The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 227: Double-legged monster formation

"Giggs crossed the ball from the right with the outside of his left foot, Kanchelskis headed in from the left, and Ferguson's double reverse foot formation was successful. This incredible formation showed Ferguson's immense courage and innovative spark."

--Inscription

The Red Devils started early in the Premier League, with their fourth round of matches scheduled two days after the end of the third round, which means they need to play three games in seven days.

Faced with a busy schedule, Ferguson made decisive rotations. The Red Devils' starting lineup at Southampton Dell Stadium was: goalkeeper Schmeichel, defenders Phelan, Irwin, Bruce, Pallister, midfielders Darren Ferguson, Ince, Giggs, and three forwards Dublin, McClair, Hughes.

Ferguson used new striker Dablin and decisively changed the formation to 433, sending three strikers to attack the opponent. Many fans were surprised that Darren Ferguson could also start. The key was that Phelan had to replace him as the right back, and the other main players in the midfield were injured. After the start of the game, the Red Devils quickly turned the tables and launched a fierce attack against the Saints. Southampton was inevitably a little timid in the face of the Red Devils' endless attack, and the situation was very passive. The Red Devils soon got a free kick near the right bottom line. Darren Ferguson took the free kick and sent it into the opponent's penalty area. Pallister won the first point in the penalty area, and then McClair headed the ball again from the back point to the small penalty area. In the chaos, Dablin flashed in front of the goal in time and scored with a direct shot!

Dablin was very proud after the game, enjoying the fans' love for him. His performance was very outstanding. He was not only brave and fearless, but also good at running. He was also very active in fighting with opponents and seizing every opportunity to try to shoot. In the end, he grabbed the empty space in front of the goal after many attempts and scored the only goal of the game.

The Red Devils eventually beat their opponents 1-0 and won the difficult first victory of the new season.

Dablin said after the game: "I was very nervous when I first came on the court. I didn't know where to run or when to run. I didn't know my teammates' passing ideas, the direction, landing point and strength of their passes. In short, everything was bad. But I quickly calmed down. It's no big deal. I just have to work hard to open up space, run actively, and create passing opportunities for my teammates. When I have the ball, I will actively advance and pass it to someone in a better position in time."

Dablin was deeply impressed by the game. "I didn't play very well, or I think I didn't reach my best level, but the Red Devils fans are so great and incredible. I felt the passion of the fans as soon as I came on the field. They encouraged every Red Devils player to win. I heard the fans cheering and applauding for me during the game. When I scored the only goal of the game, the whole stadium was screaming. I think all the Red Devils fans fell in love with me at that moment!"

In the Red Devils' fifth away game against Nottingham Forest, Ferguson continued to use the starting lineup from the previous winning game.

The Forest team, which used to be a powerful team, encountered great difficulties this season. Their meritorious coach Clough was in danger many times due to alcoholism and was sent to the hospital many times. His mental and emotional state was very unstable, which also affected the team's preparations for the summer window and the new season. Ince was very brave after the start of this game. He fought with the opponent in the midfield area and won the opportunity to confront him continuously. He almost knocked down the opponent's entire midfield barrier by himself. In the first half, the Red Devils had the advantage. After the right side sent a throw-in, the ball was passed to the opponent's penalty area and was intercepted. Ince found that the opponent's central defender could not dribble the ball in time, and immediately stepped forward to shovel the ball. After shoveling the ball directly, he and his teammates made a delicate two-on-one, and then reversed into the penalty area to form a single shot. Although Ince's shot was blocked by the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper, Mark Hughes met the ball and shot outside the penalty area. Hughes' super long shot flew forward like a fierce artillery, unstoppable. The Red Devils led 1-0! In the second half, the Red Devils still took the initiative. Ince passed the ball to Blake Moore on the right in the midfield. Moore made a 45-degree cross and accurately found Giggs at the back post. The young Red Devils easily headed the ball into the opponent's goal and the Red Devils finally won 2:0.

The Red Devils have won two consecutive league victories.

In the 6th round of the league, the Red Devils faced Crystal Palace.

In this game, Ferguson only changed Blackmore in the starting lineup, and the other positions remained unchanged. The Red Devils had the upper hand after the start of the game, but they were unable to break through the opponent's goal. Crystal Palace's defense was very rough and fierce. Their defender used a very bad scissor kick tackle in the 60th minute, knocking Dublin to the ground on the spot.

Dablin was seriously injured. He screamed and immediately fell into a coma. Medical staff rushed to the scene to deal with it. The scene of Dablin's leg bone being broken and deformed in the broadcast shocked the audience. The medical staff immediately put an oxygen mask on him, carried him out on a stretcher, and rushed him to the hospital for treatment.

Dablin later recalled, "I broke my leg in 1992, not long after the season started. I felt terrible and even began to worry that my athletic career would end tragically. But the boss (Ferguson) was very good at comforting me. He specifically told me, 'You will definitely recover and return to the court in good spirits. If you still want to go to Europe with the team, I can book two seats for you so that you will be more comfortable.' At that time, the plaster had been hit all the way to my groin, and it was very inconvenient to move. But I understood that he wanted me to go with him and regarded me as an indispensable member of this group. He also drove me home personally, called me every day to care about my recovery, and gave me gifts at Christmas."

Due to the injury of Dablin, Ferguson replaced him with Kanchelskis and restored the 442 formation.

The Red Devils kept attacking the opponent. Kanchelskis made a clever pass to McClair at the edge of the penalty area from the right. The Red Devils No. 9 took the ball and turned to break into the opponent's penalty area. When facing the opponent's goalkeeper at a very small angle, McClair did not rush to force the ball, but passed it back to the front of the goal. Hughes in the penalty area shot the ball and easily scored into the empty goal.

The Red Devils won the game at the cost of losing Dublin.

The Red Devils faced Leeds United in the 7th round of the league.

The Red Devils played at home, and Ferguson chose a classic 442 formation. The most noteworthy thing was that he still chose to trust his son Darren Ferguson in the middle of the midfield, letting him partner with Ince. The two wingers were Kanchelskis and Giggs, and the right back continued to use Blackmore. The fans of the Red Devils were worried before the home game against Leeds, because Dublin was seriously injured, Robson had not recovered yet, Phelan and Webber were also unable to play, and the Red Devils' central barrier seemed very fragile. However, once the big battle started, the fans found that everything was arranged properly. Ferguson formulated a very strong targeted tactic before the game. The players played very actively and aggressively against the champions of last season, and attacked with all their strength at the beginning. The Red Devils' attack was like a storm descending on the Theater of Dreams, and the opponent was a little confused at the beginning. The Red Devils launched a sharp attack, and Leeds United tried their best to block it. Both teams tried their best to play at their best level, but the balance of the game slowly tilted towards the Red Devils. The Red Devils were not afraid of their opponents last season, and this time they are even more determined to defeat them.

Ferguson had a special arrangement for the two wings in this game. Giggs and Kanchelskis were on the right and left, not in familiar positions. The strange formation of two reverse feet confused the opponent. Ferguson's incredible deployment first caught the opponent off guard. In the first half, the Red Devils counterattacked immediately after the midfielder successfully intercepted. Irwin made a long pass from the right to find Giggs on the right. The Welsh youngster rushed forward and killed all the way to the penalty area near the bottom line. He used the outside of his left foot to cross the ball. You have to know that he is on the right and his dominant foot is his left foot. This kind of pass with the outside of his left foot at high speed is very challenging. In fact, Giggs's cross was perfect. The ball drew an extremely strange arc, passed the Leeds United central defender and flew to the back point. Kanchelskis, who was unguarded on the left, appeared in time and easily jumped up and headed the ball into the goal!

Two left feet, Giggs on the right, Kanchelskis on the left, this incredible formation showed Ferguson's magical tactical conception.

Soon after the goal, the Red Devils launched another attack on the right. This time it was a corner kick tactic. The corner kick from Irwin landed in the Leeds United penalty area quickly and vigorously, and the Leeds United penalty area was in chaos. The Red Devils captain Bruce did not head the ball when he jumped high in front of the goal, but he quickly kicked it in the chaos and easily swept the ball in, 2-0.

The Red Devils were two goals ahead, but Leeds United was unwilling to admit defeat and launched a fierce counterattack. Facing the opponent's overwhelming offensive, the Red Devils still did not give in and fought against the opponent. The two teams played offensive football, the scene was open and closed, the offense and defense were quickly exchanged, fierce confrontations occurred continuously, and the game speed was very fast.

Both Leeds United and Manchester United created many scoring opportunities. In this game, Leeds United No. 7 Cantona showed his superb personal ability. He threatened Manchester United's defense many times in the frontcourt and got many shots, almost breaking Schmeichel's goal. He first received a cross from his teammate on the right and headed the ball in the penalty area, but the ball just flew over the crossbar. Soon after, Cantona directly took back the ball in the backcourt of Manchester United with a flying shovel, passed it to his teammate on the wing, and then entered the penalty area of ​​Manchester United. In almost the same position as before, he received a cross from his teammate and directly made an extremely wonderful overhead kick. Fortunately, Schmeichel was highly focused and fell to the ground in time to save the ball. This overhead kick was so wonderful that even Manchester United fans cheered for it.

In response to Cantona's performance, Red Devils striker Mark Hughes also played very well. But like Cantona, he was a little unlucky and missed many scoring opportunities. Mark Hughes was very brave in the frontcourt, and he fought hard for every pass in the penalty area, and got a lot of chances. But unfortunately, Hughes completely forgot to wear his shooting boots today. He missed 4 excellent chances in a row. Whether it was getting rid of the shot in the penalty area, or going to the meeting alone, or hitting the post, or pushing away the opponent's defender and shooting, he was just a hair's breadth away from scoring, which made people feel sorry for him.

With a long whistle from the referee, the Red Devils finally defeated Leeds United 2-0.

After the game, Ferguson did not want to explain to reporters why he arranged Giggs and Kanchelskis to play in unfamiliar positions. Instead, he joked about Hughes: "We could have won 5-0 or even 6-0 today. Hughes could have easily completed a hat trick and even scored four goals. If I played as a striker, I might have scored three goals... I don't know if he scored too many goals in pre-match training and used up all his luck."

Mark Hughes also became the focus after the game. After all, it is rare to waste four scoring opportunities in such a crucial game. However, Hughes is already familiar with this. He said: "Sometimes the game is like this. Sometimes you don't have a chance in the whole game, and sometimes you have countless shooting opportunities, but whether you can score is not determined by my thoughts. I feel that I will score every time I shoot, but sometimes I just miss it. I missed 3 opportunities? 4 opportunities? I don't dwell on these. What I care most about is the team winning. Even if I don't score, it doesn't matter to me. I think I can make up for the wasted opportunities in the next game. Anyway, let's enjoy this rare victory first. We defeated the defending champions."

Leeds United, who were defeated by Manchester United, are in trouble at the moment. After winning the league championship last season, the whole team seemed to have completely exhausted their energy and spirit, and they struggled after the start of the Premier League season.