Although Tang En appealed to Capello not to worry about George Wood's fitness problems. However, Capello still put Wood on the bench for the third match against Brazil.
He did not have to worry about Wood's fitness. He was worried about the yellow card on Wood — in the game against South Korea, he "won" a yellow card for his tough defense. In the game against Brazil, Capello was worried that Wood would get another yellow card and be suspended. That would be a big loss for England.
From this point of view, although he was still on the bench, his position in Capello's heart was completely different.
Both sides tacitly sent out non-main players. In the end, England lost to Brazil by one goal and ranked second in the group.
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Unlike George Wood's tortuous national team World Cup journey, his teammate David Bentley, who was also the focus of Tang En's inspection, had a much smoother journey. At present, in this national team, he had no opponents on the right flank. He was a player Capello relied on very much.
He played in the starting lineup for all three group games and his performance was remarkable.
This strengthened Tang En's confidence to buy him. However, because of Bentley's outstanding performance, Tang En was also mentally prepared to face competition from other teams.
Tang En was a coach who preferred the flanks. The new season's signings all came from the front field, and almost all of them were offensive players. The left and right midfielders needed to be replenished, and there needed to be a strong new addition in the front line.
Žigić and Agbonlahor belonged to this type of player — they were particularly outstanding in one aspect, but lacked the decisive effect. Žigić's height and header, as well as his willingness to pass the ball for his teammates, were the bridgehead of the team's offense. Agbonlahor's speed was a sharp weapon for quick counterattacks. However, Tang En still needed a truly pure striker, like van Nistelrooy.
Currently, France's leading striker, Benzema, absolutely met the requirements. However, Tang En knew that it was almost impossible for him to buy him. Not to mention the many powerhouse competitors, just satisfying the appetite of that shameless greedy Aulas was not something the Forest team could currently do.
As for Huntelaar, he had already been bought by Real Madrid.
Tang En felt that deciding who to buy was a headache for him. It was more of a headache than studying tactics and thinking about how to defeat the opponent.
After all, it was something that could not be regretted once the money was paid. If he spent millions and millions to buy a piece of trash, the pressure would not be small.
Tang En decided to continue observing.
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England's opponent after advancing from the group stage was the United States. This was the second time the two teams played against each other in the World Cup since England lost 0: 1 to the United States in the 1950 World Cup. Sixty years ago, the two teams played for the first time. After the United States defeated England 1: 0, the English editors could not believe the match report. So after a very "careful" review, they came up with a "perfect" solution. They thought that the frontline reporters made a mistake and left a "1" in front of England's score. So with a stroke of the pen, the news of England defeating the United States 10: 1 appeared in the newspapers. It became a well-known joke in the history of the World Cup.
Now that 60 years had passed, the English were still very arrogant, but they would not make the same mistakes as they did 60 years ago — the live broadcast made it almost impossible for such mistakes to happen again.
Wood returned to the field and got the chance to play in the starting lineup. Capello's task for him was very clear — defend in the midfield and cut off the connection between the U.S. midfield and forward line.
George Wood did a good job. The entire midfield was under his control, and the U.S. team could only rely on long passes to launch attacks.
England scored a goal in each half and eventually eliminated the U.S. by 2: 0 and advanced into the top eight.
George Wood started and played the full 90 minutes. In the game, he tackled the ball 20 times, was successful 16 times, stole 11 times, was successful 9 times, committed 5 fouls, was violated 6 times, passed 51 times, was successful 40 times, shot once, but the shot was not on target, and assisted a goal.
This was his technical statistics. After the game, his score ranked second in the team, only behind Gerrard who scored two goals.
The commentators around the world mentioned his name again and again during the game, calling him the pillar of England's midfield. With him, England's midfield was as solid as a rock. England's ability to defeat the United States so easily was inseparable from his performance. If it were not for Gerrard's two goals, the Man of the Match award would have been given to George Wood again.
In fact, for most players, the World Cup was an excellent stage to make themselves known to the world. Although George Wood had long been famous in England and his performance in the club was impeccable, he had always been considered not a world-class star because of his lack of results in the national team. There were also people who felt that Wood could only play well in the club because there was a manager in the club, Tony Twain, who trusted him and was willing to treat him as the core. He was not good enough in the national team. Just like Italy's "Golden Boy" Del Piero in the past, no matter how well he played in the club, he would not be recognized by the majority if he did not perform well in the national team.
The club and the national team were the two legs of a professional player. Without either leg, he would be a cripple.
In this World Cup, although he played as a substitute in the group stage, he became the player that Capello relied on the most in the knockout stage.
After the game against the U.S. team, Capello publicly praised George Wood's performance in a press conference, "He reassured me. He knew what he had to do. With him in our midfield, our midfield was very orderly. "
Many experts also said after the game that although George Wood looked the most inconspicuous in the star-studded England midfield, he was definitely the most irreplaceable one. Whether it was Gerrard, Lampard, Bentley, Joe Cole … or anyone else, they could all find replacements. George Wood was the only one who was irreplaceable no matter in terms of characteristics or function.
If England wanted to go further in this World Cup, such a diligent midfield iron gate who absolutely carried out the manager's tactical intentions was definitely a key figure.
To win a major cup, to put it bluntly, it still depended on defense … England's midfield defense with George Wood and without George Wood were two completely different levels. Capello was not a fool and he was well aware of this. George Wood was synonymous with "defense."
Even though England's next opponent was the European champion Spain, Twain still boldly predicted in his column that England could at least reach the top four. Perhaps they could even reach the World Cup final for the second time since 1966. His confidence came from Capello's use of George Wood, and he was also a manager who paid attention to defense.
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Before the game against England, Spain's main midfielder Fàbregas, who had played in the English Premier League for a long time and knew English football the best, was interviewed by reporters. When asked who was the most dangerous player in England, he did not hesitate to say, "George Wood."
The Arsenal captain and the Spanish national team's midfield core could not forget the FA Youth Cup he participated in in England until now. George Wood's sudden appearance was like a bucket of cold water poured over the head of the young and famous genius. Until now, in the English Premier League, Fàbregas still had a hard time facing Wood.
The Spanish manager, Vicente del Bosque, agreed with his favorite player. He said, "Unless we plan to play England's traditional long passes, we can't bypass George Wood."
Yes, Spanish football was very particular about midfield control. Looking at Spain's starting midfielders in the group stage — Fàbregas, Xavi, Xabi Alonso and David Silva, they were full of offensive power, all of them were skilled, good at taking the ball and controlling the rhythm. This midfield lineup shone brilliantly in the group stage. Spain won all three games and advanced from the group stage. They scored 11 goals, fully demonstrating their offensive strength. All 11 goals were initiated by the midfield, and the four starting midfielders directly assisted seven of the goals.
Only two games in the group stage, Spain's midfield combination had already become famous, and almost everyone put the hat of "artistic football" on their heads. The football played by the Spanish team was pleasing to the eye and very enjoyable to watch. Their offense was smooth and natural. The fans liked to watch them control the football at their feet, play with the opponent through a series of passes back and forth and a series of movements, and then unknowingly score goals. It was really a kind of art.
Therefore, with these three group stage games, Spain became the favorite to win the title. The media's evaluation of the power of the UEFA Champions League was still there, an opponent that no team dared to underestimate.
But for England's manager, Capello, he saw a chance to win — Spain had scored 13 goals in four games so far, ranking second in offensive power among all the participating teams, behind only Argentina, which had Messi, Agüero, Tevez and others. But they conceded seven goals. Casillas' ability was unquestionable, and the reason why they conceded so many goals was only because they did not pay attention to defense, or their own defensive level was very limited …
For such a team that paid attention to midfield control layer by layer, while the full-backs frequently assisted, and the offense was very layered and looked very good, what could be more troublesome for them than to encounter a tough midfield sniper?
In the game against Spain, Capello put on a defensive posture and replaced Bentley with defensive midfielder Hargreaves. In the middle of the midfield, he set up a thick formation of three defensive midfielders — George Wood in the center, Gareth Barry and Hargreaves on the left and right. Only Gerrard was left in the offensive position in front of the center.
"Obviously, I want to defend." Capello explained his lineup in the pre-game press conference. "In the game against Spain, trying not to concede the first goal is the key to winning the game."
Tang En agreed. "I'd do the same if I were you! Defense is the foundation of winning. In such an important game, the side that concedes the first goal will easily fall into chaos and give the opponent a chance to take advantage. I don't need a 7: 6 win, I just need 1: 0! "
The Spanish media regarded Capello's decision as a plea for mercy and a show of weakness. They proudly announced, "The Spanish team's offensive power is unparalleled in the world, and the gold medal manager Capello is quite afraid."
"The three defensive midfielders can't stop us from scoring!"
"The arrangement of the three defensive midfielders is simply outrageous! This is the regression of football, the poison of utilitarian football! This World Cup is destined to belong to Spain, to belong to artistic football! "
…
But they all forgot that there was a very, very important reason why Spain was able to win the UEFA European Championship in 2008 — at that time, the team had a full-time defensive midfielder, Senna, who was in excellent form. It was his tireless running and intercepting at the back that allowed Xavi, Iniesta, Fàbregas and the others to feel free to boldly organize the attack.
And in this World Cup, Senna did not even make the final list because of his age and his rapid decline in form. Bosque did not even bring a defensive midfielder to South Africa. Was it the old manager's arrogance? No, it was just the nature of the Spanish people. They admired offense and art from the bottom of their hearts, and despised defense and utilitarianism from the bottom of their hearts.
※ ※ ※
The game was played in Johannesburg, the capital of South Africa.
The direct collision of artistic football and utilitarian football, the strong dialogue between the favourites to win the title, Spain and England, attracted the attention of the world. Many reporters gathered at the scene, and hundreds of television media around the world broadcast live. The broadcast seats were full, and the stands were already crowded. Everyone was looking forward to this Mars colliding with Earth quarterfinal.
"Who do you think will win, Tony?" Newcastle United's main manager, Alan Shearer, who was also a special guest commentator before the game, asked his colleague. At this time, both men temporarily put aside their identities as managers and cooperated quickly.
"England." Twain raised his hand and said, "If Capello still plays against Spain like he did in the group stage, I think Spain will win."
"Three defensive midfielders … I really didn't expect that." Alan Shearer was a striker and was famous for his emphasis on offense when he coached Newcastle United.
Tang En, on the other hand, smiled happily. Now, he felt that Capello was a kindred spirit. "I heard about the Spanish's reaction to this before the game. I bet those arrogant Spanish will be shocked after half a game. Three defensive midfielders. Xavi and the others can forget about playing any more. Haha! "He was now looking forward to the game in a while.
※ ※ ※
After the game officially started, everything was as Twain said. It was not even half a game, and the Spanish were already very anxious.
The three midfielders, George Wood, Hargreaves and Gareth Barry, were piled in front of the defensive line, making it impossible for Xavi, Iniesta and Fàbregas to pass the ball through. Later on, not to mention passing the ball, even controlling the ball with their feet became a luxury.
Capello's task for the three defensive midfielders was simple and clear — do not let the Spanish midfielders get the ball comfortably to organize the attack, no matter what method they used. As a result, fouls, small movements, reasonable use of the body to collide … made the Spanish artists suffer a lot. In the group stage, the artists, who were elegant and graceful, looked embarrassed in the face of England's tough pressing.
Xavi and Iniesta were basically submerged in England's muscle forest. Only Fàbregas, who had been in the Premier League for a long time, was a little better and was not completely at a disadvantage in physical confrontation. Later, the Spanish team basically gave the ball to Fàbregas, and Fàbregas, who was originally arranged on the right, slowly moved to the middle. As a result, Xavi had the power to deal with his old rival, George Wood, in the middle.
The ensuing game fell into a deadlock. England defended wholeheartedly and was unable to fight back, while Spain was unable to attack and score a goal.
The two sides fought 1: 1 in the first half.
In the second half, Bosque made adjustments and replaced Iniesta with Diego Capel, and officially moved Fàbregas to the middle with Xavi. The flanks were given to Silva and Cazorla to break through, intending to open up a gap from the flanks.
This change of his had a slight effect. But Capello quickly followed suit and adjusted. He increased the defensive area of the three defensive midfielders. The middle was mainly left to George Wood, with Gerrard helping to deal with Fàbregas and Xavi's alternating attacks.
Capello had no intention of fighting back at all.
The game was dull, which disappointed the audiences around the world who were waiting in front of their televisions. Spain's most proud and popular offensive football and artistic football could not be played at all due to the opponent's midfield configuration of three defensive midfielders. England also shrank in the backfield without the desire to attack. What was there to watch in such a game?
But Twain watched with relish. He liked to see Spain's offense blocked by the configuration of three defensive midfielders. Every time he saw George Wood defend another attack, he cheered in his heart.
Until the end of the ninety minutes, the score was still 0: 0. The two sides entered overtime after a short break. This was the first overtime game of the World Cup.
There were already commentators who criticized Capello's conservatism, but Capello could not hear such criticism. Even if he heard it, he would continue to do what he wanted. Pleasing the audience was too insignificant compared to winning the game.
In the first half of overtime, England suddenly rose on the offensive once. Three consecutive waves of offensive almost broke the goal guarded by Casillas, which also made the Spanish fans break out in a cold sweat. Tony Twain's antidote to this was that it must have been Capello's personally instigated action, because if the game was dragged into a penalty shootout, it would not be good for England.
The impact of Germany's World Cup elimination by Portugal on penalties must have continued until now, not to mention in the goalkeeper's ring, Joe Hart was more than a grade worse than Casillas.
Therefore, Capello hoped to take advantage of the Spanish players' physical decline in overtime to let England, who had endured for ninety minutes, launch a surprise attack and win the game. They almost succeeded — if it was not for "Saint Igor" appearing again.
In the second half of overtime, England's offensive gradually weakened, and Spain regained the initiative. They seized the last time, hoping to decide the outcome of the game in a regular game. Even if the man standing behind them was Casillas, no one wanted to play a penalty shootout. And Vicente Del Bosque was already thinking about the order of the players to play in the penalty shootout.
The singing in the stands gradually faded. The Spanish fans were worried. They did not expect their team, which they had high hopes for, to play so badly. And the England fans were worried again — Capello's three defensive midfielders gave them the hope of not losing, but they did not see the hope of winning.
※ ※ ※
The game went to the 118th minute, with two minutes left before the end of overtime.
After George Wood intercepted the ball from Fàbregas in the backfield, he did not hand it over to Gerrard, Barry or anyone else as usual, but chose to dribble the ball forward himself.
His sudden move caught the Spanish midfielder off guard. Except for Fàbregas who was always by his side, the others forgot to defend against England's number 13 who dribbled the ball forward.
Fàbregas knew in his heart what the kid was going to do. When Nottingham Forest was in trouble, Tony Twain would occasionally let George Wood suddenly plug in to organize the attack, and it often worked wonders!
Twain shouted in the live broadcast, "Go, George! GO！”
"George Wood dribbled the ball forward himself, and the Spanish midfielder did not intercept at all … No, Fàbregas is still following him … But he's not fast enough!" Motson shouted with his fist clenched.
This was England's last attack …
Capello stood up from his seat and looked at the field with his lips tightly pressed. He did not move, like a statue.
"Gerrard is supporting him … Puyol is coming up! Pass the ball? No! Force a breakthrough! Well done, George!! "
Wood relied on Puyol's combination of body and speed to force his way past the Barcelona captain.
"He's entered the 30-meter zone!"
Twain seemed to have forgotten that he was now a guest commentator and not the Nottingham Forest manager. He stood up from his seat, clenched his fists and roared to the field, "Shoot! George! Shoot!! "
"But his shot is really a bit …" Shearer had a different opinion. He thought it was better to pass the ball.
Without waiting for him to finish his doubts, Wood suddenly lifted his leg when he was about 30 meters away from the goal. Even Fàbregas did not expect him to be so decisive.
The football soared into the air and did not spin. It flew straight to the goal, bringing a gust of wind with it.
Casillas had no time to adjust his position. He could only soar into the air and stretch out his arms, trying to pounce on the corner ball. At this moment, "Saint Igor" was the only person Espanyol could rely on. All the defenders were powerless against Wood's shot.
"George _ WOOOOOO — GOOOOOAL!!!"
Accompanied by Motson's long howl, Casillas fell from the air. He did not touch the ball. The football pierced the defensive boundary of "Saint Igor" and turned into a meteor crashing into the net!
Nearly a hundred and twenty minutes of deadlock was broken …
"An earth-shattering kick … World Wave!!" Motson, who had been suppressed for a hundred and twenty minutes, also broke out. He stood up and waved his arms vigorously as he yelled, "GOAL! GOOAL！ GOOOOAL！！ A killer shot! A killer shot at the end of the game! There was no more killer shot than this! Casillas lost to George Wood! St. George … St. George! 'St. George' defeated 'Saint Igor'! He is the patron saint of England (Note 1)! We'll go to the semi-finals. See you in Spain!! "
"St. George", who scored the killer shot, was pressed at the bottom by his crazy teammates. Capello, who had escaped death, hugged his colleagues tightly and cursed in Italian, venting his emotions that had been suppressed for a hundred and twenty minutes. The goal given to Capello by the English Football Association before the World Cup was to reach the semi-finals, and now he had accomplished this task.
There was dead silence on the Spanish side. No one could believe that George Wood, who was the worst at shooting in all of England except for the goalkeeper, had kicked such a world-wave and kicked them back to their hometown in Spain at the last minute.
"Yes! His shooting is terrible! But it is not the first time in his career that he has scored such a wonderful world-wave! Manchester United and Chelsea have been defeated by this powerful shot of his … Espanyol should have learned their lesson! You have 'Saint Igor', we have 'St. George'!! "
"422 years ago, the British Navy hung the blood-red triangle of St. George's flag in the Atlantic Ocean, fought to the end, never flinched, and defeated the Spanish Invincible Fleet! Now we see the flag full of glory again, it is flying over Johannesburg, South Africa! We have defeated the Spanish Invincible Fleet again!! "
"St. George bless England!! St.George_for_England！！”
※ ※ ※
(Note 1: The flag of St. George is the national flag of England. The flag has a red cross on a white background. The flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (that is, the United Kingdom) is composed of the flag of St. George representing England, the flag of St. Andrew representing Scotland, and the flag of St. Patrick representing Ireland.
St. George is the legendary patron saint of England, a dragon slayer knight. The blood of the slain dragon formed a blood-red cross on the ground. In 1277, the English designed a flag with a red cross on a white background as the national flag of England. It is also said that St. George was a brave and skillful Roman cavalry officer who was killed in 303 AD because he tried to stop the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian. He was canonized by Pope Gelasius I in 494 AD. He also became the patron saint of England, Georgia, Moscow, Catalonia, Malta, Lithuania, soldiers and skin diseases.
In the flag language at sea, the flag of St. George is a blood-red triangle, the flag of the flagship of the British Royal Navy. Raising it is to tell the opponent that you will fight to the death and never flinch. The red triangle is a symbol of the martial spirit at sea.
So the excited Motson borrowed George Wood's name here and called him the patron saint of England "St. George," which is also very appropriate.)
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