On April 22nd, the sky above Nottingham, which had been cloudy for several days, finally cleared up. Barcelona had been worried about the rain, but now they could breathe a sigh of relief. The weather was good, and Nottingham Forest's time of death had come!
"The English are good at playing in the rain because it's always raining on their heads." The Catalan reporters liked to make jokes like this when they chatted with each other. Compared to the sunny Barcelona, the weather in England was moldy enough.
"As long as the weather is good and the venue is good, victory will definitely be ours!"
※ ※ ※
When the sun appeared in the middle of the City Ground stadium, Thompson Isaksson, who had been busy all night, was sitting in the home team's technical area resting. As an old man in his sixties, working so late at night was a huge burden on his body, but he and his team managed to complete the task given by Tony Twain on time.
His old partner and old buddy, Glen Shelvey, stood on the sidelines and looked at the stadium that they had cleaned up after a night of work.
"I thought I would never have such an experience — to make a mess of a good stadium and still feel a sense of accomplishment."
Isaksson sat behind him and chuckled.
"Sometimes I really don't know what Mr. Tony Twain's brain is made of. He can always come up with a lot of ways to trick people. To make the stadium look like a rotten vegetable field and then let everyone play on such a field … I'm afraid you can't find a second manager in the world who will do this. "
Shelvey said a lot of things to himself in front, but Isaksson did not answer. He pointed to the special position to rest and enjoy what it was like to be a manager.
Shelvey looked back at him and saw that his old partner was enjoying it. Then he also noticed that position.
"How does it feel to be Tony Twain?" He asked.
Isaksson shrugged, "There are no roaring fans, and there is no team for me to command … It feels far from it."
Shelvey smiled and patted Isaksson on the shoulder, "With those things, your heart won't be able to take it!"
"That's true, the pressure of a manager is too much. In the last Champions League game, when I saw Mr. Twain arguing with the fourth official on the sidelines, I felt a little uncomfortable in my heart … "Isaksson touched his left chest." I really admire Mr. Twain. He's someone who has had heart surgery. "
After chatting about things unrelated to work, Isaacson stood up and looked at the venue, nodding with satisfaction. "I guarantee that Mr. Twain will be satisfied with this piece of land. Let's pack up! "
"Let's call it a day!" Shelvey shouted to the other workers, and then he turned to Isaacson next to him. "Want a drink, old chap?"
Isakson waved his hand. "Go with them. I have to go back and have a good sleep, and then come to watch Barcelona's wonderful performance on our field in the evening. "
"Ha!"
The two looked at each other and smiled.
※ ※ ※
Aaron Mitchell got up early in the morning. Although there would be no training on the day of the match, the team had to gather at Wilford in the morning and then take a bus to the hotel where they were staying. They would gather and rest until they went to the City Ground stadium an hour before the match.
While eating, Mitchell found that his hands were shaking slightly. Was he too excited or too nervous?
He hurriedly found an excuse to go to the bathroom and splashed his head with cold water.
After washing his head, he looked at his drenched self in the mirror and repeated over and over again, "Aaron Mitchell, this is just an ordinary game. Yes, all the games are just ordinary games. What are you nervous about? "He desperately clenched his fists, wanting to see if he was still shaking.
He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists with all his strength, and stared at the man in the mirror as if he was looking at the enemy who killed his father.
After a while, when he felt that his body was no longer trembling slightly for no reason, he wiped the water on his head and walked out.
His father and mother looked at their son strangely, feeling that the boy's mind was becoming more and more difficult to guess.
But today was a match day, and as parents, they could not use too many questions to disturb their son's mood and state. As their son often said, "The state is something that cannot be explained clearly. It comes inexplicably, and it may also disappear inexplicably."
It was not until Mitchell ran out of the door that his parents looked at each other.
"I've always felt that our son has been a little abnormal these days."
"It's game day. He's a little nervous, isn't he?"
"He's not playing. What is he nervous about?" Although the father always held out hope for his son, he was also a clear-headed fan. He knew that in such an important game, Tony Twain would not give his son any chance.
"Is puberty just arriving?" Finally, the father murmured.
※ ※ ※
When Mitchell arrived at Wilford, most of his teammates who were in the squad list had arrived. When he saw Mitchell coming over, he joked with him, "Did you not sleep last night because you were nervous, Aaron?"
"I slept well, Freddy!" Mitchell retorted.
Looking at his serious expression, everyone burst into laughter. If he was really not nervous, he would not have such an expression.
"Hey, relax, Aaron. The game hasn't started yet! "
"Don't take Barcelona seriously. They are not as strong as your opponents in the training matches!"
"Are you saying that we are strong?"
"Of course! Nottingham Forest is the strongest! "
"Do you remember how you felt when you trained? The game is just like that! "
"It's just the Champions League quarterfinals! I play in such a game every year … "
"Stop bragging, Freddy. We missed the quarterfinals for two years. "
"Hey, Aaron. Imagine, Barcelona's tallest center back is Piqué, but he's still a head shorter than you! You won't be afraid! "
"Are you talking about Piqué? Ah, I know that kid. "Pepe, who had just arrived, interrupted. "His physical fitness is great, but his technique and awareness are still lacking. He's not as good as me! It's a pity. If he had been with me, he would have made rapid progress, but he went to Barcelona … "He shook his head with a regretful expression.
"I think Aaron will definitely be marked by Piqué. If you go head-to-head with him and compete with your body … To be honest, I don't think you'll have an advantage, Aaron." Then he gave advice to Mitchell as Piqué's partner. "I think you should try to use your own skills …"
"But the boss doesn't let me rely too much on my footwork …"
"Idiot! Skills don't only come from footwork. Your awareness, your positioning, these are all skills! "Pepe wanted to give Mitchell a K on the head.
"Only a super striker like me can master the high-level skill of using positioning to deceive the opponent's defensive players!" Freddy Eastwood pretended to be a master in front of everyone and was ruthlessly despised by his teammates.
Everyone gave Mitchell this idea, but he was no longer nervous. He would certainly think about the game in the evening, but there was no other emotion except anticipation.
He was sure he was really ready this time.
※ ※ ※
"The world is in our hands! The world is in our hands! We are invincible and invincible … Forest, Forest! Nottingham Forest! "
When the lights came on, a large group of fans sang outside the window.
Mitchell's father said goodbye to his wife at the door, then hung the Forest team scarf around his neck and opened the door to go out. After he greeted a few familiar fans, he merged into the red crowd. As they continued to pass the houses and alleys, more and more people joined them. It was like a surging river, wrapping up everything along the way and rolling forward to the sea.
They sang the Nottingham Forest team song as they headed to the City Ground stadium.
On this night, there were countless such teams from all directions flocking to the brightly lit City Ground stadium. They usually did not know each other, but at this moment, they were comrades fighting side by side.
And the Barcelona fans gathered outside the City Ground stadium under the heavy protection of many police officers, or rather, surrounded, waiting to enter the stadium. They were also singing the Barcelona song. "Barça! Barça! Barça! "The shouts could be heard from afar. There were not many people, but the noise was not small.
They were more optimistic, and when interviewed by the media before the game, they were confident that Barcelona would win the game. "We have Messina! We have Xavi and Whitey! We have Bojan! We are the best in the world! What does Nottingham Forest have? Tony Twain, Tony Twain, Tony Twain … Where is he now? In the stands! Hahahaha! "
In response, the Nottingham Forest fans began to act as experts in front of the television cameras who were familiar with the history of the two teams. They told the Catalan media that except for the 2006 final, Barcelona had met Nottingham Forest twice and were eliminated both times. "Champions? We don't think about that kind of thing. We're telling you, we just want to see Barcelona cry and go home to their mothers tonight! All the champions have to bow down when they face Nottingham Forest. Inter Milan just lost, and Barcelona is no exception! "
"Although the game has not started yet, I still have to say … This is really an intense game!" The BBC reporter reported back from the scene and said at the end.
※ ※ ※
Nottingham Forest and Barcelona's bus arrived at the same time. The distance between the two buses was no more than twenty meters. With the help of the police cars, they smoothly entered the stadium on the banks of the Trent River.
The players filed out of the bus. Some of them were in the mood to wave to the reporters and fans around them, showing confident smiles.
Tony Twain was also in the crowd, but he could not follow the team to the locker room. The two inspectors sent by the UEFA looked at him at the entrance of the passageway.
"Hey, Mr. Twain! Can you accept an interview? "
"Manager Twain, I have a question …"
Twain glanced at the two inspectors standing at the entrance and smiled at them. He stopped here and began to accept the reporters' interview.
"I'd be happy to. Do you have any questions?"
"You're banned for a game like this against Barcelona, and you can't even enter the locker room. May I ask if this will have any adverse effects on your team?"
"There are no adverse effects. My coaching staff are all excellent, and my players know what they want to do. I'll be watching the game from the stands like an ordinary fan. " Twain pulled open the collar of his shirt to show the many reporters what he was wearing today. There was a red Nottingham Forest home jersey under his shirt!
He also took out a Nottingham Forest scarf from his suit pocket. It was also red. He hung it around his neck. He looked no different from the ordinary fans outside.
"Guardiola said in an interview before the game that he's happy you can't command from the sidelines for this game. What do you think?"
"Is he praising me?" Twain laughed. "My enemy's fear is my glory. But I want to tell him that he can laugh all he wants, because I'm afraid he won't be able to laugh when the game is over! "
"It looks like you're very confident of winning this game. But where does your confidence come from, Mr. Twain? "
"My team." Twain's face revealed a proud look when he answered the question. "They're the best team in the world."
"All husbands think their wives are the best, don't they, Mr. Twain?" A Catalan reporter raised a different opinion.
Twain glanced at him and noticed the Barcelona badge on his suit collar. He was convinced that the man was a Barcelona fan.
"Oh, no, sir. I've heard the saying of wisdom — a wife is always someone else's good, and a child is your own. "
After saying that, he stopped accepting interviews and walked straight to the two UEFA game supervisors. When he walked in front of the two, he opened his arms. "Do you need me to take off my pants?"
The two inspectors looked at each other. They did not know why Twain said that.
"See if there's any high-tech gadgets like a miniature microphone or a radio transmitter hidden in my anus."
Hearing him say that, the two inspectors' expressions looked as if they had eaten sh * t.
"We … We're not in prison here, Mr. Twain." One of them resisted the disgust in his heart and replied.
"Isn't it? I think your expressions do look a little like wardens. "Twain snorted and walked past the two men.
"Where are you going, Mr. Twain?"
"Don't worry, I'm not going to the locker room. I'm just going to the toilet." Twain turned back to look at them. "Do you want to come together? Don't stand on ceremony. I'll be the host. You can also see if I'll stuff a miniature microphone or a satellite phone in my anus … "
"Mr. Twain!" One of them finally could not take it anymore. "We just had dinner!"
Twain raised his hands and made an apologetic gesture. "But I'm doing this for your own good. If I really used some high-tech gadget to contact the coaching staff, you won't be able to explain yourself when you go back, right? "
"I've never seen a manager who would inseminate himself for the sake of winning a game." The other person's words were a little venomous. Clearly, he had a lot of prejudice against Twain. Or it could be said that in the short amount of time they had spent together, he had already become a staunch "Twain hater."
However, Tang En winked at him and said something that completely disgusted him, "I will, Mr. Supervisor. I'll do whatever it takes to win. "
At that time, the two UEFA inspectors only thought that Twain was deliberately saying those words out of anger to disgust them. But it would not be long before they knew that everything Tony Twain said was true.
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