The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 61: Bravely Advancing

"The Red Devils are like an expeditionary army. Their morale has been greatly boosted after defeating Liverpool, and their fighting power has been restored. This is what Ferguson hopes for. He hopes that the team will become stronger and stronger when facing stronger opponents on this long journey, and forge ahead bravely."

--Inscription

The Red Devils quickly became the most watched team in the entire English football world.

The victory strongly stimulated the Red Devils players, and their morale quickly recovered. Ferguson later said, "This is the best game the Red Devils have played all season, and we will definitely bounce back strongly."

Despite the victory, Ferguson's team was too exhausted and their emotions were too tense. In the next league game, they did not have enough physical strength to compete with their opponents and eventually lost to Norwich 0-1.

The loss to Norwich did not exhaust the Red Devils' morale, as they beat the Magpies Newcastle United 1987-1 at home on New Year's Day, January 1, 4. Although McGrath continued to be absent in this game, Ferguson's team played very aggressively, not only destroying the opponent's defense with a torrential attack, but also forcing the opponent to score an own goal, and finally won a big victory.

Two days later, the Red Devils played away and ended up drawing 1-1 with Southampton.

The Red Devils were not in great form in this game, but even when they were at a disadvantage, the players remained tenacious. Olsen, a winger, emerged as a dark horse, and continued to score by quickly cutting into the penalty area and helping the team escape unscathed. Including this goal, Olsen has scored in two consecutive games.

On January 1987, 1, the Red Devils faced their city rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford in the third round of the FA Cup.

This Manchester derby attracted much attention before the game, and many fans came to watch the game. The Theatre of Dreams rarely sees such a warm and exciting atmosphere. Most of the Red Devils fans who poured into the stadium were die-hard fans, but some of them came to watch the game because Ferguson awakened the team's offensive passion. Manchester City was not strong at the time, and Manchester United took the initiative throughout the game and played many offensive routines. Whiteside, the gem of the Red Devils' youth training, scored a key goal, which made the home fans cheer and cheer, and they were very happy. In the end, the Red Devils eliminated their opponents 1-0 and successfully advanced.

The Red Devils continued their tight schedule, continued to fight and continued to struggle. Their positive spirit surprised and delighted all the fans. The Red Devils they were familiar with before had changed. The team's enthusiasm was so strong now, which was completely different from the Red Devils in the past. Before Ferguson came, they often played in a daze on the field, especially in the second half, and they would be shaky. They did not have enough physical strength to support the final fight, and they did not have the tenacity to fight to the end.

Now, Ferguson has really infused the team with something different, and the team's mental outlook has completely changed. The Red Devils are full of energy, playing like hungry wolves, and are extremely persistent in winning, which makes the Red Devils fans feel very excited and enjoyable.

The fans' emotions reached a climax again when the Red Devils played against Arsenal at home, and the crazy fans once again proved their love for the club. Many fans poured into Old Trafford for this game, and they will witness how Ferguson's team bravely demolished the Arsenal.

The media hyped up the match as a battle between two new coaches: Arsenal's new coach Graham vs. Manchester United's Ferguson. Most media believed that it would be a fierce battle between Ferguson and Graham. The two coaches were of equal level, had their own advantages in their records, and were both very aggressive, but the difficulty of winning was different for both.

Most media believed that even though Ferguson "luckily" beat Liverpool, it would still be difficult to defeat Arsenal, who had been unbeaten for four months and were at the top of the league.

The media dug up the old feud between Ferguson and Graham.

They broke the news that the original favorite of the Arsenal board was Ferguson, and Graham was just a backup. This kind of hype made Graham very annoyed. He said before the game: "You media need to have some bottom line thinking. Ferguson and I have no personal grudges at all. On the contrary, we are still good friends. I have no response to the question of which team to coach. Now let's get back to the game."

Graham's tactical thinking is very simple and direct, that is, the traditional English tactics, that is, the long pass and lob by tall players. Graham, who is immersed in the tactics of traditional English football, chooses the most direct tactical style. They have strong players, and they advocate the "logging" method in confrontation. The offense is completely sideways cross and center impact. It is the most famous representative of England's power-based style.

Under Graham's leadership, Arsenal at this time was no longer an artistic team. They were a well-known hardliner, and each of them was an English muscle.

Graham's style of play is still popular in England. They started the season well and even had a very impressive winning streak. In the first match of the season, Atkinson's team lost without any suspense. They were completely beaten by the opponent in both the scene and the process.

After Ferguson took over as the coach of the Red Devils, he immediately emphasized the tough spirit and inspired the players' tenacious fighting spirit. This was the basis for his competition with Graham. In addition to the brave confrontation, the Red Devils paid more attention to the technical advantages of the midfield and frontcourt, allowing Strachan to play the role of passing and threading the needle. At the beginning of the game, Ferguson deployed fast passing and running, using a fast pace to suppress the opponent. The group passes of many Red Devils players were fast and crisp, and Arsenal's rough confrontation style did not work, just like a barbarian against a martial arts master with agile movements.

The Red Devils showed their agility in the game, taking advantage of the frontcourt organization and advancement, and quickly making the opponent flustered. Not only that, the Red Devils were not afraid to use physical confrontation and midfield stranglehold, and they took the initiative in confrontation and interception in the backcourt and would not be at a disadvantage.

The game was full of sparks. Ferguson's players, with the enthusiastic cheers of the home fans, defeated their opponents 2-0 with wonderful goals from Gibson and Strachan, and pulled Arsenal down from the top position.

Under Ferguson's command, the Red Devils first beat Liverpool and then Arsenal, a tough opponent. The Red Devils' recovery was eye-catching. After the two tough games, the Red Devils had a huge boost in morale and points.

The media also quickly turned around. After the Red Devils won the battle against Liverpool, the Manchester Evening News asserted that "the Red Devils who can beat Liverpool will never be relegated, and the victory over Arsenal proves that Ferguson has brought the team back on the right track!"

The BBC said: "Ferguson has completely changed the Red Devils. The team now has rare self-confidence and a strong spirit. They are not afraid of any opponent, and they have the ability to defeat any opponent."

After defeating Arsenal, the Red Devils faced the FA Cup 4th round. In this match, the Red Devils did not perform well. The players were exhausted in the victory over Arsenal. Ferguson had to rotate some non-main players and finally lost to Coventry 0-1.

On February 1987, 2, in the 7th round of the league, the Red Devils tied Charlton Athletic 26-0 away. The Red Devils had the upper hand in this game, but what bothered the Red Devils fans and reporters was that a bunch of attackers wasted countless good opportunities. They watched the ball fly and roll in front of the opponent's goal, but no Red Devils player kicked it in.

From November 1986 to February 11, Ferguson's tactical style began to show some clues, and his tactical discipline also began to be known. The Manchester Evening News noticed a detail that Ferguson did not include McGrath in the squad in the recent games. Ferguson said that the player was still recovering from injury and had not yet reached the standard for playing.

In the 27th round of the league, the Red Devils faced Watford at home. In this game, McGrath finally returned to the starting lineup and helped the team beat the opponent 3-1. In the game, this dark and hard Red Devils central defender performed well, not only defending well, but also scoring a wonderful header goal in the game.

McGrath's performance also broke the rumors against Ferguson. The previous media reports that "he would only use those obedient players and would kill all the talented but rebellious stars" were self-defeating.

Ferguson said after the game, "We have been playing at a tense pace. The team is in very good shape, but maintaining this state requires the efforts of everyone in our team. I am very happy that all the players are very positive now. They played with the courage and fighting spirit I expected, as well as the tenacity."

The Red Devils then drew 1-1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before returning home to draw 0-0 with Everton.

At this time, Everton is very strong and is one of the strongest opponents of the league champions. It is also one of the favorites to win the championship this season. Before the battle with the Red Devils, Everton replaced Arsenal and topped the league standings. Of course, they hope to defeat the Red Devils and consolidate their points advantage.

Everton eventually went all the way and snatched the league title once again from their Merseyside rivals Liverpool.

After drawing with Everton, the Red Devils beat Manchester City 30-2 at home in the 0th round of League One, and then lost the next two games to Luton and Sheffield Wednesday.

Ferguson was caught off guard by the two consecutive defeats, but he also knew that the team's ups and downs were normal and he could not be too harsh now. After entering April 1987, the Red Devils beat Nottingham Forest, led by the famous coach Clough, 4-2 in the league, and then won 0-3 at home, beautifully counterattacking Oxford United's provocation.

At West Ham's home ground, the Red Devils managed to draw with their opponents 0-0. This match once again refreshed Ferguson's cognition. For the first time, he heard the crazy insults from the opposing fans that shocked the whole stadium. Some extreme fans even made a diving gesture to mock the Red Devils' Munich air crash.

Ferguson said: "I have felt different since I came to England. My cognition has been constantly refreshed. This league is so crazy, and some difficulties are even beyond your imagination. After playing the game against West Ham United, I was intimidated and threatened by the opponent's fans when I walked out of the stadium. They told me to die early and even shouted that they would beat me up. This is really unimaginable, too crazy!"

After being beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United at St James' Stadium, the Red Devils returned home to beat their arch-rivals Liverpool 1-0.

This Manchester United derby in the 37th round of the English League One allowed Ferguson to set a record of a double kill in one season. The fans who were lucky enough to watch the game live at the Theatre of Dreams truly felt Ferguson's energy. The Red Devils' diehards had not seen such a tough coach for a long time, nor had they seen such brave and courageous players. The Red Devils fans were very excited. They kept using the loudest singing and shouting to cheer for the team, the players, and Ferguson. The cheers and applause continued one after another, and the singing continued until the end of the game. The atmosphere at the Theatre of Dreams reached a boiling point.

After this game, Ferguson has completed the most difficult task of the season. Double Liverpool, defeat Arsenal, draw with Everton... Winning these games is of great significance to the Red Devils who are in a slump.

Ferguson's strict management and high-standard training have transformed the team and given it a new spirit. The players have regained their confidence, their desire for victory and their tenacious fighting spirit.

The league was almost over at this time, and the Red Devils had long escaped the danger of relegation. If we only count the results from the time Ferguson took over the Red Devils, the points they have grabbed are enough to rank in the top three!