Tang En naturally had his reasons for placing so much emphasis on this match. Notts County's manager, Dunn, was the same.
It could even be said that Dunn had suddenly become very serious ever since the matchup was announced. Even though he was usually very serious and serious, the Notts County players could sense that something was amiss. From the sudden stricter training requirements, it was obvious that their boss wanted to win this derby.
But this was also their hope.
As rivals in the same city, they could only watch as Nottingham Forest stood high above them, and they could never catch up. Don't think that they did not have higher dreams just because they were players in the lower leagues. They were equally fascinated when they watched the Forest team dominate in the top leagues and the UEFA Champions League. Otherwise, why would the English Premier League teams always be able to lure away batches after batches of players?
Water flows to the bottom, and people strive to climb higher …
Loyalty? A capable person would only be loyal to a capable team.
The Notts County players hoped to prove their ability by defeating the former European champion, Nottingham Forest. It would be great if they could lead the team to the English Premier League. Even if they could not, they could use this to attract the attention of more top teams.
For the Nottingham Forest players, this derby must be just an ordinary FA Cup game, because the strength of the two sides was not on the same level at all. To the players of Notts County, this was indeed a golden opportunity that only came once in a blue moon. They were like fish that desperately needed to meet the Dragon's Gate and had encountered the perfect springboard.
Tang Jing could see that her husband had been showing signs of anxiety recently. He was always distracted, always frowning impatiently, and locked himself in the study until late at night. He did not even care about their child, and there was no warmth between them …
Tang Jing felt that if this situation continued, her marriage with her husband would probably be over.
She wanted to find a chance to talk to her husband. Her shy and introverted husband had never been so anxious before.
But in fact, if Tang Jing had seen Dunn before December 31st, 2002, she would not be so confused.
Because Dunn was exactly the same as he was now. It was just that he was alone at that time, and no one would see him hiding in the house to show his anxiety. To others, he would always be a medieval antique wrapped in a cold shell.
It was the last night before the derby. Her husband did not seem as restless as he had been in the past few days. This was a good time to talk. Therefore, taking advantage of the rare leisure time after putting the baby to bed, Tang Jing quietly pushed open the door of the study, tiptoed behind her husband, and hugged his neck from behind.
Tang Jing felt her husband struggle in her arms. When he realized it was her, he calmed down.
"I don't think you've been right lately, dear." Tang Jing tried to speak in a gentle tone. She didn't want to agitate her husband. "What happened to you? You've coached alone for seven seasons, and this is the first time I've seen you like this … "
Dunn did not answer his wife's question directly. Instead, he looked up at her and said, "Tomorrow is the derby."
Tang Jing was stunned for a moment, but she quickly reacted. This was the first derby that her husband had faced as manager of Notts County. The word "derby" had a very special meaning in the world of football. As a former football reporter, it was impossible for Tang Jing not to know the deeper meaning behind it. But she still had some doubts. As the strength of Notts County and Nottingham Forest had never been on the same level, the tension between the two teams was not strong. That was because they rarely met each other, and there was no direct conflict of interest. Notts County and Nottingham Forest were not like AC Milan and Milan, who would fight for the league title. They were also not like Real Madrid and Barcelona, who had a century-old feud. They were also not like Glasgow's "Old Firm" derby, which was mixed with religion and made people shudder.
Then why does her husband care so much about a derby?
Dunn put his hand on his shoulder and covered his wife's hand. "My opponent is Tony."
"Aren't you friends?" Tang Jing was even more confused. If there was anyone that Tang Jing had ever been jealous of, it was probably Twain. Because sometimes she felt that her husband cared more about Twain than her.
"He's a friend, so I have to defeat him."
Dunn did not explain further and only said so.
Tang Jing turned around and stared at Dunn for a long time before turning to leave.
"You men's friendship is so hard to understand."
Seeing his wife close the door to the study, Dunn smiled bitterly.
Some things could not be said to others, even to the people closest to him. His wife would definitely not be able to accept the fact that he was a strange soul who had taken over someone else's body. This problem was very complicated and involved profound ethical issues. He did not want to think too much about it. But the relationship between him and Twain was definitely not as simple as "friends."
Looking back now, it was unclear whether he had taken over Twain's body or Twain had taken over his body. No matter what, he was still working in a football-related job. It was just that he had changed his team. If it had not been for that incident, would he have done a better job than he did now? Or if he had been more ambitious … would he have done a better job than Twain?
It was a meaningless question to discuss because it was impossible. But this period of time was like a nightmare to him, causing him to constantly consider the possibility of "Guan Gong versus Qin Qiong." It was as if he was possessed.
Tony Twain, this guy who had his own body but the soul of another person, had created such a glorious achievement. It was like a huge mountain lying in front of him, casting a huge shadow under the sun that shrouded the world around him. It was as if he was in a dark night without any daylight.
Would he have to live in this shadow forever? Next season, when he went to Nottingham Forest to take over, he would only be called "Tony Twain's successor."
Since that was the case, why should he agree to Twain's suggestion and return to Nottingham Forest?
No. I want to defeat him!
Maybe this is the only way I can prove to myself that I'm really not the panicky and helpless me 16 years ago.
※ ※ ※
Perhaps the players who thought this derby was just an appetizer before the league tournament should put down some of their contempt when they saw Twain's gloomy expression.
"Do I need to remind everyone that this is a derby?"
It was halftime of the FA Cup match between Nottingham Forest and Notts County. The home team, Nottingham Forest, was trailing 0: 1 at the Crimson Stadium.
Chen Jian had a five-minute private meeting with the fans before the match. Although he was not a famous person, the fans still gave him a warm round of applause. He bounced the ball in front of more than 60,000 fans, then unfurled the Forest team's scarf to show his loyalty to the team. But the entire meeting was not very harmonious, because he heard a lot of boos from the fans of their opponent, Notts County.
The Chinese media who had gathered at the Crimson Stadium to report on Chen Jian's first match would be very disappointed. Because Chen Jian was not in the starting lineup, and Forest's terrible performance on the field made their English counterparts not care who Chen Jian was.
They were discussing such subjects as,
"Why does George lack sufficient support in the midfield?"
"Gago is really old …"
"Look at the performance of Forest's players after they fell behind, it's really ugly."
"Mitchell can't get any passes from the midfield at all, and Balotelli is like a headless fly. He only knows how to run around randomly, and he's obviously not in his best condition for this match."
Forest did not change the score on the field even at halftime, even though they had the upper hand in the number of shots.
"I suddenly thought of a story, anyone want to hear it?" Tang En said to his group of dejected players, "More than four years ago, we used ten years to conquer a big kingdom. During that time, no one dared to be our enemy, and our red flag flew in every corner of the continent. It was such a beautiful time … "He looked up at the ceiling, as if he could really see the scene of the red flag flying all over the world through the ceiling.
"The war ended, and everything returned to peace. The armored cavalry of the past slowly shed their armor and returned to the fields, and the peaceful and leisurely days slowly wore away their last bit of courage and fighting spirit. So, when the war started again four years later, even the opponents that we had previously looked down on could easily defeat us! "Tang En walked in front of the players, bent down, and looked at them one by one. "Can your old horses still run? Can your bodies still carry that heavy armor? Can your hands still hold the spears high? Your hearts! "
Tang En hammered his chest hard.
"Can they still beat with the war drums?!"
He suddenly raised his voice and roared.
His roar was so loud that many people raised their heads in shock.
Looking at the dumbfounded faces, Tang En suddenly thought of a saying:
Can Lian Po still eat when he is old?
Lian Po is old.
Can he still eat?
※ ※ ※
"It's a good thing that we're ahead. But I don't want to see arrogance on your faces … "While Tang En was trying his best to boost the players' morale in the locker room, Dunn was thinking about how to suppress the players' overly flamboyant attitude. "You have to understand that in front of us is a Premier League team. They have won the Champions League five times …"
Someone interrupted him, "Boss, that was four years ago, and the Forest team back then was very different from the current team. They have changed a lot of players …"
Dunn looked at the person who stood up to challenge his authority. It was the main core of the team, number 10 Paul Johnson. At the age of 20, he was a main player in the England U21 national team and had already attracted the attention of many Premier League teams. If there were no accidents, he would not be playing in Notts County after the end of the season.
"You're right, Paul. They won their last championship four years ago, and they have changed a lot of players. But the person leading them in this game is Tony Twain. "
This name was a household name in England, and Paul Johnson had to rein in his arrogance a little. But he was obviously not convinced, because in his opinion, the deciding factor in a game was the players, not the manager.
Dunn did not want to waste his breath on this topic to explain to him how important Tony Twain was to Nottingham Forest. Even if he explained, Johnson might not accept it.
He put his focus on the tactical arrangements.
"Forest will definitely fight back in the second half, but we will not strengthen our defense." Unlike Twain, Dunn was not a manager who prioritized defense, and he was definitely not a "one to zero believer." "Tony Twain will never allow his team to lose to us at home, because this is a derby."
And also because this is the only contest between him and me. Dunn's words stayed in his heart.
"If we shrink back, it will be over. So I want you to continue to attack under pressure, and push back Nottingham Forest's offense. "
Johnson was right about one thing. The current Forest team was indeed not the Forest team from four years ago. No matter how good Tony was, he could not replace the players in the game. So tactics were one thing, and the performance of the players on the field was another. The current batch of Forest players lacked the conviction and fighting spirit to win. They were used to being stuck in a quagmire, and they actually thought this was not bad. So as long as they continued to create difficulties for them in the second half, then the initiative of the game would still be in their hands.
Therefore, defense would not work. Blindly retreating and defending would only allow the Forest players to regain their confidence. Coupled with Tony's roars on the sidelines, once their mentality changed, the situation would also change. Dunn did everything he could to prevent this situation from happening.
Dunn knew very well what kind of person his opponent was. If he was given the slightest chance, he would seize it to turn the situation around. Those opponents who had been defeated by Twain had proven this point countless times: When dealing with Twain, if you had an advantage, then you had to make full use of it. You had to pursue him relentlessly, and after knocking him to the ground, you had to go up and stab him a few more times, and then cut off his head before you could sit down and take a breather.
"We did a very good job of restricting Wood and Gago in the first half. Continue in the second half, cut off the connection between them, and isolate Wood. Gago alone is not enough to be feared. He is old. "
"Balotelli is the pivot that connects the middle, back, and front fields of the Forest team. His footwork skills are very good, so when you deal with him, don't pounce too hard. You have to block his position. As long as you guys hold your defensive positions, he will not be of much use. His form for the set pieces in this game is very poor. Don't be afraid of fouls. "
"We have to continue to make use of the set pieces to score. Do you remember the positioning tactics that we usually practice? Johnson is the main penalty taker for the set pieces. He will choose the appropriate tactics according to the specific situation on the field. Listen to him. "
"Reduce your dribbling. Use passes and cuts to tear apart the opponent's defensive line. No matter how good George Wood is, he is only one person. If you pass the ball faster, he can only run for his life. Everyone, plug forward after passing the ball and tear apart the opponent's defensive line … "
Dunn issued a series of orders. He wanted to completely push his good friend into the abyss.
This was how to deal with Twain. Take advantage of his weakness and kill him.
Faced with Dunn's series of tactical arrangements, the players slowly put away the playful expressions on their faces. After experiencing the ecstasy of being in the lead, they suddenly understood what kind of game this was.
The boss had never been so serious and desperate as he was today.
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