Forcing an away tie with Real Madrid, the Forest Team already had the advantage in the battle for the top four. However, this advantage was not guaranteed. Tang En dared not say that his team would definitely make it to the semifinals. With the team fighting on two fronts, he had to be careful. This season was not like the previous season, where the policy of "giving up on the league tournament and ensuring the Champions League" was set early on. The team could focus on preparing for the match on one front. Now, Tang En's team needed to work hard in both the league tournament and the Champions League. They needed to close the gap with Manchester United in the league tournament and strive to reach the final for the third time in a row in the Champions League.
Back in Nottingham, Tang En implemented a rotation system against the weak Birmingham City team in the league tournament.
The Forest Team easily defeated Birmingham City 2: 0 with a lineup of half substitutes and half main players. George Wood did not play in this match, and Sidwell's performance as a substitute was not bad.
Tang En had clearly noticed the players' eagerness to get more opportunities to compete. If the conditions allowed, he would let everyone have a chance to play.
Bendtner started as a substitute for van Nistelrooy and scored two goals. After the match, he was chosen as the best player of the match and received a champagne glass. He appeared very happy when he was interviewed by the reporters. When Tang En first brought him from Denmark to England, he said he was the future of the team, the future core player of the Forest Team and the main striker. However, with Viduka and Anelka before him and van Nistelrooy behind him, Bendtner's position had always been awkward. What he could do now was to seize these rare opportunities to try his best to perform and strive to score more goals.
His performance this season was outstanding. He scored 11 goals as a substitute — eight in the league tournament and three in various cup competitions.
On the Danish national team, he had also secured his position as the main striker.
In Tang En's heart, he really regarded Bendtner as the Forest Team's future main center forward. Van Nistelrooy would eventually grow old. His physical condition would decline, his competitive state would decline, and he would get injured frequently. These were all predictable and normal situations. At that time, Bendtner would grow up and take over. With a strong center forward guaranteed, the rest of the forward line would be easy to find. Eastwood, Arshavin, and another one from the transfer market would be more or less enough. In this way, Nottingham Forest's forward line basically did not have to worry too much for the next ten years.
When he first bought Bendtner, he had already changed the fate of the Danish lad. However, in order to avoid the tragedy of spoiling things through excessive enthusiasm, Tang En still intended to let Bendtner slowly grow according to the experience he was familiar with. He did not push him to the main frontline all of a sudden. He hoped that in the next few years, Bendtner could slowly learn and gradually grow until he finally became Nottingham Forest's leading striker.
This was his plan, a step-by-step process. Tang En felt that he had thought it through very well, taking into account all aspects. There shouldn't be anything missing.
Therefore, when he saw that Bendtner had won the Man of the Match award, he also praised the Danish kid in the locker room. As he praised Bendtner, it was as if Tang En could already see the glorious days when Bendtner would become the Premier League's King of Strikers and Nottingham Forest would dominate Europe.
Another piece of good news that made Tang En feel good was that in this round of the league tournament, Nottingham Forest's other competitors either drew or lost. Manchester United drew with Middlesbrough 2: 2 in an away game, Arsenal drew with Liverpool 1: 1 at home, and Chelsea lost to Manchester City 0: 2 in an away game.
In this way, the Forest team was still ranked second, but there was only a point difference between them and Manchester United in first place. There was a six-point difference between them and Arsenal in third place. As long as they did not make any big mistakes, the second place was basically guaranteed.
Tang En's goal for this season was certainly not to be second in the league tournament. He had been second for two consecutive seasons, and the media had already called him "the eternal number two." This was unfair to him because he was a manager who had won the Champions League and the EFL Cup. However, there was no such word as "fair" in the media's dictionary. As long as there was a gimmick, they would do it.
Even if the media did not give Tang En such an ugly nickname, Tang En did not want to be second in the league tournament anymore. His goal this season was to be the league champion. Securing second place in the league tournament was not a reason for him to be happy. What made him happy was Manchester United's mistakes. The two teams were now only separated by one point. More importantly, the Forest team had not yet played against Manchester United in the second half of the league tournament.
As long as they did not make any more mistakes, then there was still a chance to fight to the death with Manchester United. According to the match schedule, in the final round of the league tournament this season, Nottingham Forest would challenge Manchester United in an away game. At that time, as long as the difference between the two teams was still one point, it would be the moment when the league tournament champion was announced.
For the Premier League and the fans, the competition was so intense that it was a good thing.
※ ※ ※
After the 33rd round of the league tournament, Nottingham Forest was ranked second with 76 points. Next, they would face a strong opponent, Real Madrid, at home.
This was not the first time Real Madrid had visited the City Ground stadium. Although it was the first time they had met in the knockout stage, in the first season Tang En participated in the Champions League, their first opponent in the group stage was Real Madrid. That was also the first time the City Ground stadium had returned to the Champions League after many years.
There were many Spanish media that came to England with Real Madrid, and they were still very concerned about the game. Because Real Madrid had stopped in the top 16 of the Champions League for three consecutive seasons. This season, they made it to the top eight, which made people look forward to them winning the tenth Champions League trophy in the club's history. If this really happened, Real Madrid's achievement could be regarded as the well-deserved number one among football clubs.
In the face of such strong expectations, there was no reason to stop in the top eight.
Despite being forced to a 1: 1 draw by Nottingham Forest at home, the media and fans were still more optimistic about Real Madrid. After all, the Forest team only had one away goal, and the overall score was a draw. They believed that for Real Madrid, not to mention conceding a few goals for the time being, it was impossible not to let them score. As long as there was a goal, it would be an away goal. One goal would cancel out Nottingham Forest's away goal, and any more goals would be a net advantage for Real Madrid.
Even if the two sides ended up in a 3: 3 draw at the City Ground stadium, Real Madrid would still advance.
Based on the above analysis, the people of Real Madrid came to the optimistic conclusion that they were bound to advance.
※ ※ ※
The game had not yet started, and the entire Real Madrid team had not yet set off for Nottingham, but Tony Twain had already started the fight.
In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, he talked about the first leg of the game between the two sides. He first admitted that his tactics were to deal with Guti, and then he praised Guti as the current core of Real Madrid. These all seemed normal, and it was just a very ordinary interview when published.
But then, Twain's tone took a turn —
"In fact, I think Guti should be happy about this (referring to the matter of being attacked by everyone in turn and limping after the game), because it shows one thing: he is valued by the enemy. Think of him a few years ago, on the bench … "At this point, Twain laughed and did not go on.
This part of the interview was highlighted in bold by the newspaper editor, and the meaning was self-evident.
Sure enough, after the Spanish media reprinted the interview, it caused a big reaction.
There was no need to say what the Real Madrid fans in Spain reacted to it. On the Guardian's website alone, the comments following the interview were almost all scolding Tony Twain, some in English, some in Spanish, and even some in Japanese and Chinese …
In addition to Real Madrid's supporters, more people thought that Tony Twain lacked enough respect for his opponent.
"… It's hard for me to believe that such words came from a famous manager …" A famous commentator in the Spanish media, AS, said of Tony Twain's remarks.
"… We are a country of gentlemen. We pay attention to the spirit of sportsmanship here. I think Tony Twain's remarks are a serious violation of what we are proud of …" Even the British government officials felt that Twain's words made them lose face. The sports minister, Tessa Jowell, directly criticized Twain. After all, the Real Madrid club had a very good relationship with the Spanish royal family. They represented Spain's sports image abroad. If this image was slandered by a Premier League manager …
"Tony Twain's brain is cramping again." The headline of The Sun was very eye-catching. They even made a special project to find all the inconceivable remarks that Twain had said since he took office. It was called "Tony Twain's Crazy Remarks."
The Spanish media was full of crusades, and the English media almost stood on the opposite side of Twain. They fiercely attacked him for never thinking before he spoke, and tactfully asked Twain to come forward and explain the remarks that were obviously insulting to his opponent.
So, Twain came out to explain. In his own column —
"… I'm very surprised by the reaction that this sentence can cause. I just evaluated my opponent and did not use a word of insult. It was all the truth, and in the eyes of some people, it became disrespect for the opponent. You can ask Guti yourself. Was he only a substitute in a great team like Real Madrid a few years ago? I didn't say his level was not good enough, but the main position belongs to greater players like Beckham, Zidane, and Figo. Compared to them, Guti is really not good enough. Am I wrong? I really don't understand. Is it fun for a group of people to look for faults in my words with a magnifying glass all day long? "
How was this an explanation? Or rather, although it was meant to be an explanation, coupled with Twain's unpleasant tone, it was like adding fuel to the fire no matter how one looked at it.
"Sportsmanship? May I ask, when my goalkeeper, Paul Gerrard, was hit by the Reading player, Hunt, and retired with a concussion, why didn't the respected Sports Minister, Ms. Tessa Jowell, come out to give a speech about 'sportsmanship'? She should be paying attention to the Beijing Olympics and preparing for the London Olympics now, not pointing fingers at me. "
"I'm just expressing my opinion about the opposing player, and I'm being attacked like this. Then let's not talk in the future, okay? Everyone shut up, and the world will be peaceful. "
"If the media really can't find anything to report, I suggest you take out all the space to publish public service advertisements to promote sportsmanship?"
It was called an explanation, but it was actually Twain's counterattack.
It was not known if Tony Twain was the first person in the history of English football to so mercilessly attack the British Minister of Culture, News, and Sport. In any case, he was completely red, so red that it turned purple, and purple turned black. He had a lot more enemies.
Although Jowell was the Sports Minister, she did not have the right to ask Twain what he did. The only thing she did wrong was to not get involved in this matter and make those remarks, poking the hornet's nest that was Twain. After Twain's counterattack, she did not say anything else. For a high-ranking government official, maintaining silence in a war of words with an ordinary citizen was the most appropriate approach. She should have done so earlier.
The Spanish media was relentless, but the voices of the English media were much weaker. Because the game was approaching, there was no point in hyping things up. In the end, it still came back to the game itself.
In fact, the media's hyping with great fanfare was not at all for the sake of "the dignity of Spanish football," "for the sake of sportsmanship," or "to respect the opponent." They just did it because it could attract attention and have greater benefits.
The media was the profession in the world that was best at "being a whore and still maintaining a chastity." Twain knew what they were up to, so he did not give them a good look.
His words had the biggest impact on Real Madrid, and Guti, who had been "named," was even more furious. When he arrived in Nottingham, he looked angry when he was interviewed. "I don't like people who judge others maliciously, and I'm not interested in answering such a boring topic." He rudely rejected the reporter's question about Twain's remarks. But even if he did not answer the question, did the media have nothing to say?
"Guti expresses strong dissatisfaction with Tony Twain's remarks!"
"Guti thinks Tony Twain is not worth mentioning!"
…
And so on.
Anyway, with the media adding fuel to the fire, the two sides were officially at loggerheads.
※ ※ ※
In fact, Dunn was a little puzzled by Twain's sudden mention of Guti. He felt that Twain did not need to cause trouble for himself.
Twain just shrugged to indicate that the idle and bored Sports Minister was an "accident" beyond his expectations. In the past, it was normal for people to spit on each other in the football circle. It was also a big attraction in the football world and a gimmick that the media was happy to see. Mourinho once called Wenger a "peeping tom." Ferguson also said that he wished he had two bullets to kill Wenger and Victoria. Why did no British government officials come out to make irresponsible remarks?
So, Twain did not expect Jowell to stand up for him, which made him particularly angry. He had a domineering attitude of "outsiders shouldn't butt in when people in our circle are talking." He did not care that it was a government official and a woman at the same time. He spoke sarcastically.
Putting aside the impulsive Sports Minister, Twain's plan went smoothly. He paid the price of bearing a lot of infamy and being hated, and then succeeded in angering Real Madrid's midfield general, Guti.
Perhaps he was not as famous as Raúl and the others, but in Twain's eyes, he was the real core of the current Real Madrid team. With him, Real Madrid's offense had a direction and strategy. Without him, Real Madrid's offense would be messy.
When Guti was angered, he would lose the calmness that a playmaker must have. At that time, what Real Madrid's offense would be like … could be guessed with one's knees.
※ ※ ※
Nothing was out of Twain's expectations. In the second leg of the game between the two sides, Guti's performance was like a different person from the first leg. Everyone could see the impetuous mood. For the first time, Real Madrid's offense became messy and disorderly. At first, they relied on Guti. As a result, Guti made frequent mistakes and frequently lost the ball. He even passed the football directly to the feet of the Forest players several times.
Amidst the overwhelming boos in the City Ground stadium, his temper became worse and worse. Before the end of the first half, he applied for a yellow card for an unnecessary and ferocious tackle that brought down George Wood. He received a yellow card, and the Forest players persistently asked the referee to give him a red card and send him off the field.
The game was full of gunpowder, and verbal conflicts between the players on both sides were common.
In the 70th minute of the game, Schuster could not take it anymore and replaced Guti with Gago. In those 70 minutes, Guti passed the ball 76 times but only succeeded 30 times. His frequent mistakes did not help the team's offense at all. Instead, it made the whole team impatient with him.
There were fewer conflicts, but Real Madrid's offense completely lost its direction. They relied more on the star player's individual skills to fight alone. Occasionally, they would be drowned out by the Forest team's overall defense when they wanted to cooperate. The insufferably arrogant Real Madrid was at a loss in the face of Nottingham Forest's stubborn defense at home.
In the end, the two sides tied at 0: 0.
This result made the faces of the Real Madrid fans ashen, and it also made the Real Madrid players at a loss — they were eliminated by Nottingham Forest with the disadvantage of fewer away goals scored …
"Nottingham Forest has broken into the top four again! For the third year in a row! It's amazing, it's amazing … "The commentator repeated, somewhat at a loss for words.
The game was played unsightly and had no highlights to speak of. If neutral fans saw such a game, they would have turned off the television or changed the channel. Even the commentator himself couldn't muster up any interest in such a match. However, breaking into the top four of the Champions League for three years in a row was indeed a remarkable achievement. In today's football world, few teams could do this … No, it could even be said that "almost none."
The contradiction between an ugly and nauseating game and a remarkable and great achievement was miraculously unified on Tony Twain's team. For the first time, the commentator felt that he was lacking in vocabulary and could not properly express this feeling.
He could only …
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