The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 69 New Torrent

"Manchester United's summer signings were very passive and embarrassing. Ferguson had a lot of setbacks, but opponents continued to prepare for battle. Especially Liverpool, who just lost the league title last season, they built a luxurious lineup with a domineering attitude that almost overflowed the entire English islands."

--Inscription

Before the start of the new season, representatives of the English League One negotiated and adjusted the rules for promotion and relegation and the number of league teams. It was agreed that there would be only 1987 teams in the 88-21 season, and the number would be further reduced to 20 after the next season.

When Ferguson was looking for reinforcements in the summer of 1987 and prepared to rebuild a competitive team, the league champions and giants had other plans.

In the just-concluded 1986-87 season, a new pattern emerged in the English league. Liverpool began to show signs of decline this season, while their arch-rival Everton avenged their previous defeat and regained the First Division title. Liverpool ultimately faltered and lost all four major titles. This was the first time since Paisley took over as coach that the Reds did not win any championship trophies in a single season since the 1974-75 season.

The main reason for the team's poor performance was the lack of lineup strength, which also led Liverpool to truly start a large-scale reconstruction. In the summer of that year, legendary striker Ian Rush officially transferred to Juventus and left Liverpool. Rush's departure brought a vacuum to Liverpool's attack line, but also left Juventus with a transfer fee of 320 million pounds.

This summer, Dalglish, who was both the head coach and player, was already 35 years old. His power had long been reduced to a very low level. He simply faded out of the team lineup and concentrated on his work as head coach.

Liverpool signed Irish striker John Aldridge in early 1987. This famous English First Division striker was very similar to the Welsh striker Rush in both appearance and playing style, but his performance was not very outstanding under Rush's shadow. Rush's departure also put him in a predicament of fighting alone, alone and lacking support.

Looking at Liverpool's forward line, Aldridge and Craig Johnstone alone are far from enough.

Liverpool's midfield core Souness has also left, and Dalglish needs to bring in a successor who can control the overall situation. Molby, who was highly expected, has poor self-discipline. His addiction to alcohol and nightlife has greatly reduced his strength and made it difficult for him to support the whole game. Although McMahon has shown flashes, he has not yet become a real leader.

On the defensive line, Dalglish believed that Liverpool still had captain Alan Hansen and other veterans to support them, so the danger was not too great.

In the summer of 1987, Dalglish's first move in rebuilding Liverpool was to buy players from the offensive line.

Dalglish first spotted Newcastle's creative offensive talent Peter Beardsley and offered him a price of 190 million pounds. Beardsley initially negotiated with Manchester United's transfer representative, and Ferguson was still hoping to buy back this player who had played for Manchester United. But Liverpool's wealth conquered everything, and in the face of such a huge check, Newcastle ruthlessly rejected Manchester United's purchase. Newcastle said with disdain, "Manchester United lacks sincerity and has not offered a price that matches Beardsley's status."

Bringing Beardsley was not enough. Dalglish wanted to make some changes to the forward line and hoped to strengthen the attack on the wing, so he bought John Barnes, the best winger in England at the time.

Liverpool got Barnes, just like Beardsley, purely by spending money. If they were not rich, Barnes would have been more likely to join Manchester United.

In the summer of 1987, Graham Taylor, the meritorious head coach of Watford, left his post. Before leaving, he solemnly recommended the team's rookie Barnes to Ferguson of Manchester United. Ferguson and Taylor were lifelong friends, and his recommendation was quickly responded to by Ferguson. At that time, Barnes' performance at Watford was already amazing. The level he showed in his 20s had attracted the attention of the whole of England, and Ferguson was even more excited. Unfortunately, Manchester United's negotiations were really lame, and Liverpool's offer was far beyond the level that Ferguson could match, so Barnes was quickly finalized by Liverpool.

Liverpool manager Dalglish would wake up laughing in his dreams. "Of course I know that Taylor likes Barnes, and we also understand how strong and sharp Barnes is. To be honest, we can't wait. Barnes is the answer to our wing. We are eager to reorganize the attacking line, and a strong reinforcement like Barnes is what we have always dreamed of."

Dalglish said, "We will redesign the routines and rebuild the tactical system for the new attacking combination. This is a good opportunity for us to regain the league title. I believe Aldridge, Barnes and Beardsley will form a trident, and this combination will shine."

The English football world is already very familiar with Barnes. He was one of the strongest players in English football in the 80s and the second black player in the England national team. Even in the era when black players were still excluded by the mainstream football world, he used his strength to eliminate prejudice. After getting him, the Reds' forward line is equivalent to being equipped with a nuclear explosion point, with the ability to crush the opponent's defense at any time.

Dalglish also brought in Ireland's right winger Ray Houghton, and the reorganization of the forward line was completely completed. Counting the versatile player Sparkman who had been bought before, Liverpool's midfield and frontcourt seemed very strong. After Barnes came, the original left winger Ronnie Whelan retreated to the midfield position. With McMahon's maturity and Sparkman's ability to fight, the team's midfield problem was eradicated.

In this way, Dalglish created a very sharp and vibrant new army.

Many years later, in the eyes of many old-school British football critics, this Liverpool is still the most gorgeous team in English professional football in more than 100 years. Even Manchester United in the 1998-99 season, or Arsenal that created 49 unbeaten games, or Manchester City in the 2022-23 season, cannot shake that Liverpool's position in the hearts of fans.

The team's formation structure is closer to 442, with Aldridge as the main center and Beardsley playing the role of second forward or organizing forward behind him; on the left is the heavy weapon Barnes, and on the right is Horton or Johnstone. Both sides have restored the traditional wingers' style of play, but the positions are more flexible and the coverage is larger.

The core midfielder is McMahon and Whelan. McMahon has completed the "ultimate evolution" and his role is no less than that of Souness. Whether it is dribbling forward, inserting shots, stabilizing pressure and even intercepting steals, he is everywhere and has become a nightmare for the opposing players. If we only talk about this season, McMahon's performance is better than Robson's, and his brilliance is even more dazzling.

On the defensive line, Lawrenson lost his position due to a long-term injury. Hansen and Gillespie became the fixed central defenders. After Lawrenson recovered from his injury, he could only play as a left back. Of course, he was seriously injured halfway through this season and then retired directly. The young player Ablett took over. The regular right back is the versatile Steve Nickell, who can play any position on the two sides. He is full of energy and has good technical ability. If Hansen is a stabilizer, he is the engine of the backcourt. Goalkeeper Grobbelaar is still in his prime, and there is no reason to replace him in the foreseeable future.

Since the front court players of this team are very skilled, the playing style is very gorgeous, and they can even play the Brazilian samba football, which is a gorgeous and smooth artistic football on the British Isles. The wall kicks between two or three people on the Liverpool team are smooth, and everyone is looking for gaps while moving. The ball is full of rhythmic changes when it moves in the opponent's hinterland. When everyone becomes the hub of the triangle pass, it is only a matter of time before the opportunity appears.

The most noteworthy of these is Beardsley, who is Dalglish's successor on the field, but his style is slightly different. Although the King is efficient, he does not have a strong sense of beauty, at least when he holds the ball, his movements are not elegant. But Beardsley can be called a master of art, often making some imaginative moves. When he is in the frontcourt, there are endless possibilities. Before Gascoigne came out, he was the most technically capable and artistic player in the same position in England.

The splendor of dribbling and passing does not mean victory, but Beardsley is not only a gorgeous footwork, his organization and advancement are also very threatening. And although Beardsley is the offensive organizer, the two frontline attackers Aldridge and Barnes are even more sharp, and they can even easily complete the task of advancing and killing the enemy alone.

This Liverpool team proved with their final sweep of England and their easy title win that beautiful football and good results are not in conflict, provided that they have diverse capabilities.

At the start of the 1987-88 season, Liverpool's frontcourt had been completely transformed. Although Ian Rush had gone to Turin and the King himself rarely appeared as a player, a new era began with the arrival of Aldridge, John Barnes and Peter Beardsley.

The main formation of this Red Army is still the traditional 442, but it is very different from the Paisley period. Dalglish has restored the traditional winger tactics, and Barnes is his most important bargaining chip. Although the team has McMahon, Ronnie Whelan and even Jan Molby in the midfield, the real nuclear weapon in their attack line is still Barnes, who is also the most dependent on this black lightning full of explosive power and super speed. If Liverpool can't open the situation, they will repeatedly pull the ball to him, and then everyone will wait to outflank the goal.

Some critics say how gorgeous Beardsley and others play, but these flattery and flattery are sometimes not realistic. It is true that in some games the Reds did play delicate coordination rarely seen in English football, and there were many individual performances of showmanship, various ball control and group passes, various open through balls and early passes, as well as tacit and accurate assists, and some dazzling offensive routines that even made Brian Clough speechless, but these are not the most critical. In the long league, the amazing record created by Liverpool is to win the game in the way they are best at.

In the 80s, in English football, this Liverpool team could be soft or hard, fast or slow, and had a variety of styles. This is what is truly terrifying.

It is naturally pleasing to watch to tear apart the opponent's defense through extreme passing and control, and Liverpool did this in the 5-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. This game is also known as the "Battle of the Century" and is a classic battle in Liverpool's history. In the minds of many fans, this is the most memorable game in British football over the past years.

In addition to facing head-on opponents, some opponents will also use various means to limit Liverpool's technical advantages, so the real strong must have multiple breakthrough capabilities. Liverpool has John Barnes, a sharp sword. He can attack the opponent's right wing defense dozens of times in each game, and can even start advancing from his own half, like a more sophisticated and faster Hulk, or a stronger Haaland, or a stronger Giggs. Under physical collisions, Barnes can launch unreasonable attacks and make the defending defenders fall into despair. Even when facing the opponent's team shrinking, Liverpool can still use a cross from the wing, because they have the best battering ram in England-Aldridge.

Aldridge further adapted to the team's tactics. As a comprehensive center similar to Rush, he is particularly good in aerial combat and is really a killer in the frontcourt. Even if the team's ground advancement is blocked, it is also an effective measure to pierce the defense by making strong breakthroughs on both sides and then kicking high balls to Aldridge in front of the goal.

Liverpool remained unbeaten in the first 1987 league games of the 88-29 season, tying the record of the English Premier League. They truly frightened their opponents and caused them to collapse quickly. Although they unexpectedly lost to Wimbledon in the FA Cup final, the gorgeous scenes and strong deterrence displayed by Liverpool in the league are enough to make them famous forever.

1988 was the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the English Professional League. Fans who have a little knowledge of the history of the English League should know the significance of this season. Liverpool played a wonderful artistic football. Old-school critics including Tom Finney believed that the performance of the Red Army exceeded the most extreme imagination. This Red Army performed the "Century Dance" and was the most outstanding legendary team in history.

As for Dalglish, it took only three years for him to transform from a player to a coach, but he has already become a legendary coach who is on par with several masters in the boot room. The legendary team he created made him a famous coach with a great reputation.