England's elimination from the competition caused the British media to be in a state of panic the next day.
Some people angrily accused McClaren of destroying the best English team in history — in the eyes of the English, their team was the strongest in history at all times.
Some people lamented the arrival of the end of the world.
Others said sourly that the UEFA European Championship would not be complete without England, because England was the birthplace of modern football.
There was also a group of people who calmly analyzed the reasons for the loss. After analyzing and analyzing, they finally came to the conclusion that there was no problem with our players. The problem was McClaren. So they asked the Football Association to start preparing to choose a new manager.
Tang En did not join in the fun. He had said what he wanted to say before the game. Saying it now was just copying and pasting it to one side. There was nothing new. McClaren had a lot of problems with the selection of players and tactical arrangements. He was born to be an assistant manager, not a manager. Tang En had repeatedly said this since the day McClaren came to power, but no one listened. Now that the group of people in England had finally received their retribution, Tang En could not be bothered to kick them when they were down.
The two weeks without the league tournament did not make Tang En feel bored, because a lot of things happened in between. Mourinho was gone. He had impulsively scolded Abramovich and offended the Chelsea Football Club. Would he feel like it was a new season when the league tournament started again?
Dunn had already returned, two days later than expected. Dunn said it was because of Tang Jing that he was taken to have dinner with her father and played in the country for a day, delaying his time. Hearing this, Tang En wanted to tease Dunn. He had even met the other party's parents. But in the end, he did not say it.
Dunn returned with a Sichuan brocade handkerchief as a gift for Shania and a box of discs for Tang En.
Tang En found it strange.
"All the videos of that talent show, including those that have been shown on TV and those that have not been shown," Dunn explained.
Tang En was even more puzzled. "I didn't ask you to bring these back. I'm not very interested in that talent show …"
Dunn interrupted him. "Just watch it when you're bored and see what a football talent show is like."
How could Tang En be bored? With Shania by his side, there would always be something to do.
Two days after he thought of this, Shania packed up and left.
Shania also left Nottingham two days after England lost the next summer. Christmas was just around the corner, and the busiest time of the year had begun.
This was not the first time Tang En and Shania had to part like this. Ever since Shania became an A-list supermodel, they had not spent Christmas together. Every Christmas, Tang En would send a large Totoro doll to Shania, who was far away, as a Christmas present, and it had never stopped. The two of them chatted on the phone, which meant that they had spent the day together.
But this time, as Shania packed her luggage in her room, Tang En stood at the door and watched her busy figure.
"You'll be very busy next year, right? Runway shows, commercials, endorsements … and movies. "
"Well, the good days are over." Shania stretched, then she suddenly turned around and looked at Twain. "Can't bear for me to leave, Uncle Tony?"
Tang En was at a loss for what to do with the question. After a long while, he finally said, "If you leave … there won't be anyone to cook for me."
Shania laughed. "What a lousy excuse. The food I cook isn't delicious. "
"Actually … it's fine once you get used to it." Tang En scratched his head.
Shania did not speak again. She smiled and continued to pack.
In fact, there was nothing much to pack. No matter where she went, she only needed to bring some clothes and small toys. A small suitcase could fit them all. But Shania always complained that the clothes were not neatly folded enough. There would be folds that should not be there. So, she would put them in, take them out, spread them out, and then fold them again. This delayed some time.
Until they heard the sound of a car horn coming from outside.
"It's Mr. Fasal." Shania walked to the side of the bed, opened the curtains, and looked down.
"Let's go, don't miss the plane." Tang En stepped aside to let her through the door.
Shania picked up the suitcase and walked to Tang En's side, but Tang En took it from her hands. "I'll send you out."
Shania did not refuse and followed Tang En downstairs.
"When is the next time you come back?" Standing in front of the door, Tang En asked Shania, who was sorting out her coat.
"March next year," Shania said. According to the work schedule that her manager, Fasal, had arranged for her, she would only have a period of rest in March. After ten days, she would go to Los Angeles to prepare for filming. Although there would only be a few scenes and no lines, it was necessary to stay longer because she wanted to develop her career here. She needed to enter that circle a little more. When the time came, Tom Cruise and Clarice Gloria would introduce her to more people. In Hollywood, an additional friend was equivalent to an additional path.
Shania, who had finished dressing, stood at the door. She did not go to open the door, but turned to look at Tang En.
"Can I have a hug, Uncle Tony? Just treat it as a farewell … "She opened her arms. Before she could finish, Tang En hugged her.
"Goodbye, Shania."
"Goodbye, Uncle Tony."
The two separated. Tang En opened the door and walked out first with the suitcase. Fasal came forward to take the suitcase and put it in the trunk of the car. Shania followed him out, opened the door, and got in.
"Goodbye again, Uncle Tony." She sat in the car and waved at Tang En.
Tang En waved back at her. Then he turned to Fasal and whispered, "I'm counting on you, Mr. Fasal."
Fasal smiled. "Please rest assured, Mr. Tang En."
The two shook hands and said goodbye. Tang En stood by the street and watched Shania's car disappear around the corner before returning home.
Just as he was about to enter, he heard the door of the house beside him open. Dunn pushed the door open and came out.
"Shania left?"
"You've been here all this time … Why didn't you come out to say goodbye?"
Dunn shook his head. "Forget it. It's not good for me to come out."
Tang En glared at him. The current Dunn was a far cry from the Dunn he knew from his memories when he had transmigrated.
His personality had become a lot more cheerful.
He decided to take revenge. "You and Tang Jing …"
"Right, I still have something to do." Dunn did not wait for Tang En to finish. He shrank back and closed the door.
"Hey!" Tang En stood outside alone and rolled his eyes.
※ ※ ※
With Shania gone, Tang En sometimes felt a little lonely. However, this was only a feeling he would have after returning home. When he and Dunn returned home from the training base, he would open the door and see an empty room. No one would jump out to tell him with a smile that they would have something delicious to eat tonight. He could not be blamed.
During this period of time, it was the longest that Shania and Tang En had been alone together. He was already used to having someone wait for him every day when he returned home. For a while, he could not return to his previous life of being single.
There were a few times when he and Dunn opened their respective doors. Dunn went in while Tang En stood at the door in a daze. Because it was dark inside and there was not a single person, he thought he had opened the wrong door.
In the first few days, this symptom was frequent and prominent. Later, as time passed, it gradually improved. Sometimes, he and Dunn would go to Kenny Burns' bar to settle their dinner, drink some wine and chat. Of course, Dunn still did not drink alcohol, only drinking water. Sometimes, they would go to a fast food restaurant on the way home to buy some takeaway. Sometimes, when they were in a good mood and had plenty of time, they would choose to go home and do it themselves.
In fact, it was easy to get used to being single.
※ ※ ※
Just two days after Shania left, the Forest team also ushered in a new round of the league tournament. On November 24th, Nottingham Forest faced Arsenal in an away game.
As they had just played in the national team's game, a large number of players on both sides were exhausted and excluded from the starting list, and even the squad list.
For example, Beckham did not appear in the starting list.
England's elimination from the competition had left him in low spirits, and his condition seemed to have been affected. Tang En was worried that Beckham's foot injury would act up again, so he did not let him start.
Replacing Beckham in the starting lineup was Lennon, who was also selected for England but sat on the bench for 90 minutes. On the left, Ribéry also did not appear in the starting lineup. In consideration of the more intense competition schedule later on, Tang En had to let some of the more important players rest at this time, even if doing so would affect the team's current results.
George Wood was in the starting lineup, forming the middle with van der Vaart. On the forward line, Bendtner was in the starting lineup again, partnering with Eastwood. There were not many changes in the other positions.
Arsenal deployed the strongest lineup they could on their home ground, except for those who could not play due to injuries.
Wenger did not want to lose to the Forest team on their home ground. Currently, Arsenal was temporarily ranked first, but Manchester United had the same number of points as them. If they lost to the Forest team, they would temporarily lose the battle for the league title.
Tang En also did not want to lose to Arsenal. The lineup he arranged for the away game was still the defensive counterattack that the Forest team was best at. They only needed to stabilize their defense and then wait for the opportunity to sneak in a goal to drag the game into the rhythm they were most familiar with.
But how could everything always go as one wished, and their luck was always so good?
In the opening 14 minutes, Arsenal was the first to score. Fàbregas's long shot pierced the goal guarded by Edwin van der Sar.
After the start of the season, the performances of several young players from the powerhouse teams were so good that it made people's hearts jump.
Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo was no longer the "lone ranger" who only knew how to dribble and play fancy tricks. This season, Ferguson used him as Manchester United's offensive core, even at the expense of Rooney, just to let him explode with more energy. As expected, the number one scorer in the league was not any of the strikers, but this midfielder.
Liverpool's new Spanish "golden boy," Torres, did not seem to be unaccustomed to the English Premier League at all. He could score goals as soon as he came, and he scored goals consecutively. Now, he was ranked second in the league's goalscorers list.
As for Arsenal. Henry's departure from Barcelona before the season shocked many people. It also made them not optimistic about Arsenal's prospects in the new season. They did not expect that when people questioned the ability of Arsenal's forward line, their midfield core, Fàbregas, would step up. This young man, who had been closely marked by Wood in the FA Youth Cup and suffered greatly, had completely matured. Not only could he rely on his passing to create opportunities for the team's offense, he could also rely on his plugging in and shooting to attack for the team when the strikers could not score.
Just like this game. Tang En's defenders defended against Adebayor. George Wood's loss of position allowed Fàbregas to find a chance to plug in and shoot. The football flew straight into the top corner of the goal. Edwin van der Sar tried his best but could not stop Arsenal from taking the lead.
This time, Tang En was forced to press out and attack with Arsenal because Arsenal was different from other opponents. If they allowed Arsenal's one-goal advantage and continued to insist on defending and counterattacking, it would be a thankless task for Forest Team. Arsenal might not score again, but in order to deal with their offense, Forest Team needed to sacrifice their offense. The final result was very likely that Forest Team would unwillingly lose the game.
Tang En chose to go against Arsenal. Of course, he knew what this decision meant. However, Tang En did not think that his team would definitely lose if they went against Arsenal's offense.
As a result, the following game was a blessing for the fans.
Both sides engaged in a battle of offense at the Emirates Stadium. Back and forth, the attacks were lively.
Arsenal had always been a team that excelled in offense. Their offensive patterns were rich and varied, and their attacks flowed like water. The tacit cooperation between the few players was pleasing to the eye. It could be called "artistic football."
On the other hand, Nottingham Forest's offense was not as artistic as Arsenal's. They did not pay much attention to the exquisite cooperation between the few players. They paid more attention to speed and directness, and were more aggressive. Speed and power were important elements that ignited the passion of the audience. Petrov and Lennon relied on their speed to forcefully break through from the two flanks. Every time, it would set off a huge wave of cheers from the stands. Whether it was cheers or boos, it sounded quite lively.
To sum it up, Arsenal's offense was full of beauty and made people feel relaxed and happy. On the other hand, Forest Team's offense lacked the exquisite beauty, but it was rather imposing. This had a lot to do with the personal styles of the two managers.
"Professor" Wenger was a cultured and refined person most of the time. Even when he lost his temper, it was only because he closed the door and did not eat. Tang En was different. With his extroverted and flamboyant personality, the team he trained was naturally flamboyant as well.
In the 37th minute, Nottingham Forest's relentless offensive efforts finally knocked open Arsenal's goal.
Bendtner's header was fast and fierce. Almunia could not react in time and could only use his chest to block the ball. He did not have time to grab it with his hands. At that time, it was a mess in front of Arsenal's goal, and nothing could be seen clearly from the outside. The ball that bounced out was first poked by Eastwood, who followed up, and the ball slowly rolled in amidst the chaos …
The two sides were tied, and the score continued until halftime.
During halftime, Tang En made a slight adjustment. He allowed van der Vaart to have more freedom in his position.
At the start of the second half of the game, the two teams did not make any personnel changes. Even the tactical arrangements were not changed. It looked like Wenger was also determined to use Arsenal's best offense to crush Nottingham Forest on their home ground.
Tony Twain had the same intention. He glanced at Wenger and grinned at him.
In the 59th minute of the game, Arsenal took the lead again. This time, the goal was scored by their captain, William Gallas. He used a corner kick to score with a header.
Five minutes later, Arsenal scored a third goal. This time, the goal was scored by Eduardo da Silva, who had just helped the team defeat England in the last game of the UEFA European Championship qualifiers. Wenger had brought him on three minutes ago, and he had scored.
The Emirates Stadium was filled with thunderous cheers. Scoring two goals in a row in five minutes was a huge blow to the morale of any opponent.
Subsequently, Tang En staked everything on one throw and brought off Leighton Baines. He brought on Gareth Bale, who had played two games for Wales previously. He replaced van der Vaart with Ribéry, allowing the team's two flanks to plug in and attack more resolutely and incisively. He also asked George Wood to actively participate in the attack and not pay too much attention to the defense.
In the 81st minute, Nottingham Forest's indiscriminate bombardment finally paid off.
George Wood's aggressive scramble in the front field snatched an opportunity for the Forest team. After he passed the ball to Ribéry, the Forest team took advantage of the situation and turned into a counterattack.
Arsenal appeared a little unprepared for this goal concede in the backfield. Wood had snatched the ball from Hleb and was known as the "dribbling genius" who was best at dribbling the ball. However, it was this dribbling genius who did not accept Fàbregas' suggestion to pass the ball when he faced Wood. Instead, he intended to fight one-on-one. He wanted to rely on his current form to get past this fellow who was known as the "defensive monster."
Wood successfully intercepted the ball from under Hleb's feet with his own anticipation and strong body, and the Forest team launched a counterattack. Although Fàbregas expected Hleb to lose the ball, he did not expect the Forest team's counterattack to be launched so quickly. Even if he went to defend against Ribéry, he was still a step too late, allowing the Frenchman to pass the ball out. Petrov cut inside to attract Arsenal's defensive attention. Bale plugged in and received Ribéry's overhead ball, and then he passed the ball. It was not a high ball, but a low flat ball. In the chaotic penalty area, anyone who swept it could score a goal. Such a pass made Arsenal's defenders rather fearful when defending, for fear of creating an own goal. Of course, there were people who were not afraid, such as William Gallas. He stretched out his leg to shovel, but the football quickly streaked past his toes. Bendtner's interference did not touch the football. Similarly, the goalkeepers, Almunia and Eastwood were also shaken.
Just when everyone thought the football would go past the goal without a hitch, a figure in a yellow Forest team away jersey flashed past. He fell to the ground and shoveled a shot. The football was on the tip of his foot and changed direction to crash into the net …
"Aaron Lennon!!"
Lennon scored the Forest team's second goal, but this only narrowed the gap between the two teams from two goals to one goal. If Tang En did not want the team to lose the game, he had to continue attacking in the remaining ten minutes and strive to equalize the score.
At this time, Wenger chose to defend. He got the team to retreat with a plan and put on a defensive stance.
This move was completely out of Tang En's expectations. He had thought that Wenger would go all out against him.
The Forest team launched a frenzied counterattack in the last ten minutes and obtained many good opportunities. Unfortunately, they could not score. After bombarding for ten minutes, they still could not score.
In the end, Tony Twain could only helplessly accept this result. He courageously fought against Arsenal for dozens of minutes, satisfying the television commentators and media, as well as the vast number of fans and spectators, but not himself.
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