The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 123: Opening Game Defeats the Defending Champion

"In the opening match of the new season, the Red Devils fans not only participated in a farce, but also enjoyed an unexpected victory."

--Inscription

August 1989, 8 was the first day of the new season of the English Premier League, and the Red Devils' first game attracted the attention of the entire league.

Their opponent is the defending champion Arsenal, which is bound to be a focus of everyone's attention. In addition to the explosive news of the Red Devils' equity transfer, the media is also concerned about the preparations of the two strong teams for the new season.

Red Devils vs Arsenal, Ferguson vs Graham!

"Who will get off to a good start when the traditional giants Red Devils, who are in the process of rebuilding, face the newly-emerged Arsenal?"

"Ferguson meets Graham again. Who will win the duel between the two famous coaches?"

"On paper, the opponent's strength is far weaker than that of the opponent. Does Ferguson need to use a surprise attack?"

"The Arsenal's defense is impregnable. Can the Red Devils capture the opponent's city?"

"The Red Devils lost their main defender, but it is difficult to stop the Gunners from advancing?"

The various hot spots of this game successfully aroused everyone's attention. The Red Devils recruited a lot of players before the start of the season and became the most eye-catching focus in the transfer market. Although Arsenal did not have any important signings, they were the defending champions and all the players from last season were retained. The aura of strength was dazzling enough. Before the game, many media actively analyzed the strength of both sides, compared the players in various positions, predicted a wave of tactics, and guessed different scores.

Some reporters also dug up the conflict between Ferguson and Graham and compared their tactical styles. Ferguson and Graham were always compared together. Although the two coaches were close friends off the court, the media forced them to become a pair of enemies. The media fanned the flames and provoked relations, further intensifying the confrontation between the two teams.

Most media outlets believed that the Red Devils were no match for Arsenal before the match. The Red Devils have been mired in contradictions and have been rebuilding. Although the club has always claimed to support Ferguson, the coach's ruthless purge of many meritorious players has indeed brought huge uncertainty. The Red Devils' fighting power in the new season is questionable and people dare not be optimistic. Ferguson sold McGrath, but had not bought Pallister at the start of this game, and the central defender position was not secure. At that time, the Red Devils had not completed the transfer of Ins, and the midfield still seemed weak. Ferguson's team is like a patient who has lost too much blood and is taking supplements randomly. Outsiders have no idea whether they are getting better or worse.

Ferguson's big summer transfers will certainly increase the team's strength, but the new players have only had a short time to train with their teammates and are still far from familiar with the formation and tactics. The effect remains to be seen. As mentioned above, Pallister and Ings are not in place yet, so it can be said that nothing is ready. The opponent, Graham's Arsenal team, has maintained a strong lineup. No key players have been lost in the summer, and the core players are more mature. Last season, they snatched the league title from Liverpool, completing an almost impossible task, which has added to their confidence.

In comparison, Arsenal clearly has the advantage. Bookmakers overwhelmingly opened low odds of Arsenal handicap from half a goal to 1 goal, clearly standing on the side of Arsenal. Of course, in retrospect, this was more like a bait, and the bookmakers were indeed too deep.

The question of whether Ferguson will be fired was once again raised by the media. According to the odds of a certain bookmaker, he is even one of the first coaches to be fired in the English League One. The media even arranged the storyline: "There is no doubt that Arsenal will learn a profound lesson from the defeat to the defending champion. Manchester United is in chaos, Edwards is about to flee, the players are being purged, and Ferguson has accumulated conflicts... If this continues, the Red Devils may have to change coaches before Christmas. Once they encounter setbacks at the beginning, the fans will definitely not accept it. There were excuses for playing poorly last season, but Ferguson must make great improvements this season. Will he be fired? It is very likely. We can now count down to see when Ferguson will leave in disgrace."

The media's contempt irritated Ferguson, who didn't think Arsenal was that powerful. The media's provocation also inspired his fighting spirit. He said at the pre-match press conference: "I find that many reporters always like to imagine the laws of the world and imagine a result they want, but they have no logic, and the reasons and evidence they believe in are all nonsense. Just like this game against Arsenal, the reporters seemed to have sentenced us to death. This is a manifestation of arrogance and ignorance."

"The game hasn't even started yet, why are you so biased? Doesn't the same logic apply to the defending champions?"

"Then Mr. Ferguson, why do you think the Red Devils will beat Arsenal? Isn't your speculation ignorant and arrogant?" the reporter asked relentlessly.

Ferguson said: "I have never said before the game that the Red Devils have defeated Arsenal. We will go all out and strive to kill the opponent. This is my goal. As an opponent, this is a kind of respect."

Ferguson successfully confronted the reporters. These media opinions were discussed in the Red Devils' locker room before the game, and now the face-to-face confrontation has aroused the players' desire to win. Ferguson's mobilization was simple and direct, "Because the opponent is Arsenal, they are the defending champions, and all the reporters think they will definitely win. This is really a joke! Everyone is guessing that we are defensive and everyone is looking down on us. We will take this opportunity to give them a 'surprise'. We must make targeted tactical deployments, not only take the initiative to attack, but also boldly suppress them. The arrogance of the reporters is also based on the arrogance of the Gunners. We must break this contempt and bravely defeat them!"

Ferguson said: "This is our home ground. No matter how powerful they are, they can't act arrogantly, so beat the hell out of them!"

Ferguson sent out a bold attacking lineup, returning to the 442 formation, with Mark Hughes and McClair on the front line, Robson in the midfield, and new players such as Wallace, Phelan, and Webber all getting the chance to start. The game started and immediately entered the rhythm Ferguson expected. The Red Devils players started a fierce fight from the beginning, and every player was like chicken blood. The Arsenal players were naturally not vegetarians, and the field was like two beasts colliding with each other. Physical confrontation appeared in every area of ​​the field, and the situation soon became white-hot. Every inch of the green field exuded the breath of hormones, and every minute was filled with the smell of danger. The Red Devils players were desperate and fiercely charged at their opponents. Arsenal also wanted to gain an advantage in confrontation through the "cutting tactics". They are known for their toughness and did not give in. But the Red Devils exerted more fierce power and momentum in the cheers of the home fans, and the red team overwhelmed Arsenal like a wave.

The Red Devils took advantage, pushing the tempo of the game faster and faster, attacking vigorously and intercepting vigorously, and the whole team entered a stage of efficient and smooth operation. The unfamiliarity between the players seemed to disappear all at once, and the defense that the fans were worried about was not tested much.

In the first half, the Red Devils won several corner kicks and finally got something after trying many crosses. The Red Devils made a cross from the corner kick, and the opponent's penalty area was in chaos. The brave Bruce made an accurate judgment in the dense crowd of opponents in front of the small penalty area, and successfully grabbed the ball in the siege of multiple opponents. He risked his head and blood, leaned forward and headed the ball, and directly blasted the opponent's goal with a clean header, and the Red Devils took the lead 1-0.

All the Red Devils fans went crazy!

In the second half, the Red Devils did not retreat. The team still took the initiative and took advantage of the lead to continuously charge at the opponent. Arsenal originally wanted to counterattack, thinking that the Red Devils players would retreat and attack actively, but they encountered the Red Devils who attacked desperately. The Arsenal players were beaten very badly and retreated step by step.

Many media were confused. Is this the domineering Arsenal from last season?

Arsenal looked like they had not recovered from their summer binge, unable to gain a physical advantage and without any effective counterattack or pressing.

The Red Devils were in high spirits and fought more bravely. Blackmore sent a precise cross from the right, and Mark Hughes, with his back to the Arsenal defender, took the ball and turned around, deftly passing the Arsenal defender. Hughes then shot hard near the right corner of the small penalty area and scored!

The Red Devils lead 2-0!

Ferguson's bold offensive arrangement for the team has paid off, and the new players have also performed well, giving the fans more surprises. In this legendary Theatre of Dreams, they are very confident and in excellent form with the support of the fans. Every stop and pass of the Red Devils players has attracted the fans' enthusiastic singing, and the whole team is playing more and more happily in this tacit understanding, and the team's operation is getting better and better.

After the second goal, Arsenal felt that the game was over, but the Red Devils, who had secured the victory, did not intend to stop there. They continued to attack in the last 20 minutes of the second half. The Red Devils launched an offensive near the midline, and the long pass hit the Arsenal penalty area again. McClair jumped up in the penalty area to compete for the header, and the Arsenal defender jumped higher behind him and headed the ball out of the penalty area. Who knew that this clearance would become a wonderful assist. Weber stopped the ball with his chest outside the penalty area, waited for the ball to bounce up, bent his bow and shot an extremely sharp long-range arc ball. The ball drew a weird outward arc, flew to the dead corner of the Arsenal goal, and whizzed into the net, 3-0!

The Red Devils fans celebrated the victory happily, while the opposing coach Graham couldn't believe his eyes on the sidelines. You know, the defense he built was once known as the strongest and most impenetrable defense in the UK, but now it is leaking everywhere like a fishing net.

Arsenal, trailing by a large margin, had no intention of continuing the fight and their formation became even more disorganized. The Red Devils controlled the ball like a fish in water, controlling the tempo of the game, and continued to look for opportunities through continuous passing and transfer. In the final stage of the second half, the Red Devils launched a sharp team attack in the midfield. Robson controlled the ball and advanced forward. After crossing the midline, he attracted the opponent's interception and accurately passed the ball to his teammates in the frontcourt. Mark Hughes received the ball with his back to the opponent's defender and quickly passed it to Moore who came in from behind. Moore did not hesitate and passed the ball directly into the penalty area. McClair successfully countered the offside and got behind the opponent's defender to receive the ball. Although the Scottish striker made a very awkward turn and almost lost possession of the ball, he still controlled the ball under his feet. McClair then rushed into the penalty area, dodged the angle and shot calmly, easily scoring the goal.

Arsenal managed to pull one goal back, but it was too late and the Red Devils eventually won 4-1 at Old Trafford.

Manchester United fans cheered and jumped for joy. They were so happy. In front of them, Manchester United was very different from before. In this encounter in the new season, Ferguson's team simply filled up the gas and stepped on the accelerator pedal to the bottom. The Red Devils accelerated like a supercar, giving the defending champion a powerful blow and beating Arsenal to a pulp.

After the game, Ferguson proudly left a cold back to the reporters who were chasing him. In the pre-match press conference, almost no one believed that Ferguson would win. They were concerned about the chaos of the Red Devils' signings, how many goals the Red Devils would lose, and whether the Red Devils would shrink their defense. Now Ferguson taught these guys a lesson with a thrilling victory. He said after the game: "We are not a temporary team. We have rigorous tactics and formations. What I want to emphasize is that the Red Devils have the strength and confidence to beat any team. Our victory over Arsenal well demonstrated the courage and initiative of the players."

The reporters were all shocked and had not recovered when the game ended. This was the biggest upset of the new season. The defending champions Arsenal were beaten by the Red Devils who were still in the process of restructuring. It was incredible.

The Red Devils' performance shocked the entire league. Bruce said after the game: "I completely overwhelmed my opponent Adams in the game? I dare not say that. Was I the man of the game? No, I think the man of the game was our coach. It was his tactics and command that led to our big win. My performance was entirely a display of the team's tactics. I hope to be able to help the team. Whether it is defense or offense, we will go all out."

Judging from the progress of the game, the Red Devils were like a 17 or 18-year-old boy, full of vigor and vitality, who was fearless and completely defeated his opponent with a series of quick attacks. Arsenal was blindly confident and completely out of control. After the Red Devils scored a goal, the whole team seemed to be stunned and had no subsequent response methods.