When Manchester United plays Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, manager Erik ten Hag might choose to reapply a strategy used by Sir Alex Ferguson to instill a war mentality in his team. After winning their last three games, the Red Devils have moved up to eighth place in the top-flight standings, while Arsenal are in first place after winning their first five games of the season.
During his nearly 27-year stint at Old Trafford, Ferguson, who is regarded as one of the greatest coaches to ever live, guided the Red Devils to an incredible 49 titles. Three of those awards were given out at the conclusion of the 1998–1999 season, when the North West Giants notably won the Triple Crown.
United played Arsenal in the FA Cup semifinal matchup at Villa Park on their path to winning the first of those titles. After 90 minutes, the score remained tied thanks to goals from David Beckham and Dennis Bergkamp, and a late penalty save by Peter Schmeichel for the Dutch forward of Arsenal.
Get Instantly Update By: Joining Our Whatapps and Telegram Channel
The game has since been remembered as one of the greatest FA Cup matches in history thanks to Ryan Giggs’ incredible overtime goal. The Welshman went on a brilliant solo run to jinx past four defenders and smash the ball beyond David Seaman, the goalkeeper for the Gunners.
Former United defender Phil Neville claimed that Ferguson’s coaching strategies used in the lead-up to the game produced an unprecedented response from the players. The former defender also remembered the Scot’s behavior in the 2018 film The Feud.
“You could see that he was considering the same things that we were, namely that these [Arsenal players] were superior to us and that we needed to get better. He was thinking about how to defeat them, knowing that this would likely be his toughest challenge yet as Manchester United manager.
“I’ll never forget the bus being silent on the way to the game and it was always silent. It gives me chills just to think about it. We appeared to be entering a battle. I’ve never played in a football game better than that one. The same thing is said by every Man United player.
Prior to Sunday’s match at Old Trafford, Ten Hag might choose to treat his squad similarly. There may be some United players who believe their Arsenal colleagues are superior to them given that Arsenal has 15 points after five games.
But if the current Red Devils manager can instill in his team the same degree of commitment that Ferguson did all those years ago, his team may be able to defeat Mikel Arteta’s team and demonstrate to the rest of the Premier League that they are once again a force to be reckoned with.