The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 175 Blowing the Horn

"The Red Devils' title win is an important symbol, which means that the Red Devils coached by Ferguson can dominate Europe and his coaching ability is highly recognized. For the Red Devils fans, this title win is a symbol, and Ferguson has sounded the clarion call for their revival."

--Inscription

The intense game finally ended, Ferguson rushed out first, followed by the crazy Red Devils players. They had been suppressed for a long time, and now it was finally time to celebrate and revel.

The great joy of winning ignited the fans watching the game on site and brought infinite happiness to the Red Devils fans all over the world.

This night belonged to the Red Devils. When the whole of Europe thought that the Red Devils were inferior to Barcelona, ​​the Red Devils surprised everyone. This fierce team suppressed the opponent for most of the game and finally won with better performance. Even Barcelona fans had to admit that the Red Devils were the better side on the field, and their victory left Barcelona fans speechless.

Ferguson and the Red Devils were well prepared for every position, every starter and possible change in Barcelona, ​​which was incomparable to Barcelona's contempt and arrogance. In addition, Ferguson and his players had a stronger desire to win, better physical preparation, more courageous state, and stricter discipline. When the Red Devils played out everything Ferguson had arranged before the game, and when Barcelona could not play the kind of smooth performance they had before, the balance of victory and defeat was already determined. Even though Barcelona's strength was much stronger than the Red Devils on paper, and even though Cruyff was much more famous than Ferguson, they were obviously defeated by the Red Devils in a strong posture.

Mark Hughes of the Red Devils became the brightest star in the game and the focus of most attention. He first played for the Red Devils, then transferred to Barcelona, ​​and then returned to the Red Devils. As an English player who was not successful in Barcelona, ​​Hughes was labeled a loser for a long time. He was naturally the most watched on the court in this game. And he was able to withstand the pressure, work hard, and perform extremely well. Not only did he score two key goals to help the Red Devils win, but he also became the best player of the game. In this game, Barcelona players and fans all over the world seemed to have re-recognized a new Hughes. This Red Devils striker is steady and confident, brave and bold, tough and smart. He is everywhere in the frontcourt, and his contribution is far more than just scoring goals. Not only can he effectively support his teammates, pin down a pair of central defenders and a defensive midfielder of the opponent, but he also frequently participates in defense and pressure in the frontcourt, making Barcelona's formation run poorly. This is the key to the Red Devils' advantage.

Another player who was very brave was the Red Devils captain Bryan Robson. Robson played a dominant performance in this game, which can be said to be the best game of the whole season. As a real big-game player, Robson made full use of his experience and wisdom. He not only completed the interception task excellently, but also controlled the rhythm in the offense, organized the midfield operation, and promoted the frontcourt offense. He showed his edge everywhere. It was Robson's two passes that helped the team score and lock in the victory. They were two master-level passes, one directly to Bruce in the penalty area, and the other to Mark Hughes with a long pass from a long distance in the midfield. Timing and space, line and lead time, landing point and power, everything can be called perfect.

Bruce is also an indispensable hero. His solid defense is the source of the Red Devils' confidence, and he makes the opponent at a loss on the offensive end. It was his key header that opened the door to victory for the Red Devils, and it was his defense in the backcourt that resolved all the opponent's aerial advantages. Blackmore also contributed. If he hadn't saved the ball in front of the goal line at the last moment, the Red Devils would have been tied. Blackmore played very well as a full-back in this game. He performed well in defense and repeatedly prevented the opponent's superstar-level breakthroughs. In addition to the key rescue on the goal line, Blackmore was not afraid of his life when defending, and always bravely flew to tackle the ball. He can be said to be a desperate defender on the wing.

Of course, not only Hughes, Robson, Bruce and Blackmore, but also Irwin, Pallister, McClair, Lee Sharp and other players have made great contributions. The injured goalkeeper Les Healy also tried his best, and several saves were life-threatening, contributing a magical performance.

Even the continuous night rain was a good friend of the Red Devils. Hughes later felt that the Red Devils were blessed by the goddess of luck, "It started raining before the game, and I saw a few Barcelona players frowning when they saw the rain. They didn't want to play in the rain, and that was our advantage."

Ferguson was the biggest contributor to the Red Devils' championship. It was his deployment of troops and reasonable use of tactics that allowed the Red Devils to hold out for 45 minutes in the first half. It was his advance prediction and targeted deployment that effectively resolved Barcelona's offensive, allowing the team to take the initiative and not fall into a passive position. It was also he who made plans during the halftime break, decisively changed the tactics, further strengthened the offensive, and finally scored a goal. He also held his ground after taking the lead and expanded the score to 2-0. Although the Red Devils were very passive in the second half of the game and were even more shaky in the last ten minutes, they still held on to the end thanks to Ferguson's precise on-the-spot command.

In terms of the process and results of this final, Barcelona lost because they underestimated the opponent, lost in the on-the-spot formation, and lost in the response to changes during the game. Perhaps in the eyes of the Dream Team, the Red Devils were not opponents of the same level as themselves. They still attacked carelessly when the entire central axis was absent, and quickly fell behind in the face of the opponent's fierce defense. Barcelona players do have technical advantages, but this is nothing in front of the toughness of the Red Devils.

Barcelona lost its entire central axis, but Cruyff still chose to attack with all his forces. This strong attack strategy was too risky. Especially when faced with Ferguson's strategy of directly confronting the midfield area, Barcelona did not make any changes when they were behind, and the final loss seemed reckless and naive.

The Red Devils are not without weaknesses. Robson's aging is obvious, and Ings's footwork is far from good enough. Even if McClair and Hughes return to the midfield, they can't do anything about Barcelona's delicate short passes and transfers, but Barcelona has never been able to speed up and play at a high tempo. Barcelona's midfielders and frontcourt players failed to seize Robson's slowness to transfer quickly, and did not continue to advance from the Red Devils' ribs. They just kept passing the ball in the backcourt and spent a lot of time in the midfield to pass, but they couldn't advance quickly.

Ferguson was least worried about the stalemate in the midfield, so he liked to fight with his opponents in the midfield. This style of play that relied on strength and physical fitness was at a disadvantage for Barcelona, ​​and it was also a huge consumption for their passing and running. As the Red Devils gradually gained an advantage in the midfield, Ferguson used high-altitude operations to break the defense. After scoring the first goal, the Red Devils played steadily. Barcelona had to press too far forward because they were behind, leaving a huge gap in the defense. The Red Devils took the opportunity to launch a counterattack as a whole team, and Mark Hughes successfully countered the offside and killed the game.

Ferguson fully demonstrated his abilities and command talent, and the Red Devils defeated the "Dream Team" Barcelona.

Ferguson said: "Barcelona's tactics made it very difficult for us in the first half. They were very smart. We focused on defending the center from the beginning, but their two wingers stretched a wide distance and there was no center forward. They used human sea tactics and rotation tactics in the midfield and frontcourt. The players' positions were not fixed, which made our defensive system very passive."

Ferguson said: "Our team was not used to the opponent's short ball rhythm at the beginning, but we stepped up our running and held on in the first half. During the halftime break, we analyzed the situation and rearranged our tactics, emphasizing counterattacks after stealing the ball in the midfield and backcourt, especially long kicks from the midfield and backcourt to find the forwards. Our deployment soon paid off. At that time, Barcelona's system was also broken by us, and we controlled the situation on the field for a time."

After Koeman scored and Barcelona tied the score at 1:2, the gesture Ferguson made most often was to have the players keep an eye on Barcelona's personnel changes and pay attention to the opponent's cooperation and breakthroughs. Despite Barcelona's violent attack and many shots in front of the Red Devils' goal, the Red Devils players were still very calm and effectively executed the tactics. In the last 5 minutes, more than 7 Red Devils players were defending in the penalty area, withstanding Barcelona's tidal attack. Ferguson later recalled, "These were the worst minutes of my life, like you are in distress in the sea, but you may lose the rope that saves you at any time."

Pallister later said: "Of all the championships we won, the one that impressed me the most was the European Cup Winners' Cup. It rained all night, but our sweat was denser than the raindrops. We were under pressure and our nerves were highly tense. We could break at any time. Barcelona was almost unstoppable, but we still won. Our defense was highly praised, which made us sing a song after the game."

Bruce remembered Ferguson's words about freezing Barcelona's Bakero. "The tactical coach talked about the defensive points before the game, the tactical points emphasized by the boss (Ferguson), we did well at the beginning, but in the end we forgot them all. We played completely on instinct in the last few minutes of the game. I heard the boss (Ferguson) yelling on the sidelines, but I didn't know what to do. I was always busy and couldn't calm down at all."

Bruce said: "I was just concentrating on defense in the final stage of the game and didn't think about anything at all. All of us were enduring the storm. After I blocked the shot that was sure to go in by Baquero, I saw the desperate look on my opponent's face. At that moment, I suddenly wanted to fly."

Blackmore's memory is the moment when he blocked Laudrup's shot. "We were in a mess in the last defense, and the goal could be breached at any time. I didn't know why I was standing one yard in front of the goal, staring at the ball like a goalkeeper. When the opponent shot, I fell to the ground with my feet extended, and my body fell sideways. I was lucky to block Laudrup's shot right on the goal line. Goalkeeper Hilly punched me hard, and my teammates shouted in my ears, but I don't remember what they said at all..."

Left-back Erwin later recalled, "If I were asked to choose the most dreamy game in my heart, most people might think it was the 1999 Champions League final, but I would choose the European Cup Winners' Cup final. That was the most enjoyable and exciting game I played since I joined the Red Devils. Compared with the game against Bayern in 1999? The reversal in that game was more about luck and persistence, but this time we were full of confidence and energy. We played very fiercely with Barcelona, ​​tit for tat, and we played better and seized the opportunity."

Irwin still remembers everything at that time. He said: "It rained a lot that day and it kept raining. We were not used to the field, but they were even less used to playing in the rain and made a lot of simple mistakes. We played very concisely and it was real football. Mark Hughes' two goals helped us win the game, and Blackmore blocked a shot that was sure to go in on the goal line to help us win the championship. I think McClair is an unsung hero. He is everywhere in the field and provides support for you at all times. He is a hero behind the scenes and an indispensable part of our victory."

Irwin said, "When you look back on your career, you will realize what a huge success it was to beat Barcelona. They are a super team, the Cup Winners' Cup champion, the La Liga champion, the Champions League champion, a real dream team. Everyone thought we would lose, but we beat them, we beat the best team in Europe. The confidence that such a victory brings us is more important than any trophy. We believe we can beat any enemy, any enemy."

European media finally admitted that the Red Devils had created a miracle, they had defeated a super team. No matter from the process or the scene, the Red Devils won thoroughly and without dispute. Ferguson showed strong tactical ability and strong strength to compete for the championship, and everyone in European football looked at him with new eyes.

For the happiest Red Devils fans, this very difficult European Championship title is like a clarion call for the Red Devils' great revival.