The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 116 The Central Axis Failed

Ferguson's tactics focused on offense and relied heavily on the central axis in his style of play, but the players standing on this axis did not perform well overall, resulting in the team's overall poor performance. Not only was it impossible to play a fast and concise style, but it was also impossible to play at a level of rapid transition between offense and defense.

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Ferguson has always attached great importance to the central axis and has been considering the layout of the Red Devils' central axis since last season. From the goalkeeper to the core of the central defender, to the core of the midfield, to the center forward, each key node on this axis is very important and requires the most core and strongest players. This is what makes Ferguson different from many coaches.

Ferguson's efforts have achieved certain results last season. Before the start of the 1988 summer season, the targets he originally wanted to introduce were also around the entire central axis. After two transfer windows, Ferguson's lineup was as follows: Leighton was introduced as a key goalkeeper and started; Bruce gradually became the leader of the defense line, Robson was the midfield hub, and Hughes was the center forward. In the original plan, Gascoigne perfectly filled the gap between Robson and Hughes. If there was another central defender with excellent running ability to fill the space between Robson and Bruce, it would be perfect.

The summer transfers did not meet Ferguson's expectations, and Ferguson's lineup still had certain flaws. After the start of the season, the situation changed. Many of the players Ferguson relied on had problems, and he did not have enough ways to deal with them. As a result, the defects of the central axis caused the Red Devils to slide from the runner-up of the league to the middle and lower reaches.

After the season ended, many critics criticized Ferguson for his wild ideas and tactical fanciful thinking. They believed that the Red Devils should honestly play the traditional 442, and when they encounter injuries, they should use the defensive counterattack tactics, play long and short passes seriously, and not aim too high and end up asking for trouble.

Ferguson didn't pay much attention to these criticisms. The lessons he summarized did not mention going back to the past. He was not taking risks, but the central axis he relied on this season had problems. From the goalkeeper, to the central defender, to the central midfielder, to the shadow striker, and then to the forward, the entire central axis of the Red Devils had problems, which completely made Ferguson's tactics lose their power.

Let's start with the goalkeeper. Leighton, the main goalkeeper for the Red Devils this season, was specially brought in by Ferguson from Aberdeen, the goalkeeper of the Scottish national team. Leighton has been very good in Scotland for nearly a decade, helping Aberdeen win three league titles, four Scottish Cups and one European Cup Winners' Cup, and also helping Scotland reach the World Cup finals. British experts were also impressed by him. Peter Hilton commented, "Leighton has solved Scotland's goalkeeping problem, and I am looking forward to his performance in the Red Devils. I think he will have an excellent performance." Brian Clough pointed out, "Jim Leighton is a rare figure - a Scottish goalkeeper who can be trusted."

Ferguson trusted the 30-year-old Leighton very much. Ferguson let him start all 38 league games. Leighton's performance throughout the season was not bad, on the contrary, it should be said that he was very good. He showed the level of a first-class goalkeeper on the goal line, making many single-handed saves, many left and right blocks, high and low dives, and greatly helped the Red Devils' defense. This season, Leighton achieved 38 clean sheets in 14 games and conceded only 35 goals.

Leighton was outstanding in the 1-0 win over Liverpool, not only denying John Barnes and Jan Molby twice, but also making several saves. In the second half of the season, he made a miraculous save from Aston Villa's Alan McInally, blocking the opponent's volley from extremely close range.

Ferguson's real trouble was in defense.

McGrath's injuries and long-term poor form are the most fatal. He only started 18 times and was a substitute in 2 games, which is not enough for a core central defender. McGrath's ability has also declined greatly. He moves slowly and his strength has decreased. Not only does he not have the ability to suppress opponents head-on, but his defensive speed and sensitivity have also been greatly reduced. What's more troublesome is that he and Bruce have little coordination, which often causes problems for the Red Devils' defense because of his position.

This is a huge burden for Bruce. No matter how strong he is, he can't make up for McGrath's weakness. Not only that, Bruce's performance is also greatly affected by his teammates, and he can't even play at his normal level. When facing the opponent's forwards, Bruce has to take care of other things and the entire defense line. Once he hesitates, he will make mistakes. Many times, he is directly passed by the opponent. For a defensive system, if one of the two central defenders is unreliable, that is, there is an absolute short board, and the entire defensive system will be in trouble.

Bruce's poor performance and the constant loopholes in the central defender pair are the first problem on the Red Devils' central axis.

The defensive center is not good, and the sidebacks are also unstable. Anderson's competitive ability has declined sharply due to old age and injuries. On the other side, defenders such as Lee Martin are too young and inexperienced, and their defensive ability is not up to standard.

In this way, a defense line with unreliable three positions has become the biggest hidden danger for the Red Devils.

The Red Devils' midfield also has a lot of problems. Captain Robson is the third position on the Red Devils' central axis and the core hub of the midfield. His position is extremely important, but he is no longer in his prime and it is difficult for him to hold up this responsibility on his own. This position affects the offense and defense conversion of the entire team and is the key to the team's competition for field advantages and control. Robson's performance is already very good, but his age and injuries have a great impact, and his teammates are even worse. He cannot promote the efficient operation of the entire team. Even though he has played 34 times this season, he is no longer at the level of a super B2B midfielder. Robson occupies the most critical and core position in Ferguson's tactical system, but because of the drag of the back line and the lagging of his teammates, he has to do more dirty work, and has to run back to the defense line to help defend. He even has to take the initiative to foul because of his teammates' mistakes to eliminate threats. In order to help the defense, Robson had to retreat more, which also affected the operation of the midfield. His offensive ability had to be sacrificed, and the number of goals declined sharply, with only 4 goals in the league.

Another core player, Strachan, performed even worse, making the middle area of ​​the Red Devils midfield extremely vulnerable. The two wingers were also implicated. In addition to their own tasks, they needed to assist their midfield teammates more.

From this, it can be seen that Robson, the core player, did not play well. It's not that he didn't try his best, but one person can't bear too many responsibilities. The defense and teammates are all blood suckers, and he no longer has that much energy to provide. The consequence of Robson's poor performance is that he lost control of the rhythm of the whole game, the blessing of offense and defense, and effective support for his teammates.

It was difficult for Robson, and even more difficult for Strachan. Strachan's form this season has slipped very quickly, and he also suffered injuries, which further affected his recovery and performance. Strachan only started 21 league games and scored only one goal, and was directly sold by Ferguson.

Strachan is very good at organizing offense and breaking through, and because of his short stature, he is more flexible, but he is not at the point where he can destroy the opponent's entire defense by himself, and he still needs his teammates to actively assist him. He was injured before the start of the season, and he has not recovered since his return from injury, and his overall level has declined seriously.

Strachan's poor performance naturally attracted criticism. He was sensitive by nature and paid close attention to public opinion. Not only that, Strachan had always disliked Ferguson's rough personality and violent temper. Whether in Aberdeen or the Red Devils, the conflict between him and Ferguson was not resolved. Even if Ferguson treated him professionally and let him continue to start, let him continue to be the offensive organizer, and gave him a core tactical position, it was all out of professional needs. When the team performed poorly and suffered a defeat, it was inevitable that they would be baptized by Ferguson's fierce hair dryer. If Strachan himself did not perform well, he would be even more unavoidable to be scolded by Ferguson.

After the league match against Norwich, Ferguson criticized Strachan in the locker room, accusing him of being completely out of the team system. He not only failed to play as a central midfielder, but also lost the ball at will, had poor passing quality, and did not take advantage of the opponent's space. He had no intention of winning. What made Ferguson even more angry was that Strachan not only did not play a role in the offense, but also was indifferent after losing the ball and did not participate in the team's defense at all, which led to the Red Devils' final loss.

Strachan wanted to retort at the time, but finally endured it.

When the team was eliminated by Forest in the FA Cup, Ferguson completely lost trust in Strachan and decided to sell him to Leeds United.

Robson retreated, Strachan played poorly, and the midfield that Ferguson relied on was unable to handle the offense and defense in the front and back. This was the key reason why the core performance of the midfield dragged down the entire game.

On the forward line, the center forward Mark Hughes, who was at the forefront of the central axis, also did not perform well. Mark Hughes started all the league games and scored 14 goals, becoming the team's top scorer. From the perspective of the Red Devils' needs, 14 league goals are obviously not enough. Another forward McClair also started 38 games and only scored 10 goals, which is an even more outrageous decline. Both forwards did not meet Ferguson's expectations. Both players did not miss any games, but the number of goals was obviously insufficient, and did not improve the Red Devils' offensive power.

The Red Devils' forward position is Mark Hughes rushing forward, and McClair retreating to play as a shadow striker. The one-in-one-back position is no longer a tactic McClair is familiar with. He made a huge sacrifice, retreating to take care of the midfield, and at the same time he had the task of scoring goals and supporting Hughes' attack. This position is not even familiar to Hughes, let alone what Hughes is good at. Although he is the most expected and the team's main firing rights are concentrated on him, Mark Hughes still prefers to play a double striker formation. There is no problem for Mark Hughes to play as a center forward, but Mark Hughes is not a tall center forward who relies on his strong body to eat the opponent's defenders, nor is he the kind of agile striker with outstanding footwork. He actually needs the assists of his teammates and the assistance of another striker around him. Grabbing points in front of the goal, making passes with his back, powerful shots and headers are his specialties. Now he is alone at the front, and many times he needs to play alone with his back, which is very difficult for Hughes to play. Whether McClair or Robson behind him, it is difficult to give him enough support.

Ferguson emphasizes the overall structure, but this framework must be built on a good central axis, and each node of the framework needs good players. The Red Devils' frontcourt advancement is obviously weak, and they lack the chances they create. Mark Hughes, who is good at taking shots, naturally has difficulty in taking advantage of his shooting. McClair has two roles, he needs to shoot and score in the forward position, and he also needs to return to the midfield to help the team run. In this way, the Red Devils' offensive power will obviously be reduced, and the threat will be greatly reduced.

The other two forwards were speechless. Davenport only played in 7 games in the league and scored 2 goals, with almost no sense of existence; Whiteside's situation was even more tragic. He only played in 6 games in the league but did not score a goal.

This season, Whiteside also created a "scandal" that shocked the football world. He was excluded from the squad against Oxford United by Ferguson, but on the day of the game, he was found by the media to be forced to sit on the bench. Whiteside was drunk, his eyes were dull, he had a silly smile on his face, and he was crookedly slumped in his seat. The nosy reporters took photos and exposed this scene immediately, making it a big joke in British football.

The BBC was particularly scathing: "So this is Ferguson's strict discipline. I've really learned a lesson."

This scene is also a microcosm of Ferguson's management of the team. The highly anticipated players completely lost their luster, the entire central axis fell apart like dominoes, and they also sucked blood and interfered with each other, dragging down the overall combat effectiveness. This is the reason why Ferguson was ultimately unable to lead the team to achieve good results.