On the evening of October 2, at the Bernabéu Stadium.
In the second round of the Champions League group stage, Real Madrid faced Manchester United at home.
This was destined not to be a night to remember.
Only 12 minutes into the game, Manchester United were attacking in the final third. Schneiderlin passed directly to the right side of the box to find Fellaini. The Belgian with the afro used his body to pin Xabi Alonso, controlled the ball, turned, drove into the penalty area, and squared it before Ramos.
Rooney arrived and finished, beating Casillas.
1-0.
After conceding, Real Madrid attacked more aggressively, but Manchester United began to retreat.
In particular, Fellaini, who had started as the attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1, was pulled back by Moyes into midfield in a 4-3-3, where he and Schneiderlin protected Carrick.
Manchester United dropped off across the board and adopted a defensive counterattacking strategy.
This put Real Madrid in a somewhat passive position.
They had the advantage but could not score. The attacks looked powerful, but it was difficult to create real chances.
…
Gao Shen stood tall on the touchline, watching calmly and making the occasional tweak, but mostly observing.
Real Madrid controlled the ball with nearly 68 percent possession, which reflected the technical gap between the sides, but Manchester United were resilient and tightly organized defensively.
Moyes's setup tonight was quite interesting.
Goalkeeper: David De Gea.
Defense: Evra, Ferdinand, Vidić, and Smalling.
Midfield: Fellaini, Carrick, and Schneiderlin.
Forwards: Welbeck, Rooney, and Valencia.
At the start, Manchester United did not play 4-3-3, but 4-2-3-1 with a high press.
The key was pushing Fellaini forward to smother Xabi Alonso.
Everyone knew Xabi Alonso had just returned from injury. This was his first game back. Before he could fully find the rhythm, he was pinned down by Fellaini.
The tall, strong Belgian had nimble feet and could hold the ball in advanced areas.
United's goal came from Fellaini using his body to pin Xabi Alonso on the right side of the area, then controlling, turning, and breaking into the box.
It was clear that not only Xabi Alonso, but few could withstand him, unless Casemiro came on as a holding midfielder, or Ramos or Pepe was pushed into midfield.
Fellaini is a very unique player.
In Europe's top leagues, players with such distinct characteristics are highly valued.
Like Fellaini, he can contribute both ways, has solid physical and technical qualities, and is tall and strong. In the front line, he can be an offensive fulcrum who can hold the ball.
If he stays back, he is a diligent ball-winner with the engine to duel.
So the key is how to use him.
Moyes's plan was meticulous. He wanted Fellaini to shuttle.
Ideally, Fellaini would push forward when attacking, and drop when defending.
It sounds wonderful, right?
But if Fellaini could truly do both at a high level, Manchester United would not have signed him for only £27 million.
There are not many midfielders who can genuinely balance attack and defense with reliable output, especially in heavyweight fixtures.
The Belgian's speed and running capacity make it difficult to cover both ends consistently.
Especially against Real Madrid.
Real Madrid are best at rapid transitions, turning defense into attack quickly and efficiently, something Fellaini struggles to keep up with.
So, from the 25th minute, Moyes adjusted and had Fellaini drop into defensive midfield.
At that point, the formation officially switched to 4-3-3.
From then on, the match became a stalemate.
Gao Shen was in no rush. He asked the team to stay patient and keep building attacks.
…
"Do you know the biggest difference between Moyes and Ferguson?"
When Gao Shen came back for a drink, he glanced at Moyes on the visitors' bench and asked casually.
Carlo, Zidane, and the others also turned to look at the away dugout.
In fact, Moyes's current situation was really bad.
After six rounds of the Premier League, Manchester United were 12th, which should be their worst position in recent years.
This summer, United failed in the transfer market, especially with Leeds United center-back Koulibaly. United moved too slowly and Chelsea snapped him up, leaving United still relying on two veterans at center-back.
Because they acted late, Everton raised the price. Fellaini, originally around £20 million, rose to £27 million. This move drew heavy criticism from the media and fans.
But in Gao Shen's view, it was only because people were not used to it.
Manchester United had only just started down the long road of paying premiums.
Still, Fellaini is a good player.
Moyes's team had just suffered back-to-back league defeats at the end of September.
They first lost away to city rivals Manchester City, then lost 1-2 at home to Leeds United, dropping United to 12th.
After stumbling through the first three rounds, Leeds United gradually regained form.
Two weeks after the international break, they drew West Ham at home, then beat Liverpool 1-0 away, and then beat Manchester United 2-1 away, winning both high-profile games.
This pushed Leeds back up the table, and they were now level with Chelsea in sixth.
Pochettino's life was getting easier, but Moyes's was getting tougher.
Probably influenced by this, and seeing that Real Madrid had just had a tough derby with Atletico, Moyes saw a glimmer of hope at the Bernabéu, so he came out to attack.
And indeed, Manchester United scored first.
The primary contributor was Fellaini.
But after taking the lead, especially as Real Madrid gradually adjusted, Moyes showed the biggest difference between him and Ferguson. It did not come from tactics or players, but from the manager's personality.
Content with small gains.
After going ahead, Moyes did not press for another or push to finish the game. Seeing Real Madrid's overwhelming pressure, he dropped Fellaini into defensive midfield to strengthen the block.
Strictly speaking, that is not inherently wrong.
Keeping Fellaini high might not have yielded another goal, and could have exposed defensive holes.
It is a sensible choice from many angles.
"If he were managing Everton, then this adjustment would be appropriate and reasonable, no problem. But he is managing Manchester United now."
"If Ferguson were sitting in United's dugout at this moment, I guarantee he would not do this. He would keep letting Fellaini carry the team. At least in terms of momentum, he would not show weakness and concede the initiative."
Everton are a smaller club and can afford to yield the momentum, but Manchester United cannot.
What the Red Devils pride themselves on most is that momentum and dominance.
Even against Barcelona, Manchester City, or any powerhouse, Manchester United dare to draw the sword.
You can lose the game, but you cannot lose the momentum.
But Moyes chose to yield, which meant he lost the initiative.
More importantly, tactically, Rooney is not a true center forward, and Welbeck's issues were being exposed.
When Fellaini pinned Xabi Alonso, United still had a focal point up front and could secure possession.
But now, with Fellaini withdrawn, Rooney and Welbeck could not hold the ball high up the pitch. Valencia is good at carrying the ball, but not at holding it up.
So this led to a very awkward situation.
United got the ball into the final third, and no one could keep it.
If they cannot hold the ball up front, they cannot attack or advance. Even if United win it back, what can they do?
In addition, the manager signaled tactical retreat, which lost momentum and dented the players' morale.
All in all, this made United more passive on the pitch.
The adjustment barely stabilized things, but Real Madrid's advantage became more obvious.
Of course, Real Madrid's lineup tonight was not without issues.
Gao Shen started Xabi Alonso because Casemiro had been exhausted against Atletico, and against Manchester United, Gao Shen wanted to control the ball and use possession to wear them down.
Unexpectedly, Moyes threw a heavy punch at the start by unleashing Fellaini.
But under heavy pressure, Moyes then moved Fellaini back into defensive midfield, so there was not much suspense to the game.
"Do not rush, take your time," Gao Shen said with a smile.
…
Time ticked by, and still Gao Shen did not change.
Not until almost forty minutes, when there was little time left in the first half, did he make an adjustment.
He signaled Xabi Alonso to drop, and had both full backs push high.
The purpose was to free the flanks.
As long as Real Madrid's wings posed a threat, would Welbeck and Valencia not have to drop?
With only Rooney left up front, what was there to fear?
On United's flanks, Smalling is tall but not agile enough, and Evra is already 32 and not as imperious as before. There were issues on both sides.
After Gao Shen's tweaks, Real Madrid began to put more pressure on United's defense.
Especially in the 44th minute, Real Madrid launched an attack. Toni Kroos tried a back pass, but Vidić headed it away and it fell back into Real Madrid's half.
Ramos charged forward decisively and beat Rooney to the header, sending it into the left channel in the final third.
After bringing it under control, Ronaldo drove forward quickly, straight toward the left side of United's box.
One on one against Smalling, Ronaldo feinted cleverly, but Smalling stood his ground and blocked the inside.
But as Ronaldo stopped and was backing up, Marcelo sprinted up from behind at full speed, with Valencia chasing. As they crossed paths, Ronaldo made an obvious move to impede Valencia while pushing the ball toward the byline.
Valencia slowed, but Marcelo still hit the byline at pace.
Although Smalling reacted quickly, turned, and chased, Marcelo got there first and crossed with his left, sending the ball near the edge of the six-yard box.
Džeko did not take a touch and volleyed straight into the right side of Manchester United's goal.
(To be continued.)