Manchester United legend

Chapter 174 A Decisive Substitution
From the 20th minute to the 30th minute, Manchester United was able to suppress the opponent's attack in the half-court, but Bayern's shrinking tactics were very effective. Even if the top of the penalty area was left to give Manchester United players a chance to shoot from a long distance, whether it was Jost, Beckham, or Giggs, their shots always seemed a little weak, or lacked sight, and basically did not pose a threat to Kahn.

The penetration in the middle of Manchester United's midfield basically did not find a gap. Giggs hit the right side against his foot and only cut in close to the middle area. On the contrary, it compressed Manchester United's offensive space and did not pose much threat.

As for the long pass in the midfield, it also fell short of the standard when Bayern was heavily defended. When it was almost not accurate, the threat that could be formed was even less.

At 40 minutes, Manchester United got a free kick 15 yards away from the opponent's penalty area. Unfortunately, Beckham's sharp free kick deviated half a meter from the goal!
Soon it was halftime.There seems to be no way for Manchester United to tear the opponent's defense to equalize the score. Without Scholes, Manchester United's offensive level has dropped directly to the next level.

Even if Manchester United had 57% of the ball, even if they had twice as many shots as Bayern in the first half, the attacking players really didn't have any absolute chances.

On the contrary, the opponent's counterattack often makes Manchester United fans frightened. Every time they counterattack into the Manchester United penalty area, the Manchester United players are very nervous.

After returning to the locker room, Ferguson did not immediately turn on the hair dryer. He calmed the players down a bit and controlled his emotions.

Ferguson did not believe in evil, and he was even more unwilling to admit defeat. He said to the players in the lounge: "You have worked hard, but it is not enough. Look at the trophy that symbolizes honor. If you lose, you can walk six inches away from the championship trophy, but you are not even eligible to touch it!"

Take the initiative to admit defeat?Give up the fight?No, no, no!This is not Manchester United. Even the captain, Jost, was the first to refuse to admit defeat. There is no gene in the blood of the Red Devils to surrender.

Ferguson's words deeply stimulated the players, their dignity did not allow themselves to be such a coward.

Gary Neville later recalled that Ferguson's speech was the impetus for them to wake up in the second half and go completely crazy in the final minutes.

The dangerous first half has become a nightmare, and now we have to regain control of our destiny!

At the beginning of the second half, Ferguson still insisted that he did not make substitutions, nor did he adjust the positions of the players on the field.Manchester United's formation is still an awkward 442.

Beckham and Jost still stood in the middle of the lane, while Bromqvist, who hardly made a breakthrough in the first half, still played on the left, and Giggs still played on the right!

Bayern, which has remained unchanged to meet all changes, has not changed, and their style of play has not changed.

The strength of Effenberg and Jeremiah in the midfield is obvious to all, and Matthaus doesn't even need to press alone against Cole or York.

Until the 65th minute, the only difference between the 20-minute second half and the first half was that Manchester United was more active in pressing and fighting, and the strangling battle in the midfield became more and more intense.

But that’s all, Bayern Munich’s defense didn’t suffer much, Kahn didn’t even get a chance to warm up, and no ball could pose a real threat in the penalty area. Cole and Yorke were even forced by their opponents to find it difficult to stand in the penalty area, let alone turn around and face the goal.

Beckham's pass made Bayern Munich fearful enough, and Giggs' individual breakthrough ability also made opponents deeply troublesome, but he was difficult to pass from the right side with his inverse foot.

Except for Bromqvist on the left - the neglected left foot will come close to becoming United's hero.The Swedish winger who seldom had the chance to play the main force got the best chance in the 55th minute of the second half. He inserted at high speed from the left side to respond to Giggs' cross from the other side. He succeeded in grabbing the point from 6 yards in front of the goal, but he shoveled the ball away with a kick at the goal. He was only one line away from the goal!
In addition to this best opportunity, it is difficult for Manchester United to find a good opportunity to score in the Bayern penalty area.Although Manchester United already had the initiative and once launched a second siege, the shrinking Bayern did not give Manchester United more space and time.

So, the decision known as the greatest substitution in English football came!Ferguson replaced Bromqvist with Solskjaer in the 67th minute, and Manchester United sounded the charge of attack.

After the substitution, Manchester United won a corner kick. Solskjaer's power was immediately revealed. He grabbed the ball from the front point and headed back. It's a pity that his teammates didn't grab the second ball near the small penalty area, which only made Kahn a false alarm.

At the same time, Hitzfeld also made the first substitution.He replaced Memet Sauer with the intention of strengthening the midfield organization, controlling the ball as much as possible, reducing the number of Manchester United offenses, and also hoping to push the battle back to the midfield.

Sauer's presence did have an impact on the game - he almost killed United.

A few minutes later, Manchester United, who continued to attack wildly, showed their flaws. The Bayern player cut off Jost's ball on the right side of his backcourt near the corner flag area, and immediately seized the excellent opportunity that Jost could not return.
It was an almost perfect drop goal - if it wasn't for the 1.9-meter-three Schmeichel who was tall enough to touch the football with his fingertips and change the trajectory of the ball; or the wind brought by Schmeichel's fingers slanted the arc of the ball a little bit, and finally the ball bounced off the Manchester United goal post and was hugged by Schmeichel with relief.

Bayern's assault did not make Manchester United shrink. In fact, the Red Devils have nothing to lose, even if the defense loses the ball again, it doesn't matter.

After that, Manchester United still aggressively attacked, desperately attacking Bayern's defense.Jost tackled Effenberg and Matthaus in succession, Gary Neville had a vicious dialogue with Jeremys, Johansen and Stam continuously rushed to the front of Bayern's penalty zone arc, Giggs returned to the left and continued to dribble and break through, Beckham continued to launch shells from the right... Manchester United players have burned all their passion and strength. They have launched a non-stop attack, like a raging tide roaring and hitting the embankment, like a thunderbolt bombarding the ground, the Red Devils players are full of fighting spirit. The bears are burning, they will fight until the last moment!
(End of this chapter)