Bielsa earned the nickname "Madman" for his almost paranoid offensive football. Mourinho was known as "Madman" not only because of his unruly character, but also because of the wild nature of the senior Portuguese handsome guy.
After the match between Manchester United and Schalke 04 in the Champions League semi-finals, no one would doubt that Ferguson was also a vp member of this "Crazy Coach Club", and his code name was "The Devil".
Compared with the last game against Arsenal, Manchester United's starting lineup has eight rotations; compared with the first round against Schalke, the number of rotations has reached nine.
Except for Ferguson, no one in the world dared to do this in such a Champions League semi-final, including Mourinho, who has always relied heavily on the main players.
You must know that many of these players are fringe players whose overall performance this season has been poor, and their opponent is the German team that recently defeated last season's "Triple Crown" Inter Milan 5-2 at San Siro.
Sir Alex Ferguson's move can definitely be called the most "big" use of troops in the history of the Champions League.
However, even so, Schalke 04, who were still confident before the game, failed to take any advantage at Old Trafford. After Valencia scored the first goal, Schalke's players actually
He had already given up hope. Indeed, facing a starting lineup composed almost exclusively of substitute players, they all conceded the ball first. This really made the Germans, who originally held a glimmer of illusion, feel disheartened.
After the game, Ferguson also said that it felt great to win in this way. "This makes me very proud. You must know that this is the Champions League semi-finals. In such an important game, I always have it in my mind."
It's a voice that echoes 'Am I doing this right?'
But I am very happy that I made the right bet this time. The players completed a fantastic game and we got the result we wanted. I have emphasized many times that we are more competitive than ever in the European competition.
I believe the team can finally win the championship trophy." After this game, Fergie said
Ferguson has led his team to participate in the Champions League semi-finals 7 times, reach the Champions League finals 4 times, and win the Champions League championship twice. The 70-year-old Ferguson has not stopped chasing honors. The craziness of this game
, which proves that the old man’s creativity and courage are far from exhausted.
In the last round of the league, the central midfielder combination of Carrick and Anderson was completely overwhelmed by Arsenal's technical midfielder, which also forced Manchester United, which had previously dominated the league standings, to fight hard this weekend.
Chelsea.
But in this campaign, Sir Alex still boldly sent in Anderson, who performed poorly in the previous game.[
Although the central defense built by Scholes, Gibson and Anderson was still full of flaws, Sir Alex Ferguson's idea was very clear - you were not sent up here to defend. As a result, Scholes, who was assigned as a single defensive midfielder, gave full play to his dispatching.
Advantage, in 73 minutes of playing time, he sent a team-high 54 passes, and the passing success rate reached
A terrifying 926%; Gibson, the long-range shooter, finally got out of the shadow of being wildly booed by the home fans for his wild shots, and completed his self-salvation with a trademark powerful kick; Brazilian youngster Anderson even tried it for the first time after joining Manchester United.
It felt like scoring twice, and at the same time, with 3 goals, he set a new record for the number of goals scored in a single season after landing in the Premier League.
On the defense line, Vidic and Ferdinand all sat on the sidelines. Evans, who had made many mistakes this season, was entrusted with the important task of guarding the Champions League goalscorer Raul. As a result, Evans successfully limited the performance of Spain's old golden boy.
Although the Irishman accidentally got an own goal and assisted Jurado to score
Despite scoring, Evans' overall performance was remarkable. Ferguson's bold use of troops not only did not leave a chance for the opponent to comeback, but also allowed many of the team's fringe players to regain their confidence in the competition, laying the foundation for the future.
The two-front battle in the league and the Champions League has accumulated enough chips for rotation.
After the game, major British media outlets sang praises and even worshiped Ferguson.
The British News Agency praised Ferguson's courage: "There is no other coach in the world who can trust his players as much as Ferguson. Regardless of the score in the first round, how crucial the weekend's game is, in such an important moment.
Rotating as many as 9 players in the main lineup during the game is such an extraordinary mind." bb said: "The results of the game proved that Ferguson's decision was wiser."
"Mirror" believed: "Ferguson's full trust in the team's lineup resulted in a bloodless victory." "The Guardian" praised: "Ferguson is always able to make the most correct choices, including this amazing one.
A big rotation, I believe Guardiola on the scene can make the most of this
There are very limited things to learn from each game." Barcelona coach Guardiola came to Old Trafford specifically to investigate the military situation during this game, but he only saw a massacre with no reference value. The wily Ferguson gave young Guardiola
Shuai gave a vivid anti-reconnaissance lesson.
However, Wembley Stadium at the end of this month will provide an opportunity for two world-class coaches to compete head-on. In 1968, Manchester United won the European Champions Cup for the first time at this venue. Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar said
: "This is of great significance to the club
, the same is true for players, fans, coaches... it will be a great achievement to win the championship trophy on this field again after so many years. A few years ago, we lost to Barcelona in the Champions League final. I hope this
Once, we were able to make a beautiful turnaround."
By then, what kind of magic Ferguson will use to interpret his new nickname will probably become the focus of fans all over the world. Of course, the people who are looking forward to it the most are those who are sitting in the stands of Old Trafford Stadium in a daze.
Guardiola fell asleep, but unfortunately, he could not guess the answer to the riddle before the Champions League final started, because his opponent was Ferguson - a devil who can never be understood.
At the same time, the smoke of the Premier League's battle of the century is also filling the air.
Manchester United defense pillar Rio Ferdinand revealed that he and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard have stopped talking to each other for the time being. This is an "agreement" between the two of them.
Ferdinand and Lampard formed a friendship while playing together at West Ham and remain very good friends to this day, but Ferdinand said they stopped talking to each other during critical periods of the season.
"At this stage of the season, Frank and I don't speak much," Ferdinand said. "It's an unwritten agreement between us."
"During the season we would send each other some funny texts, but by this point, if we both had a chance to compete for the title, we wouldn't talk anymore."
Talking about the championship battle between the Red Devils and the Blues, Ferdinand said: "At the beginning of the season, everyone thought we and Chelsea would compete for the championship. Arsenal played well, but then they couldn't keep up."
"Even after Sunday's game, there are still two important rounds to play. I don't think this game will decide the entire season. Of course, it will have a big impact on the championship."
"I'm not sure if the previous results mean we know how to beat them and I don't know if it will have any impact on them, but we will let Chelsea know that we are capable of winning and we played very well in both legs of the Champions League.
, we are very confident.”[
If Manchester United wins this season, it will be the Red Devils' 19th top league championship. Ferdinand said: "For the players, they will not be affected by the idea of winning the 19th championship. We just want to win the league championship. There are some
The new players haven't won a league trophy yet, while others like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have won a lot."
"We are at different stages of our careers, but the desire to succeed is the same. We understand what the 20th championship means to the fans, but we won't think too much about it."
Before Sunday's crucial battle with Chelsea, Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson once again started to do his best and put pressure on referee Webber. He said that the Red Devils had been worried that key penalties would go against them, and this time "luck" should be on Manchester United's side.
When asked if he was worried about the referee's penalty affecting the game, Ferguson said: "Honestly, that is definitely our biggest worry. Howard Webber is definitely the best referee in the country, there is no doubt about it."
"We just hope that this time it's our turn to have a little luck."
Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti did not want to argue with Ferguson. He said: "You need two people to be able to fight, and I am a pacifist. I have absolute trust in the referees of the Premier League."
A good sign for Manchester United is that the Red Devils have won each of Webber's last nine games at Old Trafford.
In addition, Ferguson also said that defeating Chelsea will ensure the Premier League championship, and Manchester United's excellent home form makes them feel confident. "Our home results may be the best in Europe," Ferguson said, "That's why we can rank
Being in the position we are in, some of the performances we've had at home this season have been absolutely phenomenal."
"Hopefully this will get us the result we want on Sunday because it's a crucial game and if we win we should win the league."
Ferguson did not forget to continue to "cause trouble" for Chelsea. He said that the turning point for the Blues to make a comeback in the championship was the 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, and the "environment" of that game was problematic.
Ferguson said: "The result of that game was the starting point for their change. We all know the 'environment' of that game. I don't need to go into details, but the result of the game cheered them up." After that game, Ferguson
Atkinson was punished for criticizing the referee, and now he is bringing up that game again with the intention of putting pressure on the referee.
"We lost to Arsenal and that opened the door for Chelsea," Ferguson continued, "but we've always said it's a very difficult league. The Premier League is difficult to win and we know that because we've had ten
I have been competing for the championship for nine years.”
"Everyone knows how crucial Sunday's game is, so I made some changes to my squad on Wednesday (the second leg against Schalke in the Champions League) to give us a real chance and there will be a squad.
A physical squad, at this stage of the season, that could make a difference."
"I don't know how Chelsea are going to play, I watched them last week and didn't get anything. Drogba played the whole game so you would expect him to play, but he started on the right wing and then Torres
Went there. It's hard to say whether they will both start on Sunday, but no matter what they do, we have the players to handle it."
Rooney will be able to start Sunday's game, but Scottish midfielder Fletcher's physical condition has not yet fully reached the standard. Ferguson's plan is to let Fletcher gradually integrate into the game and wait until the Champions League final against Barcelona on May 28 to strive for it.
Best condition.
"Wednesday's game was a step forward, Fletcher played for 20 minutes, but it just gave him a mental boost and he's got some things to do. We're almost three weeks away from the Champions League final and that game
The competition is his goal, and if he can reach it, it will be a big plus for us because
We all know he is a big-game player. He won't start on Sunday, but his training is increasing the intensity, which will give him the feel he needs. In the Premier League, we still have Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool, and Gary
-Neville's testimonial game, so Fletcher can get some game time to help him reach his standards."
It is well known that Ferguson is good at psychological warfare, and this time putting pressure on the referee is one of the methods. Manchester United midfielder Scholes admitted that over the years, Sir Alex Ferguson's tactics have had very good results, and in the end
Famously, in 1996, Newcastle manager Keegan completely lost his temper in front of the TV cameras.
Scholes said: "Ferguson has had some famous encounters with other managers over the years. Who he will look for this year, I'm not sure, but he is very good at it. And for us, he can make us
The calming influence, the handling of the sprint phase of the season, no manager is better than him. He has been fighting for titles for almost two decades, so he knows what he wants to do."
"We're just as hungry as last season and it's not a good feeling to see other teams celebrating, so we want to make sure it's us who celebrate this year."
Chelsea faces a crucial battle with Manchester United on Sunday. This game will not only determine the ownership of the Premier League championship, but may also determine the fate of head coach Carlo Ancelotti. According to the "Sun", if Manchester United cannot reverse the championship, then Ancelotti will win the championship.
Celotti is likely to be fired at the end of the season because boss Roman Abramovich cannot accept a season without a championship.
Ancelotti himself admitted this possibility, saying: "It is not a crazy idea to think that the club may change coaches. Every club has the possibility of changing coaches at the end of the season if they want to do so."
"I said I have no objection, I have tried my best, but the club must judge my work, if they think my work is good, I will stay, if they think it is not good enough, they can change the coach. I hope to stay
, but I’m very calm.”
There is news that Ancelotti may join Roma in the summer. The Italian said: "I have said many times that one day I hope to coach Roma in the future. That has always been my wish, but this does not mean that I will coach Roma tomorrow."
Just go, I still have one year left on my contract with Chelsea and I'm very happy in London."
Chelsea was still 15 points behind Manchester United at the beginning of March, but they have only lost 2 points in the past nine rounds. Now they are only 3 points behind Manchester United. If they win at Old Trafford, they will leapfrog Manchester United.
Became the favorite to win the Premier League. However, due to losing to Manchester United in the Champions League, if he is defeated by the Red Devils again this time, Abramovich is likely to decide to fire Ancelotti and start looking for his seventh head coach in eight years.
Regarding this game, Ancelotti said that it was as important as the Champions League final. Due to the loss to Manchester United, the Blues were destined for the next game in the Champions League. However, Ancelotti said that this game is an opportunity for revenge, which can be used to make up for France's participation in the Champions League final.
Regret. "We want to play the Champions League final, but we should be happy to be able to play a different type of final. We can compare this game to a final. We have to be ready, just like playing a final."
"We have a lot of pressure to play this game, but you have to stay relaxed, control your emotions, and don't worry too much because it will consume energy. This season is not ideal, but now that we have this opportunity, the team still has
Being alive means that the players are tenacious and very professional. After being eliminated from the Champions League by Manchester United, it was not easy to come back, but they did it."
"Manchester United are the favorites because they have three points more and if we can win, it won't decide anything. If they win, they will win the title."
Talking about Manchester United forward Rooney, Ancelotti said: "Rooney's position is difficult to control. He runs a lot and often retreats, but obviously we have to do something to control him. We will not find someone to mark him specifically.
It's important to stay in formation."
As for Chelsea's forward arrangement, Ancelotti said: "What I want to say is that the forward arrangement will not be the decisive factor. The game will be determined by the courage and tenacity of the players. We don't need to worry too much."
"Torres is not a gamble, he is a good striker. I hope the players understand that it is not important whether they start or not, they will be involved, even if they play twenty minutes. We have won games with some substitutes. Last April
We won at Old Trafford, Drogba scored, and to win we don't just need eleven players, we need all the players involved to be ready."
