Tang En knew that George Wood was born to be an excellent professional player because he could faithfully complete the tasks given to him by the coach. As a defensive player, what quality was more important than that?
He asked Wood to protect Rebrov. Due to the limitations of the conditions, he did not explain it in detail at the time. As a result, the kid quickly understood his idea and completed it well. He was so good that you could not ask him to do more. Yes, for Wood, you can't ask him to protect Rebrov, continue to keep an eye on Okocha, take the ball and pass five players in a row, then pass the ball to his teammate to complete an assist in the face of an empty goal …
Wood's position was prerequisites. He was inseparable from Rebrov. Gunnarsson took on Wood's original task — to keep an eye on Okocha. Fortunately, Bolton Wanderers' current focus was on defense. His burden was not too heavy.
Kevin Nolan scored a goal in this game. He should have been in good form, but he ran into George Wood. Yes, the Ukrainian was very uncomfortable being pestered by him, but he was even more uncomfortable being pestered by Wood!
Not to mention that he could successfully intercept the ball every time he defended against Rebrov. Even if he managed to snatch the ball, he would immediately face Wood's close pursuit. George Wood completely guarded against him like Okocha, making him unable to turn around and pass. If he moved a little slower, the ball would be poked out of his feet.
This kid's speed is too fast! Not only his running speed, but also his reaction speed, the speed of his feet … all his speed!
And what made him even more annoyed was that Wood did not receive new instructions from the technical area. Instead, he increased the task himself. When Bolton Wanderers took the ball and prepared to attack, as long as Nolan received the ball, he would rush up to snatch it, making it impossible for them to organize their offense effectively.
"Kevin Nolan can't turn around! Even though he's being marked by George Wood alone, I bet he feels like he's surrounded by people! "Andy Gray commented. He was also beginning to take an interest in George Wood. "Ah! Nolan returned the ball, and Bolton Wanderers' offense was stopped again … What Bolton Wanderers' three defensive midfielders could do, George Wood did it alone! What an amazing young man! Where did Tony Twain find him? "
"It is said that Wood himself went to Tang En to recommend him. He has never been in contact with football before …" Ever since Wood's outstanding performance in his first match, the media's attention on him had increased greatly. Information about him that was previously unknown to the public was gradually dug out. "What a genius …"
Motson, who was in the stands, saw Wood's performance and remembered the last game he had commentated. This young lad … He was no longer the newbie that he couldn't say any more details about after his first match. On the sidelines, Tang En would definitely be very happy to see George Wood's performance. At the same time, he would definitely have a headache. How was he going to deal with the interest from the various clubs in George Wood?
The major clubs were paying more and more attention to defensive players, especially defensive midfielders. Look at Chelsea. Claude Makelele is already 30 years old and they still bought him from Real Madrid. Why? They just lacked a sniper who could intercept in the midfield.
Then look at Real Madrid after Makelele was driven out. Although Beckham joined, their results did not improve. Instead, they played worse and worse. Without Makelele running and intercepting in the midfield, Zidane and the others could not attack with peace of mind. Pavin and Elgra also lost the barrier in front of them. The rear defensive line directly faced the opponent's firepower. It would be strange if they did not concede the goal! When Makelele was there, they had never heard that Real Madrid's defense was bad. Since Makelele's departure, the argument that Real Madrid's defense was amateur-level began to appear and gradually became a consensus.
This was the importance of Makelele, who was unremarkable and did the dirty work on the field for a low salary. When Real Madrid realized that such a person was truly indispensable in the team, it was difficult to find a replacement … because the world lacked that kind of good defensive midfielder. Gravesen and Pablo García proved to be failed introductions. They could not replace Makelele's role in Real Madrid at all. It was not until the 06-07 season that Capello brought in three defensive midfielders in one go — Diarra, Emerson and Gago — that they barely played Makelele's role. Moreover, they were not always effective. The defense still required the entire team of eleven players. In the past, they only needed Makelele alone.
Motson was worried about Twain, but Twain did not care at all. He knew that Wood would not leave Nottingham Forest for at least three years … because the Forest team was actively looking for a way to treat his mother. Twain knew very well what kind of person Wood was. He believed that Wood also understood that he could have such success now because he was in Nottingham Forest, which was willing to give young players a chance, and because he met Tony Twain.
Changing teams at a young age, there were only a handful of players who could ultimately succeed. Defensive players were not like offensive players. One mistake could end the life of your entire career! Strikers could wait for the next teammate's pass if they missed a scoring opportunity, but what about the defensive players? There was too little room for them to make mistakes …
※ ※ ※
The first half of the game gradually came to an end in the stalemate between the two sides. Nottingham Forest's offense in the last ten minutes brought a lot of pressure to Bolton Wanderers, but they withstood it and did not concede a goal. This made Nottingham Forest very depressed.
Twain was already very satisfied with this. The team's recovery of fighting spirit and confidence was the most important thing. As for equalizing the score before the end of the first half … that was an unexpected gain.
Nolan realized that after he had been intercepted by the silent number 33 several times in a row, he was actually a little less confident in facing him again! Now that he saw Wood, he wanted to quickly pass the ball out. It was the same this time … Campo passed the ball to Nolan and ran forward himself, hoping to attract the attention of the Forest team's defense for Nolan. He did not expect Nolan to panic when he saw Wood pouncing over murderously. He passed the ball back horizontally, but Ivan Campo was no longer in that position!
Ashley Young easily received the ball that Nolan "passed" to him. Now, there was only Simon Charlton in front of him, whom he had broken through once!
"Wrong pass! This is terrible! "
Running to the front, Campo discovered that the ball had been passed to his back. He hurriedly turned to give chase, but it was already too late. Ashley Young started to move!
Simon Charlton came up to defend against him, hoping to use his experience to block his position. However, he appeared so clumsy in front of the agile Ashley Young. The young Forest number 18 made three consecutive changes in direction as he ran, causing Charlton to become dizzy and exposing his back to his opponent. Ashley Young was naturally not going to be polite next. He circled around his opponent's back, then changed directions and inserted himself into the penalty area!
Huge cheers erupted from the stands.
Ashley Young could now shoot or pass the ball. It all depended on his mood …
Bolton Wanderers' goalkeeper, Yaskolainen's first choice was to block Ashley Young's shot. Bolton Wanderers' center back, Hunt's first choice was also to block his shot. Ashley Young lifted his right leg and looked like he was going to kick the goal!
Hunt rushed up and did a slide tackle without any regard for his own safety, hoping to block the shot. However, his opponent did not kick the ball out. Instead, he suddenly smashed the ball towards the middle. This not only deceived Yaskolainen, but also Hunt.
Hunter, who couldn't stop in time, tackled Ashley Young!
In the penalty area!
The whistle sounded!
"Ashley Young has fallen to the ground! This is a penalty kick, no doubt about it! The first half is coming to an end, and Forest has been awarded a dramatic penalty kick! "Martin Taylor shouted. The thunderous cheers from the stands of the City Ground stadium were so loud that even the camera lenses were shaking!
Tang En, who saw this scene from the sidelines, jumped up abruptly and turned around to hug Walker, who had rushed up.
This was an unexpected gain!
"This is a perfect display of Ashley Young's individual skills! Tony Twain has brought another talented kid from Watford! Five consecutive changes in direction … poor Simon Charlton, poor Nicky Hunt, poor Bolton! "
Martin Taylor added on for his partner, Gray. "Poor Watford. For the sake of 700,000 pounds, they not only lost an excellent young player, but also added a strong player to their competitors in the league."
The Nottingham Forest players ran towards their new teammate and hugged him in the middle, congratulating him and cheering for his performance. He had used his individual skills to bring about a turnaround for the team. This was the best way to integrate into the team!
The cheers gradually subsided. Freddy Eastwood stood in front of the penalty spot with the football in his arms. He was the team's number one penalty taker that Tang En had personally appointed.
He carefully placed the football on the white spot and then stepped back.
Everyone … in the stands of the stadium, in the technical area by the sidelines, in front of the television, in front of the radio, everyone held their breath.
Tang En stood on the sidelines with his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white.
Eastwood looked up at the goal. What came to his mind was the scene in the morning at Wilford. Tony Twain said to him, "Freddy, we will definitely win this afternoon's game, because this game is the starting point of that future!"
That … future?
You're a legendary manager, and I'm a legendary striker?
That sounds good!
"Beep!"
"Eastwood, run up … Shoot! Middle! "
Yaskolainen misjudged the direction. He pounced to the right, but Eastwood pushed the ball towards where he was originally standing … The football flew into the goal!
“GOOOOOAL！！”
The stands went wild again. This time, the television cameras shook even more violently than before.
“YES！ YES！ Nottingham Forest has equalized the score! Their relentless attacks have finally paid off! Freddy Eastwood, this is his fourth goal in three consecutive games! A terrifying killer. Who would dare say he's an amateur player with a broken leg now?! "
After scoring the goal, Eastwood rushed to the technical area. His target was Tony Twain, who was celebrating the goal with the members of the coaching staff!
Now I believe you, Boss! We will have that kind of future!
When he was three or four meters away from Tang En, he leaped into the air and pounced at Tang En. Tang En, who had just turned around, was caught off guard and was pressed down by Eastwood. Then, more players pounced on him. Tang En and the coaches behind him finally could not hold on any longer and all fell to the ground. More than ten people piled together, the scene was quite spectacular!
It was rare for a player to pounce on the manager after scoring a goal and then have all the players press on him. However, it had happened twice with Tony Twain. Seeing this scene, Taylor and Gray thought to themselves that it was no wonder Motson said this guy was interesting. It looked like he was very liked by the players.
In the stands, Motson was surrounded by cheering Forest fans. When he saw the "human pyramid" in front of the home team's technical area, he laughed.
Poor Tony …
At this time, the person who came to Tang En's rescue was the main referee. Under his interference, the frenzied Forest players finally returned to the field. When Tang En was pulled up from the ground by Walker, his suit was already wrinkled beyond recognition. His white shirt was dirty, and one of the buttons had been squeezed out. His hair was messy, and his face was flushed red. It was as if he had done something bad.
Seeing him like this, Walker could not help but burst into laughter.
"Damn it!" Tang En panted and waved his hands. "I want to add this to the team's rules: It's forbidden to crush the manager and build a pyramid to celebrate after scoring a goal! My clothes! " He spread out his hands to show Walker his "miserable" state, but it provoked even louder laughter from the technical area and the substitutes' bench.
Martin Taylor, who was in the commentator's seat, had the same opinion as him. He laughed and said, "I think Mr. Tang En should suggest to FIFA to prohibit players from using this method to celebrate after scoring a goal, especially when the person pressing down on the bottom is the manager …"
Gray, who was beside him, could not care less about the live broadcast of the game. He leaned on the table and laughed.
※ ※ ※
Forest, who had equalized the score, wanted to press on with their victory, but the main referee saved Bolton Wanderers. He blew the whistle to end the first half.
"1: 1! Looking at the process, this first half must have left both sides unsatisfied. But looking at the result, this is a very fair score. Tony Tang En and Sam Allardyce will definitely make use of this 15-minute halftime break to make adjustments. Let us rest a little and look forward to an even more exciting duel in the second half! "
"See you in 15 minutes."
Martin Taylor took off the soundproof headphones. The clamor of the City Ground Stadium hit him in the face and made him stop for a moment.
"An atmosphere like this in the City Ground Stadium …" he murmured. "… How many years has it been since I've seen it?" The knowledgeable Taylor could not recall this question for a while.
"Hey, Martin! I think that fellow Motson is right. Tang En is indeed a very interesting guy. I've been commentating football games for so many years, and I've never seen a player collectively press down on the manager after scoring a goal! Tony Tang En is so popular with the players. He must have used some kind of magic! Just like Harry Potter! "Andy Gray, who had just taken off his headphones, talked incessantly as if he was commentating on a game.
Taylor smiled. "If Manager Tang En knew magic, he would not have had to fight to a draw with Bolton Wanderers in the first half. He waved his staff! We won! "He waved his hand. "Let's go, Andy. Let's go for a drink. Maybe we can even see Motson. He knows more about Tang En than the two of us combined. Whether Tony Tang En knows magic or not, you'll know when you ask him. "
(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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