The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 284: Battle with Liverpool

The excitement of a mortal enemy and the threat of failure are both extremely powerful, and even if your opponent is already at a disadvantage, you must always be alert to their danger.

--Inscription

On March 3, the Red Devils played in the 30th round of the Premier League, facing their arch-rivals Liverpool.

Red Devils vs. Liverpool, this is naturally a battle between two rivals, and also a red national derby that has attracted much attention in England. The media has already made various reports and hype before the battle begins. The Red Devils lost the League Cup before the game, and lost to their opponents by a large margin, which has dealt a serious blow to their morale. Not only that, the Red Devils have not performed well in the league recently, winning only one of the four league games and getting only five points in total. Liverpool also has various problems. The head coach's ability has been questioned, and the team is also in a long reconstruction phase, with great fluctuations in form.

Premier League media have written articles one after another. In addition to continuing to reveal the historical grievances and hostility between the Red Devils and Liverpool, as well as detailed comparisons of past records, they also specifically compared the recent status and lineups of the two teams, and fully hyped them up.

Before this match, the Red Devils had played 33 league games and scored 73 points. Blackburn, the title rival, had scored 34 points after 70 games, and the difference between the two teams was only 3 points. If the Red Devils win this game against Liverpool, they will expand their advantage to 6 points; if they lose, the points situation will remain unchanged. There is another direct match between the Red Devils and Blackburn. Considering the opponent's home field, the Red Devils may not be able to win smoothly, and may even lose. This game is very important for Manchester United to win the championship. Winning it basically means that the league trophy is secure.

But the Red Devils also have many hidden dangers. Their recent form has been sluggish, and their momentum in grabbing points in the league has faded. It will definitely be a tough battle against Liverpool. Ferguson is good at playing tough games, and he may play in a stronger state against Liverpool, and regain vitality after winning this big battle. Liverpool is in trouble and has not been in good form this season. It was thrown out of the championship camp early. Facing a mortal enemy like the Red Devils, they will definitely try their best. Especially now that the Red Devils are in a sensitive period of defending the title, Liverpool will definitely snipe with all their strength, hoping to stop the opponent.

If Ferguson's team loses, it will be two consecutive defeats in all competitions, which will seriously hit the morale of the Red Devils. The Red Devils' title rival Blackburn Rovers is getting better and better in the second half of the league, and after the 25th round, they have played a very sharp winning streak. Under this wave of victories, the points are quickly approaching the leader Red Devils. The Red Devils were in a very low state in March, winning only one league game, Cantona's consecutive red cards also attracted off-field criticism, and they also lost to Villa and lost the League Cup. These are all very negative effects.

Under the media hype, fans felt that "during this period, the Red Devils were like a stumbling old ox, while Blackburn was catching up like a high-speed train."

The Red Devils felt the pressure, but they were also full of confidence and firmly believed that they had to win against Liverpool. Giggs said in an interview before the game: "We are a strong and united team. Defeating Liverpool is our biggest task and most urgent goal now. I always remember the humiliation that Liverpool fans gave me back then. It was an unforgettable shame. I have always been full of fighting spirit and must exert my greatest energy against this team. No matter what it costs me, I hope the Red Devils will beat Liverpool!"

Ferguson said in an interview: "Is losing to Villa a difficult setback to accept? Of course, after all, it is about a championship. Have we lost confidence because of such a defeat? No! My team has always been very strong and full of confidence. Facing Liverpool will make our team full of fighting spirit and confidence. We have become the Premier League champions, and we will definitely defeat Liverpool as an opponent. We will definitely keep moving forward and eventually win the championship this season."

Ferguson explained why the team has been in a slump recently. "Of course I know that the team has some problems. Many players may be very tired. They have played too many games in a row. It is difficult to maintain enough attention and maintain a high level. But I know how strong the spirit of our team is and how tenacious our team's willpower is. These are incomparable to others. We may lose concentration in a certain game, but we will win in the vast majority of games. This is the strength of our Red Devils. We are confident that we will continue to lead in the tough schedule."

"There is no doubt that we will defeat Liverpool. We are the boss now!" Ferguson said firmly.

Liverpool coach Evans said: "I believe Liverpool can beat the Red Devils. This is my firm belief since I was a child. I have been a Liverpool fan since I was a child, I have grown up here and I have always been fighting for the team. Of course I know how important this game is, and I know that we must always defeat the Red Devils, our mortal enemy, no matter what kind of game it is. We are Liverpool, the most troublesome enemy of the Red Devils, and will also be their strongest opponent on the road to winning the championship. I hope to bring back a victory at Old Trafford, because the Red Devils seem to have some problems and they are not in their best condition."

Before the game started, Old Trafford was full of people. The Red Devils fans, who occupied most of the seats, waved flags and sang songs to cheer for their team and challenged the away fans who came to cheer for Liverpool under pressure. The Red Devils fans even gathered in the square outside the Theatre of Dreams, singing and shouting championship slogans to cheer for the team.

Ferguson used the traditional 442 formation, but he took away Giggs, who had performed well in the previous game, and made him a substitute. The goalkeeper and defenders in the starting lineup remained unchanged, with Schmeichel as the goalkeeper, Sharp, Keane, Ings and Kanchelskis as the four midfielders, and Cantona and Hughes as the starting forwards.

The Red Devils played very actively at home, actively tried to launch attacks, and quickly took advantage of the situation. Liverpool, playing away, did not intend to shrink their defense, and also fought hard with the Red Devils in the midfield, not giving up an inch from the beginning of the midfield.

The two Red Devils quickly entered the midfield battle. In this kind of midfield battle, which is a competition of strength and physical and will, the Red Devils' Keane and Ince quickly gained the upper hand. They are tough and strong, and they are very good at running and fighting, which makes them more adaptable to this kind of wrestling and physical collision. In comparison, Liverpool's midfielder is far from enough to compete with Keane and Ince, and can only rely on the advantage of numbers to make up for it. The Red Devils' Sharp and Kanchelskis continued to play their speed advantage on the left and right wings, and frequently attacked the opponent's side. In the 22nd minute of the first half, Lee Sharp changed positions on the right, dribbled the ball quickly along the right sideline to the opponent's bottom line, and made a simple two-on-one cooperation with Kanchelskis near the corner of the penalty area, and then went to the bottom line to cross. Hughes accelerated in the penalty area, and used his body strength to hold his position under the close defense of the opponent's defender. After a sharp turn, he kicked the ball, but unfortunately the shot was too straight and was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the 27th minute, the Red Devils launched an attack in the middle. Keane and Ince grabbed the ball in the middle circle and then quickly dribbled forward. Cantona retreated from the opponent's penalty area to get the ball, brought the opponent's pair of central defenders out of the defense area, and then quickly turned and passed the ball to the right. Kanchelskis got the ball outside the right corner of the penalty area, used his speed advantage to rush into the opponent's penalty area, and then quickly kicked the ball. This shot was hasty and lacked power, and was easily cleared by Liverpool's defender. In the 31st minute, Cantona got the ball 10 yards outside the penalty area. He did not control the ball and tried a long shot, but it was blocked by the opponent's defender.

Liverpool's midfield gradually lost its advantage, their defense was increasingly compressed by the Red Devils, and they kept retreating to deeper and more dangerous areas. They could only switch to full defense and wait for opportunities to launch sneak attacks and counterattacks.

Facing the Red Devils' advantage, Liverpool players began to use more and more foul tactics, trying to make tackles more and more in the midfield and backcourt, and sometimes even had to use pulling and some more serious fouls to stop the Red Devils' players from advancing. The Red Devils were not afraid of Liverpool's midfield stranglehold with many fouls. They played more bravely, had a stronger fighting spirit, and had a more hungry desire to win, and soon took the advantage of the game.

The game was very intense. The Red Devils attacked the opponent's hinterland fiercely, constantly looking for opportunities to pass the ball into the penalty area, but they were all resolved by Liverpool. After several difficult attempts, the Red Devils won a corner kick opportunity. Kanchelskis sent a corner kick from the right. There was a fierce battle in front of Liverpool's goal. Pallister did not win a header at the front point, but attracted the attention of most of the opponent's defensive players. Ins at the back point seized the opportunity near the corner of the small penalty area, jumped high and headed the ball directly into the dead corner. The opponent's goalkeeper fell to the ground and could not save it. The Red Devils took the lead 1-0.

The Red Devils played very steadily after taking the lead. They withstood the opponent's fierce counterattacks many times and successfully maintained their advantage until the end of the game. In the end, the Red Devils won 1-0 with the key goal scored by Ins.

Ings was the best player of the match, but Keane also performed well. As the commander in the midfield and the general who stifled the opponent's threat, he performed very well in this game. Keane and Ings jointly defended the middle road very steadily, and the opponent's offensive was completely unable to get past Keane's interception line. Not only that, Keane also went back and forth between the opponent's penalty area and his own penalty area, giving full play to his characteristics of being able to attack and defend. Although he did not score, Keane's threat was actually greater than Ings. Several of his shots were almost successful, and his role in the midfield was extremely important.

The performance of Keane and Ings in this game was highly praised by the media, and they have even been described as the best midfield combination in the Premier League. The two have similar styles, but they have superimposed power. They do not have superb dribbling skills, but their running, interception and coverage, as well as the pressure and support in the middle and front fields, can support the entire midfield of the Red Devils. Ferguson actually does not need them to control the ball and dribble, or even organize the attack and control the rhythm. They only need to intercept, steal and fight, grab the ball in the midfield area, and then pass it to Cantona or teammates on both sides. When the time is right, they can also join the attack and try to control the rhythm, but these are additional abilities. In Ferguson's thinking, this midfield and two wingers are very suitable. Hughes and Cantona can both get the ball with their backs, and Cantona can play all the positions in the midfield alone. It is not a problem to retreat to get the ball, organize and advance. The entire midfield of the Red Devils will be full of vitality.

Keane is growing fast, while Ings is mature and stable enough. Together, they have become the hub of the Red Devils' attack and defense transition. The two core players in the Red Devils' midfield shine together, which is more significant for the Red Devils. Ferguson has always believed that this is a combination that is better than Robson + Strachan. They are good at attacking and defending, good at confrontation, tough and brave, and will more effectively support the Red Devils' offense and defense, and effectively implement the Red Devils' oppressive style of play, giving play to their unique advantages.

After this round, the Red Devils have 34 points in 76 league rounds and continue to lead the list.

After the game, the media praised the team. The BBC said, "This was a wonderful game. The Red Devils always played bravely against Liverpool, and this game was no exception. The Red Devils showed resilience and strength in this battle, withstood all kinds of rough and fierce fouls from the enemy, and had the last laugh in the hand-to-hand combat and strangulation battle."

The Times said, "Ferguson was very good at finding opportunities and seizing them. His tactics and presence overwhelmed Liverpool."