How Sir Alex Ferguson Used Ferocious Training Sessions to Build a Winning Machine at Old Trafford
Key Highlights :
Set pieces are often seen as the main weapon for underdogs to gain an advantage against the so-called elite teams. However, legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson recognised the importance of free-kick routines during his time at Old Trafford.
When one thinks of United’s glory days under the Scotsman, they tend to think of lightning fast wingers such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs, burning up the wings. They may forget about man mountains such as Roy Keane and Rio Ferdinand winning headers in both penalty areas. Their breathtaking dominance when the ball was in the air was not by accident, as former Stevenage and Peterborough manager Graham Westley learned first hand.
“I went to Carrington to watch the great United side,” Westley said to The Athletic. “When I say the great United side, I mean the 1999 treble winners. I’d met Sir Alex Ferguson and had a really good one-on-one session with him. He said to me: ‘any time that you want to come and have a look, see what we do, you are welcome’.
“He did a session in the penalty box. Two goals, one either end of the penalty box and he had 22 players in the penalty area. I have never seen a ferocity in a short-sided game like I saw that day. They were all there: Keane, Neville, Scholes, all the big hitters, the treble winners.
“I’ve never seen a training session like it, I was wincing, watching the session.”
The way Westley was talking, you could be forgiven for thinking all of United’s players were lining up for a hefty scrum. However, there was method behind the madness of Ferguson's ferocious sessions.
“I remember afterwards he was saying: ‘games are won and lost in penalty areas and if players want to get the ball in the net, you’ve got to go through a lot to get the ball in the net and if you want to keep the ball out, you’ve got to keep a lot out’.
“If you have him hurtling at you, you have to try and put the ball in the net, you have to be brave, strong, at it, you’ve got to do a lot to keep it out.”
In his 1,500 games in charge of United, Ferguson scored 2,769 goals, wracking up an astounding overall goal difference of +1,404. Set pieces would have made up a large number of those goals. Considering United only scored five goals from set-pieces last season in the Premier League, maybe current United manager Erik ten Hag would benefit from replicating some of Ferguson’s methods.
Ferguson’s training sessions were not only about set pieces. He was also renowned for his tactical nous, and was able to get the best out of his players. He was a master of man management, and his approach to training had a lasting effect on the players.
The ferocity of his training sessions helped to create a winning machine at Old Trafford. The players knew that they had to work hard and that the rewards would come. This is a lesson that all managers can learn from, and it is no surprise that Ferguson’s legacy lives on in the Premier League.
