"After the results of the draw came out, Nottingham Forest and Barcelona were drawn together. They will meet in the Round of 16. These two were opponents in last season's Champions League final. Because of Manager Tony Twain's unexpected move at the award ceremony, there is a lot to look forward to. After the draw, both managers accepted our interview. Twain admitted that this was the best draw he could think of. He can't wait for the Champions League Round of 16 to begin immediately. Compared to Twain's aggressiveness, Barcelona's manager, Rijkaard, was much more low-key. He admitted that he did not expect Nottingham Forest to be their opponent in the round of 16, but Barcelona will not be any different just because their opponent is the Forest team. They will still play their own football. The key to victory is not how the opponent is, but how they play … "
The next day, the media scrambled to report the results of the draw. Naturally, the English and Catalan media used the most space and exerted the most effort.
No one was naive enough to think that it was a coincidence of the draw. The feud between Barcelona and Nottingham Forest was well known. The UEFA killed two birds with one stone. On the one hand, they could rely on the powerful Barcelona to suppress the hated Nottingham Forest. On the other hand, the dialogue between the strong, coupled with the feud that lasted for a season, could also allow the media to hype it up and the fans to pay attention at any time. From a commercial perspective, it was free publicity.
How the media liked to hype it up was their business. Twain did not care about it at all, even though he was the one who created it.
To his delight, after returning from Nyon, Switzerland, he saw a high-spirited team appear in front of him during the team's training the next day. In particular, the players who had experienced the final defeat of last season were all quite satisfied with the results of the draw. They rubbed their fists and looked forward to the restart of the Champions League.
With the team and him of one mind, things would be easy.
Ayala had passed the medical examination and joined the team. Although he was on loan in name, Twain had already included him in his plans for next season. After Pepe's injury, Ayala's experience could help the team. Although he could only play in the domestic league, Twain was already very satisfied.
Twain's current thoughts were very simple. Before the game against Barcelona, he wanted to grab as many points as possible in the league tournament. Whether it was third or second, he wanted the team to enter a safe period in the league tournament after the Champions League restarted. That way, he could let go and do a big job in another arena.
At the same time, in the process of snatching points, they had to try their best to avoid injuries. The only way to solve this problem is to rotate them.
This kind of rotation was not a rotation of minor repairs, it was a big rotation. Everyone in the team had the opportunity to play for the team, and then become the shining star in a certain game.
Sun Jihai's performance in the match against Chelsea was used by Tang En as a positive example of publicity to the team's players, telling them that anyone could become a hero, whether it was a starter or a substitute. As long as there was a heart that never gave up, it was possible.
The matter was sensationalized by the Chinese media, which eventually became "the China Sun has become the spiritual leader of Nottingham Forest." Sun Jihai did not know whether to laugh or cry.
The results of the Champions League draw became an important motivation for the Forest team to move forward, which the team used in the domestic league tournament.
On January 30th, in the first league game after the draw, the Forest team easily beat the visiting Fulham by 2: 0 at home.
Due to the Forest team's undefeated record in January, Tony Twain was named the Manager of the Month for January, and the Forest team was also named the Team of the Month. Since the home loss to Manchester United on November 18th last year, Nottingham Forest maintained a 12-round unbeaten streak in the league tournament, continuing to put pressure on Manchester United at the top and Chelsea in second place.
However, after receiving the Manager of the Month award, the Forest team unexpectedly lost 1: 2 to Blackburn Rovers in their first game in February.
Tang En was not afraid of losing. He even thought that occasionally losing games was good for the team. It was just like if a person did not get sick all the time, then once he got sick, it would cost him his life.
He did not pursue a meaningless record like going unbeaten for many rounds in a row, or winning every round in a row. The process was not important. What was important was the result in the end. If losing the game now could allow them to win the championship, Tang En did not mind losing the game at all.
The month's time was quickly coming to an end.
The first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Barcelona was on the evening of February 20th. Before that, the Forest team had only played two games in February. One was an away loss to Blackburn Rovers, and the other was a home win against Tottenham Hotspur.
However, Tang En's players did not get sufficient rest just because they had only played two games. Because of the national team competition, the players still had to play in the national team competition after the league tournament.
The results in February were not ideal. Even so, the Forest team's morale was not affected. Because everyone was more concerned about the game in the latter half of the month than the league tournament.
※ ※ ※
After the national team competition ended, the players gathered again. At this time, the media began to hype the Champions League.
Not only England and Catalonia, but the whole world was paying attention to the reigniting of the Champions League. However, everyone was most concerned about the match between Nottingham Forest and Barcelona.
According to the match schedule, the Forest team had to play in an away game in the first round. Therefore, after the players returned from their respective national teams to report, even though there were still five days before the actual match day, Tang En simply took the team to Spain.
During the training in the suburbs of Barcelona, Tang En declined all media interviews. He only promised to hold a press conference a day before the game to answer all the media's questions.
Then, he took the team to the rented university stadium and began a four-day closed-door training.
Studying Barcelona, formulating countermeasures, and considering all kinds of things that might happen in the game … All the members of the coaching staff worked like a motor at full power under Tang En's request.
In fact, even if Tang En did not ask for it, everyone would have consciously done so. Everyone in Nottingham Forest could not wait for the day of vengeance.
Time always passed quickly. It was already the last day of the four-day training. On this day, Tang En would hold a press conference in the hotel where the team was staying to satisfy the reporters' exuberant curiosity. But before that, he still had one more thing to do.
The second day was the game. There was only half a day of training that day, and it was mainly set piece practice. Everyone's mind was actually not on the half-day of training that did not have much volume.
After the end of training, the team returned to the hotel. The media had already begun to gather. However, Tang En did not intend to immediately hold a press conference. He took the team to the conference room where the video could be played.
The players also did not know what Tang En was doing. If it was a tactical preparation meeting … they had already held one at the training ground.
In the coaching staff, only the two assistant managers, Dunn and Kerslake, knew what Tang En was thinking.
Entering the conference room, Tang En had the lights turned off, and the room was suddenly plunged into darkness. Then, images began to appear on the white screen in front of everyone, and the sound of the commentary came from the speakers in the four corners of the room.
"Everyone, welcome to the 2005-2006 UEFA Champions League final! The two opposing sides are the powerhouse team from Spain, Barcelona, and the dark horse from England, Nottingham Forest … "
When the voice rang out, someone turned to look at Tang En, who was standing at the back of the room. Their manager was expressionless, staring at the big screen.
Just as the commentator said, this was the Champions League final of the previous season. What Tang En wanted his players to see was such a failed match.
Edwin van der Sar was sent off. The image on the big screen was a mess. Boos came from the speakers, as well as the commentator's screams.
Albertini scored. The English commentator cheered wildly. In the dark conference room, there were even some young players who could not help but stand up and wave their fists.
Within five minutes of the second half, Barcelona had scored two goals in a row, completing the task of overtaking from behind. As the game ended, the Forest team walked onto the stage to collect their silver medals. Tang En passed the medals he had just received to the ball boy at the side of the field. Then, the image gradually turned black. The noisy live sound effects and commentary disappeared from the speakers. The conference room fell into a brief silence.
After a while, the lights in the room came back on.
Tang En's voice came. "Do you know why I want you to watch last year's final at this time?"
No one uttered a word.
"Before I reveal the answer to you, I have a question for you." Tang En walked forward, passing through the players. "How do you feel about losing a game?"
"Not feeling good, Boss." Albertini took the lead to answer. He had more or less guessed Tang En's intentions and decided to fully cooperate with the manager.
Tang En smiled at Albertini. He also knew what Albertini was thinking.
"No one disputes Demetrio's statement, right?"
No one.
"Very good. Then, let me ask you again. What if you lost a very, very important game, a game that you absolutely should not have lost? "Tang En looked at Albertini.
After a moment of silence, Albertini replied, "It would be as uncomfortable as dying."
Tang En nodded. "Looks like we have a lot in common, Demetrio. That's right. This is how you feel after losing an important game. It's as if the world has collapsed and your soul is gone. Does anyone think I'm joking? "
The players all shook their heads.
"But we're not dead, after all. The world is still going on, right? So, losing the game is more like a disgrace to me. Does it feel good to see our opponents strut around in front of us? "Tang En raised his voice.
"No, Boss!" Everyone followed suit and answered loudly.
"For us, losing to Barcelona in the Champions League final in front of the whole world is a great disgrace!" Tang En waved his fists and roared. "They took away the championship trophy that should have belonged to us and became the kings of Europe. But us? We've been forgotten! No one cares what the name of the loser is or what the future holds. The world will only remember who the champion is! Don't complain. My dear, this is the rule of the game in this world. The winner takes it all! Do you feel indignant? We clearly put in the same amount of effort, or even more, but in the end, we did not receive the rewards we deserved. When we went on stage to receive the silver medal, did anyone feel the same as me? Did they feel aggrieved here? "Tang En pounded his chest hard.
"Yes!!" Amid the roar, someone stood up from his seat.
"Runner-up, silver medal … Ha!" Tang En laughed disdainfully. "They think giving us a silver medal can appease us? For me, if that bullshit thing were to be hung on my chest, it would only remind me all the time that you're a f * cking loser! Which bastard would work so hard all the way to the final just to get a silver medal?! This kind of thing is not worthy of being in our honor room. That sacred place is reserved for the championship trophy! "
Tang En paced back and forth in the conference room agitatedly, gesticulating as he instilled the idea of "other than the championship, everything else is bullshit."
"Last season's UEFA Champions League runner-up … Does that sound amazing? Is it amazing? Is it worth repeatedly talking about? No! Only a shameless person would think that getting a runner-up is something worth showing off! "
"Unfortunately … We're very unfortunate to become such a loser … This world is cruel. A loss is a loss. You can't turn back the clock and have another match with your opponent. No matter how you lost, once the result is determined, it can't be changed. What should we do? Accept this result? Are we willing to be a loser? "
"No!" The players roared.
"Of course not." Tang En shook his finger and pointed at George Wood. "I once said to George, losing is not a reason to give up. You lost this match, but you can still win it back in the next match. What you lost because you lost, you can still win it back in the next match! Now, I'm telling this to all of you. Remember … I don't care what you do in the future, you have to remember that this is the kind of football I want you to play! Even if you've been knocked to the ground countless times by a strong opponent and rolled around in the mud, you have to get up in the next second! If you lose this match, win it back in the next match. If you lose this championship title, win it back in the next one. If you lose the ball this time, get it back in the next one! It's that simple. "
"Now you know why I wanted you to watch the video of this match before the match, right?" Tang En scanned the entire stadium. It was silent, but everyone's eyes were filled with determination.
"I don't want you brats to forget what it feels like to lose that unforgettable defeat. All of you, including me, all of us have to remember — how humiliating and painful it is to lose the championship title because of defeat! Fortunately … God has eyes! "Tang En pointed to the ceiling." We've drawn a good lot. "
Everyone burst into laughter.
"If you lose this match, win it back in the next match. What you lost in this match, win it back in the next match! Here's your chance, guys. "Tang En grinned, like a demon tempting them to fall into the darkness. "So what if it's an away game? From now on, accumulate your humiliation, unwillingness, regret, and anger! At this time tomorrow … let's give it back to Barcelona a hundredfold! "
The conference room suddenly became a mess. The players kicked over the chairs and jumped onto the table, waving their fists and roaring loudly.
Tang En looked at his players' performance with satisfaction. Then, he patted Kerslake and signaled him to clean up the situation. He quietly opened the door and walked out. He still had to attend the press conference. He believed that the reporters were already a little impatient from waiting.
※ ※ ※
Sure enough, when Tang En arrived at the press conference venue, the reporters were already waiting so long that they looked like they were about to get up and leave. They thought they had been fooled by Tony Twain again.
Fortunately, Tang En arrived in time. He looked at the dissatisfied reporters. For the first time, he did not provoke them. Instead, he smiled and apologized.
"I'm really sorry to have been delayed by some matters. As you all know, tomorrow is the match. I don't deny that this is an important match for Nottingham Forest and myself. So, I've prepared more fully and meticulously, and I've spent more time. But as an apology for my lateness, I guarantee that everyone will see a very exciting match tomorrow. You'll have a lot of topics to hype up. "
"A one-sided guarantee?" A Spanish reporter asked in English. "Mr. Tang En, an exciting match requires the combined efforts of both teams, just like …" He had wanted to give an example of the second leg of the La Liga Battle of the Century in the 04-05 season, the classic 4: 2 battle between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Tang En interrupted him with a smile. "Is there anything wrong with my guarantee? This match has already entered my orbit. "
As soon as he said that, the reporters perked up. Although such an arrogant statement was consistent with Tang En's usual character, every time they heard him say it, it still made them feel … very excited!
"This is Barcelona's home ground, Mr. Tang …" The Spanish reporter — to be exact, it should be the Catalan reporter — frowned and continued to ask.
"Yes, so what if it's your home ground?" Tang En asked in an aggressive manner.
"It's hard to play away from home. This is the norm …" The reporter's voice had become much softer.
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.
