Kaka opened his arms, pointed both hands to the sky, and ran to the corner flag. This was his signature celebration. Even in such a fierce final, he had to thank God first for scoring a goal. He could thank God, but his teammates had to thank him. The AC Milan players cheered and pounced on him.
In the stands, the AC Milan fans set off long-prepared fireworks. "AC Milan! AC Milan! "The song rang out again.
Although it was only a goal, it gave people hope of equalizing the score. It was a great morale booster to ride a fifty meter long solo!
"Is George Wood very good? But he can't stop our Kaka! In this fifty meter dash, he could only follow! He could only follow!!! He's Kaka's foil, a dim little star under the light of a superstar! "
Wood sat on the ground with his hands on the ground, still in a tackle position — one leg stretched out and one leg pressed under his buttocks.
Of course, he could not hear the Italian commentator's excited nonsense, but he knew he had lost to Kaka this time. Whether it was speed, technique, experience, or awareness, he had lost, and he had lost completely.
Defensive players were not like offensive players. They did not have the right to "lose," because their "loss" was likely to mean that the entire team would "lose."
The Forest players looked a little low in morale. Kaka's goal left them speechless. Even if they wanted to admit defeat, there was no way — George Wood, the team's best defensive player, could not find a chance to steal after running 50 meters with Kaka. Pepe, a center back who could be ranked in the top ten in the English Premier League, was shaken off by Kaka's acceleration and had no room to fight back.
What else was there to say about such a goal?
It was too much of a blow …
※ ※ ※
The players felt speechless, but Tang En had a lot to say. He did not admit how well Kaka's goal was, because if he were Wood, the attack would have disappeared at the starting point.
He flew into a rage off the field, waving his hands hard and roaring toward the field, "George! You bastard, get down here! "
Amid the huge cheers of the AC Milan fans, Wood still heard Tang En's roar.
He crawled up and ran over obediently.
Tang En pulled him to his side, gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "You need to take full responsibility for this goal concede, do you understand?!"
Wood nodded. His attitude was very good.
"I know what you're thinking, but you need to be mindful of the occasion. This is the Champions League final, not a f * cking medieval knight duel where both sides throw white gloves at each other! In order to win, you have to do anything, by hook or by crook! " Twain roared in Wood's ear, but Wood buried his head in silence, taking in all the manager's anger.
"What did I teach you? Defense was not a glamorous job. It was the most tiring and dirty thing to do. Those fans … "He pointed to the AC Milan fans' stands." Whatever they want to see, you have to destroy. Whatever they like, you must oppose. You must always oppose them, oppose them! Do you understand? "
"I understand, boss."
※ ※ ※
Albertini smelled danger. He turned his head to look at the AC Milan players and the AC Milan fans in the stands.
The goal was so beautiful that it affected the emotions of his teammates. It was too dangerous to ignore it. He was the captain. He did not wear the captain's armband just to look good. He had to do something at this time.
He shouted for his teammates to gather around him. He had something to say.
Everyone gathered obediently. Only Wood was being reprimanded by the manager on the sidelines. Looking at the boss's expression and gestures, the words that came out of his lips were definitely not pleasant to hear.
Time was precious. Albertini did not care about his superiors and subordinates. He ran over to interrupt Twain's lecture to Wood.
"I'm sorry, boss. Do you mind if I gather everyone together to say something?" He pulled Wood away.
Twain certainly did not mind. In fact, he was happy to see Albertini do it. What did the captain do? There was a saying that the captain was the team's manager on the field. He could help the manager do a lot of things that he could not do on the sidelines in the technical area.
While the AC Milan players were still celebrating wantonly, Albertini, a former AC Milan player, now wore the Nottingham Forest jersey and the golden Forest captain's armband, gathered his teammates together.
"It's just one goal, guys. You don't have to be so dejected. We're still one goal ahead of them. " He glanced at the AC Milan players who were still celebrating. "This is the Champions League final. There is no championship that can be easily obtained without experiencing repeated obstacles from the opponent. And, look … "He pointed to the AC Milan players.
"They've only scored one goal. They haven't even equalized the score and they're already so excited. They're AC Milan, one of the top powerhouses in Italy. Now they're happy as if they've won the championship. What does that mean? It means that they're afraid of us. They've only scored one goal and they have such a performance. They have a sense of security, but in fact, they're still behind us. I used to be a player for AC Milan. I know this team. They're not as powerful and invincible as you think. They also have a lot of weaknesses. For example, they're not good at playing against the wind. Think about the night in Istanbul in 2005, when Liverpool scored three goals in a short period of time, and they panicked … "
Some of it was not Albertini's heartfelt words, because to be honest, no team could guarantee that they would be calm in the face of losing three goals in ten minutes. He said that to restore the confidence of the Forest players and calm their emotions.
"So, we still have a chance to continue to maintain our lead over them. I'm not the boss, but I also play the Football Manager game. I know some of the manager's psychology. If I were the boss, I'd bring on the attacking players at this time and step up the offense instead of continuing to defend. Do you know why? "Without waiting for everyone to answer, he went on to announce the answer. "Because if we can't widen the gap in the score, we will always give the opponent the hope of equalizing the score or even overtaking us. This hope will be the driving force behind their madness. They will tirelessly launch wave after wave of attacks at our goal. The pressure on our defense will only increase, and it will never ease in the slightest. There's only one way to solve this situation — score a goal. If we can score another goal, they're finished! "
Albertini said with his fists clenched, as if he had forgotten that he used to be an AC Milan player.
He glanced at his opponent again and found that the AC Milan people had finished celebrating. He clapped his hands and said, "Remember what the boss said before the game? Don't give up no matter what the situation is. It's not the worst yet. Cheer up. When they think they can beat us, go and tell them how wrong they are! " Vaguely, Albertini had the shadow of Tony Twain in him. Having worked with Twain for three years, he was more or less influenced.
Everyone clapped their hands and dispersed. Albertini grabbed Wood again. He had something to say to his midfield partner alone.
"George, are you still thinking about the goal concede just now?"
Wood first shook his head and then nodded.
Albertini smiled and said, "Don't think about it. As a defensive midfielder, there are many moments like this. If you think about every ball, you don't have to play the game. You heard it all just now, right? Although the boss hasn't made any adjustments, we need to attack now. We can't win this game by relying on defense alone. "
Wood continued to nod in agreement.
"But I can't run anymore." Albertini spread his hands and smiled helplessly. "Pirlo is always running and running. He's led by the nose and exhausted too much of his energy. If the attack needs me to rush up, I'm afraid I won't be able to come back if I go up. "
Wood noticed that Albertini's breathing was louder than before the goal concede. His jersey was almost soaked in sweat. He would be thirty-six years old in August. A high-intensity game like the Champions League final was not easy for him.
"So, I need you to help me. We'll adjust our positions. You'll be a little forward and I'll be behind you. When the team needs to attack, you'll go up and I'll protect you from behind. You're young, strong and fast. You can come back if you go up. I can't think of a more suitable candidate than you. "
Wood did not immediately nod or shake his head.
Albertini saw the hesitation in his heart and said with a smile, "I know what you're thinking. There's nothing to hesitate about. Are you still doubting your ability to attack? This final is the last game I'll play in my professional career. Then I'll retire and go home to Italy. You can't always hope to have a person like me around. Many times, you need to solve problems alone. When you need you to move forward, just go up. Don't worry, I'll be behind you. "He did not say anything else. He pushed Wood away and ran away.
※ ※ ※
Albertini was completely right. After scoring a goal, AC Milan's morale was high and their fighting spirit was high. They launched an even fiercer attack on the Forest team's hinterland than before. The gap of only one goal was like the smell of blood in the sea, spurring the huge shark that was AC Milan to chase Nottingham Forest relentlessly.
Tang En made his first substitution of the game three minutes after the goal concede. He replaced Leighton Baines with Gareth Bale, the full-back who was better at attacking.
This was a clear signal that could not be more obvious — Twain wanted the team to attack.
The Forest players could not help but glance at the captain, Albertini. He was completely right. The boss was indeed going to attack.
Another five minutes later, Tang En made his second substitution. This time, he replaced van der Vaart with the striker, Freddy Eastwood.
Everyone understood the first substitution, but the second substitution confused some people. They had thought that Eastwood would replace the physically exhausted Albertini. They did not expect the player to be replaced was van der Vaart, whose performance was not bad.
The substitution made Ancelotti smile secretly. He felt that Tang En thought too highly of Albertini and chose to believe in the veteran's experience at this time. But Albertini was clearly unable to run anymore. What was the use of any experience? Pirlo had already shaken off the opponent twice in a row and sent threatening passes. If Wood had not desperately stuck to Kaka, the score would definitely not be the current 1: 2.
If Tang En trusted Albertini's experience so much, then Ancelotti did not mind letting Tang En fall on this trust.
He walked to the sidelines and motioned for Pirlo to be the team's offensive playmaker again. The others were to hand the ball over to Pirlo as much as possible to completely crush Albertini.
When van der Vaart came off the field, he thought he did not perform well and did not make any outstanding contributions to the team's offense, which was why the boss replaced him. He did not expect Tang En to take the initiative to hug him and ask him to wait on the field to celebrate winning the title with a grin.
Eastwood ran on the field at a sprinting speed. There was not much time left for him to perform. Every second had to be especially cherished.
He did not blame the boss for letting him be a substitute in the Champions League finals for two years in a row. Because the boss must have his considerations. As a player, he only needed to listen to the instructions. If he was not allowed to play, he would carefully observe the game below and find something useful for himself. Once he was allowed to play, it would be the moment when these things came into play.
※ ※ ※
"There are always people who say that Tang En is a conservative manager. But can it be considered conservative to not change defensive players to go on the field to strengthen the defense when they are in the lead and instead bring on offensive players to continue the attack? "The English commentator began to complain on Tang En's behalf after seeing the two substitutions.
Tang En did not care what others thought of him.
He and Albertini had the same idea. At this time, strengthening the defense might not only be achieved by increasing defensive players. From another point of view, strengthening the offense could help reduce the pressure on the defense. He did not believe that AC Milan would not return to defend in the face of the Forest team's offensive. Of course, if AC Milan really wanted to continue to attack, Tang En would be more than happy to do so. That would mean that there would be many gaps behind them. As long as they were caught once, it would be enough to kill them!
※ ※ ※
Pirlo could see that Albertini's physical strength was running out. In fact, he did not need to see. It was enough just by listening. Every time Albertini defended against him, he felt like there was a large bellow next to him.
He suppressed his opponent and passed the football to Kaka.
Kaka had just successfully broken through Wood's defense and scored. Now his morale was high and his form was just right. There was no reason not to pass the ball to him.
Just as he turned to break through Wood's defense, Wood blocked Kaka outside the door this time. During the one-on-one breakthrough, the football that Kaka kicked out was touched by Wood's heel and changed course. Both men pounced in the wrong direction, but in the next second, both men kicked the football at the same time.
Wood kicked the football out in front of Kaka first, and Kaka only kicked Wood's calf.
This startled Kaka. He was afraid that Wood would fall and then the referee would give him a yellow card. Judging from the action, it was really not light …
As a result, Wood got up from the ground and turned to throw himself into the Forest team's defense again.
The football was passed to Kaka's feet again. This time, Kaka did not choose to break through directly. He passed the football back to Pirlo, who plugged in.
Pirlo intended to do a one-two with Kaka. Before he could receive the ball, Albertini suddenly went around to the front and intercepted the football. The Forest team launched a counterattack.
Pirlo had to turn back to defend.
Only this time, Albertini's long pass lost some accuracy and the landing point was snatched by Gattuso. The Forest team's quick attack did not start.
Gattuso handed the football to Pirlo. Albertini had just launched an attack and did not immediately get into a defensive position. Pirlo saw the opportunity to make a sharp straight pass.
Kaka suddenly moved, intending to use his speed to break through Wood's defense.
Wood had paid enough for that goal concede. The defensive players did not have the right to make mistakes. One mistake was enough. Wood did not want to make it a second time. This time, he waited for Kaka to speed up and had not yet controlled the football before he decisively tackled it with his foot. He tackled the football before Kaka could. Kaka could not stop in time and crashed into it, falling to the ground. The referee had already stopped whistling for a foul.
The AC Milan fans booed, while the Forest fans loudly applauded Wood's defense.
AC Milan's offense was not over. If Kaka could not do it, Pirlo would do it.
They saw that Albertini was physically exhausted and handed the football to Pirlo.
Pirlo took the ball again to shake off Albertini and looked up to observe the situation on the field. He was not as pressed as he was a few minutes ago. The "big bellows" behind him was still a little far away.
Now he could calmly observe the situation on the field and then decide how to pass the ball and where to pass it.
Out of habit, he first looked at Kaka.
There was no one around Kaka!
Where was the Forest team's number 13, who was always inseparable from the Brazilian?
Just as Pirlo was stunned, a gust of wind quietly appeared beside him. Just as he sensed the danger and was about to pass the football at his feet to Kaka, he kicked the air.
George Wood poked Pirlo's ball and then handed it to Albertini, who was running back.
Wood did not know how much he could achieve in offense in the future. He also did not know if he could really become a "metronome" like Demetrio Albertini, who could both attack and defend. But there was one thing he had to admit, whether he wanted to or not — Albertini would leave the team at the end of the game.
Demetrio said to him, "I can't run anymore. If I go up, I'm afraid I won't be able to come back, so you go up, George."
Wood said to him, "You don't have to come back. Once you go up, just wait in front. I'll intercept the ball for you and pass the ball for you. You just have to be responsible for organizing the offense. Van der Vaart has already gone down. Our offense can only be organized by you. "
The Forest team's offense was once again blocked. Maldini drove a long kick to the front field. Wood had the upper hand in the header fight with Kaka and Seedorf. He was high up, overpowering the two opponents, and headed the football to Albertini.
When Albertini first came to the Forest team, Tang En told Wood that he was his midfield partner and his teacher. He wanted him to learn from Albertini and learn everything about him.
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.
