The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 265 Beautiful September

"Ferguson's team has started to fight on multiple fronts. The tight schedule has not disturbed the mood of the Red Devils. They are still in full swing and invincible."

--Inscription

In September, the Red Devils will play four league games, two Champions League games and one League Cup game, a total of seven games. The schedule is in hell mode. Because of the expedition to the Champions League, Ferguson's team has entered a more difficult schedule than other teams, and will also face more difficult opponents than other teams.

Robson said in an interview, "I spent almost all of September on the road, either by plane or long-distance bus. I was either in a hotel in England or in other European countries... I haven't tried this kind of life for a long time. It's very busy, but also very enjoyable."

For young guys like Gary and Beckham, this kind of life is also very exciting. Only traditional English men like McClair and Bruce who love home find it very painful to wander around.

In the 6th round of the Premier League, the Red Devils played against West Ham United at home. This game on September 9 was Manchester United's first game this month.

The Red Devils took advantage at the start and launched several threatening attacks. In the 15th minute, Manchester United's Cantona quickly advanced after stealing the ball in the midfield. Keane accelerated and caught up and directly passed the ball to the large space on the right. The opponent had no one defending this side. Kanchelskis rumbled forward like a high-speed train, making fine adjustments while dribbling the ball all the way, and then made an accurate cross outside the penalty area. The landing area of ​​this cross was where Cantona was about to bend over and shoot, but a flying general suddenly appeared outside the penalty area. Lee Sharp rushed into the penalty area at high speed, then jumped high before everyone else, and headed the ball with a powerful header. This shot, like a cannonball, went straight to the dead corner, and the ball slammed into the opponent's goal, leaving the opponent's goalkeeper and a group of defenders dumbfounded.

Lee Sharpe descended from the sky and Manchester United took the lead 1-0!

After taking the lead, the Red Devils continued to attack. Instead of shrinking, they strengthened their interception and stealing in the frontcourt. In the 23rd minute, Manchester United's Giggs and Hughes both made a tackle to steal the ball from the opponent's backcourt. Robson immediately launched a counterattack from the middle without waiting for the ball to stop. Keane, who was at the frontcourt, was completely left open. He received the ball in the middle of the frontcourt and rushed into the penalty area alone. The opponent's goalkeeper rushed out and knocked him down, and a penalty was given!

Cantona calmly scored the penalty kick and the Red Devils led 2-0.

In the second half, Manchester United slowed down the pace a little and stabilized the backcourt defense. In the 57th minute, the Red Devils successfully intercepted the ball in the middle and backcourt. Parker intercepted the ball on the right and passed it forward. Giggs retreated to the area near the center line near the right to receive the ball, and then passed it to Kanchelskis who had already accelerated. The Ukrainian Express pressed the ball to the penalty area to attract the opponent's attention, and then passed it horizontally to Giggs who followed up. Giggs adjusted the ball slightly after receiving it, and shot hard near the penalty area line. This shot was very sudden, and the opponent's goalkeeper was completely unprepared. Unfortunately, the shot hit the door frame and bounced out, just one line away from scoring.

The ball bounced to the left side of the penalty area and was controlled by Cantona. He then dribbled through the defense, made a two-on-one cooperation with Giggs, and dribbled into the penalty area. He almost shot the ball successfully under the siege of three opponents, which made the opponent's defense sweat again. Soon the Red Devils sent a corner kick. The opponent headed the ball out in the chaos in the penalty area, but it was soon intercepted by Robson. The old Manchester United captain passed the ball to Parker, who passed it to the space on the wing again. Lee Sharpe received the ball and made a long pass to the front of the goal with his left foot. The Red Devils defender Bruce jumped high in the penalty area and headed the ball into the left side of the opponent's goal.

In this way, the Red Devils defeated West Ham United 3-0 and continued to maintain the top position in the standings.

Lee Sharpe scored goals and assisted in consecutive games, becoming the most outstanding Red Devils star in these games. Even Giggs and Kanchelskis could not overshadow him. No one expected that this winger who had been injured many times, whose speed advantage was almost gone and who was put on the bench by Ferguson, would explode again and play the best data of the team!

Lee Sharp seemed low-key and confident at this time. In an interview with the media, he said, "I think the whole team played very well. We controlled everything. The opponent could only run around following our rhythm. We were very free in offense and had a lot of space. No matter where I ran, I would have the opportunity to help the team attack and score goals."

Lee Sharpe's position during this period was indeed very flexible. Sometimes he was arranged to play as a left back, sometimes on the left side of the midfield, sometimes on the right side to pass the ball to assist, and sometimes he would suddenly appear in the penalty area. Lee Sharpe's position change was also Ferguson's tactical change. He now has the most flexible and sharpest attacking line in the Premier League, and the combinations and routines he can play are really rich.

In the 7th round of the Premier League, the Red Devils faced Chelsea.

This match was full of unimaginable situations. The Red Devils were much stronger than their opponents. At the beginning of the match, the players were in excellent condition and dominated the field. Even at the opponent's home court, they always suppressed the opponent, took control of the initiative on the field, and attacked fiercely. The Red Devils had many more shots than their opponents. Cantona had a strong desire to score and was very powerful, but he missed goals one after another. He first made a stunning 180-degree turn and a long-range lob shot shortly after the start of the game. This lob shot, which took advantage of the opponent's goalkeeper to leave the penalty area, had already made all Chelsea fans despair, but in the end, the shot hit the crossbar! After Manchester United fell behind the opponent, Cantona missed the easiest opportunity again. He wasted Lee Sharpe's wonderful cross and headed the ball 4 yards in front of the goal directly! Not only that, Cantona once found a shooting opportunity in the penalty area, but his shot was too straight and was saved. Not only did Cantona miss the goal, but the Red Devils' Mark Hughes and Giggs also missed several opportunities in front of the goal. It seemed that the attackers suddenly forgot to wear their shooting boots.

Manchester United attacked the opponent fiercely throughout the game, but they just couldn't score a goal to take the lead. On the other hand, Chelsea, their opponent, was passive throughout the game and could only shrink their defense to hold on, but they still managed to upset the opponent with a long shot. Schmeichel was careless and missed the ball, and the Chelsea player followed up and scored, 1-0.

In the final moments, Manchester United launched a fierce attack. Bruce and Pallister both participated in the attack in the opponent's penalty area. Manchester United's crosses fell like raindrops in the Chelsea penalty area. Manchester United attackers' headers and various long shots came one after another, but there was still no way to pry open Chelsea's turtle shell, and they lost the game.

The Red Devils lost the first time in the league, which attracted the attention of the British media, but most of them were indignant for the Red Devils. The Times said, "The result is normal, but the process of the game is very different. Manchester United should have won the game 5-1, and even scored more goals, but they lost in the end. Is this football? This is indeed football, but if neutral fans were asked to vote, they might still prefer to watch Manchester United's offensive football and hope that the Red Devils would win."

Manchester Evening News said, "In terms of the result, Ferguson was the loser, but we have to admit that Manchester United was the side with absolute dominance throughout the game. Did Chelsea win unfairly? It seems that we can't say that, but it is indeed a pity that Manchester United lost."

After losing to Chelsea, the Red Devils played in the European Champions League three days later on September 9. Facing new opponents Honved, the away team won the game 15-3 and got off to a good start.

Back in the 8th round of the Premier League, the Red Devils faced a strong opponent, Arsenal.

Ferguson's team overcame the Champions League syndrome and gave their all. The Red Devils were full of fighting spirit because they were at home, and the opponent was also strong enough to inspire the passion of the Red Devils players. Cantona was in great form. He beat the opponent's goalkeeper Seaman with a free kick from 30 yards out. He flew as fast as he could but couldn't stop the ball from whizzing into the net.

The Red Devils won 1:0.

Two days later, the Red Devils played in the League Cup. The opponent of the Red Devils in this round was Stoke City. Playing away from home, the schedule was tight, and the Red Devils finally showed some fatigue after a series of hard battles. They were defeated 2-1 by Stoke City away from home. Manchester United was defeated in the first round of the League Cup, which caused an uproar. However, this round had two games, and Ferguson's team still had a chance to turn defeat into victory.

Back in the Premier League, the Red Devils' opponent in the ninth round is Swindon.

Swindon Town Football Club only entered the Premier League last season. The team has a very long history. The team was founded by Reverend William Pitt in Lidington in 1879. In 1894, it became a professional team and joined the Southern League outside the National Professional League at that time. Nicknamed "Robin", Swindon Town Football Club has always been in the lower leagues of England and has never entered the top league in history. Its most glorious achievement was defeating Arsenal 1969-3 in 1 and winning the first and only League Cup in the team's history.

Then in the 1992-93 season, Swindon's strength soared under the coaching of the famous coach Glenn Hoddle (who later coached Chelsea, the England national team, Tottenham and other teams). This season, they finally reached the promotion play-offs and successfully advanced to the Premier League after defeating Leicester City 4-3 in the final.

This season is also Swindon's first time to compete in the top league. They are limited by the team's insufficient financial strength and it is difficult for the team to make big purchases to enhance its strength. Before the start of the season, the media has always considered them to be the favorites for relegation.

Ferguson had long planned to win the three points against Swindon, and Manchester United started the game with full firepower, with the players thinking they could defeat their opponent in one fell swoop. Manchester United quickly reaped the rewards of their fierce attack, with goals from Kanchelskis, Cantona and Mark Hughes, and the Red Devils easily leading their opponents 3:0. However, Swindon's resilience was amazing, as they attacked Manchester United from the start and would not defend to the death. Even when they were far behind in the score, they did not give up and kept trying to find opportunities. In the second half, Swindon continued to attack, taking advantage of the Red Devils' relaxation and the contempt of the back line, and seized the Red Devils' defensive loopholes to score two goals in a row, once narrowing the score to 2:3!

The score was closing in quickly and the situation might be reversed, but Ferguson could not tolerate this. He could not hold back his anger and yelled loudly on the sidelines, alerting the Red Devils midfield and defense and demanding that the whole team immediately start the offensive again.

The Red Devils were on edge. Ferguson's reminder woke them up, and they regained their spirits, launched a fierce attack, and regained the initiative in the game. Manchester United launched several threatening attacks after 80 minutes. In the 87th minute, Mark Hughes received an assist from Ince's cross and scored with an accurate header, which contributed greatly to the Red Devils' final 4:2 victory over their opponents.

In this game, the Red Devils' defense was too arrogant and conceded two goals to Swindon. In the previous game, they lost to Stoke City because of the carelessness of the defense. Ferguson could not accept the performance of the defense and scolded Bruce and Pallister to shame.

On September 9, the Red Devils played against their Champions League opponents Honved at home, and the Red Devils defeated their opponents 29-2, winning two consecutive games.

At the end of September, the Red Devils continued to lead the standings with 22 points, while Liverpool suffered an incredible four-game losing streak and fell out of the top six.

Manchester Evening News said: "It's hard to imagine that Liverpool's good times are gone. They keep changing coaches and rebuilding, but they are seen as getting worse and worse."