In the locker room during the halftime interval, the Nottingham Forest players were a little depressed. The opponent had equalized the score at the end of the first half. No one could accept this result.
"Well, don't think about that goal. There's nothing we can do … "Twain comforted them. "Instead of feeling depressed over the first half, why don't we think about how we're going to fight back in the second half?" He clenched his fist and waved it in front of everyone.
"We basically had the initiative in the first half. The pace of the game was under our control. Lampard's goal … was really unexpected. Accidents like this always happen on the football field. But in the second half, I want you to minimize the probability of such accidents happening. If one looked at the source of the goal, it was not an accident. Essien's sudden forward thrust caught us off guard, allowing him to run all the way to the front of our penalty area for a long shot. You all thought he would cross the ball or pass it to someone else, right? "
"After ten minutes in the second half, you can slow down the pace a little and adjust. During this time, you have to pay attention to your defense and conserve your energy. Then wait until the last 20 minutes before you start to exert your strength. "
Tang En knew that in such an important match, it was very tiring to maintain a certain rhythm all the time. That was because the players not only had to expend physical energy, but also the mental strain that came with it could not be underestimated. Nottingham Forest had the upper hand in the first half. They repeatedly launched threatening attacks and had more ball possession than Chelsea. The price was a lot of physical exhaustion. Especially on the two flanks. If he continued to play like this in the second half, his stamina might collapse before the 90-minute match was over.
When necessary, he would adjust his rhythm, slow down his attacks, and allow the opponent to attack a little. Apart from recovering his stamina, he could also create an opportunity for himself to counterattack. When it came to counterattacking, Tang En did not think that there would be a team in this world that could do better than Nottingham Forest.
"Chelsea's morale must be high after the equalizer. They will launch a fierce attack on our goal at the start of the second half. At that time, there was no need to rush out and attack them. Pepe and Piqué continue to keep Drogba in check … You guys did very well in the first half. I even thought Drogba wouldn't play in this game. "He spread his hands and made a joke.
His words amused everyone, and the atmosphere lightened up a little.
"So, that's it, defense." Tang En once again tossed out his "defense is paramount." "Defending against the other side's attack can raise our morale, and also deal a heavy blow to their morale. A football game was a process of this kind of waxing and waning. If you can withstand their fierce attacks at the beginning of the second half, then the victory of the game will basically belong to us! "He clenched his fist as if he had already grabbed the championship trophy.
"Then we attack. When defending, you can't forget to counterattack. When attacking, you can't forget to defend. This is what I ask of you during training. I hope you can show me this in this match. After withstanding Chelsea's onslaught, they would definitely feel discouraged, and their stamina would be at a low ebb. At that time … you know what to do, right? "
The players laughed. "Of course!"
"Finally, I hope that no matter what happens, you will not lose your desire for the championship and your confidence in victory. This was more important than any tactics. Chelsea will definitely fight back. Let them come! We are not afraid! The crazier their counterattack, the closer we are to the championship!! "
※ ※ ※
In Chelsea's locker room. Grant was calmly explaining the tactics for the second half to the players. He was not like Tony Twain, who used exaggerated body movements and sonorous words to motivate his players in the locker room. He was really not good at that kind of work …
"… We have to step up our offense from the start of the second half. Our offense in the first half was terrible!" In the past, Grant would always weigh some words in the locker room to provoke these big-name star players and create a confrontation between the players and the coach in the locker room. But this time he could not care about anything. Outside, the news that he would be dismissed even if he won the Champions League title was already flying around. His days at Stamford Bridge had entered a countdown, and he did not want to continue to coach at Chelsea. His biggest wish now was to beautifully pick up the championship trophy in Moscow, give the media and busybodies a hard slap in the face, and then take the liquidated damages given by Abramovich and turn to leave.
"Drogba, you are completely limited by the opposing two tall center backs. Do you have a way to get rid of them? "
Drogba panted heavily and did not want to pay much attention to the substitute manager who had snatched his mentor's job. He just hummed a "hmm" to indicate that he had no problem.
Grant looked at the player who gave him a headache. Everyone knew that the black player was among the people who opposed and questioned him in the locker room a few times before. But he was Chelsea's most goal-scoring striker …
"… If you can't do it, I'll replace you." Grant said the harsh words with a serious expression.
Drogba grinned and did not say anything about it.
But the other players in the locker room looked at Golan differently. They were surprised that the manager, who had always appeared a little cowardly in the face of the big-name star players, had actually become tough? In fact, Grant's status in the players' minds was not high. Even if he had brought the team into the Champions League final, many people still thought he was a coward. No one could be blamed for this. After all, Grant's predecessor was too brilliant … Anyone who came could only live in the shadow of that insolent madman manager.
Grant found himself in trouble. His players looked a little absent-minded. It was strange. Their morale was still high after the equalizer. Why did they feel a little less motivated after the halftime interval? Was it because the pressure was too much? Or were there other reasons?
He knew that there had always been some factional struggles in the locker room. There were contradictions between the players, contradictions between the players and the coaches, and contradictions between the coaches … With so many contradictions, Chelsea still made it all the way to the final. He felt that he was already very great as a manager.
But to fall short of success because of this was definitely not something that Grant could accept.
He stopped explaining the tactics. Since they did not listen, then there was no point in continuing.
"What are you thinking about?" He asked aloud. "We've equalized the score. Why do I feel that you're not happy at all now?"
No one answered his question. He was the manager of the team in name, but his authority in the locker room might not be as great as that of a local English star player like Lampard.
"What time do you think it is now?!" Grant, who was a little angry, could not help but raise his voice. "It's the halftime interval of the Champions League final! There are forty-five minutes left before the game is over! Are you still distracted here? Whether we can win the championship depends on these last forty-five minutes. I'm explaining the tactics. Why is no one listening?! "
He knocked hard on the tactical board. His completely unconventional actions and tone made everyone raise their heads and look over.
"You don't want to win this championship, do you? The club has never reached the Champions League final in its history. Now that you've done it, you want to stop here, don't you? "The volume was still rising. "Is scoring a goal in the Champions League final enough to satisfy you? Equalizing the score will satisfy you? But I don't agree!! The fans outside won't agree either!! "The angry Grant threw off his suit and roared as he pointed to the door. It frightened everyone.
Lampard finally stood up. He was still more supportive of Grant. "Sorry, boss. No one here wants to give up the game. "He turned around and pointed to his teammates behind him. Some of them nodded.
"Yes, we all want to beat Nottingham Forest and win the championship." The captain, Terry, also expressed his position on behalf of the team. Well, now the problem was solved.
"Then listen carefully!" Seeing Lampard stand up, Grant's tone softened a little when he thought of what he had just experienced. He picked up his suit from the table, threw it aside, and began to explain to the players the tactics to be used in the second half.
At the same time, he was surprised that he had lost himself for a moment and become a charlatan like Tony Twain, using words to rebuke and provoke the players.
But … it felt good just now.
※ ※ ※
"Chelsea will definitely make some adjustments. It may not be in the personnel. It's most likely to be in the tactics. But … I won't be surprised if that old man Grant replaces Drogba. The person who should be surprised should be Drogba. "Sitting in the technical area, Twain said to the people around him with a smile. The second half of the game was about to start, and he was still in the mood to joke with the assistant managers.
It was strange that he did not have such a mentality when he played against AC Milan. Even when he played against Mourinho's Chelsea, he did not dare to be careless. But when he played against Grant, he always had a feeling of "everything is under my control."
He had never treated the old Israeli man as a real opponent in his heart …
In the second half, the two teams changed positions to fight again. Neither team made any changes in personnel, just fine-tuning the tactics. Nottingham Forest emphasized defense more, while Chelsea took advantage of their kickoff in the second half to launch a series of attacks on the Forest team's goal.
In the 55th minute, Essien once again charged from the full back position into Nottingham Forest's hinterland. After shaking off Ribéry, he raised his leg to shoot, which went slightly over the crossbar.
Two minutes later, Drogba received a corner kick from the left and jumped high to head the ball at the goal. Unfortunately, he hit it high again.
In just ten seconds, Ballack suddenly raised his leg to shoot a long shot after dribbling the ball in the midfield. The football deviated from the right post.
During this time, Chelsea's offense completely suppressed Nottingham Forest, and the Forest team gradually fell into a disadvantage in the confrontation in the midfield. It was not that Chelsea's midfield was stronger, but that Grant had asked the midfielders to increase the intensity of the confrontation to toughen the entire midfield. Because George Wood was also a tough midfielder, it would not be surprising to lose the midfield if the opponent was still soft.
The key to the outcome of the game was in the midfield. Only by winning the midfield could Chelsea have the hope of completing a reversal.
Once the trio of Ballack, Lampard and Makelele hardened, Chelsea's situation on the field immediately changed. And no matter how good George Wood was, he could not fight against three people alone.
In the face of Chelsea's tidal offensive, Pepe, Piqué and the others made a number of key rescues. And because of Chelsea's pressure, Nottingham Forest's formation was compressed back. George Wood was more like a center back than a defensive midfielder during this time. Even van Nistelrooy returned to participate in the defense. Only Eastwood remained in front — he was placed there to fight back. But now it seemed that the Forest team had no chance to fight back.
Grant knew Tony Twain's team. They were the kind of team that could not be taken lightly even if they surrounded and attacked. They needed to pay attention to the defense at all times. Therefore, when the team besieged Nottingham Forest, they were asked to launch interceptions in the front field and in the midfield. They absolutely could not give them a chance to fight back.
In the 66th minute, Chelsea once again forced a corner kick through a series of blasts, which Lampard sent out. The continuous attacks made Edwin van der Sar a little nervous. He did not choose to wait for the defenders to clear the siege. Instead, he planned to attack and take the ball himself to completely end Chelsea's attack.
But —
"He missed!!" The commentator exclaimed.
Edwin van der Sar's choice to attack was really a bit rash. There were still three people in the middle. Even if he attacked, he could not directly get the football. At most, he could hit the ball out. Edwin van der Sar also discovered this when he was in the air, so he changed his strategy at the last minute. The direct result was that he missed …
The football streaked past the front of his fist!
The Nottingham Forest people's hearts collectively jumped to their chests because the Chelsea captain, John Terry, was right next to Edwin van der Sar.
The center back was excellent at headers …
Perhaps Terry's head was shaken by Edwin van der Sar's attack. The shining white football suddenly flew in front of him, and Terry had not yet recovered. He hurriedly swung his head, but ended up with the same outcome as Edwin van der Sar — he missed!
"Ah —" This time, whether it was the Nottingham Forest fans or the Chelsea fans, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air.
The football was not grazed by anyone. It swept past Nottingham Forest's penalty area at high speed and then directly flew out of the other side of the sideline.
"Nottingham Forest escaped a disaster! And John Terry is sure to be annoyed at himself for not heading the ball! They had a chance to be ahead of Nottingham Forest! "
The ball scared Tang En so much that he stood up from his seat. He almost held his head in his hands in annoyance. Fortunately, Terry was possessed by his soul at the last moment. By a freak combination of factors, he actually did not head the ball.
On the other side, Grant also jumped out of his seat. But he did it out of excitement and annoyance — at first it was because of excitement. Then he jumped again, and this time it was because of annoyance.
"Chelsea missed a good opportunity. Maybe they will regret it after the game. But now that Chelsea has the advantage on the field, they can still create more good opportunities. Chelsea's powerful attacking group can always seize an opportunity, right? "
Without waiting for Chelsea to seize the opportunity, a corner of Nottingham Forest's own defense first collapsed.
Piqué fell to the ground after a fierce scramble. He held his calf and rolled on the ground. He had a cramp.
The team doctor, Fleming, was ordered to run up again. George Wood was already pressing down on Piqué's foot to give him emergency treatment.
"Chelsea has put a lot of pressure on us …" Kerslake murmured.
The pressure during this period was really great. The defenders were dizzy from the constant siege. As a center back, Piqué not only had to fill the position on Bale's side, but he also had to return to the middle to defend against Drogba, fight for Chelsea's flank passes, and use his body to block Chelsea's crazy long shots …
"Time to make adjustments?" Dunn asked when he saw Tang En get up.
Tang En nodded.
"It's a little earlier than expected. But the plan can't keep up with the changes. The important thing is to command on the spot. "Tang En walked to the sidelines. He called George Wood and van der Vaart over.
"Press out. Don't shrink back. George, you're a defensive midfielder, not a center back. What are you doing running into the penalty area? Raffel, you need to rely on your individual skills to bring the football out here. Don't worry, George will protect you from behind. If you encounter an interception, pass the ball. Use quick passes and cuts. Pass and cuts! " Tang En made a gesture. "Don't tangle with them in the midfield. You'll fall into Chelsea's trap. Use the fastest speed to pass through the midfield and directly threaten their goal. Show them what you're made of, and they'll be a little more well-behaved! If there's a chance for a long shot, do it. You don't have to pursue the success rate of the attack. In this case, one or two threatening shots are enough to turn the situation around! "
As he spoke hurriedly, the two men nodded.
"All right. Go up and tell the others what I said. Let them do the same."
He patted the two men on the shoulder and sent them back to the field. Tang En did not walk back to the technical area. He continued to stand on the sidelines and watch the field. The situation was gradually becoming critical, and he could no longer sit still.
He turned his head to glance at Trant, who was also standing on the sidelines.
Chelsea's performance during this period made him feel the pressure and smell the danger. He could no longer deal with this game and this opponent like he did at the beginning of the second half with jokes.
It seemed that he would have to treat Grant differently, right?
Perhaps there would be some small waves in this game?
How big of a wave do you want to make, Mr. Grant?
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