Starting with saving Manchester United

When Yang Fan was a football fan in his previous life, he heard that every stadium in the top European leagues had its own unique strategy.

Old Trafford is no exception.

The players' tunnel is narrow and long, only 2.5 meters wide.

Walk 10 meters from the home team's locker room to reach the away team's locker room.

Not only are the locker rooms on the same side, but it is said that if the visiting team's players and coaches make a slightly loud noise in the locker room, they can be heard clearly from the players' tunnel.

Walk 15 meters forward from the away team's locker room, and pass through several doors to reach the area where you wait to enter.

The players from both teams lined up here and, led by the referee, entered the field one after another.

This passageway running through the southwest of the stadium also serves as a rescue route during the game, with ambulances and police cars on standby outside the stadium, ready to enter and deal with any emergencies.

The clever design of Old Trafford is that the players' tunnel is located in the southwest corner of the stadium, so when entering and leaving the pitch, they have to pass through the Streford Stand, where Manchester United's most die-hard fans gather.

That is, the West Stand.

Although the West Stand only has two levels and 12,000 seats, it is the gathering place for the most passionate fans.

Passing through here before the match even starts, they're bound to be met with a barrage of criticism from Manchester United fans.

But the Red Devils fans' show of force isn't always directed at the away team.

Occasionally, they would also give it to "one of their own" whom they did not approve of.

As the classic Champions League opening theme played at Old Trafford, Yang Fan emerged from the players' tunnel.

The cheering from the west stand instantly turned into a deafening chorus of boos and curses.

Even behind Yang Fan as he walked, there was a half-eaten pizza that had been thrown down from somewhere in the stands.

Immediately afterwards, the entire stadium erupted in deafening boos.

Even the opening theme song of the Champions League broadcast was almost completely drowned out.

The south grandstand is backed by the train line and has only one floor, but the VIP boxes are mostly concentrated on this side.

The media area, where broadcasters and media outlets are located, is also on this side.

At this very moment, in the Sky Sports media section, Gary Neville is enthusiastically "introducing" the special treatment Manchester United fans are giving Yang Fan.

"I don't know if it's the first time in history, but it's certainly the only one in the last thirty years or so, to have pizzas thrown at him by his own fans at Old Trafford."

"This is a special treatment that even Moyes hasn't received!"

Gary Neville went on to talk about Manchester United’s traditions and values, trying to instill the idea in all the fans watching the live stream that Yang Fan was simply not fit to be Manchester United’s manager.

Temporary solutions are not acceptable!

Even though he had seen many storms in his previous life, Yang Fan was still taken aback by the frenzied boos and curses from the audience as soon as he appeared.

That's a whopping 7 people!

Who has ever been attacked and insulted by so many people at the same time?

The head coach's seat is on the south stand side.

Yang Fan walked along the sidelines to the home team's coaching bench, enduring the insults all the way.

Before he could even sit down, the fourth official in the middle came over to remind Yang Fan, "You should go and say hello to the away team's coaching staff first."

This is the most basic courtesy!

Players shake hands before the game, but the head coach shakes hands before and after the game.

Having no other option, Yang Fan left the coach's bench again.

As soon as he appeared, the boos and curses from the audience grew even louder.

"Being the head coach of a top team... is not easy." The fourth official looked at Yang Fan with some sympathy.

It's glamorous, but the pressure is immense.

Being criticized by more than 7 people at once is something that people with weak mental fortitude simply cannot withstand.

Yang Fan smiled and nodded, "They'll stop cursing once we win the game."

That's optimistic!

The fourth official thought to himself.

Given everything that happened before the match, it's clear that it won't be easy for Manchester United to win this game.

The odds offered by the betting companies are enough to prove this.

Manchester United's advancement was a major upset!

Many even speculate that Yang Fan was pushed out by Manchester United's management to take the blame for this fruitless season.

Yang Fan arrived at the away team's bench and immediately spotted Michel, the head coach of Olympiacos, Greece.

"Good evening, Michel, welcome to Old Trafford!"

But when Yang Fan reached out his hand, the legendary figure, one of Real Madrid's five eagles, seemed not to see it, still sitting upright on the away team's bench, head turned to the side, whispering something to his assistant beside him.

After ignoring Yang Fan for four or five seconds, he suddenly "noticed" Yang Fan, "Oh, it's you."

As he spoke, he reached out to shake hands with Yang Fan, but made no attempt to stand up from his seat.

Showing off!

Yang Fan was slightly annoyed, but he also guessed that this was a psychological tactic used by the opponent.

So, without waiting for Michelle to shake his hand, he pulled it back and turned to leave.

mock up!

I can't do anything about these die-hard Manchester United fans; I can only let them hurl insults at me.

But that doesn't mean I have to indulge you!

Watching Yang Fan turn and leave, Michelle was first surprised, then annoyed.

"What an rude guy!"

After cursing, Michelle was still not satisfied and continued to grit her teeth in anger.

You little rascal, just wait until the game is over, then you'll be crying!

At this moment, both sides have already set up their formations, and the match is about to begin.

……

"Vidic won the kickoff from Olympiacos captain Maniatis."

"We can see that the Greek team is still using their preferred 4-2-3-1 formation."

"But Manchester United's starting formation tonight is a bit strange, it's a three-man defense."

"Smalling, Vidic, and Phil Jones are in the back line."

"Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia appeared on both flanks."

"Such a troop deployment is very strange."

"Gary, what do you think about this?"

"I think this is a very amateurish adjustment because Manchester United has never played with a three-man defense in its history of several decades, nor does it have the DNA to play with a three-man defense."

"Now, to suddenly switch to a three-man defense, especially on the left flank, with Evra not playing and Ashley Young on that side, who is a winger, will definitely be a big problem defending that side."

Despite Olympiacos having a two-goal advantage from the first leg and playing away from home, Michel did not adopt a defensive, defensive strategy.

From the start of the match, the Greek team adopted a high-pressing strategy, knowing that Manchester United's midfield was weak, and tried to use midfield pressure to contain Manchester United.

Manchester United have just switched to a three-man defense and are taking a safe approach from the start.

Whether it's Yang Fan, Mike Phelan, or Steve Lund, they all basically believe that the most important thing for the team at the start of the season is to find the rhythm of the game and familiarize themselves with the formation and tactics.

However, this gave Olympiacos the upper hand and allowed them to take control of the game.

Especially just 1 minute and 11 seconds into the game, Olympiacos' right winger Perez was on Manchester United's left side, and Ashley Young received the ball behind him and made a strong run into the flank.

When Smalling rushed out to defend, he tripped Perez about 30 meters outside the left corner of the penalty area.

This earned the Manchester United defender his first warning of the match.

However, the Greek team's subsequent set piece was headed away by Vidic, going out of the penalty area.

Manchester United's quick counter-attack failed to materialize.

"That's what I was saying earlier. Ashley Young is a winger, good at attacking and passing. Letting him take charge of a flank alone will create a huge defensive vulnerability behind him," Gary Neville explained.

The live broadcast switched to the sidelines, where Michel walked out and directed the team.

"If I were Michel at this moment, I would also ask the players to do their best to attack Manchester United's defensive weaknesses, namely the two flanks, behind Ashley Young and Valencia, which is very dangerous."

It seemed to confirm Gary Neville's judgment.

At 3 minutes and 21 seconds, Olympiacos midfielder Maniatis suddenly switched the ball to his own left flank.

Left-back Holebas suddenly overlapped on the wing, making a high-speed run behind Valencia.

Upon receiving the pass from his teammate, he executed a beautiful nutmeg over the onrushing Phil Jones, kicking the ball towards the right side of the Manchester United penalty area before quickly chasing after it.

Vidic immediately pressed forward to intercept, but Holebas still got a chance to cross the ball from the edge of the penalty area, sending it to the center of the six-yard box.

At the crucial moment, Smalling made a quick move and blocked the ball.

This caused everyone in the audience to gasp in relief, as if they had just escaped a disaster.

Carrick then kicked the ball out of the penalty area.

Rooney dropped back to defend, received the ball, turned and quickly launched a counter-attack.

But this counterattack still failed to pose a threat.

The entire Old Trafford stadium erupted in uproar!

With a 0-2 away defeat, everyone is hoping for a Manchester United comeback at home.

But who could have imagined that after returning to their home ground and changing managers, Manchester United would be so badly pressured by Olympiacos right from the start?

They almost conceded a goal.

If they concede just one more goal, Manchester United will be completely finished!

"Both of Olympiacos' attacks were very threatening, and both came from the flanks, behind Ashley Young and Valencia. This was no coincidence; it was deliberate!"

"I'm certain that it won't be long before the Greeks breach Manchester United's goal!"

"Tonight might even be the most humiliating home defeat in Manchester United's history!"

……

"The Greeks were determined to score an away goal, so they started the game aggressively and were full of energy."

"Our players are not yet used to the new tactics, especially Ashley Young and Valencia, who are positioned too far forward."

Steve Lund offered his own assessment.

"Let them retreat a bit and stabilize the situation first," Mike Phelan suggested.

Yang Fan kept a close eye on the situation on the field, while also observing the three lights above the players' heads.

After two days of experimentation, he discovered that the three lights changed in real time.

During the game, he can use the three lights above the players' heads to understand their physical and mental condition at any time.

If a player lacks confidence in stopping the opponent, then a red flag will definitely be raised.

From what we can see now, Manchester United players are all very experienced.

Despite a passive start, their mentality remained unchanged, and the lighting situation was the same as at the beginning.

There have been no changes, including for Valencia and Ashley Young.

With that thought in mind, Yang Fan felt relieved.

Walking to the sidelines, he called out to Valencia and Ashley Young, waving them to move back into position, to plug the defensive gaps, stabilize the defense, and get a foothold before discussing the rest.

Both players received instructions from Yang Fan to move back to their positions.