The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 174 European Cup Winners’ Cup, Ours!

"Ferguson and his Red Devils had the last laugh. Barcelona made it to the European Cup Winners' Cup final. They never thought they would lose, let alone lose so badly. Ferguson's tactics were simple and effective. His Red Devils players fought hard, used powerful offense and tenacious defense, and achieved this classic victory and won the championship."

--Inscription

As the European Cup Winners' Cup final was about to begin, Spanish media commentators at the scene felt that Ferguson was unusually nervous. They said: "Ferguson was wearing a weird sportswear, rubbing his hands and feet constantly, and pacing back and forth on the sidelines of the court. Ferguson's expression was a bit dull, and the word nervous was written all over his face. He didn't look confident at all."

Ferguson later admitted that he was looking forward to this championship very much. His pre-war mobilization had already been implemented, and he had carefully prepared targeted tactics for Barcelona, ​​which should be enough to give these arrogant guys a hard time.

Many English media also went to the scene to interview. In their eyes, Ferguson seemed to be well prepared. "We all know how strong Barcelona is, but Ferguson's team is full of confidence and will not be cowardly in battle. Almost no one will panic."

The Red Devils' equipment sponsor Adidas made a counter-productive jersey arrangement on the spot. They specially made a set of jerseys for this final, white with red edges. The Spanish media reporters were bored enough to laugh at this before the game, "The jerseys worn by the Red Devils players are very weird and interesting, like a group of little angels delivering good news. They seem to be not participating in the game but participating in the carnival program..."

Ferguson had been studying Barcelona's formation and possible tactics before the game. He was not afraid of Cruyff's attacking tactics at all and was determined to deal with Barcelona with tough confrontation and the same high pressure. He arranged a stable 442 formation, with "Madman" Healy as goalkeeper, Blackmore, Bruce, Pallister and Irwin as four defenders, Robson and Ings as midfielders in the middle, Lee Sharpe as the vanguard on the wing, and Phelan who focused on defense on the other wing; Mark Hughes and McClair as forwards, one in front and one behind, McClair retreated a little to protect the midfield, and Mark Hughes was more of a single soldier.

Although Barcelona was missing several key players, Cruyff's tactics did not change. Goalkeeper Zubizarreta was absent, so Cruyff sent Busquets, his future son-in-law, as the central defenders were Coman and Ferrer, and midfielders Laudrup, Salinas, Begiristain and Bakero started, and they would take turns to attack the Red Devils' defense.

Before the game started, Barcelona players proudly accepted the cheers of many fans, like little roosters showing off their beautiful feathers. They were relaxed, as if the championship was already in their hands. Alex Sanko also greeted his former teammate Hughes before the game to "comfort" him about his depression in Barcelona. The Red Devils' starting players did not have too many tricks when they came on the field. They believed in themselves and waited for the real duel to begin. Of course, behind them were more Red Devils fans, and the Red Devils fans cheered and shouted even louder.

The referee blew the whistle and the game started in the rain.

The Red Devils attacked from the start, a tactic that made everyone unbelievable. They fought fiercely in every part of the court, especially in the midfield area, where they refused to give in and refused to retreat. The experienced Robson led the midfield, while Ince provided more strength. McClair's retreat also helped the team have enough manpower in the midfield, and Mark Hughes also took the initiative to retreat to help the Red Devils increase their strength in the midfield area. In the all-out battle, the Red Devils had the upper hand in the competition with their opponents. Barcelona was missing its main striker, but their all-out attack and defense tactics were not affected too much. The pass was very accurate and the receiving and passing were very tacit. But even if they have a certain technical advantage at the feet, the regular 6-man attack line does not have much advantage against the Red Devils.

Barcelona quickly adjusted its tactics. The two full-backs stepped forward to help the attack and actively used the width of the field to quickly transfer to both sides to strengthen the wing attack. This move was just what the Red Devils wanted, because the Red Devils had enough midfielders and were not worried about problems on the wing. Ferguson not only strangled the opponent in the middle, but also ambushed Lee Sharp, a surprise soldier on the wing. His vitality and impact were not inferior to his opponent. The Red Devils repeatedly fought with their opponents in the midfield, even occupying a certain advantage in ball possession and firmly grasping the rhythm. Barcelona's proud all-out attack and defense seemed to hit an iron wall. In the face of the Red Devils' increased strength and confrontation, there was no room to display.

The battle in the midfield became more and more intense, and the Red Devils began to slowly take the initiative. Mark Hughes firmly suppressed the opponent's pair of central defenders. Robson commanded calmly and did not rush to advance. Instead, he steadily sorted out and connected, helping the team to straighten out the entire midfield and backcourt. Good rest and physical reserves allowed him to easily play his strength and truly control the rhythm of the midfield. The Red Devils had a strong support point in the midfield, and the players were able to smoothly pass the ball in the midfield and backcourt, and the formation was also very smooth. Robson showed his style of the year, defeating the opponent in a one-on-one face-to-face battle many times, snatching the ball from the opponent's feet many times, and then directly launching an attack on the spot, which gave Hughes and McClair the opportunity to enter the opponent's penalty area and try to shoot.

Facing the Red Devils' tit-for-tat midfield strangulation tactics, Barcelona seemed extremely uncomfortable.

The rain also seriously affected the technical advantages of Barcelona players. They had difficulty controlling the ball for a long time, let alone maintaining an offensive posture to suppress the Red Devils. Even if Barcelona occasionally launched an offensive near the Red Devils' penalty area, there was basically no final blow, and even if they barely shot, they could not pose a threat.

The English media joked, "Red Devils goalkeeper Les Healy would have thought he was busy, but he had no chance to save. He felt a little lethargic today because it seemed like there was nothing to do."

The incessant rain made the ball very slippery, and the grass became like lubricated grass. Barcelona players, who pursued technique and ball control, relied more on the grass and were more restricted by the rain and slippery grass. Their dribbling and passing skills became very poor, and their shooting was no longer up to par. Their offensive power dropped to what Cruyff called a "desperate" level. In the dull situation, because goalkeeper Busquets lacked experience, Barcelona's core central defender Coman did not dare to move away and did not dare to attack boldly, which further led to the weakness of Barcelona's midfield and even affected the ball out of the backcourt step by step.

Barcelona was unable to advance effectively and had difficulty breaking through the Red Devils midfield, so they had to keep passing the ball back to gain an advantage in ball possession. This non-threatening back pass actually hinted to the Red Devils players that they found that their opponents were no more than the same. This truth gave the Red Devils players a lot of confidence.

In this way, the first half of the fierce competition between the two sides ended quickly, and the Red Devils and Barcelona ended in a 0-0 draw.

At halftime, Ferguson said, "Our strategy was very successful and it was very difficult for the opponent. Next we will give them a little surprise. Their two full-backs were too confident and left their own defensive area, and the central defender is obviously paying more attention to the goalkeeper. We can make a big move on both flanks!"

Ferguson stressed: "Of course we should not forget our original advantage, which is the bombing of high balls!"

Compared to Barcelona's inability to adapt to the Red Devils' aggressive tackling tactics, Ferguson admitted many years later that the Red Devils were also not adapted to their opponents' passing and controlling tactics. He later recalled, "Barcelona's players were very strong, and their tactics had many changes, which made it very difficult for us to deal with. They had a large number of players in the midfield, and their passes were very accurate and delicate. The two wingers moved very wide, and the full-backs were also very aggressive in pressing forward. The tactics without a center forward made us at a loss, but our defense in the midfield was very tough, and they had no way to break through."

After the start of the second half, the Red Devils suddenly exerted their strength, pushed their formation forward, and strengthened their attack in the middle, which was uncharacteristically the case.

Ferguson gave the order to attack, and the Red Devils, who attacked the opponent fiercely, caused the opponent to panic. The Red Devils gradually pushed the war into the opponent's hinterland, and the threat became greater and greater. In the 67th minute, the Red Devils got a free kick in the midfield, and the opponent committed a foul near the center circle. This was a free kick that did not seem to be threatening, but the free kick kicked by Robson flew high into the Barcelona penalty area. The Red Devils' knife-carrying guard Bruce grabbed the position, jumped up in the penalty area, and headed the ball towards the opponent's goal with force. Barcelona goalkeeper Busquets made a mistake in his position. He first left the goal to prepare for an attack, but found that the situation was not good and stopped halfway and ran back. In a flash, Bruce's powerful header passed Busquets's defense range and went straight to the goal. There was despair in the Barcelona penalty area. Just when they had surrendered, Mark Hughes, who followed up at high speed, made a kick in front of the goal line and completely stabbed the knife into the opponent's heart.

1-0, the Red Devils lead.

Barcelona was in chaos, they didn't expect that they couldn't defend against this simple long pass!

Cruyff's face was as gloomy as water. He waved his big hands and eagerly directed the team to launch a massive counterattack. Barcelona immediately launched a wave of attacks. The Red Devils' defense was under great pressure, but they stubbornly withstood the opponent's offensive. Seven minutes later, the Red Devils made a wonderful counterattack. Robson shined again. He intercepted the ball in the midfield and directly passed it with the back of his left foot in the opponent's encirclement. This was a precise overhead ball that hit directly behind the Barcelona defense line.

At this time, Barcelona launched a massive attack and the defense was empty. Mark Hughes understood the situation and started early, quickly passing the opponent's two central defenders, then used a simple change of direction to avoid the opponent's goalkeeper who took the initiative to attack, and then shot hard from a very narrow angle and scored the ball directly into the empty goal.

The Red Devils lead 2-0!

There was a cry of surprise at the scene. The Red Devils were actually leading by two goals. Even Ferguson on the sidelines couldn't believe it, but he immediately asked all the staff and fans to celebrate together. The singing of the Red Devils winning the championship was getting louder and louder in the stadium.

Everything is like a dream!

The two-goal deficit was beyond everyone's expectation at Barcelona, ​​and there was less than 15 minutes left. Barcelona had no choice but to attack wildly, but the Red Devils were clearly not going to collapse. In the 79th minute, Barcelona got a free kick in the frontcourt, and Coman scored a signature free kick. His powerful shot penetrated the Red Devils' wall and flew straight to the lower right corner of the Red Devils' goal. Sealy was unable to react in time and could not save the powerful shot, and Barcelona pulled one goal back 1-2.

In the last few minutes, Barcelona launched a final frenzy of attack and kept shooting. Ferguson later recalled, "Those were the most difficult 10 minutes for me. I almost went crazy."

Facing the opponent's overwhelming attack, the Red Devils players united to defend the opponent. The two forwards retreated to the penalty area, and the midfielders all returned to the penalty area to deploy dense defense. Under Barcelona's urgent attack, the Red Devils' goal was in danger. Barcelona's several attacks resulted in shots, and they almost broke through the Red Devils' goal. In the most dangerous moment, Bruce and Blackmore blocked the opponent's sure-shot goals one after another. Blackmore was even more brave. He flew out at the last moment and blocked Laudrup's shot directly on the goal line.

The Red Devils were extremely tenacious, while Barcelona were extremely crazy. But luck was on the Red Devils' side in the end. Despite the shaky defense and the turbulent waves in the penalty area, the Red Devils managed to keep the goal and not lose the ball.

Bad times will eventually pass, no matter how long they last, and the Red Devils are unmatched in their tenacity. The final whistle finally sounded, and the Red Devils beat Barcelona 2-1. Ferguson won, the Red Devils won!

The English media commentators at the scene were extremely excited. They shouted at the top of their lungs: "Ferguson's players were brave and fearless, and launched an all-out battle with their opponents! Ferguson defeated the arrogant Barcelona before the game with his brave attack and tenacious defense, and won the European Cup Winners' Cup!"

Ferguson defeated Cruyff, the Red Devils defeated Barcelona, ​​and they stood at the pinnacle of honor. This was Ferguson's second European Cup Winners' Cup in history, and also the first one won by the Red Devils.

Manchester Evening News said, "The pride of England, the new honor of the Red Devils, Fergie brought an unexpected surprise!"

In the report sent back by the English journalists on the rainy night in Rotterdam, Ferguson and Mark Hughes embraced each other excitedly. Then the photo of Ferguson excitedly holding up the European Cup Winners Cup, the photo of all the Red Devils players celebrating the championship together, and the photo of all the Red Devils fans celebrating wildly appeared on the front page of the sports column.

The BBC's comment was concise and to the point, "The Red Devils have restored the reputation of English football. They have won back England's honor in Europe. This night belongs to the Red Devils and to Ferguson!"