The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 156 The Fiery Opening

"Even though there were endless doubts from the outside world and constant ridicule from the media, the Red Devils team still followed Ferguson's guidance and continued to get stronger through hard training and polishing before the season."

--Inscription

On August 1990, 8, the new season kicked off. The Red Devils played at home against Coventry in the first round of the league.

Ferguson had been ridiculed and looked down upon during the preparations for the season and he was determined to teach everyone a lesson.

In this game, Ferguson still fielded a 442 starting lineup, only adjusting one position compared to the Community Shield starting lineup, with Webber replacing Wallace.

Coventry City was not strong, and they were not fully prepared for the first game of the new season. The team's preparations were far inferior to those of the Red Devils. At the beginning of the game, they were frightened by the Red Devils' fierce attack and looked like they were about to collapse, and then they retreated to the penalty area and struggled to hold on. The passive Coventry team was completely unable to play their tough style, which was the reliance of their team.

After the entire Coventry team retreated, Manchester United quickly launched a more fierce attack, and the threat gradually approached Coventry's goal. In the 17th minute, Manchester United launched an attack from the left, and Irwin once again showed his extraordinary footwork. He passed two people on the wing and advanced to the opponent's backcourt, and then made a long pass to the Coventry penalty area. In the penalty area, Hughes and McClair both rushed to the small penalty area to grab a point, but they were finally cleared by the opponent. In the 18th minute, Manchester United made a corner kick, and central defender Bruce grabbed a position in the middle of the penalty area. After jumping high, he made a powerful header and hit the ball into the upper corner of the Coventry team's goal, and Manchester United led 1-0.

After taking the lead, Manchester United slowed down their offensive a little, and the pace of the game also slowed down a lot. Only then did Coventry have a chance to launch an offensive. In response to the opponent's attack, Manchester United began to defend in the midfield and did not shrink significantly. This defensive strategy slowed down Coventry's advancement speed very well, making it difficult for the opponent's fast break. In the 31st minute, Coventry advanced in the middle, took advantage of Phelan's interception error, and quickly passed him and Ince's interception, and developed the offensive to the top of Manchester United's penalty area. At this time, Manchester United's four defenders were ready, Bruce commanded the retreating winger Blackmore to get closer to the opponent's forward, and Pallister took the initiative to step forward to resist the opponent's impact. When Ince also quickly chased back and Manchester United was about to form a siege, Coventry striker Kadiba hurriedly shot in the penalty area. Healy was fully focused and flew to save the ball.

Manchester United led 1-0 in the first half. After the start of the second half, Ferguson's team continued to play steadily, with good control of the midfield and suppression of the opponent. In the 49th minute, Manchester United launched a fast break. Ince's long-distance pass hit the upper corner of the opponent's penalty area. This surgical pass passed through the opponent's two layers of defense and found McClair. Unfortunately, Manchester United's Scottish striker was too slow to get the ball in the penalty area and was too hesitant to shoot. The opponent's central defender recovered the time difference and blocked the shooting line in time. In the 56th minute, Manchester United launched another offensive in the middle. Ince and Webber quickly passed the ball to the opponent's backcourt. Webber passed the ball forward, Hughes pulled out of the penalty area to protect the ball with his back and passed it to Ince. At this time, Ince had already inserted into the penalty area arc, and two Coventry midfielders surrounded him to prepare for a steal. At the critical moment, Ings made a wonderful diagonal pass, Webber understood it and went to the empty space in the left penalty area to get the ball, and seized the opportunity to shoot straight into the dead corner. The Coventry goalkeeper was unable to stop it and could only watch the ball go into the goal. Manchester United secured the victory 2-0.

Coventry was two goals behind and had no intention of equalizing the score. Manchester United continued to play steadily and control the rhythm in the following time. In the 81st minute, Manchester United made a cross from the right, but Hughes missed the ball 7 yards in front of the goal, wasting this great opportunity. In the 85th minute, Manchester United made a long pass, McClair received the ball and faked to get rid of the opponent's defender, then shot directly, but unfortunately it was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the end, the Red Devils easily won the opponent 2-0 with goals from Bruce and Webber, making a good start in the new season.

First win of the new season!

The Guardian reporter specifically looked for a close-up of Ferguson on the sidelines of the pitch. After the game, they published a photo of Ferguson ecstatic after his victory, and commented: "Manchester United's good start, Ferguson's happy moment."

The BBC also commented on this game, "Manchester United performed like a super experienced and strong team, very patient and very good at seizing opportunities. The team's overall performance has improved again, and now there is a very obvious imprint of Ferguson's style of play."

In the second league game, Ferguson faced the first focus battle of the season - the Rose Derby.

The Red Devils' opponent in this game is Leeds United, and Manchester United is away.

In this match, Ferguson used the same starting lineup that defeated Coventry City in the previous match, setting up a traditional 442 formation. Leeds United was quite strong at the time. Strachan left the Red Devils in anger and joined the White Roses. Leeds United also built a team with a style different from the British tradition with him as the core. They were quickly promoted to the English First Division and continued to strengthen their lineup. At the beginning of the new season, Leeds United was full of vigor. Their style tended to be delicate in technology, more focused on ground advancement, more focused on group cooperation, more penetration from the middle, relatively less long passes and fewer crosses from the bottom, and more support for the attack from the middle.

The match between the Red Devils and Leeds United was very intense. Both teams made many big moves in the midfield, with many fouls and all of them were quite bad. The referee on duty was very nervous, fearing that the match would turn into a fight.

The game ended in a very intense and chaotic manner. Both sides fought fiercely but could only get a 0-0 draw.

On September 9, in the third round of English League One, the Red Devils continued their away trip and went to Rockell Park to challenge Sunderland.

This was the second league match for the Red Devils in four days and the third in seven days. The schedule was intensive and difficult, far exceeding the physical strain of ordinary people. The Red Devils players were very tired in training before this game, and it was difficult for them to recover to their best level.

What can Ferguson do? This is the only lineup he can really trust. Before this game, Robson was still recovering from an injury, Wallace was also injured, and even young player Lee Martin was injured. Players like Lee Sharp were still too young to be used for the time being. Ferguson, who was in a dilemma of no one to use, could only use the starting lineup of the previous game without any rotation. In terms of formation placement, Ferguson also simplified the strategy and let the players implement the most clear traditional 442 tactics.

At the beginning of the game, the Red Devils' 442 faced Sunderland's 442, and the two sides started fighting in the midfield area. The Red Devils were not physically fit and strong enough in this game. Their midfield control and pressing ability were at a disadvantage, so they could only retreat and shrink. After Sunderland took the initiative, they immediately launched a fast break on the wing, and Manchester United's right was quickly captured by the opponent. In the 23rd minute, Manchester United made a mistake in the right defense. Donaghy was directly passed by the opponent and the gap was opened. It was too late for Bruce to go forward to defend. Sunderland's wing attacker Priest dribbled into the penalty area, and quickly passed the ball after meeting Bruce. Zikel in the middle made a breakthrough and easily scored the ball into Manchester United's goal. Manchester United fell behind 0-1.

The Red Devils began to intensify their counterattack after falling behind. In the 37th minute, Blackmore attacked the opponent on the left side. After a transition in the midfield, Ings quickly broke into the opponent's baseline. After breaking through the opponent's full-back near the baseline, he further crossed the ball. Forward McClair made a cross from the middle and scored a goal, equalizing the score.

The two sides tied 1-1 in the first half. After the start of the second half, Manchester United had a huge problem with physical fitness. They quickly retreated under the entanglement of the opponent and could not effectively stop the opponent's fierce attack. Ferguson replaced two defenders in a row to strengthen the defense, and also asked McClair and Hughes to retreat directly to the midfield, but even so, they could not withstand the opponent's speed. In the 63rd minute, Sunderland made a cross from the left, and there was chaos in the Manchester United penalty area. Healy used a hammer to hit the ball out in time; in the 67th minute, Sunderland made an accurate cross, and Bruce and Pallister were taken away by the opponent's forward in the penalty area. Sunderland's midfielder Luton inserted at high speed, received the ball and shot hard in the dead corner to score, and Manchester United fell behind 1-2.

Manchester United, which fell into a passive position for the second time, launched a lot of attacks in the remaining 20 minutes, but the players' strength and speed were not in good condition. There were many mistakes in passing in the midfield and frontcourt. Hughes missed two passes from his teammates in a row and a powerful shot in front of the goal was also high.

The game finally ended under Ferguson's anxious and helpless eyes, and the Red Devils finally lost 1-2.

After the game, Ferguson could not help but criticize the organization of the league. "The league has just started and has entered the fast lane of three games in seven days. We have also been arranged to play two away games in a row. This schedule is obviously very unreasonable. Considering that we still have the Cup Winners' Cup to play later, I strongly suggest that the league organizing committee pay attention to this."

Ferguson stressed the unexciting nature of the game after the game. "Everyone saw that the players were very tired, which shouldn't happen at the start of the league. We couldn't give the fans a wonderful game, which was as painful as losing."

The opponent Sunderland team did not want to be criticized. They said: "Our players have also participated in many games. Everyone knew the schedule before the game. Why didn't they prepare in advance? Why didn't they rotate? Losing on the field is losing. There is no need to find excuses."

Why not rotate?

Ferguson laughed in anger, "My team needs you to guide us to observe and analyze the players' conditions? Need you to give us instructions on how to arrange rotations? We know our players best and know when to send which players up!"

In the fourth round of the league, the Red Devils visited Luton's Kenilworth Road Stadium. Ferguson's team defeated their opponents 4-1 after a hard fight.

In the fifth round of the league, the Red Devils played against Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford. Queens Park Rangers is a very traditional English team that emphasizes strength and speed, but its overall strength is obviously insufficient. In this game, Ferguson deployed a tactic of fierce attack for the team, allowing the players to launch a rapid attack at the beginning, continuously attack the opponent's backcourt, and effectively oppress the opponent. Queens Park Rangers was caught off guard and their defense was quickly torn apart, and the defense was immediately defeated. The Red Devils created a good opportunity in the 5th minute. Hughes made a pass on the penalty area line, and Ince shot the ball hard, but unfortunately it was just a little off the goal; in the 11th minute, Manchester United attacked the left side fiercely. Webber dribbled the ball along the left side in the midfield, and after cooperating with McClair, he made a cross from the bottom. Rookie Robins inserted sharply, got the ball in the upper left corner of the penalty area, made way, and quickly shot and scored. Manchester United led 15-1. In the 0th minute, McClair headed the ball in front of the goal, but the opponent's goalkeeper flew to save it; in the 19st minute, Manchester United received a cross from a corner kick, Bruce got the first point in the penalty area and headed the ball, but the opponent's defender blocked it and the ball eventually flew out of bounds; in the 21rd minute, Manchester United advanced in the middle, Robins responded on the left, then he dribbled past a full-back and entered the penalty area, facing the interception of the opponent's central defender, he dodged lightly, shot directly through the central defender, and shot the ball into the lower right corner of the opponent's goal, and Manchester United led 33-2.

After Queens Park Rangers were defeated by Manchester United repeatedly, the team's morale was low and they had no choice but to surrender.

In this game, the Red Devils won 3-0 thanks to rising star Robins scoring twice and McClair scoring one goal.

After 5 rounds of the league, the Red Devils have 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, ranking at the top of the standings. The start is in very good form.

In the fierce game, Ferguson's team once again exposed its hidden dangers. The media still believed that their lineup was too thin, many players played very hard, and Ferguson still lacked sufficient rotation.

At this time, more serious injury problems began to arise.