The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 171 Giggs's first goal

"That young boy on the field is the star of hope that Ferguson has high hopes for, and he is also the most outstanding superstar for Manchester United in the next 20 years."

--Inscription

The Red Devils did not get much rest after losing the League Cup final as they were scheduled to play the second leg of the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final at home against Legia Warsaw on April 1991, 4.

The Red Devils fans were even more nervous now as many fans flooded into Old Trafford to watch the game. The team needed support after losing the League Cup and the fans immediately gave the right response.

The Red Devils had a victory in the first round away game, and as long as they didn't lose too much in this game, they would be able to qualify. Before the game, most media believed that the Red Devils would win easily and qualify smoothly. But even so, Ferguson was shocked. Before the team set off, he suddenly received very bad news. The main goalkeeper Healy's injury in the previous game worsened and he would definitely not play in this game.

Ferguson had no choice but to send Walsh as the starting goalkeeper. Elwin, Bruce, Pallister and Blackmore formed the starting lineup on the defensive line. Phelan, Robson, Lee Sharp and Webber formed the midfield. McClair and Hughes formed the forwards. Both sides played cautiously at the beginning of this game. The Red Devils were already leading 3-1 in the first round. As long as they did not lose more than two goals in this game, they would be promoted smoothly. Therefore, Ferguson's tactics were still based on stability. In particular, Walsh's starting goalkeeper also made Ferguson deeply worried. His strength and on-the-spot performance were still far behind Healy. After the opening, the Red Devils controlled the rhythm, played slowly, did not rush for success, and did not invest heavily in the attack. In particular, the two full-backs stood in the backcourt and were not eager to press forward to attack. The visiting team was very motivated and attacked actively. They tried to launch a fierce attack at the beginning, and the formation was once changed to a more radical 433, and they frequently tried to threaten the Red Devils' defense through the attacks of the two wingers. Facing the opponent's fierce attack, the Red Devils still played in a very organized manner. After McClair retreated deeply, the Red Devils changed the midfield to a five-man stance, effectively locking the space at the back and blocking the opponent's chance to rush forward.

In the end, the two sides drew 1-1, with Lee Sharp of the Red Devils scoring a goal for the team.

The Red Devils defeated their opponents 4-2 in two rounds and advanced to the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Then in May, the Red Devils faced Manchester City in the 5th round.

The most eye-catching news of this game was that Ferguson suddenly gave Giggs a chance to start, replacing Lee Sharpe's left midfielder position, while the starting lineups of other players remained unchanged.

Manchester City is average, but this game is not easy for Manchester United. Ferguson was once humiliated by a 5-18 defeat by his city rivals, so every city derby is played as a decisive battle. The Red Devils team cheered up and firmly grasped the initiative at the beginning, winning a great advantage. Giggs played very well on the left. The little guy, who is less than years old, was not afraid of the stage. Not only did he rush in and out of the left wing as if he was in an empty space, he constantly dribbled through the opponent's defense line, and it was as easy as eating vegetables to pass the opponent's single right back. He also sent many extremely threatening crosses. It was a pity that his teammates McClair and Hughes wasted great opportunities and forced to spit out the good chances to score. Later, Giggs saw that the opponent's defense was shaky, so he decided to try to fight alone. The little guy who played better and better dribbled the ball on the left and changed directions continuously, and the speed of dribbling the ball was getting faster and faster, like a flying knife into the opponent's penalty area. Taking advantage of the opponent's chaos, Giggs dribbled the ball through successfully, and then took a cold shot from the corner of the penalty area and successfully scored!

The whole audience burst into applause as Giggs scored his first official league goal in his Red Devils career, helping the team win 1-0.

Giggs became famous with one goal. After the game, almost all English media were amazed by Giggs. The Times said: "This game was completely a performance by Ryan Giggs. This young man is really outstanding. His dribbling breakthrough is suffocating, his speed is shocking, and his calmness is even more surprising. This is a gift from God to the Red Devils. His active attack created many opportunities. Both McClair and Hughes should apologize to him for wasting opportunities. Giggs is like an energetic elf, flying up and down on the left and performing to his heart's content. He can not only dribble but also shoot and score. It is really shocking!"

The Manchester Evening News dug up the past and ridiculed how foolish Manchester City was to give up Giggs. The Manchester Evening News said: "The entire Manchester City club fell into an awkward silence, and their youth training system must be regretting it. Giggs' performance in this game was so amazing that they lost not only a youth player, but a superstar who was about to become the best left winger in England. This is not a small loss, but a huge treasure."

The BBC made a special feature clip for Giggs, digging out more information about the new star. Before this start, Giggs had only played as a substitute once, and Giggs did not surprise anyone at the time. Reporters found that only within the team would people praise Giggs endlessly. Whether it was Ferguson or Harrison, they all had the same attitude and were very optimistic about Giggs' growth. The BBC said in the report, "We must not miss a genius! Ryan Giggs has grown very quickly. He has long become a star in the Red Devils' youth training camp and the best player in the under-1 age group. Inside the Red Devils, everyone agrees that as long as he does not suffer a serious injury, he will definitely become the best winger and a shining star of tomorrow."

Then in the 36th round of the league, the Red Devils played against Arsenal at Highbury Stadium.

Arsenal had already won the league title before this game, but they still did not intend to deal with it. Instead, they hoped to teach the Red Devils a lesson, because the Red Devils had now become the biggest enemy of the Arsenal. Ferguson did not care about this. He chose to rest players such as Pallister and Lee Sharp, and gave Donaghy and Robins the opportunity to start. With the Gunners fans cheering for the championship, the Arsenal was full of confidence and fighting spirit. They overpowered the Red Devils at the beginning and launched a fierce attack around the visiting team's half. In the end, Arsenal scored 3 goals in a row and easily secured the victory. Only Bruce scored a goal from a corner kick for the Red Devils, but it was difficult to avoid a 1-3 loss.

In the 37th round of the league, the Red Devils played away against Crystal Palace.

In this game, Ferguson continued to boldly send in new players. Donaghy, Kanchelskis, Robins and Ferguson all started, and many main players took turns to rest. Ferguson had already expressed his desire to train new players before the game, and he focused on evaluating the new player Kanchelskis. In the second half, Ferguson even sent in new players Ratten and Bearsmore, and his intention to train new players was more obvious. With such a starting lineup, the Red Devils seemed a little unwilling to fight, and eventually lost to Crystal Palace 0-3 away.

After two consecutive defeats, the Red Devils' league ranking had slipped to sixth place, but these rankings were actually irrelevant at the time. Only the league champions could participate in the Champions League, and the second and third place in the league had no chance; the league ranking had almost no impact on income that year, so apart from the opportunity to compete for the championship, the last round of the English League One game was actually irrelevant.

For Ferguson, the progress of the league ranking this season was far from enough. His criterion for whether this season was successful was whether he could win the European Cup Winners' Cup. All preparations and considerations needed to focus on the upcoming final. The Red Devils' biggest goal at the time was the European Cup Winners' Cup. The English League One put the last round of the league after the final, and Ferguson was not nervous about the final league ranking.

Everyone knows that when the Red Devils reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final, Ferguson's focus shifted to the European arena. Ferguson and his Red Devils were fully prepared for the final. For the final stage of the league, they often aimed to avoid injuries and sent new players to prepare.

For Ferguson and his Red Devils, the success of this season can no longer be measured by the league standings. It doesn't matter whether they are sixth or seventh. Not being the league champion, even second place will not satisfy the Red Devils fans.

This season, the Red Devils went all out in all three cup competitions. They were eliminated from the FA Cup early, and lost the League Cup near the end of the season, leaving only the European Cup Winners' Cup as a possibility. Everyone knows that the European Cup Winners' Cup is the most difficult to win, but everyone also knows that Ferguson has a lot of experience in upsets.

From 1986 to now, Ferguson has won the FA Cup and reached the League Cup final, but the investment of the Red Devils and the fans' enthusiasm in the past five years have also made the media create a focus topic. Whether Ferguson is suitable for the Red Devils or not, more championships are needed to bless him.

Ferguson later said, "I didn't give up the last few league games, but this crazy season was too torturous. People said I was saving my strength for the final championship, but that was not the case."

The media commented on the Red Devils' two consecutive defeats and said, "The Red Devils are the team that has played the most games this season. Their lineup itself is not large. Although Ferguson boldly uses youth players, the team is indeed a bit exhausted now. Ferguson also needs to consider the upcoming European Cup Winners' Cup final, which is the most realistic goal."

The Red Devils' schedule this season is too dense. For the Red Devils, whose main lineup is not deep enough and who have suffered multiple injuries, the dense schedule is difficult to cope with. Ferguson firmly believes that young players grow quickly, and he decided to use a large number of young players to implement four-front operations. This is his adventure and his courage.

The Red Devils played a total of 60 games this season, the most in Europe. The Red Devils did not receive any preferential treatment or special arrangements. Ferguson's team had two games a week almost every month, and the most frequent Christmas and New Year's Day express, even had to deal with two games in three days and four games a week. Reporters were stunned by the high-intensity schedule of the Red Devils. Ferguson's team had to play another game 30 hours after playing a game. It was outrageous.

In the Red Devils' first-team lineup, there are only 25 players who played, and the rest are players from the youth training and players signed at the end of the season. Ferguson has less than 17 real main players, and there are 10 main players who started more than 14 games. They are the backbones that Ferguson relies on the most. The original main goalkeeper Leighton has almost never played due to injuries. Robson and Wallace also suffered serious injuries and have been unable to play for a long time. Lee Martin was also injured and absent for a long time. Anderson only played once. Among the young people that Ferguson trusts, Lee Sharp, who is less than 1 years old, started 20 games in the league, played 20 games as a substitute, and played a total of 3 games including other games. He can be said to have become a main player of the Red Devils at a young age, and his young shoulders have shouldered such a heavy responsibility. Among all the players of the Red Devils, Pallister played the most games. He played a total of 36 games, Blackmore played 58 games, and McClair played 57 games... Just think about how terrifying these numbers are.

In any case, it was with these players that Ferguson managed to play hard throughout the season and win the chance to win the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Looking back, when Ferguson led Aberdeen to the final, they also experienced an extremely difficult season, but Ferguson finally led the team to the last laugh.

Today's Red Devils fans are beginning to be like Aberdeen fans back then, full of hope and worry.

In an interview with the media, looking forward to the European Cup Winners' Cup final, Ferguson said: "I am full of confidence. We will prepare for this game in the best condition and make detailed tactical arrangements against our opponents. We will play at our best level in the final and strive to defeat our opponents."

Ferguson's passionate words excited the fans, "We will definitely win the championship!"