WHY 1999 WAS THE FINEST MOMENT FOR 4-4-2... AND SIR ALEX FERGUSON

Manchester United swept to a famous Treble thanks to the management skills of their legendary boss - and a formation that suited them perfectly

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A lot has changed in football during the 30 years since this magazine was first published, but one glaring consistent has been that most of the domestic honours have been won by a side from Manchester. A side whose era-defining manager has triumphed so regularly that he’s frequently been accused of ‘killing football!’ A side whose expensively assembled team needed a Champions League to cement their legacy, which arrived as part of a Treble.

Long before Pep Guardiola redefined what it means to pass and press at Manchester City, Sir Alex Ferguson was dominating both The Barclays and all the Barclaysmen within it. Across a reign of 26 years at Manchester United, delivering 38 trophies, things never got better than the 1998-99 line-up which sealed the clean sweep of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, culminating in that comeback victory over Bayern Munich at Barcelona’s Camp Nou thanks to two-last gasp goals.

Away from the shiny trinkets and immortal accolades, one other fact remains about that side: it’s where 4-4-2 probably peaked. During the formation’s long and illustrious history, it’s arguable that no side played it better than Ferguson’s Manchester United.

01 A FAMOUS XI