"Nottingham Forest is defending at home, and the scene is not good. We are no strangers to this scene. Arsenal wants to score as soon as possible, and the Forest team's current job is to stop them. George Wood is Nottingham Forest's captain on the field. At the same time, at the age of 20, he is also the core of Nottingham Forest's defense. He showed his talent, and it was amazing. He is Nottingham Forest Football Club's biggest discovery after Michael Dawson in the youth training system. At the age of 20, he performed with ease on the stage of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. His maturity and steadiness beyond his actual age has earned him the favor of Manager Tony Twain. "
The commentator used so many effusive words to introduce Wood, not because he could not find anything to do, but because Wood's recent performance had been too outstanding. As the youngest captain in this season's Champions League semi-finals, he had also attracted the attention of more people and more teams.
When Wood became a rookie in the English Premier League last season that made Manchester United and Chelsea scramble for a price, his influence was more limited to England. The Premier League clubs were all snooping and secretly jealous at the same time: Why did Nottingham Forest cultivate such a monster?
Now, as the Forest team's performance in the Champions League was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, as the team's results improved, and as they walked step by step towards the semi-finals, George Wood, who was the team's first captain for most of the time, was also being watched by more people from the European continent.
The UEFA Champions League was a perfect stage, where good actors achieved success and recognition, and bad actors were cruelly eliminated.
"George Wood!"
Fàbregas had just wanted to turn and start after getting the ball when he was hooked from behind by Wood. The referee, of course, did not hesitate to give Wood a foul. Although Arsenal got a free kick in the front field, the position could not directly threaten the goal. The Forest team exchanged a foul for the safety of the goal. It was a good deal.
So, when Fàbregas was hooked to the ground by Wood, he knelt on the ground with his arms open and a helpless expression. If Wood did not foul, he could take advantage of the situation to break through, and then find a hole in the Forest team's defense to send a fatal pass. Now all of this could only be said.
However, Twain frowned as he watched off the field.
In the past, he was happy to see Wood's active performance. But now, he would rather see Wood disappear.
"David, did you tell George?" He turned his head and asked Kerslake, who was sitting next to him.
Kerslake nodded. "I reminded him to pay attention to fouls. But … I feel that these reminders won't work on him during the match. "
Tang En looked at the engrossed Wood and muttered, "It's better to have said it than not …"
The situation was like this. What made Tang En nervous was that Wood currently had two yellow cards on him. According to UEFA regulations, a player who accumulates three yellow cards in the Champions League would be automatically suspended for one game.
In other words, if George Wood received another yellow card in this game for any reason, then even if the Forest team could advance to the final, he would be forced to be absent.
This was not the result that Tang En wanted.
What kind of consequences would Wood's absence bring to the Forest team? This had been verified in the first two games of this season's Champions League group stage.
※ ※ ※
After Arsenal's free kick, Van Persie completed the shot. His header was pounced on by Edwin van der Sar over the crossbar.
Taking advantage of the opportunity when the players returned to defend, as the most experienced player on the field, Edwin van der Sar pulled Wood back. "George, don't forget what the coach told you before the game. Be careful. "
Wood nodded. "I'll remember."
"That's good … Let them pass sometimes. It's okay, I'm here!" Edwin van der Sar patted Wood on the head.
Wood looked up at the tall Dutchman. "If I let them pass in front of me, it would be my dereliction of duty."
Edwin van der Sar had nothing to say. "Good luck."
He could only wish this stubborn kid good luck.
After Arsenal's header was sent out, Pepe gained the upper hand in the fight for the header with Senderos and headed the ball out. But the ball did not go far. Fàbregas, who was outside, met the ball and volleyed it!
The football was very accurate … It flew toward George Wood in the crowd. He did not dodge reflexively. Instead, he blocked the shot with his chest.
With a muffled "bang", the football flew diagonally out of the sideline. Wood did not even frown. He ran over and prepared to defend.
"What a monster. Is he really okay over there? " Van Persie, next to Fàbregas, could not help but sigh. He rubbed his chest with his hand as if the football had just hit him.
The Spanish young player turned his head to look at his teammate and felt that Van Persie was making a fuss over nothing. This man was a monster. He already knew it. Perhaps only by becoming his opponent would he have such a deep understanding. Stamina, body, speed, reaction … His innate conditions were so good that it made people jealous. If he had received professional football training since he was a child, what would he have achieved by now? It was unimaginable.
Fàbregas was taken aback by his own crazy idea. He hurriedly shook his head and turned his attention back to the field.
Arsenal threw the ball out of bounds, and Van Persie went up to receive it. Under Chimbonda's tight defense, he passed the football back to Lauren, who threw the ball.
The Forest team launched a fierce scramble in this square of land near the sideline. Lauren saw Fàbregas, the team's midfield commander, in the midst of the crowd.
He passed the football over.
George Wood pounced as if he had received a signal.
Fàbregas did not stop the ball. He spread his legs and the football slipped under his crotch.
"A beautiful slip! George Wood was tricked! "
The man behind Fàbregas was Hleb. He received the ball and quickly broke forward. When the Belarusian played in the Bundesliga, he relied on a beautiful stunt of "traveling a thousand miles alone." In Stuttgart, he often performed such a good show of dribbling the ball past several players and then scoring the ball into the opponent's goal.
This time, when he saw him dribble the ball, Wood hesitated. He was wondering if he should go up to defend or pay attention to Fàbregas.
At that moment, Arteta suddenly went up to block Hleb's advance and neatly intercepted the ball.
"George!" He shouted.
Wood saw that he was diagonally behind him and looked in front of him. He did not hesitate anymore and chose to plug forward.
Arteta did not dribble the ball. Instead, he passed the football to George Wood, who had already run up, before the Arsenal players could react.
Wood received the ball and continued to dribble forward. Behind him, Fàbregas was in hot pursuit, and Arteta was also supporting him.
"This is Nottingham Forest's counterattack! After being suppressed for so long, they finally decided to do something! George Wood's dribbling is really rare … "
Without looking back, Wood knew that the annoying Spanish kid must be following him. When he attacked, he followed like a shadow. Now that it was his turn to attack, he also became his own shadow.
"Left, short." Arteta's voice was directing Wood. He obediently passed the football over. Sure enough, he immediately saw Arteta dribble the ball and rush up.
Wood slowed down as he watched Arteta dribble the ball over. In an instant, he had completely switched roles. At that moment, he once again became Arteta's "bodyguard."
The two of them worked well together. Arteta was not the least bit worried about the Arsenal players around him who were eyeing the football covetously. He knew that even if he lost the ball, Wood would think of a way to snatch it back.
He passed the football to Viduka. The Australian striker turned around and leaned on the defender, Touré, before turning around to shoot. It was a little difficult, and Lehmann easily caught it.
Seeing this scene off the field, Tang En stomped his feet in anger. "What's he in a hurry for? Stop the ball, control it, protect it, and then Anelka, Arteta, and Ribéry are all running towards him. He has countless ways to deal with this ball! Really … "
It was no wonder that Tang En was angry. Under Arsenal's pressure, the Forest Team did not have many chances to attack. So, every chance seemed especially precious. If they were to be wasted so easily, they would be punished by heaven.
※ ※ ※
The first half came to the end amidst Arsenal's indiscriminate bombardment and the Forest Team's pathetic defense, as well as the occasional sneak attack.
The score on the electronic scoreboard was a red 0: 0. This was the final score that Tang En hoped to see. In another 45 minutes, it would become a reality.
"The first half of the match has ended. Nottingham Forest has defended their goal. No matter how fiercely Arsenal attacks, they have no way of blasting open their goal. George Wood was the most active player in the first half. He used four fouls and eight tackles to protect the safety in front of the goal. This captain, who is only 20 years old, used his actions to show that he is worthy of the captain's armband on his left arm. "
The commentator was still gushing praises for Wood. However, outside the home team's locker room, Tang En pulled him back with a stern expression. "George, have you forgotten what your assistant manager told you?"
"Try not to foul as much as possible." Wood shook his head. "No, I haven't forgotten."
"Look at the statistics of your skills in the first half." Tang En patted the paper in his hand. "Four fouls! Eight tackles! If this wasn't our home ground, you'd have already gotten a damned yellow card! Do you know how important you are to the team? "
Wood did not speak. He just looked at Tang En.
"If we are able to make it to the finals in the end and you're absent, what's the point? You have to know how strong Barcelona's offense is! "
"How do you know Barcelona will make it to the finals?" Wood's sudden question scared Tang En so much that he broke out in a cold sweat. His mind immediately calmed down. He had left out the future.
"Uh … My prediction. They look very … very capable of making it to the finals. Well, even if it's not Barcelona, can AC Milan's offensive strength be underestimated? If we don't have you, it's tantamount to us not having any barriers in front of our center backs. At that time, whether it's Ronaldinho or Kaka, they can easily penetrate our defense and do whatever they want! "Tang En fiercely pounded his fist into his palm.
"In the second half, you better behave yourself," Tang En warned Wood.
Wood nodded. "Got it."
"Go back." Tang En waved his hand. Wood ran back to the locker room.
Looking around, Tang En cursed under his breath and turned to walk back to the locker room.
※ ※ ※
The problem of George Wood's yellow card was brought up by the coaching staff after the first leg of the match. Tang En had not thought much about it before. It was not until someone in the coaching staff reminded him that Wood was in a dangerous situation and that he would be automatically suspended if he received another yellow card that he realized the seriousness of the problem.
The Forest team would always rely on Wood's desperate interceptions and tireless running in the middle to contain the opponent's offense. This naturally included the method of "fouling."
From the start of Wood's debut, he was not the type of player who was refined and courteous when defending. His actions were clean and neat. His fierce defensive style caused many opponents to suffer. At the same time, it also earned him the "favor" of many referees. It was unrealistic to expect Wood to not commit a single foul in a match. All Tang En could do was to repeatedly remind him to pay attention to his actions, to try his best to commit as few fouls as possible and not to needlessly apply for a yellow card.
But the final deciding factor was still the player himself. At the very least, George Wood did not look like someone who could remember all those words.
What made Tang En slightly relieved was that the first 45 minutes had passed peacefully. As long as he endured for another 45 minutes, George Wood would safely reach base.
※ ※ ※
In the away team's locker room, Wenger was using the short time to lay out a new strategy for the team. This time, it was not just a few words that came out of his mouth.
"Manager Tang En is very worried about Wood because Wood currently has two yellow cards. As long as he receives another one, he will be automatically suspended for a match." He gave a simple introduction of the situation. "He will definitely warn his most prized disciple to pay attention to his actions in the second half. Wood will definitely be restrained in his defense. "
The eyes of the Arsenal players lit up.
"This is our chance. We'll attack the middle in the second half. Our target is George Wood!"
※ ※ ※
"Listen to me, guys. What you did in the first half …" Tang En stood at the door with his arms wide open, as if to praise his own players. The players were also looking forward to it.
"That's really bullsh * t!" They did not expect it to be so unexpected.
"Our chances are precious, so we have to treat every attack well." As he said that, Tang En glanced at Viduka. "We shouldn't be satisfied with a score like 0: 0 for this match. Arsenal is a strong opponent who understands us. A total score of 1: 1 is very dangerous. I think you all know this. The only way to ensure that we can advance is to score goals. In the second half, don't be satisfied with holding on to a draw. Guys, we have to win! Try to score early and extinguish Arsenal's hope. "He made a pinching gesture.
※ ※ ※
The arrangements for the two managers during halftime were very brief. It was built on the basis that they understood each other.
After the first round of the match, Wenger was certain that George Wood could still be used as an offensive midfielder at crucial moments. He would definitely make special arrangements to deal with this point, so there was no need for Tang En to repeatedly remind Wood how to attack during the halftime interval. The Forest team's offensive routine for this game was not this. Wood was still a defensive midfielder.
Fifteen minutes passed in the blink of an eye. The players were once again on their journey.
Watching the players walk out one by one, Tang En called out to Wood at the end.
Seeing him open his mouth, Wood said, "Less fouls, right?"
Tang En nodded.
"Do you hope that we can advance to the finals in this match?" Wood asked again.
Tang En continued to nod.
"I'm very important to the team, right?"
He nodded.
"Then if I play with restraint, the team will definitely be affected. What if we lose this match because of this? "
These words rendered Tang En speechless. He completely did not expect Wood to say such a thing. "George … Are you possessed by an alien spirit?"
Wood ignored Tang En's words. "You're mistaken about one thing, Boss. The team's victory should be before I get a third yellow card. "With that, he turned and ran out of the locker room.
Tang En looked at his back and could not say a word for a long time. He even forgot that he also had to return to the technical area on the sidelines.
(To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
