Ronaldinho's goal set off a frenzy of celebration at Camp Nou. The emotions that the Barcelona fans had repressed for almost half the game were finally released. The poor Forest fans were suppressed to the point where they could not even breathe.
In the stands, Fat John curled his lips and said disdainfully, "What's so great about it? It's just an equalizer. How useless!"
That being said, even if he and his partners shouted the Forest team's slogan, they could not hear it at all. The Barcelona fans were too loud.
Those people waved their arms, stomped their feet, and shouted Ronaldinho and Barcelona's name. They were as fanatical as an English fan through and through.
"Barcelona! Barcelona! Barça! "
Tang En turned his head to look at the fanatical Barcelona fans in the stands behind him. It was a rare sight. Perhaps it could only be seen in Spain's El Clásico or Derbi de Barcelona. He really did not expect Nottingham Forest to be lucky enough to become such a heavyweight opponent.
This feeling … is not bad!
"After unremitting efforts, Barcelona has finally equalized the score! Ronaldinho is indeed the king of Camp Nou! His performance is exciting! A perfect direct free kick. Edwin van der Sar has no reaction! "
Amidst the commentator's excited commentary and the cheers of the fans in the stadium, the first half came to an end.
During the halftime interval, the score was fixed at 1: 1 by Ronaldinho's direct free kick.
※ ※ ※
The players' tunnel during the halftime interval was very lively. The sound of footsteps and conversations mixed together, buzzing. But once the door was closed, there was no sound at all. Camp Nou was indeed a five-star stadium. Just the soundproofing alone was outstanding. This was something the City Ground stadium could not compare to.
Tang En looked at the players who were a little listless because of the equalizer and laughed. Of course, he also felt sorry for the equalizer at the last minute, but he was not too dissatisfied. Besides, he was the manager, the leader of this group of people. He could not show too much negative emotion in front of them.
So, Tang En, who had closed the door, scratched his head, appearing not to care about the score. He spread his hands and said to the players, "I didn't say we would keep a clean sheet in this game and not let Barcelona score a goal. So, the current score is normal. The game is still on our track. You have to know what kind of opponent we are facing — Barcelona is not just any amateur team from the Spanish countryside. "
"Ronaldinho is not a circus clown. He is a genuine FIFA World Player of the Year. Although he did not perform very well in the World Cup, he could not be ignored. Do you understand what I mean? "
The players in the locker room nodded to show that they understood.
"Our opponent is strong, very strong. But look at their reaction after they scored in the first half? The reaction of the fans and players in the stadium … was as excited as if they had already won the game. What did this mean? They only equalized the score, yet they're so excited … This means that it won't be easy for them to defeat us! "
"Don't be dejected. Did we lose? Or lagging behind? Cheer up! There are still 45 minutes left in the second half. If we rely on this kind of mental state, we will really lose! "
After boosting the morale, Tang En began to specifically arrange the tactics and strategies for the second half.
"Ronaldinho is a threat, but we can't focus all our defensive attention on him alone. George. "
Wood stood up.
"This goal concede is a lesson for you. Don't give Barcelona a chance to take a direct free kick in that dangerous area. In addition to Ronaldinho, they still have Xavi, a master of free kicks. In addition, is it a big burden for you to be in charge of defense and then participate in the offense? "
Wood shook his head. "No."
"Then why are you always hiding in the back like a tortoise? If necessary, send the ball forward! " Tang En's tone suddenly became stern. He turned to look at the other midfielders. "And you, my midfielders. Find a way to send the football forward. I don't care if you do short passes to advance, long passes, or individual dribbles. Send the ball out. Don't always let the Barcelona people circle around our goal like a swarm of flies! Buzz, buzz, buzz. You don't find it annoying, but I do! "
"Let me tell you. Tactics are dead, but people are alive! It's impossible to consider all aspects of the situation in the pre-match arrangements. You have to adjust yourselves according to the actual situation on the field. If the opponent presses too high up and there's a large space behind you, reduce the time you spend holding the ball in the middle and back fields. Make a timely long or direct pass and catch the opponent off guard! "He punched his palm. "When we need to counterattack, people must be the first to go up. I don't want to see people strolling on the field when we're switching from defense to offense. Sprinting back and forth is tiring, but the purpose of our training is not to enjoy it in the game. This is an important game. In order to win, we can pay any price! "
"Franck." Tang En turned his gaze to Ribéry again. "Don't limit your area of activity to the flanks. You have to lean toward the middle. When George and Mikel can't go up, you need to be responsible for organizing the attack. If you're on the flanks, our passing route can easily be blocked by the opponent. They're real people, not NPCs in live football."
Ribéry was a little hesitant. "Let me go to the middle … What about Mikel?"
"How many times did you see him rush up in the first half? Most of the time, he was assisting in the defense. " Tang En glanced at Arteta. "You rarely appear in the middle in the game. I think we have to make some unexpected changes in this game. Maybe it will have a miraculous effect. After appearing in the middle, it's up to you to pass the ball, break through, or do a long shot. You can take the next step according to the specific situation on the field. You don't need me to teach you this kind of thing, do you? "
Ribéry shook his head. "No need, Boss. I know what to do."
Tang En nodded in satisfaction. In his impression, Ribéry should not be limited to the flanks. He should have more power, just that he had not released it. This game was an opportunity. Rijkaard and his coaching staff would not have expected that Tang En would let Ribéry make a guest appearance as the playmaker in the middle in this game. Previously, the impression that Ribéry gave people was always that of an attacker on the flanks. Ever since the away game against Everton, Tang En had already deliberately let Ribéry lean toward the middle in training to become a more comprehensive and decisive midfielder.
From this game onwards, Tang En wanted to introduce a brand new Franck Ribéry to the world. Perhaps he would even become an important asset to French football.
"Franck will be the core of our offense in the second half," Tang En said to the entire team. "Let him organize the offense. Everyone will coordinate with him to run into positions. Do you all understand? "
"No problem, Boss."
"Understood!"
"Franck, if you don't perform well, don't blame us for not passing the ball to you!"
Laughter rang out in the locker room.
When the laughter disappeared, Tang En continued, "You'll still be on the flanks normally." As he spoke, he drew out Ribéry's route of action on the tactical board. "Only when we get the ball and are ready to attack, run diagonally. Like this." He drew a diagonal line that pointed toward the penalty area.
"After that, Ashley Young. You can switch positions at will during the game. Don't always stay on the right flank. Mess up Barcelona's defense. Don't let them see through our tactical intentions too early. Understand? "
Ashley Young also nodded.
After talking about offense, Tang En moved on to defense. In fact, although the task of defense was heavy, it was simple. "There's nothing much to say about defense. Compress the space and time within a 30-meter radius. Don't create an offside position. Shrink the defense. No matter how they pass the ball, maintain a defensive formation. Pay special attention to the defensive space in the two flanks. Other than George, we'll defend zonally. "
Having said that, Tang En looked at his watch. There was not much time left. He decided to do one last mobilization.
"Everyone understands their responsibilities. Everyone, do your job well." He raised two fingers, looking very much like the "V" that represented victory. "My request is that simple. Our goal is not just to win this game. You all know what the real goal is, right? "
Everyone answered in a loud voice, "The Champions League champion!"
"Very good."
※ ※ ※
While Tang En passionately mobilized the players in the visiting team's locker room, Barcelona's locker room was slightly calm.
Rijkaard was also not the kind of person who liked to express his thoughts with words. After he arranged the tactical adjustments for the second half, he said very little. The players in the locker room did their own things and looked normal.
Ronaldinho was chatting with Messi. They had a good relationship in the team. Although one was a Brazilian and the other was an Argentine, they were both Barcelona players.
The two men were talking about the same topic. They were both discussing one person — George Wood.
During the halftime interval, Rijkaard hoped that the trio of Ronaldinho, Messi, and Eto 'o could pull George Wood apart by switching positions frequently to disrupt the Forest team's defense and create more possible scoring opportunities for the others.
If George Wood wanted to run with Ronaldinho, he would pass the ball to the others. If he did not run with Ronaldinho, he would pass the ball to the Brazilian.
Although he was a little unwilling to let the other side get an away goal, it was not the time to think about it. Rijkaard asked the team to continue to step up their offense in the second half. If the other side returned to England with a score of 1: 1, the second leg of the game would be dangerous for Barcelona. Only by relying on offense to keep scoring goals and using a huge goal difference to offset the Forest team's away goal could they take the lead in the next leg.
Barcelona's football never gave up on offensive football, not to mention this was their home ground.
Messi was asking Ronaldinho how good George Wood was.
Ronaldinho expressed his feelings honestly, "… Don't let him get close to you. Everything is fine. You can try to get rid of him with speed, but to be honest, I'm not optimistic about the results at all. His body is strong. When I squeeze past him, it's like hitting a wall. The best way to deal with him is to get the ball out as soon as possible. "
Messi thought for a while.
Perhaps seeing Messi frown, Ronaldinho added, "It's a little difficult to play one-on-one with him, but we're very skilled in our small cooperation. He can't do anything about it. After all, he's only one person."
Messi nodded when he heard Ronaldinho say so.
"In fact, I think he will still follow me in the second half. He seems to have identified me. So, pay more attention to your position in the second half. I'll pass the ball to you depending on the situation. "Ronaldinho patted Messi on the head. In the team, Ronaldinho had always regarded Messi as his younger brother to take care of. Naturally, he would think of him first if there were any benefits.
Rijkaard, who had been sitting silently at the door, raised his hand to look at his watch. It was time. He stood up and clapped his hands to signal for everyone to quiet down. He had something to say.
"I rarely say anything at this time." Rijkaard was telling the truth. He was not a man who liked to talk a lot. He had a completely different style from Twain. "But I think it's necessary to say a few words today. We've been provoked by them. If we don't do something about it, the people outside will laugh at us. "Rijkaard waved his hand and pointed to the door. "I'm not happy with the 1: 1 score. I hope that after forty-five minutes, I see the score is 3: 1, 4: 1, and we win! "
※ ※ ※
Perhaps it was a coincidence that when the two sides returned to the field, Tony Twain and Rijkaard met at the exit of the tunnel.
At first, the two men seemed to want to walk out before the other and ended up squeezing toward the exit together. But the next moment, they changed their minds at the same time. They stopped and gestured for the other to go first.
"After you, Mr. Rijkaard."
"It's okay. You go first, Mr. Twain."
After feeling each other's enthusiasm, the two men moved forward at the same time.
After glancing at each other, Twain smiled. "I think this exit can allow the two of us to pass through side by side."
Rijkaard pretended to look it over and nodded in agreement. "You're right. I don't usually pay much attention …"
Of course, the two of them were lying. The two teams could walk out side by side at the same time. There was still a lot of room to spare. How could the two of them not walk out at the same time?
"So, let's go together."
This time, the two men no longer declined and walked out side by side.
The tunnel at Camp Nou was not in the corner of the field, but below the center of the stadium's grandstand. As soon as they walked out, the two men immediately parted ways.
Twain enthusiastically bid farewell to Rijkaard. "I hope the second half will be a wonderful game, Mr. Rijkaard."
"I hope the process and result are wonderful, Mr. Twain." Rijkaard smiled and issued a challenge.
"Ah, now that you say that, I'm looking forward to the second half even more." Twain laughed dryly and turned to walk back to the visiting team's technical area.
Behind him, Rijkaard watched his back for a moment before leaving.
At that moment, the players on both sides had already stood in their respective positions on the field according to their respective formations. They were waiting for the referee to blow the whistle to start the second half of the game.
The television broadcast clearly noticed the brief exchange between the two managers at the exit. When they returned to their seats, the live director gave each manager ten seconds of special effects footage. Both men wore smiles on their faces, but no one knew what the smiles meant.
After forty-five minutes, who would have the last laugh?
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