767 1:0 (2/2)
The Manchester United fans hissed on one side, and the Nottingham Forest fans chanted on the other side. Old Trafford truly became a theater.
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Seeing Eastwood pumping the ball hard at the goal, Twain jumped excitedly on the sidelines like he was the person who scored. He waved his fists and demonstrated to the Manchester United fans in the stands. They obviously responded to him with more aggressive booing.
”Ha, it looks like Tony Twain does not want to please the Manchester United fans. He really doesn't want to coach at Manchester United at all.”
Ferguson was a little annoyed by this goal concede. His mouth kept moving, but he was not chewing gum. He was fiercely cursing.
”Our defense in the middle is useless! Are they all wood blocks? They just watched the opponent do a wall pass in our penalty area and f*cking score! Why did Hargreaves not foul? What was he thinking?”
In fact, what incensed Ferguson more than the goal concede was that the situation had not been within his control, but in the hands of the young man next door. He felt a sense of defeat.
Although he and Twain had a good personal relationship, and he hoped that Twain would come to Manchester United, he was still an old man who did not want to lose when it came to the game. He wanted to remain the master of the whole world, the best manager in the sport, smarter than anyone else, always ahead of the game, and everything firmly in hand. No one could beat him unless he did not want to do it anymore.
For more than two decades, he had enjoyed a war of words with Wenger because he had the upper hand most of the time. He also enjoyed fighting with Kevin Keegan because he almost drove the poor old man ma. Mourinho's arrival did not shake his position in the Premier League. Mourinho's departure proved that he was not qualified enough to be a ”powerful man” in the Premier League.
He became Manchester United's manager before the Premier League was founded. He had weathered through more storms than the other managers had combined. He fought with countless famous managers but always had the last laugh. Mark Hughes, George Graham, Kenny Dalglish, Souness, Kevin Keegan, Arsène Wenger, Mourinho, Benítez, Scolari, Eriksson, Rijkaard… It was him, not anyone mentioned above, who was chosen as the decade's best manager in the Premier League.
He also enjoyed going measure for measure with Tony Twain. But, the manager, who was nearly 30 years younger, made him feel really old. He should have seen through Twain's crafty plot sooner.
Ferguson scolded Hargreaves and got up from his seat. He was going to the sidelines to direct the game.
Twain noticed that Ferguson had gotten up from the manager's chair for the first time in the game. He turned his head to look at the old manager and smiled at the old man when he noticed him.
Ferguson's expression looked ugly. He ignored Twain and reached out to call Neville over while the Forest players celebrated the goal to brief him directly.
After he finished clapping on the sidelines, Twain turned around and walked back with a smile.
According to past management, the Forest team would contract the defense after taking the lead and fight back against the opponent. If Ferguson still thought so in this game, Manchester United would be in trouble.
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However, it was clear that Ferguson was much smarter than Twain thought. He discovered Twain's true intentions through the goal concede. Nottingham Forest did not intend to play defensive counterattack at Old Trafford at all. Instead, they played offensive football, which was unusual for them. It looked like they planned to beat Manchester United using offense.
Ferguson bravely confronted the enemy head-on. Since you want to attack, then bring it on!
He adjusted his team's tactics, stepping up the defense and blocking in the midfield in an effort to control the midfield. Whichever team controlled the midfield in this game would have a higher chance of winning.
When the game resumed, what the fans saw the most were scenes of the two sides fiercely fighting in the midfield and in a complete mess.
Twain also stepped up the defense in the midfield after realizing Ferguson's intention. He moved Şahin's position back to be in line with Wood's position, leaving the Forest team's middle looking less empty. The diamond-shaped 4-4-2 formation became the parallel 4-4-2 again. Under pressure from Ferguson, Twain was forced to give up his plan to continue the attack in the away game.
With a one-goal lead, he was not in a hurry. He could slowly grind it out with Manchester United in the midfield.
Manchester United gradually regained the upper hand for the rest of the first half, but there were too few threatening shots. Berbatov and Tevez were trapped by the Forest team's strong overall defense. After Manchester United fully pressed, it objectively caused Nottingham Forest's defense to shrink. The gaps acquired by Berbatov and the others were greatly reduced. They could only meet force with force many times with the Forest team's strong center backs near the penalty area. They could not break through in the middle but were very active on the two sides.
Rooney's and Ronaldo's frequent breakthroughs on both sides caused a lot of trouble for the Forest team's defense. Much of the reason Nottingham Forest was forced to shrink their defense was due to them.
Rafinha's defense was weak, and Agbonlahor was not a defensive player. Wood had to make up for it several times to limit Ronaldo's sharp attacks.
Nottingham Forest's defensive tradition played an important role under Manchester United's fierce attacks. Whoever was facing such a solid defense would have a headache, even if it was Ronaldo or Rooney.
Manchester United did not score. The score was still 1:0 until the end of the first half, with Nottingham Forest in the lead.
When Ferguson left the technical area with a grim look, the staff around him knew the players were going to be in trouble in the locker room during the halftime interval. Regardless of the fact he was 69 years old, he was merciless when it was time for admonishments.
As for the leading Tony Twain, when he left, his face did not look much better. He was not unhappy with the performance of the players on the pitch but slightly worried about the second half. Ferguson would not be willing to accept the score and result. Furthermore, he had seen through the Forest team's play, so he would certainly make adjustments during the halftime interval. How should he take up the challenge?
He had originally planned to score two goals in the first half. The current situation was dangerous for the Forest team. 1:0 was really not a good score.