He did not score, but Wood was not upset. He turned and ran back, high-fiving Arteta, who covered him on the way. Ronaldinho stared at the man and found that his face was as calm as still water. There was no change in his expression at all.
What was he thinking? Didn't he feel it was a pity that the ball did not go in? Or … did he think he still had a chance to threaten Barcelona's goal again?
If you really think so, then you're wrong!
Valdés sent the ball out. After Eto 'o received the ball, he passed it to Ronaldinho.
The Brazilian was Barcelona's core. He had just received the ball when George Wood leaned over.
"It's no surprise that George Wood is in charge of defending against Ronaldinho. If there's anyone on the Forest team who can cause some trouble for Ronaldinho, it might be the number 13 in front of him. This is the first time Wood has defended against Ronaldinho in a game! In last year's Champions League final, Wood was suspended for accumulating yellow cards and missed the matchup with the current number one midfielder! "
Ronaldinho certainly knew that George Wood relied on defense to make a name for himself. In the face of Wood's frontal defense, he did not dare to underestimate his opponent.
After trying to make a feint, Ronaldinho found that the man opposite him did not move at all. He frowned and passed the football to Messi, who was covering the side.
Someone was in charge of Messi, so Wood did not run over to join in the fun. He continued to follow not far from Ronaldinho, his eyes watching the Brazilian's movements.
Messi was in a one-on-one battle with the Forest team's left back, Gareth Bale, on the right flank. Eto 'o had already inserted himself into the penalty area, ready to grab the ball.
It looked like Barcelona wanted to use the flank to pass the ball and grab the ball in the middle to attack.
Just as the Nottingham Forest players focused their defensive attention on the front of the goal, Messi made a feint, but passed the football back to Ronaldinho in the middle.
Ronaldinho wanted to directly shoot straight after he stopped the ball, but when he just stopped the ball, he saw George Wood appear in front of him like a ghost!
His foot, which had been swung up to shoot, became a huge flaw at this time because Ronaldinho temporarily lost control of the ball.
George Wood saw the opportunity and suddenly kicked the ball at the Brazilian's feet!
"A beautiful steal! Looks like Ronaldinho has met his match! "
Ronaldinho was a little surprised. He thought he had deceived the man in front of him by pretending to break through to receive the ball just now. He did not expect to be targeted again as soon as he withdrew to receive Messi's pass.
This was the second time he had tasted this feeling this season — the first time was in the away game against Chelsea in the group stage, where he was watched powerlessly by the opposing Dutch defender, Boulahrouz.
In that game, Mourinho asked Boulahrouz to close in on Ronaldinho and even did not hesitate to foul to disrupt Ronaldinho's rhythm of taking the ball. The tactic was very successful. In that game, Barcelona's soul could not play a role at all. Last season's UEFA Champions League title was also lost to Chelsea.
For this match, it looked like Tang En intended to copy Mourinho's tactics. However, the player he used to mark Ronaldinho was George Wood, who was more aggressive in defense, had better stamina, and had better physical attributes.
The commentator was right. Ronaldinho had met a difficult opponent this time. Because George Wood was suspended due to accumulating yellow cards in the first match between the two sides, Ronaldinho ran unhindered in Nottingham Forest's front field in that game. He played with ease, and no one was able to pose any threat to him at all.
If the Brazilian still brought his experience from the previous game to play in this game, Tang En believed he would suffer.
After intercepting the ball, Wood passed the ball to Arteta. He did not follow up to participate in the attack again. Instead, he obediently waited at the back to defend.
"George Wood is a rising defensive star from Nottingham Forest. His career is full of legendary experiences. Due to his stable and excellent performance in the team, he has already been selected for the England national team. He has also been part of the 23 players who have gone to Germany. Unfortunately, Eriksson believes more in big-name players, such as Gerrard and Lampard. As a youngster participating in the World Cup for the first time, Wood did not get a single minute of playing time. " The Spanish commentator was introducing the young man who was still somewhat unfamiliar to the Spanish audience. "But looking at his current performance, it should only be a matter of time before he becomes England's main force in the future."
When the commentator introduced Wood, Nottingham Forest was in the midst of an attack. Ronaldinho did not run back to participate in the defense. Like George Wood, he stayed where he was. He frowned as he sized up the young man not far in front of him.
Through these two head-on confrontations, he could already make a simple judgment of George Wood in his mind.
His physical qualities were outstanding. His footwork was fast and decisive. He was calm and steady. He would not be easily fooled. Once he had made up his mind, he would never give up halfway. Such a defensive midfielder was indeed difficult to deal with.
He reminded him of the current manager of the Brazil national team, the former captain, Dunga.
It looked like he had to change his strategy.
Against such a person, it was definitely not feasible to try to take the ball more and dribble the ball more. The result would either be an interception or a foul. This would obviously disrupt the team's offensive rhythm. What was the most effective way?
Pass the ball.
Ronaldinho decided to reduce the number of times he dribbled the ball and the time he held the ball. He would try to pass the football out as much as possible. If possible, he would try to pass the ball with one kick.
Barcelona had gradually formed its own set of offensive tactics after Rijkaard's arrival. Now it was becoming more and more perfect. The players' lineup was stable and had a tacit understanding. Ronaldinho believed it was not difficult to do so.
It was a good time for Barcelona to create a new dynasty. How could it fall at the feet of a small defensive midfielder?
Nottingham Forest's attack was taken down by Valdés. He threw the ball to launch a counterattack. Barcelona immediately switched from defense to offense. Barcelona might not put in many players during the defense, but they definitely did not lack people to rush up when they attacked.
The football was passed to Ronaldinho's feet again after three passes.
This time, Wood still pounced up. Ronaldinho looked at the right side of Wood's body as if he wanted to break through from there. When he saw that Wood's body's center of gravity was clearly tilted to that side, he suddenly passed the football to the other side! Wood did not react. He stayed in place and watched the football fly past him on the other side.
This was the "diversion" pass that Ronaldinho was good at.
Seeing this scene, the Catalan commentator became excited. "Ronaldinho's pass deceived George Wood! This is the real spirit of football! He was just warming up just now … Well done! "
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Tang En only shrugged when he saw Ronaldinho's performance on the sidelines. He was even happy that Ronaldinho did it because the Brazilian, who could not dribble and did not dare to dribble, would lose his threat. No matter how beautiful the pass was, it still required the cooperation of his teammates. Ronaldinho might be in good form, but it could not guarantee that everyone in Barcelona was in good form.
George Wood had done an excellent job of completing the task he had given him.
This kid was growing every day. Facing the world's number one midfielder, he was not the slightest bit timid. He was calm and composed as if he was on the training ground.
Although it was he who had turned him from a porter to a professional player, these specific things were the result of Kerslake and Albertini's continuous efforts. He was very glad that he had these good helpers around him, which could allow a "two-faced" manager like him to get to where he was today.
Albertini also leaned over and sat down next to Tang En.
The two did not talk. They just looked at each other and turned their attention back to the field.
※ ※ ※
Ronaldinho passed the ball to Messi. Barcelona's intention for this game was clear: if Ronaldinho encountered trouble in the middle, they would shift the focus of the offense to Messi's side. Because the player in charge of defense on Nottingham Forest's side was the young Gareth Bale, who was not even 20 years old.
Rijkaard and the entire Barcelona coaching staff had studied Nottingham Forest's game videos and believed that Bale was a typical "heavy on offense and light on defense" full back. He liked to go up to assist and would not immediately return after the assist. This would create a large gap behind him that Barcelona could exploit.
Rijkaard and his coaching staff would study it, but could Tang En not?
Of course, Tang En knew Bale's characteristics — offense was stronger than defense. So why did he not use Bale instead of Leighton Baines, who was more stable in defense? It was very simple. Tang En needed Bale's offensive and set pieces ability. However, to make up for his shortcomings in defense, Tang En requested that Bale not rush to attack within the first 15 minutes of the game. Instead, he focused on defense and withstood Barcelona's repeated attacks using the home field momentum.
Based on the current situation on the field, Tang En's arrangement was very correct. After the start of the game, Barcelona continuously attacked Bale's flank. If Bale pressed on to assist, the Forest team's rear defensive line would certainly be beaten into a sieve by Barcelona. Usually, during the game, George Wood could come over to make up for the gap after Bale pressed on. Today, however, he could not. His task was more important.
They were both young men, but Messi was much more famous than Bale. The latter only had a small local reputation, while the former could be labeled as "the successor to the king of football, Maradona." Even though this label was cheap in Argentina, and there were many "successors to the king of football" who appeared at the same time in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Messi was currently recognized as the player most likely to reach Maradona's level.
Bale did not dare to be careless in the face of this illustrious Barcelona player. He remembered Tang En's exhortations to him before the game. "… Defense is what you need to focus on in the early stages of the game. Be careful of Messi."
Ronaldinho was temporarily unable to operate, so Messi took on the heavy responsibility of Barcelona's offense. Facing the slightly nervous Bale, he appeared to be at ease. After all, he was a person who had seen big scenes.
Messi controlled his rhythm and deliberately slowed down to attract Bale to come up to defend. Then, taking advantage of the moment when Bale came up, he suddenly spiked the ball and accelerated to get rid of it.
Bale did not expect Messi to break through so quickly. Caught off guard, he hurriedly turned around, but his foot slipped and he fell to the ground.
Just as the Catalan commentator was about to shout, "Messi broke through Nottingham Forest's defense," Messi was blocked by a man.
When he saw who the man was, the Catalan commentator was briefly silent for a few seconds.
The man in front of Messi was not George Wood, who could not run to death, but Piqué, a former outstanding player in Barcelona's youth camp, the Spanish national youth team's main center back, and the grandson of the former Barcelona vice president.
"Piqué, once the pride of La Masia's rear defensive line, is now … our opponent."
When Messi was not yet a superstar famous in the world of football, he and Piqué played in the same youth team. At that time, they were teammates, and Fàbregas was with them. They had a good personal relationship and would talk about their future ideals together after training. To play for Barcelona and win all the titles for Barcelona. It was almost all the dreams of the La Masia teenagers at that time.
Messi was a very talented player, but how many of the players who could enter the Barcelona youth team's main lineup did not have talent? Was Fàbregas, who had become the new core of Arsenal, less talented than Messi?
And this Piqué in front of him.
Messi was in a trance for a moment, but immediately regained his calm eyes. He seemed to see Piqué smiling at him. The expression seemed to say, "Come on, boy. Just like we did on the training ground at La Masia … Let me guard against you! "
Messi slowed down slightly and protected the ball. He was now on the edge of the penalty area. As long as he broke through inside, Piqué would never dare to act rashly.
Piqué half turned sideways to face Messi, ready to turn around at any time. He knew Messi's strength and how powerful the boy, who had dwarfism since he was a child, was.
Messi made a feint to pass, hoping to trick Piqué into losing his center of gravity. But Piqué was unmoved. He continued to half turn sideways and lowered his center of gravity to stare at the ball at Messi's feet.
Messi suddenly glanced out of the corner of his eye that Bale, who had just been shaken by him, was getting up to give chase. He realized that Piqué in front of him was just bluffing. His real purpose was to delay time and wait for Bale to attack from the front and back. He decided not to waste time with Piqué here, but to force a breakthrough!
Messi poked the ball and broke through inside in a diagonal line. Piqué followed and leaned his body forward, intending to stop Messi from accelerating.
At that moment, Messi suddenly spiked the ball and made an emergency stop to change direction and break through from behind Piqué!
Almost at the same time, Piqué also made an emergency stop and planted his left foot firmly on the ground. He quickly turned around and stretched out his right foot to shovel the ball!
Messi saw a leg suddenly appear in front of his eyes and had no time to react. The football was stopped by Piqué and he fell into the penalty area due to inertia!
Loud boos rang out in the stands at Camp Nou. They wanted the referee to award a penalty kick. But the referee on the line of the penalty area saw the whole process clearly. Piqué's defensive action was crisp and there was no foul at all.
After Piqué intercepted the ball, he got up and kicked the football to Bale, who came back to receive. Bale then passed the football to his teammates in front of him, and the Forest team re-organized the attack.
Piqué, who had completed his defensive task, looked back at Messi, who was lying on the turf. He hesitated for a moment before he walked back and held out his hand to his former teammate.
Messi took the hand that Piqué had handed over, got up, and ran back without saying anything. Piqué looked at his back and quickly shifted his gaze to his Forest teammates. The Forest team was currently on another attack, which was what he was concerned about.
※ ※ ※
"Piqué's beautiful tackle successfully defended against Messi. Now is a great opportunity for the Forest team to fight back. Just now, many Barcelona players rushed up to prepare for the attack. They may not have thought that Messi's dribbling would be so easily intercepted. There weren't many people who returned to defend … Oh my god! The man who is dribbling the ball is — George Wood! "
The commentator was shocked, but he did not see wrongly. At that very moment, the person who was dribbling the ball to participate in the attack and organize the Forest team's counterattack was not Arteta, but the unexpected George Wood.
After Bale passed the ball to Arteta, George Wood suddenly dropped Ronaldinho and sprinted forward at full speed. Arteta sent the football accurately to his feet as if they were connected.
His rhythm was a little messy when he received the ball for the first time, but Wood quickly adjusted his pace and dribbled the ball forward with large strides. He had an advantage, which Tang En later discovered under Albertini's reminder. That was that Wood's pace when dribbling was very big, but it matched his speed and rhythm very well. Furthermore, he kept his head up and rarely looked down at the ball. This kid had never slacked off on his basic skills training, and it all showed at this time.
Xavi wanted to come up and intercept Wood's ball, but his body was not of the same weight class as Wood's. Wood just had to move horizontally to separate Xavi's ball. As he ran, Xavi kicked Wood's leg. Both of them staggered, but the results were different. Xavi fell to the ground after he staggered, while Wood quickly regained his balance and continued to dribble the ball.
"Stop him!" Puyol shouted in front of Wood, and Márquez rushed up.
Puyol also paid attention to protecting Márquez at any time from behind. If the Mexican was broken through, he would immediately pounce over to fill the gap. He did not believe that Wood's footwork skills were good enough to pass two people in a row while dribbling the ball so quickly!
Just as Márquez rushed up, Wood suddenly passed the ball. He did not pass it to Ribéry and Ashley Young, who were following at high speed from the two flanks. Instead, he passed it to Freddy Eastwood, who had reached the penalty area to receive the ball!
After Eastwood received the ball, he swung his leg as if he wanted to shoot directly. Many of his goals this season had been scored from this position. Puyol did not dare to be negligent and rushed up to block the shot. However …
Eastwood's shot was a fake, but his pass was real. He pushed the football to Bendtner, who was a little ahead. Zambrotta had been lagging behind. He knew that Bendtner would become a point of the Forest team's offense, and he was right this time! Therefore, the Italian did not hesitate to press on Bendtner, putting pressure on him so that he could not lift his leg to shoot.
Unexpectedly, Bendtner did not intend to shoot. After he received Eastwood's pass, he immediately pushed it out horizontally …
"Two-pass one!" The commentator exclaimed.
Yes, it was a two-pass one between Eastwood and Bendtner. It was also a continuous triangular pass from George Wood.
Eastwood rushed out of the heavy encirclement. He received the ball in the penalty area, but he was not offside. Now he did not even have a Barcelona defender around him!
Márquez did not have time to return to defend on George Wood's side. Puyol was in the place where Eastwood had just been, but he had already missed. Zambrotta was entangled with Bendtner, but the football was not there!
Eastwood saw the football rolling over. He looked up and glanced at Valdés, who had rushed to attack. He swung his leg to make a powerful volley shot, but the moment his foot touched the football, it turned into a lift!
"A lift shot! Beautiful — the ball is in! Freddy Eastwood!! He opened the scoring for Nottingham Forest! At Camp Nou, they broke through Barcelona's goal! Only ten minutes into the first half of the game, Nottingham Forest leads Barcelona 1: 0! What an unexpected start … Tony Twain said before the game that this game is on his track. Maybe this time he is not trying to divert attention. He is … for real! "
※ ※ ※
PS: Overall, the situation after the earthquake is gradually getting better. But in Chengdu, which is only 92 kilometers from the epicenter, every aftershock can be frightening. Especially when you see the houses shaking, your heart seems to stop beating.
Just as I was rushing to finish this chapter, there was another aftershock in Wenchuan. I sat in my home in Chengdu and felt it clearly. The house shook. In a panic, I left the computer and ran downstairs again. I wandered downstairs for about forty minutes before I dared to go home and continue to write.
I beg all of you to understand my feelings, it is really difficult to express them in words. But I will try to find time to write new chapters. I can't guarantee that the update time will be as stable as before. I can only do my best. After all, the safety of myself and my family is the most important.
My biggest hope now is that there will be no more aftershocks in Wenchuan. The restless earth will calm down, and the people will also calm down. I really feel that the ordinary life I had before was so boring. Besides writing, I would go online and play games every day. It was so wonderful … When can I have a good night's sleep and can sit in front of the computer and write for a few hours without worrying about the sudden shaking of the house and the panicked rumors outside …
I hope that day will not be too far away. Because then it means that everything is safe.
Finally, a moment of silence for those who lost their lives and their families and friends in the earthquake, as well as their compatriots in their homes. I offer the highest respect to all those who rescue day and night in the disaster area — you are the real heroes!
Listening to the Waves in the Forest
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