The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 311: Mixed Joys and Sadness

"Ferguson's contribution was recognized by the royal family of England, which brought Manchester United's reputation to a higher level. However, the team suffered many problems such as injuries in the first half of this season, which made Ferguson frown and deeply worried."

--Inscription

In the 21st round of the Premier League, the Red Devils returned to their home ground to face Leicester City.

In this game, goalkeeper Schmeichel had not recovered from his injury in Manchester United's starting lineup, so Ferguson could only send Walsh on again.

Although Keane's tackle in the frontcourt created an opportunity for Kanchelskis to score a goal, Leicester City's corner kick once again exposed the weakness of the Red Devils' second goalkeeper Walsh. He was poor at controlling high balls in the penalty area and was bullied by the opponent again in the confrontation. In the end, Walsh did not get the ball, and Leicester City kicked the ball into the goal line in the melee, thus tying the Red Devils.

Schmeichel's injury has revealed the serious impact of Manchester United's injury situation to everyone.

For Ferguson, Schmeichel's absence is the biggest problem, because Schmeichel is almost irreplaceable in this position, and it is the most difficult for other goalkeepers to fill it. Schmeichel's level is not comparable to that of ordinary goalkeepers. Although Manchester United's second goalkeeper Walsh is also very brave, has good basic skills, and has an impeccable attitude, his overall strength is still far behind, especially his ability to control high-altitude balls. Not only that, Walsh is under too much pressure, which also causes him to lose concentration during the game, which leads to the Red Devils' defense line being under high pressure, losing goals and points one after another, which affects the results of many key games.

In addition to Schmeichel, Manchester United also had several main players injured. It can be said that such a large number of injuries in the first half of the season was something Ferguson was completely unprepared for and unable to control, and of course it was something that many Red Devils fans did not expect. Since the beginning of the season preparation period, Manchester United has been missing players due to injuries, first Hughes and Keane, then Bruce and Cantona, then Lee Sharpe and Giggs, and Schmeichel and Parker... Throughout the season, only Pallister, Irwin and Kanchelskis remained healthy. Ferguson could hardly put together the strongest lineup for a long time, and the fighting power was seriously impacted.

Although the Red Devils' youth training team continues to have talents, players such as Davis, Gary, Butt, Scholes, Beckham and Gillespie have already entered the first team roster and are ready to play at any time, but they are not yet capable of becoming the main force this season and need to continue to grow and improve before they can adapt to the Premier League environment.

When Ferguson was questioned, his response was this: "To win the championship, you have to overcome all difficulties and face all challenges. If you can't have the confidence to defeat all opponents and can't effectively adjust the lineup and tactics when you encounter injuries, then you don't deserve to talk about how to compete for the championship."

"I've already won two league titles, and now I don't need you to tell me what to do."

Time soon came to the end of 1994, and Manchester United Club received great news. The English royal family awarded Ferguson the Medal of Honor for his achievements in coaching Manchester United and his contributions to the development of English football.

At the grand award ceremony held by the British royal family, Ferguson, dressed in his best attire, looked solemn and excited. In the previously announced award speech, Ferguson's experience as the coach of Aberdeen and Manchester United was reviewed in detail, highlighting how he made breakthroughs under difficult conditions and led two different teams to success.

The English royal family specially praised him, saying, "Ferguson has demonstrated extraordinary courage and professional excellence in the field of football. He brought Manchester United to the revival of English football, making Manchester United the representative of English football and a model to guide all of us to success. Alex used his coaching experience to show us the level that can be achieved when firm confidence and professional skills are combined."

The English royal family reiterated that "Alex has experienced countless difficulties and endured countless blows, but he has never given up his goals and his fighting spirit. We can feel the brilliant success he has created, and we can also learn from his perseverance and attitude of continuous struggle in his journey."

Ferguson was awarded the CBE by the English royal family this time, which is a special medal of honor. In terms of the weight of the award, this knighthood is not as prestigious as Busby's, but Ferguson still has enough time and space to strive for it.

After receiving the knighthood medal, Ferguson said, "I am very honored to receive this honor. Everything is beyond my expectations. I had no preparation to show anyone any successful experience, nor do I think my work experience is worth boasting to anyone. But at this unforgettable moment, I want to say that all the glory belongs to Manchester United."

Ferguson also thanked his wife and family. "I want to especially thank my wife Cathy and my family who have always supported me. Without their help behind me, I would have accomplished nothing."

Ferguson specially invited a group of relatives and friends to attend the awarding ceremony. The Prime Minister of the English government, the Minister of Sports, several MPs, senior executives of Premier League companies, officials of the English Football Association, etc. also attended the awarding ceremony.

Ferguson and his wife showed the knighthood medal to the media. He was wearing a traditional Scottish plaid skirt and his smiling image was spread by the media around the world.

This is a rare honor for Ferguson, and it is also very rare in the football field. After the management of Mrs. Thatcher as Prime Minister, English football gradually moved towards the right track of professional competition, but for a long time this sport has been mixed with hooliganism and violence. It has always been an industry despised by the so-called British gentlemen, and it is even more difficult to become a project specially praised by the English royal family. Throughout history, only Busby, Charlton, and the coach and captain of the team that won the 1966 World Cup and several core players have been awarded. Giants such as Liverpool, magical clubs such as Nottingham Forest, and noble clubs such as Villa have only been honored in recent years.

This award from the English royal family is a great compliment and recognition not only for the club and the head coach himself, but also for the field of football as a whole.

时间来到1994年12月31日，红魔在英超第22轮中对阵南安普顿。这一天也是弗格森的53岁的生日，他自然是希望球队能够战胜对手。

In this game, Manchester United played away and the team wore a rare blue and white jersey. Ferguson sent out the starting lineup with Cantona as the core of the frontcourt, but they were caught off guard by Southampton at the beginning of the game. Southampton launched an attack from the left in the 7th minute. Manchester United's defense was too relaxed and allowed the opponent's No. 2 left back Gadson to dribble into the penalty area. He then easily passed the ball in the penalty area but failed to block it in time. As a result, the opponent's No. 4 central defender entered the penalty area and shot directly into the dead corner. Manchester United fell behind 0-1.

The Red Devils, awakened from their dream, then launched a series of offensives. In the 17th minute, Manchester United made a cross from the left. Cantona was trapped by two defenders in the penalty area and could not turn around. He immediately passed the ball back to Keane, who shot the ball but missed it. In the 23rd minute, Manchester United won consecutive corners, but the quality of the crosses was not good and did not pose any threat. In the 29th minute, Manchester United launched an attack from the middle. Keane passed the ball to Kanchelskis who came to the middle. The Ukrainian Express took the ball and moved to the right. After easily passing a midfielder, he dribbled the ball to about 8 yards in front of the penalty area. Here he and Hughes made a two-on-one pass and then made a cross from the bottom. There was a chaos in the Southampton penalty area, but 6 of their players returned to the penalty area to defend and finally headed the ball out. In the 36th minute, Hughes made a long shot from outside the penalty area. The ball flew straight to the upper corner of the goal, but it was saved by the Southampton goalkeeper.

The first half ended quickly. Manchester United continued to attack their opponents and Southampton was completely passive, but fortunately they managed to keep the goal and maintained a 1-0 lead.

In the second half, Manchester United continued to attack, and Southampton's defense was stretched to its limits, and finally a big hole appeared. In the 61st minute, Manchester United sent a throw-in from the right, and Cantona received the ball outside the penalty area on the right side of the front court. He passed the ball directly into the penalty area, risking being injured by the opponent's brutal trampling. McClair was unguarded 3 yards outside the small penalty area corner, and he shot directly and scored the ball into the opponent's goal, and Manchester United tied the score 1-1!

Manchester United relaxed a little after equalizing the score. Southampton took advantage of this rare opportunity to launch another quick attack. Left winger Hinton passed the Manchester United full-back and made a cross. Southampton's substitute striker Rocks made a run in from outside the penalty area. Manchester United's defense in the middle of the penalty area missed a man again, and the opponent shot into the goal. Manchester United fell behind 1-2 again!

Manchester United certainly did not want to accept such a defeat. Ferguson was furious and kept waving his hands on the sidelines to let the team press forward and increase the pressure on the opponent's defense. In the 79th minute, Manchester United made a long pass from the left backcourt. Cantona rushed into the opponent's penalty area at high speed. He was knocked down by the opponent's defender when scrambling for position, but the referee did not award a penalty kick; in the 83rd minute, Manchester United made a cross from a corner kick. Keane headed the ball near the penalty spot in the penalty area, but unfortunately it was too straight and was confiscated by the opponent's goalkeeper; in the 87th minute, Manchester United besieged Southampton's goal. Hughes, Keane and Butt all tried to attack the goal many times, and the opponent's nearly 10 players all shrank into their own penalty area to defend, constantly blocking the gun holes with their bodies, and stubbornly blocked Manchester United's many long shots. In the 91st minute, the game was about to end. Cantona took a corner kick to the penalty area. After being cleared by the Southampton defender, he controlled the ball again. At this time, he made an accurate cross about 3 yards from the penalty area line. The ball was headed directly into the opponent's goal by McClair in the penalty area!

Manchester United finally drew 2-2 with Southampton and grabbed a point at the last minute!

After the game, the Daily Mail said: "Ferguson originally thought that the players would fight bravely to win the game and celebrate his birthday with a victory, but the game was full of twists and turns. The Red Devils fell behind twice and almost lost. We can see the tenacity of the Red Devils players who fought to the end, but we also observed that their defense was very sparse."

Ferguson didn't say much after the game, but he severely criticized the team in the locker room, "Don't think that because we are the defending champions, the opponents will surrender. Don't think that because it is my birthday, others will take the initiative to give me gifts. You played loosely in the first 30 minutes, and the distance between the three lines was more exaggerated than the English Channel. How can we win with such performance?!"

After this game, Manchester United only scored 22 points in the 46 league games that had been played, 3 points less than Blackburn, who had one game less, and ranked second in the standings.

The defending champions' results are not satisfactory. However, considering that the injuries of Parker and Schmeichel disrupted the Red Devils' plans this season, and the injuries of Keane, Giggs and Sharp made the main lineup stretched, seriously affecting the Red Devils' combat effectiveness.

The Red Devils' defense has problems, and the offense is not very optimistic. With Giggs and Sharp injured one after another, Hughes and McClair, who mainly rely on their teammates, have been greatly affected. The Red Devils' offensive power in the front court has also been greatly reduced, and even the number of shots has decreased a lot compared with the same period last year. Only Kanchelskis and Cantona are still shining in the Red Devils' front court, but the opponent will even resort to tactics to besiege Cantona, effectively finding a targeted solution. The reduction in the threat in the front court is also because Keane sometimes has to return to the defense line to play as a defender, which further affects the overall offensive ability of the Red Devils. Ince is a bit alone. Not only is there a shortage of personnel in the front court area attack, but the instability of the defense line will also occur, and the balance between offense and defense is broken.

How should Ferguson respond?