The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 81 Strachan's Outburst

"Strachan's sudden explosion is the key reason why the Red Devils are in great form in the final stage of the league. Having such an attacker and offensive conductor with outstanding skills and high mobility in the front court has given Ferguson's Red Devils many more complex offensive routines, as well as simpler, faster but more direct and effective flank operations."

--Inscription

After the Red Devils lost the game, Ferguson did not lose his temper, but took the initiative to take responsibility.

The manager didn't lose his temper, but the players themselves couldn't bear it. The day after the game, many players took the initiative to return to the Cliff base to request training, and this situation "has not appeared since Busby".

In March 1988, the league gradually came to an end. After a tough and devilish schedule, the Red Devils, who already had a short roster, were put to the most severe test of their physical fitness. Their physical exhaustion reached its limit early, but they also began to recover quickly. The Red Devils played ups and downs in the remaining games, and their state was unpredictable, but Ferguson's firm promotion of the concept of attack-oriented play and the idea of ​​firmly pursuing victory were slowly taking effect.

In March, the Red Devils also had a huge good news. Their front attacking core Strachan finally recovered from his injury and returned after resting for many games.

In the 31st round of the league, the Red Devils played against Sheffield Wednesday at home. The Red Devils played at home and were determined to defeat their opponents. Ferguson sent Strachan and Robson as the double core midfielders, McClair and Davenport as the double forwards, and Mullen and Blackmore were also sent to the starting lineup. The Red Devils played vigorously at the beginning of the game and quickly took the advantage of the scene. Under the fierce attack of the Red Devils, Sheffield Wednesday passively gave up the midfield area and passively contracted its defense. The space between their full-backs and central defenders was quickly seized by the Red Devils. Strachan cut into the left rib and made a wonderful pass, and then continued to cut into the ribs and shot directly, which put Sheffield Wednesday's defense into crisis. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Robson passed the ball straight from the middle, Davenport ran to respond, and then McClair received the ball in the penalty area and pushed away the opponent's central defender. After flashing out of the gap, he shot directly and scored, helping the Red Devils open the door to victory. After taking the lead, the Red Devils' morale was boosted and they continued to attack their opponents. In the 39th minute, McClair was assisted by his teammates in the middle again, and he easily shot into the goal from the edge of the small penalty area.

The Red Devils led 2-0 in the first half.

In the second half, the Red Devils continued to attack, and Sheffield Wednesday changed its defensive formation and pressed forward to attack the Red Devils. As a result, the two sides exchanged goals in the second half. Blackmore and Davenport each scored a goal, and the opponent also scored a goal. In the end, the Red Devils won a big victory 4-1.

Red Devils fan Daimsler said: "To be honest, I was very angry about the loss to Norwich. The players played too casually and were too relaxed. The loss was not unfair. But later the team responded and there have been significant changes. I think the head coach's leadership and control over the team is still very strong, and the players are willing to play for him. Compared with last season, the current team is what we want to see. Championship? If we can stick to this direction, I think we will win it soon."

In the 32nd round of the league, the Red Devils faced Nottingham Forest.

At this time, the Forest team still maintained the temperament of a wealthy team, but it had not won the league championship for nearly 1978 years since 10. Although they were once unstoppable and had staged a miracle of winning the European Cup for two consecutive years, and had occasionally shown their ferocity in domestic cup competitions, the team's overall strength was still not enough to challenge the league championship. Under the command of the legendary coach Clough, the team had many stars, but Clough had been in charge of the team for more than ten years, and now the team lacked sharpness, and the team's tactical play had not improved much.

In the end, Ferguson used his troops cautiously in this game, and Forest did not have too many ideas. The two sides drew 0-0 and each got one point.

After Forest, the Red Devils faced West Ham United in the 33rd round of the league.

Ferguson still sent out the dual core midfield of Robson and Strachan, Bruce was in charge of the defense, and the forward was McClair who kept scoring goals. West Ham United was mediocre, and basically had no worries about relegation so far this season, so they could put their minds at ease and fight the Red Devils. This game was very intense, both sides were determined to win, and both strengthened their offensive deployment. The rhythm of the game became very fast, and the two sides exchanged offense and defense many times.

The Red Devils really like this style. Ferguson constantly strengthens the impact in training. Active attack is his focus, and the enthusiasm of the players has also been mobilized. In the fierce battle between the two sides, there were many opportunities in front of the goal. The Red Devils first used a corner kick tactic, and the full-back Anderson shot in the melee in the penalty area. The opponent West Ham quickly responded with a long pass, and the central midfielder Dudum headed the ball in front of the goal to equalize. Then the Red Devils midfielder showed his power. Robson shot hard outside the penalty area and scored a world wave. Strachan was like a dragon and a phoenix, passing three people and entering the penalty area. He easily scored a goal with a single shot in the dead corner.

The Red Devils took the lead twice and expanded the score to 3-1, completely taking the initiative. Although West Ham United attacked frantically in the last 20 minutes, thanks to the Red Devils' stronger strength and better individual players, they finally won the game in a game that was close to a stab game.

The Times praised Strachan after the game, saying, "The Red Devils' midfield control and attacking power are far superior to their opponents, and they created more than three times as many attacking opportunities as their opponents. All this is because they have Strachan, the offensive conductor. Strachan's skills are so outstanding. His ball control and dribbling, his rhythm changes and feints are all irresistible to opponents. Strachan defeated the opponent's entire defense by himself. His mobility made it difficult for the opponent to defend, and his one-on-one ability can directly blow up the opponent's defense."

In the 34th round of the league, the Red Devils played against Derby County. Derby County was a weak team in the English League One at the time, and was struggling to avoid relegation. In this game, Strachan continued to shine. He completely destroyed the opponent's flank defense on the left and contributed two assists in a row. The newly joined McClair received the ball in the penalty area easily and comfortably, and scored three goals in a row with his head and feet, performing a hat trick. In the second half, the Red Devils' midfielder Gibson, who came on as a substitute, also scored a goal, helping the team to finally win 4-1.

The Red Devils showed a strong momentum to rebound in the final stage of the league. After the unexpected loss to Norwich, they quickly recovered and went on a four-match unbeaten streak with three wins and one draw, and all three wins were by big scores. Ferguson's team once again won the support of the fans with its sharp attack and fiery form.

The Red Devils had a good start this season, competing with Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham for the top spot in the standings. With Everton and Liverpool playing steadily and continuously breaking unbeaten records, Ferguson's team also maintained a strong pursuit.

It was not until the Christmas and New Year Express and the subsequent continuous battles in February that Manchester United had to slow down its pace due to injuries to many main players. The intensive competitions are a test for all teams in the English League One. At this time, they need better physical reserves, more scientific game arrangements, more efficient ways to win, and a thicker bench and rotation lineup.

Many factors that affect the results are due to Ferguson's lack of experience in dealing with them. Everyone saw the Red Devils' thin lineup and their consumption. In some games, the fatigue of the Red Devils players was even written on their faces. They were very surprised at the Red Devils' current points. They couldn't believe that such a team could stick to offensive tactics, fight bravely, and fight against adversity. Even when the goalkeeper was injured, the core of the central defender was injured, and the midfielders and forwards were injured, they could still reach such an excellent position in the standings.

The Daily Mail interviewed the press officer of the Red Devils club and published an exclusive interview. In the long article, reporter Martin expressed his surprise at the Red Devils' great progress in the standings. "We are all amazed at Ferguson's team, especially how Ferguson built such a lineup, how he gave specific and effective commands, and how he won the game... We are full of doubts."

"How did Ferguson do it? He chose a relatively fixed but small lineup and built a lineup that focused on offense. In this team, Ferguson made Turner (Walsh), McGrath, Robson and McClair the central axis, and the other players cooperated around this axis. When McGrath was seriously injured, Bruce would be the central defender, but Robson and McClair were indispensable. From the course of the season so far, this lineup has shown extremely strong fighting power and achieved very good results."

Martin observed a new attacking deployment, which gave Strachan more freedom to attack in the left and right flanks at will. Strachan had been struggling with injuries throughout the first half of the season, and was also struggling to get familiar with this special tactic with him as the core of the attack. Finally, when entering March, Strachan finally became the most flexible and sharpest blade in Ferguson's hands, and the most visionary command tower.

Martin was convinced, "Ferguson's use of Strachan was a stroke of genius."

Ferguson's efforts to focus on the health of the players have paid off. Although injuries continue to occur in the team, the old injured players who have been unable to play for a long time have recovered well. This season, Robson has maintained a good physical and competitive state, and Whiteside has also miraculously recovered and returned to the starting lineup, which is a great benefit to the Red Devils lineup.

Ferguson's management changed the team. Many players were injured in the fierce confrontation in English League One, but under Ferguson's care and discipline requirements, the injured were well taken care of and they were able to return to play soon.

In addition to the Red Devils' huge progress, there have also been new changes in the English League One landscape this season.

Compared with Everton's complacency in preparation for the title defense and its slow start, Liverpool entered a state of fierce fighting from the very beginning.

At the beginning of the season, although Everton and Manchester United both won against their opponents, Liverpool was in the lead. After entering September, they were almost always in a strong fight for the top spot in the standings. Liverpool kept moving forward, killing all the opponents and dealing with them without mercy. Dalglish's team showed their fangs from the first league game, defeating the powerful Arsenal team with great momentum, and then played big scores against Tottenham and Newcastle. After entering December 9, Liverpool has been in an extremely strong state, and their relaxed posture is enviable.

Thanks to the depth of the squad, Liverpool played very well when they entered the tough schedule of Christmas and New Year. Liverpool won consecutive games and their lead at the top of the table became larger and larger.

While other teams were exhausted, they kept their spirits high and their minds relaxed. They had excellent players in every position, which made their tactics and strength superior. They were even stronger because they didn't have to play in European competitions. Liverpool's lineup was so deep and the players were so balanced that they could field two starting lineups of similar strength, which gave them a big advantage in the intensive schedule.

After March, Liverpool was almost in the lead, and no one in English football doubted who would win the championship. After losing to Norwich, the Red Devils completely lost their ambition to win the championship, and even Ferguson did not think about the question of who would win the championship.

Ferguson is feeling very upset now. All he is thinking about is how to defeat Liverpool and teach them a lesson.