Chelsea's narrowing of the points gap with Manchester United was on the pages of the various media the day after Chelsea's game. Mourinho proudly told the media that he would win all the titles he could this season. Next to him in the interview was a photo of Ferguson attending the post-match press conference with a livid face.
The English media always handled such matters with ease. The readers could see the relationship between the two sides and the hidden story behind it at a glance.
Tang En, who directed all of this, was hiding in the Forest team's training base, Wilford, making a final sprint in preparation for the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals.
To him, the more chaotic Chelsea and Manchester United were, the better. He could win in the chaos.
Four days before the Champions League final, Tang En announced that the team would enter a closed training phase. All training would not be open to the media. Even people with good relationships like Pierce Brosnan could not get permission to enter Wilford for an interview.
Of course, not everyone would do things according to Tang En's wishes. Otherwise, the world would be much easier for Tang En.
For example, Tang En recently discovered that Tang Jing and Dunn were a little close. It was something that made him rub his chin and smack his lips.
During a break in training, the players sat on the sidelines to rest. They chatted about topics of interest, and so did the coaches on the coaching staff. What everyone talked about the most was the Champions League semi-finals that were about to arrive.
Even if they were all from Nottingham Forest, they did not expect to reach the semi-finals for two consecutive seasons. It looked like their manager really had a mysterious aura around him.
Tang En did not care what others thought of him. He walked straight to Dunn's side and leaned over to take out a bottle of water. He unscrewed it and took a big gulp. Then he looked at the players in the field and said to Dunn, "What did that woman want with you?"
Tang En was referring to Tang Jing. He knew that Dunn must know.
"Nothing much. Let's talk about domestic topics." Dunn was becoming more and more like a Chinese. In the past, it was just his appearance. Now, he was very Chinese from the outside to the inside. "Talk about China football."
Tang En almost choked on the water.
"Ahem! You two are so boring … ahem! "
Looking at Tang En's disheveled appearance, Dunn showed no expression.
"Talking about China football … Hey, it looks like I'll have to talk about China football with you sometime. Let's see how you view this from a foreigner's point of view …"
"It's nothing. I didn't understand it before, but now I understand." Dunn also found the topic boring and did not want to go any deeper.
"She didn't try to find out about our plans for the Champions League semi-finals?" Tang En cocked his head to the side as he studied Dunn.
"I did." Dunn nodded.
"Oh? How did you deal with it? "
"No comment for all of them."
Twain looked up and thought about how Dunn would pull a long face in front of the helpless Tang Jing. It seemed to be really appropriate.
"Very good, women are bad things. Especially curious women. "Twain nodded." I don't want anything to go wrong. "
"Tony, I've never understood this. We know Chelsea very well and Chelsea knows us very well. There doesn't seem to be a need for closed-door training … "Dunn raised the question in his mind.
"The closed-door training is not entirely for the sake of keeping information confidential." Tang En pointed to the players. "It can also let the players put all their minds into the game and let them know what kind of game it is, both physically and mentally. This is a semi-final match that we can't afford to lose. "
Dunn looked at Tang En's back from behind and was silent for a moment. He opened his mouth and hesitated before saying, "Will the pressure be too much?"
"Huh?"
"The best farewell match for Demetrio, another final for George, an undefeated record against Mourinho … You put these things on yourself. No one asked you to do so. Aren't you afraid that the pressure will be too much and you won't be able to hold on? "
Hearing Dunn say so, Tang En smiled and pointed to his heart. "I did it on purpose. I'm afraid that once I relax here, it will be hard to tighten it again. "
Dunn had nothing to say in the face of Tang En's smiling face.
Putting down the half-drunk water, Tang En walked up to Kerslake and patted him on the shoulder. "Blow the whistle and continue training."
With that, he put on his sunglasses again and stood in the shadows.
There were four days to the semi-final on the 26th.
※ ※ ※
April 25th was the first day of the Champions League semi-final. It was Manchester United's home game against AC Milan. The next day was the day when the Forest team and Chelsea played.
Three of the English teams were in the top four of this year's Champions League. For the English media, it was a joyous event that needed to be publicized. The Italian Football League Serie A, once the "world's number one league," had declined, and La Liga was weak after a few years of strength. It was now the world of the English Premier League!
The English media thought so optimistically. The three teams had formed an encirclement around AC Milan, and it was highly likely that the English team would sweep the championship and runner-up in the end.
The Bundesliga had declined, and Ligue 1 had long been kicked out of the circle of the "five major leagues." Serie A was gradually declining, and La Liga was fluctuating. The only league that could maintain a high standard for a decade seemed to be the English Premier League. With such a mentality, the English media began to actively and optimistically report on the Champions League semi-final. They boasted about Manchester United, Chelsea, and Nottingham Forest, but completely forgot about AC Milan.
In the eyes of the proud English media, AC Milan would not be able to stop Manchester United's Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. After all, "They have Kaka, and we have Rooney and Ronaldo!"
"AC Milan has flown to Manchester, where they will challenge the host team, Manchester United. This is the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. Kaka talked about the opponents of this game in an interview at the airport. He thinks Ronaldo and Rooney are very good players. Manchester United is a strong team, but he is confident of breaking into the final … "
The earlier sports news was playing on the television. AC Milan arrived in Manchester, where they would face a crucial game in the stadium in two days.
As the team's top star player, the midfield core, the Brazilian midfielder, Kaka, who had shone brilliantly this season, received everyone's attention. Countless microphones, flashes, and cameras surrounded him, making it difficult for him to move forward even if he wanted to.
"Kaka …" Twain murmured in front of the television. Before he transmigrated, he was considered a fan of Kaka. From before he had landed in Europe, when he was just a nobody playing as a substitute for the Brazilian national team, he had been paying attention to the sunny kid. He liked the kid's temperament, his technical style, his handsome appearance, his indomitable breakthrough speed, and his powerful long shots … He really did not expect to have the chance to become an opponent one day.
"Hey, Dunn. If only Kaka could come to the Forest team … Then we would have Kaka in front of the midfield, George in the back to oversee the defense, Ashley Young, Beckham, and Aaron Lennon on the right, and Ribéry and Petrov on the left … It would be invincible! "He said excitedly as he watched the television.
"Stop dreaming. AC Milan will not let go of such a person." Dunn was not the least bit interested in such unrealistic fantasies.
Twain was thinking that if he had transmigrated a few years earlier, then all of this would not be a dream …
It was a pity that it looked like a dream now.
"Oh, right. I was too busy fantasizing about Kaka." Twain pulled out a ticket from his inner pocket and handed it to Dunn beside him. "A ticket to Old Trafford on the 25th. You're coming with me."
Dunn did not say anything. He took the ticket and put it away.
Twain continued to turn his head to watch the television. The news had already turned to Manchester United and began to report on Manchester United's preparations.
On the screen, Ferguson's face was solemn. The sky above the Carrington training base was covered with dark clouds, and the army was bearing down.
There were still three days to the semifinals on the 26th.
※ ※ ※
Twain met Tang Jing at the entrance of the Wilford training base in the morning. At that time, he and Dunn were about to enter. The security guard at the entrance looked at the woman standing in front of him with a worried expression — Tang Jing.
It was obvious that Tang Jing wanted to go in, and the security guard could not let her do as she wished because of his duty. So, she spent her time there with the security guard.
"Good morning, Reporter Tang." Twain waved at her in greeting.
"Good morning, Manager Twain." Seeing that Twain and Dunn had arrived, Tang Jing left the pitiful security guard behind and went straight to the two.
"It's not right to trespass, Reporter Tang." Twain teased the female reporter in front of him. Dunn stood behind him in silence.
"Did you put up a warning sign saying 'Trespassers will be killed without mercy?'"
"If Reporter Tang likes it, I can get the security guard to erect it right away and write it in Chinese."
Tang Jing was seething with anger at Twain. She looked pleadingly at Dunn beside Twain.
Dunn hesitated and said, "I think it's better to use Chinese and English."
Tang Jing rolled her eyes.
Twain laughed heartily. "Don't waste your efforts, Reporter Tang. I won't let you media get the slightest news about the preparations for the semifinals. "
"When did Mr. Twain, who likes to be in the limelight, start keeping a low profile? Right now, the media is full of news and reports about the four teams preparing for the Champions League. Only Nottingham Forest is missing. "
"So what? I'm not a clown to satisfy the audience's bad taste. "Twain shrugged." Anything that involves you reporters is bound to end badly. In the face of a big battle, I'm sorry, I have to be cautious. "
Seeing that goading was ineffective, Tang Jing changed tactics. "Look, Mr. Twain. I'm just a reporter from a Chinese media thousands of miles away. Even if I know what you're training for, it's only for the Chinese readers and fans to see. You don't have to worry about leaks at all … "
"Don't tease me, Reporter Tang. It's the age of the Internet. Media news all over the world is passed around. If you get it, others can get it. I'm not that stupid. Besides, there's nothing to interview. The training content is the same as what you've seen before. We and Chelsea are very familiar with each other. Heh heh. "Twain laughed slyly.
Tang Jing, who felt like she was being toyed with, was a little angry. "Then why are you still closed off?"
"Just to let my ears be a little quieter." Twain dug his ear. "At times like this, I wish I could use one day like three. How could I have the leisure to deal with the news media?"
Looking at Tang Jing's indignant look, Twain was about to turn and walk away, but he stopped again. "Don't hang around here. When the sun comes out later, it'll still be a little scorching. A beautiful lady won't be beautiful if her skin is tanned. Go back. According to the usual practice, there's a press conference before the game. If you have any questions, ask them then, Reporter Tang. "
Unexpectedly, Tang Jing suddenly shook her head. "I don't have any questions. Can I talk to Mr. Dunn alone?"
Twain glanced at her, then tilted his head to look at Dunn. "Why ask me? He's him, and I'm me. I can't restrict his personal freedom. If he wants to talk to you, you guys can talk. "
With that, he turned and walked away.
Dunn did not expect Twain to leave so decisively. He had wanted to reject Tang Jing. To be honest, the two of them really had nothing to talk about when they were together. But now that Twain had left, it made things difficult for him.
Beside him, Tang Jing giggled and said, "Mr. Dunn, can we talk?"
Helpless, Dunn could only turn around and look at her. "Talk about what? If it's about the Forest team … I can't tell you anything. "
"Of course, I understand, Mr. Dunn. Working with that kind of eccentric person must be a headache, right? "
Dunn shook his head. "No, we work well together."
Tang Jing had an expression of disbelief. Dunn could not be bothered to explain how well they worked together. Even if he explained, Tang Jing would not believe it. Would you believe something like a person telling you that they had swapped bodies with another person?
"Let's talk about something else, something that has nothing to do with football …" Tang Jing smiled at Tang Yanran and gently pushed aside a lock of hair that was blocking her forehead.
Kerslake saw the players arrive at the training ground one after another, but he did not see Dunn. At this time, the members of the coaching unit should have met together for a small preparatory meeting for the new day's training. He remembered that Twain always came with Dunn, so he ran to Twain's office to look for him.
In the end, he only saw Twain in the office.
"Eh? Where's Dunn? "
Twain did not even raise his head. "Has he fallen into the land of gentleness?"
"Land of gentleness? What's that? "
"God knows."
"Uh …"
"David, today's training plan is to focus on the tactics of set pieces, right?" Twain looked up and asked.
Kerslake nodded.
"Yeah, let's do that. Don't worry about Dunn for now. Let's go to the training ground. The players should all be here by now. " With that, Twain closed the door and went straight to the training ground with a confused Kerslake.
At the entrance of the training ground, the players who came to train looked strangely at their Chinese assistant manager chatting with a Chinese woman. The woman looked excited, but the assistant manager seemed a little distracted.
"The weather is good today, Mr. Dunn."
"…"
"How many years have you been in Nottingham? Are you used to living in England? At first, I hated the weather in this country … "
"…"
"Speaking of which, you're so young yet you're already out there on your own. Have you ever missed home?"
"…"
"I was going to write a detailed report about your past, but in the end, I found out that before you became Nottingham Forest's manager, there was nothing to write home about … Ah, I'm sorry for using this word. Anyway, it's very boring. From primary school to university, you actually did not have a single relationship … Oh right, do you have a girlfriend now? Living apart? Or is it a foreign love? Is she beautiful? "
"…"
There were only two days left until the semifinals on the 26th.
※ ※ ※
The team did not have training in the morning, so the players could have a good sleep at home. They would gather at Wilford in the afternoon and then take the club's red bus to London. They would stay in the hotel there and prepare for the semifinals the next day.
Twain and Dunn did not go with the team to London. After saying goodbye to the team at the training ground, they took a bus to Manchester alone.
There was still some time before the evening game, and the entrance of Old Trafford was already crowded with people. The fans wearing red Manchester United jerseys and red and black AC Milan jerseys were clearly separated by the police. The Italian and English fans did not have a good reputation. It was still unknown how the players from both sides would perform in the game, but the police in Manchester were already on guard.
Dunn was well-equipped with a camcorder, digital camera, mini laptop, traditional handwritten notebook, binoculars … His main purpose was to bring the team first-hand information on the enemy.
Tang En, on the other hand, had both hands in his pockets and wore sunglasses, looking like a tourist.
The two of them were sandwiched in the crowd of AC Milan fans and slowly squeezed toward the gate.
The surrounding AC Milan fans kept shouting all kinds of slogans, which Tang En basically could not understand. The word that he could understand the most frequently occurring word was "Kaka." For AC Milan, who had performed poorly this season, the league title was destined to be out of the question. The Champions League title was the only trophy they could hope to compete for. Kaka's strong breakout this season was a guarantee that these people were full of confidence.
When Shevchenko left for England, Gilardino's condition was unstable, Inzaghi was frequently injured, Oliveira's subpar quality was revealed, and the entire AC Milan forward line fell into a goal drought, it was Kaka who stepped up to shoulder most of the burden of scoring goals. In the Champions League, he almost single-handedly brought AC Milan to the semifinals.
No matter how close he was to Real Madrid in the rumors before the season, he had become the ace in the hearts of the AC Milan fans and all their hope at this time.
The AC Milan flag with Kaka's head painted on it fluttered in front of Tang En as he muttered the name.
Old Trafford, the theater of dreams in the hearts of Manchester United people, was the best football stadium. In this stadium, Manchester United had beaten Roma 7: 1 in this season's Champions League, shocking the world of football. Now, facing an Italian team again, what would the result be?
Ninety minutes later.
This was indeed a very exciting and great match, from the perspective of a pure neutral fan. Tang En enjoyed watching from the stands, but Dunn had it much harder. He had to be in charge of recording.
The score was exactly the same as Tang En remembered. Manchester United narrowly beat AC Milan 3: 2 at home and achieved a precious home victory. But compared to this score, the process of the game was not quite the same as Tang En remembered. The process of the game and the score were not enough to satisfy the Manchester United fans. Instead, it was the guests, AC Milan, who left contentedly.
Manchester United quickly took a two-goal lead, and it looked like the situation was in their favor. The Manchester United fans even began to look forward to the final in Athens.
But at this time, Kaka, who was considered by the media and experts to be AC Milan's biggest threat before the game, stepped forward. Two beautiful attacks and two beautiful goals cooled the frenzied atmosphere in the Theater of Dreams. After seeing Kaka receive a long pass from the backfield, he got rid of Fletcher, Evra, and Heinze in succession. He crossed his entire defensive line alone and then scored the football, Ferguson finally could not hold back the anger in his heart and rushed down from the technical area.
The performance of the rear defensive line was terrible. Although Rio Ferdinand and Vidic's absence due to injuries was one reason, his own rear defensive line did not have to perform so badly.
He suddenly thought of the last round of the league tournament. Rio Ferdinand had suffered a minor injury in that game, and he had replaced him to be on the safe side. As a result, this defensive line was also scattered by the Forest team's offensive lineup. Van Nistelrooy and Ribéry each scored a goal. In later training, it was discovered that Rio Ferdinand's injury in the game against the Forest team was not optimistic and he would be absent for this game.
Damn it! Ferguson cursed in his heart.
Seeing Manchester United concede two goals in a flash, Tang En smiled happily in the stands.
In the second half of the game, AC Milan consciously tightened its defensive line. Two away goals and a draw were enough for Ancelotti. For Manchester United, it was undoubtedly a failure. Manchester United pounced on AC Milan's goal like crazy. It was not until the injury stoppage time that Rooney scored a brace and sealed the victory.
Although AC Milan had failed in such a game, it could be said that they were the winner. The one who had the last laugh was Ancelotti, not Manchester United, who had not had a smooth start.
"On this night at the Theatre of Dreams, both teams have brought us a wonderful game. The score of 3: 2 has left people with infinite reverie. There will be a lot to watch in the second leg of the game. Both Kaka and Rooney have scored twice in this game. Among the two outstanding young players, who will become the key player to determine the fate of their team? "
Tang En stretched in the stands but did not stand up. He was waiting for the other fans to leave.
"How's the intelligence gathering?"
Dunn was transferring the image on the DV to the mini laptop. "Kaka is the key player."
"That's nonsense."
"I think there are too many dangerous players. AC Milan is a very troublesome opponent. Pirlo, Seedorf, Inzaghi … But their defensive line is also a big problem, like Manchester United. "When it came to football, Dunn's chatterbox opened up. "Age, slow turning, and the sequelae of relying too much on the veterans have all come out. Tita's state is very unstable and is a ticking time bomb in the rear defensive line. As long as we put enough pressure on their defensive line, we can find more loopholes. So … "Dunn looked up at Tang En." I don't agree with playing defensive counterattack with AC Milan. "
Tang En did not make any response to his proposal. He muttered as if he had not heard, "The world's powerhouses are having a headache about the problem of defense. Let's go, Dunn."
Tang En got up and looked back at the field. "It's really a wonderful Palace game. The main character is about to appear."
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