The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 308 Walsh's Passion

"Manchester United's victory was not achieved by the efforts of only 11 main players, but by the efforts of the whole team. The lilies in the valley also have their spring, and the unknown substitute goalkeeper also has his moment to shine."

--Inscription

Back in the league, the Red Devils worked hard to overcome the European war syndrome, worked hard to overcome the negative impact of the defeat to Barcelona, ​​regrouped, and traveled to Villa in the 13th round of the Premier League.

Walsh, who suffered a lot at the Camp Nou, never dreamed that he would be able to start again, so Ferguson decided to give him a chance to restore his confidence.

In Ferguson's office, Walsh faced the coach's sharp eyes, and he was nervous and stammered, "Boss, I played so badly. I'm so sorry."

Ferguson said: "Gary, it's okay. This is not entirely your responsibility. I am also responsible for this loss. Now what I need you to do is to completely forget about this game and then prepare for the next game against Villa. You will still be my first goalkeeper, and I expect you to perform well in this game."

Ferguson said, "You remember Villa?"

Walsh certainly remembers the rival Villa club, which holds special commemorative significance for him.

For Ferguson, Walsh and Villa also have a special origin. Starting with the promotion and use of Walsh, Ferguson's work at Manchester United is closely linked to youth training. Manchester United has always attached great importance to youth training, but no coach has paid more attention to youth players than him. The legendary Sir Matt Busby gave 75 youth players the opportunity to debut for the first time, creating the miracle of "Busby Babes". Ferguson's total is 88. The youth training legends under his command are not only "Ferguson's fledglings" and the legendary Class of 92, but also have more magical records. Among the 88 youth players personally promoted by Ferguson to play for Manchester United, the first one was Gary Walsh, and that game was an away game against Villa.

It was December 1986, 12. At the time, the 13-year-old goalkeeper Gary Walsh was suddenly called up and told to prepare to play in the game. The news stunned him.

"I made my debut at Villa Park and it was a match I'll never forget," Walsh said many years later. "We drove a long way on the day of the game and the manager announced the lineup early, and I became one of the protagonists in the promotional picture. I remember my name and photo were on the back of every page of the newspaper. At that age, it is very rare for you to play for Manchester United at this age."

Starting with Walsh, Ferguson continued Manchester United's great tradition of including youth players in the starting lineup for more than 4000 games, with at least one youth player appearing. Looking at the European football world, only Manchester United has achieved this. And this unique and great record continues to this day.

In the match against Villa, Ferguson sent out the 11 players he thought were in the best condition, and the formation was restored to 442. The Red Devils were in poor condition in the first half. The impact of the defeat in the expedition to Spain was still obvious. Manchester United players were not only not in good spirits, but also recovered slowly. Villa had the advantage of more fans cheering at home, and it was also a good opportunity to wait for the opportunity. The original lack of strength was quickly made up, and they played on par with Manchester United. In the 17th minute, Manchester United attacked from the right. Kanchelskis dribbled the ball all the way to the opponent's baseline, shook off the opponent's defender and made a cross. Hughes pushed away a central defender in front of Villa's goal and shot in a hurry. Unfortunately, the ball was kicked too straight and was confiscated by Villa's goalkeeper. In the 21st minute, Villa strengthened the midfield steal, took advantage of the Red Devils' mistake in the midfield area, quickly stole the ball, and then immediately launched a quick counterattack. Villa striker Otip dribbled the ball to the front of the penalty area and took a decisive shot. As a result, the long shot hit the Red Devils defender Pallister and deflected. The ball drew a high and steep curve and flew towards the Manchester United goal. Manchester United goalkeeper Walsh could not react in time and could only watch the lob hit the post and enter the net. The Red Devils fell behind 0-1.

The Red Devils did not lose their composure after falling behind. Ince even had time to return to the penalty area and pat Walsh to tell him not to feel burdened, and told him that the team would definitely use the attack to vent his anger. In the 25th minute, Manchester United launched a large-scale attack. Giggs made a short connection with Ince in the midfield area, then turned with the ball, directly passed the interception of an opponent's midfielder, and then rushed to Villa's penalty area with the ball. Just as Villa began to reorganize the defense, Giggs passed an opponent's defender again and dribbled into the upper right corner of Villa's penalty area. At this time, Giggs' speed advantage was also delayed, but he made a timely cross to create a chance in front of the goal. Ince and McClair both inserted and shot, but they were both blocked by Villa's two central defenders and did not touch the ball. In the 31st minute, Manchester United took a corner kick from the left side. Ince grabbed the first point in the penalty area and headed the ball, but was disturbed by the opponent's players and did not exert force, and the opponent's goalkeeper directly saved it. In the 37th minute, Manchester United's midfielder successfully intercepted the ball. Kanchelskis got the ball on the right. He used his speed to beat the opponent's full-back and directly dribbled the ball to the bottom and made a cross. This cross caused chaos in Villa's penalty area. Manchester United's McClair and Hughes both tried their best to grab the ball. Villa's central defender cleared the ball out of the penalty area. Inshou met the ball and shot it directly and hit the opponent's goal with a powerful shot. Manchester United tied the score 1-1.

At the beginning of the second half, Villa quickly entered a period of physical exhaustion, but the Red Devils were in high spirits and continued to launch fierce attacks. In the 65th minute, Manchester United launched another attack on the right. Parker passed the ball directly to Kanchelskis and then circled to receive the ball. He made a timely interweaving connection with the Ukrainian on the right, diverting the attention of another Villa defender. Kanchelskis dribbled the ball to face a Villa defender and almost ate him alive with a fake move, then continued to dribble into the penalty area, cleverly flashed out of the gap when the opponent's central defender came up to intercept, and then made a clever low shot, directly breaking the opponent's goal.

The Red Devils reversed the score 2-1.

In the following time, Manchester United began to shrink gradually, and Villa started the final counterattack. Walsh, who had just experienced the nightmare of the Champions League, quickly put down his burden after being scored a magical goal and returned to his normal performance. As the game progressed, his performance became better and better. In the final period, he also made a key save, diving to the ground beautifully, and his fingertips barely touched the ball away, allowing the opponent's powerful shot to fly past the goal post.

It was Walsh's outstanding performance that helped Manchester United finally withstand the opponent's offensive and win the game.

In the 14th round of the league, the Red Devils faced their city team Manchester City at home.

Facing their city rivals, the Red Devils were naturally not polite. Ferguson started the game with Schmeichel, who had just returned from injury, and Keane as the right back to replace the injured Parker. The rest of the team played with elite players. Cantona returned to the starting position and immediately took on the role and responsibility of the offensive commander.

At the beginning of the game, Ferguson's team launched a fierce attack, and Cantona was very eager to try to shoot. His excellent skills were almost perfectly demonstrated. Manchester City's midfielders had no way to limit him and could only watch him command the team to launch an increasingly fierce attack.

Manchester City's weak defense was completely unable to withstand the Red Devils' attack. In the 12th minute, Manchester United launched an attack on the right. Kanchelskis received the ball on this side and immediately made a super long-distance 45-degree cross just after crossing the center line, directly passing the ball into the opponent's penalty area. Cantona understood the situation and started early. He cut into the gap between the opponent's two central defenders, turned sideways and led the ball forward with the outside of his right foot, quickly formed a single shot, and then easily defeated the Manchester City goalkeeper and pushed the ball directly into the net. Manchester United 1-0!

Kanchelskis' long pass assist, Cantona's accurate prediction and subsequent calm handling opened the door to victory for the Red Devils.

The Red Devils attacked again soon after the goal. In the 23rd minute, Cantona received the ball on the right side of the opponent's penalty area, then dribbled the ball horizontally and gradually advanced to the penalty area line. After attracting two defenders, Cantona flicked the ball to Kanchelskis who was completely unguarded on the right. The Ukrainian fast horse did not need to adjust at all, and did not waste any time. He scored directly with a life shot, and the Red Devils led 2-0.

In the second half, the Red Devils continued to attack. Schmeichel made a long pass in the penalty area. Cantona jumped up in the midfield and won the header, passing the ball to Kanchelskis who was lying in ambush in the frontcourt. Kanchelskis, who had seized the position advantage, ran and no one could stop him. He easily scored the ball into the opponent's goal while several defenders were chasing and entangled. The Red Devils led 3-0!

The Red Devils did not relax even after winning by three goals. Keane found an opening on the right, dribbled into the opponent's half and made a cross. Mark Hughes' shot in the penalty area was blocked, but the ball returned to Hughes in the chaos. He then easily aimed into the blind corner and scored. The Red Devils 4-0!

The entire Manchester City team had lost patience. Their corner kick was easily caught by Schmeichel. When the Red Devils had already started to counterattack, the Manchester City players were too lazy to return to their own half to defend. The Red Devils once again played a classic quick counterattack. After Schmeichel hugged the ball, he threw the ball to Kanchelskis, who passed it directly to Cantona in the frontcourt. Cantona controlled the ball and attracted the opponent's only defender. After his teammates joined in, he passed it to Kanchelskis diagonally. The Ukrainian fast horse once again had a single shot and scored smoothly. The Red Devils defeated their opponents 5-0.

Cantona and Kanchelskis were two stars shining brightly. Cantona scored a goal and then made three assists in a row. Kanchelskis, in addition to one assist, scored three consecutive goals and performed a hat trick. Kanchelskis became a hero in the hearts of the Red Devils fans. Every time he touched the ball, the fans cheered. Every shot made the Theatre of Dreams boil. The name of the Ukrainian Express became the loudest voice in the Old Trafford stadium.

After a big win over Manchester City, the Red Devils defeated Crystal Palace 3-0 at home.

The game against Crystal Palace was also very comfortable. Irwin scored a free kick in the 24th minute, which established the Red Devils' advantage. In the subsequent games, Cantona and Kanchelskis scored again, and together they ignited the atmosphere of the Theatre of Dreams with their excellent form.

In this match, Ferguson boldly sent Gary Neville, David May and Davis to the field for training. Several newcomers got a rare chance to play, but their performances were different. Gary and Davis looked very immature, while David May showed seamless connection and plug-and-play characteristics from the beginning, completing the defensive task very easily.

The Red Devils lost Schmeichel in the middle of the game, and the Danish goalkeeper was injured again in the second half. Ferguson finally decided to let the young goalkeeper Pilkington from the youth team play, while newcomers Gillespie and Scholes also got the chance to be substitutes.

Manchester United then traveled to Sweden, and after the match against Gothenburg, the whole team was very tired.

Three days after the Champions League match, the Red Devils played away against Arsenal.

The game was a battle of heaven and earth, with sparks flying, frictions and conflicts. Both the Red Devils and Arsenal fought hard in the midfield, and the midfield area became a meat grinder at the beginning of the game. Mark Hughes was repeatedly violated when dribbling the ball, and his anger became increasingly uncontrollable. In the end, he maliciously kicked his opponent in retaliation. Although this action was small and did not really hurt the opponent, it was eventually determined by the referee to be a malicious foul and he was directly shown a red card. Affected by this, the Red Devils retreated across the board and eventually drew 0-0 with the Gunners.

The draw changed the situation for Manchester United. In addition to continuing to lag behind the top of the standings, this game caused Lee Sharp's injury to worsen, Hughes was suspended for a red card, and Schmeichel's injury recurred, which further affected the stability of the defense.

Ings is suspended in European competitions, and the Red Devils continue to be restricted in their roster, which raises some concerns.