Just as Tang En said to Dunn, he did go to Wood during training the next day to find out what happened at the party.
"Very good." Wood briefly explained the situation to Tang En. "I chatted with him for a while and introduced him to my teammates. After he drank, he seemed to have changed into a different person. Everyone liked him. "
Tang En pretended to be surprised. "So he can only change after drinking?"
Wood nodded. "He even sang for us."
This was the question that Tang En was most concerned about. "How did he sing?"
"It was very unpleasant." Wood smashed Tang En's little fantasy with a straight face. "But everyone said it was very nice."
That was, of course, just to prevent Matías from being upset.
In fact, when Fernández went on stage, he held the microphone and hummed for a long time. No one knew he was singing. No one could understand the language he sang. As for the melody, because his voice was too soft, no one knew if it was pleasant to listen to. In short, he sang in a self-indulgent manner. Then, a group of people below the stage cheered and clapped hard.
After Tang En listened to Wood's detailed account of his singing experience, he quickly dismissed the idea of letting Fernández sing in the locker room to liven things up. He could go to the enemy's locker room to sing and harass them, but he was afraid that Fernández would not do it even if he was beaten to death.
Later, when the players chatted excitedly after training, Tang En moved closer to listen to what they were talking about.
He realized that although Fernández still had a language barrier, he was no longer like before, hiding far away when everyone started discussing something. Instead, he moved closer to him and pretended to be very concerned. Although he did not understand, if everyone laughed, he would also laugh.
This was a good sign!
The stone in Tang En's heart was finally lifted.
He slowly moved back to the coach's side and smiled at Dunn. "Look, Dunn. A manager sometimes has to be like a kindergarten teacher, concerned about everything. "
"It's the first time I've seen a kindergarten teacher climbing a tree to peep."
"Ha! In any case, the effect was achieved. The next step is to integrate him into our tactical system. "He patted Dunn on the shoulder." This is the job of your favorite coach. "
Actually, in terms of tactics, there was not much to worry about. Matías Fernández was a player who could play on the flanks as well as in the middle. On the left, Tang En just happened to need such a versatile player — he could launch an attack on the flanks alone and complete an assist after breaking through with the ball. He could also lean towards the middle, pass the ball through, or shoot from long range. At the same time, he let the left back, Gareth Bell, plug in to assist.
There are just some areas that need to be fine-tuned. For example, he could not let Fernández hold the ball for too long. Otherwise, he would be knocked out of bounds in the Premier League. And it would also slow down the Forest team's attack. Nottingham Forest's pace of play had always been known for its "fast" pace.
Therefore, in order to really integrate into the team, Fernández must change his habit of holding the ball too tightly and learn a more direct way of playing. That way, it would not slow down the team's offense, and at the same time, it would reduce the chances of him getting injured. But to change his playing style, he did not know if a professional player would be willing to accept it …
If he did not accept it, he would let him have a taste of the cruelty of the Premier League!
That was Tang En's plan. As Fernández's performance became more and more outstanding, he was bound to receive more attention from his opponents. If he still did not change his playing style, he could only wait to appear frequently on the injury list.
※ ※ ※
After settling the matter with Fernández, Tang En planned to go all out on the two fronts of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. Following that was a home game against Tottenham Hotspur in the sixth round of the Premier League, followed by an away game against Atlético Madrid in the second round of the Champions League group stage next week. The opponents in these two games were not weak. Tang En had to deal with them carefully.
Playing against Tottenham Hotspur at home was easy. It would not be difficult to beat the old Redknapp's team with the home advantage. Playing against Atlético Madrid in an away game was a trip full of unknown risks.
In the game against Tottenham Hotspur, Tang En deployed a strong offensive lineup, intending to settle the battle in the first half and then preserve their strength to deal with Atlético Madrid.
What he did not expect was Gareth Bell's injury.
The reason for Bell's injury was somewhat nonsensical.
It had only been nine minutes since the start of the game. After he took the ball on the left flank, there were no Tottenham Hotspur players pouncing to defend at the first instance. So, he planned to continue dribbling the ball forward and play with his footwork at the same time. When he faced the first Tottenham Hotspur defensive player, he suddenly stopped and slowed down, intending to play a move that used to be Robert Carlos's favorite: knocking the ball from behind with his heel, stopping suddenly and changing direction to pass the player.
He knocked the ball beautifully and smoothly deceived Tottenham Hotspur's Dos Santos. But when he stopped suddenly and changed direction, he suddenly lost his center of gravity and fell to the ground.
Dos Santos looked stunned and did not know what had happened. He immediately raised his hands to indicate that he did not commit a foul. Not to mention that he did not commit a foul, he did not even have any physical contact. He did not want to inexplicably get a card because of this.
Gareth Bell held his knee in pain and rolled on the ground. Only then did he put down one hand and summon the referee and stretcher over.
Fleming ran onto the field with two staff carrying the stretcher. The referee and the Forest players had already surrounded Bell.
"Did you have any physical contact?"
"What did that Mexican kid do to you?"
"What the hell is going on? Aren't you in good health? "The teammates surrounding him were all talking at once. But they could not help.
Fleming squeezed his way in, yelling all the way. He knew things were not good with just one glance. He hurriedly dispersed the crowd and signaled for the stretcher to come up and carry Bell out.
At the same time, he got up and made a substitution gesture to Tang En on the other side of the field.
"Damn it …" Tang En cursed. He did not expect a simple passing move to lead to such an outcome.
But Bell, oh Bell, why did you have to show off? You could have just changed direction honestly. Why did you have to knock the ball with your heel and stop suddenly and change direction?
He called out to Leighton Baines, who was sitting on the substitutes' bench, with a look of displeasure. He had not intended to let Baines play in this game. He wanted Baines to start against Atlético Madrid and stabilize the defense.
As a result, Bell left the field due to his own injuries without any physical contact.
In this game, the Forest team ultimately relied on Žigić's header in the first half and Agbonlahor's counterattack at the start of the second half, as well as Ibišević's long shot from outside the penalty area to defeat Tottenham Hotspur 3: 1.
Ibišević scored his fourth goal of the season and was one step closer to the goal of 20 goals. Of course, he did not forget to slap someone in the face for the fourth time. But Tang En was not happy at all.
The day after the game, Tang En learned from Fleming about the latest injury report on Bell. The cruciate ligament in his right knee was torn. He would be out for at least seven months and basically out for the season.
Tang En was stunned for a while before he reacted.
At this time, he did not know who he should scold. A large part of the reason for Bell's injury was himself. Because during the medical examination before the start of every season, there was no problem with his right knee. Every time, Fleming would say that Bell's body was very strong. He really could not tell that he was the thin and short little monkey from before.
In the end …
Dereliction of duty by the team doctor? That was impossible.
It could only be that God was toying with him.
"Alright …" Tang En muttered. "Fortunately, I didn't loan Mattock out before the season …"
He did not know if it was wrong of him to say that he was lucky at this time.
If the Forest team did not bring in reinforcements during the winter transfer period, then Joe Mattock and Leighton Baines would be supporting the Forest team's left defensive line for an entire season.
Tang En had to think about the issue of reinforcements. If the Forest team made it to the Champions League knockout stage in the second half of the season — which was almost certain for Tang En — then it seemed imperative to add a left back. But that way, after Bell recovered from his injury and returned to the team next season, there would be four people competing for a starting position. It would be too intense, and at the same time, it would cause a waste of manpower. He could not always let Mattock play in the reserve team. Young players relied on competition to gain experience and improve their abilities. If he did not always let them play in the First Team games, he would throw a tantrum.
If he did not bring in a new defender, Tang En was not sure if he could only rely on Leighton Baines and Joe Mattock for the entire season. What's more, there was a worse possibility waiting for him ahead — what if one or both of Joe Mattock and Leighton Baines were injured again?
This was really a headache!
If there had to be someone who was happy to benefit from Gareth Bell's injury, then Joe Mattock would be the only one. Although he did not show this kind of happiness, and in the interview, he also said that he was depressed and regretful about Bell's injury.
But objectively speaking, Bell's injury did give him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — if Bell was not injured, then the Forest team's left back position would definitely be rotated between him and Baines. Only in an unimportant game like the EFL Cup would he have the opportunity to represent the team in the starting lineup.
Now, he had a chance to prove in a higher level of competition that the SI company had not set his potential to 9 in the FM game because of the partnership between Nottingham Forest Football Club and SI.
Tang En then found Mattock and talked to him about the matter of him following the team to play in the Premier League and Champions League. In fact, Tang En had signed him up for these two competitions, but he basically did not have many opportunities to play. Gareth Bell and Leighton Baines were in stable form and were rarely injured.
Tang En mainly told him that he was likely to choose not to bring in any players during the winter transfer period, so he needed him and Baines to play together on the left side for a season. Whether it was in the Premier League or Champions League, he would have high hopes for him. He hoped that he could withstand the pressure and not disappoint him. After all, he had bought him because he thought highly of his potential. He needed Mattock to prove to him that his initial decision was not a mistake.
Mattock's answer was, "Don't worry, Boss. I'm not a minor anymore. "He was right. He was already 20 years old and had already gotten his driver's license.
※ ※ ※
The knee injury, which would last at least seven months, was the most serious injury Gareth Bell had suffered since he started playing football. What made it even more painful was that it was not caused by the intense collision, but because his knee could not withstand the pressure when he did the action. It made him doubt himself — was his right knee so weak that it was no longer suitable for the intense sport of playing football?
Tang En understood Bell's feelings and was worried about it, but he did not have time to solve it himself. Because after the game against Tottenham, he would lead the team to Madrid, Spain, to prepare for the Champions League group stage against Atlético Madrid.
How would he have the time to run to the hospital to visit the little monkey lying in bed, feeling lost about his future?
But he thought of someone who might be able to help Bell get back on his feet.
There were a total of 26 players in Nottingham Forest's First Team roster, but only 25 players were allowed to register for the Champions League each season. This season, Tang En did not register for van Nistelrooy. It was the Dutchman's own initiative. His reason was that he was old and frequently injured, so his attendance could not be guaranteed. Instead of occupying a spot, it was better to give it to a younger teammate. In any case, he was going to retire after the end of this season. He did not care if he could still play in the Champions League. But his other teammates must value this Champions League spot very much.
Tang En did not manage to persuade him, so he fulfilled van Nistelrooy's wish. He removed him from the registration list and filled in Joe Mattock's name. Now it seemed that van Nistelrooy had saved Tang En. If there had been no interlude, he now had to use Baines alone to cover all the remaining five group stage games. He could not get injured or get a card. Even if he was in a slump and his fitness was not good, he had to bite the bullet and do it.
Now van Nistelrooy could help him again.
Before leaving Nottingham, he found the Dutch striker after training. He wanted him to go to the hospital to see Bell, and then use his own experience to inspire and comfort the little monkey, so that he could get back on his feet earlier.
Van Nistelrooy understood what Tang En meant. He smiled and said, "I understand, boss. Just like what Ferguson said to me back then. "
When van Nistelrooy was planning to join Manchester United in 1999, he brushed shoulders with Manchester United because of a serious knee injury, and even almost ended his career. At that time, it was Ferguson who specially flew to the United States to visit him and told him that the Manchester United captain, Roy Keane, had experienced the same serious injury in his career, but he eventually overcame the injury and returned to the field to become Manchester United's flagship figure.
It was these words and Keane's example that gave van Nistelrooy the confidence to fight on with the injury. In the end, he successfully overcame the knee injury and returned to the field to join Manchester United.
At that time, Real Madrid also pursued him along with Manchester United. It was precisely because of Ferguson's talk that made van Nistelrooy decide to join Manchester United. It made him realize that Manchester United was a more humane club, and Ferguson was clearly a manager worth entrusting his future to. He had a unique personality and charm that attracted him. He would have no regrets if he helped such a manager to conquer a city and conquer a stronghold.
In this way, he turned down Real Madrid and joined Manchester United.
Who would have thought that six years later, this pair of master and disciple, who were like father and son, would turn against each other and let Tony Twain take advantage of them?
It was really hard to predict, and fate made fools of people …
Now, Twain hoped that van Nistelrooy could play the role that Ferguson had played in the past. He was not worried that doing so would make van Nistelrooy think of his feud with Ferguson and become unhappy. Because based on his understanding of van Nistelrooy, he was not the kind of person who would hate everything and hate for a lifetime.
It was best for van Nistelrooy to take over the matter. First of all, he was currently the oldest player in the team and was respected by everyone. His words carried weight. Second, he had experienced it firsthand. Compared to Tang En's superficial words, his words were able to strike a chord in Bale's heart. It was easier for Bale to resonate with him. Third, Bale and van Nistelrooy had a good personal relationship. It would not be as cold as the relationship between Eastwood and George Wood, which made it impossible to carry on any topic.
Seeing that van Nistelrooy had agreed to help Bale rebuild his confidence, Twain breathed a sigh of relief and flew the team to Madrid, Spain.
There was another impact of Bale's injury, and that was the lack of offensive ability on the left flank. When Bale was there, the left flank's assists were quite sharp. Now they could only rely on the left midfielders to complete this task, which would inevitably be affected.
This also required Matías Fernández to speed up the pace of integrating into the team's tactical system. Twain did not have time to wait. In the game against Atlético Madrid, Fernández, who was more familiar with the current La Liga and La Liga teams than anyone else on the team, would be entrusted with the heavy responsibility of starting. His performance would largely determine whether Nottingham Forest could get the results they wanted at the Calderón Stadium.
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