The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 138 The Pain of the Reds' Defeat

"The opponent Ferguson least wanted to lose to, the time he least wanted to lose to, the venue he least wanted to lose to... everything brought him added pain."

--Inscription

After winning the FA Cup, the Red Devils returned to the league, and their fans once again experienced the sour taste of ice and fire.

In the 28th round of the league, the Red Devils faced Everton.

Bruce was injured again before the game, and Pallister had to take charge of the defense. Robson was also injured during the game and had to be temporarily replaced. After the game, he was examined and it was announced that it was a false alarm. Such a lineup and the situation of injuries and substitutions naturally made it difficult for the team to fully display its strength.

In the end, Manchester United had to play defense first and deal with the opponent cautiously. Everton experienced a club earthquake this season, with a major change in the player lineup and playing style. They did not play as well as the media expected against Manchester United, and lacked momentum. In the end, the two teams were evenly matched, with the score of 0-0, and each team got one point.

Then it was the 29th round, and Ferguson led the team to face Liverpool.

It's another double red meeting.

The media almost unanimously supports Liverpool at this time, because the two teams are so far apart in terms of points and performance this season. Liverpool is much stronger and more domineering than last season, while Manchester United is even worse than last season.

"Will Manchester United lose by 3 goals or more in this game?"

"How can the Red Devils, who are full of injuries and in low form, resist Liverpool, who are in hot form?"

"Two red teams, one rushing towards the championship throne, the other rushing towards the relegation abyss, what else can they compare?"

Ferguson was aware of the media's humiliating views and that most people in the football world tended to think that Manchester United would lose. He decided to take the pressure on himself, "The Manchester United derby has always been a life-and-death battle. We don't need to make any declarations before the game, nor do we need to shout slogans such as "must win". We certainly won't be affected by all kinds of rumors and hearsay from the outside world, let alone be disturbed by some reporters' unfounded predictions."

The significance of the Reds 2-0 draw is self-evident. Ferguson gave a stern warning before the game, demanding that the team must be in high spirits and fight Liverpool no matter what, in order to defeat their arch-rivals. Ferguson said: "We don't need to worry about any tactics, we don't need to be disturbed by the outside world, we just need to focus on the opponent's style of play, everything is for victory."

Ferguson said at the team's preparation meeting, "No matter what lineup we have, what starting lineup and formation we can arrange, we will fight with our opponents and fight to the end until we win. We will fight to the end, until the end of the game."

Facing a strong opponent, Ferguson deployed a 442 formation, with Leighton as goalkeeper and a four-man defense consisting of Blackmore, Bruce, Pallister and Lee Martin, with Bruce returning to action; midfielders Ince, Robson, Webb and Phelan, with the old captain also volunteering for this battle; forwards McClair and Hughes. In this midfield, Robson and Ince were specially deployed to pay attention to balance, and pay more attention to and protect the ribs in front of Manchester United's penalty area. McClair was also specifically told by Ferguson to retreat more.

Liverpool also sent out the strongest attacking lineup. Barnes, Beardsley, Rush, Aldridge and others all started the game, and they immediately brought a huge impact to the Red Devils. Liverpool launched an aggressive offensive at the beginning of the game, while Manchester United went all out to organize defense. In the 3rd minute, Beardsley made a tentative diagonal pass outside the Manchester United penalty area. After being blocked, Rush intercepted the ball in the Manchester United penalty area and shot directly, directly testing the Manchester United goalkeeper. In the 7th minute, Barnes dribbled the ball from the left and broke into the hinterland of Manchester United. When he was about to break into the penalty area, he was knocked down by Webber directly; in the 11th minute, Liverpool made a comeback. Aldridge and Rush passed the ball to each other in the penalty area. Finally, he made a cold shot, but unfortunately it flew away; in the 15th minute, Liverpool made a cross from a corner kick, and there was chaos in the Manchester United penalty area. Barnes almost found a chance to make up the shot at the back of the penalty area, but Pallister kicked it out of the dangerous area in advance...

The Red Devils were besieged right from the start, but they were prepared for defense and made very detailed targeted arrangements. Faced with the storm, the Red Devils consciously launched a defensive counterattack. Ferguson waved his hand and asked the team to gradually shrink, strive to stabilize the defense and strengthen the midfield.

In Ferguson's defensive counterattack tactics, the Red Devils will stabilize the midfield, and then seek opportunities to open gaps through quick attacks on both sides, and then create shooting opportunities in front of the goal.

The entire Manchester United team was in a passive position for a long time in the first half, but the Red Devils players worked very hard and devoted themselves to interception and defense. McClair and Hughes both actively returned to the midfield to increase the fight and fill the space. Although the old captain Robson did not run fast enough and the rhythm was relatively slow, his courage was still very strong. Ins completely turned into a lumberjack in this game. He was very fierce and strong every time he fought for the ball, even at the risk of injury. In addition to these two, the other two midfielders also frequently returned to the penalty area to help defend, help the full-backs block the opponent's wing attack, and also retreated to the ribs more actively to defend. After the Red Devils players actively retreated, they tried their best to compress the opponent's space. The Red Devils team focused on defense and tried very hard to seek confrontation in the midfield and backcourt, hoping to use close pressing and physical collisions to block the opponent's attack and break the opponent's overall power.

The Red Devils' tough defense and shrinking space were effective for a while, and they also launched some defensive counterattacks. In the 23rd minute, Manchester United's midfielder intercepted the ball and quickly counterattacked. Webber took the ball and directly passed it diagonally to the penalty area. Hughes took the ball with his back to the goal in the penalty area, withstood the close entanglement of the opponent's defender, and turned around and passed it lightly to his teammate McClair. After McClair got the ball, he faced the interception of two opponent defenders. He had to force the shot, but unfortunately the shot missed. In the 33rd minute, Manchester United intercepted the ball in the backcourt and launched a long pass counterattack. Hughes ran at high speed in the opponent's penalty area to grab the position. After receiving the ball, he made a fake move to shake off the opponent's interception, and then shot hard, but was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. Manchester United then made a corner kick, Bruce did not get a chance to rush to the front point in the penalty area, and the ball was cleared out by the opponent.

The Red Devils fought bravely with their opponents and tried their best to seize counterattack opportunities, but their condition was not good and their physical strength was quickly exhausted. After 30 minutes of the first half, it was difficult for them to gain the upper hand in the confrontation and they became increasingly passive on the field.

In the 37th minute, Liverpool launched a quick attack. This time, Barnes defeated the Red Devils' wing forward and full-back on the wing, dribbled all the way to the end line and made a cross. This cross was very sharp, and the entire Manchester United defense lost its position and the backup defense became chaotic. Rush jumped high near the penalty spot in the penalty area, received the cross and headed the ball hard, directly hitting the ball into the dead corner of Manchester United's goal.

Liverpool leads 1-0.

In the second half, Manchester United launched counterattacks after the start, but they were quickly suppressed by the opponent. Liverpool did not intend to just lead by one goal. They continued to attack fiercely and continued to quickly consume the energy of Manchester United players. In the 53rd minute, Liverpool controlled the ball in the midfield and passed it quickly. Beardsley controlled the ball on the left side of the frontcourt. He then used a fake move to pass Ince and then rushed to the Manchester United penalty area with the ball. Before entering the penalty area, Beardsley dribbled past Robson and then passed the ball directly to Aldridge in the penalty area. Aldridge inserted into the penalty area diagonally and swung the ball horizontally. Before Pallister stepped forward to steal the ball, he made a short pass with Rush in the middle and passed the ball to the big brother for assists. After receiving the ball, Rush saw that Manchester United central defender Bruce stepped forward to block the shooting route. He was not in a hurry to shoot directly, but gently passed it to Barnes on the other side. Barnes inserted from the ribs and volleyed the ball directly into the opponent's goal.

Liverpool leads 2-0.

After leading by two goals, Liverpool relaxed a little, but Manchester United was unwilling to surrender. They actively summoned their remaining courage and launched a series of offensives. In the 72nd minute, Ince got the ball in the midfield. He immediately made a two-on-one with Robson and advanced to the top of Liverpool's penalty area. He immediately passed the ball to Hughes in the penalty area. Hughes got the ball with his back to the opponent's defender in the penalty area. He was unable to pass the opponent and did not get a chance to shoot. He immediately passed the ball back to McClair. McClair shot at the top of the penalty area and hit the ball directly into the upper left corner of Liverpool's goal. Manchester United chased the score to 1-2.

After the 80th minute of the game, Manchester United launched a fierce attack throughout the field, but never got a better chance and ultimately lost by just one goal.

The Liverpool Echo said after the game, "Although the final score was only 2-1, Liverpool actually had more chances, including many good ones. If they had been better at seizing the chances, they could have scored more than five goals against the Red Devils. Manchester United had no chance at all in this game. They were pinned to the ground and rubbed again and again."

Ferguson was very angry after the game. He was not satisfied with the players' distraction and the lack of coordination on the defensive line. He could accept the loss, but he was not convinced by the defeat in the Manchester United derby. Although Manchester United's defensive players tried hard, they still did not meet Ferguson's requirements.

Most media had similar impressions of this game. Manchester United was indeed completely passive in the loss to Liverpool. Both the offense and defense were controlled by Liverpool. Ferguson's team was not on the same level as their opponents.

Many media outlets believe that the Red Devils' derby match is just a preliminary battle. The Red Devils' coaching staff also sees this match as a reconnaissance match, as they are likely to meet in the FA Cup final.

The Red Devils fans had long lost hope for the team's league performance this season, and were a little numb to the defeat to their arch-rival Liverpool. The Red Devils gave their all in this game but still lost, which made the fans even more desperate.

If we lose this Manchester derby, the upcoming FA Cup final may also be a Manchester derby. What should we do then?

When asked about this question after the game, Ferguson said, "We now need to play well in the next game. If we really play Liverpool again in the FA Cup final, I believe the Red Devils will play better than they did now. It's a pity that we lost this game. I saw that the players are performing better and better. They are not completely without the ability to fight and they also pose a great threat to Liverpool."

The media booed unanimously, believing that they were not watching the same game as Ferguson. "The Red Devils were beaten so badly by Liverpool that they had no chance to fight back, yet Ferguson actually said that their players were getting better and better. I don't know how he could be so shameless. Liverpool will teach them a lesson again in the FA Cup final and put Ferguson to shame."

Then in the 30th round of the league, Manchester United was defeated 1-0 by Sheffield United, and their record became three consecutive defeats.

It was not until the 31st round that the Red Devils began to reverse their decline in the away game against Southampton. Ferguson's tactics changed to a certain extent in this game. They finally relied on defensive counterattacks to beat their opponents 2-0 and stopped the downward trend.

In the 32nd round of the league, Ferguson's team returned to their home ground to face Coventry. The Red Devils regained their form and launched a fierce attack at the start of the game. Mark Hughes continued his outstanding performance. He held off the opponent's defender in the penalty area, received a pass from his teammate, and then turned and shot into the dead corner to help the Red Devils lead 1-0. The Red Devils then continued to attack. Mark Hughes scored twice. He found an open space in the penalty area and easily shot into the dead corner. Robins also scored. The Red Devils finally won the game with a score of 3-0.

The Red Devils' new striker Robins performed very well, which aroused unanimous praise from the media. This new player promoted by Ferguson is full of passion and fighting spirit. He runs very well on the field and has the advantage of speed. He is an impact point that cannot be underestimated in the front field. It is precisely because of his outstanding performance that the Red Devils' attack line maintains firepower and makes up for the defect of McClair's need to retreat deep.