Tony Twain flew into a rage on the sidelines. He was not doing it for Ronaldo's penalty. This was the second time.
Because after Ronaldo's goal, Manchester United scored again in just four minutes …
After Nottingham Forest kicked off, there was a mistake on the defensive line. The ball was close, but the power of the pass was too great. When van der Vaart stopped the ball, the football bounced high. He wanted to control the ball again, but it was stolen by Scholes who came up from behind. Van der Vaart wanted to foul from behind, but it was a step too late.
Scholes passed a ball behind him. After Rooney plugged in, he broke into the penalty area and then passed the ball. Ronaldo, who followed up, easily scored the ball.
Old Trafford was like a pot of boiling water in the last few minutes. Other than the cheers and shouts of the Manchester United fans, no other sound could be heard.
How could Twain not fly into a rage?
Conceding two goals so quickly was a huge blow to the team's morale. Moreover, the second goal was his own mistake. He could blame the referee for being blind for the first goal and vent his anger on him. But what about the second goal? He had nothing to say and could only hold his anger in, causing his breathing to become a few notches heavier.
He was not at all mentally prepared for the game to be played like this. He knew that the game at Old Trafford would be more difficult. He also knew that Ferguson was not easy to deal with. He also knew how good Ronaldo's form was this season. But he did not expect his team to perform so badly!
He was very angry, and the consequences were serious.
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Nottingham Forest was indeed stunned by the two goals conceded in these four minutes. After the kick-off, the players were a little listless. Whether it was defense or the occasional counterattack, they all appeared very disorganized.
Not only that, but perhaps the pressure of the league title made them a little distracted. Twain, who was watching the game off the field, sometimes really could not fathom what his players were doing on the field.
Gareth Bale received George Wood's pass. With Manchester United pressing in the front field, as a full back, the most important thing he should do was to get rid of the ball at his feet as soon as possible. But Bale did not. He held the ball and looked up to look for someone. Then he found that there was no suitable passing route. Faced with Hargreaves who came up to rob him, he made a feint and shook off the other side. Should he pass it now? No. He made another dunk and then turned around, wanting to protect the ball. His teammates were waiting not far away. He raised his leg to pass the ball, but he did not pass it. After repeating this a few times, his ball was intercepted …
Tang En vented his anger with a water bottle off the field.
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George Wood was also anxious on the field. He was the captain of the team. When things were going well for the team, the importance of a captain might not be reflected. But now that the team was facing difficulties, as the captain, he should step forward bravely.
How could he step forward bravely?
George Wood didn't know what to do at that moment.
As he continued to play on the field, he searched in his mind for how Demetrio handled similar situations when he was around …
As a result, he was distracted.
Ronaldo successfully broke through him twice in a row. George Wood looked like he could not withstand a single blow.
The Manchester United fans cheered even louder. Everyone knew that George Wood was a famous defensive midfielder in the English Premier League. It was amazing to be able to get past him so easily. But their Cristiano Ronaldo did it.
Even Wood was behaving this way. Tang En did not take out the water bottle to vent his anger. He sat on the chair and sulked.
Seeing him like this, the smile on Ferguson's face deepened. Her face, which was already red to begin with, could now be considered to be "glowing".
It really made people wonder if he had been secretly drinking in the manager's seat.
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The first half came to an end with Manchester United besieging Nottingham Forest and Nottingham Forest's pathetic defense and inability to retaliate.
When the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, the Nottingham Forest players felt that the sound was so beautiful for the first time. But when they saw the back of the figure hurrying away from the sidelines, they felt that returning to the locker room would probably be an even greater torment …
The first person to walk into the locker room was Ribéry. He saw Tang En sitting on the chair with a dark expression and did not dare to speak. He lowered his head and returned to his locker to rest.
The players who followed were mostly the same. No one spoke, no one listened to the music, and it was even more impossible for anyone to laugh. The 0: 2 score and the manager's dark expression made everyone's hearts feel as though a boulder was pressing down on them.
Dunn was the last to enter. He closed the door, and the noise outside disappeared.
Only then did Tang En get up from his chair. He had something to say, something he had been holding back in his heart for the entire first half.
"I'm so glad that we didn't concede another two goals after conceding two goals in a row." Tang En said these words with a dark expression, making it hard for people to believe that he was indeed rejoicing. Perhaps it was regret?
"Does anyone think I'm speaking out of anger?" Tang En spread his hands. "Stop joking. Look at your performance in the second half of the first half … It's not just me who should rejoice. All of you should rejoice! Under those circumstances, we only conceded two goals. How lucky is that! Huh?! "
He suddenly raised his voice, scaring some of the more timid players to the point that they almost jumped out of their chairs. For example … Gareth Bale.
"Gareth Bale!" Tang En looked at the young man who had just been frightened. "Do you know the basic duties of a defender? Look at your performance after you get the ball in the backfield … If you really can't find someone to pass the ball to, can you kick it out? Why are you showing off your footwork? "
"I …" Bale really wanted to defend himself. But he really could not find a suitable reason, because his mind was blank when he made that mistake. He really did not know what he was doing. After Hargreaves intercepted the ball, he even wanted to use a shovel from behind to end the opponent's attack. Fortunately, he did not do so. Otherwise, the anger he would have to face now would certainly be several times greater.
After scolding the poor little monkey, Tang En turned his gaze to the team's captain, George Wood.
"Wood!" He did not use "George", indicating that he was now burning with anger. "In the beginning, your performance was still considered good. I always thought there was nothing to say about your psychological quality! But after conceding two goals, your performance was like a completely different person. Were you also frightened by the fact that you conceded two goals in a row in four minutes? You let that Portuguese kid easily break through in front of you without any resistance. Even a scarecrow is better than you! "
Wood originally did not intend to defend himself, but he did not want to admit that he was frightened. So, he stood up. "I'm not frightened. I'm just thinking … thinking about how to get the team out of this predicament."
Hearing him say so, Tang En did not get angry. Instead, he laughed. "You finally have some semblance of a captain. But you thought for a little too long — until the end of the first half, you did not think of anything, right? "
This time, Wood could only acquiesce, because he really had no way out.
Having said that, Tang En faced the entire team. "We were pressed by Manchester United in our own half of the field for the entire first half and could not get out. Occasionally, we would counterattack a few times, but it would quickly end without any results. In fact, this situation is still considered normal. What's abnormal is that we conceded two goals, and within four minutes … we conceded two goals in a row! How do we solve it? It's very simple. Make a few threatening attacks and let Manchester United know that Nottingham Forest is not a coward who can only take a beating and not fight back! "
Tang En took a deep breath and took a break. This action looked like he was trying hard to control the anger in his heart.
"I don't want to say too much about what happened in the first half. It's useless to say too much about the past half of the game. I can scold all of you here ten times, and the score outside will not change! "He said, pointing outside. "So, we still have to talk about what to do in the second half. Attack in the second half. We must attack. Pay attention to what I said, not defensive counterattack, but attack! Full attack! "
"We thought Manchester United would be more cautious in their own home ground. We did not expect them to completely ignore defense in the first half and go all out to attack, catching us off guard. After this half, Manchester United will also think we have been defeated by them, and the pace of the game has fallen into their control. If they continue to play like this in the second half, then let them have a taste of our strength! "
Tang En clenched his fists and encouraged the players who were stunned by the two goals conceded.
He was now very much hoping that Manchester United would continue to go all out in the second half, but he was worried that the old fox, Ferguson, would not do as he wished. After all, Manchester United had already gained a two-goal lead. Under normal circumstances, everyone would choose to be a little more conservative. A two-goal lead, and at home, was enough for them to get the result they wanted.
If Manchester United shrunk back in hatred and played the rest of the second half with a conservative mentality, Tang En could not really say that his team could beat Manchester United. After all, this was an away game, and the opponent was not weak. No one dared to say who would definitely win when the two teams played.
The situation would be different if Manchester United still played in the Forest half of the field. If Nottingham Forest went all out to fight with Manchester United, they might be able to catch the opponent off guard and lose the two-goal advantage in an instant. At that time, the game would be dragged back into the rhythm that the Forest team was most accustomed to.
So, what was Ferguson thinking at this time?
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Manchester United's locker room.
Compared to the atmosphere in the Forest team's locker room, it was much more relaxed here. Most people were doing things that interested them. Some of them were listening to music, some were chatting with others, and some were resting with their eyes closed. Even Ferguson was not busy talking. He was chatting with his assistants.
Manchester United had made ample preparations before the game, and Ferguson succeeded in convincing these players that the game against Nottingham Forest was the most important final of their lives. Therefore, everyone thought that the game would not be easy. After all, they already knew what kind of team Nottingham Forest was.
They were fully armed and focused on the game, only to find that their opponent was simply vulnerable and easily took a two-goal lead. They really did not expect this.
During the halftime interval, there were still people talking about Nottingham Forest's poor performance in the first half and bursts of laughter broke out from it.
Breaking through George Wood, who had always been annoying, as though he was a piece of wood was a very satisfying thing.
The main factor that made this group of people feel good was that after a busy season, it was finally possible to reap a championship point. Although it was a pity to be eliminated from the Champions League, professional players always had to face failures of one kind or another. If they always brooded over the last failure, they would never win the next championship.
Ferguson saw that everyone was almost relaxed and the halftime interval was approaching, so he decided to say something.
"Everyone did well in the first half. Such a result … To be honest, even I did not expect it. Such a clean lead of two goals, very good! Very good! We have to continue to play like this in the second half and continue to put pressure on Nottingham Forest's goal! We can't give them the slightest chance to fight back, so we have to press them like this! "
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"Remember, if they continue to press us like they did in the first half, that would be the best result! If they dare to press us, we dare to attack! Don't be afraid of the defense at the back. If we can't do anything to change this situation, even if you all retreat to defend, you will still concede a goal! "
Tang En seized the last moment to tell the players how to play in the second half.
Nottingham Forest's players were not as relaxed as Manchester United's players. As the side behind, they had no right to listen to music and joke in the locker room. Throughout the halftime interval, other than scolding people, Tang En was constantly laying out the tactics for the second half. His mouth was like a machine gun, never stopping for a moment. He did not even bother to drink water.
He raised his wrist to look at his watch. It was close to the time to play. He decided to end the tactical meeting. Throwing down his pen, he said to everyone sternly, "Remember, there are still forty-five minutes. After forty-five minutes, it will be obvious whether we are heroes or cowards. Does anyone think there are too many championships? Does anyone not want to win the Double? Does anyone want to be a coward? I don't care what difficulties there are. In these forty-five minutes, grit your teeth and fight! If anyone can't stand the pressure, signal to me to make a substitution. I will not hesitate to take him off! "
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"You know how angry I am to be eliminated from the Champions League, and how disappointed the Manchester United fans are. But you are lucky, there is still a chance to save this terrible season. There is no reason for us to lose the Premier League trophy at home, not to mention we are leading by two goals! Don't relax in the second half. If we score another goal, Nottingham Forest will be finished! The Premier League title is ours. This is your only chance to redeem yourself! "
Ferguson was also doing his final mobilizing.
Both managers knew very well that the final harvest of a season, the winner or the loser, all depended on these last forty-five minutes.
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