The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

"The Red Devils' injury wave came suddenly, and the absence of several key players seriously affected the team's strength. Coupled with Keane's red card suspension and surgery, Cole's exaggerated goal drought, Ferguson encountered more challenges and difficulties."

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On November 1995, 11, the Red Devils traveled to Highbury Stadium to challenge Arsenal.

Arsenal signed Dutch striker and Ice Prince Dennis Bergkamp in the summer for a transfer fee of 750 million pounds, which is three times the Gunners' previous record for player transfer fees.

It took Bergkamp seven Premier League games to get used to the environment here, and he didn't open his scoring account until the match against Southampton at Highbury on September 7, but he couldn't stop from then on. Before the match against the Red Devils, Bergkamp had already scored six goals.

The day before this game, Newcastle beat Liverpool at home and once again led the Red Devils by four points. In this game, the Red Devils and the Gunners were evenly matched, and neither side created many opportunities. In the 14th minute of the first half, David Platt, a former Red Devils player in Arsenal, sent a lob over the middle line, and the ball fell into Irwin's defense. Irwin took advantage of his position after chasing back, but he made an incredible low-level mistake. He neither cleared the ball out of bounds in time nor controlled Bergkamp behind him. Bergkamp flashed out from behind him, stole the ball, and then shot directly, Arsenal led 1-0!

Irwin's low-level mistake stunned the audience. Martin Taylor, the commentator of Sky TV, commented: "We rarely see Dennis Irwin make mistakes. This time it will become a famous scene." Barry Davis, a senior commentator of the BBC, said more directly in his commentary, "I think Irwin's soul is out of his body. He doesn't know what he is thinking or what he is doing."

After conceding the goal, the Red Devils launched a fierce attack. The Red Devils attack group led by Cantona attacked the opponent non-stop round after round, but Arsenal's defense was very solid when they retreated with all their strength. England goalkeeper Seaman was at his peak, and he resolved the shots of the Red Devils forwards time and time again like a Thousand-Armed Guanyin.

In the end, the Red Devils lost 0-1 away. Ferguson specifically defended Irwin after the game: "Irwin does not need to take all the responsibility for the failure. We are a team. It is not good to lose the ball, but we actually created a lot of opportunities. Irwin also made several crosses and almost helped us equalize. Frankly speaking, we played better than Arsenal, but we still lost the game in the end. It's so strange."

In the 13th round of the Premier League, the Red Devils played against Southampton. Ferguson made two adjustments to the lineup, with Keane taking a break and Beckham returning to the starting lineup.

The Red Devils, who were determined to defeat their opponents, immediately created a climax after the opening. Scholes intercepted the ball on the center line and made a long pass to Cantona. The Frenchman chested the ball into the penalty area and passed it across the middle. Giggs raised his foot and shot, breaking the opponent's goal!

This goal only took the Red Devils 15 seconds, which is the fastest goal in the Premier League!

The Red Devils did not stop after taking the lead. Three minutes later, Giggs showed his strength again. He completed the whole process from stealing the ball to pushing the counterattack to scoring a goal by himself. His attack on the left was completely unstoppable by the opponent. The Red Devils were already two goals ahead before the fifth minute of the game. Three minutes later, Beckham fell to the ground after a physical confrontation with his opponent on the right side of the front court. The ball fell to Gary Neville's feet. Neville and Cole quickly made a two-on-one cooperation and then quickly crossed the ball from the bottom. Cantona met the ball at the front point and knocked it back with his right heel. The ball was exquisitely in front of Scholes. Ginger headed the ball to the man and a volley made the score 5:3.

At this time, the game had only been going on for 8 minutes. Not only that, but Beckham's heavy shot hit the crossbar.

The Red Devils continued to attack in the second half. In the 69th minute, Beckham's corner kick assisted Cole to score with a header in front of the goal, and the game was tied 4-0. Southampton's Shipley finally scored a face-saving goal, and the Red Devils finally won their opponents 4-1!

Ferguson said after the game, "We took the lead at the start of the first half, and then scored three goals like a whirlwind. There has never been such a wonderful start at Old Trafford. Our players dominated the game and they were extremely exciting."

The Red Devils' attack shocked the media, with Mike Langley of The Observer commenting, "Southampton had no chance of fighting back in the game. It was like we were watching a milk wagon versus Ferrari."

On November 1995, 11, the Red Devils faced the Sky Blues Coventry in the Premier League. There were also old acquaintances of the Red Devils in this team, namely coach Atkinson and striker Dublin. This was also a game that the Red Devils were determined to win, but Coventry launched a wave of rapid attacks after the opening. Dublin's shot was very tricky and cunning, and Schmeichel couldn't even catch the ball again, but Bruce resolved the goal crisis on the goal line. After being frightened by this, the Red Devils immediately went all out. Coventry, the last in the standings, couldn't withstand the onslaught and the defense line was quickly lost. In the 22th minute, Irwin shot hard outside the penalty area. This was an extremely tricky angle. The ball rubbed the post and flew into the opponent's goal, and the Red Devils led 28-1. Just at the beginning of the second half, Giggs intercepted the opponent's mistake in the midfield and rushed to the opponent's hinterland with the ball. Giggs made a cross when he hit the opponent's penalty area corner, and McClair easily received it and shot and scored, and the Red Devils led 0-2. In the 0th minute, the Red Devils attacked the opponent again. Lee Sharpe was knocked down when he received the ball in the penalty area. Beckham seized the opportunity to grab the ball and shot, directly breaking the opponent's goal. The Red Devils led 57-3. In the 0th minute, the Red Devils Giggs dribbled the ball to the arc of the penalty area in the middle, attracted the defense and then passed the ball diagonally to the left. Cantona stopped the ball on the left and made a strong cross, and the ball was accurately fed to McClair's head. The old striker easily shook his head and shot, and the ball flew accurately into the dead corner!

Red Devils 4-0 Coventry!

Ferguson said after the game: "The whole team played very well today, and I want to give special praise to Giggs and Cantona. Giggs is playing better and better, and Cantona has become the guarantee of our victory on the court. We have a wealth of means to tear open the opponent's defense. Cantona and Giggs assisted four times, which should have been six times! The overall performance of the midfield and frontcourt was excellent, which was the key to our victory."

1995年11月18日，红魔做客城市球场，和诺丁汉森林队踢第15轮英超。森林队刚刚在联赛第13轮中0:7惨败给了布莱克本队，状态被打到最低谷。

Facing the Red Devils, Nottingham Forest was not conservative. Forest striker McGregor scored a goal in the 19th minute, and the Red Devils fell behind 0:1 away from home.

The Red Devils had many problems in this game. The players were in poor condition and slow, unable to keep up with the opponent's rhythm. During the halftime break, Ferguson was furious and sprayed the switch with a hair dryer. In the second half, the Red Devils woke up and launched a fierce attack. But Forest goalkeeper Crossley played bravely, blocking high and low to resolve the Red Devils' many chances to score. Finally, after Cole wasted opportunities again and again, Cantona dribbled directly into the opponent's penalty area and was kicked down by the opponent's defender Chettle, winning a penalty for the Red Devils.

Cantona took the penalty kick himself to help the Red Devils equalize the score.

On the other side, Newcastle beat Leeds United, and the gap between the Magpies and the Red Devils returned to five points.

At this point in the league, the Red Devils suddenly suffered a wave of injuries. Goalkeeper Schmeichel injured his elbow, Phil Neville, Gary Pallister and Giggs also suffered injuries. In the match against Chelsea, Keane was still suspended for the previous on-field assault and could not play. He also had surgery and could not return in the short term.

The Red Devils then faced Chelsea. In this match, the Red Devils had an incomplete lineup while the opponent had all the best players. Cantona began to show his wildness and passion at the critical moment. He even climbed over the advertising board on the sidelines to save the ball and fell into the crowd of fans. Not long after the start of the second half, Chelsea's Wise scored a goal, and Beckham bravely stood up for the Red Devils. He calmly and confidently displayed his beautiful footwork outside the penalty area and hit a wonderful arc to help the team equalize the score.

After the Red Devils equalized, they continued to attack, but Cole had good chances again and again, but wasted them. Cole, who has only scored 14 goals in 3 games this season, not only lacked confidence, but also completely lost his composure. Ferguson, who could no longer tolerate it, chose to replace him with nearly 20 minutes left in the game. After the game, the British media sarcastically mocked Cole, "This Golden Boot-level player has obviously forgotten how to shoot. He has completely lost the ability to shoot."

Manchester Evening News said: "The Red Devils really can't rely on Cole because it is almost impossible for Cole to regain confidence. Ferguson's failure to introduce an attacker is a huge lesson, and fans will even miss Mark Hughes. If Cole continues to perform so disastrously, the Red Devils will be dead in the championship race."

In the end, the Red Devils could only draw with Chelsea at home.

After entering December, the Red Devils traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, and played a friendly match with the World Stars Team. This was a charity match for a non-governmental organization to help promote peace in Northern Ireland.

Back in the Premier League, the Red Devils' opponent is Sheffield Wednesday. Before the game, the Red Devils club officially announced a good news: the reconstruction of the North Stand of Old Trafford has been completed, and the stadium capacity has increased to 500 people, making it the largest home stadium in the Premier League again.

Ferguson responded to Cole's goal drought before the game. "I know everyone is talking about Cole. I did take the initiative to replace him in the game against Chelsea," Ferguson wrote. "I have nothing to apologize for. I have always had great trust in my players. In the longer term, I also firmly believe that Cole will become a great shooter in the history of the Red Devils. He has not been able to score for some time, but this situation will change sooner or later. People always say that letting him be a substitute for a while will help him regain his confidence. This is not my decision. I have expressed my long-term trust in him, and I will also have short-term considerations."

Cole started again against Sheffield Wednesday and played the full 90 minutes, but disappointingly he still didn't score. But as Ferguson said, Cole had an assist, his pass led to Cantona's wonderful run and lob.

The Red Devils had an advantage at the start of the first half, but they did not create many chances. In the 19th minute, the Red Devils played a wonderful cooperation in the middle of the opponent's backcourt. Lee Sharp dribbled the ball and turned past the opponent's midfielder. When the second defender came up to intercept, he suddenly passed the ball to Cantona. Cantona knocked the ball back and turned directly to insert. Scholes also passed the ball directly without stopping. Cole passed the ball to Cantona who was in the open space on the left under the interference of the opponent's central defender. Cantona dribbled into the penalty area and calmly shot the ball into the goal when the opponent's goalkeeper came out to intercept!

After the start of the second half, the trailing Sheffield Wednesday team increased their offensive power. They suddenly attacked the two flanks of the Red Devils, causing the Red Devils' defense to be in constant danger. Mark Wright and Guy Whittingham scored twice in the 59th and 78th minutes to reverse the score.

When we are behind, we still have to look to Cantona. In the 83rd minute, the Red Devils threw the ball into the penalty area from the front field. Bruce headed the ball at the front point, and this ball was accidentally passed back to Cantona. Cantona met the ball and moved forward, bent his bow and arrow, and shot the ball into the dead corner with a sideways shot. The Red Devils kept the tie at 2-2.

After the game, the Manchester Evening News said: "Yes, Red Devils fans will never trust Cole at any time, but they are lucky that they can trust Cantona at any time and anywhere!"