After confirming that there was nothing wrong with Ibišević's state of mind, Tang En was relieved. But Matías Fernández's problem was not so simple. He had a language barrier. During training, he still needed a translator hired by the club to convey the coaches' orders. When it came to the game, he could only rely on guessing and hand gestures.
Currently, he took out two nights a week to tutor himself in English, but there was not enough time. Progress was slow. Tang En felt that Fernández probably could not remember.
Ibišević's poor form became the one who stood out, helping him block a lot of the media's saliva. If Ibišević's form improved and he scored a goal, it would be the Chilean's turn to be unlucky.
Tang En decided to ignore Fernández for the time being. He believed in the intelligence of the former South American Footballer of the Year. Even if he did not speak the same language and was not used to life, there would always be the same language on the football field. His form would definitely improve, but it would be slower.
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On August 27th, in the third round of the league tournament, Nottingham Forest continued their away trip to challenge the newly promoted Norwich City.
It was a weak team. In the first two rounds of the league tournament, they suffered two consecutive defeats against teams in the middle of the Premier League.
There was no need for Nottingham Forest to go all out against such opponents. So, Tang En's large rotation was not unexpected. After George Wood started in the second round of the league tournament, he continued to be in the starting lineup for this game. The other positions were all changed. But no matter how much they rotated, Ibišević's name was impressively on the starting list announced by the Forest team the day before the game.
Well, Carl Spicer had something to say again. "Tang En is determined to go against us. Now even a fool can see what state Ibišević is in. Why let him occupy a starting position? Van Nistelrooy, Eastwood, Agbonlahor, Žigić, which one of them is not better than this Bosnian refugee? Is Bosnia Persia? Haha! "
His last sentence caused him a bit of trouble.
The Nottingham Forest Football Club formally protested to Sky Television that Carl Spicer had insulted their player on the show. Carl Spicer also appeared in the news of other media outlets.
A busybody reporter ran to ask Ibišević what he thought of the new nickname "Bosnian refugee." Ibišević refused to answer the question, but his expression was a bit ugly.
Twain grinned. "Some people don't talk through their brains, but through the hole under their buttocks. I'm used to it. But for him to say such things about my players, I'll make him eat his own spit. "
Ibišević's teammates expressed their indignation. Eastwood jumped out to protest for his forward partner. "Ibi has the ability, but as a new player, he needs some time to adapt. This is normal. I don't think identity has anything to do with performance on the football field. I'm a Gypsy, I believe Mr Carl Spicer must look down on us wandering guys, but I'd like to ask who was the third best scorer last season? "
And it was said that the Bosnians in England had already submitted a letter of protest to Sky TV, demanding that Carl Spicer formally apologize to the Bosnians on television and in the newspapers.
This was not a big deal, but it was not a small one either. Bosnia was a small country, and the Bosnians did not have much status, especially the Bosnians in the United Kingdom. They were pitifully few and basically had no social status. No matter how loud they were, their voices were nothing more than crickets chirping in the grass at night.
But if this matter was turned into "racial discrimination," Carl Spicer might lose his job.
Spicer could be unafraid of Twain, because he was only scolding his own people when he scolded Twain. It was considered an "internal conflict among the people." If the other party did not care, he could be unscrupulous. No matter what, there was no way it could escalate to the point where he would lose his job. He would have to think twice before scolding others …
Before the start of the match, the media was arguing about this matter. Through this incident, one could fully understand how deep-rooted the media's opportunistic nature was. When Carl Spicer scolded Tony Twain, they followed suit. When the Bosnians angrily scolded Carl Spicer for racial discrimination, they also joined in the uproar. They did not help anyone and reaped the benefits from it.
Tang En was very happy that Carl Spicer, the hothead, had helped him before the match. He wanted to use this kind of thing to further agitate Ibišević, to let all the depression and dissatisfaction that he had accumulated in his heart explode. Like a volcano erupting — with a bang! The world would be peaceful …
In the locker room on the day of the match, Twain was angrily inciting the players' emotions — mainly Ibišević's.
"Look, what did that idiot say? Today, he said Ibišević is a Bosnian refugee. Tomorrow, he could say any one of you. As long as you make a little mistake in the match … If this were not a modern civilized society, I wouldn't mind shooting him twice in the head! But now, we also have our own way of revenge. We have to win the match against Norwich City, and we have to win beautifully! "
After that, he pulled Ibišević back. "Hey, Ibi. I don't want to give you pressure. But you see … life is like this. "He spread his hands." The pressure will find you. I think you have to prove yourself in this game. Remember what I said? I don't like to slap myself. I like to slap others. Now, there is such a chance to slap others in the face in front of you. Let's see if you can grasp it. "
Ibišević nodded with a gloomy face. "I know, Chief."
"If there's a penalty, you can take it …"
Ibišević interrupted Twain's words. "I'm not a penalty taker, Chief. I want to score goals in a mobile game. "
Twain held out his hand. "Have you thought of a celebratory move?"
Ibišević patted his hand. "I think so."
"I'll wait and see."
※ ※ ※
Norwich City was completely unable to compete with Nottingham Forest, even on their home ground.
At the start of the game, Nottingham Forest officially took over the "sovereignty" of Carrow Road stadium from their hands.
When playing against a weak team, Nottingham Forest usually used tactics to control the midfield and advance layer by layer, relying on their powerful strength to crush their opponents bit by bit. At the same time, they would not let the rear defensive line collectively press up and give the opponent a chance to play defensive counterattack.
But Twain changed tactics in this game. He did not let the team play to control the ball. Instead, he changed the style of a strong team and played a quick counterattack in the away game against Norwich City. This was the magic weapon he relied on to succeed.
But looking at the starting lineup, it was a little strange.
The starting strikers were Eastwood and Ibišević. Neither of them was a striker with speed. What did they rely on to counterattack?
Nottingham Forest soon revealed the answer.
George Wood directly passed the ball in the midfield and sent the ball to Ibišević's feet. With his back to the goal, Ibišević passed the ball to Eastwood, who received on the side. Eastwood did not stop the ball and directly volleyed the ball. The ball flew out of the goal and shocked the Norwich City home fans into a cold sweat.
Bostock and Şahin were not in the starting lineup for this match. George Wood and Tiago were the players to play in the middle. The double defensive midfielder configuration made the Forest team's defense in the middle a lot more solid, and it also made their offensive routines more concise.
This was a common tactic used by weak teams against strong teams. They did not expect Twain to use it against a weak Norwich City team.
The Forest team did the same for the next few attacks. They attacked directly from the back and quickly plugged in from the two flanks. The area of activity of the strikers was not limited to the vicinity of the penalty area, but almost the entire half of the field.
These attacks proved that Wood's kick was not an impromptu idea, but a tactic carefully arranged by the manager.
"I really can't understand it …" the television commentator muttered.
Of course, he could not understand it. This was a change that Twain had specifically made to take care of Ibišević. He made some adjustments on the basis of Nottingham Forest's original defensive counterattack tactics, in the hope that Ibišević could find the feeling he had at Hoffenheim.
The quick and concise tactics, with the strikers running in a wide range, allowed Ibišević to receive the ball more often.
However, the first goal was not scored by Ibišević.
In the 29th minute of the first half, Cohen broke through on the right flank and passed the ball to the center. It was headed by the Norwich City defender and landed at the feet of Tiago outside the penalty area. He raised his leg and shot. The football hit Eastwood's buttocks and flew into the net from the sideline. The Norwich City goalkeeper could do nothing about the ball — he pounced in the right direction, but he did not expect a Romani's buttocks to appear halfway …
The subtitles of the TV broadcast initially credited the goal to Tiago. After the replay, the name of the scorer became "Freddy Eastwood". This was his third goal of the season. Nottingham Forest's three league goals in the new season were all scored by the Romani alone.
As the commentator cheered for Eastwood, he did not forget to ridicule Ibišević. "It looks like Eastwood is going to score all the goals for the Forest team this season. Maybe Tony Twain should bet Eastwood with Carl Spicer. But I think Spicer will not dare to take the bet. "
Ibišević still had a smile on his face as he celebrated Eastwood's goal. No one knew what he was thinking or how he felt about it.
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Ibišević tried to calm his restless heart. He was no stranger to the current situation. As long as he calmed down and thought about it, he would realize that he had experienced countless doubts in his career over the years.
At Paris Saint-Germain, he was thought to have entered the French Ligue 1 powerhouse because of his "hometown" relationship with the Bosnian-Herzegovina manager, Halilozic. There were rumors circulating in the team and among the fans that his relationship with Halilozic was unusual.
During that time, no matter how well he trained, others would think of him that way. So much so that he suddenly realized that although Halilozic appreciated him and personally brought him from the United States to France, if he wanted to have a future, he could not stay under Halilozic.
Even if he performed well in the training games, people would think it was Halilozic's special care. If he did not perform well, both he and Halilozic would be out of luck.
He had only played two games under Halilozic before the latter was dismissed. In the eyes of outsiders, his "good days are over." He only made four appearances in Paris Saint-Germain all season and did not score a goal.
From the manager to the ordinary training ground staff, they all thought that the Bosnian-Herzegovina Halilozic must have gotten some benefits from somewhere else when he decided to bring in the big Bosnian-Herzegovina. Such a young man simply had no future and should be abandoned as soon as possible.
Ibišević was not a fool. He knew what the people at the club thought of him. Therefore, he took the initiative to apply for a loan to play games.
In this way, in the 05-06 season, he was loaned to Ligue 2 Dijon. It was there that he felt freedom for the first time. No one would think that he got the job opportunity because he had a good relationship with the manager. He could make the most of his ability. There, he made thirty-three appearances and scored ten goals. As a player who was only twenty-one years old, he had already attracted people's attention.
But a powerhouse like Paris Saint-Germain naturally would not be interested in a young player who had achieved so little at the age of twenty-one.
So he went to the Bundesliga team Aachen.
It was not a successful season. He made twenty-four appearances, scored six goals, and wore the number 9 jersey that symbolized the main center forward.
The doubts in his ears did not disappear.
People always said that as a striker, he was too nervous in the game and missed a lot of scoring opportunities. When facing the goal, he seemed to be completely confused and did not know where to kick the football to. He did not even have the confidence to shoot the football into the goal. How could such a striker be successful?
In fact, there were thousands of players like him in the football world. They were unknown. They mixed in the lower leagues and the bottom teams. They could not score many goals in a season. They could only move from one place to another to try their luck. In the end, the lower the league level and the worse the team became. In the end, they would find a lower league team and retire at the age of thirty-five or thirty-six. Then they would go to the community to coach the youth football team or do other jobs that had nothing to do with football to support themselves and their families. They may have the talent, they may have the ability, but what they have in common is that they all lack opportunity and luck.
For him, he was lucky after the end of the 06-07 season. Because at the time, the new Bundesliga team Hoffenheim found him.
There was no need to talk about the rest of the story. Everyone on Earth knew.
Now he wore the dark red Nottingham Forest jersey and stood on the field of the English Premier League. This was the most prominent team he had ever played for, but the situation had not changed. He was still being questioned.
Even when he scored thirty-seven goals in a season at Hoffenheim, he was still being questioned — this kid is just a flash in the pan. I bet he will quickly sink next season, just like Mintar. It is best not to have too much hope for him!
Well, the only change was that in England, someone finally publicly made a bet on this — I bet he could not score twenty goals in a season!
Carl Spicer said triumphantly after watching Ibišević's performance in the last few games, "In fact, I should have said at the time that he probably could not even score ten goals in a season."
I want to enjoy the real pure cheers, the cheers that are clean and without any noise. So that when they shouted "Super Ibi", they would not whisper, "I hope he can still perform like this next season", "I hope he can still perform like this in the next game" …
I calmed down and recalled how I played in the 08-09 season. I thought about how I shot the football into the goal through the gaps between the goalkeepers and defenders when I faced the goal!
It was no big deal. There was nothing to be nervous about. I was still me, Vedad Ibišević, a kid from Bosnia. Don't expect too much of me, but don't underestimate me either!
Scoring a lifetime's worth of goals in a season?
Stop joking!
I'm only twenty-six years old. I still have a long life ahead of me. I still have a lot of goals to score!
※ ※ ※
"George Wood controls the pace in the midfield. Now he looks more and more like a playmaker midfielder. Five of Nottingham Forest's attacks in the game came directly from his feet. His long passes were much better than they had been in previous seasons. He is looking up to observe the situation … "
As he spoke, George Wood passed the football long to Bentley in front of him.
Bentley did not dribble the ball to the end line. He directly passed the ball at a forty-five-degree angle!
In Norwich City's neat and uniform rear defensive line, Ibišević suddenly rushed out and jumped high to head the ball at the goal!
"It's too straight! Doesn't he observe the goalkeeper's position before he takes off? "The commentator could always find Ibišević's fault.
The football was slapped out by the goalkeeper with both hands.
This time the football fell at Eastwood's feet. Everyone in Norwich City tensed up. They could see that the Romani was in good form for the game. At the top of the penalty area's arc, it was simply "Eastwood's zone." As long as he took off, the football would turn in an arc toward the goal.
Everyone focused their defensive attention on the Romani, but ignored Ibišević next to him.
Eastwood made to look like he was going to shoot, but he poked the football out.
Ibišević, who had just run back in front of the goal, immediately turned around and did not turn his head to look at the assistant referee's flag signal. He only looked at the football at his feet and glanced at the goalkeeper in front of the goal from the corner of his eye.
Offside?
Let's kick the ball in first!
Whistle?
I didn't hear it!
Ibišević did not dribble the ball forward after he turned around. Instead, he fell straight to the ground and swept the shot!
The football jumped on the turf, avoided the outstretched hand of the Norwich City goalkeeper, Ward, and then went straight to the far goalpost of the goal!
It jumped again before the goal line and then hit the goalpost.
After shooting at the goal, Ibišević did not get up immediately. Instead, he half-knelt on the ground and maintained his sweeping posture. Like the goalkeeper, Ward, his eyes were fixed on the football.
The two men saw it hit the goalpost and then jump for the third time before it wobbled and fell within the goal line …
At this moment, Ibišević's pupils narrowed with excitement, and the Norwich City defenders around him raised their hands in unison.
Offside …?
The television commentator immediately shouted, "Offside!"
But soon he saw the assistant referee standing on the sidelines run to the center line with the flag, while the referee turned around with his hands flat and pointed to the center circle — this was the gesture for a goal to be valid!
A goal to be valid! A goal to be valid!
The few Nottingham Forest fans cheered. A voice began to ring out among them, "Super Ibi!"
"The Norwich City players ran to the assistant referee. Clearly, they had some disputes about the goal concede. But in any case, the Nottingham Forest players had already begun to cheer! 2: 0! They are leading by two goals in the away game, and this is only the first half! Vedad Ibišević finally scored, even though it was a controversial goal … "The commentator's tone was a little unnatural when he said this. He might not want to admit his failure … He could only use the" controversial goal "to save some face for himself.
Ibišević, who scored the goal, jumped up from the ground with agility unimaginable by ordinary people. He ignored his teammates who wanted to hug him and ran straight to the corner flag. Facing the camera, he swung his right hand high and then slammed it down to draw a circle. He used so much force that he almost slapped Eastwood, who ran behind him to hug him.
Next, he did not stop and ran to the away team's technical area. He hugged Tony Twain. The teammates who had chased him for most of the game also swarmed up and surrounded him.
"Ibišević, what do you mean by that action?" Twain asked loudly in the midst of the hubbub.
Surrounded by his teammates, Ibišević laughed happily and said, "Just like you said, chief! It really feels good to slap someone in the face! Ha! I feel good now! "
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