Tang En's mood improved all of a sudden. It might not be appropriate to describe it as "suddenly enlightened," but it was more or less the same. He no longer worried about anything other than the competition. Instead, he focused on studying his opponents and grasping training. The people around him could feel this change. Tony Twain made them feel insecure two days ago, because the leader of the team was upset himself, and the morale of the team was naturally affected. Now, his restless heart had calmed down, and the people around him also calmed down.
Because the final was in the distant Russia, the team had to go two days in advance to adapt to the venue.
Before leaving, Tang En took the tickets and went to Gavin's grave. This was the usual practice. As long as his team entered the final, he would do so. As usual, he sent a ticket to Michael Bernard, but this time he put a piece of paper in the envelope that said, "You don't have to come, Michael. Just keep it as a memento. "
In front of Gavin's grave, Tang En bumped into George Wood, which surprised him. "Is it a coincidence that we never meet?"
Wood looked back at the manager, who was holding the flowers. "I don't know. I don't know when you'll be here. "
"Then why do we always pick the same day?"
"Because this is the only day the team's training ends early." The day they were referring to was the day before the team went to the final venue.
"You make a lot of sense." Tang En squatted down in front of Gavin's grave and put the flowers next to George Wood's bouquet. Then he took out a lighter and lit the ticket in his hand.
"You always send him tickets like this?" It was the first time Wood had seen it.
"Yeah. I don't know Gavin's address in heaven, so I can only burn it for him. "After burning the ticket, Tang En clapped his hands. He got up and looked at Wood.
"Gavin … Will his father come back to watch the game this year?" Wood asked.
Tang En shook his head. "No. He has his own life. He has his own life, and the football match is just a change in life. "
"An adjustment?"
"They're not professional players or managers. They're just ordinary fans. To us, football might be life, but to them, that's not the case. "Tang En looked at Wood and explained. Then, he asked. Then he asked, "How's your mother?"
"Her body … has always been like that."
Twain nodded to show that he understood. Sophia's illness was the result of years of hard work, lack of food, clothing, shelter, and psychological stress. There was basically no hope of recovery for such an illness. It could only be slowly controlled. Until now, they still often needed to go to the hospital for treatment.
"George."
"Hmm?"
"Take good care of your mother."
"I know."
"Then … will she be going to watch the finals on the 21st?"
"She wanted to go, but I wouldn't let her."
"Oh?" Hearing George Wood's words, Tang En felt a little strange.
"She's not in good health and can't take a long flight. I told her to watch the live broadcast at home. "
"Then you better perform better!" Tang En smiled and patted Wood's shoulder.
"My performance has always been good …" Wood suddenly thought of the red card in the last game of the league tournament. What happened to Ronaldo, who was shoved to the ground by him and had to be carried off on a stretcher? He rarely paid attention to media reports. "What happened to the Portuguese?"
"Portuguese?" Tang En was stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted. "Oh, you mean Cristiano Ronaldo? He … well, it's not a big deal. He'll be fine after a few days of rest. Now he's in the training camp of the Portuguese national team, full of energy. You don't have to worry. "
Tang En was slightly exaggerating. Ronaldo did appear in the training camp of the Portuguese national team in preparation for the UEFA European Championship, but he was not full of energy at all. Until now, Scolari had not allowed Ronaldo to train with the ball. His mission was to recover his body and have enough rest. The Portuguese national team's team doctors, out of caution, advised Scolari to wait until the second game of the group stage before sending Ronaldo to play.
Due to the UEFA European Championship and the Olympic Games this year, the leagues of various countries in Europe had ended one after another. The players of various clubs reported to their respective national teams. Only Nottingham Forest and Chelsea delayed their disbandment because they still had to prepare for the Champions League final. Champions League, UEFA European Championship, commercial competitions, the Olympic Games … This summer would be very busy for the Nottingham Forest players.
Wood's face was expressionless, but he was slightly relieved in his heart.
This was different from the last time he broke Rochemback's leg. Last time, he wanted to avenge Eastwood. This time, it was completely for tactical needs. The need for a game was completely different from "I just wanted to do it."
"Oh, about that foul. You did a great job. " After the game, he was busy celebrating, preparing for the Champions League, and worrying about Shania's "lifelong event." He had not talked to Wood about that game. He was afraid that Wood would be worried that his red card had put the team in a difficult position. In reality, it was not like that.
"If not for your decisive foul, we might have lost the ball, and we would not have gotten such a precious chance to counterattack. It was you who changed the course and result of the game. "Tang En gave Wood a high evaluation. "You played a big part in being able to win the league title."
Wood did not smile because of Tang En's praise. He was always like that. It seemed that nothing could make him happy or angry.
Tang En was used to it.
"Let's go back?" he said.
"Yes." Wood nodded.
Before leaving, Tang En turned to look at Gavin's tombstone and said, "We're leaving first. We're going to Moscow to play the final game, Gavin. If we can defend the title, I promise I'll come back to see you with the trophy. Also, remember to watch the game live. "
After saying these words, Tang En and Wood walked out of the quiet cemetery side by side. The flowers swayed gently in the breeze, as if nodding.
※ ※ ※
To Tang En, the city of Moscow was no longer an unfamiliar place that he could only understand sporadically from various movies and literature. Last summer, Nottingham Forest spent their pre-season friendly game here. This time, it could be considered a revisit to an old place.
"It's lucky that Chelsea didn't take the same flight as us." On the way from the Moscow airport to the hotel, Kerslake commented on their trip to the London airport. London's Heathrow Airport was full of media, making people think that it had become a second "Fleet Street." (Note: In the past, the British media was the most concentrated street, and it was a symbol of the development of the British media. Now that various media outlets had moved out, "Fleet Street" had become a symbolic term used to refer to the British media base.) Because Chelsea and Nottingham Forest coincidentally left the United Kingdom on the same day and headed to Moscow, everything clashed together.
"The media doesn't think so. They must be very disappointed that they didn't see the excitement." Tang En was merciless when he ridiculed the British media. "It's like you gave them a bone to see, but didn't let them eat it."
The two teams did not meet in advance before the game as the media had hoped. The airport made very careful arrangements and did not give them a chance to meet. The two teams were also very concerned about this matter and asked the players not to wander around before boarding. Now that the hostility between the two teams was very high, no one wanted anything messy to happen.
The bus stopped at the entrance of the hotel where the team was staying, and there were already many reporters gathered there. After the players got off the bus, they accepted a short interview and entered the hotel one after another. They went to rest in the rooms that had been allocated earlier.
Tang En spent a little more time at the entrance of the hotel. As the team's leader and famous big mouth, he received more "favor" from the media.
"There's nothing to say. There's been a lot of news about us recently, and it's all the same old stuff. You don't want me to use outdated things to brush you off, right? "Tang En said loudly in the crowd.
"You can talk about your outlook for the finals, what kind of result do you want to get?"
"No one wants to lose a game, buddy. Your question is too low-class. "Tang En amused the other reporters.
Tang Jing was naturally among them. While everyone was laughing, she squeezed in and asked, "Since the restructuring of the Champions League, there has never been a team that successfully defended the title. Now Nottingham Forest is very hopeful. May I ask … Mr. Tang En, have you fully estimated the difficulty of defending the title? "
If she had asked, "Are you confident of successfully defending the title?" Tang En would definitely have retorted, "You're talking nonsense." She had also learned to be smart in the process of bickering with Tang En.
Hearing the question, Tang En nodded. "Any final has its difficulties. In fact, I think the Champions League final is the same as the last round of the Premier League that just ended. But my job and my players' job is to face difficulties of one kind or another, and then … to kick them away! Are you satisfied with my answer, Miss Tang? "Tang En winked at Tang Jing.
"Thank you." Tang Jing ignored him and continued to ask, "Can we talk about the trip to China this summer?"
"Sorry, that has nothing to do with the game the day after tomorrow. I don't want to talk about it now." Tang En put on an expression that was a separate matter.
Tang Jing nodded to show that she understood and did not ask any other questions.
After returning to some other reporters' questions, Tang En squeezed through the crowd and walked into the hotel. He was not in a hurry to rest, but to convene a meeting with all the coaching staff.
The preparation for the game had reached the final sprint stage, and he could not be careless. He had to be in control of the team's current state at all times. After all, it was not as if there were no problems on his side.
※ ※ ※
Tony Twain had just returned to his room and convened a meeting with the coaches. Chelsea, who had arrived in Moscow a little later than them, had also arrived at their hotel. The two teams faced each other in the north and south of the final venue, the Luzhniki Gymnasium, which was not far away. If the weather was clear and the visibility was good, the spire of Chelsea's hotel could be seen through the window of Tang En's room.
The Blues' star player, Lampard, had just experienced the pain of losing his mother. After he got off the bus and was interviewed by the reporters, he expressed that he hoped to use the first Champions League trophy in the history of the Chelsea Football Club to comfort his mother's spirit in heaven. Terry and Drogba also said that they hoped Lampard could score the winning goal in the game.
Although there was always news of unrest in the Chelsea locker room during the game, whether they supported Mourinho or not, whether they supported Grant or questioned Grant … But at this moment, the team was unprecedentedly united. All the differences were not important. In Moscow, they only wanted one thing, and that was to help the team win the final, defeat Nottingham Forest, and win the Champions League!
The players' performance made Grant, who got off the bus later, very happy. The united Chelsea also gave him more confidence to beat Tony Twain.
Nottingham Forest had just won the league title and their morale was high. But the last round of the league tournament had consumed a lot of their energy, and it was said that David Beckham's old injury had relapsed. Whether he could play in the final was still unknown. The news that van Nistelrooy seemed to have a minor injury in training had also spread.
Compared to them, Ashley Cole, who had been injured in the previous training, had returned from the front line and had no problem playing in the final. Moreover, Chelsea played very easily in the last round of the league tournament, and their stamina was guaranteed.
There was also the most important point.
"Some media say that Chelsea lacks the experience of playing in the Champions League final, but I think this happens to be our advantage. Compared to Nottingham Forest, who has already won the Champions League title, our players are hungrier for this honor. Their fighting spirit is more vigorous, and this is something that Nottingham Forest can't compare to. "Grant spoke with assurance in front of the reporters surrounding him. After coming to Moscow, his confidence was bursting. He believed that this was the stage prepared for him, and that he must be the protagonist.
"I believe in my players. At this time, I don't want to talk about myself or my predecessor, because it is disrespectful to my players. To be able to reach the final, this credit belongs to the whole team. "
"Of course, this will be a very difficult game. Nottingham Forest is not a weak team. But we have the confidence to win. I know that Chelsea has never won this honor in the history of the club, and I'm looking forward to the scene when we return to Stamford Bridge with the championship trophy. " Grant was weakening his confrontation with Tang En, repeatedly emphasizing the team as a team. At the same time, the confidence in his words made the reporters look at the manager who had been questioned in a new light.
He behaved like a manager who had been through hundreds of battles, neither nervous nor overly excited. He calmly knew what he should do.
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