The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 48 Glory Belongs to the Explorers

Is Ferguson a master of football tactics? That's a good question.

--Inscription

The biggest feature of Ferguson's football tactical style is the team's overall emphasis and insistence on wing attacks.

The Red Devils team that won the treble in 1999 was the embodiment of Ferguson's tactical ability. With a traditional 442 formation, emphasizing overall offense and defense and wing attack, Ferguson delivered excellent results in all three fronts. Facing the challenge of domestic giants in the Premier League, fighting against the strongest teams in the world in the Champions League, and going through the test of a dense schedule and changing opponents in the FA Cup, Ferguson finally overcame many obstacles and achieved this great miracle.

This treble proved how terrifying Ferguson's 442 formation was. The whole team was like a precision machine, showing extraordinary overall strength and suppressing some teams with superstars. In the 442 formation, Ferguson emphasized the speed advantage and the sharpness of the wing attack. The Red Devils back then had amazingly talented wingers, right-wing flying knives with accurate passes, rebellious midfielders, forwards with excellent skills and tacit understanding, and steel warriors on the defense line... Ferguson took wing attack, strong pressure and fast transition to the extreme through precise tactical arrangements.

This eye-catching tactical style was not created easily by Ferguson. The sharp and energetic tactical characteristics of this Red Devils team were finally finalized by Ferguson after a long time, hard trial and countless explorations.

When Ferguson first took over as manager of the Red Devils, the English league was conservative, the overall attack and defense awareness was very weak, and the English players were only proud of their physical strength. The extensive use of long passes and lobs made English football a label.

Ferguson's exploration and reform of tactics began with learning the essence of his mentor Jock Stein. Stan is a recognized tactical master and a reformer of English football. Stan noticed the gap between British players and continental players in terms of rhythm and technology very early on, so he designed a complex tactical system to make up for it. The Celtics coached by Stan have reached the top of Europe and have an advantage in competing with the giants on the European continent. It was his tactical innovation that gave the team strength. Stan's Celtics have various changes in the 442 formation. The forwards can cross positions with the wingers, and the strengthened wing attacks always gain local advantages... These are all Stan's wealth.

Ferguson almost completely inherited the tactical thinking of his mentor Stan. In his first five years with the Red Devils, he almost replicated the essence of Stan's tactics. Not only that, in the fiercely competitive environment of England, Ferguson was very proactive in learning advanced experience from others. Ferguson actively learned defensive organization from Serie A, learned the execution of tactical discipline from the Bundesliga, especially the formation maintenance under high-speed movement, learned from La Liga to give full play to the creativity of players and leave space for geniuses, and also learned various new playing styles from other famous coaches of the time. Ferguson also actively followed the trend of world football, learned from the coaches of various national teams, and learned from the strengths of others to achieve a thorough understanding.

Ferguson has always attached great importance to the great role of tactics. He led his team to defeat Real Madrid in Aberdeen and defeated Barcelona in the Cup Winners' Cup final, all of which were due to the absorption of Stan's tactical nutrition. Entering the Premier League era, Ferguson began to combine the actual situation of the Red Devils and further explore the inheritance of Stan's teachings.

Before the 92-93 season, Ferguson had no way to lead the team to win the championship, even if it was just a little bit short, but he could never break through the window paper. At that time, England was full of 442, pursuing a center forward strategy and simple and effective long passes and lobs. The glory of the Forest team was still influencing everyone. Liverpool's strength, Arsenal's rise, and Leeds United's championship only made English football faster and sharper. The traditional 442 long pass and short lob play and English football relying on physical strength and speed still dominated the mainstream.

When the Premier League started, Ferguson found Cantona after much exploration, and his Red Devils quickly upgraded their tactics. Ferguson let Cantona play as a free attacker, building a bridge between the central midfielder and the center forward, and the team's offense was led by Cantona. For the first time, Ferguson added the flank attack to the English system. Cantona was not only an attacker, but also a bottle opener and a metronome, which doubled the overall strength of the Red Devils.

Cantona changed almost everything for the Red Devils. Mark Hughes was no longer trapped as a single center forward. McClair roamed around the frontcourt. Giggs could go down the flank and cut into the ribs. Kanchelskis could cross the ball and break through alone... Cantona could do everything he wanted.

Ferguson won the first Premier League title with the help of Cantona and the changes Cantona made to the Red Devils' midfield and frontcourt play, and then won two consecutive titles and the double. When Cantona kicked a fan, Ferguson failed to respond and lost the Premier League title, but he later welcomed the Frenchman back after his suspension expired and won the Premier League title again.

Is it true that Ferguson can only dominate the Premier League by relying on Cantona?

Actually, it wasn't. After Cantona left, Ferguson quickly rebuilt the team, and then won the treble in the 1998-99 season. Cantona suddenly retired, and Ferguson had to start over and began to build the Red Devils tactics without the Frenchman. This time, Ferguson actually returned to the tradition of 442, especially the fast offense and defense under the diamond midfield, which made people feel familiar. Ferguson relied on the brilliance of the 92 class to directly start the high-speed rush of the entire season, and persisted all the way to the end, winning the three major championships.

It seems like this is a step backward? Using Cantona's magic, it has become a traditional 442 formation? From 442 to 4312, Cantona, as the center of the formation, can do a lot, which is the progress of tactics. But now the Red Devils have returned to 442. What tactical innovation can they brag about?

Ferguson really has nothing to brag about, but he did rely on a 98 formation to conquer the world in the 99-442 season, and conquered England and the whole of Europe. Giggs and Beckham were responsible for the two wingers, Keane and Scholes played in the middle, and with two mobile forwards, they beat all the Premier League teams, and also showed off their prowess in front of Barcelona in La Liga, Inter Milan and Juventus in Serie A, and Bayern in the Bundesliga. The Red Devils' 442 can not only play in parallel midfield, but also in diamond midfield, and can also be transformed into 4411 with York behind Cole, and then into 4231 with Keane and Butt retreating, York behind Cole and Giggs and Beckham standing in a row... Ferguson had long understood the changes between formations and tactics, and everything has infinite possibilities.

Ferguson's tactical exploration was not always smooth sailing. The attempt to introduce Veron was a Waterloo. Of course, it was not without gain. When Neville and Butt followed Veron's pass and passed the ball, making Blackburn desperate to get the ball, Ferguson actually understood the team's transformation direction very well and had insight into the essence of continental football. With Veron playing as the core of the midfield, the Red Devils can complete the continentalization, but Veron could not escape unscathed in the Premier League's stranglehold, and Ferguson's attempt had to be thwarted. After this experiment, Ferguson returned to the tone of English football again. He actively searched for the best players among English players, and even introduced second-rate English players at first-rate prices, and began to explore new tactical play again.

Ferguson is a coach who truly understands the mutual influence between tactical play and player characteristics. He waited for Ronaldo and Rooney to mature. He relied on these young people to re-establish tactical advantages: fast 433, three-headed monster attack play, high-frequency running and gunning, speed and technology, pressure and fast pace, which brought the 2008 Champions League championship.

With two Champions League titles and 13 Premier League titles, Ferguson is undoubtedly at the top of the world. Throughout his long coaching career, Ferguson has always maintained a humble attitude and kept up with the times. When Barcelona and Spain's ball possession style emerged and Wenger's artistic football became popular, Ferguson also studied and explored based on the Red Devils' reality. Ferguson also tried high-position defense and control tactics after 2010. Not to mention the four central defenders and the strange formation of seven defenders that blew up Arsenal.

Ronaldo left, Ferguson also lost Tevez, Saha also became a glass man, and Haag was more like a flash in the pan. In the face of these shocks, Ferguson relied on Carrick as the center of the midfield, Giggs and Scholes, two veterans, and Rooney's power in the frontcourt, and also made a name for himself. Ferguson also met the UAE sponsor and the luxurious Manchester City. Ferguson turned to studying internal potential and winning more efficiently. When the team had to rely on the elderly Scholes or Giggs to drive the game, Ferguson let Van Persie and Rooney combine perfectly, allowing the Red Devils to regain their dominance.

Wenger's gorgeous technical flow stunned the entire Premier League, Mourinho brought tight formations and quick counterattacks, Mancini built a solid defense and fine advancement, all of which were the driving force for Ferguson's tactical progress. In European football, the Red Devils have been active in the Champions League for a long time, which also gave Ferguson more challenges and opportunities. Although it was difficult for Ferguson's Red Devils to reach the finals as before due to various reasons, Ferguson has always been based on the reality of the team, constantly changing and innovating, and his playing style has always been ahead of the European trend.

The reason why Ferguson is Ferguson, not Wenger or Mourinho, is that he can always keep up with the times and constantly explore the trend of team development, instead of sticking to the rules or being good at only one thing and being controlled by others. Ferguson started again on the basis of historical achievements and then won the championship. Not only in terms of results, but even in the team's playing style, Ferguson can do something completely different.

Ferguson did not start any new football tactical system, nor did he attract attention with new styles of play, but he always attached great importance to formation and style of play. He was based on the reality of his own team, took victory as the fundamental goal, used offense and pressure as his own style, pursued integrity, exerted team strength, and strengthened the control of rhythm... All these proved the level he had achieved in tactics and playing style.

Ferguson's 26-year-long glory proved that he was extremely successful in tactics. The long and glorious journey also proved that Ferguson was not only good at sticking to one formation and one style of play, nor was he good at using 442 wing attack to the extreme. He explored too many ways to win by using different formations and styles of play, so it is difficult for people to accurately summarize his great contribution in this regard.

Ferguson has been improving. His use of Cantona was amazing, and the ultimate 1999 in 442 shone in Europe. Later, he used 433 and 4231, and also tried 451... No matter what formation or tactics, Ferguson can always change and innovate, often with unexpected surprises.

Is Ferguson a master of football tactics? He did not have any major tactical innovations that would catch people's eyes, nor did he make enough contributions to the tactical innovation and evolution of world football. He was not the typical founder of a school of thought; but he was not a role of a defender or a traditional inheritor. Even in the several Manchester United teams he formed at different times, his style changes and tactical innovations can be seen. Ferguson's brilliant achievements and long history in his Manchester United career are actually a great story of tactical exploration and innovation.

Ferguson's leading ideas, active research and bold exploration of tactics have made him a leader in the British Isles and a trendsetter in world football. This is Ferguson, a brave man who actively explores in the field of tactics, a coach who dares to deny himself, a trendsetter who keeps pace with the times, and a tactical master who keeps winning.