Tony Twain's team had made a good start to the new season. Victory in the first round of the Champions League qualifiers! Victory in the first round of the English Premier League!
What made Tang En happier than the results was the players' condition. Of course, there were also those who gave him headaches, such as Anelka.
The better Anelka's performance, the more headaches Tang En had. This player, who was originally not in his plans, had scored twice in a row after coming on as a substitute. With such a performance, it would be inexcusable not to let him play in the starting lineup.
But to let him play in the starting lineup? Tang En was also worried that Anelka would take this opportunity to become arrogant.
This put him in a difficult position.
Tang En was used to confiding in Dunn at dinner whenever he had questions he could not resolve. Perhaps Dunn could have a solution. Even if Dunn could not, as he spoke, he might suddenly have a flash of inspiration and find another solution.
"Let him play." After hearing Tang En's question, Dunn answered simply.
Tang En looked at Dunn and waved his hands violently. "Don't give me a reason. Let me guess. Hmm … His good condition is ready-made. Everyone can see it. But whether he will throw a tantrum is unknown. We don't know. So, there's no reason not to let him play in the starting lineup. "
Dunn nodded.
"If he acts like a big shot … Hey, who cares! We'll deal with him when he's done! "
The matter was settled just like that.
Although Dunn was not a member of the First Team's coaching staff, there were many times when he played the role that only those people could. Tang En had always had this idea: find an excuse to transfer Dunn to the First Team and work beside him. That way, he could be of more help to himself.
So, he took the opportunity to voice his idea. "Dunn, are you interested in … uh, coming to the First Team?"
He thought Dunn would nod without hesitation. Then, he would go along with the invitation.
He did not expect Dunn to shake his head. "No."
"Why?" Tang En was puzzled. He thought Dunn was anxious to be promoted to the First Team.
"I have no plans to skip a level."
Tang En rolled his eyes. Only someone like Dunn could think of such a thing. Although he had slowly changed a lot after living with him for a year, some deep-rooted things could not be changed. For example, he had to follow the plan at work and not touch a drop of alcohol even though he was living under the same roof as an alcoholic.
"Your life … is really boring …" Twain muttered unhappily.
"I have a question." Dunn put down his knife and fork. "Why are you so enthusiastic about my affairs? Since a year ago, until now … "
Tang En smiled, shrugged, and shook his head. "Does this world no longer believe in the joy of helping others, and no longer believe that people are kind by nature? Uh … If I say that I'm feeling guilty because I've taken over your body, your position, your house, and everything you have, so I want to make it up to you. Do you … believe me? "
Without waiting for Dunn to answer, Tang En laughed again. "Actually, it's like this. I need a good helper, but I haven't been able to find a suitable candidate. Until I met you by chance. My mind suddenly lit up, and I felt that you're the helper I've been looking for. Therefore, in order to make use of you, I naturally have to help you solve your problems first, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation … Only then will you be willing to serve me. How's that? "
"Forget it. I think the first explanation is good enough. "
Tang En laughed heartily. He liked to see Dunn like this.
After laughing, Tang En decided to talk to Dunn about some "serious matters."
"Dunn, aren't you going to find yourself a girlfriend or something? In reality, you're older than me, right? "
Dunn shook his head. "I'm not interested in women."
Hearing this answer, Tang En was shocked and jumped out of his chair in an exaggerated manner.
Dunn looked up at Tang En's performance and said expressionlessly, "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm a celibate."
Tang En chuckled and sat back down. "That's good, that's good. I'm also not interested in that kind of taboo love."
"What about your other half?" Dunn asked, seeing Tang En take his seat.
"Me?" Tang En did not expect this question. He froze for a moment, then looked up at the ceiling, as if thinking very seriously.
"I'm not a celibate. But my other half … I don't know either."
A person flashed through his mind, and he shook his head.
Another person appeared in his mind. This time, Tang En was not in a hurry to shake his head. His gaze at the ceiling gradually became lax.
"Some people are worried about not knowing where to look, but you're worried about which one to choose." Looking at Tang En in a daze, Dunn shook his head and muttered.
※ ※ ※
After making up his mind to let Anelka start in the next match, Tang En felt that it was time to have a chat with Anelka.
This arrogant Frenchman had played under the hands of so many managers, among whom there was no lack of world-class managers. Tang En did not dare say that he could do better than those people and that he could control Anelka, but he had to try. If he did not even dare to try, what kind of manager could he be?
Two days before the match, the day before Forest Team would depart for Bolton Wanderers, was the last practice. Kerslake arranged for a 20-minute warm-up match within the team. Generally speaking, this kind of match would determine the starting lineup and the main name list. Because it was impossible for Tang En to bring the entire team to the away game, he would only bring 16 players to the main name list.
According to the usual practice, the players who received the yellow singlets would most likely be the starting lineup for the official match.
Kerslake held the name list and called for the players. When the players called stood up, they would receive the yellow singlets from the coach beside them and stand to the side.
Edwin van der Sar, Pepe, Piqué, Leighton Baines, Chimbonda, George Wood, Arteta, Ribéry … These were the starting lineup from the previous match. There were no changes.
Until the final announcement of the strikers, the first name read out was still Nicklas Bendtner.
Following that, Kerslake read out "Nicklas" again. It sounded a little like "Nicholas." Anelka was not too sure, but he immediately heard the assistant manager read out the complete name. "Nicklas Anelka."
Many people in the team turned their heads to look at the Frenchman standing at the back. In their hearts, they were not surprised by this. In fact, after seeing the French striker score two consecutive goals in his substitute appearances, they knew that he was inevitable to be in the starting lineup.
It was impossible for such a performance not to be noticed by the manager. He had said that there was no difference between the main players and substitutes in his team. It depended on the state and performance to decide who was in the starting lineup and who was on the bench. If Anelka, who was in such good condition, could not be in the starting lineup, what could Tang En use to prove that his talk about rotation was not a lie?
Anelka did not show his surprise on his face. He strode forward, passed his teammates, and took the yellow vest that represented the starting lineup from the manager's hands.
This was the first time he had donned a yellow vest since joining the Forest team.
"Alright!" Kerslake blew the whistle hard. "Everyone, take your positions!"
The warm-up match began.
Tang En stood by the side of the field and watched quietly. Anelka was very active in the match, constantly reaching out to his teammates for the ball. He was also very energetic in his running. This kid had been in the team for two weeks and had yet to cause any trouble. This surprised Tang En a little.
Perhaps he had misunderstood Anelka?
Before this, Tang En's understanding of Anelka was only slightly better than that of the average fan. Most of it was rumors from the news media. The media was already dissatisfied with Anelka and his two elder managers. Who could guarantee that they would not add some private information?
So, what kind of person was Anelka?
Based on their two weeks of interaction, Tang En believed that Anelka was an introverted person. He was not just an ordinary introverted person, but very, very introverted, even a little autistic. Other than being more open when he was with his two elder brothers, he was very quiet at other times and did not like to speak much.
Eastwood could be used as a negative example of him. The Romani could get along with everyone on his first day in the team. Anelka had been in the team for two weeks, and his relationship with most of his teammates was limited to a greeting.
From another aspect, Anelke's introverted character could be seen. Although he was a player who did not have a good reputation in the media, he had almost never been involved in any scandals in his life. His scandals were about conflicts with the manager, disputes with the club over transfers and salaries, going against the French Football Federation … and so on. There were basically no scandals. Scandals were few and far between.
Because this person's life was too simple, he rarely attended any social events. Every day after training, he would drive back to the hotel and go out for a meal with his two elder managers. They would find a bar or nightclub to entertain themselves before returning to rest.
For adults, this was a very normal nightlife. Tang En would also do the same. He did not think it was indiscreet.
This kind of person would usually not take the initiative to say anything. Once he wanted to explode, the energy would not be small. He was a classic case of being indifferent on the inside.
Dealing with this kind of person … it was a headache. It was enough to have someone like George Wood. Now, there was another Anelka!
(To be continued, if you wish to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support genuine reading!)
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