[Long Story] "Manchester United Dynasty: Made by Ferguson" Chapter 233: Reverse Battle: Sweeping Wild on the Opponent's Land

[Long Story] "Manchester United Dynasty: Made by Ferguson"

Chapter 233: Reversal: Playing wild on the opponent's turf , Was embarrassed, but it was Ferguson and his Manchester United who had the last laugh. This result made the entire Premier League re-enter the situation of duopoly. Ferguson's perseverance and toughness finally began to make people see hope."

— -Inscription

At the end of February, Newcastle United had 61 points in 27 rounds and Manchester United had 57 points in 28 rounds. Although Newcastle still has a lot of advantages, Manchester United's momentum of chasing points is fierce. They won all five games in February, eclipsing Newcastle's three wins. Many Manchester United fans have begun to regain their confidence. With Newcastle experiencing problems one after another and losing points, Manchester United can catch up with the gap in the remaining 10 rounds and compete with Newcastle for the championship.

"Impossible Mission" when the gap is 12 minutes? nonexistent.

Manchester United's momentum is frightening, and Newcastle's state is more concerned. The two teams in the league will also have a direct dialogue in March. That game may ultimately determine the trend of the standings, and even ultimately determine the ownership of the champion.

betting company cautiously supports Newcastle unbeaten at home, and also ranks Newcastle United as the biggest favorite in terms of odds to win the season. To a certain extent, they are well-founded. Newcastle is now leading, and the initiative is still in the hands of the Magpies. As long as they don't make mistakes, Manchester United will always have to catch up. Ferguson has no chance to counterattack Keegan. There is another reason that most critics are optimistic about Newcastle, that is, the match in March was held at Newcastle’s home. This season, Newcastle’s home performance is terrifying. They have achieved an incredible 13 here. Winning streak, it is difficult for Manchester United to take away the victory here.

Manchester United fans also have firm confidence, they fully trust Ferguson's ability. Background The Scot has created a miracle for Manchester United and has led Manchester United to the top. They firmly believe that Ferguson will defeat Newcastle and regain the Premier League title that has been lost for a year. The day of fierce battle has finally come. On March 4, Manchester United went away to challenge Newcastle United.

Liverpool defeated Aston Villa just the day before the game, making the standings situation more complicated. Liverpool are now two points behind Manchester United and Newcastle by six points, which is the gap between the two games. The situation of the championship suddenly changed from plain to fierce and tense, and it evolved from the battle for hegemony to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

"Of course this is an important game, but regardless of the score, this game does not determine anything. We are still at the top of the leaderboard." Newcastle coach Kevin Keegan defined this game in the introduction of the game. The game, "but if we can beat Manchester United, I think the Premier League title will be won by us, this is no suspense."

Ferguson wrote in the Manchester United journal simply and directly, "We only have one goal, this The game is the most critical of our entire season. All our efforts are to defeat our opponents. We are in good shape and morale. We have the initiative. Of course we will win, and everything is as simple as that." The

bickering Can not reflect the preparations of the two teams, the Magpies ushered in major benefits before the game, the two main offensive players Ginola and Asprira have lifted the ban and returned in time, which will greatly help strengthen the attack firepower. More importantly, Newcastle’s midfielder ushered in a champion-level main force. They just signed England’s main midfielder David Barty (who won the top league with Leeds and Blackburn), just in time for this. Play in a game. Manchester United is not optimistic. There is no Parrist in Ferguson's team before the game. This is almost the biggest hidden danger for Manchester United-everyone knows that Newcastle is known for its fierce firepower this season.

is even more surprising that Ferguson actually made a big adjustment to the defense line. Manchester United's final line of defense is like this: Irvine right back, Bruce and Gary Neville partner center back, Phil Neville plays the role Left back! David May, who had played steadily before, was actually put on the bench by Ferguson-for this reason, Ferguson even changed the three positions of the back line, which is of course a great risk.

Relative to the defensive line, Manchester United’s frontcourt hasn’t changed much. Young people like Beckham and Scholes sit on the bench eagerly and Ferguson is ready to useInstead of being the main force, they came to ambush the opponent. Ferguson discharged the two wings of Giggs and Lee Sharp, Bart and Keane formed a double center midfielder, Cantona and Cole partner forward.

This is the strongest card in Ferguson's hand, but Manchester United was very passive at the beginning. Although the pre-match stated that they wanted to kill their opponents, St. James's Park, as the home of the Magpies, has won 13 consecutive victories. The atmosphere created by the fans is obviously a unique deterrent. The Manchester United players fell into the huge noise of the fans as soon as the game opened. The crazy atmosphere of Newcastle United fans is unprepared. Newcastle launched a fierce attack from the very beginning. Keegan, who had an extremely powerful attack group, completely abandoned the traditional tactics of English football. He implemented the tactics of offensive instead of defensive and full-court tactics. The offensive was very strong. , Full of vigor. The players of Newcastle were even more vigorous amid the frenzied cheers of the home fans. They rushed for the game like crazy and launched a tide of offense. Their speed and arrival rate are amazing, and the overall oppression and confrontation have the upper hand. Their Ginola and Ferdinand have become the two most troublesome players for Manchester United. Ginola has exquisite skills, accurate passing, and is good at discovering and creating opportunities. Ferdinand, who is physically strong and powerful, bullies Gary every time. -Neville, the two items of body bumping and jumping header made Gary "painful." The busy Manchester United defensive line had to let Keane return to the penalty area to help defend, and the top forward Cole also had to return to his backcourt and rely on the bottom line to help defend. With this and the other, Manchester United's three lines have been crushed to pieces and may be torn at all times.

entered a fierce offense and defense at the beginning of the game. Newcastle United's high press was once very successful-yes, at that time Keegan's team used high press and frontcourt pressure tactics. Despite being a strong opponent, Manchester United has experienced a long lineup, player skills, speed and team awareness are also very good, but they are also busy in the frontcourt of Newcastle. The always calm Bruce had to often blindly make a big foot clearance. No matter where the ball flew, Cantona dribbled the ball in his own backcourt and was intercepted. Giggs had almost no chance to break through, while Li Sharp was busy helping. The defense blocked the gap, and the tough Keane entangled with opponents in the midfield. Although he had a certain advantage, he also made low-level mistakes of passing the ball out of the sideline-these things almost never happened before.

Manchester United fell to the bottom of the situation, the midfielder was completely out of position, causing the midfielder to lose ground. Even if Keane + Bart is equipped with a "double defensive midfielder" with strong interception and confrontation capabilities, even if Manchester United's midfielder has Lee Sharp and Giggs with both technology and speed, even Cantona often Return to the midfield or even the backcourt to get the ball, help the midfielder increase the ball point, sort out the midfield teammates' running and response, Manchester United's midfielder is still fully passive in the opponent's surrounding. The idea of ​​Newcastle United is actually very simple. They attacked the Gary Neville side of Manchester United. The two midfielders restricted Cantona on the premise of the front line, so that they could siege Cantona and harass other players personally , Cut off the connection between Manchester United players. Manchester United’s starting line of defense was extremely passive when faced with Beardsley, Ginola, Asprira, and Ferdinand’s offensive lines. Newcastle spotted Gary Neville's inexperience, bullied his weak body and launched a fierce attack on his defensive area. The area to the left of Manchester United's penalty area became the opponent's main attack direction. Poor Gary Neville was dizzy by the constant impact of his opponents and suffered a temporary cameo as a central defender. He was repeatedly blown by Ferdinand and Asprira on this side, and Asprira's entanglement even made Gary Neville embarrassedly kicked empty in the penalty area without even touching the ball. Manchester United's weakness was captured by the opponent, Bruce turned too slowly and basically unable to support Gary Neville, and often had to rely on Keane to come back to withstand it. And this kind of formation, which is alive as a five-guard, can be described as moving the whole body. The formation and tactics have become chaotic. In many cases, the back defense can't make the ball, and the opponent hits back on the spot. After Gary, one wave after another. Podi greeted the ravages of opponents.

Gary Neville later said in his autobiography, "My performance that day was a disaster. I was like a boy scout encountering a group of special soldiers. I was completely abused. The boss yelled at me from the sidelines, "Asprira Ground He defeated you in the air and defeated you in the air. He is 30 years old, but you still look like a suckling baby?! Ferdinand doesn't need to show you his driver's license when he passes by you, he directly treats your defense zone as his home. Garden?! You himWhat the hell is going on? ! To be honest, I just can't play the opponent at all, which further destroyed my self-confidence. "Z1z

" I can only grit my teeth and hold on, silently waiting for the moment the boss replaces me. Fortunately, the Newcastle United team seemed to have a problem in the second half. Their strength disappeared and their offensive disappeared. "Z1z

Newcastle United’s onslaught created a lot of shooting opportunities. Manchester United’s defense ultimately can only rely on the Great Dane on the goal line-Schmeichel. Facing the opponent to tear the line of defense and enter the hinterland, Schmeichel really Deduced what is called a man who is a man and a man. Tottenham forward Ferdinand has formed a single and semi-single in almost the same area twice, but his shot is so short that he was assisted by Schmeichel. Threw it out. You know, those are two shots that are almost impossible to block! Not only that, in addition to Schmeichel’s insurmountability, Manchester United also has good luck. Even if the opponent is more precise and more cunning , Even if Ginola’s free kick in front of the penalty area has made Schmeichel helplessly preparing to surrender, Manchester United still has a goal frame to come forward, this almost inevitable shot was eventually blocked by the crossbar!

Manchester United’s good luck Even not limited to the physical objects that can be seen by the eyes, Gary Neville made a serious mistake in the penalty zone and kicked the air, but the opponent forward Ferdinand even hit the plane 6 yards in front of the goal!

Manchester United was passively beaten almost throughout the first half. Can hardly resist the opponent. Only occasionally can issue a little counterattack, but it is also quickly strangled by the opponent. Manchester United's attack can only rely on Keane to get the ball after returning to the defense, and to run out with the help of teammates such as Bart and Lee Sharp , Relying on Cantona's deep retreat to be able to develop to the vicinity of the middle circle, and then be able to launch the offensive with difficulty, giving Giggs and Lee Sharp a chance to rush and pass the ball forward to attack. But more often Cantona couldn't get rid of the opponent's siege, and the threats from the two sides were not played at all. In the entire first half, Giggs made only one bottom cross and only one diagonal penetration in the middle to get a shot, but his hastily shot also Blocked out-that is already a rare offensive for Manchester United. Lee Sharp once cut in in front of the penalty area, but it was a bit short to form a single move. That distance has already been cleared by his opponent. What is even more embarrassing is Cantona The combined number of shots with Cole was a pitiful one!

Manchester United withstood the first half extremely hard, and both sides returned to the lounge 0-0.

If it is not bad luck, Newcastle United in the first half If you are lucky, Newcastle United can even play Manchester United 5-0 in one half!

Ferguson's face is flushed, he knows the oppression of his opponents will be limited, but he also knows that his team will continue to be passively beaten. Will reach the limit sooner. So he emphasized in the locker room that we must not blindly play the ball in the midfield and backfield. We must use transfers and contacts to drain the opponent's heart and let the opponent exhaust their physical energy earlier.

"We have With sufficient tacit understanding and more efficient passing, we can stabilize the situation and effectively consume the opponent. You have to believe that your opponents are more anxious and impatient. When they can't attack for a long time, their defenses will soon have loopholes. "Z1z

Ferguson said: "I always have faith in you!" "Z1z

At the beginning of the second half of the game, Newcastle players still attacked, but the crazy output in the first half had obviously affected their state. Physical bottleneck forced them to suppress Manchester United. Manchester United's successful backcourt pass finally brought the game back to balance. And gradually reverse the situation.

Manchester United began to get back the situation little by little. The players no longer rely on long passes to counterattack, but through layers of advancement to hit the opponent's back defense core area. Cantona has a huge area around the penalty area. Power, his two passes almost brought Manchester United a goal, but it is a pity that Cole and Lee Sharp wasted his wonderful pass. At the most stalemate moment, Cantona decided to rely on his own strength to end the fight. Then Manchester United launched an attack. Cole dribbled to the left in the top arc of the penalty area. After getting rid of the two Newcastle players, he split the ball in time and was waiting for Phil Neville on the left to catch the ball. In the pass, an overhead pass was passed to Newcastle’s penalty area. Cantona, who was ambushing at the back point, found the right time, drew a bow and arrow outside the corner of the penalty area, drew his leg and shot against the ball, and hit the ball directly Dead corner, Manchester United lead 1 to 0!

Newcastle fell into a brief chaos up and down, and their offense seemed more reluctant. Because the physical state is really too bad, they can no longer press Manchester United in the half-court attack, and it is difficult to create a foot.Enough opportunities. In addition to solid defense, Manchester United also found a lot of counterattack opportunities. Kerr got a pass from his teammate and went straight into the penalty area to form a single shot, but his shot also seemed hesitant, and ultimately wasted an excellent opportunity. When Newcastle aggressively attacked and almost gave up the defense in the center and back, Manchester United found more counter-attack scoring opportunities. Cantona and Bart had excellent chances to score goals, and even Phil Neville had a perfect chance. Later, he shot in, but unfortunately no ball was scored.

Ferguson also made special arrangements for Newcastle’s two very creative midfielders. Giggs is good at running, quick to move, and has a good rate of arrival. He is responsible for staring Beardsley in the midfield, while Bart is Responsible for entanglement with Ginola, sticking to the opponent like a gummy, and Keane is ready to come out at any time to make up for it. This arrangement makes Newcastle's midfield penetration tactics impossible to play, and can only play more on both sides, pass the bottom to the penalty area, and rely on the center to charge for the top. Such a simple tactic is difficult to tear through Manchester United's close defense. The double forwards of Ferdinand and Asprira have not been able to win the Bruce. Manchester United's defense in the hinterland of the penalty zone has also done a very good job.

In this way, Manchester United supported to the end and won the game with difficulty.

BBC said after the game: "Objectively, Newcastle performed better. Both teams only played well for one and a half, but Newcastle United’s forward was indeed not as strong as Cantona’s, and ultimately lost to Manchester United. Not surprising.”

Manchester Evening News said: “Ferguson’s team is obviously more experienced in dealing with passive situations, and will find opportunities when they are stuck. In comparison, Cantona’s ability is clearly the best in the game. Not only that, Manchester United also has a world-class goalkeeper. Schmeichel played impeccably, like a god possessed.”

Gary Neville has not forgotten this game, but his memories after many years are a little bit Weird and weird, "We suddenly stopped being passively beaten in the second half. I think we occupied the favorable terrain on the slope. If I remember correctly, the Newcastle stadium had a large slope, which was the steepest in the league. The first half. We feel as if we are trapped at the foot of a heavy mountain, but after we get through it, we can be on the top of the slope and charge down to take advantage. It may sound strange, but it is true. They must spend more to run up. This is what they lack.”

In fact, the St. James’s Park in Newcastle is very flat, with no high and low terrain. Gary also said in his memories: "I don't know what happened in the midfield. I feel that I have become taller. This second half made me feel that the spirit of Manchester United runs through the team. We are united and everyone takes The best performance. Everyone, we have burst into a small universe. From Schmeichel to Bruce, from Cantona to Cole, including my low-key silent brother, how dare you imagine him assisting Cantona Do you dare to think that he still bravely penetrated into the opponent's penalty area and almost scored the second goal?!" Z1z

Cantona's own memories are very plain, "I never find it difficult to play in England. Newcastle The United team’s tactics are very good, but they are overconfident. I played a great game? Actually it did not. This is my normal range. I felt that the ball would pass to the back point and reach me. In the prepared position, I also deliberately used a time difference and a fake action to fool the opponent's defender, and then easily kicked in. The goal is that simple, Phil passed it appropriately, very beautiful."

indeed , Manchester United did not play better than their opponents, the game looks more like a draw or Newcastle win. But the result is so ruthless. Ferguson's deployment of tactics is appropriate. After Manchester United won, the score gap with Newcastle became 1 point!

The whole world understands that the morale of Newcastle has vented. In this 6-point gap between the giants, Newcastle had the advantage. They should have ended the first half 3-0. They should take the lead easily, kill the opponent comfortably, and end the game. But the fate is so mysterious. Keegan's players swayed most of the passion of the game and consumed little physical energy full of energy. It's not that they haven't created a chance to win, but they lack the ability to lock in a win.

Not only that, after the first half was flat, the Newcastle team was not ready to fight hard and still wanted to swallow Manchester United in the second half. They are not good at distributing physical energy, and soon in the second half they can't run full of blood, they can only languish. In addition, Keegan’s adaptability is too poor,The commanding ability is negative, and if you fall behind, you won't be able to play, completely losing your square inch. The Manchester United team is much more experienced. They were unable to implement Ferguson's tactics in the first half, but they were in danger under Newcastle's crazy offensive. In the second half, he changed his tactics very well, using Newcastle's arrogance that he thought it was easy to defeat the Red Devils, and after consuming the opponent's stamina, let go, finally won the game and had the last laugh.

This game is no longer as simple as breaking the Newcastle record of 13 wins. It is a crucial battle that can reverse the course of the entire season. Z1z

Ferguson said after the game, “Everyone has seen our determination and team spirit tonight. These will always be with us and give us a chance to win. A few weeks ago, this opportunity was almost gone.”

Ferguson said: "It is not our destiny that favors us, but we have seized the opportunity through hard work and hard work." Many years later, Schmeichel, the key hero of the victory of this game, said: "I don't think there is anything special. I just did what I should do. Those saves are more subconscious reactions. What I want to emphasize is the determination and courage of our team. When we have players like Eric, we have The confidence to move on. To strive towards the goal of'we will win' until the final victory. This is not our arrogance, but you do have to think this way every game, because if you can’t, you don’t deserve to be Manchester United Players!" Ferguson later recalled the game in his first biography. He said: "Some players can be self-motivated, but from time to time they need to be reminded of their standards. This is what I was in that day. The role played during the game, I want to send a message to my players. I asked them if they were satisfied with their performance in the first half, and are they eager to win the championship like Newcastle? At least after the intermission, we started Behave more like Manchester United and more like ourselves."

Many times, it is important to arrange and change tactics in the dressing room, but more importantly, spiritual enlightenment and motivation. Ferguson has done both.

is not only the visiting team's locker room, but also the home team's locker room. "As soon as Ferdinand came in, he apologized to everyone. But it was not that he missed the opportunity, mainly because Schmeichel was so good." At the time, Newcastle defender Beresford recalled to The Times after the game. . But after 45 minutes, the atmosphere in the magpies locker room will be completely different. Everyone is in pain, and everyone looks extremely embarrassed. "After the game, the room was so quiet, we were like staying in an ice cave," central defender Huo Wei recalled. "We looked at each other and thought each other. Everyone was thinking, how could we lose? How could we be defeated? That is simply too painful."

In the entire locker room, only Keegan looked pale and said nothing. He has been completely knocked down by this unimaginable fact.

There is no doubt that the Premier League championship situation has begun to reverse. With Ferguson offering a weapon of psychological warfare, this reversal will become more and more thorough.