The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 79: Chelsea Triple Kill

"Time changes people's memories. Chelsea was actually very weak during this season, while Ferguson's Red Devils were in full swing. They defeated their opponents three times in the league and FA Cup, setting a new record. Unfortunately, Chelsea had to be relegated to the second division after the end of this season."

--Inscription

Manchester United beat the Gunners away from home, and the team reversed the previous two-game losing streak in one fell swoop, and morale also improved.

After overcoming the Arsenal crisis, the team had a short break and the league schedule returned to its normal weekly schedule. Some key players began to recover from injuries, and Ferguson's team quickly improved its competitive state.

Manchester United first faced Chelsea in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Red Devils easily defeated their opponents 2-0 and advanced smoothly.

Ferguson's team then returned to the league to face the challenge of Coventry. At that time, Coventry was quite strong. Although they were not strong, they had the strength to beat the giants. In the 1986-87 season, Coventry was co-coached by George Curtis and John Sennett. In the absence of star players, the team relied on tenacious team spirit and unyielding determination to beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 in extra time at Wembley Stadium in the FA Cup final and won the FA Cup.

In the 1987-88 season, Coventry was coached by John Sennett and began to seek greater progress.

Coventry City was quite competitive this season, but they finished 10th in the league standings and failed to defend their FA Cup title. Overall, the season's results were not outstanding.

In this match against Manchester United, Coventry was completely passive and they simply could not resist Strachan's attack. The Scottish winger with the best footwork in Manchester United showed a rare excellent state. He was unstoppable in the left area of ​​the midfield. Coventry often had a midfielder fail to defend and had to send more people to deal with him. In the 27th minute of the first half, Strachan rushed into the opponent's penalty area with the ball in the frontcourt and easily found an open space to pass to his teammates. McClair inserted in the middle and shot directly to help Manchester United win 1-0.

After the end of this season, Coventry City also experienced some fluctuations. They then went back and forth between the top and lower leagues in England, and were even relegated to the fourth-tier English Football League Two in the 2016/2017 season. Later, they returned to League One, and then returned to the Championship, actively striving for promotion to the Premier League. On May 2023, 5, Coventry City won the chance to advance to the final of the Championship promotion play-offs, but in the end Coventry City lost to Luton 27-6 on penalties and missed the chance to return to the Premier League.

Derby County is also a veteran team, but its strength is even weaker. Derby County Club was founded in 1884 and is a founding member of the English Football League. They struggled throughout the 80s, being relegated from League One to League Two in 1980, and even to League Three after the end of the 1983-84 season. Then they made a double jump, from League Three back to League One in two seasons. As a newly promoted team that was still fighting in League Two last season, Derby County's biggest wish this season was to stay in the league. They eventually won 40 of 10 league games and lost 17, narrowly avoiding relegation.

In February 1988, Derby County was still fighting for relegation. Although their overall strength was not strong, their fighting spirit and desire for victory were still very strong. Manchester United had the upper hand after the start of this game. After all, there was a huge gap in strength between the two teams, and Ferguson also hoped to grab as many points as possible.

After the game started, Manchester United's Strachan was very good and continued to maintain his good form. He moved freely in the front court and did not even need to stay on a certain side for a long time. He was everywhere dribbling the ball to attack the opponent's defense. Under Manchester United's overwhelming offensive, Derby County soon could not resist.

Manchester United won the game easily, but there were some loopholes in the defense, and the final score of 2-1 did not satisfy Ferguson.

Derby County continued their relegation mission. After successfully staying in the league for several consecutive years, they suddenly collapsed in the 1990-91 season, and their performance dropped sharply. In the end, they were relegated to the second division. In the Premier League era, they did not return to the top league until the 1995-96 season. Then in the 2020st century, Derby County continued to struggle back and forth between the Premier League and the Championship. In the 21- season, Manchester United's meritorious Rooney once played for the team and served as the head coach. The team also fell into financial problems continuously, and was deducted points by the league for a period of time, and almost continued to be relegated.

Back in the 1987-88 season, Manchester United traveled to Stamford Bridge in the 28th round of the league to fight against Chelsea.

Chelsea at that time was not the luxurious team that it has become in the 20st century. They were very weak. In the late 70s and early 80s, Chelsea fell to the lowest point in history. They changed three head coaches in four years, but they always hovered between the first and second divisions. In the late 70s, Chelsea struggled in the second division for a long time.

By 1982, Chelsea's fan loss began to accelerate. Their London derby against Eastern only attracted 6009 spectators. The historic team was facing a huge crisis. Not only did it default on player salaries and bank loans, but it also failed to raise funds everywhere. Chelsea was on the verge of death.

Prior to this, Chelsea had to sell Stamford Bridge Stadium due to debt and could only use Fulham's home stadium for games. Chelsea was the poorest club in England at that time. During this period, London businessman Ken Bates became Chelsea's savior. If Abramovich's entry in the summer of 2003 allowed Chelsea to move to the highest level, Bates saved Chelsea's life. He paid off Chelsea's debts and bought Chelsea Club for a symbolic price of 1 pound. After that, Bates insisted on taking back Stamford Bridge. He did not hesitate to fight a 10-year lawsuit and regained Stamford Bridge in 1982.

Under Bates' leadership, Chelsea began to operate on a budget-conscious path. Head coach John Neil began a difficult reconstruction. Chelsea's recovery was very difficult, and they were even one step away from falling into the abyss of no return, and they might have been relegated directly to the third division, and then they might have continued to decline. In the end, they stopped at the edge of the cliff and started to revitalize the team again.

In the summer of 1983, Chelsea reorganized the team on a large scale and signed six new players to start a new journey. This season, Chelsea won the Second Division Championship and returned to the First Division.

In this game, Manchester United's Strachan still maintained his excellent form. His speed and rhythm made Chelsea's defense at a loss. Under Ferguson's request, Strachan played faster, more concisely and more threateningly. His leading organization in the midfield and frontcourt made Manchester United's attack sharper and the chances in front of the goal more deadly.

In this game, Manchester United won 2-0 like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves. Although Chelsea later scored a goal and the score was fixed at 2-1, it was already the third time that Ferguson defeated the opponent this season.

Chelsea's entire team was very messy and sluggish, like an undefended fortress, and lost many games during the season. They were also beaten twice by Southampton, and became Liverpool's point-giving boy. They were at the bottom of the games against several London teams, and their results were naturally terrible.

At the end of the season, Chelsea was tragically relegated.

For Manchester United and Ferguson, Chelsea was not a strong opponent. Including this 2-1 victory, they won 3-1 at home in the league and 2-0 in the FA Cup, and the task of defeating Chelsea three times was easily completed.

The next time Chelsea lost 20 times in a single season was in the 2020-21 season, which was also their worst season result since Abramovich's retirement.

Manchester United fans probably wouldn’t have thought that after this treble against Chelsea, they would have to wait 32 years before they could complete a double against the Blues again. Ferguson also didn’t expect that even though his team later became the Premier League champions, they still didn’t achieve a second treble.

Not only that, Chelsea even became a headache for Ferguson during the Premier League period. Whether they transformed into fresh seafood, a retirement home for Serie A stars, or luxury cars after Abramovich took over, this team from London has always played against Ferguson's Red Devils in the long Premier League.

After Ferguson retired, Chelsea also experienced a major earthquake. Abramovich was directly driven out by the English government, and Chelsea was bought by American tycoon Berle. Then both clubs entered a difficult period of revival.

In the 2020-21 season, Chelsea performed very poorly in the league, and ended this nightmare season in 12th place with only 44 points. You know, they started to invest a record 6.11 million euros in the transfer market, almost reorganizing a new team, but the results are still so eye-catching. The Blues coached by Lampard only achieved 38 wins, 11 draws and 11 losses in 16 league games, scoring 38 goals and conceding 47 goals. Chelsea's wins, goals and points all created the worst records in the Premier League era!

Such dedication, such results, such performance...the boss, the coach and the team have all become a laughing stock.

The only thing that can save Chelsea fans' face is that their boss will continue to support them generously, their boss still has ambition and can still make efforts.

By defeating Chelsea, Manchester United had already achieved a rare winning streak. By this time it was mid-February 1988, and Manchester United fans were delighted to see that the team continued to stay at the top of the standings and was still chasing the leader.

Manchester United's winning streak has boosted the morale of the players, but it is not easy to overcome the difficulty of exhausting physical strength. Even experienced players such as Davenport and Robson are overwhelmed. Now all the players know the significance of Ferguson's hard training before the season.

McClair said, "My first season at Manchester United was the most impressive because I had never played so many games. The Scottish league is also very tough, but I have never tried such a dense schedule. It's crazy. I played almost every day. I don't know why there are so many games in English football, why we can play so many games, and I don't know how we can get through it. It's incredible that I still have the energy at the end. It's unimaginable!"

As the season progresses, Manchester United encounters a strong rival in the fifth round of the FA Cup, that is Arsenal, their direct enemy for two seasons.

This FA Cup fifth round match was full of sparks and twists and turns. The Gunners, as always, fought fiercely and were determined to get the start. Manchester United responded by directly fighting in the midfield, not afraid of Arsenal's crazy output. Although Arsenal's "woodcutting method" was used to the fullest, Manchester United had obviously seen it for a long time and was well prepared. In the first half, both teams had opportunities, but neither of them could break the deadlock, and the game ended in a 5-0 draw.

After the start of the second half, the Gunners attacked more fiercely, and they pushed the fire to the top of Manchester United's penalty area, relying on the cross-pass tactics to attack continuously. Manchester United's defense became more and more passive, and Anderson's physical strength could not support it, and he was frequently broken through by the opponent on this side. In the 23rd and 31st minutes of the first half, Arsenal made a corner pass and a cross from the left bottom. The striker took the lead in the melee and scored two goals in a row, leading Manchester United 2-0.

Manchester United was naturally unwilling to be eliminated, and the whole team quickly launched a counterattack. McClair broke through the crowd of opponents and scored a goal in the penalty area, pulling a goal back for Manchester United, and the score became 1-2.

Manchester United rekindled their hopes and launched a massive offensive against Arsenal in the final moments of the game. However, the Gunners defended the game, making it difficult for Manchester United to create a great chance to score. In the third minute of stoppage time, Manchester United launched a direct attack. Whiteside received the ball in the penalty area and was knocked down by an Arsenal player. The referee awarded a penalty!

McClair withstood the pressure and took the penalty kick, but he accidentally hit the ball away and missed a great opportunity to equalize.

Arsenal's Winterburn wantonly humiliated McClair, "You are such a idiot, the penalty you cheated is useless! You liars, you will lose even your pants!"

At the end of the game, Arsenal finally eliminated Manchester United 2-1.

The game was over, but the friction and hatred were far from being resolved. McClair missed a penalty and was ridiculed by Winterburn, Bruce was trampled by his opponent, and Davenport was almost shoveled by his opponent... The two teams also had a grudge against each other.