Ferguson was not in a good mood.
Sir Alex Ferguson has had this nagging feeling ever since Manchester United were drawn against Inter Milan in the draw.
What the hell kind of world is this?!
Finally, he watched as Mourinho, who had battled him in the Premier League for more than three years, snatched two Premier League titles from him, and had countless public spats with him in the media, left for England.
We haven't even had a chance to celebrate yet.
In Ferguson's mind, Mourinho, this troll who can never control his mouth, has already taken up a job at another top club.
If you say you're going to start work, then start work.
As luck would have it, I ran into this troll again in the first round of the Champions League knockout stage!
Just like Li Shiguang.
Ferguson also did not attend the draw ceremony for the round of 16 in Switzerland.
Even before the draw results came out, Ferguson never imagined that he would meet Mourinho again. But when he saw that Manchester United had drawn Inter Milan, the old man, who was watching the draw ceremony on TV at home, couldn't help but twitch his lips.
For no other reason than that.
If the opponent were Mancini, Ferguson would actually feel it was alright.
Now the opponent has changed to Mourinho.
damn it.
After all, they've faced each other so many times over the years, and to be honest, this Portuguese guy knows Manchester United all too well!
My understanding of Inter Milan is clearly not as deep as Mourinho's understanding of Manchester United!
And so it was.
Since the end of last month, Ferguson has been working overtime almost every day, studying Mourinho's tactical ideas after taking over Inter Milan through match videos.
I've been working overtime for so long and watching so many videos.
Ferguson has basically figured out Mourinho's approach; the Portuguese is still using the same old methods, with no change in the overall direction.
But Ferguson noticed some details very keenly.
Back when he was at Chelsea, Mourinho's counter-attacks relied on Drogba's exceptional ball control in the attacking third, while the central midfielders like Lampard, Essien, or Ballack, who made runs from deep, mostly played a supporting role.
And now.
Moratti spent a lot of money to bring Sneijder from Leeds United.
Judging from Inter Milan's recent league matches, he has become the absolute core of Mourinho's team.
As long as he's on the field, when Inter Milan launches a counter-attack, the ball will inevitably be passed to him, and then he'll distribute it.
In fact, if Inter Milan played like this, Ferguson didn't think there would be much of a problem. As long as Sneijder was neutralized, most of Inter Milan's attacks would be shut down. If Mourinho wanted to play like he did at Chelsea, Dzeko and Crespo weren't Drogba, and while Ferdinand and Vidic couldn't match Drogba's physicality, they were more than capable of dealing with both of them!
But what terrified Ferguson was...
This Dutch kid really improved a lot when he was under Li Shiguang's tutelage.
As far as I remember, when he went to Real Madrid, this kid was just a shooting guard. But after only a year back at Leeds United, he can now pass and shoot, and his overall vision is exceptionally good! Especially his pinpoint passes, Sneijder always manages to get the ball to the most crucial position at the most critical moment!
Based on Sneijder's abilities.
Mourinho's current tactical approach seems to be inspired by Ancelotti's AC Milan team from last year.
Firstly, although Sneijder plays as a central midfielder, he doesn't actually play very far forward. He spends most of his time wandering around the midfield line, a position that is inherently difficult to defend. If you force Hargreaves or Carrick to move forward to mark Sneijder closely, then a large gap will be left in the midfield and defense.
If they can really defend it tightly for 90 minutes, that would be fine.
But if Sneijder manages to seize an opportunity and pass the ball, it could be fatal!
After all, Ferguson was very impressed with the young man named Vardy that Li Shiguang sold to Moratti; his speed was damn fast!
In addition, Mourinho also arranged for Cambiasso and Vieira to protect Sneijder.
After working together for a while, these two experienced players were able to use some small combinations to help the heavily marked Sneijder get the ball out!
So working overtime is working overtime.
But in fact, Ferguson had not found a good way to deal with Mourinho's current tactical approach until close to the match.
Unable to figure it out, Sir Alex Ferguson eventually gave up and stopped thinking about it. After all, Manchester United was one of the best in Europe, so why the hell was he thinking so much? If he couldn't break your moves, did he think he could break mine?!
In other words, Li Shiguang was unaware of Ferguson's distress. If he had known, he would have nodded repeatedly and expressed his understanding of Ferguson.
Isn't this just like the Dream Team II under Guardiola who dominated Europe for two years?
Managers all over the world know what tactics Guardiola is going to use, but the ability of Barcelona's players is just that—ability. No matter how hard you try to arrange your defense, you just can't stop them!
····
That is, carrying this vague feeling of displeasure.
The time has finally come for the Champions League Round of 16 to begin.
Old Trafford.
After giving his pre-match pep talk in the locker room, Ferguson walked out and followed a group of substitute players onto the pitch.
As soon as he stepped out of the players' tunnel, Ferguson saw a familiar figure appear before him.
José Mourinho.
This jerk was lounging around with his hands in his pockets, chatting animatedly with the fourth official.
"snort!"
Ferguson, who had always disliked Mourinho, snorted softly and didn't bother to greet him. He quickened his pace and headed towards his bench.
But often, the things you least want to do are the ones that come your way!
Before he could take more than a few steps toward the bench, Mourinho's voice came from behind him.
"Hey! Alex! I've been waiting for you!"
I heard this sound.
Although he was unhappy, the composure afforded by his status as a knight of the British Empire made Ferguson stop in his tracks.
He quickly suppressed his disdain, forced a smile, turned around, and said in a cool tone, "Hi! Jose! Sorry, I didn't see you!"
Mourinho glanced speechlessly at the players' tunnel on the left.
I'm standing right where you have to walk out of the players' tunnel, and you're saying you didn't see me?!
Is this reasonable?! ...
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