Nottingham Forest now seemed to be walking on a narrow path that could only allow one person to pass through sideways. On both sides was a bottomless abyss. As the footsteps moved, small rocks rolled down from time to time. The crashing echoes reverberated in the abyss, becoming fainter and fainter.
In such an environment, a moment of carelessness could cause one to lose their footing and fall. Then, not even their bones could be found.
In short, the current Nottingham Forest did not even have a millimeter of room for error. They could not afford to lose in the Champions League. They could not afford to lose in the Premier League. Who asked them to aim for the Treble this season?
In this away game against Arsenal, Tang En could not care less about rotation. He sent out the strongest lineup he could.
At the Emirates Stadium, Nottingham Forest was facing Arsenal's torrential attacks. It was basically no different from the previous Champions League match. Arsenal's attack rhythm was very fast, causing Forest to be exhausted on the field.
Because they needed to win the match, Tang En did not choose conservative tactics. This was different from the previous Champions League match. In the previous Champions League match, Nottingham Forest chose to defend and counterattack because they already had a one-goal lead. Now, the score was still 0: 0. There was no value in being conservative. He did not need a draw. Other than a victory, he could not accept any other result.
Therefore, in this match, Tang En requested for the team to attack actively. Even if they were confused by Arsenal's fast attacks, they could not retreat. Instead, they could actively fight for the ball against Arsenal in the middle and front fields.
This was what Wenger wanted to see the most. Nottingham Forest would use up a lot of energy in such a fight.
In fact, Tang En also knew this. Arsenal wanted to wear down Forest. However, he had no other choice now. He could only fight to get rid of Arsenal before he was worn down.
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"George! George! " Tang En kept shouting Wood's name off the field, indicating for him to fight fiercely and not be afraid of fouls.
Gago was also very desperate on the pitch. He had developed a "desperate" style in Real Madrid that could not run to his death. Now that he was in the Forest team, he learned from Redondo. However, Tang En still deliberately let him keep this spirit.
Their opponent was using the same tactics, but Forest was playing harder than in the previous match. In addition to the fact that they could not choose to be conservative, Arsenal's home advantage could not be ignored.
Wenger's team fully displayed the characteristics of their exquisite technique, tacit cooperation, and smooth offense in this game. The continuous campaign made the entire Forest team very tired, and they were unable to face Arsenal's attack.
After persisting for 29 minutes in the first half, the Forest team's defensive line finally revealed a gap, which was keenly seized by Arsenal. Fàbregas passed the ball, and Carlos Vela suddenly plugged in diagonally and unexpectedly appeared behind the Forest team's entire defensive line. He was not offside!
"It's not offside! Bella caught the ball! "
Pepe was still raising her hand to signal that Bella was offside, but Akinfeev had already abandoned the goal. A huge cheer broke out over the Emirates Stadium.
Amidst the cheers, Bella kicked a low shot!
The football passed under Akinfeev's armpit and hit the far goalpost before bouncing into the goal …
"The ball's in! A beautiful offside! A brilliant assist from Fàbregas!! " Amidst the tsunami-like shouts, the live commentator had to raise his volume and shout along with the fans. "Arsenal is leading at home! This has dealt a heavy blow to Tony Twain's Nottingham Forest! "
After conceding the goal, Akinfeev was a little angry. He walked over and roared at Pepe, "Bastard! Why didn't you go back to defend just now? "
Pepe was clearly also angry. He violently pushed his teammate away, "This is f * cking offside!"
"Whether it's offside or not, you should f * cking come back! You bastard! " Akinfeev was a little angry that he was pushed back instead of questioning. Seeing the tragedy of the two rushing forward to kill each other, fortunately, the surrounding teammates rushed up to separate the two.
Twain saw this scene from the sidelines and was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He could not stop scolding, "This bunch of bastards! They've embarrassed themselves in a live broadcast! "
On the other hand, Wenger sat on a chair next to him with a slightly hidden smile of schadenfreude on his face. Internal strife in the Forest team? This was not a common scene. It looked like the Forest team was about to collapse from the heavy pressure.
Even the commentator became excited, "Oh oh oh! The Nottingham Forest players have a conflict, and it's a conflict between their own players! This is going to be interesting! I've been commentating for nearly ten seasons of Premier League matches, and I've commentated for no less than fifty Forest matches. I've never seen such an intense conflict between their own players! Tony Twain has always boasted that his team is the most united team in the world, and there is pitifully little negative news about their locker room in the media. But today … all of this has happened in front of all of us. This is really a rare sight! I'm already looking forward to how Tony Twain will face the swarm of reporters after the match ends … "
"What are you doing!" At the same time, on the field, the Forest players were trying hard to calm the two "raging bulls."
"Calm down!"
"Stop fooling around. Have you taken the wrong medicine?"
Wood stood between the two of them. He pushed them away, one in each hand. But the two of them broke free from Wood and did not give up.
After a brief moment of shock, the Arsenal fans in the stands burst into gloating boos and laughter. Fans of any team always liked to see their opponents make a fool of themselves in front of them.
The laughter and boos were ear-piercing to Twain, more ear-piercing than scolding him, "You son of a b * tch."
He finally stopped muttering to himself and rushed to the side of the field to roar, "It's a live broadcast now, you bastards! A live broadcast!! "
His voice was drowned out by the loud boos at the scene and did not hear it. Instead, it attracted the special attention of the cameras. The television broadcast gave him a long close-up shot. In the camera, he clenched his fists tightly, his face red and his eyes wide open. He looked very angry indeed.
Shania, who saw this scene in the private room, also stood up nervously from her seat. Every time Twain got agitated, Shania would be this worried.
Twain roared futilely at the side of the field until he panted back to the manager's seat to ask for water, but to no avail. As Kerslake handed him the water, he muttered, "Is the pressure too much?"
Twain took the water bottle but did not drink it. Instead, he stared blankly at Kerslake, making the latter feel a little scared. He suddenly stopped drinking water and did not go to the side of the field to continue scolding. Instead, he sat down and stared at the field without saying a word, as if he was lost in thought.
At the last moment, it was George Wood who activated his "pressure" as the team captain, grabbing Pepe and Akinfeev's lapels to make them behave.
"It's a match now. If you want to fight, wait until the match is over!"
Even the referee intervened. He called the two men to his side and gave them a verbal warning. He told them that even if they were teammates on the same team, if there was an intense physical altercation, he had to give them a yellow card as a warning.
Only then did the two men's anger subside a little, but they still did not see eye to eye with each other.
They walked back to their respective positions without saying a word.
※ ※ ※
Taking advantage of the Forest team's internal conflict, Wenger also got up and walked to the side of the field. He waved his hand and called Fàbregas over, giving him instructions.
"They have their own problems. This is our chance. Next, continue to assist Pepe on this point. "
Fàbregas drank his water and nodded.
After returning to the field, Arsenal indeed adjusted their tactics, using Pepe's position as the main direction of attack. Pepe was clearly affected by the goal concede and the argument. To be honest, the ball had slipped past him, and he did not actively return to defend. Perhaps he had made a small mistake at that moment, or for some other reason, but it was his mistake that allowed Bella to easily shoot the ball in. For a moment, danger surrounded the Forest team's goal.
After seeing this, Twain also got up from the manager's seat and shouted Wood's name from the side of the field, gesturing for him to replace Pepe's position. After Wood received the order and left, the Forest team's defense finally regained a foothold in Arsenal's storm-like attack.
Fortunately, Arsenal was not given much time in the first half. Even with the Forest team's internal conflict, it was only three minutes of stoppage time. The referee quickly blew the whistle to end the first half, which made the Arsenal fans a little unhappy. They thought that if Arsenal were given another minute, Nottingham Forest's goal would be lost for the second time.
Even so, the Arsenal players were still in a good mood when they returned to the changing room, because they had seen their opponent's collapse with their own eyes. There was nothing more detrimental to the team's morale than a conflict between their own players in a match, because it was too embarrassing …
Looking at the Forest players' expressions as they walked off the field without lowering their heads, it was obvious. They could not wait for the match to end so that they could escape the Emirates Stadium as soon as possible.
Twain was at the back. He stood alone on the side of the field for a while before slowly walking towards the tunnel.
His back seemed to be very tired.
Shania's face darkened when she saw this scene from the private room.
If the flamboyant Tony Twain at the side of the field had gone through such an intense match, he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant when he returned home. He already had a heart problem, and he was still under so much pressure … She was really worried.
※ ※ ※
The Forest players in the changing room were all silent. Akinfeev and Pepe were far away, neither looking at the other.
Hearing the sound of the door opening and closing, someone looked up and saw the Boss.
They did not see any anger on the Boss's face. There was not even the calm before the storm.
Twain glanced at everyone. His gaze moved very slowly, and it seemed to take a few minutes for him to look at each and every one of them. The changing room was dead silent. Kerslake was not the kind of person who could endure such an atmosphere. There were a few times when he wanted to say something, but he gave up in the end.
He felt that the atmosphere was not quite right.
Twain finally opened his mouth. "I think I miscalculated something. I was happy to make that kind of exciting bet with others, but I forgot about your endurance. It was not my original intention to let you bear this kind of pressure like me. You all know that … Uh, I hoped to be able to shoulder all the pressure on my own head, and let you guys perform without any worries. Now, it looks like I was wrong, ridiculously wrong. "He kept shaking his head to deny himself, his expression pained and exhausted.
"So, I won't give you any pressure in this match. You guys can perform as you wish … As for the matter of eating tables, you don't have to worry about it. I have my ways."
With that, Twain sat down on the chair and let out a long sigh.
"Igor and Pepe don't have to hold any grudges. I don't blame you for this. I know you're all thinking for the team, so … let bygones be bygones." He clapped his hands, as if he really did not take it to heart.
"I now understand that winning the Treble is not an easy thing to do, especially in our current situation. Winning the Treble is simply a daydream. The mockery outside is reasonable. I, Tony Twain, have always been used to talking big. But I have to thank you guys. Every time, you guys make my big words become reality … But this time is different. Winning the Treble is really … difficult. Alright! "He stood up from his seat again and raised his voice." I admit defeat! We don't have the right to win the Treble! Everyone, go home and sleep after this match. Don't think about anything else. Let's fight for a title in the Champions League and the FA Cup. "
"Everyone, let go of the pressure! It's not a big deal to lose to Arsenal in this match! As long as we eliminate them in the Champions League, we'll have our revenge! "
When Twain finished speaking, he found that the locker room was still dead silent, even quieter than before. He asked curiously, "What's wrong? Why aren't you talking? Am I wrong? Hey, I'm doing this for your own good, guys! I'm trying my best to reduce the pressure for you! Is this the f * cking attitude you have? Why are you looking at me? What's the point of not talking? "He suddenly scolded loudly. His breathing became heavy, and he stared at the people in the room.
"Say something! Something like 'Okay, we'll give up the league tournament' or something like that! "
"No." Wood stood up. "I don't want to give up the league tournament." He met Twain's eyes after he finished speaking.
Pepe hesitated for a moment before he also stood up. "Boss … I apologize for what happened in the first half … I was just a little hot-headed when I saw the goal concede …"
"That's why I'm here to reduce your pressure, isn't it?" Twain spread his hands and shrugged.
"But that's not what I want …" Pepe shook his head. "Like George, I don't want to lose the title."
"Boss … none of us said we want to give up the league tournament. Why did you say those things?" This time, it was Akinfeev who stood up. "I apologize to Pepe. I was a little impulsive in the first half, but it's all right now. We're only behind by one goal. Why should we give up? "
More and more people stood up to express their wishes. No one wanted to give up just like that. They all wanted to win the championship. In the end, everyone stood and surrounded Twain in the middle.
Twain looked left and right.
"That's strange. Does that mean you suddenly don't want to lose the game?"
"We didn't say we want to lose the game, boss!" Someone corrected the mistake in Twain's words.
"Do you really want to win?" Twain asked doubtfully.
"Does anyone want to lose?" Wood asked.
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