5 of the greatest challenges overcome by Alex Ferguson at Manchester United

#3 Overhauling Arsenal in the late 1990’s

Signings like Dwight Yorke allowed Ferguson to turn back the challenge of Arsene Wenger and Arsenal in the 90's

Despite breaking the British transfer record on more than one occasion, even his greatest detractors never really labelled Ferguson as a “chequebook manager” – something that the likes of Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola have to hear on regular occasion today. While he was willing to spend big money when he had to, Ferguson only ever looked to strengthen his side in the areas that appeared to be weakest.

One such example was the summer of 1998. The previous season had seen United unexpectedly overhauled by Arsenal – led by new boss Arsene Wenger, who brought with him some new philosophies and most importantly a handful of exceptionally talented players (Patrick Vieira, Nicolas Anelka, Emmanuel Petit) to add to the Gunners’ already tough British spine. Arsenal won both the Premier League and the FA Cup that year to leave Ferguson smarting.

Rather than totally changing up his squad, though, Fergie simply took a look at where they were weakest. A somewhat creaking defence was shored up by the purchase of Dutchman Jaap Stam, while Dwight Yorke was brought in from Aston Villa to provide a more creative feel to the forward line – something United had missed since Eric Cantona’s retirement at the end of 1996/97.

The summer of 1998 was a World Cup year and Ferguson could easily have been tempted into signing any number of players, but instead he stuck to his guns, adding just Stam, Yorke and midfielder Jesper Blomqvist. This allowed his squad to grow closer together, while also strengthening it where it was weakest.

Naturally, it paid off – Stam was outstanding, making 50 appearances, while Yorke formed a partnership with Andy Cole and the two scored 53 goals between them. United won a treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1998/99 and the challenge of Wenger’s new-look Arsenal was largely thwarted for another three seasons. It was classic Ferguson - keeping faith with his side and not panic buying, allowing for more stability and thus more success.