"George, think about it. From the time you stood at my doorstep and told me, 'I think you should sign the best player in England,' to now you've become Forest's main player and played all the matches this season. What has changed in you? You've become stronger, many times stronger than that silly boy from back then. It's been almost two years. Time flies, but you've improved even faster. If you're not willing to lose to Riquelme like this and have no power to retaliate, then don't sit here sulking. You should work harder. If you want to beat your opponent earlier, you have to work a hundred times harder than usual! Do you understand what I mean? "
Wood nodded. "Understood."
Tang En smiled. "That's right. Let bygones be bygones if you've already lost the match. Don't put on that dead expression and let everyone be depressed with you. If you're not satisfied, then vent your resentment on the training ground. Demetrio is a very experienced defensive midfielder. You can learn a lot from him, enough for you to use until you retire. "
"I know. He's … amazing." Wood, who was a little arrogant, rarely admired someone. However, the Italian who always had a smile on his face made him admire him wholeheartedly.
Hearing Wood say two sentences in one breath, Tang En knew that Wood's mood had improved. So, he rubbed his hands and extended two fingers. "Just before I came to talk to you, I have two choices in mind regarding the next match. A, let you rest for a match and tell the media outside that you're out of stamina and need to be rotated. B, let you continue to play in the starting lineup, but I won't express any opinions to the media. "
"I have no problems with my stamina," Wood said. He had already made the choice for Tang En.
"I think so too, George." Tang En nodded. "If I say you're resting because of injury or stamina, I won't believe it. So, I'm only left with 'B' to choose from. But there's not much time left for you. You won't have the chance to work hard on the training ground to improve yourself. We're going to Old Trafford in three days. Our opponent is Manchester United. Are you ready to shut the mouths of those who will start questioning you tomorrow morning? "
Tang En looked at Wood and asked. Wood also looked at Tang En but was not in a hurry to answer. After a while, he asked, "Is Manchester United very strong?"
Wood was not pretending to be stupid. He did not have such a sense of humor.
Before he was promoted to the English Premier League, George Wood never cared about the situation in the English Premier League. Before he played football, he never cared about the situation in English football. The beginning of the season was Manchester United's low point. It was normal for him not to know how strong the Red Devils were.
Tang En laughed. "Don't you ever read the newspapers, news, or television? Villarreal only has one Riquelme. Manchester United has several players like Riquelme. "
Wood's eyes lit up at Tang En's words.
※ ※ ※
Tang En was right. When they woke up and opened their eyes, most of the comments regarding Forest's match yesterday were related to Wood. Ninety-nine percent of the comments related to Wood were critical of his performance yesterday.
It was not a criticism to say that he was young and inexperienced. The English media had always been harsh with their words and did not pay attention to the "moral compass" at all. Some of the comments directly said that George Wood was as stupid as a pig in front of the Argentinians.
"Riquelme's tempo is slow enough, but George Wood's reaction is even slower than him!"
"Yes, Espanyol's work and rest time are very late. But please note that the kickoff time for this match is not midnight. Love Song Stadium also does not sell supper to appease the hunger of the fans. On the field, George Wood seems to have entered the second half of the night in advance. He's drowsy! "
"Watching him being toyed around by the Argentinians, I can't help but turn off the television …"
"Why not use the more experienced Branja Gunnarsson? George Wood's playing resume is filled with large blank spots. It's so clean that it's hard to believe. Facing a player like Riquelme in an away game, why let such a kid defend? The two of them are completely not on the same level! "
"We all know that Tony Twain's tactic is to let George Wood protect the space behind Albertini so that he can free up his hands to organize the attack. Nottingham Forest is visiting the El Madrigal Stadium, and they need the Italians' precise long passes to play defensive counterattacks. But Wood, that silly kid, did not complete his task at all. In the end, he even let Albertini give up on attacking to help him defend … "
"To put it bluntly, Manager Twain has a paranoid trust in George Wood that ordinary people can't understand. Let's take a look at the appearance records of Nottingham Forest players since the start of this season. Other than the number one goalkeeper, Darren Ward, who else has played in all the matches, league matches, cup matches … without missing a single minute — George Wood. Well, the problem is clear. How do we solve it? "
…
It was almost a one-sided "George Wood Criticism Conference." If the criticized player had a weak psychological quality, he would probably be drowned in the spittle of this group of unscrupulous media.
Unfortunately, they encountered a professional player who usually never watched the news and did not care about what happened in this circle.
The match against Villarreal ended on the night of November 25th. Until the away game against Manchester United on the 28th, there were only two days left for Forest. It would be foolish to waste this precious time in a war of words with the media.
There were still many reporters surrounding the entrance of the Wilford training base, but they could not hope to interview any of the Forest players. Tony Twain also refused to accept any interviews. Furthermore, under his instructions, the club canceled the regular press conference on the 26th.
When the British media stirred up the topic, the Forest team shut the door to them. No one knew what happened inside the team.
Even after arriving in Manchester by car from Nottingham, Twain did not open his mouth to say a word in the face of the swarming media at the entrance of the hotel where the team was staying. The disappointed media could only wait for the press conference the day before the match after they had adapted to the venue. At that time, both managers would be present, and they did not believe that they could not pry Twain's mouth open.
In order to satisfy the public's desire to peep, the media, who could not obtain the news, could only write based on their imagination. Each of them began with "According to a certain Forest player" or "According to a certain high-ranking member of the Forest Football Club."
Things like there was a disturbance in the locker room, and Gunnarsson accusing George Wood of sleepwalking in hopes of getting a chance to be in the starting lineup. Things like the club's high-ranking members being extremely dissatisfied with Manager Twain's stubborn way of using people. Things like George Wood and Albertini clashing during training, and punching and kicking each other.
As bizarre as the readers wanted, these reports were as bizarre as they could be, fully satisfying the readers' desires.
So when Ferguson saw his assistant, Queiroz, holding a newspaper with Twain's photo and reading it with relish at the Old Trafford stadium, he said disdainfully, "What are you looking at this for? To gather the latest updates on our opponent? Don't believe anything the media says. Sometimes, you can't even believe what you tell them yourself. "
Queiroz smiled and raised his head to the old Scotsman. "No, boss. I'm reading a novel. "
(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support the original reading!)
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