Starting with saving Manchester United

Chapter 84: Defeat Bayern!

On the evening of April 23, at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester.

Whether it was psychological or not, Ferguson always felt that when he walked into Old Trafford and the stadium announcements reminded Manchester United fans that the fans' reactions were not as enthusiastic as they used to be when he arrived at the stadium.

Is it because I've been retired for a long time that the fans' feelings for me have faded?

Ferguson shook his head somewhat dejectedly.

To be honest, he really wasn't used to this boring life after retirement.

It doesn't mean anything.

I'm losing passion more and more.

Previously, when Moyes was in charge, he quite liked going to Old Trafford and even followed the team to away games.

But lately, he's been feeling listless.

Especially Yang Fan.

Some time ago, when Woodward learned that he would be drawn against Guardiola's Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals, he mentioned in a private conversation with Ferguson that he would let Yang Fan consult Ferguson if he encountered any problems.

Ferguson readily agreed, of course.

But so much time has passed: the competition is about to begin, and Yang Fan has not only failed to meet with his opponent to seek advice, but has not even made a phone call, nor has Mike Phelan come to ask him anything.

What's going on here?

I was really looking forward to it, and I stayed up all night researching Bayern Munich, preparing a lot of ideas and suggestions.

Did it all go down the drain?

The more the old nobleman pondered his troubles, the more uneasy he felt.

Sitting in the VIP box, I was a little dazed and didn't notice the starting lineup that Woodward handed me.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Ferguson woke up with a start and found the Glazer brothers and Woodward looking at him strangely. He shook his head awkwardly.

I haven't slept well for several days in a row.

"Alex, you still need to get some rest," Avram Glazer advised.

Ferguson agreed.

After receiving the starting lineups from Woodward, Ferguson immediately discerned the tactical approaches of both teams.

Manchester United, playing at home, still adopted the three-defender formation.

Goalkeeper: De Gea;

Defense: Smalling, Vidic, and Phil Jones;

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

Forward: Robin van Persie.

This is Manchester United's main lineup for the recent period, so there's basically no suspense.

On the bench, however, Ferguson spotted Evans.

Evans is Ferguson's favorite player and his overall ability is also quite good, it's just a pity that he was injured before.

Since their return, Smalling, Vidic, and Phil Jones have all performed well in the three-defender formation, so Yang Fan has no reason to make any last-minute changes to the starting center-backs.

There's not much to say about the other positions.

Manchester United's current squad only has this one competitive style of play.

Bayern's performance was somewhat unexpected.

Goalkeeper: Neuer;

Defense: Alaba, Dante, Jerome Boateng and Rafinha;

Midfield: Schweinsteiger and Lahm dropped back, with Ribery, Toni Kroos and Robben up front;

Forward: Mandzukic.

Thomas Müller, the crown prince, was placed on the bench by Guardiola, as was Götze.

This starting lineup clearly shows Guardiola's tactical intentions: to control the midfield and maintain possession.

But using Mandzukic on the front line clearly indicates a strong attacking strategy.

"In the past few years, although the general trend is that strikers without a center forward, false forwards, or weak-footed wingers have become increasingly strong in scoring, many people are saying that the center forward has lost its role."

"But looking at Barcelona's predicament in the last two seasons, it's clear that the role of the center forward is still very significant."

"Real Madrid's core scorer is Ronaldo, but the importance of center forward Benzema is beyond doubt."

Ferguson sighed softly as he finished speaking.

"Recently, I have carefully reviewed one of the most important measures taken by Yang Fan since he took over Manchester United: he fixed Fellaini in the frontcourt and made him play the role of a tactical center forward."

"This approach is similar to Chelsea's heavy reliance on Drogba back then. If the midfield is not strong, you have to rely on strong pivots like Drogba and Fellaini to make up for it, and that's how the team came to life."

The Glazer brothers and Woodward probably understood Ferguson's analysis.

"In this summer's transfer window, in addition to the usual renewal, such as replacing Evra with Luke Shaw, we strengthened our central defense with signings like Hummels from Borussia Dortmund."

"Most importantly, we must be clear about two directions: either strengthen the midfield, or, if the midfield is strong enough, the attacking firepower of players like Van Persie, Rooney, and Juan Mata in the front line can be maximized."

"Either we bring in a strong center forward, or we play like Fellaini, it's not a long-term solution."

Van Persie's age, technical characteristics, and injury-prone nature all destined him to be no strong center forward.

Putting aside everything else, there's Liverpool's Suarez.

He's not tall, but he's excellent at physical confrontations.

And then there's Aguero, who isn't afraid of physical confrontations at all.

More importantly, the midfield strength of Liverpool and Manchester City is beyond doubt.

As an advisor to Manchester United's transfer team, Ferguson's words are undoubtedly intended to provide guidance for Manchester United's transfer activities this summer.

Woodward nodded. "We'll look into it."

Joel Glazer also doesn't intend to delve any further into the transfer issue, given that Manchester United has given new manager Louis van Gaal a lot of power this time.

Even on many matters, the transfer team has to listen to Van Gaal.

"Alex, what do you think about tonight's game? Do you think we can win?"

Ferguson looked at Joel Glazer and shook his head self-deprecatingly, saying, "Last time we played Barcelona, ​​I said I couldn't win even with my team, but Yang Fan did. I can't say for sure this time."

The Glazer brothers and Woodward both burst into laughter.

"Sitting in the stands and standing in the stadium are two completely different worlds."

"I've only been away for a year, and everything seems to be getting more and more unfamiliar and blurry."

Ferguson's words resonated deeply.

Woodward's expression shifted slightly.

Is this a reflection on the intense competition in professional leagues? Or a nostalgic look back on a coaching career? Or perhaps a heartfelt sentiment after Manchester United's improved performance?

But regardless of how you look at it, Yang Fan, this junior student—

You really made me proud!

After guessing which side it was, the players from both teams returned to their respective halves of the field.

Wearing dark blue away jerseys, Bayern attacked from right to left.

Playing at home, Manchester United, wearing red jerseys, attacked from left to right.

When Vidic returned to his own half, he did not immediately arrange for his teammates to form a formation. Instead, taking advantage of the remaining time, he called all his teammates to the penalty area and gathered them together.

Along with goalkeeper De Gea, the entire Manchester United team stood in a large circle, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, and head to head.

"Guys, I'm leaving Manchester United at the end of this season!"

Vidic's first words were filled with a sense of sorrow for a hero growing old.

Besides Vidic, other Manchester United players are also getting old.

They would all have that day sooner or later.

It could even happen this summer.

"Young—the head coach, when you first took over, asked me if I was willing to leave Manchester United like this? Had you thought about leaving something for Manchester United when you left?"

"Many years from now, when Manchester United fans think of me, will their last memories be beautiful? Painful? Or regretful?"

Vidic's voice trembled noticeably as he said this.

"Many things are unavoidable. The only thing we can do is to do our best to prevent painful and regrettable things from happening, and to leave our fans with as many wonderful memories as possible!"

"I believe that after this damn season, everyone feels the same way I do."

"We have no other choice!"

All the Manchester United players around nodded in agreement.

Everyone had their heads down, staring at the grass beneath their feet, but on their faces, which no one could see, all wore solemnity and determination.

"The final is about to begin."

"Everyone, shout along with me!"

"Okay!" everyone responded in unison.

"Come on, Manchester United!" Vidic shouted at the top of his lungs.

Come on, Manchester United!

"Defeat Bayern!"

"Defeat Bayern!!"

Accompanied by a unified shout, they finally dispersed and set up their formations in their own half of the field.

This scene was captured by the 75,000 fans in the stands and also by the live television cameras. "We can see that Manchester United's morale is quite high tonight."

"Captain Vidic's pre-match pep talk was very effective."

"But Bayern are also determined to win this match."

"The pre-match public opinion and situation were almost unanimously in favor of Bayern, but in football, performance on the field is what matters."

"The kickoff will be taken by Bayern's Mandzukic and Robben."

"The referee for this match is Carlos Velasco Cabalo from Spain."

With the referee's whistle, Mandzukic did not pass the ball to Robben, but instead passed it back to Schweinsteiger at the bottom of the center circle.

Manchester United, led by Van Persie, immediately charged towards Schweinsteiger.

Before Van Persie could rush over, Schweinsteiger passed the ball across to Lahm.

But at almost the same time, Fellaini had already rushed up to Lahm, forcing Lahm to pass back to center-back Boateng.

Fellaini and Van Persie are still making quick forward runs.

Boateng passed the ball across to Dante, who then passed it to Schweinsteiger, who had dropped back to receive it.

After receiving the ball on the left side of his own 30-meter zone, Schweinsteiger turned sideways to the left flank and passed it to Alaba on the left sideline outside the 30-meter zone.

Before Alaba could even receive the ball, Valencia suddenly appeared from the side and made a sliding tackle, sending the ball out of bounds.

The referee blew his whistle in response.

Bayern's throw-in.

Alaba quickly threw the ball out of bounds, but Manchester United continued to press high up the pitch, forcing Dante to launch a long pass to Mandzukic.

As a result, Vidic controlled the ball perfectly and headed it to Smalling.

The ball fell to Manchester United's feet.

Bayern immediately launched a high press, applying pressure near the midfield line.

Cleverley received the ball in open space and launched a long pass to the right side of Bayern's penalty arc.

Rooney made a quick forward run and jumped at the same time as Schweinsteiger to contest the header.

However, Dante managed to control the second landing point in time.

After Dante intercepted the ball, he was interfered with by Van Persie and unable to pass to Lahm, so he immediately passed it diagonally to Alaba on the left flank.

Alaba received the ball close to the left sideline and, before Valencia could rush up, made a diagonal pass to Ribery in the flank, while he himself made a quick forward run along the left sideline.

Ribery, understanding perfectly, delivered a pass back, placing it right in Alaba's sprint path.

Alaba strode after him, kicking the ball towards his left flank, intending to go diagonally.

Ribery, on the other hand, circled behind Alaba and Valencia, taking the outside route and creating a cross-cutting position.

After drawing the attention of three defenders—Valencia, Phil Jones, and Carrick—Alaba passed the ball from outside the penalty area to the left flank.

Ribery arrived just in time.

Just as the Frenchman with the scarred face caught up with the ball, he saw Phil Jones pounce out like a wolf.

When Ribery tried to dribble the ball to the byline to get past Phil Jones, Jones unexpectedly did the same and stuck close to Ribery.

In a contest, Ribery was a fraction of a second too slow, and Phil Jones caught up and shoved the ball out of bounds.

At this point, the game had progressed to exactly 33 seconds.

The entire Old Trafford stadium erupted in thunderous cheers.

"The match was very intense and fast-paced from the very beginning."

"Neither side engaged in much probing; instead, they immediately launched into a fast-paced offensive and defensive battle."

"Bayern won a corner kick right at the start of the game."

"Tony Kroos will take the corner kick from the left."

"There have been rumors that Toni Kroos will join Manchester United this summer."

"Let's see how this corner kick is taken."