Even though it was right under the Eiffel Tower, the two did not fork out money to take the elevator to have a bird's-eye view of Paris. They also did not go to other famous tourist attractions. After taking photos in the Champ de Mars and eating ice cream, Tang En and Shania walked along the banks of the Seine River, chatting as they walked and occasionally taking a few photos. Tang En knew nothing about fashion and had no interest in shopping. Shania, on the other hand, had access to the most fashionable clothing and cosmetics because of her work, so there was no need for her to shop. Just like that, the two of them walked around aimlessly, very casually.
Tang En would ask her about her recent situation, but he would not criticize her for her small mistakes at work, nor would he lecture her with a straight face like her parents. Shania enjoyed this kind of time. There was no pressure at all.
Tang En also liked it. Being with Shania allowed him to temporarily forget about the Champions League final that was about to take place. He did not have to consider the tactical arrangements of his opponent and his team, did not have to worry about this or that, did not have to do ideological work for the players, did not have to cause a ruckus with the reporters to attract attention … He did not have to do anything. He was just like an idler, strolling along the streets in the lazy afternoon sunshine of Paris.
If Shania was a girl who went to the high-end shopping malls the moment she was on the streets and returned home with bags of all sizes, Tang En might not have such a tacit understanding with her now.
He was not someone who was good at dealing with women. In the face of Sophia's enthusiasm, he sometimes appeared to be at a loss. In the face of Chris' boldness and directness, he also felt awkward. Even when he was alone with Yang Yan, she was reserved most of the time. It was only when he was with Shania, that he could not be pretentious, awkward, or reserved. His body and mind naturally relaxed.
He did not have the ability to read minds. He did not know what Shania was thinking or what it felt like to be with him. Looking at the smile on Shania's face now, he hoped that she thought the same as him.
The afternoon was short. Although the sun was still shining, Tang En and Shania had no choice but to leave. In order to avoid being chased by the media, Tang En did not send Shania back to the hotel she was staying at. Shania did not accompany Tang En back either. The two waved goodbye on the streets of Paris.
Tang En returned to the hotel in a good mood from the afternoon, basking in the warm sunlight. His players had already returned one after another. After gathering the good guys, the team took the bus to the Stade de France to prepare for the final the next day.
※ ※ ※
Up until now, Tang En still had an indescribable feeling — he had watched this UEFA Champions League final on television. In the pouring rain, Arsenal's ten players had taken on the challenge and led Barcelona for dozens of minutes, only to lose at the last minute.
Therefore, when he was now in the middle of a historical event and became the protagonist, the feeling of traveling through time and space became more and more obvious.
Arsenal, who was supposed to appear in the Champions League finals, was eliminated by their own team. Further ahead, Spain's Yellow Submarine, Villarreal, who was supposed to appear in this season's Champions League, was eliminated by Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest replaced Villarreal's position and participated in the Champions League. According to the trajectory that Tang En knew, Forest Team should have been eliminated by Arsenal in the semi-finals.
Everything had been subverted, and the one who had changed everything was him, the "bug" who had traveled through time and space.
Because he was a BUG, Nottingham Forest, which he led, naturally became a BUG. In that case, would it be him, the bug that changed the future, or would it be Barcelona, who represented the orthodox UEFA's favor, who would return history to normal?
Twain stood in front of the window of his hotel room.
He remembered that it was raining heavily in Paris during the Champions League final.
Now … the sound of the rushing water could be heard clearly even if the window was closed. Silvery lines of rain poured down from the sky. The Eiffel Tower could still be clearly seen from here yesterday, but today, only a blurry black shadow could be seen.
He looked at the hazy world outside, lost in thought.
"Tony." The sound of a door opening came from behind the door. Kerslake pushed the door open and entered. "It's time to go."
※ ※ ※
"Such heavy rain …" Eastwood stood at the entrance of the hotel lobby and looked at the bus parked outside. It was different from the room where the windows were tightly shut. The sound of the rain here was more obvious and clear.
Forest Team's players had all arrived at the lobby and were ready to set off for the stadium. They were no strangers to a match in the rain. After all, England had no lack of rain throughout the year.
But for the UEFA Champions League final that everyone attached great importance to, it was still very disappointing and disappointing that it could not be played in suitable weather.
"Will the match be postponed because of the heavy rain?" Aaron Lennon, a child beside him, asked curiously.
Albertini shook his head. "No, the underground drainage system at the Stade de France is very developed. There won't be much water on the field. And … "He glanced at the reporters in raincoats who were filming in the heavy rain." This kind of final is broadcast live to the world and is sponsored by countless advertisers. A postponement will affect the interests of the television broadcasters. They won't agree to a postponement. "
"But it feels terrible to play football in such a heavy rain … It's uncomfortable to be wet." Lennon frowned.
"Don't worry. Maybe the rain will ease when we get to the stadium."
Lennon, who was looking outside, nodded, but his furrowed brows did not relax.
George Wood could only watch the game with his mother in the stands. Although he was still in the team, he had to go to the VIP box in the stands to see his mother. Therefore, Albertini would wear the captain's armband again. In the absence of Wood, he was the only one the young players could trust and rely on. In fact, he was the team's first captain. It was only because he had been out for a long time and was injured that people remembered Wood as the captain.
In the current Forest team, only three players had experience in the UEFA Champions League final. One was the goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar. Back at Ajax, he had participated in two Champions League finals. The first time, he won the championship trophy for Ajax. The second time, he lost to Juventus in the penalty shootout with Peruzzi in the goal.
The second person to participate in the Champions League final was Nicolas Anelka. However, he was in an awkward situation. He probably did not want to recall the Champions League final experience. It was his goal in the semifinals that helped Real Madrid eliminate the Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich and advance to the final. He was in the starting lineup in the final and created the first goal. But afterward, when people recalled that year's Champions League, they would only remember Raúl's nearly 70-meter long-distance attack, Redondo's stunning backheel pass in the game against Manchester United, Morientes, Hierro, and many others. But no one would think of Anelka. For the Real Madrid fans, Anelka, who had joined Real Madrid for a season and only scored two goals in 19 games, was an out-and-out loser. Until now, he was still a loser.
The last person to participate in the Champions League final was the captain, Albertini. Like Edwin van der Sar, he had won the glory of the Champions League once. The 93-94 season was the last afterglow of the AC Milan dynasty. It was the glory of the final radiance of the setting sun. After that, AC Milan fell into a slump.
Anelka was reticent. It was too difficult for young players to count on him to impart his experience. Edwin van der Sar was very helpful, but with Albertini around, he had to keep a low profile. After all, Albertini was the captain, and he was nothing.
Tang En and Kerslake walked out of the elevator and came to the middle of the team members gathered together.
"Let's go, guys." He clapped his hands, and the players got up.
"Boss, the rain is heavy …" Someone complained to Tang En.
Tang En shrugged. "It's no use complaining to me. I'm not God. But, speaking of which, you should be glad. "
Hearing him say that, the people around him were surprised. Why should he be glad that it was raining so heavily? Glad about what? What was there to be glad about with such bad weather?
Seeing the surprised looks in the players' eyes, Tang En smiled proudly. "When you're playing on the field and something falls on your heads and makes you feel cold, you'll know it's dark clouds and rain, not a flock of birds that have eaten something bad."
Everyone came to their senses and roared with laughter. The gloomy mood caused by the bad weather had also disappeared.
"Well, to be honest, the rain is good for us. The men of Barcelona are used to the bright sunshine of the beach. They will not like the weather now. Let's go! "He waved, and the players laughed as they boarded the bus.
No matter how worried Tang En was about the heavy rain that followed history, he still joked easily in front of the players, not letting anyone notice the faint uneasiness in his heart.
"It was sunny yesterday, and it's raining today. Isn't this weather change too fast and too sudden? "Ribéry raised his head and muttered as he walked past him.
"The weather in summer is strange," Chimbonda explained in all seriousness behind him.
Hearing the conversation between the two men, Tang En looked up at the sky. Yes, the weather yesterday and the day before had been good. He and Shania had even eaten ice cream in the Square of Victory, which was so bright that it was a little scorching. In the end, the temperature had dropped quite a bit today.
Could this be God's will?
Bah! Tang En spat in his heart. If this is really God's will … Bullsh * t, I'm going to defy God today. Blah, blah, blah, blah …
※ ※ ※
The heavy rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of the two teams' fans. The Stade de France, which could accommodate 80,000 people, was filled to the brim. The stadium roof, which was like the edge of a flying saucer, covered the stands tightly. The fans did not have to sit in the rain to watch the game, which seemed to be one of the reasons it did not affect the attendance.
The Nottingham Forest fans turned out in full force, which made the small city of Nottingham almost an empty city. Barcelona had a larger population than Nottingham, and the Barcelona fans also outnumbered the Nottingham Forest fans. In the stadium's stands, their red and blue colors surpassed the Forest team's dark red, covering more than half of the stadium.
But in terms of singing, the Barcelona fans were no match for the English fans. In terms of creating the atmosphere in the stadium, the English fans were well-deserved masters. They did not use any modern means such as stadium broadcasting. They could use their voices to create songs that made their opponents tremble in fear. This was the tradition of English football and something that the English fans were proud of.
The chorus of the fans was always the most exciting sound in the world.
At this moment, the Forest fans, who were outnumbered, were fighting with the Barcelona fans in the stands with their singing.
Because one side of the game was the English team, many English fans were bound to come. Therefore, the Paris police had increased the number of police officers, and the whole city was on high alert. No one wanted to repeat the tragic scene of German football hooligans beating gendarmerie Neville into a vegetative state during the World Cup. Fortunately, so far, there were no reports or records of the Forest fans causing trouble because of drinking. The death of Gavin Bernard made the riots among the Forest fans disappear all of a sudden. They became the English fan group with the best record, but the price was a little too high and heavy …
When the players came out to warm up, the Forest fans sang the songs they had made up for the players. These people even had the ability to make up lyrics on the spot, and then sing it in the most popular tune of the current day. In comparison, the means of the Barcelona fans who were not at Camp Nou were a little more monotonous.
George Wood was not in the warm-up team. He had left the team to go to the stands to find his mother in the box.
As the finals, the whole team attached great importance to it. Tang En did not stay in the locker room but went with the team to the sidelines to check out the situation in the rain.
He went up and took two steps, then frowned.
"The drainage system is not bad, but the field is slippery." Kerslake, who was next to him, gave his conclusion.
Tang En nodded in agreement.
"Go back and get them to prepare long studded shoes. It won't affect us much, but for Barcelona … "He turned his head to look at the opponents who were warming up in another section of the field. Rijkaard also appeared on the sidelines and seemed to be inspecting the water and turf on the field. He could not see his expression clearly, but from the way the Dutchman kept his head down, he could tell what the opponent's manager was feeling at the moment.
Barcelona was a representative of artistic football. They were used to controlling the football under their feet. Ninety percent of the time, the football was rolling on the ground. Ronaldinho, Messi, Eto 'o, Deco, Xavi … These people were representatives of technical football. They should be more dependent on the field and the weather than the Forest team. Precise ball control, dribbling, and passing required the conditions of the field to be suitable. The slippery field greatly limited and affected their play.
Therefore, this terrible weather seemed to be better for Tang En.
If worst comes to worst, Nottingham Forest will play traditional English football with you. We'll let the ball fly around in the air, and then use our bodies and rough fouls to disrupt Barcelona's offensive rhythm, dragging you into the rhythm we're most used to and best at.
If this sudden heavy rain was really God's will, it was unknown whose God's will it was directed at …
Tang En did not stay on the sidelines for long. After understanding the situation on the field, he turned and returned to the locker room. He used a dry towel to wipe the rain off his hair and face, hung his wet coat on the hook, and quietly waited for the players to return.
※ ※ ※
The warm-up soon ended, and the players returned to the locker room one after another. The coaches were handing out dry towels to the players, and the dry jerseys were already hung on the clothes rack in the locker room cabinet for them to change into.
Compared to when they were on the bus, the players were clearly more nervous now. They spoke less, and most of them chose to be silent at this time.
Tang En took it all in.
"Are you nervous, guys?"
No one answered him, but everyone paused for a moment.
"I'm nervous, too." When Tang En said that, the people who stopped smiled and continued with their own things.
"Hurry up and get nervous now. Don't forget this word when it comes to the game." Tang En also spoke to himself as the players changed their clothes and dried their hair. "This rain is not bad. The people in Barcelona are more nervous about this kind of weather than we are. Did anyone see Rijkaard's expression just now? "
He laughed hoarsely.
When everyone was done with what they were doing, they sat down and faced their boss. Only then did Tang En continue.
"We'll play the game the way we're used to." (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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