The Manchester derby at the weekend attracted the attention of football fans around the world.
This can be seen from the number of media reporters who came to Carrington and attended the pre-match press conference.
That's more than half the usual amount.
Obviously, after they attended Manchester United's press conference, they could walk to Manchester City's training base opposite to attend their press conference. This was also Ferguson's intentional arrangement.
He just deliberately wanted to get ahead of Manchester City, and he wanted to put some pressure on Manchester City.
The team's eighteen-man roster actually doesn't have too many surprises.
Even if you take into account the cost of traveling long distance to Romania for the Champions League group stage in midweek, Ferguson's lineup is not particularly difficult to guess. There may be some differences, but the problem is basically not too big.
Of course, it is impossible for Ferguson to directly tell others what his lineup and tactics are.
Before entering free questions, Ferguson took the initiative to talk about the team's big defeat at Old Trafford last season.
That game was hailed as the most painful defeat in his coaching career.
Ferguson knew the media's character very well. He knew that this was an unavoidable topic. Since he couldn't avoid it, he simply brought it up and tried to downplay the media's hype about last season's game as much as possible.
During the discussion, Ferguson used a certain style of writing and did not mention too much about Manchester City's strength advantage. More importantly, he mentioned Manchester United's own mistakes. He even believed that it was Manchester United's own mistakes that led to that incident.
A huge defeat, not because Manchester City was too strong.
What scene has the media reporter not seen?
Statements like Ferguson's are a technique they are very familiar with, so in the subsequent free question session, they asked Ferguson unceremoniously about the outside world's statement that Manchester City is the number one favorite to win the Premier League this season. After the draw with Liverpool
, Manchester United is also four points behind Manchester City in the standings. What does he think?
Ferguson said it was too early to tell.
"I have coached Manchester United and played in the Premier League for decades. We have experienced many teams, from Liverpool to Arsenal to Chelsea. We will face challenges from different teams in every period of time. Now another one has emerged.
Manchester City.”
Ferguson smiled and said, "You know, even two or three years ago, no one would notice Manchester City. We all called this team the noisy neighbours. The annual Manchester City derby is not only lively and creates some topics,
There is no doubt about the outcome.”
"Yes, in the past two or three years, Manchester City's strength has greatly increased. The petro-pounds from the Arab Emirates have turned them into another team, a completely reborn team. The lineup is very strong and even looks very strong, but I
What I want to say is that it is not enough to challenge Manchester United just by relying on these."
"We have encountered many opponents, and there will always be various challenges. We have even lost many championships, but one thing has been proven repeatedly over the past few decades. The one who has the last laugh must be Manchester United!
"
"From Liverpool, to Arsenal to Chelsea, and now to Manchester City, I believe that Manchester United will still have the last laugh."
Ferguson has enough qualifications and confidence to say this. Looking at the entire world of football, he is the only one who has experienced so many dynasty changes, and only Manchester United has always stood at the top of the Premier League.
Therefore, he looked down upon what he called the "noisy neighbor".
Specific to this game, Ferguson believes that being behind by four points is nothing.
"For now, we can't see the significance of this game in a short time. It may be important, but it may not be. We need to wait until the end of the season to review it, but one thing is very clear. This game is a loss."
A win is actually worth six points, whichever team wins will be of great significance."
But Ferguson also said that although this game is important, it is not that important to Manchester United.
In the history of the Manchester United club, it has experienced many, many more important and difficult games than this one. Manchester United has been able to get to where it is today because it has won these games. Even if it is calculated that it has lost, it can quickly
Recover from it.
"We are not a team that is used to following others, just like we once fell behind Arsenal and Chelsea, but we finally achieved a big comeback. This is our style and tradition.
Finally, Ferguson repeatedly emphasized that Manchester United players should show a stronger desire to win in the game and insist on maintaining Manchester United's tradition and style.
"I can't guess how exciting the game will be, there might be some goals but it might be disappointing."
"This is a crucial game. In games like this, there are rarely a lot of goals."
"The one last season?"
"Believe me, that was just a once-in-a-century accident. We will never let the same accident happen again!"
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Compared with the noise on Ferguson's side, the noise on Manchester City's side was much smaller.
Guardiola has always had a gentle and gentle image. He rarely bombards others at press conferences. He mostly announces his 18-man roster and his expectations for the next game.
He wants to get these three points.
The only thing that is special is that Guardiola said that Manchester City will still adopt a large rotation.
"In fact, we have been insisting on rotation since the second half of last season. We can form two sets of high-level lineups, which can help us cope with different competitions and also give our players enough rest time.
"
Guardiola's words are somewhat Versailles-like.
But one thing is recognized by everyone, and that is that Manchester City really has the most luxurious lineup in the Premier League and even European football.
Not to mention anything else, Gareth Barry, Dzeko, Aguero, Milner, David Luiz, Xavi Martinez... Which of these Manchester City players is not coveted by other European teams?
star?
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! But they can only play as substitutes in Manchester City.
Some media even believe that Manchester City, plus its youth team, can form three lineups to cope with the Premier League, Champions League and domestic cup competitions.
This is definitely an exaggeration, but it also reflects the thickness of Manchester City's bench.
The Abu Dhabi consortium has invested so much money, which has basically been transformed into Manchester City's overall strength.
However, Manchester City also has some hidden dangers.
For example, right back Zabaleta has played two consecutive games, and Leighton Baines was also injured in training. Should Marcelo continue to play in the Manchester City derby?
Guardiola did not give a clear answer, but he said that Manchester City hopes to play a wonderful Manchester derby.
The implication is actually to stimulate Manchester United and Ferguson.
Damn it, if you have the ability, let’s not defend, just press out and attack!
All the media reporters below will smile heartily. Will Ferguson play against Manchester City?
MMP, he is just a little older, not stupid!
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The battle between the two coaches before the game did not cause much controversy.
In terms of war of words, Guardiola couldn't catch up with Ferguson even if he beat four horses to death. Naturally, he would not compete with the opponent in areas that he was not good at, but chose to keep a low profile.
The media is analyzing and hyping this key Premier League battle.
Needless to say, Manchester United has many problems. Many people even believe that in front of Manchester City, the three lines of the Red Devils plus the goalkeeper are all risky because they are not as good as Manchester City.
But Manchester United is not without a chance of winning.
"The Red Devils' biggest bargaining chip is that they have Ferguson!"
"Ferguson was always able to create surprising surprises and perform miracles when others didn't expect them."
Manchester City's overall strength is stronger and its lineup is stronger, but it is not without its weaknesses.
The first is the two full-backs. Zabaleta has always been the main player, but Trippier has not yet reached the main level requirements, especially if he appears in such a game, this can easily cause him problems.
After all, what he has to face this time is Europe's first-line powerful wingers like Valencia and Nani.
If Trippier is not available, Zabaleta will have to continue. Can the Argentinian bear it?
As for the left back, the rotation between Leighton Baines and Marcelo has always been going well, and even the cooperation between Marcelo and Hazard has appeared. It can be seen that Manchester City's running-in is getting better.
But now that Leighton Bynes is injured, can he make it to this game?
According to the rotation system, Hazard should be played in the Manchester Derby. If Baines cannot be played, will there be any problems with the cooperation between Marcelo and Hazard?
Another problem is the central defender. Since Javi Martinez started playing as central defender, most of his performances have been unsatisfactory, with occasional flashes of brilliance. But now facing Manchester United, Rooney, Berbatov and other top attackers,
Can Javi Martinez handle it?
The most amazing thing about Ferguson is that his keen tactical sense can always catch opportunities that others cannot catch, and then by attacking the opponent's one point, he can disintegrate the opponent's entire offensive and defensive system, repeatedly creating classic victories.
Now, Manchester City has the advantage and Manchester United is at a disadvantage. Is it possible for Ferguson to lead Manchester United to counterattack and win again?
The odds offered by the three major bookmakers are also very interesting. Manchester City gave Manchester United half a goal.
Obviously, they all think that Manchester City is the favorite and has a chance to win, but a more reasonable score is to win by one goal.
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Noon on October 23, Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester.
In the ninth round of the Premier League, Manchester Derby, Manchester City challenged Manchester United away.
Before the game, both sides got each other's lineups.
Manchester United, playing at home, indeed adopted a rotation tactic. After all, the match in Romania was extremely draining for Manchester United. Without rotation, Ferguson could not guarantee the players' tactical execution.
He adopts a steady 442 tactic, with De Gea as the goalkeeper, Evra, Evans, Ferdinand and Smalling in the defense, Ashley Young, Anderson, Fletcher and Nani in the midfield.
The two forwards are Welbeck and Rooney.
Compared with the Champions League in midweek, Ferguson's rotation was not small, which shows the impact of that game on Manchester United.
But when Ferguson got the Manchester City lineup, he was so surprised that he lost his voice.
