Chapter 314 You can prepare for the award ceremony in advance [Please subscribe!]

Ferguson, who was looked forward to by countless Red Devils fans, was in a very bad mood at the moment.

He actually thought that Speed ​​would choose the safest style of play, but he thought that the worst result would be that Sheffield United used their enviable three midfielders.

But Ferguson did not guess that Drinkwater would be substituted, nor did he guess that Sheffield United would directly deploy five defenders while playing three midfielders!

To be honest, Speed's courage is already astonishing. In this kind of game, he dares to let his core midfielder substitute first. If something unexpected happens, he will be ridiculed and blamed by countless fans.

Speed ​​definitely knew the risks of starting this way, but he did it anyway.

The only explanation is that he is very confident in this formation and style of play, and the entire Sheffield United team has practiced it many times.

Judging from Sheffield United's past tactical discipline, the players on the field will only implement Speed's tactics to the end.

In other words, the vast area in the midfield and backfield of Sheffield United today may turn into a huge meat grinder battlefield due to the sufficient manpower!

The key is that because Sheffield United had Li Mo and Bell on the court at the same time, Ferguson really didn't dare to mobilize too many backcourt players to support the forward pressing.

Once these two people rush together, they will be a huge problem that can break through a defensive area with their individual abilities.

After thinking about it, Ferguson felt that it was better not to act lightly now and wait and see how the situation develops on the field. Sheffield United is good at playing from the back, and he will make a backhand adjustment today!

It just so happened that Sheffield United's offensive intensity in the frontcourt was greatly reduced today. As long as Li Mo was not allowed to receive too much passing support to break the balance on the field, Ferguson felt that his tactical arrangement might not be able to defeat Sheffield United's defense.

Thinking of this, Ferguson also squeezed his palms, feeling more confident in his heart.

After the players from both sides lined up to complete the pre-match ceremony, the time slowly pointed to 17:30 in the afternoon.

In the tense atmosphere at Old Trafford, the referee on duty held his watch and blew the whistle to start the game.

For a moment, the Manchester United fans in Old Trafford seemed to be shouting their support for the team with all their strength!

In the midst of the commotion, the Sheffield United players quickly spread out their formation. Bell on the left side of the midfield moved forward slightly, and Matic moved closer to him, always ready to help defend.

Li Mo did not position directly in the middle, but moved slightly to the right, leaving the entire left half of the offensive space for Bell.

Speed ​​did not send Joaquin and De Bruyne today, so Li Mo naturally had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of supporting and attacking from the right.

However, compared to Bell, his space and position are indeed wider and more flexible.

From the center to the right, as long as there is a loophole in Manchester United's defense, he can choose the direction of attack on his own.

And when he attacks on the right, he doesn't have to worry about no one in the middle to support him. Dembele's start is to make up for this offensive flaw.

The Belgian midfielder's ability to penetrate deep and take the ball are both top-notch in football. It may not be possible to let him serve as the finishing point in the middle, but it is no problem to hold the ball and create a secondary attack for Bell and Li Mo on the wings.

After all, the physical fitness and skills are there, and it can also help Li Mo share part of the fulcrum role, whether he can advance, attack, retreat or defend. This is the position Speed ​​has found for Dembélé.

This is also Speed's greatest confidence in using Drinkwater as his backup in this game!

However, the current Manchester United players have obviously not thought of this level. They are worrying about how to quickly pass through Sheffield United's midfield.

It's definitely not possible to rush forward forcefully. Let's not talk about whether we can get past the steel defense line set up by Sheffield United's midfield. It's just a matter of luck that we got through.

When the wings are being marked one-on-one and there are three central defenders in front of him, the ball carrier will eventually be unable to find a connecting point and will have no choice but to hold the ball wide or simply pass it back.

This kind of attack seems to be time-consuming and not very profitable. We still need to think more about how to quickly pass through Sheffield United's midfield.

Fortunately, Ferguson's formation today gave Manchester United's midfielder a real core and the ability to control the ball stably.

Seeing the little fat man running frequently in the midfield to catch the ball and get rid of Sheffield United defensive players, many Manchester United fans instantly forgot about the salary increase controversy he caused at the beginning of the season.

"Rooney, Rooney, Manchester United still let Rooney take on the important task of leading the midfield against Sheffield United in perhaps the most important league game of this season! Among all the midfielders in Manchester United, there is only one Rooney.

Don’t be afraid of Sheffield United’s pressing style. Manchester United invested a lot in the midfield today. It depends on whether they can help Van Persie in the frontcourt find the loopholes in Sheffield United’s defense!”

Although Zhan Jun is a fan of Liverpool, he has always admired Rooney, a core player of Manchester United.

As a superstar, he is always willing to make sacrifices for the team. The key is to be able to withstand the pressure. As a forward and midfielder, he has no difficulty in adapting.

Today's arrangement by Ferguson can be regarded as barely solving the problem of Manchester United's lack of midfield control and ability to break the press.

But again, if Rooney retreats, then only Van Persie is the most threatening point in front. Let Van Persie attack Sheffield United's defense line of three central defenders alone. It is a bit unreliable no matter how you look at it.

And the two wing offensive players arranged by Manchester United today are Giggs and Welbeck.

After Rafael was injured, Ferguson had to move Ashley Young to the right back position in order to limit Bell's performance. This forced Manchester United's starting arrangement on both wings to make huge adjustments, and the offensive threat was much smaller than before.

Much more.

Sheffield United happened to increase the number of defenders on both sides today. After this increase and one decrease, Manchester United's advancement became more difficult, while the defensive tasks of Sheffield United's two wing-backs became easier.

At least after the game started, Manchester United's several attempts to advance from the wing were forced back by Sheffield United. Welbeck was unable to break through and almost turned into a quick counterattack after Matt Ritchie intercepted the ball, which attracted Kary.

Ke kept signaling to Welbeck not to go up.

Heibei's momentum is there, and he is active in both offense and defense, but sometimes he seems to be a little stuck. Carrick has to always pay attention to his offensive and defensive choices and remind him to make less mistakes.

Frequent injuries to Fletcher deprived Carrick of his best midfield partner in recent years for the remainder of the season.

Anderson, who has lost his aura, can only say that there is not much problem with his performance, but Carrick does not expect him to help him share too much defensive and organizational pressure.

Like Rooney, Carrick, who has a heavy responsibility, is desperate to have a trustworthy companion by his side.

Originally, the Japanese midfielder could become the core figure of Manchester United's new generation midfielder. Carrick was also convinced of the opponent's skills, but his physical fitness was really unable to adapt to the rhythm of the Premier League.

In the previous few league games, Ferguson gave Shinji Kagawa a lot of opportunities to let him get a better feel, but in this game, he did not dare to send Shinji Kagawa in the starting lineup.

The fear is that under the strong impact of Sheffield United, the Japanese midfielder will be unable to withstand the pressure and become a breakthrough.

After adapting to this situation for a season, Carrick's expectations for Shinji Kagawa have almost worn off.

In the end, Manchester United's midfield and backfield still have to rely on him, a "noodle midfielder" who was called a softie by fans a few years ago.

Carrick smiled self-deprecatingly, and continued to direct the positions of his teammates around him with a hint of helplessness.

Regarding Sheffield United, Carrick did not dare to relax in the slightest. Even though Manchester United was still in the offensive rhythm, Sheffield United could launch a fatal counterattack at any time after stealing the ball.

So Anderson and Welbeck can think less and follow the instructions and play step by step, but he has to think more.

In the 13th minute of the first half, when Li Mo cruised from the right to the center, Medel, who had just completed stealing the ball, directly sent a long pass over the top. At the critical moment, Carrick boldly went around and passed the ball.

The pass was passed out to the sideline.

Sufficient caution and vigilance allowed Carrick to help Manchester United resolve a defensive crisis, but after completing this interception, Carrick seemed even more worried.

Because he was the only one who read Sheffield United's counterattack intention just now, Anderson basically had no reaction next to him.

If the fight continues like this, he can stop him once or twice, but after Sheffield United tries more and more, he is not on the opponent's counterattack route, so who can break the interception?

Rooney's ability to retreat to the midfield to organize and advance with the ball has already been a huge sacrifice. If Rooney is relied on to help defend, the little fat man will be exhausted.

After hesitating for a moment, Carrick could only choose to take it slow.

At least now Manchester United needs to put more energy into the offensive end. If he can't bear the defensive pressure, he will have to bear it!

After losing to Sheffield United in the previous games, the Manchester United midfielders led by him have been sprayed by fans from all walks of life, so it doesn't matter if they are sprayed again in this game, as long as they can win, Carrick

I feel like I can get scolded no matter how much.

With the expectations of their teammates and countless fans, Manchester United's offensive players in the frontcourt tried their best to try to disintegrate Sheffield United's midfield defense.

With Rooney's guidance and forward control, Giggs' side and Van Persie, who often withdraws from the penalty area, actually got a lot of opportunities to get the ball.

But they are still too far away from Sheffield United's penalty area.

Van Persie doesn't leave the penalty area and basically can't get the ball. This is an unsolvable problem.

Just like Rooney helped Robin van Persie contain the defensive forces in the frontcourt, Manchester United's midfield lost control. Rooney retreated to stabilize the midfield, and Van Persie was left alone. If you choose one end, you don't care about the other end. You always have to make a choice.

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Ferguson's confidence slowly dissipated as the game time passed.

After all, he highly valued the ability of Manchester United's offensive system to break through dense defenses.

In the past few years, the shortcomings of the lineup that Manchester United had managed to suppress by winning two league championships have completely exploded this year.

When faced with other Premier League opponents who are in decline, these problems are not fatal. After all, your midfield and backcourt are weird and your offensive firepower is fierce enough. Other worse teams will naturally help cover up the problems.

But last year it was Manchester City and this year it was Sheffield United, which completely exposed the flaws in Manchester United's lineup in front of fans around the world.

Not long ago, Real Madrid's comeback at Manchester United's home court also relied on a targeted attack on the center of Manchester United's midfield.

Under Sheffield United's super-targeting, Manchester United could not press out on either wing or in the middle. No matter how strong Rooney's personal ability was, he would not be able to bring Manchester United's midfield back to what it was like in the 2007-08 season.

Ferguson truly feels regretful. He has no regrets. He has led this Manchester United team to win two league championships, and he has nothing to regret.

It’s just a pity that after last year’s championship, we didn’t spend money directly to start a major overhaul of the midfield and backcourt.

His habitual bets on attacking stars have cost Manchester United the possibility of competing with Sheffield United for at least the next three seasons.

What is even more regrettable is that he is no longer at the helm of the Red Devils' reconstruction work. The path of change this great team will take in the future depends on what kind of transformation ideas his successor has.

Ferguson, who had limited energy, could no longer control so much. This was his last coaching season. He had already gained everything, and he did not have enough time to get rid of a "new madman".

"It would be such a dream to bid farewell to Old Trafford with a championship trophy. What a pity."

After sorting out the team's existing problems, Ferguson felt relieved.

Even if he is three years younger, he is confident that he will spend another two seasons rebuilding and then have a final battle with Speed's Sheffield United.

But now, it's time to let go.
To be continued...