spn Manchester United and Arsenal are old enemies who have been fighting in the British arena for more than a hundred years. Although the first confrontation between Manchester United and Arsenal can be traced back to October 13, 1894, Manchester United has appeared in the semi-finals of the European War for the 11th time.
It is the 11th time Wenger has led the team to participate in the Champions League, but this is the first time the two sides have met in the European arena.
Ferguson and Wenger are the two longest-serving coaches in the Premier League. Ferguson came to Manchester United in 1986, and Wenger joined Arsenal in 1996. The two subsequently became a pair of enemies in the Premier League. In the past 12 years, Ferguson and Wenger
In the 37 encounters, Wenger's team had a slight advantage with 14 wins, 10 draws and 13 losses, with both sides scoring 46 goals.
This may be the most beneficial data for Arsenal, but with the decline of Arsenal's record in recent years, the wonderful data may be broken.
Before the encounter in the Champions League, the Premier League was once a battlefield between Sir Alex Ferguson and the Professor.
In August 1996, Wenger flew from Nagoya Grampus, Japan, to London to take over the Arsenal coach. In the eight years before Mourinho took charge of Chelsea, the main theme of the Premier League was the battle between Wenger and Ferguson, and the Red Devils will always face Arsenal.
There is no lack of passion.[
When Wenger, who spoke five languages at the time, first arrived at Arsenal in 1996, Ferguson gave him a greeting: "I got a 15-year-old kid from the Ivory Coast who can speak five languages." Initially, Wenger said:
There is no time to pay attention to Sir Alex Ferguson's "attention".
Ferguson's psychological tactics had a reversal effect on both Dagley and Keegan, but the arrival of Wenger made him meet a real opponent. The Frenchman's counterattack was full of wisdom, both off the field and on the field.
Wenger initially refused to share red wine with Sir Alex Ferguson after the game, but what really upset Sir Alex was when he refused to shake Ferguson's hand after losing in the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park in 1999.
In fact, before this, Ferguson had always used Arsenal's court discipline issues as the target of psychological warfare, which made Wenger extremely dissatisfied. "He should send a messenger to send me a letter of apology." The Manchester United coach also attacked Arsenal.
There is a lack of local English players, but what angers Wenger most is that Sir Alex Ferguson has repeatedly described Arsenal as the most disgraceful team in terms of physical confrontation.
The conflicts accumulated over the years were ignited by individual players in the following 18 months. At the end of September 2003, the "Battle at Old Trafford" caused by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Keown, and at the end of February 2005, Cesc Fabregas Pisa threw
From the "Battle of Highbury Pass" to Keane's challenge to Vieira, telling him not to "train boxing" with Gary, who is smaller than himself, the conflict between Ferguson and Wenger reached its peak.
Before Cesc Fabregas' Pisa was thrown out, Arsene Wenger's side had their 49-game unbeaten run ended by an ill-fated penalty from Wayne Rooney in October 2004.
Just a week before that game, at a local dinner in Manchester, the most famous joke was even more jaw-dropping. An audience member asked Ferguson: "If you have a pistol but only one bullet, do you
Who will you choose to kill? Wenger or Victoria?" After a pause for a few seconds, Ferguson smiled and said: "Can I have two balls?"
Behind the joke is a partial true portrayal of how the two were once in the same boat.
The pizza incident in 2005 was the end of the peak showdown between the two teams. That year, Wenger's team was 12 points behind Chelsea, and Ferguson also ushered in the worst moment in a decade, and the season was eventually dropped by Molinier.
18 points.
Beginning in 2006, Ferguson's team began to regain its dominance, winning the Premier League for two consecutive seasons and realizing their dream in the Champions League. However, Wenger's Arsenal failed to rise at the same time, making the competition between the two teams unsustainable.
No matter how dazzling it is, if it weren't for the Champions League, the most important battle between the Red Devils and Gunners in the Premier League might have been gradually forgotten by more people.
Before the game, both Ferguson and Wenger expressed their desire to win the Champions League this season. However, Wenger, who has already hoped for the league, is more eager, and Manchester United's goal is to take over from Platini in Rome which they only last week.
The big ear cup returned.
Since the Champions League was restructured in 1992, no team has been able to defend the title in 16 years, but Ferguson believes that he has the hope of creating the first. "We are good at being the first. This is the tradition of the club, just like winning the Triple Crown 10 years ago."
There is news that Manchester United has even begun planning a championship celebration and parade.
In Ferguson's eyes, the key to Arsenal's first-round contract battle is not conceding. "Both teams are the same. The key to the first-round match is not conceding. Especially for us, playing at home, defense is definitely the most critical. We need
Win, and do it without conceding. When we go to Arsenal's home court like this, if we can bring a 1-0 score, then I will be very satisfied. With a team like Arsenal, I think 90
It is impossible to end all the suspense in minutes, we must be prepared for a tough away game."
Compared with Ferguson's caution, his old rival Wenger was much more high-key, "This is our moment, our moment to show our desire. There is a huge gap in the history of the club and we are determined to eliminate it. That's why we
The reason for being here. Before I came, we didn’t appear in the Champions League so many times, and since I came, we have been here every year. I am an optimist, I believe we will win the Champions League, sooner or later.”
The 59-year-old Wenger has led Arsenal to the Champions League for 11 consecutive years. In 2006, he led the team to the final. Unfortunately, the game was reversed 1-2 by Barcelona in the last 30 minutes. However, Wenger pointed out that the fans' desire for the European championship has strengthened.
He expressed his determination to lead the team to win the trophy, "People like success. The more you win, the more fans will love the club. Every championship can make you stronger. As important as winning the trophy, there are
The way you play, your ambition, the values of the club, these are all important."
"Three years ago we were only 30 minutes away from the championship. We have to make up for these 30 minutes, but the premise is to defeat Manchester United first. This is a difficult task, but I believe we have the ability to do it." Wenger said, "Now
The elimination system makes it more difficult for the home team to use their hands and feet, and at the same time it encourages the away team to attack, so we will adopt an offensive posture in the away game. Scoring goals is very important to us."
The last time Manchester United played home and then away in the semi-finals was in 2007. After beating Milan 3-2 at home, they were overturned 3-0 away by their opponents. Ferguson said: "Our advantage now is that the whole team is very strong.
Relax, during this period, the players got a good rest, you all saw the energy we showed in the second half against Tottenham, and there will be no problem with our physical fitness."
Wenger's team failed to play the offense he wanted in the away game, and Manchester United showed their vitality and state. But 1-0 may be a score more acceptable to Wenger, after all, the professor's team lineup suffered a lot.
Manchester United has suffered more serious injuries, and when they return to home, they still have a chance.
In September last year, Wenger and Ferguson dressed up together to attend a dinner held by the LM Charity Foundation and the Public Welfare Foundation. While chatting and laughing, they also revealed the secret history of the original fight for Ronaldo. In the past few years, it has been difficult to lead the way in the encounters between Manchester United and Arsenal.
In the past, Ferguson and Wenger, who were once incompatible, now almost no longer engage in tit-for-tat wars of words, but more of a sympathy between old rivals.
"I always care more about what happens on the field. This kind of peace is good, like a Christmas tree." Wenger laughed.[
Ferguson now also has great admiration for "Professor". "There were conflicts in the past, but the reasons were mostly caused by individuals from the two teams. There is mutual respect between Ashina and I. He always sticks to his principles, which deserves him."
Great praise, his consistency has never changed and I think it has paid off for Arsenal."
An important factor in the resolution of the conflict between the two was that after eight years of confrontation, Sir Alex Ferguson began to focus his anger on Wenger on Mourinho. After becoming the former Chelsea coach, the target of Ferguson's psychological warfare became Benny.
Thies. The 67-year-old Sir Alex Ferguson has never changed, only his opponents have changed. After Mourinho left the Premier League, Ferguson also repeatedly expressed his friendship with former Chelsea coach and current Inter Milan coach Mourinho.
and appreciate.
"It has calmed down," Wenger said. "Those things in 49 games have calmed down because you can't always have situations like this. He didn't start another war, he didn't say I can't win games. It was an intense game.
Confrontation and mutual respect can make the two games more exciting." Wenger admitted that the war of words between them was full of fun, and now he enjoys the peace and quiet more, but Wenger also believes that conflicts may still break out one day.
Ferguson once said something similar. After the battle at Old Trafford in October 2004, Ferguson once explained his relationship with Wenger: "The two of us are so similar, such as our love for our team. I
I will not allow anyone to speak ill of Manchester United, and the same goes for Wenger. There is no personal hatred between Wenger and I, but as long as Manchester United and Arsenal exist, he and I must continue to fight."
As the only player who has played under both coaches, French defender Sylvester has full respect for both Ferguson and Wenger. "They have a lot in common and under different circumstances, they can be great friends."
, or maybe a mentor-disciple relationship. Couldn't have asked for two better coaches and natural
Leaders. They all truly love their jobs and want to be the best. They are strict with themselves and their teams. They are the first to come to the training ground and the last to leave. They are everywhere.
Would be great managers, not just in sports, but in any other company or business."
Perhaps after 38 encounters, Ferguson and Wenger can finally sit down and taste red wine together after the game.
