Chelsea used Makelele's sudden godly kick to break the deadlock on the field. Nottingham Forest fell behind on their home ground. The Forest players could not accept it and quickly launched a counterattack after conceding the goal. However, this counterattack was the product of a moment of impulse and was not carefully planned. At first, Chelsea was a little flustered because of the Forest team's ferocious offensive. However, after they held on for a few minutes, they were able to cope with the Forest team's disorderly attack.
What made the Forest team unacceptable was not that they fell behind to Chelsea at home. Such a situation was common for them. The real reason they were upset was that the goal was scored by Makelele!
They were in exactly the same mood as Tang En — we made the best defensive arrangement. Everyone worked hard to ensure that the opponent's every point of attack was within their grasp. Their offensive players did not get any decent opportunities. This showed that our defense was very, very good. But …
But! Who would have thought that Makelele would hit such a wonderful long shot? Who would have thought? No one! The person who was least likely to score a goal scored the most beautiful goal. How could it not make people lose their cool?
Faced with such a Forest team, Chelsea simply played defensive counterattack, letting them attack and press forward. Then, they relied on quick and concise passes to fight back through the midfield.
After Edwin van der Sar, George Wood and the others busied themselves for a while, in addition to Tang En's loud yelling from the sidelines, the Forest team finally regained their composure. They began to gradually withdraw their formation, which was too forward, and slowly grinded against Chelsea in the midfield.
The game returned to a state that made the commentator unhappy.
Just now, when the Forest team suddenly went berserk and surrounded Chelsea's penalty area to bombard it, while Chelsea easily dealt with it and quickly counterattacked, causing the Forest team's rear defensive line to jump up and down, the commentator became excited. He had waited for a long time to see such a game and wanted to commentate on such a confrontation.
That was why Tang En did not have much popularity in the commentator circle. Other than John Motson, most people did not like to commentate on the Forest team's games. It was simply torture to watch the Forest team's games with a neutral and objective attitude. The only way to win made the game dull most of the time.
Seeing that the team's defense was organized again, Twain finally stopped. He no longer chattered and danced like a monkey on the sidelines.
He walked back to the technical area and shook his head at Dunn. "It's not good to ignore the midfield and do a direct long pass, especially against an opponent who is one goal ahead and intends to defend, Dunn."
Dunn nodded but did not speak.
In fact, as an assistant manager, he would be here to carefully observe the situation on the field for every match. Then, he would carry out "simulation calculations" in his mind — if it were him, what he would do, what the consequences would be, whether it would be good or bad … Then, he would compare it with the adjustments Tang En made in the end.
This time, all he did was say it out loud, but it turned out that his simulation was wrong again.
※ ※ ※
The score on the field did not change until halftime. 0: 1. The home team, Nottingham Forest, was temporarily behind.
The mood of the players who returned to the locker room had gradually calmed down. They had seen this kind of situation many times, so it was not enough to make them dejected. Tang En was also in the mood to joke with them. "Well, I admit that after Makelele scored, I finally understood how Mourinho felt after George Wood scored in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final last year."
He spread his hands, and a burst of laughter broke out in the locker room.
Someone even winked at George Wood, who was sitting in the corner.
"Actually, we should have seen that other than that goal, they did not have too many good chances. But because we lost the goal, the advantage is no longer on our side. In the second half, we'll start to counterattack. Under the premise of a solid defense, we'll counterattack! But this time, we won't take the flanks. "
There were probably not many people who would disagree that Nottingham Forest's flanks were ranked first in the English Premier League. Although the king of assists, Ashley Young, was gone, the four players, Franck Ribéry, Martin Petrov, David Beckham, and Aaron Lennon, were still fearsome attackers on the flanks. Their characteristics were different, and their skills were excellent.
Tang En also paid attention to the role of the flanks in the offense. Many of the Forest team's attacks were launched from the flanks. When opponents studied the Forest team, they also focused on studying their flanks, whether it was offense or defense.
In the current match, the Forest team could already feel the trouble their opponents' research brought them.
"We won't take the flanks this time. We'll take the middle." Tang En looked at George Wood, who was sitting in the corner, and smiled. "George!"
Wood stood up obediently and looked at Tang En in silence.
"Do you remember what Demetrio said to you before he left?"
Wood nodded.
"I'll leave it to you."
Tang En drew an arrow from their own half of the field to the opponent's penalty area on the plan of the football field on the tactical board. He turned to Wood and said, "When we attack, I'm asking you to … like this, go forward. Van der Vaart is in charge of organizing the attack. He'll choose the right time to pass the ball to you — if you run into an empty space. If you're targeted, help him pull away the opponent's Makelele and Essien, as well as the other messy defensive players. And you guys. " Tang En threw away the pen and pointed to the others. "Don't think that you won't run if you don't have a chance. Nottingham Forest's football chances all come from running. Tear a big gap in their tightly organized defensive line! Now that we're behind and they're ahead, I bet that guy, Mourinho, will get the team to resolutely play defensive counterattack in the second half and deal with us the same way we deal with others. So, we can't wait for opportunities to appear like we usually do. We have to create opportunities ourselves. Run … keep running. The two side midfielders cross and change positions. The strikers cross and change positions. The strikers and the attacking midfielders cross and change positions. In short, we can't let the opponent guess our intentions. The two full backs have to be firm when it's time to plug in. "
Bale and Rafinha nodded. They were in the starting lineup for the game. The two full backs, who both liked to attack, wanted to hear this the most.
"Nicklas." Tang En looked at Bendtner again.
Bendtner and Chimbonda were called back from the reserves by Tang En before the second leg of the game against Beşiktaş. He needed Bendtner's height and headers, as well as his strength, for that game. The tactic he arranged to deal with the Turks was aerial balls. Because the opponent's main center back, Zan, was injured in the league tournament, Beşiktaş lacked air defense capabilities. Tang En took advantage of this to arrange for Bendtner to start and put van Nistelrooy on the bench. Bendtner, who had been holding back his energy, did not disappoint Tang En. The final score of that game was 8: 0. Bendtner alone scored four goals, three headers, and a shovel shot. He completely routed the Beşiktaş defense. Not only that, but he also used his height and headers to assist his teammates, directly assisting one goal and indirectly assisting two goals. When he was substituted in the 83rd minute, the fans in the stadium gave him a standing ovation.
Tang En knew the magic of the carrot and the stick, so he singled out Bendtner for praise at the post-match press conference and let him start in the league tournament. As for Chimbonda, he was a substitute in the second half of the game against Beşiktaş and still sat on the bench for this game.
"Nicklas, your task is not to score goals. If we attack, you run forward and go up. The opponent's defense will definitely retreat with you. You push their defense back like this and create opportunities for the others who plug in from the back to score. " Tang En wrote and drew on the tactical board to let Bendtner understand what his task was for this game.
Bendtner did not say anything, nor did he nod to show that he understood. The expression on his face seemed to be a little unwilling. He had not recovered from the state of scoring four goals alone in the Champions League and was somewhat reluctant to accept the job of covering. Tang En could see it, but he did not have the time to care about it. Winning the game was the most important thing now. He did not want to lose to Mourinho.
He just added, "You're the tactical center forward. Do you understand?"
This time, Bendtner nodded.
In this game, Ribéry continued to be absent due to injury. The starting player on the left was Petrov and on the right was Lennon. Both were fast players who were good at breaking through. However, Tang En did not ask them to pass from the byline. Instead, he asked them to cut into the penalty area from the flanks at the right time. If there was a chance, they could even dribble the ball to break through and disrupt the opponent's defense.
With such an arrangement, Bendtner, as the tall center forward, could only do the job of covering in front of the goal. The Forest team's point of attack was not on him, but on the midfielders who plugged in from the back, as well as the Russian, Arshavin, who was a little like a shadow forward, a little like a winger, and a little like an attacking midfielder.
After arranging the specific tactics, Tang En let the players rest and prepare to go out. He himself walked out of the locker room.
There was a crossroads not far diagonally opposite the home team's locker room. Turning to the right was a corridor, and another right was the door to the away team's locker room. When it was time to go out, the players from both teams came out of their respective locker room doors and walked through a corridor to a spacious hall. There, they gathered for a while and waited for the referee. Then, they walked forward with the referee to a corridor that led to the field.
The entrance ceremony that made the fans cheer began from here.
Tang En walked to the hall. At this time, the hall was deserted except for a few stadium staff members. The noise from the field outside could still be heard clearly, but it was a little messy without a unified organization. Most fans chose to go outside to buy some drinks and fast food, or go to the restroom at this time. In addition, it was raining today, so there were not many fans in the stands.
Tang En wanted to smoke, but he did not smoke in a place like the stadium. He did not want to send any bad signals to the players and others. He turned and walked to the restroom reserved for the coaches.
※ ※ ※
Mourinho stood in front of the big mirror on the bathroom sink and stared at himself in the mirror. He had just washed his face with cold water, and there were still beads of water on the tip of his nose and eyebrows.
The atmosphere in the locker room made him very uncomfortable. The team that was originally united to fight for the championship title was falling apart.
Although they were in the lead, the atmosphere in the locker room during the halftime interval was not lively. The rumors during this period had clearly interfered with Chelsea's internal affairs. Drogba, who was close to Mourinho, was not just averse to Abramovich for a day or two. Shevchenko, who was bought with Abramovich's stubbornness, was also somewhat dismissive of him.
He also had the capital to be arrogant. When Shevchenko first came to Chelsea, because of the aura of the world's top striker, the media had speculated that Mourinho would let Shevchenko be the main player and sacrifice Drogba. So, someone asked Drogba what he thought of the competition with Shevchenko. Drogba said proudly at the time, "Shevchenko is an excellent striker, but I'm not afraid of competing with him. I will prove my ability. "
Later, Shevchenko's performance in his first season at Chelsea was very unsatisfactory. He was called a "substandard" by the English media and even made a list of the top 50 substandard players in the Premier League. The center forward, Drogba, who was not previously favored and was considered to have rough skills, still maintained his high goal rate and saved the team at many crucial moments. His form was as stable as ever.
The pre-season speculation of "Shevchenko squeezing out Drogba" did not happen, but these people were worried about whether Shevchenko would return to the embrace of AC Milan after a gloomy season in England …
Drogba was brought to Chelsea by Mourinho from the French Ligue 1 and cultivated into a world-renowned center forward. So far, his most brilliant achievements were achieved at Chelsea under Mourinho. His feelings for Mourinho might be comparable to that of the Forest team's Ribéry and Twain.
Basically, most of the players bought into Chelsea after Mourinho took office stood behind the manager. Ballack and Shevchenko were not favored by Mourinho and could not be put in an important position, so it was impossible to have a good impression of Mourinho. There was also Grant, who always stood behind Mourinho as if Abramovich had placed him in the locker room to monitor. The relationship in the locker room was really complicated.
Mourinho was not a naive child who thought that teammates on a team should be friends. He liked the feeling of being in a position of power. Now some people in the locker room did not listen to him, which made him angry and helpless.
He was angry because he was deprived of his power, and helpless because he could only accept the result.
After laying out the tactics for the second half, he ran out for a breather. He washed his face in the bathroom to clear his mind.
He could no longer control the locker room. Some people listened to him on the surface, but he could not control what they thought behind his back.
A white tissue appeared in front of Mourinho. He came back to his senses and saw an extra person in the mirror.
"Why are you crying when you're in the lead, Mr. Mourinho?" Twain's sharp and unkind voice rang out.
"Have you ever seen tears run to the eyebrows?" Mourinho retorted. "Maybe your physiological structure is not quite the same as ours, Mr. Twain?"
Twain did not fight back. Instead, he laughed very happily.
"So happy to be behind?" Mourinho continued to ridicule.
"No, it has nothing to do with the score and the game." Twain smiled, then took out a cigarette and handed one to Mourinho.
"No, thank you. I don't smoke." Mourinho refused with a straight face.
Twain shrugged and lit a cigarette for himself.
Mourinho looked in the mirror and used the tissue Twain handed to him to wipe the water droplets on his face. He then wiped his hands before throwing the used tissue into the trash can.
"Thank you for the tissue. Goodbye."
Mourinho did not want to be in the same room with Twain. He said goodbye to Twain and turned to leave.
"Mr. Mourinho …"
"Yes?" Mourinho stopped and looked back at Twain.
"… Goodbye." Twain waved and added, "See you on the field in a while."
※ ※ ※
The second half resumed. The rain did not stop, and Mourinho still stood on the sidelines, letting the rain and wind blow. Twain also changed from his pacing back and forth in the first half and stood on the sidelines in the rain.
The Forest team began to fight back. Amid the cheers of the home fans, the momentum of their counterattack forced Chelsea to temporarily give up the plan to fight back and focus on defense.
Based on their understanding and analysis of the Forest team, Chelsea placed the focus of their defense on the two flanks. They saw that Bale and Rafinha, who did not contribute much in the first half, frequently pressed on after the start of the second half, which strengthened their determination to defend the flanks.
The Forest team concentrated their superior forces on the right flank to attack, and then shifted to the left flank in search of a gap. It was no different from usual no matter how one looked at it.
Just when everyone thought the Forest team's offense on the flanks would be smashed to pieces in front of Chelsea's impenetrable wall, George Wood plugged in.
No one looked at him!
"Pass the ball to George!" Someone in the stands shouted impatiently.
Van der Vaart did not look up to find his teammates. That would be too obvious. He just glanced out of the corner of his eye and found that Wood plugged in from behind, and there was not a single Chelsea player around.
He did not hesitate to pass the football out. Then he ran forward, intending to do a beautiful one-two with Wood … if he could realize it.
The football rolled toward Wood. Just as Wood raised his foot to receive it, he suddenly lost his balance and fell to the ground with a crash!
The referee's whistle sounded, but what sounded faster than his whistle was the earth-shattering boos from the home fans in the stands.
"Foul!" The commentator yelled.
Before George Wood could receive the ball, he was tackled from behind. He turned over and found that the person who had tackled him turned out to be the skinny Makelele. The blow did not actually hurt him, so he planned to get up from the ground. But before he could do so, he was pinned to the ground by van der Vaart, who rushed over and looked anxiously at his legs.
"I didn't …" He wanted to reassure his worried teammates.
"Shut up!" Van der Vaart lowered his head and whispered, "Lie on the ground and pretend to be in pain! Hurry! "
Before Wood could say anything, more teammates ran over from all directions and surrounded him. Some of them even gestured for the stretcher to be carried onto the field. Others were responsible for protesting to the referee and complaining loudly to the Chelsea players that their players were too rough.
"That's a big move … George Wood fell to the ground in pain. It looks like he's injured, and it's not a light injury … Since his debut, George Wood has never missed a game for the Forest team because of an injury. Could it be that this will be the first time that he will never forget?" The commentator talked incessantly, and the television screen cooperatively played a slow-motion replay of Makelele's foul. But judging from the action, it was really ruthless. George Wood was flipped over.
The perpetrator, Makelele, stood outside as if nothing had happened and looked relaxed. He shouted in French through the layers of the crowd.
"What is that bastard shouting?" Gareth Bale did not care whether Makelele was a senior on the field or someone else. He was not in the mood to respect the old and care for the young after he hurt his own brother.
Ribéry and Chimbonda were not on the field, so the Forest team now had no Frenchmen. However, Kompany, as a Belgian, could still understand French. He and Bale were both in the inner circle to "protect" Wood. He translated, "It seems to be … 'Get up, boy. I didn't hurt you. You know it yourself. 'Huh? "
The two men looked down at Wood, who was lying on the ground looking at them.
"I'm really not hurt," he said. "He tackled the ball first and then flipped me over …"
Van der Vaart interrupted him again, "If you don't lie on the ground for a while, how are we going to get him a card?"
There was a small riot on the field. Such riots almost always happened at every game between the Forest team and Chelsea, and more than once. The fans in the stands booed excitedly and followed suit.
The referee finally showed Makelele a yellow card. The Forest players next to him were still "angrily protesting."
"Such a foul should be a red card!"
The team doctor, Fleming, and his men dragged the stretcher into the crowd. He knelt down and pinched Wood's ankle. "It's not a bone injury …"
"I'm not hurt …" Wood said helplessly.
"Shut up!" Fleming took out a spray from his bag and sprayed it at Wood's legs. Then he said to the two men behind him, "Carry him off."
Wood was indignant. He was clearly not hurt, but he had to be carried off the field. In his mind, being carried off the field could only be the treatment his opponent received. It would be a disgrace for him to be carried off. He strongly objected and rejected the idea. "I said I'm not hurt!"
Fleming also knew that Wood was indeed not hurt. He was even more aware of Wood's temper, so he waved his hand and dismissed the two staff members. "Well, then don't carry him. Go down with me, but be careful to limp a little when you walk. Don't be too obvious … Don't walk too fast. All right … "He reached out to take Wood's hand and made a forceful posture. "Get up!"
Wood stood up.
"Remember what I said. Walk slowly!" Fleming whispered next to Wood. To the audience, it seemed like he was concerned about the injury.
Seeing their captain stand up again, the stands at the City Ground stadium burst into loud applause.
"George Wood walked off the field. It doesn't look like he's seriously injured …"
Wood stood on the sidelines and gestured to the referee to enter the field. The referee waved his hand, and he suddenly kicked off the ground and leaped back. Looking at that burst of power, there was no trace of injury.
Tang En was a little nervous when he saw Wood lying on the ground for a long time without getting up. He was relieved when he saw Wood walk off the field on his own. Then, he saw Wood quickly rush back to the field, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
Fleming was a little surprised and annoyed, not expecting Wood to run back in such a healthy way. He glared fiercely at the back of the figure and walked back.
Tang En reached out to him. "Is the kid okay?"
"Healthier than a bull in heat." Fleming gave Tang En a high-five and then walked back to his seat.
Tang En looked back at Chelsea's Makelele on the field and smacked his lips. "Too bad it's just a yellow card …"
※ ※ ※
In addition to the yellow card, Nottingham Forest's other gain was a direct free kick at the front of the penalty area, which was taken by Bale.
Bale set up the football and asked Wood, who was standing next to him, "He really didn't shove you?"
Wood answered the question with a straight face. "No."
"Hmm …" Bale turned his head to look at Chelsea's goal. Čech was nervously directing his teammates to form a human wall to block off the area near the front corner of the goal. Everyone knew Bale's standards for free kicks, and this position was the favorite of left-footed players. However, his anger was gone, and he felt a little empty …
The referee blew his whistle. Wood, who was standing to the side as though he was covering for Bale, did not even move. Bale started to run and shoot.
The football drew an arc and beautifully skimmed over the human wall, flying toward the near corner of the goal.
Čech did his best to pounce over from the far corner, but he did not touch the football.
Gareth Bale's free kick was not high. It always flew over the top of the human wall, so its speed was faster than the average free kick. In addition, the arc was strange and unpredictable, making it difficult for the goalkeeper to judge.
Just as the football was about to drill into the net, it slammed into the crossbar and bounced out of the end line.
A loud sigh rang out in the sky above the City Ground stadium. Everyone could not help but hold their heads and sigh at the beautiful free kick that did not go in.
On the sidelines, Tang En was like them. He held his head in his hands and squatted on the ground. This time, he shouted, "What a damn pity!"
Compared to the monkey-like Tang En, Mourinho was still in the same position. Bale's free kick that hit the crossbar did not surprise him too much.
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