The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 328 A familiar yet unfamiliar champion

The Red Devils youth team won the FA Youth Cup again after a year, and these young people began to shine. But with the same championship, the same youth training system, and the same Red Devils teenagers, the achievements of the Red Devils' Class of 95 are far less than those of the Class of 92. This group of champions can eventually gain a foothold in the Red Devils' first team and make a name for themselves, shining in the Theatre of Dreams. There are really very few of these youth training gems.

--Inscription

The 1994-1995 season was a failed season for the Red Devils. The Red Devils under Ferguson suffered their first serious blow since entering the Premier League. The only consolation for the Red Devils during the season was that the youth team won the English Youth FA Cup.

Matt, a reporter from Manchester Evening News, said in his end-of-season report, "I think it's normal that the Red Devils didn't win the Premier League title. They don't have dominance. The Red Devils are too arrogant, the ball they play is not lethal, many games are not played well, the scene is dull, the rhythm lacks changes, and the team is not as sharp as the outside world thinks. I have to say that compared to the adult team, watching the Red Devils youth team's games is a real enjoyment. Only in the youth team do they play truly gorgeous football, which is fast, sharp, and vigorous. They are unstoppable and indestructible, and they play with remarkable dominance. Go and see these guys, get to know these kids, otherwise you will never know what kind of surprises they will bring us!"

The Red Devils youth team has performed very well this season. Although they lack stunning supernovas, they are full of vitality and spirit. They are very brave in their journey to win the FA Youth Cup. They can be said to be invincible and have reached the top.

According to the naming rules, the Red Devils youth team this season can be called the Red Devils Class 95. They are young people who are about 92 years younger than the Class 3. The captain of this youth team, Phil Neville, is extremely talented. He debuted earlier because of his brother Gary. He has played in the league many times this season and his performance once surpassed Beckham. Forward Cook has also played in official games for the Red Devils. Kidd and Harrison think he has a bright future. The last guy in the famous photo of Harrison and the Class 92 is him.

The Red Devils youth team left a deep impression on the fans in the FA Cup this season. They were active and flexible, full of passion, fast and fast-paced, and focused on overall coordination. The frontcourt players' skills were delicate and the crosses from the two wings were very accurate. The team had a good start in the FA Cup. Under Harrison's leadership, they were invincible, sweeping all opponents along the way and reaching the finals almost as easy as cutting melons and vegetables.

The Red Devils Youth Team entered the competition from the second round, first winning 2-4 against Wysham, with Johnson and Cook scoring two goals respectively, and then unexpectedly tied with Charlton 1-1 in the third round. In the rematch, the Red Devils Youth Team cheered up and slaughtered the opponent with a score of 1-5. Cook scored a goal and assisted, shining and won the best player of the game. Another striker Johnson scored twice. In the fourth round, the Red Devils defeated the rival Arsenal 2-2, and in the fifth round, they defeated Villa, which also had a strong youth training team, 1-3. Cook scored a key goal again, and was excellent in controlling the rhythm and dribbling the ball throughout the game. In the semi-finals, the Red Devils relied on the goals of Cook and Philpneville to beat Wimbledon 2-2 in the first round; in the second round, the Red Devils gave the opponent a 1-3 away game. Cook showed his power again. He was like a man in a pile of tall opponents, easily scored two goals, and once again became the best player of the game.

This Red Devils youth team is very sharp. Their tactics are to attack, attack, attack, and break the opponent's defense through continuous impact. The technical and tactical qualities they have acquired through hard training make them stand out in front of children of this age. These young people in red jerseys are always full of passion, running and sprinting on the field without stopping, chasing every flying ball and every possible opportunity. They are young and reckless. They have no conservatism or hesitation. They have always maintained the game at a very high speed, and their offense and defense conversion is dazzling. At every moment, on every piece of grass, they are attacking, running at full speed, and showing their youthful vitality. One of the important reasons why the Red Devils youth team can stand out in the youth training environment in England is that their tactical qualities are all practiced with the first team. The tight formation, active penetration, sharp wing, and flexible attack line enable them to quickly gain advantages on the field and control the situation at will.

After the retirement of the legendary Manchester United player Robson, he became Harrison's assistant. The old captain's words and deeds passed on the Manchester United tradition to these young Manchester United players. Harrison was still as strict and strict as he was when he led Giggs and Scholes. The Manchester United youth team made it to the FA Youth Cup final without any difficulty.

The Red Devils' opponent in the final was Tottenham, which was also famous for its youth training. The two teams had to play a two-round match to decide the winner. Tottenham was ambitious at the time. The team's income was better than that of the Red Devils, and they also invested a lot in youth training. They were also a young team that attracted much attention. In the first round of the Red Devils' away game at White Hart Lane, Tottenham scored a goal in each half to take the lead, and the Red Devils fell into a very difficult situation. In the last 30 minutes, the Red Devils launched a frenzy of attack. Cook scored a goal in the 85th minute, chasing the score to 1-2, leaving the Red Devils with hope of a reversal.

One day after the Red Devils drew with West Ham and lost the Premier League title, more than 1 fans came to Old Trafford to watch the FA Youth Cup final at the Red Devils' home stadium. In this level of competition, Tottenham strangely adopted a defensive tactic and even gave up counterattacks. This tactic was not familiar to the young Tottenham players and they were quite resistant to it. In the end, they wanted to rely on the strategy of large numbers and shrinking defense to work. The Red Devils tried to attack at the beginning and continued to increase their strength. Tottenham's solid defense made the Red Devils fans feel helpless, but the young people of the Red Devils did not give up at all. From the beginning of the first half, the Red Devils created a lot of opportunities on the wing and in the penalty area. Cook's dribbling breakthrough made the opponent feel like they were facing a great enemy and highly nervous. His several shots were also very threatening. The Red Devils attacked throughout the first half and almost the entire second half. Until the last minute, Cook stepped forward. After receiving the ball, he made continuous feints to deceive the opponent's close defense. After entering the penalty area, he aimed at the blind spot and scored a wonderful goal for the Red Devils. 1-0!

In the extra time, the Red Devils continued to press their opponents, but they failed to score in the 30 minutes of extra time. In the end, the game entered a brutal penalty shootout. The impatient Tottenham missed the first two goals, while the calm Red Devils scored 4 consecutive penalties to win. The Red Devils won the FA Youth Cup for the record 8th time!

The youngsters of the Red Devils Class of 95 won the victory, but they did not win a bright future for themselves. The Red Devils youth team is excellent as a whole, but they may not be so amazing when compared individually. The most obvious example is Cook. Although he was a killer in the youth team games and there was almost no defense that he could not break, he lacked strength in the Premier League environment and was at a disadvantage in physical confrontation.

The biggest obstacle is actually within the Red Devils. The guys from the Red Devils' Class of 95 are too close to the Class of 92, so close that when the 92 generation is competing with the older players in the team for the starting position, they have already begun to show their talents.

Conflict is inevitable. The time window that the Red Devils Class of 92 got was that Ferguson rebuilt the team again and promoted a large number of young players. This opportunity made them the main force in the 1995-96 season, and because of this outbreak, they became highly recognized new stars. The Class of 92 continued to improve, not only squeezing out the old players, but even some stars in their prime could not overwhelm them. Starting from the 95-96 season, the Red Devils Class of 92 regained the league championship for the team and defended the title in one fell swoop. Although the Red Devils were robbed of the league title by the emerging Arsenal in the 97-98 season, this group of direct descendants cultivated at the Carrington base will not be cleaned up by Ferguson again because of pride and complacency. In the 1998-99 season, the Red Devils Class of 92 became the key to Ferguson's fight for the Premier League dominance again, but the Class of 95 also reached the time when they needed playing time.

The contradiction broke out here. The Red Devils Class 92 was at its peak, so it was naturally difficult for Class 95 to grab a place. In 1999, the Red Devils won the treble, creating the most legendary achievement in the history of English football, but behind this was the helpless back of these Class 95 children who eventually ran to other destinations.

When the Red Devils Class of 92 debuted, they had no chance to appear; when the Class of 92 became successful, they also had no chance. The stage belonged to the Class of 92, and these Red Devils youth training gems who won the 1995 FA Youth Cup could only become background boards.

In the end, only Phil Neville could gain a foothold in the first team. Cook and Phil were about the same age among the other players, but they could only sigh. This group of young players, such as Curtis, Melini and Wallwork, also played for the first team, but none of them had the super talent to amaze the world as soon as they appeared.

Many Red Devils fans felt it was a pity. Cook, who once had the opportunity to skip a grade and play with the players of Class 92, was often mentioned later. Cook, who was very popular in the youth team, was thin and had a keen sense of smell in front of the goal, superb shooting skills, and a strong sense of active cooperation. He deserved the title of the sharpest killer in the youth team. Cook was very smart since he was a child. He got the opportunity to prove himself in the Premier League in the 94-95 season, but his body was too thin and he could not adapt to the high-intensity physical confrontation in the Premier League. Lacking the foundation of physical confrontation and no advantage in speed, he had no place to play in front of the goal. Ferguson later successively introduced York and Shelingham, and several Red Devils players from the youth training lost their opportunities.

To some extent, this is also an inevitable fate. Phil Neville was also weak and Scholes was also thin, but one of them worked hard to train strength and confrontation, and the other worked hard to train skills and awareness. They both showed enough presence among a bunch of muscle sticks and gave enough help to the team, which gave them the opportunity to continue playing for the Red Devils.

Cook is not comparable to Scholes, probably not only because of his lack of physical endurance, but also because of his lack of comprehensive level. Before him, there was Scholes, a genius who was born with a physical illness and was very thin, but he eventually stood in the center of the stage with his own efforts - Cook's inability to perform can only be attributed to his lack of strength. As for the FA Cup they won, it can only mean that they are very strong among the teams of the same age, and the strength of their opponents is too weak.

Blackburn's success in the Premier League at that time also inspired teams to be more inclined to quickly build teams. The giants began to build their teams by introducing strong foreign players. Even the Red Devils were no exception, not to mention that the Red Devils themselves had a group of super youth training gems such as Class 92.

As a wealthy club, the Red Devils naturally have high standards for their players. It is unfair to blame Ferguson. It is not that he did not see the bright spots of these young talents, nor that he did not want to tap these potential talented players. He gave some players opportunities and playing time, but the performance of these young people was far from enough.

The Red Devils' youth team did not leave much of a mark in history. They won the FA Youth Cup but only left a dim back.

Competitive sports are so cruel.