
To plug the leaks, United shifted more men to the wings, neglecting central zones.
That was all Leon needed.
Now unchecked in the middle, he surged forward, time and again threatening United's penalty box.
Carrick couldn't contain him.
And in such a critical zone, tactical fouls were too risky.
In the 23rd minute, Carrick hesitated—
And in that moment of doubt, Leon slipped a ball to the onrushing De Bruyne.
United's back line shifted left to cut off the Belgian.
De Bruyne, ever composed, faked the cross, dragged the defense, and tapped it back to Zlatan, who had dropped deep.
With Carrick on his back, Zlatan calmly redirected the ball to the left.
Simultaneously, Ashley Cole made his overlapping run while Hazard cut inside toward the half-space.
United's defense unraveled.
Leon, who had drifted wide, already knew what he'd do.
He didn't pass to Hazard or Cole.
Instead, he lofted a surprise diagonal ball into the penalty box.
Zlatan was still outside the box—
So most people, including commentators and fans, were confused.
But then, a towering figure made a diagonal run into the box—
Ivanović.
The Serbian fullback out-jumped Evra and powered a header toward the near post.
De Gea had no chance.
As the ball slammed into the net, Old Trafford fell silent.
Ivanović sprinted to the corner flag and celebrated with a low, gliding airplane slide.
A hulking bomber had just flown over United's defense and dropped a precision strike.
Meanwhile, it was Leon who once again stole the headlines.
Two league matches.
Three goal involvements.
Chelsea's new core was red hot.
And for Manchester United?
This could be the beginning of a nightmare.
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