The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 264 Good News at the Beginning

"After a good start in the new season, the Red Devils played in excellent form and took the lead. Everyone is confident that Manchester United can defend the title, and Ferguson is now beginning to show his dominance over the Premier League."

--Inscription

The temperature in England in August is pleasant, but the atmosphere on the football field is becoming more and more heated, and the new season that fans are looking forward to is about to arrive.

Before the start of the Premier League, there was another match in English football, the Charity Shield, between the newly crowned league champions Manchester United and the FA Cup champions Arsenal. Before the match, Ferguson and Graham led their respective teams into Wembley Stadium together, which became a classic in the media.

This pre-season warm-up Charity Shield match was played with sparks from the start. The hatred between Manchester United and Arsenal will only get deeper and deeper, and the same is true on the field. Manchester United took the lead. Irwin made a cross from the left bottom, Cantona received it at the back post, and then cushioned a high ball to the front of the goal. Hughes shot directly from the penalty spot in the penalty area and scored, Manchester United led 1-0; Arsenal soon responded. After an aerial relay outside the Manchester United penalty area, Wright made a stunning volley outside the penalty area arc, forcing Schmeichel to surrender. The two sides finally tied 1-1 and the penalty shootout was the winner.

Manchester United's first four players shot and scored very stably, but Arsenal missed two shots in a row. In the end, Manchester United won the Charity Shield with a total score of 4-2.

The time finally came to August 1993, 8, and the 15-1993 Premier League season officially began. The Red Devils' first game was the Premier League opener, away against Norwich. Before the game, the Red Devils fans had been singing the team song and the song "We Are the Champions" happily, cheering for their own team.

Ferguson certainly wanted to get off to a good start and sent the newly bought Keane as the main player. What made the Red Devils fans particularly excited was that captain Robson also started the game, which won loud cheers from the Red Devils fans who traveled with the team.

For a newcomer to the Premier League, this is already a "living legend", so even the Norwich players applauded Robson.

In addition to Keane and Robson, Manchester United's goalkeeper was still Schmeichel, the back four was Irwin, Bruce, Pallister, Parker; the midfield was Giggs, Kanchelskis and Ince, and the striker was Hughes. This seemed to be a strange starting lineup, but Ferguson was convinced that his players had already had a good understanding of each other, and there would be no problem in switching to 451 or 442. As for how to arrange Robson, Ince and Keane, there was no such role as defensive midfielder in the English formation at that time, and the three midfielders were nothing more than a matter of vertical and horizontal movement and coordination.

Norwich ranked third last season, but the team did not bring in any big-name players this summer. Instead, the core players of the team were poached one after another, and the overall strength continued to decline. They were not optimistic before the game.

After the game started, Norwich originally planned to rush the Red Devils' back and try to launch some attacks, but the Red Devils, who were far stronger than their opponents, took the initiative in the midfield and then overwhelmed their opponents. In the 32nd minute of the first half, the Red Devils got a corner kick opportunity. Irwin passed the ball to the Norwich penalty area, causing chaos. Giggs took the opportunity to shoot at the small penalty area line to open the scoring for the Red Devils. In the second half, the Red Devils played a wonderful cooperation on the left. Irwin passed the ball to Ince on the left and then went down the bottom. Ince passed the ball diagonally to Hughes in the penalty area. Hughes cleverly passed the ball back with his back foot. Robson inserted from behind and shot directly into the goal. The Red Devils led 2-0.

The old captain is back to the top!

All Manchester United players were extremely happy and rushed forward to congratulate their big brother.

After scoring two goals in a row, the Red Devils continued to attack. Parker made a cross from the right in the frontcourt, and Mark Hughes made a powerful header in the penalty area, but the opponent's goalkeeper flew over the crossbar. Then Kanchelskis passed the ball to his teammate on the right, and Parker made another cross from the bottom. This time Hughes got the chance to shoot in front of the goal again, and there was no one defending him, but Hughes missed the shot and the ball flew out of the bottom line.

The game ended like this, Manchester United had the upper hand and created a lot of chances in front of the goal, while the opponent was weak and could only passively take the beating. Manchester United finally defeated the opponent with a score of 2-0 and won the first victory of the new season.

The Red Devils got off to a good start, and the newly joined Keane also got a chance to play. Although he was a newcomer, he quickly integrated into the team, as if he had played in this team for a long time, and his off-ball running, receiving and intercepting were very tacit.

In the second Premier League game, the Red Devils returned to Old Trafford to face Sheffield United.

Keane made his first official appearance at Old Trafford, where the fans gave him a warm welcome and encouragement. He was also shocked by the cheers that resounded throughout the stadium. In an interview after the game, he said, "I came to a dream, where all the Red Devils fans were cheering for me, encouraging me, and making my blood boil. This is really a magical home ground, and I love the Theatre of Dreams!"

Ferguson's team naturally launched a fierce attack at the start of the game, playing at home and facing a mediocre opponent. In the 17th minute of the first half, the Red Devils launched an attack from the middle. Giggs headed the ball to his teammate in front of the opponent's penalty area, and Keane quickly started to get in. At this time, the opponent's defender had not yet realized the danger. Keane had already accelerated and dribbled into the penalty area. After getting out of the space, he immediately shot a precise shot and hit the ball into the dead corner, giving the Red Devils a 1-0 lead.

He scored a goal in his home debut, causing a sensation at the Theatre of Dreams, with fans cheering for Keane.

"Roy Keane is England's most attacking central midfielder since Robson!" Amid the passionate voice of the commentator, all the Red Devils fans immediately fell in love with this confident, domineering and heroic Irishman.

From this moment on, Roy Keane began his legendary journey at Manchester United.

After taking the lead, the Red Devils did not intend to retreat conservatively, but chose to continue attacking. In the 33rd minute, Parker from the right side of the Red Devils kicked a super high ball in the air. Ince successfully passed the ball to his teammate in the opponent's penalty area. Forward Hughes took the ball delicately with his back to the penalty area line, then turned around and gently flicked the ball, making the defensive players think he was going to shoot and surrounded him to block the ball, so he passed the ball horizontally. At this time, there was no one around the ball. Keane, who came in from behind, shot the ball and blasted it into the opponent's goal without hesitation, and the Red Devils took the lead 2-0.

The commentators on the scene shouted, "Ferguson's wisest signing, Manchester United's greatest discovery in the midfield, Keane ignited the atmosphere of this game, and he is invincible at this moment!"

Roy Keane scored two goals in a row, and the fans at the Theatre of Dreams were almost overjoyed!

In the second half, the Red Devils continued to attack, not only suppressing the opponent, but also immediately launching a sharp counterattack after stealing the ball in the midfield. In the 67th minute, Sheffield United made a cross, Schmeichel took the ball in the penalty area to defuse the attack, and then passed it to Giggs on the left. The Red Devils winger performed a high-speed and fast-paced performance. He started to accelerate in his own half. When he just received the ball, the opponent's defender was still some distance away from him, but Giggs dribbled past the opponent like lightning. After rushing through the half, Giggs became faster and faster, leaving the opponent only able to see the taillights of the Red Devils winger. Giggs sprinted all the way, easily got to the bottom and made a precise cross. The cross landed in a perfect spot, and Mark Hughes rushed over and easily pushed the ball into the goal, and the Red Devils won 3-0!

Hughes roared loudly after scoring the goal, venting his frustration. In the previous game, he was very good at shooting with his head and feet, but he just couldn't score in the opponent's goal. He wasted excellent scoring opportunities one after another. The media teased him that he even spit out the cakes, which made him very unhappy. In this game, he finally shined, with one shot and one pass, and the data was very impressive.

The Red Devils won two consecutive Premier League victories and led the points from the start.

In the third round, the Red Devils welcomed Premier League newcomer Newcastle United at home.

Newcastle's coach is the English legend Keegan. The team he led showed extraordinary bloodiness and rare resilience, and they made the Red Devils play very hard. In the first half, Giggs's powerful free kick flew straight into the opponent's goal corner. Even the Newcastle goalkeeper could not stop the ball, and the Red Devils led 1-0.

In the second half, Newcastle was unwilling to fall behind and launched a massive attack, causing the Red Devils' defense to make mistakes. In the 63rd minute, Newcastle received a cross from the wing, and striker Andy Cole showed his physical dexterity. After receiving the ball, he made a fake move and easily turned around to pass the "cumbersome" Bruce, then controlled the ball and ran straight to the Manchester United goal. Facing Schmeichel's abandonment, he calmly shot the ball into the lower right corner and scored.

Newcastle equalized the score 1-1.

Manchester United then launched a massive attack, but the forwards wasted many opportunities and the two teams eventually shook hands and each got one point.

In the fourth league game, Ferguson's team visited Villa.

Facing Villa, who ranked second last season, Ferguson and his disciples fought a tough battle. The Red Devils had been smooth sailing since the beginning of the season, but this game was the real test.

The exciting process of this game and the fierce competition between the two sides also made the fans very excited. The two teams attacked aggressively and maintained a high-speed confrontation. The scene was open and the attack and defense conversion maintained a fast pace. The two teams adhered to the tactics of offense first and were willing to invest in the offense. It can be said that sparks flew and wonderful scenes continued. Ferguson suddenly made a surprise move in this game, sending two left-footed players, Lee Sharpe and Giggs, to start, while Ince and Keane continued to partner in the midfield, and the lineup became a rare 451. The Red Devils played a wonderful team attack in the first half. Ince, Giggs and Lee Sharpe cooperated smoothly in the small area. Lee Sharpe finally scored easily from 5 yards in front of the goal, opening the record for the Red Devils and Manchester United led 1-0.

Villa, who were behind, launched a massive counterattack and launched a fierce offensive, which once oppressed the Red Devils to the point of being breathless. Villa's No. 10 Atkinson posed a huge threat to the Red Devils' defense. He first received a cold shot from the back of the penalty area and almost broke through Schmeichel's goal. Then, at the end of the first half, he made a long-distance attack and almost completely replicated Giggs's wonderful performance in the previous game on the left. He even rushed past the entire Red Devils' defense line and finally shot into the near corner of the penalty area to make the score 1-1.

Schmeichel lost face because of the missed shot in the near corner, and he became more alert in the next game. In the second half, Villa continued to attack fiercely, and the Red Devils' defense was under great pressure. Schmeichel was highly focused and made a series of wonderful saves to keep the goal safe. After withstanding the opponent's fierce attack, the Red Devils' counterattack was also extremely sharp. The two left-footed horses of the Red Devils had the opportunity to end the game. First, Giggs' counterattack created a great opportunity to face the goalkeeper, but unfortunately the final shot hit the post! When Lee Sharp received the pass from Ince, there was no defense around him. He rushed into the penalty area at high speed and faced the opponent's goalkeeper who came out to meet him. He shot a low shot into the dead corner, and the Red Devils led 2 to 1!

Lee Sharpe scored two goals in a row and received loud cheers from the Red Devils fans. He once again performed the obscene action of caressing his chest with both hands, then shaking his buttocks with his hands on his waist in front of the fans and TV cameras, celebrating the victory with a bit of bad taste.

The Red Devils won 3 games and drew 1, grabbing the top spot in the standings.

In the fifth round of the Premier League away game against Southampton, the Red Devils welcomed Cantona's return from injury. Lee Sharpe continued to get the chance to start and continued his outstanding performance. In the first half, the Red Devils launched an attack from the left. Irwin made a cross from the bottom, and Lee Sharpe rushed to the front point in the penalty area and volleyed the ball, opening the door for the Red Devils to score 5-1.

After taking the lead, the Red Devils played more and more smoothly. Although the opponent equalized the game, the Red Devils, who held their ground, scored a wonderful lob shot from the edge of the opponent's penalty area by Cantona. The ball drew a delicate curve and flew straight into the far corner of the opponent's goal. The Red Devils overtook 2:1. In the second half, the Red Devils continued to dominate. Cantona controlled the ball in the midfield and passed it to Giggs. Giggs took the ball and passed it directly into the empty space. At this time, a magical scene appeared. It turned out that the Red Devils' left back Irwin appeared in the empty space! Irwin dribbled into the penalty area and easily scored in the near corner, helping the Red Devils to lock the score at 3:1.

The Red Devils had four wins and one draw, and the start of the new Premier League season was almost perfect. At the end of August, Ferguson's team had 8 points after five rounds, ranking first in the standings. The defending champions showed enough dominance and strength!