Chapter 721: Slaughtering Bayern Munich
On the evening of March 30th, Old Trafford, Manchester, England.
In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Manchester United faced Bayern Munich at home.
Before the game started, Manchester United's starting lineup surprised many people, including Bayern coach Heynckes.
First, the right back gave up the veteran Gary Neville and chose the young Rafael.
This is a very clear signal that Manchester United will attack on the right side at home.
As a Brazilian player, Rafael is indeed a good attacker, but defense is his weakness. Ferguson arranged for him to replace Gary Neville and use him to defend Ribery. How effective it will be remains to be discussed.
Another is to start Gibson instead of Scholes or Giggs.
This is another unexpected adjustment, or even the most unexpected one.
Gibson is a very interesting player. He has been controversial since his debut because his other abilities have not been revealed, but his long-range shot is particularly impressive.
Ferguson once commented on this player, thinking that he was very similar to Lampard and hoped that Gibson could continue to grow and, like Lampard, possess excellent ability to score goals from behind.
If Giggs and Scholes represent passing the ball, then Gibson represents scoring from behind.
The starting lineup was changed twice, all of which were intended to attack. Does this mean that Manchester United really wants to attack? Not necessarily! Ferguson is an old fox who likes to create confusion, verbal battles, smoke bombs, these are his routine operations.
He is also very good at using functional players to create unexpected effects when arranging the lineup.
God knows what he is going to do in this game? Heynckes always plays safe, and since it is an away game, he can only ask Bayern players to start the game in a stable manner and try to control the ball to avoid being confused by Manchester United at the beginning.
Unexpectedly, despite Heynckes' instructions, Bayern's start was still chaotic.
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As soon as the game started, Bayern felt Manchester United's determination.
From the first second, the Red Devils put pressure on Bayern very fiercely, from the frontcourt to the backcourt.
This is very typical Premier League style of pressing and oppression!
Bayern is actually not unfamiliar with this, after all, they have played many games against Premier League teams, but the players still made mistakes when playing away from home.
When Ribery received the pass from his teammate, Rafael made a diagonal cut and stole the ball away. The Brazilian right-back then launched a counterattack with the ball, quickly passed through the midfield, and made a diagonal pass to Rooney in front.
Rooney retreated to get the ball with his back and stopped the ball to his side and behind him.
Gibson quickly moved forward from Rooney's right side, received the pass from Rooney, and then shot directly from the edge of the penalty area.
Gibson's long shot was very cunning. He did not shoot directly at the goal, but deliberately let the ball bounce to the ground. The ball was moving at a fast speed, and Neuer reacted quickly and dived sideways. However, after the ball bounced to the ground, it was completely beyond Neuer's expectation and went directly into Bayern's goal.
One to zero!
Manchester United took the lead right from the start! That's it?
No, after Manchester United took the lead, they continued to press Bayern throughout the court.
Ferguson's counterattacks actively attacked the two wings, allowing Nani and Valencia to create threats on both sides.
In the sixth minute, Ribery lost the ball in the frontcourt again, which led to Manchester United's quick counterattack. Valencia on the right side faced Marcelo one-on-one on the left side of the penalty area. He made continuous sudden stops and changes of speed, forced his way through Marcelo's defense, went to the bottom line, and made a low pass into the small penalty area.
In the middle of the penalty area, Rooney had been attracting the attention of the defense, but Nani suddenly appeared in front of Rooney silently from the left side of the penalty area. Without waiting for others to react, at the moment when Valencia passed the ball, he suddenly moved forward and shoveled the low cross into Bayern's goal before everyone else.
2-0! Two goals in six minutes! Manchester United had the best start in history!
The entire Old Trafford stadium seemed to have turned into a surging ocean, with all Manchester United fans cheering wildly, celebrating the team's two-goal lead.
Could there be a better start than this? In the first leg of the two-leg match, the home team scored two goals in the first six minutes.
This seems to remind people of the rhythm of the game when Manchester United slaughtered Roma!
Maybe, tonight at Old Trafford, Manchester United will be able to savagely crush the defending champions and shock the whole world! Ferguson also rushed out of his seat excitedly, shouting at the top of his lungs.
I'm afraid even he, who was in charge of arranging the troops, didn't expect that the game would go so smoothly at the start.
Two goals in six minutes, this is the rhythm of ending the battle in the first round! ...
"Bayern's tempo was a little slow tonight, and Ribery lost the ball twice in a row. His condition is a little worrying."
"Ferguson's deployment of the team worked. Both goals came from counterattacks launched after Rafael's steals, and both were aimed at the left side of Bayern's Marcelo."
"This is a very clear signal that this is an offensive routine deliberately arranged by Ferguson."
"But I believe that even Ferguson himself would be very surprised. He would never have thought that his idea would go so smoothly and Bayern would start so badly."
"There is actually no problem with Heynckes's lineup, and the players are still the same as before, but judging from the on-the-spot performance, Ribery's condition is indeed questionable, but the most important thing is Manchester United's two attacks."
"Rafael and Gibson, two surgeries in Ferguson's starting lineup, both played a role in the two goals."
"This is the strength of a top coach!"
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In a remote corner of Old Trafford, Manchester City's technical director Begiristain and head coach Guardiola both disguised themselves and came to the scene to watch this world-renowned focus battle.
When they saw that the powerful Bayern was scored two goals by Manchester United in the first six minutes of the game, their faces were filled with shock and heartfelt admiration.
Despite being an opponent, Ferguson's ability is worthy of everyone's admiration.
Manchester City has played against Manchester United four times this season, and without exception, they lost all of them.
Not to mention the league, at Old Trafford, Manchester City lost the ball in the first two minutes of the game, and after that they kept chasing for another one. Ferguson's team was always able to find loopholes in Manchester City's defense and deal them a fatal blow.
In the end, Manchester City lost 3-4 away.
Although they lost, this game also showed Manchester City's character.
Not long ago, the two sides played another game. The result was that Manchester United defeated Manchester City 1-0 away from home in the 90-minute stoppage time with Scholes, who came on as a substitute, scoring the winning goal and completing a quadruple kill of the season.
Because in the League Cup semi-finals, Manchester United also defeated Manchester City in two rounds, reached the League Cup final, and eventually won the championship.
Guardiola feels it most clearly and deeply.
Manchester United's football is full of passion and Ferguson's team plays very aggressively.
More importantly, Ferguson's deployment is always unexpected, and he can always find a way in places that others would never expect.
"Su Dong gave me a book, The Art of War by Sun Tzu." Guardiola sighed deeply. "There is a saying in it, 'Use the right strategy to unite, and use the unexpected strategy to win.' Su Dong told me that this saying does not mean to distinguish between the right strategy and the unexpected strategy, but to remind those who deploy troops to attach equal importance to stability and the unexpected strategy. It is not good to just seek stability, and it is not good to just seek the unexpected strategy to win."
When he said this, Guardiola shook his head repeatedly, "Ferguson perfectly interpreted this in this regard."
In a head-on confrontation, you need to be calm and steady, withstand the opponent's frontal attack, and then find a way to achieve a surprise victory.
Ferguson started the game surprisingly well, and it was obvious that he had expected Heynckes to be steady.
Some principles are simple to explain, but difficult to truly apply them well, or even to use them at will.
Ferguson is the best head coach in European football in this regard.
"Manchester United's start is indeed unpredictable, and Ferguson's methods are indeed admirable, but Bayern is not completely without chance. This team is obviously slightly stronger than Manchester United. If they can stabilize their position as soon as possible, they still have a chance." Begiristain analyzed.
To unite by the right means, to win by the unexpected means.
The meaning is very clear. If a head-on confrontation cannot be stopped, no matter how effective the surprise attack is, it is only temporary.
Guardiola agrees with this view. "The momentum is too good. I wonder if Ferguson wants to continue to maintain the offensive pressure? The tempo is so fast, how long can their physical strength last? If we can directly disrupt Bayern's tempo and formation, and even try to score more goals, that would definitely be the best. But if not, when they want to slow down the tempo..."
No team can maintain uninterrupted high-pressure tactics for 90 minutes. Not even Premier League teams, not even Manchester United, can do it. They have to play on and off.
Ferguson's surprise attack worked. Now it depends on how effective this surprise attack can be and how Manchester United can stop Bayern in a head-on confrontation and consolidate this victory after the effect of the surprise attack has worn off.
"Ferguson won the battle at the coaching level! But at the player level, Bayern still has the trump card of Sudong that has not been used!" After conceding two goals, Guardiola was not worried about Bayern at all.
Of course, he doesn't care whether Bayern wins or loses. What he cares about most now, and what he is most curious about, is to know how much threat Su Dong can pose under such adversity?
He had done this many times in the past, but that was in the past. What about now?
Can he still lead Bayern out of the predicament?
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On the field, Bayern was in some disarray after losing two goals in a row, but Sudong and captain Lahm, Lucio and others quickly stepped in to stabilize the team's position, and Heynckes also adjusted the team's tactics on the sidelines.
Bayern temporarily stabilized the situation, but Manchester United's attack continued.
Ferguson's team tasted the sweetness of attacking at the beginning. It was a rare opportunity to beat Bayern so badly at the start. Looking at the European football scene, which team could do this in the past few years?
Therefore, they wanted to further expand their victory, and it would be best if they could decide the outcome in one battle.
This allowed Manchester United's possession rate to continue to hit new highs, even exceeding 65 percent.
(End of this chapter)
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