Chapter 413: Ferguson returns? Chen Xiaoliang turns on the hair dryer mode in the locker room!
2-0, easy and bloodless, Manchester United won four consecutive league games at home.
After Manchester City defeated Burnley 4-0, they continued to rank second with one more game to play, one point behind. However, in the remaining league schedule of Manchester City, the BIG7 teams are only Manchester United and the increasingly sluggish Tottenham, and Manchester United still has a lot of strong opponents to play.
After the game, Ten Hag even asked the players who did not play to do some ball exercises on the court to keep in shape, because the long travel time and suspension of training on match days would greatly reduce the team's normal training time.
With two stunning long-distance cross assists, plus the late organization of the ball and defensive interceptions, Chen Xiaoliang himself couldn't count how many times he had been named the man of the match.
14 training points were obtained (73→87), plus 8 breakthrough points (2→10) doubled by the match against BIG7. "BIG7" members like Tottenham, whose current strength is seriously inconsistent with their status in the arena, have become Chen Xiaoliang's point ATM.
The team practiced for a day the next day. Ten Hag made full use of everyone's talents. In the group technical training session, he asked Chen Xiaoliang to explain the technical essentials and experience of passing the ball to the midfielders, full-backs and wingers in the first team and reserve team.
But this is just like shooting in basketball. The standard routines, which part of the body to hit the ball, what effects will be produced by hitting different parts of the ball, etc., these are things that professional players have learned since childhood. As for the remaining personal experience, there is really very limited what can be described in words.
Whether it is shooting, touch or the feel of the feet when passing the ball, it is all highly dependent on talent.
There are many people who work hard to practice their skills, but there are still only a few who eventually become legendary midfielders or free kick masters .
This is also the reason why it is difficult for talented players to become excellent head coaches after retirement.
It's like when Maradona coached Argentina and told Veron to pass three players in a row after receiving the ball in the midfield, and then make a wonderful pass to assist Crespo to score a goal. Veron could only respond with one sentence: "I can't do that!"
Can you kick it?
I can’t play because I don’t have the talent.
However, Chen Xiaoliang still raised a point, which he summed up when leading the players in extra training. That is, within the team's overall tactical framework, they should practice more small-scale cooperation routines with teammates in corresponding positions and strengthen the tacit understanding with individual key players.
For example, when the old Manchester United Class of 92 rose to prominence, Beckham's crosses to Shelingham were not exactly the same as those to Yorke and Cole, because the former liked to attack from the front point and head the ball to the back point, while the latter two could rely on their excellent physical fitness to grab the ball in the middle or outflanking.
These forwards also understand Beckham's crossing tactics. If the ball is passed to the front point, they know it is for Shelingham. The forward in the middle will enter a feint attack and containment mode. If the ball is passed to the middle, Shelingham in the front point will become a wingman to harass the opponent's defense.
Knowing your teammates' ball-receiving habits, you can do a lot of cooperation training to improve your tacit understanding. In this way, even if you cannot become a master who can make a great pass to everyone, you will be able to make telepathic passes to your teammates in actual team combat.
For example, in the current Manchester United, midfielders and full-backs who are familiar with Cesco's offensive habits can effectively improve their goal efficiency.
This made the coaches who were "listening to the class" on the side nod in agreement.
Players become coaches, and coaches become players. Coach Chen's teaching opened up new ideas and won unanimous praise from everyone. However, due to the change of identity, he had to guide other players in training, which made him practice one hour less today. Including the extra training, he only got 3 training points (87→90)
However, no one expected that the following FA Cup quarter-final match, which seemed to be the least important, would turn out to be a tough battle that was called the "Verdun meat grinder" by the self-media that night.
In order to prepare for the 214th Manchester United derby at Anfield this weekend, Manchester United has arranged a rotation lineup according to the standards of the cup competition:
goalkeeper Joe Hart;
The back four: Dalot, Maguire, Lindelof, Luke Thomas;
Defensive midfielders Milinkovic-Savic and Chen Xiaoliang, attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes;
Left winger Ganacho, center forward Benzema, right winger Rashford.
Although a large number of positions have been rotated, this lineup has nothing to do with the word "weak". Even the commentator Carragher believes that Ten Hag wants to make up for the regret of reaching the FA Cup final last season but failing to beat Manchester City 1-2 to win the trophy.
Because Chen Xiaoliang was the first to launch.
But unexpectedly, Moyes, the Hammers' boss who led the team to win the UEFA Cup last season and reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League this season and will face Leverkusen coached by Xabi Alonso, put down the hammer and picked up the butcher knife this time.
The 24-year-old Portuguese left-back Nuno Tavares, who was bought from Arsenal last summer, the 26-year-old all-round midfielder Harvey Barnes, who was brought in from relegated Leicester City, the 28-year-old James Maddison, who was loaned in the winter window and did not get enough playing opportunities in Newcastle due to the outstanding performance of Caicedo and others, and the 27-year-old Swiss midfielder Denis Zakaria, who was signed from Juventus in the winter window. These four players with "S" in their names, a left-back, two central midfielders and one defensive midfielder, became the execution squad released by Moyes tonight.
Three of these four players were bought, and the most expensive Maddison was rented. Although the total money West Ham paid was not as expensive as one foot of Rice sold to Arsenal, it did not prevent them from killing B Fee and Rashford, who were worth 80 million euros, in less than 15 minutes.
In the 8th minute, Chen Xiaoliang retreated to his own penalty area line to receive Joe Hart's goal kick, and then made a long pass directly to B Fee in the frontcourt.
When the ball landed very accurately and B Fee was about to reach the position, Zakaria jumped from behind and forced a header.
Bruno Fernandes, who didn't expect Zakaria to force himself on him from behind, was still looking up at the ball. He felt a truck hit him from behind, and then a mountain fell down on him.
Zakaria, who is 190cm tall and weighs 81kg, touched the ball with his scalp and then hit Bruno Fernandes' back with his knee after jumping. Then both of them fell forward and his body fell directly on Bruno Fernandes.
After coming to Manchester United in the summer of 2020, the 29-year-old B Fee, who is 179 cm tall and weighs only 69 kg, can play more than 60 games for the national team and club in a season. He is a model worker among model workers and an iron man among iron men.
The longest injury was in mid-March 2022, when he was given a two-day "long vacation" due to illness. Apart from that, whether it is Solskjaer, Rangnick or Ten Hag, he is a brick of the revolution, and he will be moved wherever he is needed. He is the Wang Jinxi of the Premier League, and he will create conditions even if there are no conditions .
He never expected that the pressure would cause him to feel pain in his back and shortness of breath. In the end, the team doctor called for a stretcher and he was carried off the field.
As for Zakaria, he only received a yellow card.
As for Rashford, it made Southgate in the stands frightened.
After B Fee left the field, Manchester United replaced Eriksen as attacking midfielder.
In the 13th minute, Rashford ran into an open space on the right, and Luke Thomas made a precise diagonal long pass. Rashford immediately moved forward after receiving the ball, but West Ham left-back Tavares, who rushed over at full speed to defend, used the "foot-locking" method. Not only did his upper limbs collide with it, but his right leg was stretched out, and his right knee was locked with Rashford's left knee that was supporting the ground. Then he exerted force outward, and Rashford's left knee was immediately pressed inward. After losing his balance and falling, he covered his kneecap with both hands in pain.
If the previous one was considered rude, he could have asked "Did you do it on purpose or by accident", but this time it was a blatant attack, and he would rather kill by mistake than miss the opportunity.
Manchester United was completely furious. Chen Xiaoliang took Ganacho and Luke Thomas to give "cordially greetings" to the West Ham players, while veteran players such as Eriksen and Benzema went to complain to the referee Anthony Taylor.
In the end, after Clattenburg, Mike Dean and others retired, Anthony Taylor, nicknamed the "new Fantastic Four" by fans, still lukewarmly showed Tavares a yellow card and gave him a "severe" warning.
As for West Ham captain Bowen who pushed Chen Xiaoliang with his hand, Anthony Taylor only gave him a verbal warning and didn't even give him a card.
Although it is a common phenomenon in the sports world that there will be some home whistles due to factors such as fan atmosphere and home environment, Anthony Taylor's performance tonight makes people wonder, is the London Bowl also his home ground?
Rashford was carried out on a stretcher again, and Anthony, looking confused, was substituted.
The problem is that according to the new rules, except for substitutions in the midfield which do not count, other substitutions must comply with the limit of "three times with five players". The game has only been played for 15 minutes and Manchester United has already used two substitutions. If there is another accident, they will not be able to make substitutions in the second half.
But that's what Moyes thinks.
The players under his command are not at the level of Barella, Bellingham, Caicedo and Rice. After playing two league games, one loss and one draw, he already knows that it will be very difficult to advance to the next round in a head-on confrontation with Manchester United, which has Chen Xiaoliang.
A draw in the league will still give one point, but a cup match must be decided by a score. Even if they have to go into overtime, using up Manchester United's quota of substitutions first will give them some advantages.
Southgate in the stands saw Rashford being carried away on a stretcher, frowned, and kept whispering to the technical coach Hasselbaink beside him, as if he was complaining.
But Moyes doesn't care what Southgate thinks. I'm a Scotsman. I don't care how England performs.
Under West Ham's butchering confrontation, some Manchester United players, especially those who will play in the European Cup in the summer, inevitably developed some fear and unconsciously tried to avoid physical confrontation with the opponent.
To make matters worse, Eriksen, who was completely opposite to B Fee and had a glassy personality to begin with, and probably because he was suddenly substituted on and had no time to warm up, suddenly stopped while accelerating during an off-ball run in the 37th minute and slowly sat on the ground.
Chen Xiaoliang, who was dribbling the ball, knew something was wrong and could only kick the ball out of the sideline.
Eriksen pointed to his ankle and made a substitution gesture. While directing the substitution, letting McTominay play as a defensive midfielder and Chen Xiaoliang return to the central midfielder position, Ten Hag kept repeating the word "gift crab" in his mind.
Seeing that God was helping them, West Ham's players and Moyes became more and more excited. They used their bodies to clear the way, rushed and collided, and shot high. They frequently lobbed the ball into Manchester United's penalty area and repeatedly carried out high-altitude bombing.
The cup match duo of Maguire and Lindelof were extremely busy, especially Maguire. Instead of playing as an aircraft carrier tonight, he fired anti-aircraft guns. He was either competing for the header or on his way to competing for the header.
The reason why West Ham played like this was to bypass Chen Xiaoliang in the midfield.
Their tactics are very simple. They hold the ball in the middle. If Chen Xiaoliang comes out to defend, they will pass the ball to the sides or directly pass it to the penalty area. If he does not come out to defend, they will continue to advance from the middle.
No defensive midfielder would allow the opponent to swagger towards the penalty area with the ball in front of him, and Chen Xiaoliang is no exception.
Once he moves out, it means that Manchester United's penalty area will lose a player with strong air defense and two-point attack defense, and the offensive forces on both wings can also shrink into the penalty area and carry out high-altitude bombing.
You know, Moyes, who once made 81 crosses in a single game for Manchester United, is quite confident in crossing.
The excited mentality, rough confrontation, effective targeted tactics, and the hot atmosphere on the scene allowed West Ham to slightly suppress Manchester United on the field.
Ferdinand in the broadcast room also said: "Although I feel very disgusted and worried about seeing the same style of play as tonight again, it is very likely that this is the only effective way for weak teams to meet Manchester United, except for hoping that Manchester United will kick the ball into their own goal."
At halftime, the score was still 0-0, but young players such as Ganacho, Luke Thomas, and Anthony, who missed the FA Cup final due to injury at the end of last season, were still thinking of the scene in which the opponent rushed towards them and bumped into them.
Maguire, Dalot and others who were relatively calm were also thinking about scoring goals quickly while avoiding getting injured and missing the European Cup. After all, the injuries of Rashford and B Fee just now made them feel scared.
Despite the curses against the dirty West Ham, the atmosphere in the locker room was clearly less heated.
At this time, three crisp clapping sounds were heard, and Chen Xiaoliang appeared when he should have appeared.
The locker room immediately became quiet.
He took the statistics from assistant coach Vandergaard and read aloud:
"8 shots to 5, 4 shots on target to 2, 47% ball possession to 53%, 75% pass success rate to 88%."
At this point he amplified his voice further:
"Here comes the point, 8 fouls to 3, 2 yellow cards to 0."
"Two of the three fouls were called on me."
Then he returned the tactical board to van der Gaag, glanced at the players on the field, and asked:
"Are you all freaking out?"
"Do you know what the most satisfying thing for an abuser is? It's when the victim shows fear and shrinks!"
"The more this happens, the more excited the abusers become, because they can smell the fear!"
"And all you have left now is to write the word fear on your foreheads!"
"These days, even if a thug on the street molests a woman, nine out of ten times he will be slapped in the face, and then wait for the police to be called and a politically correct trial. But you choose to endure it in silence?"
"Oh fuck, I can't believe this is the you I know! Where's your bloodiness?! Where's your temper?! Where's your usual bragging spirit of being the best in the world?!"
"When I first came here, I thought the biggest problem was the management. The club changed its management structure and Manchester City and Liverpool became the team's concerns again."
"We defeated Liverpool 6-0 and drew 3-3 with Manchester City away from home, leaving them helpless. Now Bayern in the Champions League and Barcelona have become our concerns."
"I have finally realized today that our biggest enemy is not outside, but inside the team, in this locker room, in the hearts of each of you!"
"If each of you is a little bit cowardly, the whole team will be cowardly! If you all are cowardly, then all opponents will dare to shit on our heads like West Ham did today!"
"It's only been a short time since we were beaten 7-0 by Liverpool last season? Have you forgotten?!"
"That score is still on the electronic screen at Anfield, staring at you every day!"
After a roar, there was no sound in the locker room . Players like Luke Thomas, who had just joined the team, didn't even dare to breathe.
"I wanted to say something when I walked back to the locker room just now. I think it's useless to talk about tactics at this moment. Now four minutes have passed since the halftime break. I'll give you another 10 minutes to think about it carefully, and then touch the two things between your legs to see if they are still there."
"Ten minutes later, hold your head high, stand tall, and walk out with me."
"If they like to compete physically, we will compete with them. We will compete with them as long as they want, until they surrender!"
"If I see you as a coward again, next season it's either me or you."
Assistant coach van der Jag saw Chen Xiaoliang speaking excitedly and wanted to step forward to comfort him, but was stopped by veteran assistant coaches McLaren and ten Hag.
McLaren, in particular, looked like he wanted to cry.
Since leaving Manchester United and Ferguson's assistant position, he has traveled to various countries and teams to coach, both as a head coach and as an assistant to others, but Ferguson's hair dryer is still the locker room control model that convinces him the most.
Although times have changed, under today's social opinions and moral standards, the hair dryer filled with greetings was no longer used in Ferguson's last few years as coach. But in today's Manchester United, such a violent scolding of the hair dryer is simply the best way to reshape the spirit of the Red Devils!
If the two Berlusconi goals against Tottenham in the last game made fans feel that the glorious tradition of the old Manchester United was returning, then the reappearance of Ferguson's dominance and pressure today made McClaren feel that the former Premier League overlord might really be coming back.
Although Ten Hag has never experienced Ferguson's coaching, he had heard about Manchester United's past many times when the Netherlands hired McLaren as his assistant.
He was once an excellent player of an excellent team, and now he has accumulated enough coaching experience. He can naturally tell what is good and what is right.
Ten Hag: "See you on the field in 10 minutes. I hope to see a different you."
After saying that, he signaled with his eyes for all the coaches to leave the locker room, leaving only the prop manager to help pass water and towels.
For 5 minutes, no one spoke, only the occasional sound of drinking water and wiping sweat caused by the friction and collision of clothes and objects.
8 minutes, still no one spoke.
In the 13th minute, Casemiro, who was on the bench, stood up as he was about to return to the field:
"Ladies, it's time to go on the field. Imagine if you were lying in an ambulance like Bruno (B Fee) and Marcus (Rashford), and saw that other teammates didn't even have the desire to take revenge, how would you feel?"
"Chen just said, feel it, I've touched it, mine is very big, the problem is the coach didn't plan to make a substitution at halftime, and even if he wanted to make a substitution in the second half, the team didn't have the number of substitutions."
"So, be a man and speak up for us guys sitting on the bench!"
He is worthy of being the team's third-ranked captain, the Brazilian iron waist who has fought many times with the dirty and tough Atletico Madrid, and a warrior who came out of the slums. He is not only tenacious, but also understands the ways of the world.
He then said: "Are any of you in the team when Moyes was in charge?"
After this was said, some people shook their heads, but the rest of the players all looked at De Gea, who was standing silently in sportswear, and had not yet recovered from his injury but was traveling with the team to the away game.
This scene eased the tense atmosphere after Chen Xiaoliang scolded his teammates. Many people looked at De Gea, who was a little confused, and laughed.
Casemiro: "Come on, David, lead everyone in the chant."
De Gea: “You…”
He walked to the middle of the locker room.
Although he is the longest-serving player in the first team and the only veteran who has helped Manchester United win the Premier League title, his personality has never been very flamboyant.
He looked at Casemiro and then at Chen Xiaoliang: "What slogan did I say?"
Casemiro looked at De Gea, then turned his gaze to Chen Xiaoliang. Chen Xiaoliang stood up, walked to the middle of the room, stretched out his hand, and the other players immediately stood up and surrounded him.
Chen Xiaoliang: "David, when you think of Moyes, whether it's the 2013-14 one or the 2023-24 one, what's the first word that comes to your mind?"
De Gea: "Oh f**k..."
What he actually meant to say was "Oh fuck, let me think..."
However, Chen Xiaoliang, Casemiro, Anthony who has a lot of bad ideas, and Lima with a bad temper would not give De Gea a chance to finish his speech.
Everyone: "Fuck it! Moyes!"
"Fuck! Squid! Mo! Yes! Ss!!!"
Chen Xiaoliang: “Let’s go!”
