Starting with saving Manchester United

Chapter 100 A Synonym for Being Born at the Wrong Time

"Physical fitness! Physical fitness!! And more physical fitness!!!"

When Yang Fan and his three assistants finished watching the highly anticipated Madrid derby in the Champions League semi-final at the Bernabéu, they couldn't help but sigh helplessly.

Mike Phelan and the others all nodded in agreement.

The score remained 0-0 after 90 minutes of regulation time.

But in the final extra time, Atletico Madrid's stamina completely collapsed, and Real Madrid scored three goals in a row.

Real Madrid ultimately defeated Atletico Madrid 3-0 with goals from Di Maria, Marcelo, and Ronaldo, advancing to the Champions League final and setting up a showdown with Manchester United.

All three goals came in the second half of extra time.

This also shows how fierce this Madrid derby was.

"Simone's tactics were successful and effective, but they were too physically demanding."

"And Atletico Madrid played very dirty!"

Steve Lund frowned and said, clearly having some reservations about Simeone's tactics.

Yang Fan chuckled inwardly.

England not only have a bitter rivalry with the Germans, but also dislike the Argentinians.

The Beckham incident back then made Simeone unpopular with everyone in England.

"It must be admitted that Simeone's tactics were very targeted."

"Both legs were very ugly, but they managed to contain Real Madrid."

"Apart from the second half of extra time, in the two 180-minute matches, including the first half of extra time, Real Madrid's fast counter-attacks basically didn't pose any threat," Paul Brand pointed out, grasping the crux of the problem.

Real Madrid's most prized BBC trio was essentially rendered useless in both legs of the match.

Especially Benzema.

They failed to demonstrate either scoring ability or tactical value against Atletico Madrid's defense.

Yang Fan nodded, "Atletico Madrid has suppressed Real Madrid's midfield."

If Modric performed terribly under Mourinho, then this season under Ancelotti, the Croatian midfielder has fully demonstrated his value.

A good balance of offense and defense?

No, no, no, it's not that simple.

What's most surprising about Modric is that after winning the ball in midfield, even when facing a two-on-one situation, he rarely loses possession and can even keep the ball and pass it out.

Don't let his short stature and seemingly weak appearance fool you; he's actually incredibly resilient!

Yang Fan's most memorable impression of Modric was the 2018 World Cup.

Every knockout match went into extra time and involved penalties, but they held on every single time.

The key player is this midfielder named Luka Modric!

Next, however, he will face such an opponent.

"Di Maria is also very tenacious and good at accelerating when transitioning from defense to attack, plus Xabi Alonso who is responsible for the defensive position."

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Yang Fan, who is from 2026, knows very well that Real Madrid's midfield is not strong at present and has quite a few problems.

The most obvious thing is defense.

Ancelotti's tactics are essentially aimed at neutralizing Modric and Di Maria.

Compared to the later three midfielders in the ceremony, Modric remained the same, while the other two were Toni Kroos and Casemiro.

How strong is Casemiro's defensive ability?

Why did Real Madrid use Coentrao instead of Marcelo at left-back after entering the Champions League knockout stage?

Mourinho had already given the answer long ago.

Coentrao's defense is much better than Marcelo's.

If you pair Di Maria, Xabi Alonso, and Modric in midfield, with Marcelo and Carvajal on the wings, the attack might be sufficient, but what about the defense?

Ancelotti is the Italian coach; he wouldn't do such a thing.

Tonight's game, Ancelotti's strategy is similar to Yang Fan's previous life in the 2014 Champions League final.

First, bring on Coentrao to wear down Atletico Madrid's stamina.

Once we've used up most of our energy, we'll go for Marcelo.

Marcelo and Coentrao both look like left-backs, but the problem is, Marcelo actually plays as a left winger.

What actually led Ancelotti to make this decision was La Liga.

Through this season's adjustments, Ancelotti has basically finalized the team's dynamics, with the attacking trio of BBC and Di Maria in midfield.

Modric and Xabi Alonso have very similar defensive lines.

Ramos, Pepe, and Carvajal will rotate with Varane.

However, in the 29th round, Real Madrid suffered a crushing 3-4 defeat at home to Barcelona.

Three days later, Real Madrid lost 1-2 to Sevilla away from home.

Marcelo started both games, but his defense on the left flank was problematic in both matches!

Since then, Coentrao has started every Champions League knockout stage match.

Yang Fan is almost certain that Ancelotti will start Coentrao again in the Champions League final.

"Simone reminded us of something with these two legs of the match."

Yang Fan looked at his three assistants and grinned.

"To beat Real Madrid, we need to relentlessly press those three midfielders and completely disrupt their midfield strategy!"

Mike Phelan and Steve Lund exchanged a glance and both laughed simultaneously.

Yang Fan's insight was as sharp as ever.

How do I snatch it?

This requires Manchester United to go back and study it carefully.

Yang Fan returned to Manchester from Madrid overnight. The next morning, while having breakfast in a restaurant, he felt that the people around him were acting strangely.

The way each person looked at me seemed to offer comfort.

What's going on?

Just as Yang Fan was completely confused, Mike Phelan, Steve Lund, and others also came into the restaurant to dine.

They all sat down opposite Yang Fan, looking at him with pity.

"What a pity, Yang!" Mike Phelan sighed.

"Yes, we all think you're the best," Steve Lund chimed in.

"Don't look at me, Yang, I'm definitely supporting you." Paul Brand was as sycophantic as ever.

Yang Fan looked at the three of them and really wanted to say: "Big brother, what happened? Can you explain clearly?"

Finally, Jackie Kay walked in from outside and solved the mystery for Yang Fan.

"I just received news from London that the Premier League has announced that you did not win the Premier League Manager of the Month award for April again."

again?

No, when did I ever say I wanted to win this thing—that damn Coach of the Month award?

And everyone is so sympathetic towards me?

Yang Fan almost burst out laughing.

"Yang, it's really not your fault, it's all fate!" Mike Phelan was good at comforting people.

"Yeah, it's all that damn Hull City's fault. Why did they have to postpone the match?" Steve Lund chimed in.

Yang Fan was puzzled. "What does this have to do with Hur City?"

"What do you mean, there isn't?" Paul Brand asked, getting excited.

If we're talking about Manager of the Month for April, the two most competitive candidates are Yang Fan of Manchester United and Tony Pulis of Crystal Palace.

Yang Fan now has a strong reputation, solid achievements, and a improved public image.

It's fair to say that, apart from the "blemish" of his Level 1 coaching certificate, he's really impeccable.

When the selection took place in March, Yang Fan was already one of the top contenders, and many people were even indignant that he lost to Rogers.

Therefore, by April, he was the top favorite.

So why did they lose?

"Because of my Level 1 coaching certificate?" Yang Fan found it funny himself.

Mike Phelan and others burst out laughing on the spot.

"That has nothing to do with it, Young," Paul Brand explained. "The Premier League Player of the Month award doesn't take Champions League matches into account. You lost to Rodgers in March because you only took over the team in mid-to-late March, there's no question about that."

"The reason we lost to Tony Pulis in April was because Manchester United played three league games in April: Newcastle, Everton and Norwich, and we won three in a row."

「水晶宫在4月踢了5场比赛，4胜1负，击败的球队包括埃弗顿、阿斯顿维拉、加迪夫和西汉姆联，唯一输掉的比赛就是主场0比2输给曼城。」

hard!

Tony Price is a real tough guy!

After defeating Mourinho's Chelsea at the end of March, they went on a winning streak, pulling Crystal Palace out of the relegation zone.

Yang Fan has a 3-game winning streak, while Tony Pulis has a 4-game winning streak, before losing to Manchester City at the end of the month.

The key point is that Crystal Palace successfully retained their title.

Therefore, in the final selection, Tony Pulis beat Yang Fan to win the award.

After hearing this, Yang Fan immediately understood why they were all looking at him like that.

That's really quite tragic!

It was all not a fault of the war!

If the Hull City match hadn't been postponed, and Yang Fan had led Manchester United to a victory over Hull City, wouldn't that have resulted in four wins?

Wouldn't that be enough to take down Tony Price?

Premier League Manager of the Month!

Although there's no bonus or benefit, the name is prestigious!

and many more!

Isn't there still May?

"In May, everyone else has two matches, but we have three. If we win them all, then—"

As soon as Yang Fan finished speaking, Mike Phelan shook his head and let out a long sigh filled with mixed emotions.

No comment in May!

Nima!

So the phrase "born at the wrong time" was tailor-made for me, is that what it means?

The results of the Premier League's Player of the Month awards for April have been released, immediately sparking heated discussions among British media and fans.

Tony Pulis's victory over Yang Fan has ironically spurred a lot of media and fans to support Yang Fan!

It's not that Yang Fan's team performance wasn't good enough; it's just that he was born at the wrong time.

Many people already felt sorry for him because he didn't receive it in March.

Unexpectedly, I didn't receive it again in April.

To paraphrase The Times, Yang Fan led Manchester United to six consecutive Premier League wins starting in mid-to-late March, yet he still failed to win the Manager of the Month award.

Who can I complain to?

At the pre-match press conference for the 37th round of the Premier League on the afternoon of May 2, when Manchester United hosted Sunderland, Yang Fan, in an interview with the media, did not seem to care about missing out on the Manager of the Month award for two consecutive months.

"Both winners are well-deserved; they are the best managers in the Premier League."

Yang Fan said that his most important task now is to study and accumulate more experience.

"I believe that when I truly have the ability, the awards will come naturally."

The media and fans responded very positively to Yang Fan's remarks.

He was elegant, but also regrettable.

But Manchester United's match against Sunderland in the 37th round will be a tough one.

The Black Cats currently have 35 points, and thanks to their superior goal difference, they are ahead of Aston Villa in 16th place in the Premier League.

In reality, they were only 3 points ahead of Norwich, who were in 18th place and in the relegation zone.

This is just a matter of winning or losing a game.

For Sunderland, they are far from securing their place in the league.

Manager Poyet had urged Sunderland players to give it their all away from home before the match.

"We are not out of danger yet, we are not safe, and we must give it our all in this away game!"

Poyet stated that Sunderland had no other choice.

"If we want to avoid relegation, we only have one way: beat Manchester United away and grab those three points!"

Sunderland have also offered a huge prize for avoiding relegation.

Staying in the Premier League guarantees a minimum income of over £6 million per season.

The Black Cats have really gone all out, urging their players to give their all and fight Manchester United to the death!

In order to survive, Sunderland has shown an unprecedented fighting spirit.

From the moment the starting whistle blew, the Sunderland players were at Old Trafford, showing everyone their burning passion!

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