The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 202 Strong Response

Ferguson wanted to rebound immediately in the league and continue to maintain his advantage, and he also wanted to win the cup, so they had to beat Leeds United in both cups to continue their title hopes. They did it in the end, but it was not the best way, at least not in terms of the league title.

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The Red Devils' defeat in the 22nd round of English League One was shocking. After all, before the game everyone thought that the Red Devils would win easily, but unexpectedly the final result was a crushing defeat.

Ferguson didn't say much after the game. "We didn't play well, not tough enough, not sharp enough, and losing is a reasonable result. I want to congratulate the coach of Queens Park Rangers. They played a very good game."

After finishing his polite remarks, Ferguson returned to the team and warned everyone to put the failure aside as soon as possible and focus on the next game.

The players themselves also felt deeply guilty and they discussed the issue in a small circle, digging deep into their own reasons.

Bruce talked to Ferguson alone and said, "Boss, I am not here to defend myself or ask for your forgiveness. I was very sad and depressed when I lost to the Rangers. To be honest, I didn't know how we lost for a long time and why that happened. The whole defensive system was left with a gap..."

Ferguson was angry and amused. "Why why why... Why so many whys? Take a good look at these defenses. The problems lie in these few spots. Look at this time, shouldn't you have immediately moved closer to the opponent's forward? What were you doing? You didn't take any action yourself, but you were still directing others to move?"

"And this time, the opponent's striker ran past your position, what were you doing? Are you still reminiscing about the previous attack? Are you regretting that your header didn't go into the opponent's goal? The crisis right next to you was like a fuse burning your eyebrows, but you were still leisurely?!"

"There are profound reasons for any defeat, but now is not the time to reflect and hold people accountable. What we need to do is put aside the burden and play the next game well."

Ferguson pumped his fist and said, "We must give everyone a strong response!"

Bruce nodded like a hammer and retreated obediently. The group of friends who were eavesdropping outside the door also breathed a sigh of relief.

On the second day of training, Ferguson's fierce expression made everyone dare not neglect and consciously complete all the subjects. After the training, McLear and Hughes were kept by the coaching staff for additional training.

McClair and Hughes looked reluctant, but they had no choice. They had wasted too many opportunities in the last game and in the games throughout the season.

Kidd said, "If you two had seized any one or two opportunities in the game against Queens Park Rangers, we would have been completely different. I don't think it's a problem of experience or confidence, nor is it as simple as being unlucky. The most important thing is that you need to hone your skills and improve your abilities."

To some extent, Ferguson is also a bit troubled. McClair and Hughes are becoming more and more similar. They are now showing more and more common shortcomings, such as lack of speed, lack of header advantage, less mobility in the frontcourt, and greatly reduced impact. In the eyes of the Manchester United coaching staff, the two main forwards are not strong enough and often "spit the ball", which is a hidden danger for the team to fight hard and long-term battles.

Ferguson and his team were determined to give a strong response to their opponents no matter what, and the most direct response was to defeat the strongest opponent, and it just so happened that they had a chance in the next game against Leeds United.

Manchester United played in the fourth round of the League Cup during the league break, challenging Leeds United.

Ferguson attached great importance to this match and sent out all the main players. He also made some adjustments in tactics, speeding up the tempo in the wing attack. Manchester United started with Schmeichel guarding the goal, Parker, Blackmore, Bruce and Pallister as the back line, Irwin was absent due to injury; Webber, Ince, Kanchelskis and Giggs formed the four midfielders, and McClair and Hughes partnered as forwards. With such a lineup, whether Manchester United could beat the opponent depends on whether the wing can open up space and create opportunities.

Leeds United was aggressive at Elland Road and wanted to eat up the opponent directly from the beginning. They rushed and attacked fiercely. This style of play was exactly what Ferguson wanted. He asked Ince and Webber to tighten the fence in the middle, and asked McClair to retreat to the midfield or even the backcourt to supplement the strength and strengthen the interception, and then launched a fierce steal in the midfield area with the opponent. Once Manchester United got the ball, they would quickly pass through the midfield and directly find the two sides. Leeds United's offensive was like a wave hitting a hard reef, which was resolved under the fierce collision. In the 7th minute, Leeds United's Speed ​​controlled the ball in the frontcourt and advanced. When he passed the short pass to McAllister, it was intercepted. Then he immediately tried to steal the ball from Webber's feet and was judged to be a foul; in the 9th minute, Chapman took a long shot from the outside of Manchester United's penalty area, but the ball flew high and far out of the goal. The Red Devils took advantage of the opponent's impatience to achieve quick results, defended tightly in the midfield, and quickly opened up space on the two sides. In the 13th minute, Manchester United intercepted the ball at the top of the penalty area, and Ince made a long pass to find an empty space on the left. Giggs started from his own backcourt, quickly caught up with the ball and advanced with control. After McClair helped to take away a defensive player, Giggs changed the rhythm and smoothly passed the opponent's full-back and easily dribbled the ball to the bottom. When the opponent's central defender had to press out to make up for the defense, Giggs made an accurate cross to the penalty area. Hughes and McClair were not in the attacking position, but the full-back Blackmore who came in from behind appeared at the back of the penalty area. He easily controlled the ball and calmly shot into the dead corner.

The Red Devils lead their opponents 1-0.

Manchester United, who were leading, played more confidently, and the opponent had to press forward, which exposed the loopholes in the backcourt. In the 43rd minute, Ings got the ball in the midfield and quickly advanced. Webber followed up and made a two-on-one cooperation with him. Ings, who was in the opponent's penalty area, shot hard and hit the opponent's goal frame, scaring the opponent's goalkeeper into a cold sweat. In the 49th minute, Leeds United pressed all the way to Manchester United's half to attack, but was directly counterattacked by Manchester United. Parker intercepted the ball in the backcourt and made a long pass to the space in front. Giggs dribbled the ball again and ran through the vast midfield area like a fly, and dribbled directly into the corner of Leeds United's penalty area. Several Leeds United players lacked speed. Speed ​​and McAllister were rushed past, and Tony Dorigo's pursuit was in vain. Giggs dribbled into the penalty area and went directly to the meeting alone. He easily deceived the opponent's goalkeeper with a fake move and scored the ball directly, and Manchester United led 2-0.

In the following game time, Manchester United continued this defensive counterattack style, and Leeds United suffered a lot. Kanchelskis broke through on the right, but his crosses were always a little short of the mark, and Hughes and McClair missed their chances. In the 77th minute, after the opponent's crazy attack pulled back a goal, Kanchelskis decided to solve the problem himself. After receiving the ball from his teammate Giggs at the other end, he accelerated and passed the opponent's full-back, then scored, helping Manchester United lock the score at 3-1.

The game ended here, Manchester United successfully eliminated their opponent and advanced to the 5th round of the League Cup.

This victory helped Ferguson's team get out of the trough and gave him the confidence to fight back against those slanderous rumors. "We unfortunately lost to the Rangers, but this should not be the basis for accusations and rumors. The media never reports the real situation. They just think that we can't recover after losing a game, and all kinds of weird talk."

The media used this game more to attack Leeds United, as they could not discredit a winner like Ferguson. Sky Sports commented after the game: "The Red Devils tore Leeds United apart on the road today, as easy as tearing a piece of torn clothes. It has to be said that the two wingers of the Red Devils were too sharp. They were so relaxed and so comfortable that they easily put Leeds United in trouble."

The Daily Mail said: "Ferguson showed Wilkinson what a strong team leader should be like. Ferguson still easily defeated the opponent away from home. The advantage was so great that even the 3-1 on the field was not enough to show it."

Wilkinson said after the game: "We did not play well enough, and the opponent's first goal was too fast. They easily broke the balance on the field and gained the advantage. We had to press forward and attack, and we had to swallow the bitter fruit of their counterattack to expand our advantage. But I don't think we are inferior to the Red Devils, and this game doesn't say too much."

Back in the league, the Red Devils faced the strong team Everton at home in the 23rd round.

This game is a more appropriate response to the Red Devils' attitude towards the league title.

Bruce passed the ball through the opponent's four layers of defense and directly found Kanchelskis. This through pass with strong penetration was considered by commentators to have "a special soul". Kanchelskis showed his true colors as a fast horse. He rushed into the penalty area and had a single shot. The opponent couldn't even pull his clothes to stop him. He could only watch him easily volley the ball into the opponent's goal.

The Red Devils easily won their opponent 1-0.

On January 1992, 1, the Red Devils met Leeds United again in the third round of the FA Cup.

Even though Wilkinson's team was very familiar with the Red Devils' double-wing system, they still couldn't defend. Despite making sufficient preparations in advance, Leeds United, who were at home, did not launch an offensive at the beginning. They changed their tactics, hoping to defend and attack steadily, and take advantage of the Red Devils' midfield and backcourt loopholes. The Red Devils still took the lead after the opening and played an aggressive offensive style.

With Irwin's return, the Red Devils had stronger control. Even though Leeds United strengthened their defense, they were still powerless against Giggs. The Welsh genius once again showed his brilliance. He galloped on the left again and again, tore apart Leeds United's right back again and again, and dribbled into the opponent's hinterland again and again, disrupting the opponent's entire defensive system. Even though Leeds United used rough tackles many times, Giggs was still fearless. He finally seized the opportunity to cross the ball to the front of the goal, and Mark Hughes easily grabbed the ball and scored with a header. In this way, the Red Devils defeated their opponents again.

Including this match, the Red Devils have played against Leeds United three times this season, with two wins and one draw. Ferguson firmly believes that his team is stronger than Leeds United. The Red Devils have the upper hand in four matches against their opponents this season, and eliminated them twice in the cup competition, which makes him more confident in the fight for the league title.

Giggs was very excited after the game, but he also noticed that Cantona in the opponent's team was not easy to deal with.

Giggs said: "I felt very strange. When I launched the attack on the left, it was very smooth. The opponent was completely defenseless against me. But if the ball reached their feet, especially if they passed it to Cantona, we would be defenseless. Facing this striker, our midfield and backcourt would feel tremendous pressure. I have to say that this guy who plays very differently is a huge threat. His dribbling movements are different from ours, and his ideas and vision are very unique. He will launch attacks unexpectedly."

After this game, Manchester United continued to advance in the fight for the championship on three fronts, while Leeds United only had the league championship as its only goal.