Forced far away from the penalty area by Forest's defense, Middlesbrough could only attempt to blast open Forest's goal through long shots. This was perhaps the best way to break through the tight defense. However, their team lacked a player with outstanding long shots. Sometimes, the shots might make the Forest fans break out in a cold sweat, but they could not threaten the safety of Forest's goal.
Tang En was unmoved. He felt that the team's current tactics were very good, perfectly restraining Middlesbrough's offensive style of play. As long as McClaren did not move, there was no need for him to adjust.
The two managers sat in their respective positions and calculated, but the fans in the stands felt that the finals were very boring. The first half was almost over, and Forest only had one shot at goal. Although Middlesbrough looked to be attacking fiercely, they did not have many good opportunities. Most of the time, they could only pass the ball back and forth in front of Forest's defense. If they moved forward, they would quickly be cut off.
Nottingham Forest's defense made the Middlesbrough players feel helpless. The manager did not give any further instructions, so they could only play according to the arrangement before the match. However, the tactics arranged before the match were clearly not suitable to be used against the current Forest team.
Only Downing was still working hard. This was the EFL Cup finals. Just as Tang En said, this was the best chance for a young rookie like him to make a name for himself with a single goal. What was he waiting for if he did not perform now?
But he, who wanted to make a name for himself, picked the wrong opponent.
The Forest team, with its tight defense and compressed space, was definitely not the best opponent for Downing to play to his strengths. The two people opposing him were the Forest team's right back, John Thompson, and the right midfielder, Ashley Young, who looked more like a right back.
Ashley Young was fast and nimble, and he was not at a disadvantage one-on-one with Downing. Although John Thompson was far inferior to his opponent in terms of individual ability, he had a very good strength. This strength made Tang En buy so many players during the winter transfer period, but he did not bring in a right back.
As a center back who had switched to a full back, Thompson's ability to assist could not be compared to Leighton Baines on the other side. His individual skills could not be compared to Ashley Young, who was in front of him. It looked like he did not have any shining points. But he was the Forest team's main right back since Tang En took over. Because he plays the ball very cleanly and he plays his part as a defender. If the pass was not accurate or the speed was not fast, he would not go up to assist. If the technique was not good, he would kick the ball. With him around, the Forest team's right flank was very safe. As a result, Ashley Young was able to put on a good show of passing several players in a row in the game because he knew that Thompson was behind him when he lost the ball.
In this game, because Ashley Young had returned to participate in the defense, Thompson's position was closer to the center of the penalty area. He was in the flank area to prevent the opponent's strikers and attacking home players from using this gap to break through. Of course, in reality, he was there to increase the depth of defense on the flanks. Downing's individual ability was outstanding, and Tang En knew that Ashley Young, a temporary defensive player, would definitely not be able to keep an eye on him. So, he arranged for Thompson to be the second gate here. When Downing brought the ball up, Thompson would go and help Ashley Young defend. Tangning really did not have any good ideas in the face of this focused right back who was not sloppy in his defensive movements.
"Downing is being watched to death by Ashley Young and John Thompson. Now, all of Middlesbrough's offensive methods are useless. What new plans does McClaren have? " Even Martin Taylor and Andy Gray could see it in the commentator's box. They believed McClaren could not not see it.
In fact, it was not difficult to see the problem. Any fan who had watched football for a few years would be able to see it. The difficult part was how to solve the problem. This was the manager's job.
"Actually, there are a few ways to try to break the tight defense. One is to do a long shot. The other is to let a player with excellent footwork skills come up and use an individual breakthrough to disrupt the Forest team's defense and open up a gap. "Andy Gray gave McClaren suggestions from the commentator's box.
McClaren understood these principles. He was, after all, a manager. The problem was that he knew that doing so could break the Forest team's tight defense, but he did not have the players to do so. The player with the best technique in the team was Juninho. However, he was completely out of form when George Wood fiercely tackled him on the field and tackled him without regard for his stamina.
And there was no player on the substitutes' bench who could take on this responsibility. Cen Deng had a way to break through, but unfortunately he could only be on the flank and had to be replaced by Downing. McClaren believed that Downing's role was not comparable to Cen Deng's. If he replaced Downing, it would be a waste of a substitution spot.
Maybe if Juninho came on as a substitute, the effect would be better than if he was in the starting lineup? When the Forest team's defensive lineup had gotten used to and adapted to Middlesbrough's starting lineup, suddenly bringing on a player with outstanding individual ability, excellent footwork skills, and the ability to dribble past several people to create opportunities for his teammates could completely break the balance on the field. Unfortunately, such a person could not be found on Middlesbrough's substitutes' bench.
The thickness of Middlesbrough's bench was the biggest factor restricting their promotion in the English Premier League. In this important final, it had unexpectedly become the problem that put McClaren in a dilemma.
McClaren now began to regret his initial decision. His plan to break the deadlock as soon as possible and set the tone of the game had now been proven to be a mistake. He did not expect Manager Tony Twain to be such a difficult person to deal with. The misfortune of the Bolton Wanderers manager, Allardyce, should have been a wake-up call for him, but the First Division team, the south locker room … these messy things made him lose his vigilance. He had overestimated himself and Middlesbrough, and underestimated Tony Twain.
Twain and Nottingham Forest, which was dominated by young lads.
The first half passed uneventfully. Other than the hardcore fans of both sides, it was believed that no one would be satisfied with the first half. What kind of game did they look forward to seeing? There were no spectacular shots, let alone exciting goals. Middlesbrough tried their best but could not break through. Nottingham Forest was conservative and passive, not daring to attack. Just like that, the 45 minutes were used up. The referee did not even give a second of stoppage time, blowing the whistle to end the first half.
※ ※ ※
The Forest players who returned to the locker room, except for George Wood, were all panting heavily. The first 45 minutes were too tiring for them. They kept running, sprinting, tackling, and then getting up to repeat the series of actions.
This set of tactics was very demanding on the players' stamina, so Twain's training intensity this week was not light at all. In addition to tactical training, stamina training was essential every day.
It was easy to play like this for 45 minutes, but it was not as easy to play like this for 120 minutes.
Looking at the tired players, Twain smiled. "How was it? How did the first half feel, guys? "
"Not bad, Boss. They didn't have a chance! "Wes Morgan answered, panting heavily. He was in high spirits. This made Twain feel relieved.
"I can see that they didn't have a chance. I think McClaren certainly did not expect us to play like this. They must have thought we would press out and attack them — that's something only a fool would do. "Twain shrugged." If we continue to play like this in the second half, they'll become more and more impatient. Guys, you've seen it … a super team is just so-so. There's nothing to worry about. Listen to me, we can win the first championship! We'll have more championships in the future! Do you believe in me? "
"Yes, Boss!" The players answered in unison.
"Very good." Twain nodded. "Now you're free to move around and have a good rest. The games after this will be tougher. "
It was rare that he did not make any adjustments or tactical arrangements during the halftime interval. Because the team was in good shape and did not need to make adjustments. Giving time to the players at this time would instead help them relax. Sometimes the coach needed to keep talking, and sometimes it was best for the coach to shut up.
The one who should be talking non-stop now … Maybe it was the one next door.
※ ※ ※
McClaren looked at the group of players in front of him with a dark face. The team had encountered Nottingham Forest's tenacious resistance, which no one had expected before the game. Some people even thought it would be the easiest EFL Cup final. Would anyone still think that now?
Like the Nottingham Forest players, the Middlesbrough players were also panting. In fact, their fatigue came more from the heavy psychological burden. The huge gap from what they had imagined before the game, the tenacious resistance of the opponent, the crisis of not being able to score a goal … As time went on, the pressure grew.
It was inconceivable. Why would a team that had the upper hand feel more pressure than a team that was at a disadvantage? But this was football. There were many things on the field that could not be analyzed with common sense.
If he could, McClaren would like to relieve the team. But it was impossible. At the critical moment when the team was already tense, if you said to the players, "Hey, guys! Don't be so nervous. It doesn't matter if we can't win this game. Even if we lose, we just have to try our best. Don't worry about the result, enjoy the football! "
Then this was not relieving the team. This was opening the floodgates to deflate the team. Which manager would tell the players, "It doesn't matter whether we win or lose, enjoy the football" during an important final? Then he must be an idiot. If he did this often, it would also make the players feel that the manager lacked the desire to win and had no confidence in the players. Over time, his days as the manager of the team would come to an end.
(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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