Chapter 451 Slowing down
Manchester United started in a good state, but it ended in Stoke City!
Although they failed to take all three points and ended their five-game winning streak, Ferguson said that Manchester United played like a real champion in the away draw with Stoke City.
"I'm happy with the performance of the boys. They work hard and play like a real champion. If Stoke City scores a goal, it will probably be a set-piece. They have a lot of tall players, and they always put you under pressure. On the attacking side, we performed well, and maybe we should score a few more goals. We have been playing well here, but because of the injuries of Nani, Little Pea and Evans, all the plans have changed. Maybe this makes us a little unstable. The draw is probably a fair result, which is a difficult away game. In the first half, De Gea made several great saves and looked very confident. He is very calm and nothing will disturb him.
According to the official website of Manchester United, Wharton, the referee of this game, ignored the obvious penalty that Manchester United deserved twice. Only three minutes after the opening, Fletcher sent a straight plug, and the little pea formed a single knife into the penalty area, but was put down from behind by Woodgate. This was an obvious penalty, but referee Wharton refused to award a penalty. Rooney, who was absent from this game, also updated his tweet, "Hernandez doesn't give a penalty?" In the second half, Evra shot the deliberately raised arm of Shaw Cross in the penalty area, but referee Wharton once again refused to award a penalty.
Crouch, who scored the equalizer for Stoke City in this game, said, "It always feels good to score the first goal for your new club in front of his home fans. It's very exciting for me to play against Manchester United. The team spirit and game attitude here are the reasons why we have achieved such a result today. I have never played in such a team that emphasizes the spirit of the team. We have created a lot of opportunities, and as long as we maintain this performance, we will do well this season.
Stoke City defender Shawcross said that Crouch, who was named the best player in this game, said, "Croach is a great player. There is no doubt that Li Yu is in excellent condition, but in addition to him, Manchester United has many other great players. For us, this is a great point.
If it hadn't been for Ferguson's attention, the young De Gea might not have entered the core stage of European football so early. History is sometimes so delicate: Stoke City's last home victory over Manchester United can be traced back to 27 years ago, when they won 2-1 at home in the 84-85 season. Gerson hasn't come to Manchester yet, and De Gea's parents may not have met each other in Madrid.
At the Britannia Stadium 27 years later, if it hadn't been for the high and low blocks of the Spanish Magic Boy, Ancelotti, who was looking forward to refreshing the best start in the Premier League, would have been forced to witness the end of a glorious history.
Some people say that he is the future, some people say that he is a smuggled goods. What is De Gea's character? In the words of San Cassie, "he (in the national team) will pose a threat to me sooner or later."
After six rounds of the Premier League, the Spanish prodigy is getting better. In this round, he faced the home team with five shots in the whole game. De Gea refused his opponent's shots four times with his own strength, and the success rate of saving was as high as 80%. However, this was not his best performance of the season. According to the official statistics of the Premier League, before this round, Manchester United will be the goalkeeper with the highest save success rate in the Premier League. A total of 28 saves have been completed in 5 games, and the save success rate is as high as 88%, nearly 90% of the horrible number! This is an efficiency guaranteed by even Schumacher and Van der Sar who dare not pat their chests to rejuvenate! And he has only been here for less than 3 months!
After the game, OPTA statistics show that De Gea saved 4 times and saved 3 high-altitude rescues in the whole game. The important thing is that this inconspicuable set of data helped Ferguson's Red Devils escape the first defeat of the season and avoid the bad luck of swallowing the defeat.
In the 28th minute of the first half, Stoke full-back Wilkinson volleyed vigorously in the penalty area, and was blocked by De Gea, who was in a good position, to pop up the bottom line on the crossbar. Ferdinand came up and patted his little brother on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement. The first rescue was very steady.
8 minutes later, the home team striker Walters made a strong long-range shot outside the penalty area. De Gea fell to the ground and jumped on the ball. The shot changed the line and went out of the bottom line, another key save! In the 55th minute, Crouch received a corner kick from his teammate in the small penalty area. After stopping the ball, he was blocked by the latter when facing De Gea one-on-one. He hurriedly kicked the inevitable opportunity to the opponent to reflect the bottom line. De Gea made contributions again! In the 68th minute, Wilson's free kick on the penalty area sank vigorously and was blocked by De Gea, who was standing on the goal line.
Four beautiful saves reflect De Gea's outstanding talent in standing, reaction and agility. If it is replaced by another goalkeeper, Manchester United will probably lose this game. After this game, De Gea made 32 saves in 6 rounds, and the 86.5% save success rate continued to occupy the first place in the Premier League. After the game, Ferguson praised De Gea, "In the first half, De Gea made several great saves and looked very confident. He is very calm and nothing will disturb him.
In addition, from the 75th minute to the 78th minute, the Spaniard had two successful high-altitude operations, and both of them steadily took off the ball, which was reassuring. Immediately after the game, Manchester United's official website praised De Gea's performance today and described his every save. Although a draw is not a happy event for Ferguson, De Gea's progress in front of a team with a fierce style and good at long passes is gratifying. Before the game, Stoke coach Pulis told the Mirror that he wanted to give De Gea a "a little color". After all, Crouch, Huth and Shawcross are tall enough to pose a threat to De Gea, who is not in stalevant-be, in the position and defense. We will do our best to create enough trouble for Manchester United in this field," Pulis said.
Of course, Ancelotti was also quite worried about Stoke City's style of play. Before the game, he did not forget to seize the time to educate his disciples: "When playing against Stoke City, the goalkeeper must always pay attention. I still remember discussing with Van der Sar how to deal with Stoke City's long-range out-of-bounds throwing and how to put ourselves in a favorable position. I think we made the right decision. Our only job this week is to help him find a sense of location, which is very similar to what Van der Sar did before.
"In that field, you have to score a goal. We scored in four minutes last season, but it's never easy to play there, is it?" At the same time, Ancelotti hopes that Rio Ferdinand can play the role of "bodyguard" around De Gea and help the young brother solve the psychological burden. In the actual game, Leo did a good job in this regard. After De Gea's first save, the big brother came up and patted his shoulder to show his approval. You can never ignore the away experience of players like Leo.
From the "potential stocks" that were recognized in the fog before the start of the season; when they made their debut of the season, they were severely labeled as "junk stocks"; and after a few rounds, they were gradually accepted as "excellent stocks", De Gea came to Old Trafford and spent a lot of twists and turns.
After a hard battle against Chelsea and a day of bloody battle in Britain, 20-year-old De Gea is gradually maturing, just like when Schmeichel first came to Manchester United, he learned from victory and learned to grow up when he was frustrated. The lead in the Premier League save list may be only temporary, but his progress and gradually emerging talent in the league are solid step by step.
Manchester United's opponents will no longer use long-range shots as a sharp weapon to scare De Gea, and the attack is still a short board for the Spaniards.
In the first and second half of today's game, De Gea had an obvious mistake. Perhaps after receiving instructions from the midfield of Ancelottisen, De Gea's number of shots in the second half was significantly reduced, and Manchester United's goal was too close to the goal, which could be completely avoided by the goalkeeper's attack.
How to seize the right time to make a reasonable choice is exactly De Gea's ability to improve urgently. When will the Spanish teenager get used to the fierce physical contact of the Premier League one day earlier? His legendary curtain at Manchester United is officially opened. Red Devils fans have been spoiled by Van der Sar's perfection in recent years. If they want everyone's heart to land as soon as possible, De Gea has to work harder.
Originally, the game was acceptable for Manchester United. Li Yu also admitted after the game, "Manchester United in today's game is not the strongest period. No one can guarantee that a team will beat its opponent on the field. There is any possibility of any football game. Our energy has shifted to the next Champions League game."
There is a first time for everything. Last Saturday, Crouch scored his first goal against Manchester United, while the Red Devils did not score all three points for the first time this season. The sixth round of the league gradually calmed down. The crazy goal battle between the two Manchester teams stopped. Blue Moon beat Everton 2-0 at home, and the Red Devils were tied 1-1 at the Britannia Stadium. The two teams had the same points only because of the difference in goal difference in goal.
Stoke City's momentum of ending Manchester United's five-game winning streak in the new season may not be a bad thing for the Red Devils.
The biggest feature of Manchester United in the history of the Premier League is its backward strength, and its resilience and psychological quality are unparaveled. Last season, Chelsea was the most popular champion at the beginning of the season, and it was also a five-game winning streak in the beginning. Manchester United was 12 points behind the top due to consecutive few matches and poor condition. But in the end, Manchester United won the historic 19th championship trophy.
Ancelotti's confidence was not shaken by a draw. After the game, he refused to bombard the referee for missing a penalty for Woodgate's foul on Hernandez, nor did he emphasize that the team was full of injuries. Before the end of the interview, he said, "The players are playing like champions. I'm very satisfied with this game." Winning is not arrogant, losing is not discouraged. Losing two points is not detrimental to the morale of the Red Devils camp. Confident psychological quality may explain Manchester United's continued success in the history of the Premier League.
In the second round of the UEFA Champions League group stage, Manchester United will play against Basel, Switzerland.
Ancelotti once said before the game that when he met Fink at the UEFA meeting, he praised the German's coaching ability. Some people may think this is a polite word, but the result of the game shows that Tosten Fink doesn't think so.
Coach Basel is one of the few Germans who have won the Big Ear Cup in the era of players. But in the final venue in 2001, Fink was only a substitute at Bayern, and his other final substitute experience is even more unbearable: in the Champions League final in 1999, after he replaced Mateus, Bayern was hit by the Red Devils. Reversal. When he created a nightmare for him in Camp Nou, there was only one left on the field today, but this one did not let him stop.
Seeing that Ryan Giggs, who was about to turn 38, rushed left and right on the court and passed the ball was unpredictable. The 44-year-old Fink may really have the impulse to go up and play for his disciples in person. What surprised him was that 12 years later, the wind-chasing teenager who once competed with him did not seem to be on the court at all. Change: He is still a handsome high-speed line change; he is still swaying out of the air; he still bravely breaks into the penalty area to grab the goal; he is still fighting back at the expense of his strength after losing the ball. The middle-aged man on the sidelines may ask, are the traces left by the years just different from person to person?!
Although he has faded out of the starting lineup in the league, and although he only played 60 minutes today, Giggs still showed his 100% state. In the 60-minute game, two assists, three attacks, one shot, three threatening passes, and a successful tackle to grab the ball under the opponent's feet. The 38-year-old veteran ran more than 7 kilometers. If he played the whole game, the Welsh ran over 10,000 meters.
Objectively speaking, it is not difficult for young player Werbeck to score two goals, thanks to the cooperation of veteran Giggs. In the 16th minute, Valencia made a direct pass from the right side and assisted Fabio to cross the penalty area. Giggs chose to put the ball to the parallel position of Welbeck when he had the opportunity to shoot. This pass made the young England player particularly comfortable, who easily pushed the opponent's goal in the face of the goalkeeper.
Just a minute later, Basel defender Dragovic made an offside mistake, which allowed Giggs to pass through at least four defenders like a scalpel on the back of the left, giving Welbeck the opportunity to face the goalkeeper one-on-one near the penalty spot. The Manchester United striker will naturally not miss such a good opportunity and easily push the shot. Break the net.
Manchester United's team's age combination is very interesting. Giggs, who is about to turn 38, will serve as a shadow striker to assist Danny Welbeck, who is 18 years younger than him. Compared with Manchester United's 92 golden generation, Ferguson's current youth guard is completely a cross-generational product. According to the team's generation, it is not too much for Werbeck to call Uncle Giggs. The young man also tasted the sweetness from his first partner with the veteran - twice.
In the 27th minute, Valencia crossed the middle again. Giggs raised his foot and shot at the top of the arc of the penalty area, and Sommer, the goalkeeper of the visiting team, will save the bottom line. Just as Giggs calmly walked to the penalty area to prepare for the corner kick, Sommer raised his hands and pointed to Giggs, calling his teammates to keep an eye on the defense, to the idea of saying: Hurry up! This person is too dangerous! In the 34th minute, Giggs passed the header and launched an attack. Park Joo-ho stopped the ball and made a mistake at the foot of Valencia. The Ecuadorian crossed the Welbeck, who shot in place and was saved.
In the 41st minute, it was Giggs' accurate straight ball. Welbeck had a one-to-one single shot, but he accidentally brought the ball behind him and was relieved by his opponent. In the 54th minute, Giggs broke into the right side of the penalty area, and the small angle shot was resolved again by Sommer. At that time, the Welshman had the opportunity to cross the unmarked Evra in the penalty area. It can be seen that Giggs really wanted to score a goal to end the game in person after two assists.
He was forced to draw by Basel today and may even lose the game at one time, which has something to do with Manchester United players' lack of experience in Europe. Giggs is Ancelotti's biggest tool to make up for this shortcoming.
A strong player is needed to play against Leeds United in the League Cup, and Giggs is the first choice. In the Champions League, the role of Manchester United veterans is becoming more and more obvious. Among the Red Devils' past 15 European goals, Giggs scored 2 goals and directly assisted his teammates 7 times, which is equivalent to directly participating in the goal 9 times! It's 60% firepower! The earthman can't stop Giggs anymore!
In the quarter-finals last season, the Red Devils advanced directly with Giggs' two assists to eliminate their rival Chelsea. In the semi-finals, Giggs also scored a goal, setting a new record for the longest goal in the Champions League held by Inzaghi. In the first game of this season against Benfica in the group stage, Giggs helped the Red Devils equalize the score. He got an important away point; and today he assisted young player Welbeck twice.
With Li Yulunxiu and Xiaoqi's injury, Giggs' irreplaceable experience on the field is likely to help him regain his main position in the league. And the Welshman's invincibleness in the Champions League has expressed his loyalty to the Lord in advance: how can he easily say goodbye if he no longer follows the team to win a Champions League trophy?
After the lottery results came out, Manchester United fans felt much more relaxed compared with the sad face of Manchester City, the sworn enemy of the same city. Why not? Romania's Galatz Steel Team is only a newcomer to the Champions League. Although Switzerland's Basel is a regular customer of the Champions League, it is also a rare guest in the knockout round. Manchester United, which has reached the finals of the UEFA Champions League three times in four years, is confident that they can score four points on Benfica, and then hold their heads high to qualify as the top of the group. Under the severe domestic league competition, Ferguson chose to rotate players in the first two Champions League games. But after successfully scoring a point in Portugal, the Red Devils encountered Basel's resistance at home at Old Trafford, and finally tied the opponent with Mata's last-minute goal.
Basel's coach Fink has been waiting for this moment for a long time. In 1999, the Nou Camp replaced Mateus in the 80th minute to witness the miraculous four minutes of Manchester United. The shadow has been lingering in Fink's mind. His substitute appearance is recognized as the turning point of the game.
And now, he has waited for an exciting point in his coaching career at Old Trafford! In the first half of the game, the Basels were also shocked by the momentum of the Dream Theater. "Our players are a little nervous," Fink said after the game. If Basel is too nervous, then Manchester United is too relaxed. In less than 20 minutes, Welbeck's two easy grabs in front of the goal have given them a 2-0 lead. The young Red Devils have reason to believe that this will be another morale-boosting sweep for them. However, the Basels got several opportunities through the pressure of the Manchester United defender in front of the goal, which did not attract the attention of the players. Ancelotti's halftime was to warn the players not to get too excited, "We may be scored three goals by them in the first half!"
Ancelotti told his team members, but they didn't pay attention to it, who had been making great progress this season. So, in the second half of the game, An Shuai's warning took effect! The captain Evra, who was addicted to attack, repeatedly left room for the opponent to fight back, and Leo in the middle had to deal with the empty space left by the hot-headed Fabio and Jones assists. In two minutes, Manchester United was scored twice by their opponents.
The media was looking at every mistake of the new goalkeeper De Gea with a magnifying glass, but did not notice how many times the Spanish player blocked the goal. He is still the goalkeeper who has made the most saves so far in the Premier League! A small mistake between Jones and another guest on the sidelines Valencia was robbed by the Swiss. In a hurry, the Ecuadorians put down their opponents in the penalty area and gave them a penalty, and Manchester United drove themselves into a dead end. Yes, they also have the eternal spirit of the Red Devils, but the last-minute goal can only make them barely score a point at home.