Chapter 929 What is Guardiola doing?
The Manchester derby at the weekend attracted the attention of fans all over the world.
This can be seen from the number of media reporters who came to Carrington to attend the pre-match press conference.
It is more than half more than usual.
Obviously, after attending the press conference at Manchester United, they can walk to Manchester City's training base across the street to attend their press conference. This is also a deliberate arrangement by Ferguson.
He deliberately wanted to get ahead of Manchester City and put some pressure on them.
There weren't many surprises in the team's 18-man roster.
Even if we take into account the exhaustion caused by the long flight to Romania for the Champions League group match in midweek, Ferguson's starting lineup is not particularly difficult to guess. There may be some discrepancies, but the problem will basically not be too big.
Of course, it is impossible for Ferguson to directly tell others what his starting lineup and tactics are.
Before entering the free question session, Ferguson took the initiative to talk about the team's big defeat at Old Trafford last season.
That game was hailed as the most painful defeat in his coaching career.
Ferguson understood the character of the media very well. He knew that this was a topic that could not be avoided. Since it could not be avoided, he simply took the initiative to bring it up and tried his best to downplay the media hype about last season's game.
In the discussion, Ferguson used a certain vague style and did not mention too much about Manchester City's strength advantage. Instead, he mainly mentioned Manchester United's own mistakes. He even believed that it was Manchester United's own mistakes that led to the great defeat, not because Manchester City was too strong.
What kind of scenes have media reporters not seen?
Ferguson's statement is a familiar one for them, so in the free question session that followed, they asked Ferguson bluntly what he thought about the outside world saying that Manchester City is the top favorite to win the Premier League this season. After the draw with Liverpool, Manchester United is also four points behind Manchester City in the standings. Ferguson said it is too early to say that now.
"I have coached Manchester United for decades in the Premier League. We have experienced many teams, from Liverpool to Arsenal to Chelsea. In each period we will face challenges from different teams. Now there is Manchester City."
Ferguson smiled and said, "You know, even two or three years ago, no one would pay attention to Manchester City. We all called this team the noisy neighbors. Every year, the Manchester City derby was more lively and created some topics, but the result was no suspense."
"Yes, in the past two or three years, Manchester City's strength has greatly increased. The oil pounds from the Arab sheikhs have turned them into another team, a reborn team with a very strong lineup and even looks very strong. But what I want to say is that it is not enough to challenge Manchester United just by relying on these."
"We have faced many opponents and there are always various challenges. We have even lost many championships, but the past few decades have repeatedly proved one thing: Manchester United will definitely have the last laugh!"
"From Liverpool to Arsenal to Chelsea and now Manchester City, I believe that Manchester United will have the last laugh."
Ferguson has enough qualifications and confidence to say this. Looking at the entire world of football, he is the only one who has experienced so many changes of dynasties, and only Manchester United has always stood at the top of the Premier League.
So, he looked down on this "noisy neighbor" as he called it.
Specifically for this game, Ferguson believes that being four points behind is nothing.
"For now, we can't see the significance of this game in the short term. Maybe it's important, but maybe not. We need to wait until the end of the season to review it. But one thing is very clear, winning or losing this game is actually worth six points. No matter which team wins, it will be of great significance."
But Ferguson also said that although this game is important, it is not that important to Manchester United.
In the history of Manchester United club, there have been many such games, which are even more important and more difficult than this game. Manchester United can get to where they are today because they won these games. Even if they lose, they can recover from them quickly.
"We are not a team that is used to following others, like we were behind Arsenal and Chelsea, but we eventually made a big comeback, this is our style and tradition.
Finally, Ferguson repeatedly emphasized that Manchester United players should show a stronger desire to win in the game and insist on maintaining Manchester United's traditions and style.
"I can't guess how exciting the game will be, there may be some goals but it may be disappointing."
"This is a crucial match. In such matches, there are rarely a lot of goals."
"The one from last season?"
"Believe me, it was just an accident that happens only once in a century. We will never let the same accident happen a second time!"
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Compared with the movement on Ferguson's side, the movement on Manchester City's side is much smaller.
Guardiola has always been a gentle and polite person, rarely blasting others at press conferences. He is more likely to announce his 18-man roster and his expectations for the upcoming game.
He wants to get these three points.
The only special thing is that Guardiola said that Manchester City will still make large-scale rotations.
"In fact, we have been insisting on rotation since the second half of last season. We can definitely form two high-level lineups, which can help us cope with different competitions and also give our players enough rest time."
Guardiola's words are somewhat Versailles.
But one thing is recognized by everyone, that is, Manchester City really has the most luxurious lineup in the Premier League and even in European football.
Let's not talk about others. Gareth Barry, Dzeko, Aguero, Milner, David Luiz, Javi Martinez... Which of these Manchester City players is not a star that other European teams are drooling over? But they can only play as substitutes in Manchester City.
Some media even believe that Manchester City, together with the youth team, can form three lineups to cope with the Premier League, Champions League and domestic cup competitions.
This is certainly a bit exaggerated, but it also reflects the depth of Manchester City's bench.
The Abu Dhabi consortium has invested so much money, which has basically been converted into Manchester City's overall strength.
However, Manchester City also has some hidden dangers.
For example, right-back Zabaleta has played two full games in a row, and Leighton Baines was injured in training. Should Marcelo continue to play in the Manchester City derby? Guardiola did not give a clear answer, but he said that Manchester City hopes to play a wonderful Manchester derby.
The implication is actually to stimulate Manchester United and Ferguson.
Damn, if you have the guts, don’t defend, just push forward and attack!
The media reporters below all smiled knowingly. Will Ferguson play a counterattack against Manchester City?
MMP, he is just a little older, not stupid! …………
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The battle between the two head coaches before the game did not cause much controversy.
When it comes to verbal battles, Guardiola can never catch up with Ferguson, so naturally he will not compete with the opponent in an area he is not good at, but chooses to keep a low profile.
The media is analyzing and hyping this crucial Premier League battle.
There is no need to say much about Manchester United's problems, there are indeed many. Many people even believe that facing Manchester City, the Red Devils' three lines plus the goalkeeper are all at risk because they are not as good as Manchester City.
But Manchester United is not without a chance of winning.
"The biggest bargaining chip for the Red Devils is that they have Ferguson!"
"Ferguson always manages to create surprising surprises and miracles when others least expect it."
Manchester City's overall strength is stronger and its lineup is more powerful, but it is not without weaknesses.
First of all, the two full-backs. Zabaleta has always been the main player, but Trippier has not yet reached the requirements of a main player, especially when he appears in such a game, which can easily cause problems for him.
After all, this time he has to face powerful European wingers like Valencia and Nani.
If Trippier doesn't play, Zabaleta will have to continue to start. Can the Argentine handle it?
As for the left back, the rotation between Leighton Baines and Marcelo has been going well, and even Marcelo and Hazard have cooperated well, which shows that Manchester City's running-in is getting better and better.
But now Leighton Baines is injured. Can he make it to this game? According to the rotation system, Hazard should be in the Manchester derby. If Baines can't play, will there be problems with the cooperation between Marcelo and Hazard? Another problem is the central defender. Since Javi Martinez started playing central defender, his performance has been unsatisfactory. He occasionally shines. But now facing Manchester United, Rooney, Berbatov and other top attackers, can Javi Martinez hold up? The most amazing thing about Ferguson is that his keen tactical sense can always capture opportunities that others can't, and then by attacking one point of the opponent, he can disintegrate the opponent's entire offensive and defensive system, and repeatedly create classic victories.
Now, Manchester City has the advantage and Manchester United is at a disadvantage. Is it possible for Ferguson to lead Manchester United to a comeback and victory?
The odds offered by the three major bookmakers are also very interesting, with Manchester City giving Manchester United half a goal.
Obviously, they all thought Manchester City was the favorite and had a chance to win, but a more reasonable score would be to win by one goal.
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October 23rd, noon, Old Trafford, Manchester.
In the ninth round of the Premier League, Manchester derby, Manchester City challenges Manchester United away.
Before the game, both sides received each other's starting lineups.
Manchester United, playing at home, did adopt a rotation tactic. After all, the game in Romania was incredibly exhausting for Manchester United. Without rotation, Ferguson could not guarantee the players' tactical execution.
He adopted a stable 4-4-2 tactics, with De Gea as the goalkeeper, Evra, Evans, Ferdinand and Smalling as the defenders, Ashley Young, Anderson, Fletcher and Nani as the midfielders, and Welbeck and Rooney as the double strikers.
Compared with the Champions League in the middle of the week, Ferguson's rotation intensity was also not small, which shows the impact of that game on Manchester United.
But when Ferguson got Manchester City's starting lineup, he was so surprised that he lost his voice.
"What the hell is Guardiola doing?"
(End of this chapter)
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