The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 199 Ranked First

"The fact that Ferguson's team got off to a flying start at the beginning of the season was something that many media outlets had already expected. The fact that they were still at the top of the standings halfway through the season was something that many media outlets had not expected. Now most of them have become bootlickers."

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In the 21st round of the league, the Red Devils played away against Leeds United.

The media had already hyped up the game before it started, turning this "Rose Derby" into a battle for leadership, a "Champions Derby".

The battle for the top spot always attracts attention, especially when Ferguson's team is still at the top, which attracts all the media to devote more reporting resources to the Red Devils.

Manchester Evening News said, "Ferguson's team has been able to advance to the top of the league and has maintained the top position for nearly 10 games. This phenomenon is indeed surprising. Who would have thought that two years ago they were still in the relegation zone and Ferguson had to endure the humiliation of being booed by fans and asked to be sacked?"

The BBC said: "Ferguson has been able to bring Manchester United to the top of the table this season and has been able to keep the team at the top, making it the team with the best chance of winning the championship this season. Ferguson's ability is extraordinary. He can give the team the will and strength to truly challenge for the championship, rather than the team's good results being short-lived like in some previous periods."

Sky Sports' application for an exclusive interview with Ferguson was rejected, but they still did not give up and showed fans the statistics of Ferguson's seasons since 1987, as well as the coaching statistics of Ferguson and previous coaches. The table is more intuitive, which made Sky Sports' comment deeply rooted in the hearts of the people: "There is no doubt that Ferguson's team is improving, there is no doubt that Manchester United is improving, this team now has the style of a strong team, and it is the best team in just ten years."

The Guardian believes that "regardless of whether Manchester United can eventually win the league title (they are now the most likely), Ferguson's ability should be seen and affirmed. But no matter how much praise Ferguson gets, he still needs a league championship trophy to prove himself."

"Just like at Aberdeen, if he doesn't win the league, Ferguson is not a great manager."

For the media, the start of this season and the subsequent competition were still fierce, but the points trend was very strange. Up to this point no one expected that the Red Devils and Leeds United would occupy the top two places in the standings.

Before the league started, the media thought that Arsenal was the favorite to win the championship. But the Gunners started with a dismal record of one draw and two losses, and were severely beaten by the new team Leeds United. Such a record not only shocked the media and made the Gunners fans unacceptable, but also seriously frustrated Graham's will. Graham then lost his temper in the locker room, and a new conflict broke out between the generals and the coach. It can be said that the Gunners lost their composure after the start, and then fell into a passive position, and the team directly withdrew from the championship competition.

Another popular team, Liverpool, encountered new problems. They were already in a passive position after losing Dalglish, and the team's generals left one after another. The aging team had to be rebuilt, and its strength was naturally seriously affected. This season, Liverpool is in the initial stage of a thorough reconstruction. They have no way to deal with various conflicts, and the team's momentum has become sluggish. As a result, Liverpool only achieved one win, one draw and one loss in the first three rounds, and fell into a passive position from the beginning. After a sluggish start, Liverpool then fell into a vicious circle of consecutive away games. As if they were under a spell, they lost consecutive away games throughout the season. The former dominant team quickly widened the points gap and also lost the ability to compete for the championship early.

Ferguson's two biggest opponents for the title both had serious problems, which was great news for the Red Devils. What made him even more excited was the rapid progress of his own team.

Ferguson's Red Devils had prepared carefully and became extremely sharp at the beginning of the season, bursting out with amazing fighting power. Ferguson made a bold statement before the start of the season to compete for the championship, and they showed great power since the start of the season. The Red Devils defeated the newly promoted Notts County 2-0 in the first game of the league, and then continued to advance in the subsequent games. After the August games, Ferguson's team made an excellent start with three wins and two draws. In September, they won five games in a row and grabbed the top of the standings in one fell swoop.

The league record of five consecutive wins and ten unbeaten games, as well as the overwhelming momentum, made Ferguson and his team shake the British Isles, impressed everyone and made the Red Devils fans excited.

红魔在联赛打到12轮8胜4平还保持着不败，一度领先排名第2名的球队7分之多，直到第13轮才在客场2比3负于谢菲尔德星期三队。

This defeat did not affect the Red Devils' first place in the points. Although the Red Devils were eliminated in the second round of the European Cup Winners' Cup, this did not make Ferguson fall into despair.

After returning to the league, Ferguson's team responded more bravely. After losing to Sheffield Wednesday, the Red Devils rebounded strongly, played a fierce offensive football, and played a 9-game unbeaten streak, especially the 4-0 victory over Coventry, the 3-1 victory over Chelsea, and the 6-3 victory over Oldham Athletic, which once again amazed everyone at the team's offensive power. This wave of consecutive victories not only allowed the Red Devils to occupy the top spot, but also left the opponents behind them farther and farther.

Prior to this Red, White and Rose derby against Leeds United, the Red Devils’ impressive win over Oldham Athletic had shocked the entire English football world.

On the other side, Leeds United also has something special to shine. The media has also paid attention to Leeds United for a long time, after all, this team "looks more legendary". Leeds United's strength and reputation were ordinary before, but they also have great goals and ambitions. Under Wilkins' coaching, they just made it from the Second Division to the First Division last season, but now they have suddenly exploded in the English League One. At the beginning of the season, Leeds United's victory over Arsenal was still called an upset, but after many fierce league battles, they won consecutive victories, showing a very fierce offensive firepower, and the defense line also maintained an excellent state, which made the media constantly refresh their understanding.

From the first round of the league to the current 1th round, Leeds United has continued to create miracles in the league standings, quietly grabbing the second place in the league standings. Although it has never led Manchester United, it has been able to keep a distance of about one ball from Manchester United most of the time.

Ferguson and his coaching staff conducted a thorough study before the match against Leeds United. He and his assistants discussed the match until late at night. On the match day, Ferguson's starting lineup lacked the old captain Robson and the main left back Irwin. He arranged the following starting lineup: goalkeeper Schmeichel, back line Parker, Blackmore, Bruce, Pallister, midfielders Webber, Ince, Kanchelskis and Giggs, and forwards McClair and Hughes. This match was Ferguson's first match against Leeds United this season. The strategy he formulated before the game was to defeat the opponent, but tactically he had to stabilize the midfield and gradually take the initiative before launching an attack.

The White Roses sent out a lineup that included former Red Devils veteran Strachan, powerful striker Chapman, and Frenchman Cantona. They also played a 442 formation, but unlike the Red Devils, they wanted to win more in this game, so they played more aggressively. Leeds United also noticed Manchester United's deployment in the midfield and frontcourt, and they strengthened their breakthroughs and advances in the middle. Ferguson actually paid close attention to Strachan, and was also wary of their French striker Cantona, and kept a close eye on their midfield commander McAllister.

Manchester United's midfield is now strong and more confident, and they are not afraid of fighting with opponents in the midfield. The absence of Robson does not affect the toughness of the Red Devils, nor does it affect the team's mood and fighting spirit, and the two wingers of the Red Devils have a huge advantage. In the 13th minute, Giggs accelerated on the left and passed McAllister, then went all the way to the bottom, and passed a defender before passing the ball. This cross caused confusion for the opponent, but Hughes and Webber did not grab the landing point, and they were only one step away from sending the ball into the opponent's goal; in the 19th minute, Manchester United launched a series of attacks, Giggs and Kanchelskis continuously attacked from left and right, frequently delivering shells to the penalty area, allowing Manchester United's attackers to get many opportunities, but unfortunately, whether it was McClair and Hughes, or Ince and Webber who inserted later, they all wasted these opportunities.

The Red Devils launched another attack in the 29th minute. Midfielder Ince intercepted the ball and passed it to Webber. This pass quickly passed the opponent's interception in the midfield, and Webber passed it to the side. Kanchelskis had already started to accelerate on the right. After receiving the pass, he pushed forward and chased the ball to the bottom. When he went down the sideline, Kanchelski used the change of rhythm to pass another defender of the opponent, and then made a long pass with his right foot. Hughes and McClair suppressed the opponent's two central defenders, and Giggs held the opponent's other full-back at the back point. When Webber inserted from behind, the opponent had no defensive power to keep up, and he scored directly from 9 yards in front of the goal.

Manchester United took the lead 1-0.

Manchester United did not shrink their defense after taking the lead, and they remained strong in the subsequent offensive and defensive battles. The offensive and defensive battles between the two sides made the scene open and more intense. The Red Devils missed three quick counterattack opportunities in a row, and the great chances to score in front of the goal were wasted, and they were unable to further expand the score.

After withstanding many crises, Leeds United also began to counterattack. Manchester United's continuous high-intensity confrontation in the middle caused physical problems for Ince and Webber, and it was difficult to stop Leeds United's advance. In the 71st minute, Leeds United's midfielder launched an attack. McAllister passed the ball to Strachan. The former Red Devils midfielder dribbled past Webber, who was slowing down, and directly broke through the space on the left rib. When Ince also came up to make up for the defense, Manchester United's central defense became thin and a loophole appeared. Strachan passed the ball to Chapman again. After receiving the ball, the Leeds United striker moved left and right in the penalty area, dodged the gap and immediately shot. This shot was very secretive, and the angle of the blind spot made Schmeichel unable to block it. Leeds United tied the score 1-1.

After Manchester United was tied, Ferguson was very angry. He yelled at all the players on the sidelines and asked them to continue to strengthen their attack. In the 75th minute, Ings made a long shot from outside the penalty area, but the Leeds United goalkeeper blocked it in time. In the 79th minute, Manchester United's corner kick was passed to the penalty area, but it was cleared by the opponent's defender in the chaos, and Bruce almost got a header. In the 83rd minute, Manchester United's Kanchelskis broke into the penalty area from the right and shot directly, but he missed the target. Leeds United retreated all the way after the 80th minute, and finally survived to the end and got the point they wanted.

The Daily Mail said: "Ferguson was very dissatisfied with the draw. After the game, he was not even willing to blame bad luck, but severely criticized the players. Ferguson believed that with such a big advantage, especially when there were so many chances in front of the goal, the players really shouldn't waste shooting opportunities."

Indeed, Ferguson repeatedly stressed in an interview after the game, "We should have won the game, and we should have won by 3 or even 5 goals. We had such a big advantage on the field and created so many scoring opportunities in front of the goal. This was a match with such a huge disparity in strength, but the opponent only had 3 effective shots, while we had 11!"

Despite not winning, Ferguson's team still maintained its top spot in the league table.

The Red Devils topped the standings, so naturally there was still a lot of media hype after the game. The reporters were all shocked by the passionate and powerful Red Devils. They began to think that the Red Devils were the strongest contender for the league title, and they began to praise, flatter, and flatter them... Some media also began to predict which of the Red Devils' opponents could cause trouble to the team and who could stop the Red Devils from moving forward.