Starting with saving Manchester United

The announcement of the starting lineup quickly caused a huge uproar at Old Trafford.

This is a do-or-die match tonight. What's Manchester United's starting lineup?

What about the tireless Evra?

Without Evra, what will Manchester United do on the left flank?

Over the years, Manchester United has been most proud of its two flanks.

Losing the left flank is tantamount to crippling one of our own wings, isn't it?

The Manchester United fans at the stadium were furious!

Before the match, the media hyped up Woodward's appointment of Yang Fan as Manchester United's interim manager, which already fueled public discontent.

Now that the starting lineup has been announced, how can these die-hard Manchester United fans sit still?

Before the match even started, they were already cursing Yang Fan, Woodward, and Glazer.

Sky Sports' live broadcast even gave special coverage to the VIP boxes.

The Glazer brothers, along with Ferguson and others, sat in the seats outside the VIP box. Hearing the deafening shouts from the audience, their expressions were extremely grim.

……

In stark contrast to the stadium, the Old Trafford home team's dressing room was deathly silent.

The air was so heavy it seemed frozen in place.

Although the players knew whether they would start the game through private communication with Yang Fan before the game.

Through this morning's training session and two tactical meetings, they also learned that the team plans to change its formation.

But when Mike Phelan announced the starting eleven, everyone was still surprised.

Goalkeeper: De Gea;

Defense: Smalling, Vidic, Phil Jones;

Midfielders: Ashley Young, Cleverley, Carrick, and Valencia, with Fellaini and Rooney up front;

Forward: Robin van Persie.

This is a 3-4-2-1 formation!

Without Evra, there is no Ferdinand.

Not to mention Giggs, who wasn't even on the roster!

Yang Fan stood in the center of the locker room, his gaze sweeping over the 18 players present.

Evra and Ferdinand, among others, already knew they wouldn't be starting before the match, or even earlier this morning.

Ferdinand is not the main problem here.

Manchester United's team doctor had previously estimated that he would play a maximum of two games a month.

Therefore, he hasn't had much playing time this season.

However, Yang Fan believes that with proper training, he can get more playing time, ideally rotating with Vidic to play a mentoring role and lead the team's defense.

Evra is the most complex.

Yang Fan had to use a lot of persuasion to barely convince the Frenchman to take a break.

So far, Evra has had too much playing time and his form has been very inconsistent.

Of the 11 players Yang Fan chose for his starting lineup, not a single one was in trouble.

This morning, Vidic and Van Persie changed their status from yellow to green.

Using the signal light system, Yang Fan could determine that this was the most suitable lineup Manchester United could field so far.

Welbeck is in better physical condition than Van Persie.

But when it comes to match ability, especially the ability to score goals, Welbeck is still inexperienced.

Needless to say, Januzaj is another case in point.

Although the young Belgian player performed well, he is not yet up to the task in a real life-or-death battle.

Most of the 11 players in the starting lineup have one green and two yellow cards.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Feeling Yang Fan's gaze sweeping over everyone, the Manchester United players reacted in different ways.

Some people kept their heads down, not wanting Yang Fan to see their expressions; some had wandering eyes, lost in thought; while others looked at Yang Fan with expectant eyes, as if waiting for something...

18 people, 18 personalities, 18 different interests.

Yang Fan took a deep breath to calm himself down.

This was his first game as a coach.

I didn't expect to be playing such a high-level game right from the start.

Now that things have come to this, he has no way out but to move forward.

"I know what you're thinking."

Yang Fan's tone was calm, yet firm.

"You might not believe it, but this is the first time I've ever stepped onto a football field."

"If you accidentally stepped into the mud while running in school or the stadium before, that doesn't count."

Yang Fan's words did not amuse anyone.

But most of the players looked up at the rookie in front of them, who was even younger than them.

"From the moment I took over the reins as Manchester United manager, I knew very well that I had no right to teach you how to play football. All of you here are among the best professional players in the world today, the ones who are able to play for Manchester United."

"But I have to take on this responsibility, what should I do?"

Yang Fan's gaze swept over everyone present once again.

Many people also showed signs of deep thought.

"For the past three days, I've been constantly thinking about how I can help you and what I can offer you."

"I don't understand tactics; I can't play football; I don't even know or understand tonight's opponents as well as you do."

"What can I do?"

"I was very scared. I kept thinking that even if I couldn't help everyone, I definitely couldn't hold you back. Because in the past three days, I have seen each and every one of you working hard to change the situation and help the team get out of the quagmire."

At this moment, many players, including Rooney, Vidic, and Carrick, nodded in agreement.

Even players like Ferdinand and Evra, who were placed on the bench, agreed.

"As everyone knows, I studied economics at the University of Bristol, the same school and major as Ed Woodward. He was my senior."

"If you have friends who work at the company, you've probably heard the phrase 'an outsider leading an expert.'"

"Many people think this is a derogatory term, but it actually isn't."

"A layman may seem unskilled, but he is not limited or constrained by professional expertise; an expert may seem knowledgeable, but he is easily blinded by his own involvement."

"Therefore, the problem is not that an outsider is leading an expert, but that the outsider mistakenly thinks he is an expert."

"Once I understood this, I knew how I could help everyone."

"On a tactical level, we have Mike, we have Steve, and we also have a very professional technical and tactical team."

"I don't have much to say about these things."

"Standing here at this moment, I want to remind everyone, don't forget who you are?"

Yang Fan stood in the center of the locker room and pointed to all the players.

"You've all seen the overwhelming news reports today."

"The Sun is pleading with God to save Manchester United, while the Manchester Evening News is asking the soul-searching question: who can save Manchester United?"

"The Times says Manchester United is dead, The Guardian says the Red Devils have completely lost their tradition..."

"I also saw a big influencer on Twitter say that Old Trafford tonight will completely turn into a stage for the opponents to celebrate wildly."

"Nobody had any hope for us, nobody believed we could come back like Barcelona did last season."

"Perhaps right now, you too are feeling worried, fearful, hesitant, and uneasy..."

Yang Fan then changed the subject.

"But as an amateur observer, I want to remind everyone of something: please grab the team badge on your left chest and look at it carefully again. Who are you?"

"At the Camp Nou in 1999, after 91 minutes, everyone thought Manchester United had no hope, that they were doomed to lose, and that Bayern Munich was the king. But what was the final result?"

"That wasn't solely the head coach's achievement; in fact, at that point in the game, the head coach was powerless to change anything!"

"The players created one of the greatest comebacks in Manchester United's history!"

That match forged Manchester United's character and set its backbone!

"I believe that many of you got to know Manchester United because of that game, or even decided to join Manchester United."

"Now, we are standing at Camp Nou in 1999, in the final minutes of the final."

"How do I do it?"

"The decision is yours!"

"Winning this game will be a great victory, just like at Camp Nou in 1999!"

Yang Fan could clearly feel that the player's breathing had become heavier.

The air in the locker room seemed to be ignited.

This is also the effect he wanted to achieve.

"Finally, I want to tell you, don't be afraid, because our opponents are more fearful than we are!"

"Because they're going to fight us, who have no way out, on our own territory!"

"Since we have no way out, let's not retreat, let's forget everything."

"Forget the score of the first leg, forget all the doubts before the match, forget all the misunderstandings that fans have about us because of public opinion..."

"For the next 90 minutes of the game, we'll only do one thing!"

"Like a pack of hungry wolves, they fight and snatch with everything they have!"

"I believe we can create a miracle tonight!"

The locker room erupted in flames the moment Yang Fan finished speaking!