In the second half, the two sides switched sides and fought again. Beckham was heavily marked by Everton. Moyes could see that Tang En wanted to use Beckham to launch a direct, quick, and precise attack. Although it was possible to create an offside position, the risk was too great, and there had to be a double insurance.
Hence, the defense against Beckham was strengthened.
Fortunately, Tang En had made adjustments during the halftime interval. Beckham's passes were no longer the only offensive method that Forest relied on. Since the opponent wanted to create an offside position, the team would strengthen the coordination of direct passes in front of the opponent's rear defensive line. These were all short passes, and van der Vaart was enough to complete them. However, Tang En was happy for Moyes to focus his defense on Beckham.
After van der Vaart and Ribéry cooperated on the flank, Ribéry resolutely plugged forward to lure Everton's attention onto him. Van der Vaart suddenly passed to the middle, and van Nistelrooy unexpectedly rushed forward from an offside position. He received the ball from van der Vaart without being offside.
Following that, the Dutch striker dribbled the ball and drove straight into the opponent's penalty area.
Once again, the Goodison Park stadium resounded with deafening boos. If the ball went in, Everton would have no chance.
Fortunately, this time, Howard's attack resolved the danger. He blocked van Nistelrooy's angle of shooting. The Dutchman's shot hit his fallen left foot, bounced up, changed direction, and flew out of the end line.
Nottingham Forest's passes were offside nine times. This tenth time, they finally succeeded, but they did not score. Tang En, who was watching the game from below, was a little vexed.
Van Nistelrooy was even more vexed than him on the field. He could have shot anywhere for such a sure-fire shot, but he just had to shoot at Howard's leg.
There would not be many opportunities like this.
Moyes quickly discovered Tang En's intentions. He began to withdraw his defensive line, not giving Forest's strikers such an easy chance to score.
Forest also played unhurriedly. In any case, they were in the lead. They only needed to wear out their opponents.
Tang En changed to a more comfortable sitting position. Everton's biggest threat to Forest was Arteta. As for Tim Cahill, Andrew Johnson, and Yakubu … Without Arteta's support from the middle and back, Forest's defense would be much easier.
George Wood was as steady as ever, so steady that it made people despair.
Arteta suffered at Wood's hands in the first half. During the halftime interval, Moyes asked Arteta to avoid Wood in the second half.
But was he the one who had the final say? Since he was targeted by Wood, it would not be easy to escape.
Arteta was not a midfielder who was good at breaking through. His physical fitness was not good enough to face George Wood head-on. In order to avoid Wood, he could only try his best to make arrangements in the backfield and not go up personally. Only in this way would Wood worry about the gap behind him and not dare to come up and snatch him.
But in this way, Arteta, who was far away from the Forest team's goal, had no other means to organize the attack other than a simple long pass. The Forest team's defense was equally relaxed.
What is the purpose of defense? It was not to interrupt the other team's ball in a one-on-one defense, but to stop the other team's offense and make their offense lose its threat. From this perspective, Wood's defense was successful. As long as the opponent was afraid of confronting him head-on and had to beat around the bush, he would have completed his mission.
"If Mikel doesn't dare to come up, we've already won half the battle." Tang En grinned as he spoke to the assistant managers beside him, Kerslake and Dunn. Both of them nodded in agreement.
Moyes wanted to build a new core and picked the wrong opponent. Nottingham Forest was too familiar with Arteta. In this match, Arteta was simply unable to perform at the level he was supposed to.
Just 15 minutes into the second half, Arteta, who had been a failure in his normal performance in the match, was replaced. Although he basically did not make any outstanding contributions to the team's offense during these 60 minutes, he was still applauded and thanked by the Everton fans when he came off the field. Why? It was because of his merciless foul on George Wood. It was a move that was very flattering to the home team's fans. Sometimes, English fans liked a person, but they did not necessarily need that person to score a lot of goals on the field. In their eyes, there were many ways to express their sincerity, and scoring goals was just one of them.
Just like when the Chinese player Li Tie first joined Everton, he had fiercely tackled Tottenham Hotspur's midfielder Redknapp in less than five minutes on the field for the first time. Because of this move, he had won great praise from the Everton fans. Of course, Li Tie did it unintentionally. He did not intend to use this tackle to flatter the home team's fans. He was only doing what a defensive midfielder was supposed to do in a match. But the Everton fans would never forget that Redknapp was once the captain of their city rivals, Liverpool.
Arteta walked off the field with the Everton fans' applause and love. He was very dissatisfied with his performance. Moyes went up to pat his shoulder and consoled him. Who asked him to meet George Wood? This man's defensive ability had already been proven in the UEFA Champions League. Countless strong midfielders who were stronger than Arteta had fallen under Wood's feet.
"You've done very well, Mikel. But you still need some time to integrate into the team. "
His lack of chemistry with the team was also an important reason why Arteta did not perform well.
Arteta nodded and returned to the substitutes' bench to sit down. Then, he turned his head to look at the Forest team's technical area. He saw Tang En sitting cross-legged on the chair in the technical area, looking very relaxed.
He was not unfamiliar with this action. When the Forest team was in a match, if the situation was good, he would use this method to relax himself. In the past, when he was on the Forest team's substitutes' bench, he often saw the boss do this. At that time, he was still a Forest player. As long as he saw the boss do this action, he would feel very at ease. Because it meant that the match was in the bag.
But now, as an opponent … no matter how he looked at it, it did not feel comfortable. This action seemed to contain a hint of contempt.
In the interview before the match, as a player who had transferred from the Forest team to Everton, he was asked the most about his opinion of the manager. At that time, he had said, "I think the boss is a very good person." That was not a lie. When he was in the Forest team, he indeed thought so, even if he could only be a substitute.
But now, it was different. As an opponent, he felt that the boss was a little too arrogant. Everton was not a weak team that could be easily pinched in the English Premier League. Why did the things he displayed give people the feeling that he was being "looked down upon"?
Manager Tony Twain … was really a very strange person. When you stood with him, you would follow him with all your heart. But once you stood on the opposite side of him, you would realize that this person was actually very annoying. In the past, you would think that his extreme, arrogant, and conceited attitude was very cute. But now, you felt that it was an insult to the opponent.
Perhaps as an opponent, you would be very unconvinced. But looking at the score, the Forest team was in the lead.
To be fair, this person also had the right to be arrogant.
Arteta retracted his gaze from Twain. He decided not to care about the Forest team anymore. From now on, he would cheer for Everton with all his might and advance and retreat together with Everton. Because he was an Everton player — at least for the next four years.
※ ※ ※
The player that Moyes replaced Arteta was an old acquaintance of Beckham and van Nistelrooy — Phil Neville, who had transferred from Manchester United to Everton.
This was not a transfer deal that was completed this summer. Phil Neville had transferred from Manchester United to Everton two years ago. He was 28 years old at the time. In order to represent the England team in the World Cup, he chose to join Everton, which had a guaranteed appearance.
When he was at Manchester United, he was a versatile player. He could play as a defender or as a midfielder according to the team's needs. Now at Everton, he was basically fixed in the defensive midfielder position by Moyes, using his experience to help the team move forward.
Seeing Neville come on, Beckham's eyes were drawn to him. His gaze followed his former friend. The fans in the stadium gave his former Manchester United teammate a standing ovation. At this time, Phil had long won the love of the Everton fans. This love was different from the love that Arteta received. This love was deeper.
This was Beckham's first return to the English Premier League after leaving Manchester United. Many of the players from the Manchester United team were now playing for other teams. Such a scene of old friends reuniting on the battlefield, but serving different teams, was believed to be inevitable in the future.
Seeing Neville come on, Tim Cahill, who was originally wearing the captain's armband, ran forward. He took off the armband from his arm and handed it to Everton's number 18.
Neville did not refuse. He took the armband and lowered his head to put it on.
Everton's captain …
Beckham sighed in his heart. How many players from the Red Devils team that won the Treble in 1999 were still at Old Trafford?
Neville's short passes were better, and he was far more familiar with the team than Arteta. He understood the characteristics of each teammate and knew how to pass to them most effectively.
And most importantly, he was not afraid to confront George Wood head-on. He might lose, but he would never run away.
After he came on, Everton's offense began to liven up.
The entire team was like a different team when Arteta was on the field. Sure enough, it was a different team that had played together for two seasons and a team that had played together for more than ten days …
Arteta was convinced, but he was not discouraged. He knew that Phil Neville was about to become a thing of the past at Everton, while he belonged to the future at Everton.
Although Everton was not as strong as the Forest team and had little chance of competing for the UEFA Champions League, even if he was on the bench, sitting here would give him hope. But even if he were to sit on the bench, sitting here would give him hope, and in Nottingham Forest, a team with lofty goals … He was on the bench in the beginning, and he might still be on the bench in the future, because the boss always tirelessly chased after those popular players in the transfer market. This was the characteristic of a powerhouse club.
Under Neville's leadership, Everton launched a counterattack against the Forest team. The Forest team did not have time to look for the gaps behind their rear defensive line. During this period, their top priority was to defend with all their might.
George Wood's target became Neville, but he found that the target he had to defend was not a person, but a team. When Neville took the ball, the Everton players around him would move to support him and seek cooperation with him.
It was easy to break through one-on-one defense, but it was difficult to prevent the opponent from passing.
Under Neville's leadership, Everton played short passes and small cooperation. Unlike Arteta's frequent long passes, Neville was more patient, contending with the Forest team and looking for opportunities. Gradually, they regained control of the game amidst the deafening shouts of the home fans.
"The Forest team's defense is astonishing. I think Twain should consider changing players to strengthen their defense. After all, they're leading by one goal now."
This commentator definitely did not understand the real Twain. When he was training and explaining tactics, he would always say to the Forest players, "The most unsafe score in the world is 1: 0."
As a former China fan, he had long suffered the bitterness of "defending to the death after leading by one goal." For some people, defense was for the sake of defense. But for Twain, defense was for the sake of offense.
He turned around and asked Kerslake to call Bale back.
Bale, who was warming up, heard Kerslake call his name and sprinted back in joy.
"Boss!" He looked at Twain with a smile on his face.
Twain liked Bale's child-like personality. He was not nervous, so he could perform at his normal level. As the saying goes, "A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger."
He nodded approvingly. "You know why I called you here, so I won't talk nonsense. When you get on the field, actively plug in. Don't worry about your back. George will help you fill in. You go tell Ribéry to lean toward the middle and give up the left corridor. You know what to do next, right? "
Bale nodded vigorously. "I know, boss!"
"Go." Twain did not waste any time. Bale ran to the fourth official. After a series of security checks, he was allowed to play.
The Forest team obtained an out-of-bounds ball. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Bale replaced Leighton Baines.
"Bring on a full-back who is better at offense. It looks like Twain is not satisfied with a one-goal lead!"
That was nonsense. Of course he wouldn't be satisfied. Twain wanted Everton, who had just planned to fight back, to completely give up on the idea of a home comeback. What better way than to score another goal against them?
※ ※ ※
After Bale came on, he actively assisted on the left flank. Ribéry moved to the middle, while van der Vaart stayed behind to organize the attack. The Forest team's formation looked a little strange. Beckham and Chimbonda did not advance much on the right flank. Beckham not only did not advance, but also very professionally helped Chimbonda defend. Everton's attack on this side was met with great resistance. They intended to focus their offense on the Forest team's left flank and their right flank.
As a result, Twain made a substitution. The Forest team switched to attacking this flank, with Bale and Ribéry taking turns to attack this side. Everton could not even defend. How could they attack? Press back by attacking? Everton's strength on the flank was not comparable to Nottingham Forest, which thrived on the flank.
Ribéry leaned toward the middle and gave up the left corridor. As long as the Forest team controlled the ball, Bale did not hesitate to rush forward.
He did not think about conceding a goal because he believed in Wood.
Van der Vaart handed the football to Ribéry. Ribéry broke through the middle diagonally and saw the opponent's two players blocking in front, so he distributed the football to the flank. Bale followed up in time and received the ball.
He did not stop the ball. Instead, he took advantage of the situation to push the football forward! Then he accelerated forward. This time, he shook off Everton's right back, Tony Hibbert, who came up to block. Hibbert reacted quickly and immediately turned to chase after him. Bale did not pull away from him.
Just as he was about to force Bale to the sidelines, Bale rushed in front of him and suddenly cut inside. He blocked Hibbert's running route and forced him to slow down.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Bale knocked the football to the middle, intending to dribble horizontally to disrupt Everton's defense. But he did not succeed. His breakthrough was stopped by Everton's black center back, Joseph Yobo. Of course, he used a foul. He hooked his leg from the side and behind to hook Bale's right foot. Bale, who lost his center of gravity, fell — a free kick about thirty meters to the left of the goal!
"Look at the referee's gesture. A direct free kick!" The television commentator said excitedly. Not only him, but the Forest fans at the scene and countless Beckham fans in front of the television were also excited. Everyone waited for a long time. Why? "Maybe we'll see Beckham's first goal since his return to the Premier League?"
Bale was pulled up from the ground by Beckham. He saw Beckham holding the football and clearly vowed to take the penalty. When he used to play against Forest, as long as he was on the field, he was the first player to take the set piece. Then Beckham came, but the boss did not say who was first and who was second.
Beckham bent down to place the football at the spot of the foul. Bale did not leave. He stood next to him, ready to cover for Beckham. His free kicks were also famous for their accuracy in the Premier League. Now with Beckham, one good with his left foot and the other good with his right foot, the two of them standing in front of the football would confuse the opponent.
Although this ball was definitely kicked by Beckham, his standing here could also play a role in confusing the opponent — after all, the opponent did not know the Forest team's arrangement, even if there was no arrangement at all …
After Beckham placed the football, he got up and saw Bale standing next to him, so he walked over.
"Gareth, you take this ball." He smiled at Bale.
Gareth Bale was a little surprised. His eyes widened and his cheeks puffed up.
"What? You can't kick it in? "
"Ah … No, it's not like that. It's just … "Bale stammered for a long time and finally made his meaning clear." Doesn't everyone want to see you kick it? "
The remark made Beckham want to laugh, but that would be too eye-catching. He held back his laughter and said to Bale, "This is an official game, not a commercial event. How can the audience be allowed to see what they want to see? Besides, it's precisely because the opponent thinks I'm going to kick it, so you're the one to kick it so that they can't defend against it. "
"But …" Bale wanted to say something but was interrupted by a wave of Beckham's hand.
"Before I came, who was the Forest team's number one player for positioning?"
Bale pointed to himself. "Me."
"Then you do it."
"But the boss didn't say it now …"
"So you do it and let me take this kick. Wait until the boss says it next time." Beckham smiled at him. "I'll be next to you and help you cover."
Beckham was very determined, and Bale also wanted to show off his skills in front of him, so he no longer refused and took the task.
Gareth Bale stood on the right side of the football, making it convenient for him to shoot with his left foot, while Beckham stood on the left side of the football, which was the customary position of a right-footed player.
Seeing the two men standing in front of the football, Everton's goalkeeper, Tim Howard, prepared to pounce on the curving ball from his right foot almost without hesitation. With David Beckham around, how could the Welsh kid have the chance to kick this ball? Even if he wanted to, would the Forest team's manager agree?
※ ※ ※
Tang En, who saw the scene off the field, turned his head to the two assistant managers beside him and said, "Bet, the loser buys a drink. I bet the little monkey will kick this ball. "
Kerslake blurted out almost reflexively, "I bet on David!"
Tang En chuckled. "Just because he has the same name as you? Dunn? "
Dunn thought for a moment. "Bale."
※ ※ ※
Of course, Bale did not know that his boss had put him and Beckham in a bet. At this moment, he stood in his usual position, his head slightly lowered, staring closely at the human wall and the goal in front of him.
David Beckham stood to one side. He was observing his little teammate. Unlike the child who always liked to laugh in front of him before, the little monkey's expression was very serious at this time. His eyes were sharp and experienced, and he was definitely not a greenhorn rookie.
After he first came to the Forest team, he knew that there was such a child in the team who was extremely good at free kicks. He was so good that many Premier League teams had fallen under his left foot. If he only looked at him as a child on the field, he would definitely suffer a big loss.
After he came to the Forest team, they had also practiced free kicks together. Beckham knew how good Bale was. So, he so generously gave up the opportunity that originally belonged to him to the other party, not the slightest bit worried that it might affect the final direction of the game.
Everton's human wall was lined up. Phil Neville, who was lined up in the human wall, was still constantly reminding his teammates around him to pay attention to Beckham's free kicks.
The eyes of all the Everton players … No, everyone in the stands, everyone watching the opening game on television, were focused on David Beckham. The commentator held his breath and gathered his emotions, ready to cheer for Beckham's first goal in his return to the Premier League.
The young Gareth Bale stood next to David Beckham like a background prop that could be ignored.
The referee's whistle sounded. Beckham did not move. He watched Bale run up.
The little monkey's left foot stood upright. The toes of his foot tapped the ground twice behind him, and then he stepped towards the football.
Everton's human wall also did not move. They knew that Bale must be covering for Beckham. They all waited for Beckham to take off before they jumped. It was just that this cover was so realistic … Damn it!
It's real!
Bale unceremoniously kicked the ball. The football's arc was very low, and it just bypassed Everton's human wall! If the human wall jumped up at this time, the football would definitely be blocked by them … But no one jumped. Everyone was waiting for Beckham!
The man they were waiting for had his hands on his hips at this time. He had his signature smile on his face and tilted his head as if he was watching a show.
Howard could not react in time. Bale's ball was low, the arc was small, and the speed was fast. It flew over the human wall and then quickly drilled into the top left corner of the goal!
At this time, Howard had no other choice but to turn his head and watch the football enter the goal! His feet had not even left the ground!
"David Beckham …" The commentator saw Bale take off and was about to shout Beckham's name. He did not expect the ball to be kicked by Bale. When he saw the football fly into the goal, he forcefully changed his words to, "… Bale!!"
"Bale! Bale! Gareth Bale! " In order to cover up his previous mistake, he shouted Bale's name several times. It made people feel that this commentator was really passionate …
"It's not Beckham. It's young Bale! A beautiful direct free kick! Everton's people only thought of Beckham and ignored Bale! They've suffered a big loss! "
※ ※ ※
When Bale scored, Tang En did not excitedly rush out of the technical area with his arms raised high, even though he was surrounded by such people. He only extended his left hand to Kerslake, who was sitting next to him. "Buy me two glasses of wine tonight. I'll drink Dunn's share."
Kerslake was not annoyed. He patted Tang En's hand hard. "As long as we win, let alone two glasses, I'll even buy you 20 glasses!"
※ ※ ※
After the goal, Bale screamed and turned to throw himself into Beckham's arms. He really needed to thank Beckham. Without David at the side to interfere with the judgment of the opponent's human wall, how could his low altitude ball break through the goal so smoothly?
His teammates swarmed over and surrounded the two. Pairs of enthusiastic hands patted Bale's head. Foreign players liked to express their affection for each other in this way.
"Well done! Little monkey! "
"Wahaha! You gave them a big surprise! "
"Hey, let me pat you …"
Bale enjoyed this moment. This was his first goal of the season. His father was watching the live broadcast in front of the television at home. He must have seen it and he must be proud of his son.
Extricating himself from the enthusiastic embrace of his teammates, Bale habitually wanted to fix his hair. As soon as his hand touched the hair, he realized that the Mohawk hairstyle he had spent an hour on had become a mess …
Wood saw the sullen Bale and said in his usual indifferent voice, "Although it took more than 30 seconds, it's still a mess."
"You guys!" Bale wanted to kill the bunch of bad guys.
"Wahaha!" The group of people laughed and ran away.
"Remember to put more hair gel on next time, little monkey!" Ribéry even made a face at him.
David Beckham saw all this from the side and could not help but laugh. This team was very interesting. It was much more interesting than the team that finally scored a goal, but his teammates sat on the bench and ate melon seeds. He knew why this team could rise from the second division in just four years and then lift up the UEFA Champions League.
Why? It was very simple. This was a team …
※ ※ ※
The final score of the opening game was 2: 0. Nottingham Forest defeated the well-prepared Everton at Goodison Park and got their first three points of the new season.
After the game, when Tang En was asked if he was satisfied with Beckham's performance at the press conference, he smiled and said, "I'm very satisfied with the performance of everyone in the team. Yes, everyone, including myself."
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