My Ultimate Gacha System

Thursday afternoon’s tactical session turned fully toward Brentford, their expected 3-5-2 filling the board — Strakosha or Flekken in goal depending on fitness, Ajer, Pinnock, and Collins across the back three, Roerslev and Hickey as wingbacks, Nørgaard, Janelt, and Jensen inside, Mbeumo and Wissa up front, with Ivan Toney still unavailable through suspension and Brentford carrying a handful of other knocks into the weekend.

The first clip showed Brentford defending deep, a simulated cross sailing toward the striker only for Pinnock to attack it first, Ajer mopping the second ball, Collins pushing the line back out immediately after.

"Højlund cannot spend ninety minutes fighting three center-backs while we keep throwing crosses at him," Ten Hag said.

Højlund frowned slightly at the weight the instruction placed on his own movement. "So where do you want me dragging their center-back to?"

Ten Hag moved his marker toward Ajer’s side of the board, opening the middle for a late arrival from Bruno or Demien instead.

The next clip turned to the press itself — Mbeumo closing Casemiro from one side while Wissa blocked the route back to the center-back, Nørgaard sitting close to Demien, waiting on a rushed pass rather than committing early.

"You two cannot stand on the same horizontal line," Ten Hag told Casemiro and Demien together. "One drops, draws the presser, releases it. The other moves beyond the first wave."

"If Nørgaard follows me deep, Bruno gets the space behind their midfield," Demien said.

"Only if you release it before their second striker closes the lane back," Bruno said, and Demien nodded, the point landing.

The final clip covered Brentford in transition, Mbeumo receiving in the right channel the instant an opponent lost the ball centrally, Wissa sprinting across the nearest center-back to drag him wide and open the lane for Jensen on the far side.

"Whoever’s closest to the ball cannot also chase possession alone," Ten Hag said. "One of you closes the carrier. The other protects the run behind him."

Friday morning at Carrington, Demien noticed Varane’s absence from the defenders’ warm-up group the moment he walked out.

An assistant coach confirmed it plainly enough when asked — the tightness hadn’t settled in time, and the short turnaround had made Saturday too early to risk him.

The consequence showed itself in the group straight away.

Maguire and Evans paired up at center-back.

Lindelöf shifted to left-back with United’s recognized options still unavailable.

Dalot held the right.

Casemiro trained without restriction, his suspension applying only to United’s next European fixture rather than anything domestic.

Nobody wondered whether Demien would start.

He took his place in the main midfield beside Casemiro with Bruno pushed higher, his pressure coming entirely from solving Brentford’s structure while carrying the fatigue of the week rather than from any doubt about his place.

「PRE-MATCH TRAINING MISSION ACTIVATED」 「MISSION: Control Brentford’s Traps」 「Identify 3 pressing triggers」 「Complete 5 third-man combinations」 「Create 4 attacks behind the wingbacks」 「Stop 4 simulated transitions」 「Reward: +15 TP」 「Bonus Objective: Complete the session without a central turnover」 「Bonus Reward: +10 MP」

The simulated Brentford unit lined up in different-colored bibs, two forwards instructed to curve their press toward whichever midfielder received facing his own goal, a third midfielder assigned to shadow Demien specifically, two more protecting the central lane, three defenders sitting narrow around Højlund, wingbacks ready to push forward the instant possession changed hands.

On the first repetition, Maguire passed into Casemiro while Demien stayed too close on the same line.

The first presser closed Casemiro from the front, the second blocked the return, and when Casemiro tried to find Demien anyway, the simulated midfielder stepped into the lane and sprang a counter that reached the right channel before Demien could recover, the ball cut toward the central runner until Evans got across to block the finish.

Ten Hag stopped the drill and pointed at the spacing rather than the pass itself.

They restarted.

This time Demien moved several yards higher before Maguire played into Casemiro, and when the first forward closed, Casemiro drew him in and returned the ball rather than force anything, letting Demien drop into the space the presser had just vacated, receive facing Brentford’s midfield, and send the ball straight into Bruno.

「MISSION PROGRESS」 「Pressing Triggers Identified: 1/3」 「Third-Man Combinations: 1/5」

Bruno turned and released Antony behind Hickey’s simulated position, and Antony reached the final third and cut the ball back toward Demien arriving outside the box, the shot blocked by the nearest defender before it could trouble anyone properly.

「MISSION PROGRESS」 「Attacks Behind Wingbacks: 1/4」

The remaining third-man combinations came through different shapes rather than the same move repeated.

Demien dropped beside Casemiro, played first time into Maguire, then ran beyond Nørgaard’s marker to receive from Bruno on the return.

Casemiro found Højlund, who laid it backward for Demien to attack the second ball facing goal.

Demien drew the shadowing midfielder toward the right, released Dalot, then took the return once Bruno had occupied the covering defender.

Bruno dropped to collect the ball while Demien made the higher run instead, reversing their usual roles entirely.

He completed the fifth by letting the presser approach, rolling the ball to Casemiro, and accelerating into the space behind him before Casemiro found him again.

「MISSION PROGRESS」 「Third-Man Combinations: 5/5」

The attacks behind the wingbacks followed just as deliberately.

Demien won the ball and switched immediately to Rashford before Roerslev’s simulated marker could recover.

He disguised a central pass before clipping it outside to Antony instead.

He combined with Bruno, drew Hickey inside, then released Dalot down the right.

The fourth ended with Rashford reaching the byline and cutting it back for Højlund, only for Maguire’s simulated defender to intervene before the finish arrived.

「MISSION PROGRESS」 「Attacks Behind Wingbacks: 4/4」

Transition defense tested him just as directly.

He recovered centrally on the first phase and blocked the pass toward Wissa rather than chase the wide carrier.

On the second, Wissa dropped short and laid it toward a late run from Jensen, and Demien tracked Jensen while Casemiro closed Wissa down.

On the third, he angled a carrying Mbeumo toward the touchline until Maguire could step across and finish the job.

On the fourth, a failed corner gave Brentford a two-on-two break, and Demien sprinted back, reached the central lane, and delayed the carrier long enough for Dalot to recover.

「MISSION PROGRESS」 「Simulated Transitions Stopped: 4/4」

Set-piece work closed the session, Brentford’s three center-backs crowding the box in simulation, one attacking the near post, another blocking Onana’s route, a third waiting on the flick.

Maguire took Pinnock’s role while Evans protected the central zone, and Demien stood outside the main cluster to collect second balls, keeping Jensen from shooting after any partial clearance.

The first delivery came only half-cleared, and Demien stepped ahead of the waiting midfielder to send it toward halfway before Brentford could recycle anything.

「PRE-MATCH TRAINING MISSION COMPLETE」 「Pressing Triggers Identified: 3/3」 「Third-Man Combinations: 5/5」 「Attacks Behind Wingbacks: 4/4」 「Simulated Transitions Stopped: 4/4」 「Central Turnovers: 0」 「Reward: +15 TP」 「Bonus Reward: +10 MP」

Ten Hag’s Friday press conference filled the room at Carrington with the usual rows of recorders and camera lights, his notes from both the Galatasaray review and Brentford preparation spread in front of him.

Asked whether beating Galatasaray 3–2 had repaired United’s defensive concerns, he rejected the framing outright. "Winning does not remove the mistakes that let them score twice and nearly equalize against ten men."

Asked about Varane, he confirmed the short turnaround had made Saturday too early and that the defense would be adjusted accordingly.

Asked whether Casemiro was available after his European red card, he confirmed it plainly — the suspension applied only to United’s next UEFA fixture.

Asked about Demien’s England selection and his recent run of contributions, Ten Hag praised his influence but warned that Brentford would pose a different problem entirely, with far less open space, and that patience would matter more than instinct whenever the first forward pass wasn’t there.

Friday evening, Demien’s matchday bag sat open on the sofa, boots already cleaned, recovery food laid out on the table, England’s squad announcement still running across the sports channels, Garcia’s Ballon d’Or email marked to deal with later.

Sophia called while he stretched.

"How’s your body?" she asked.

"Heavier than before Palace," he admitted. "Nothing’s actually injured, though."

"You don’t have to pretend every match feels easy," she said.

"I know," he said, then admitted that Brentford’s press worried him more than their league position did, because it attacked the exact same mistake United had made against Galatasaray.

"Have you decided who’s coming to the Ballon d’Or with you?" she asked.

"Garcia’s only just started arranging it. I haven’t decided yet," he said, and she let it go easily enough, teasing him instead about needing a suit that actually fit for once.

"I’ll call you after the match," he said before hanging up.

"Don’t wait until the ninety-fifth minute to make it interesting," she said, and he was still laughing when the call ended.

Saturday, October 7th, Demien woke before his alarm and checked his legs before anything else, flexing both ankles, standing slowly, testing the soreness around his hip until nothing answered back sharp enough to worry about.

The routine ran through its usual steps — a measured breakfast, hydration, light mobility, one final check of his boots and kit bag, his phone muted the moment he left the apartment for the team hotel.

The pre-match meal filled a private dining room, carbohydrate-heavy plates laid out, hydration bottles lined along the table, staff checking timings against the clock, the team sheet resting face down beside Ten Hag’s seat until the meeting began.

The lineup went up clearly enough once he turned it over — Onana in goal, Dalot, Maguire, Evans, and Lindelöf across the back, Casemiro anchoring midfield, Demien as the right-sided central midfielder, Bruno higher between the lines, Rashford left, Antony right, Højlund leading the line alone.

Ten Hag repeated three instructions before the room broke.

Casemiro and Demien were never to stand on the same horizontal line.

United had to attack behind Brentford’s wingbacks before their back five could reset.

The moment possession was lost, Mbeumo and Wissa’s central runs came first, before anyone chased the ball wide.

Word reached the staff mid-meeting that Mark Flekken had fallen ill that morning, forcing Thomas Strakosha into an unexpected Premier League debut, and an analyst quietly swapped the name on the tactical board.

Nobody treated the change as an automatic weakness.

"We need to test him early," Højlund said.

"Test him, don’t force it," Demien said. "Bad shots from bad positions just let them settle."

The team bus pulled toward Old Trafford through streets already thick with supporters, scarves pulled tight against the October air, phones raised toward the windows, police holding the road clear near the entrance, programme sellers working the crowd outside the ground.

Demien sat by the window without any music playing, watching a scattering of England shirts and flags among the United colors since his call-up, and when a child in a number fourteen shirt spotted him through the glass, he gave a small wave back.

The mood around the ground still carried real confidence after Palace and Galatasaray, but the talk drifting through the crowd about Onana’s mistakes and United’s defensive instability hadn’t gone anywhere either.

Inside the players’ entrance, staff directed the squad toward the dressing room past cameras and sponsor boards, security keeping the media at arm’s length, the noise of the crowd reaching him before he’d even seen the pitch.

A reporter called out a question about his England selection.

Demien only smiled and kept walking, because this wasn’t the place for it.

In the dressing room, his number fourteen shirt hung above his place, red socks folded beneath it, boots set under the bench, the match programme resting nearby, tactical cards spread across the central table, the stadium noise already leaking through the walls.

He sat down and retaped one wrist, running Brentford’s three pressing triggers through his head one more time before he needed them.

「MATCH MISSION ACTIVATED」 「PREMIER LEAGUE — MATCHWEEK EIGHT」 「Manchester United vs Brentford」 「Create 4 clear chances」 「Complete 6 line-breaking actions」 「Record 3 defensive recoveries」 「Record 2 direct goal contributions」 「Reward: +65 MP」 「Bonus Objective: Win before the international break」 「Bonus Reward: +5 SP」

His attention caught briefly on the Special Point reward before he closed the panel, Ten Hag already calling the group toward the tactical board.

"Brentford want you impatient," Ten Hag said. "Crossing from bad positions, leaving Mbeumo and Wissa against an exposed defense." He looked directly at Demien. "If Nørgaard follows you deep, move the ball before their second forward closes, then attack the space he leaves behind him."

Warm-up brought the October air in properly, the pitch freshly watered, Strakosha working through handling drills in front of Brentford’s traveling supporters, Pinnock and Collins practicing headed clearances, Mbeumo and Wissa running short bursts of acceleration, United’s forwards testing the new goalkeeper from distance whenever the chance came.

Demien worked through one-touch passing before moving into shooting combinations with Bruno and Højlund.

On one repetition, Højlund laid it backward, Bruno touched it across, and Demien struck toward the lower corner — saved the first time, then placed inside the post on the second attempt, and he gave Højlund a short nod, because the move matched exactly the space Ten Hag expected behind Brentford’s midfield.

Across the pitch, Brentford’s back three stayed close together as they left the field, talking and pointing toward Højlund rather than showing any nerves about the atmosphere.

Back in the dressing room for the final minutes, players took last drinks, peeled off their warm-up tops, checked studs, tightened laces, and rose together when the tunnel marshal appeared at the door.

Demien slapped hands with Casemiro, Bruno, and Højlund before falling in behind the captain, the England call-up and the Ballon d’Or news still sitting somewhere behind his excitement, but by the time he stepped into the tunnel, Brentford was the only thing left in his head.

Inside the tunnel, Strakosha adjusted his gloves ahead of his Premier League debut, Pinnock and Collins standing close behind him, Nørgaard glancing across toward Demien, Mbeumo and Wissa trading one last word before the walk out.

Both teams stepped onto the pitch, and Old Trafford rose around them.

The captains completed the coin toss.

Demien took his place beside Casemiro, and across the halfway line, Brentford’s front two stood several yards apart rather than together, the shape of the trap already visible before a ball had moved.

United kicked off.

Bruno rolled it back to Casemiro.

Mbeumo curved in from the right.

Wissa closed from the left.