The Godfather of Greenery

Chapter 251
For a long time, Manchester United has been regarded as the symbol and banner of England's local spirit. Ferguson has always used this to flaunt the team, especially after the Red Devils won the Triple Crown in 1999, he brought this point to the fore. The ultimate, but the truth that prosperity must decline, he understands!
Ferguson was really surprised to concede a goal in less than 3 minutes, but if you think about it carefully, it is not too surprising, because Manchester United's defense has indeed become the team's biggest problem. Manchester United is the third in the Premier League this season. The most goals conceded in the strong team, and what's more terrible is that there are more goals conceded, but fewer goals are scored.

Many people say that there is a problem with Manchester United's defense, but Ferguson has always opposed the introduction of defenders. The reason is actually very simple. He knows his team better than anyone. He knows where the problem is, not the defenders. It's the midfielder!

Weird right?The defense has conceded so many goals, but there is no problem. Instead, is there a problem with Manchester United's so-called strongest midfielder?

No, it's not surprising at all, because Ferguson did it all!
Since deciding to let Beckham go, Ferguson has been thinking about a question, how to fill Beckham's role in the midfield, and how to keep Manchester United's midfield running smoothly?

Originally Veron was the ideal candidate, but the problem was that the Argentine was unwilling to play on the right, so he decided to return to Italy.

Ferguson wants to introduce Ronaldinho next, and what he values ​​most is the Brazilian's personal ability.

If it is said that Beckham can pass the ball out, then Ronaldinho is the type who can bring the ball out. As for Giggs, this player needs space. The effect is weakened by more than half. Scholes can attack later, but he can't deal with dense defense.

When Manchester United had Beckham in the past, the usual mode was very simple. When encountering dense defense, you only need to do two things.

First, give the ball to Beckham. Second, some players run to the gap to respond. The rest is solved through Beckham's suffocatingly precise long pass transfer. The ball is accurately passed to every corner of the court.

People's movement is never as fast as the ball, so Manchester United used this method almost every time in the past to make their opponents helpless, because all opponents will encounter a very painful problem, because no matter how the players cover, they will There is a gap, so once they adopt intensive defense, Beckham's long pass and transfer can disintegrate them, but without intensive defense, the strong personal strength of Manchester United players will also crush them.

This is a very difficult problem, and it is also a bargaining chip for Manchester United to compete with each opponent in the European arena.

Of course, such tactics and routines can't be victorious in all battles. Once you encounter some powerful opponents, such as Real Madrid with amazing ball control ability, or the team led by Ye Qiu is extremely powerful and very targeted. It is difficult for Manchester United to take advantage of the excellent Ajax, but in the Premier League, Manchester United is invincible.

With Beckham gone, Veron gone, and the ability to move the ball with long passes, Manchester United's midfield suddenly encountered a problem that they had never encountered in the past few years. Or what should you do once you encounter strong oppression from your opponent?
Also, the follow-up also brought another new problem. Without Beckham's long pass transfer, how can Manchester United's midfield connect the striker and the defender?
You know, when Beckham was in the past, Manchester United could play relatively loosely. The strikers were looking for opportunities everywhere, looking for gaps. Tightly defending Beckham, Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Keane will have a chance to play.

Beckham has the ability to accurately transfer the ball over 30 meters, which is almost no one in today's football can catch up to, and more importantly, his outstanding running ability, he runs almost the entire game, The running distance is also one of the best in the team.

Think about it, with such a person in the midfield, how can the opponent be restrained?

And the rest of Manchester United's midfielders can also become more patient and confident because of Beckham's existence, because they have the last bargaining chip. With such confidence, what follows is an improvement in the team's possession and control of the ball.

Cristiano Ronaldo is on the right now. The Portuguese is very young. He is far inferior to Beckham in terms of running distance and passing ability, and his sticky ball is as skillful and smooth as the Manchester United midfielder. The fit is out of place.

Then the problem comes, your control is weakened, which means the opponent's control is improved. Without Beckham, there will be problems in the transfer and advancement of the ball. How to solve it?

Ferguson is not without a solution. He knows very well that he needs to bring in a striker who can hold the ball to partner with Ruud van Nistelrooy. He has been investigating Diego Forlan, so he has been trying to get Diego Forlan on the field. The ball holder is used, because Ruud van Nistelrooy is simply not qualified for the role of the ball holder. The Dutchman is most threatening in the penalty area.

That is to say, Diego Forlan takes the ball, plays for Ruud van Nistelrooy, and the Dutchman scores a goal. It seems logical, but Diego Forlan cannot adapt to such a role at all. This is not his style. Not ideal, but because Scholes has been in poor form recently, and Ferguson still wanted to bet on Forlan, he still let Forlan start in this game.

Another way is to press the central defender forward!

Speaking of the central defender's forward press, this is actually Ye Qiu's tactic when he was at Ajax, because at that time Ye Qiu used Lucio's forward press to improve the control and pressing ability of the Ajax midfielder, so Ferguson tried to let Ferdinand and Sylvester also press forward, increasing the midfielder's contact point and control.

But then came another very serious problem. Keane is not Makelele, nor is he a defensive midfielder like Gilberto Silva. , It will inevitably lead to a gap in the rear, and as long as the frontcourt control and oppression are not enough, the possibility of the opponent passing the defense is very high.

Therefore, Manchester United's defensive problem does not lie in the defender, but in the midfield!
Wouldn't it be better to keep Beckham?

It’s not that simple. Ferguson has amazing tactical skills. Let’s not talk about whether he is willing to keep Beckham. Even if he is willing to keep Beckham, the problem is that players change dynamically. Keane is getting older , There are more and more injuries, and the midfield coverage and control are getting weaker and weaker. This is an indisputable fact.

In other words, whether to stay or not, Manchester United has to seek changes. If this is the case, then just let it go!
Therefore, many people thought it was a stupid move for Ferguson to give up Beckham. In fact, there were passive elements, but there were also active elements.

However, he did not expect that after losing Beckham, Manchester United encountered setbacks in the introduction of players such as Veron and Ronaldinho, which led to the interruption of the overall transformation of his team, which eventually caused Now Manchester United's passivity.

Ever since Ye Qiu yelled loudly before the game that any Premier League team could beat Manchester United, Ferguson knew something was wrong.

He has been covering up the fact that when others say that the problem lies in the defenders, he has always said that the defenders are not performing well. This is because he does not want others to know where Manchester United's problems lie, because once the problem is known, as a professional head coach With tactical literacy, targeted tactics will soon be found, and the Manchester United dynasty will fall apart.

But in the competition, Ye Qiu did just that!
First of all, Chelsea defended on the left, so Ye Qiu went to Gallas and used the French to limit Cristiano Ronaldo. This did not mean that Ye Qiu was afraid of him, but a balancing strategy, because Ye Qiu wanted to attack the right with all his strength.

Maicon was very active in this game. Ronaldinho, Lampard and Deco also frequently played on this side. Chelsea's entire right flank was very active, and Chelsea's right flank was active. It means that Manchester United's left is completely suppressed.

After losing Beckham and Veron, the only threat to Manchester United is the left. Now that even the left is suppressed, Manchester United has lost all bargaining chips, although Ruud van Nistelrooy and Die God Fran, the striker combination, can't get the pass behind them because of their technical characteristics, what can they do?

No threat at all!

But on the other hand, the offense is not threatening, which means that Chelsea's offense is more threatening, followed by an increase in defensive pressure, especially in the midfield. Chelsea's strong midfield lineup can easily crush Manchester United. What should I do if I lose ground?
The three lines on the football field are like water currents. The midfield side is sunken. Either the striker comes back to make up, or the defense goes to fill in.

Therefore, after Chelsea's goal, they did not want to keep their lead at all. Instead, they continued to chase Manchester United. However, Manchester United's defense was full of mistakes and omissions.

Ferguson was sitting on the coaching bench of the visiting team, his brows were furrowed. He had no solution, because the two players he introduced this year, Djimba and Kleberson, did not show the strength and effect he hoped for. Now his Lack of the most basic Raiders in hand.

Without surprise soldiers, there would be no backup, and without backup, it would be difficult to change this passive situation!
At this moment, Ferguson really had a thought in his heart that Manchester United had lost the possibility of winning the championship this season, because he clearly saw that in the future, more teams would learn from Ye Qiu's tactics in this game. Benefit from it, and use it to deal with Manchester United, and the only thing he can do is to gamble again.

French striker Louis Saha must be won before the winter break!

Saha's goals have not been many, especially after entering the Premier League, but the French striker has an advantage that Manchester United needs very much now, that is his ability to turn around with the ball behind his back.

The central defender's forward pressure led to a loophole in the defense. This has been exposed by Ye Qiu. Ferguson can no longer ignore it. Otherwise, this year's Manchester United might not even qualify for the Champions League, and even the UEFA Cup would be in danger.

Don't underestimate the tactical quality of those professional head coaches. They all rely on this to make a living. As long as your shortcomings are exposed, they will definitely let you know what it means to push the wall down and beat the drums.

So Ferguson had to change again, take the forward line to retreat to the midfield line, let Saha come back to catch the ball from the midfielder, and then turn around with the ball through him, and Ruud van Nistelrooy, Giggs and Schole in front It is believed that this can temporarily stop Manchester United's problems.

But this is only temporary, because time is not good for Manchester United, Keane, Giggs and others are already old.

Just when Ferguson thought of this and made up his mind, Manchester United conceded another goal on the pitch.

After Chelsea took the lead, they attacked for a while, but Manchester United held the situation tenaciously. After that, Chelsea slowed down their offensive, but they firmly controlled the rhythm, patiently looking for opportunities to attack again.

Just in the 38th minute of the game, Ronaldinho suddenly pulled to the right and retreated to meet Maicon. After getting the pass, the Brazilian immediately fell into the double-team of Keane and O'Shea, and quickly returned. Knock to plug the Maicon.

The Brazilian right-back got the ball and crossed the penalty area obliquely, trying to pass the ball in, but Ferdinand defeated the Ivorian in the top battle with Drogba, and made a header to clear the siege, but the ball did not fly far. Deco inserted later. After stopping the ball in the chest, he directly kicked the low flat ball straight behind him, and the ball quickly passed by Ferdinand.

Lampard inserted into Manchester United's penalty area from behind. Facing Sylvester who was running to block him quickly, Lampard stopped the ball first and hit the goal with his right foot. The ball was carried by Sylvester. Howard passed through with his feet and went straight to the far corner of the goal. Howard made a save, but he was too late, 2:0!

The whole Stamford Bridge stadium is crazy!

All the Chelsea fans are cheering, shouting the name of the goal hero Lampard!

Even though Chelsea has been ranked as the leader of the Premier League this season, the fans still lack confidence in the team. Therefore, when they saw that the team completely controlled the situation in the game and completely overwhelmed Manchester United, they all felt Surprised, marveled, disbelieving.

But now, if you don't believe it when you score one goal, Chelsea will score the second goal. Who else doesn't believe it?

Chelsea has always been one of Manchester United's most troublesome opponents. Even in 99, when Manchester United was at its peak, Chelsea beat Manchester United 5-0 at home, making the Red Devils even after winning the Triple Crown. A game with a grudge.

A year later, Chelsea tied Manchester United 3:3 at Old Trafford, and scored 1:1 back at Stamford Bridge, which made Manchester United suffering for revenge. In the 01/02 season, Chelsea again Old Trafford defeated Manchester United 3:0, which made the Red Devils lose face. After returning to Stamford Bridge, the Blues also lost 0:3, which was a tie.

By last season, 2:2 at home and 1:2 away, Chelsea's results did not disappoint the fans in the end.

From the record in the past few years, it is not difficult to see that Manchester United does not have the psychological advantage over Chelsea when they face other teams. If calculated based on the results of the same period, Chelsea is more qualified to represent London to attack Manchester United in Manchester, because Arsenal Na also lost 1:6 at Old Trafford and did not avenge his blood.

It is also because of this that this game will attract many London celebrities to Stamford Bridge. At the very least, no one wants to watch the team they support lose, right?

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Conceding two goals in a row, Manchester United has been completely suppressed by Chelsea.

Especially after scoring the second goal, Ye Qiu took advantage of the high morale of the team and asked the players to continue chasing Manchester United. The outcome of this game is determined early.

But Ferguson is not a fuel-efficient lamp. Why hasn't the old Scottish man seen any storms?
Being able to bend and stretch is his credo, so when the game was unfavorable, he chose to be conservative and asked the team to tighten the three lines and not give Chelsea a chance to score. Otherwise, Manchester United's game will really be over.

To win, no one, including Ferguson, still has confidence in Manchester United. The key is not to lose, or to lose with dignity.

Don't underestimate the word dignity. If you can score a goal, Manchester United will save face. Although the morale of the team will be weakened by the loss, it will not go straight to the bottom. If there is no dignity, the hearts of the players will definitely be hit, and the morale will be devastated.

You must know that the league is a long-term battle, and morale is very important. In Chinese terms, it means one effort, then decline, and three exhaustion. Lost the qualifications for the Champions League, the price of Manchester United losing this game is too great.

Whether it was Ferguson, Ye Qiu had to admit that this old man was very tenacious and tenacious, and he would use all means to win and achieve his goals, including the conservatism that was controversial by the fans.

In the first half of the game, Manchester United maintained a score of 2:0, which also left Manchester United with a glimmer of hope, even if it is extremely weak, there is still hope, because the Red Devils also have precedents for major reversals.

"If a major reversal can be completed in such a crucial game and under such an unfavorable situation, then Manchester United will definitely be the most powerful contender for the Premier League title this season!" Andy Gray clearly knows the difference between fighting spirit and morale better than anyone else. The importance of a team is why he believes that Manchester United still has a chance.

On the contrary, his partner, Richard Keith obviously did not believe that Manchester United had the possibility of a reversal, because Manchester United was too passive in the first half, and almost the entire 45 minutes were under the control of Chelsea.

"Unless, during the game, there are some subversive changes, otherwise, I find it hard to believe that Manchester United still have a chance to reverse Chelsea, because this is obviously not a contest of the same level. Manchester United is completely at a disadvantage and is extremely passive, while Chelsea Completely took the initiative."

The subversive changes that Richard Keith mentioned included red cards, because Cristiano Ronaldo and Keane in the Manchester United team have been controversial this season. Those who use tactics many times to create opponents' red cards.

And in this kind of strong dialogue, if one side loses one person, the situation of the game will be completely reversed!

(End of this chapter)