The locker room was silent. Twain stood in the middle of a group of players, looking at this and that. Everyone stared at him in silence. He was the backbone of this team.
"You really don't want to lose?" Twain asked. However, he did not expect those people to answer. He raised his hands to his chest and lowered his head to signal everyone not to speak.
"Very well. Then from now on, all of you can forget everything I just said! Forget those damn 'give up on the league tournament' and 'wash up and sleep.' Let's lay out the tactics for the second half against Arsenal … "
"We definitely have to win this match. Even a draw is unacceptable. We put in the effort, so we must be rewarded. So, we won't consider defensive counterattack … "Twain wrote and drew on the tactical board. When he looked back and saw everyone still standing, he hurriedly waved for them to sit down.
"Defensively, we'll refer to the last game. George, your task is heavy. Freeze Fàbregas completely so that he has no time to organize an attack. Arsenal relies on him to dispatch in the midfield. If he is not effective, Arsenal's offensive threat will be weakened by at least half. Don't wait. Pounce on the first point. Fernando, you protect at the back. "
Gago and Wood both nodded at the same time.
"Your task is not to intercept their ball, but to delay time and slow down Arsenal's pace to buy time for Wood to return to defend. Remember, if they want to pass the ball, let them pass. Don't run over. Guard the middle. Leave the other positions to your teammates. "
Then, Twain drew two lines on the sidelines on the tactical board.
"The second half is very demanding on the sidelines because you not only need to attack, but also need to let go. The full backs have to assist, and the side midfielders have to defend. If the side midfielders do not defend actively, then our defensive line will be in danger. If the full backs do not assist, we can't win this game. You are the key to this game, guys. "
This time, it was Bale, Rafinha, Fernández and Bentley who nodded.
Twain looked at Pepe. "Pepe?"
Pepe knew what he wanted to ask and shook his head. "I'm fine, boss. Don't worry about me."
Twain pointed at him and smiled. "In the last stages of the first half, it was clear that Arsenal used your side as a key breakthrough point. Now, let's make a bet. Do you think … "He blinked," … Will Arsenal still think so in the second half? "
Pepe guessed what the boss wanted to do. He asked, "Boss, are you saying that they think Igor and I will fight in the locker room and continue to play poorly in the second half?"
Twain wagged his finger. "I just think it's possible. Arsenal also thinks it's possible. If I were Wenger, I would take everything into consideration. The conflict between you and Igor was so big in the first half. It looks like you have a grudge against each other … Heh. "Seeing the two men's expressions, Tang En laughed.
The two people involved in the conflict lowered their heads in embarrassment. Now that they had completely calmed down, they were indeed ashamed of themselves for throwing a tantrum in the first half in front of tens of thousands of spectators and live TV cameras. Who knew what their minds were filled with at that moment, and what kind of sound was assaulting their eardrums.
"I think Arsenal will try to break through from you in the second half. If they find that nothing has changed from the first half, they will focus all their offensive firepower on you. If it were me, I would do the same. Stabbing a knife and then sprinkling salt on the wound is my favorite thing to do. " As he said that, he made a stabbing and twisting motion with his hand, causing the muscles on the players' faces to twist as well.
Tang En's words suddenly paused, and he stuck his head out to look around. The people who were attentively listening to his teachings were all curious — what was wrong with their boss again?
"Tony, what are you doing?" Kerslake could not stand it anymore and asked aloud.
"What a pity." Tang En shook his head and sighed. "The Emirates Stadium's locker room is really clean. There's no dirt or dust … I wanted to help the two of you dress up." Twain said to Pepe and Akinfeev. "Your faces are too clean now. You don't look like enemies who just had a 'fierce battle'."
Some of the players were the first to react to what the boss meant. They roared with laughter.
Amidst the laughter, Akinfeev became embarrassed again. Pepe, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to throw caution to the wind. He raised his head and said, "It's nothing, boss. Igor and I will just continue to glare at each other. "With that, he even made a special demonstration.
He stood next to Akinfeev, but he turned his head and raised his head to glare at the other side. The muscles on both sides of his nose bulged slightly. The corners of his mouth curled up, but it was not a smile. Instead, it was contempt, disdain, and disgust. It was as if he really looked down on the teammate beside him from the bottom of his heart.
Tang En applauded as he watched from the side. "Your acting is too good. I recommend you to go to Hollywood after you retire, Pepe!" Then he looked at Akinfeev.
"I can't act that well, boss. I can only not look at him. "Akinfeev turned his body around and faced his back to Pepe.
The two men's performance made the locker room laugh incessantly.
Tang En snapped his fingers, and the laughter gradually died down.
"When we're defending, the biggest headache isn't how sharp the opponent's offense is, but not knowing where they'll attack from." As he said that, the defensive players nodded in agreement. "Now the problem is solved." Tang En pointed to Pepe, and there was another burst of laughter from the crowd. "At the beginning of the second half, you'll perform a little clumsily. Don't worry, I won't scold you loudly on the sidelines, Pepe."
"Okay, boss." Pepe agreed. How to deliberately show that he was not in form without making a fatal mistake was also a challenge for him.
"Pepe can be a little clumsy, but you can't, Igor."
Akinfeev nodded quickly. "I know, boss. I'm the last line of defense. "
Tang En knew that the Russian goalkeeper was a smart man, so he did not continue. He turned to the team. "Now Arsenal's main attack direction is clear, but don't think that we can win just like that. Our opponents are real people, not bronze statues outside the stadium, nor are they computer data that will adjust to our changes. Once they find out that Pepe is just a trap, they will immediately make changes, or they will beat us at our own game … So, in fact, there are very few opportunities left for us. I ask you to not rush the counterattack after a successful defense. You have to ensure a success rate. I repeat: I don't want to see your performance of running forward after you intercept the ball. Try to control the ball on our side and don't easily return the ball to Arsenal. If you lose the ball, try to snatch it back. Don't rush back to defend. Remember, we don't have many opportunities to deceive Arsenal. You have to treat every time you take the ball as our only attack! One goal! " He raised his right index finger. "With just one goal, we can break the deadlock on the field and mess up Arsenal's tactics. So, we have to seize the opportunity of this one goal! This is an away game. Everyone outside is our enemy. We don't have the right to waste the opportunity! Wasting an opportunity will bring retribution! "
"In attack, you have to keep running. All opportunities will appear while you are running. Don't expect to have the football sent to your feet by lazing around in front. Pull Arsenal's defense. Their full backs also like to assist. Use this to attack their flanks! Ibi, you have to be a little tougher! Let them be busy with their own defense. This will also reduce the pressure on our defense. "
After everyone understood what they had to do, Tang En was silent for a while. Kerslake looked at his watch. There was not much time left for the halftime break. This halftime break seemed to be exceptionally short.
Tang En was silent for a while before he continued to say, "I know everyone has been very tired recently. In fact, I'm very tired too. Everyone here is tired." He pointed to the coaches around him. "The sprint stage is not only for you players to fight. We are the same. You are tired physically, and we are tired mentally. Anyway, we are tired. We are tired to the point of going crazy. "Tang En said the word" tired "a lot in one breath. He seemed to be emphasizing this feeling.
"But it's the 34th round of the league tournament now." Tang En counted on his fingers and said to his players, "There are four games left until the end of the season … No, it's three and a half games. We are still six points behind Arsenal. A gap of two games, then there will be one and a half games left. If they beat us in this game, then it will be a gap of three games. Even if we win all the last three rounds of the league tournament and Arsenal loses all of them, we will still have the same points as them. But because we have fewer goals than them, we still can't win the championship. "
"I'm not telling you all this to reduce your pressure. I'm not telling you all this to make you feel that 'things are still under control.' I want you to know, 'Damn it, things are rotten to this point! If we don't work hard, we will all be finished! 'Three and a half games! We don't even have a second to make a mistake. It's like life. If you lose, you lose. There won't be another chance for you to do it again. So now I'm very grateful for this match schedule! "Tang En gritted his teeth and said" thank you "with a ferocious expression. "It gives us a chance to take our fate into our own hands, even though it's the last chance."
Tang En raised his index finger, which was trembling slightly. It was a sign of overexertion.
"This is the last chance. If we can't grasp it, we can really announce that we give up, even if there are still three rounds until the end of the league tournament. We don't have the right to win the championship! We don't have the right to laugh at those losers, because we are the biggest f * cking losers! So, for me, for you, for all of us, this season actually … has the last forty-five minutes left. If we can't beat Arsenal, we can't win the league title! If we lose to Arsenal here, then we still can't beat them in the Champions League three days later! That's the truth. You've tripped over the same rock, and you'll be tripping over that rock for the rest of your life. You can't get up. That rock to you, who's lying on the ground, is simply a mountain that you can't see the top of! So don't believe the nonsense of 'even though we lost the league tournament, we still have the Champions League'! "
Tang En's face turned red again. This time, it was not from anger, but from excitement.
"How many times in your career can you come across an opportunity like this season? The league tournament, the Champions League, and the FA Cup. We have three championships to fight for. We can become the 'treble winners' revered by tens of thousands! Twenty-two years since the establishment of the Premier League, only Manchester United has ever done it! We originally had the chance to be the second in these twenty-two years, but if we let it go today, it'll be gone! Who knows what the future will be like? Who can guarantee that we can still win the treble next season? Anyway, I can't guarantee it. "Tang En spread his hands. "If such an opportunity is not worth our whole team clenching our teeth and fighting for it!" He waved his arms forcefully and roared. "Then what else is there in this world that is worth fighting for? What else is there?! "
The eyes of the players who had been looking at him in silence had changed. Balls of fiery flames were burning in their eyes. Some were even so excited that their lips were trembling and their fists were clenched. They could not wait to rush onto the field and fight with Arsenal.
But Tang En had not finished speaking. This fire was not strong enough!
"You're tired, I know! You're under a lot of pressure, I know! But why are you tired? Why are you under a lot of pressure? For the only treble winner in 15 years since 1999! If you're tired, grit your teeth and hold on! If you're under a lot of pressure, grit your teeth and hold on! "Tang En gritted his teeth and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "Hold on until the 23rd of May. At that time, let us use three championship trophies to prove that the previous grit of teeth and perseverance is worth it! We don't do useless work. Every time we put in and persevere, there will be a return. Our Nottingham Forest … is equivalent to a champion! "
"Champion!!" The players could not hold back their excitement and finally roared.
"On that day, let everyone bow! First! First! Minister!! "Tang En waved his fists forcefully, as if he wanted to smash a hole in the air.
A group of people howled along with him. The air in the entire locker room was stirred up by him, making people's mouths dry. They desperately wanted to find an outlet for the raging fire in the depths of their hearts.
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The time had long passed. The staff knocked on the door of the away team's locker room to remind Forest to come out for the match. Arsenal had already been waiting for them on the field for nearly two minutes. Dissatisfied boos had already sounded from the stands. The security guards were really worried that if Forest did not come out soon, the fans at the Emirates Stadium would start to tear down the chairs and smash the away team's technical area.
But when he knocked on the door, a group of people rushed out and nearly knocked him to the ground.
He staggered to the side and looked in surprise at the Nottingham Forest players who were staring at him with red faces and thick necks as they rushed onto the field.
Then he saw Tony Twain, who was the last to come out. Tang En also saw him. The two of them exchanged glances. Tang En smiled and walked towards the field.
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