The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 162 Taming the Mad Gang

Whether a team is improving or not is always tested by competing against strong teams or former nemesis. Ferguson's Manchester United experienced two super battles and then suppressed the provocation of the crazy Wimbledon without any suspense, which proved the strength and tenacity of this team.

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After the Red Devils' big win over Arsenal, the morale of the whole team was soaring. Captain Robson said in an interview, "Arsenal is of course a super strong team, they are the defending champions, but this game proves that we are stronger than them and played better!"

Lee Sharpe, the biggest contributor to Manchester United's victory, was even more jubilant because he received no less than five banquet invitations as soon as the game ended, and there were beer sellers waiting at the door to give away endorsement contracts.

Lee Sharpe was not carried away at the time, as the lesson of former golden boy Whiteside was still fresh in his mind, but this did not prevent him from enjoying a wonderful night.

The Red Devils had a very difficult journey in the League Cup this season. They faced a dominant team like Liverpool at the beginning, and then met a super powerhouse like Arsenal. They were not even favored in the two consecutive battles. But Ferguson's team dared to fight and fought hard, and they were even better in tough battles, winning both games smoothly.

After Manchester United beat Arsenal, Ferguson announced that he would give the team a day off. He said in the locker room: "What we gained from the League Cup is not just two victories, nor is it a simple promotion. Our two games showed the true spirit of Manchester United, daring to win, daring to fight, and not fearing any opponent. This is the special meaning I understand. Against opponents we have lost to before, we still played a convincing game. We not only beat them, but also won cleanly and undisputedly, and gained a huge advantage on the field."

"We beat Liverpool and Arsenal and defeated the two biggest favorites to win the League Cup, so why can't we imagine the ultimate championship goal?" Ferguson made his championship declaration with a rhetorical question.

The Red Devils then faced Leeds United in the 16th round of the league. Ferguson's team faced their opponents at home and had the advantage of home fans cheering for them.

This was another eye-catching Rose War, with two long-time rivals colliding again. In this game, the Red Devils welcomed back old captain Bryan Robson, who had only just returned from injury in the summer World Cup. Ferguson was very cautious and only arranged for him to come on as a substitute in the second half. Despite this, Robson received a warm welcome from the fans, and Strachan from the opposing team also came over to hug and greet his former teammate. In this game, the Red Devils had a great advantage and created many opportunities, but only midfielder Webber scored a goal to give the team a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, in the following games, Manchester United missed many opportunities to expand the score. McClair failed to hit the target when facing an empty goal, Robson's several heavy shots were also blocked by the opponent, and Hughes never found his shooting boots, even though his attacks and shots were not very threatening.

After falling behind, the opponent Leeds United first stabilized their defense and then looked for opportunities to counterattack. Although they did not attack much and only had a few shots in the whole game, they were very good at seizing opportunities in front of the goal. In the 65th minute, Leeds United striker Chapman took the ball in the middle, dribbled past Robson and rushed into the penalty area, then adjusted his posture while advancing, and shot hard, hitting the ball into the upper right corner of Manchester United's goal.

1 to 1, the two sides tied.

On December 1990, 12, the Red Devils went to Highfield Road to challenge Coventry in the 15th round of the league.

The Red Devils turned the tables and launched a fierce attack at the beginning, forcing the opponent to shrink. Although the Red Devils had the advantage, many of the attacking players were like they didn't wear shooting boots at the beginning. No matter how easy the shot in front of the goal was, it was either kicked away or missed, or it was weak. Under the fierce bombardment, the opponent's defense line completely collapsed, and the Red Devils took the lead with Hughes and Wallace scoring a goal each. But the opponent also took the opportunity to sneak in and scored two goals to tie the score. At the end of the game, the Red Devils' offensive was still fierce, and Coventry's defense line was loose, and in the end it was unable to stop the Red Devils from scoring another goal.

The Red Devils won the victory with difficulty.

After this game, England's unique winter schedule begins.

Other major leagues have a winter break, but England does not. The extremely dense match schedule runs through the entire Christmas and New Year period. Ferguson's team almost plays every three days, which makes people almost breathless.

In the 18th round of the league, the Red Devils challenged Wimbledon at Boya Lane.

Only 9644 people entered the stadium to watch the game. The small number of fans seems to be completely inconsistent with the development and progress of Wimbledon in recent years. This historic team was promoted to the English First Division in 1986. In 1988, they defeated Liverpool, who was at the peak of their power at the time, 1-0 in the FA Cup final and won the championship, achieving the club's greatest success. But even so, Wimbledon lacks the foundation for development. They have always had few fans, and the small stadium has led to poor commercial operations, making it difficult to leap to a new level. After the "Hillsborough Disaster", the English government conducted safety assessments on the stadiums of each team and required rectification of stadiums that did not meet the regulations. Wimbledon's home stadium, Boya Lane, has been in disrepair for many years, and the stadium structure also has hidden dangers, and many safety facilities do not meet the standards. Wimbledon had to spend a huge amount of money to renovate it, and the original standing seats were changed to seats. The match between the Red Devils and Wimbledon happened to be at a critical node in the stadium renovation. In order to meet the standards, the club had to close some stands, reduce a lot of tickets, and could only accommodate less people.

Ferguson sent out the strongest starting lineup, with "Madman" Healy as the goalkeeper, Blackmore, Donaghy, Bruce, Pallister as the defenders, Phelan, Robson, Ince, Webber as the midfielders, and McLair-Hughes as the striker. Although Irwin was missing, the toughness of the Red Devils' midfield and two central defenders was not inferior to that of the opponent, and was even stronger than that of the opponent, which gave the Red Devils the confidence to show off their power in the opponent's away game. The Red Devils took advantage from the beginning and withstood the opponent's premeditated melee in the midfield area. The Red Devils played more tough and rough in the midfield and quickly took the initiative. Ferguson's tactics used two full-backs to move up and down quickly, which not only impacted the opponent's defense line, but also increased the number of midfielders. The key technical advantages of the Red Devils players also made the opponent's midfield physically exhausted quickly, gradually falling into a passive position, and could only retreat more and more. The Red Devils also paid great attention to limiting the opponent's long pass rush tactics, basically not allowing the opponent to have the opportunity to cross the bottom, and when the opponent's backcourt long pass to find the striker, they paid more attention to competing for the landing point and withstood the opponent's high-altitude bombing. After 20 minutes, the Red Devils were able to easily transition to the midfield, and Hughes and McClair were given the opportunity to attack the opponent's goal in turn in the penalty area. The Red Devils soon won many corner kicks and free kicks. In the 32nd minute, Ferguson used his own tactics to fight back. During the corner kick, a pair of central defenders rushed to the opponent's goal to compete for the header. Bruce really fought his way through the opponent's penalty area. He received a cross from his teammate and scored the first goal, helping the Red Devils to take the lead. Then it was Bruce again. He showed his power in the opponent's hinterland and scored the second header, widening the score to 2-0. Although the opponent chased back a goal, the Red Devils played steadily and continued to grasp the rhythm of offense and defense. They did not panic because of the opponent's fierce attack. Instead, they took advantage of the opponent's empty defense line to launch a sharp counterattack. In the second half, the opponent was completely discouraged. Red Devils striker Hughes used his super strong body to once again break into the opponent's penalty area. After withstanding the opponent's entanglement, he gained a position in the penalty area, received an assist from his teammate in front of the goal, and easily shot in the third goal, helping the team to win 3-1 in the end.

The Christmas and New Year express of English football is getting faster and faster, and the schedule is getting more and more dense. The Red Devils, who are getting stronger and stronger, played on Boxing Day, December 1990, 12, at home against Norwich.

Norwich is also a victim of the Red Devils. After selling their main defender and midfielder Phelan, they have become faster and sharper, and have had the upper hand against the Red Devils many times.

Bruce had been defeated many times when he went out with the team, and was even accused of being insulted and humiliated. This time, he finally got to feel proud at home. After the opening, the Red Devils first stabilized the midfield and defense, and then launched a fierce attack. Considering the players' hard work in the last game and the need for Lee Sharpe's quick breakthrough, Ferguson rotated Lee Sharpe and Irwin in the starting lineup, and the other positions remained unchanged. This formation that emphasized wing attacks made Norwich extremely uncomfortable, especially because Lee Sharpe and Irwin were very good at attacking. Norwich's wing was frequently in danger and soon a gap was torn. Red Devils striker McClair finally broke out this time. He scored two goals with his head and feet, becoming the first hero of the big win. Another striker Hughes also scored a goal, which eventually helped the Red Devils win 3-0.

In the 20th round of the league, the Red Devils continued to face Aston Villa at the Theatre of Dreams.

The number of people entering the field in this game set a new record for the Red Devils' home stadium. Although the main players of the Red Devils had only rested for three days, they still burst out with a very strong momentum in the singing of all the fans. Robson returned to the starting lineup and performed well. He only needed to control the rhythm in the midfield and direct the offensive and defensive directions. Other teammates helped him share a lot of confrontation and running. Lee Sharp performed well in consecutive games and continued to play as the main force on the left in this game. The Red Devils pressed the opponent to attack heavily after the opening, but unfortunately the forwards were really unlucky and missed no less than 3 must-goal opportunities in front of the goal. The opponent Villa team took advantage of the Red Devils' reckless advance after the opening and scored a goal through a counterattack. The Red Devils fought back frantically after falling behind, but they were never able to tear open the opponent's iron bucket formation. The game was played until the second half of the second half, and Ferguson decisively sent Bruce, the sword-carrying guard, to play as a forward and try his best. Ferguson's risky tactic finally paid off. Bruce lived up to expectations. He stood in front of the opponent's goal, received a cross from his teammate, squeezed out the opponent's defender, and scored with a powerful header, helping the Red Devils equalize the score.

At the end of the game, Red Devils striker Hughes was knocked down in the penalty area, but the referee missed the penalty that should have been given to the Red Devils. In the end, there was no more scoring and the Red Devils could only get one point.

Ferguson was indignant after the game and mocked the referee for being "blind". He said: "Even a naval warship in the Western Pacific would have seen that it was a foul and an undoubted penalty. But the referee actually told me after the game that he didn't see it at all and he didn't think Hughes was fouled. I suspect his eyes may have been lost in prehistoric times."

The Manchester Evening News reported after the game, "Ferguson's team immediately complained to the referee committee and reported the blind referee. They believed that the team's victory was stolen by the referee's decision and that Manchester United suffered significant unfair treatment."

The English Football Association's Executive Committee continued to play dead as usual, with only a retired former English League One referee admitting in an interview that the referee's decision was indeed wrong.