In the locker room, the Forest players sat on the bench to rest. They did not play well in the second half of the first half, so no one was in the mood to chat and laugh. For a moment, there was only the sound of heavy breathing in the locker room.
Tang En did not speak. He turned his back to everyone and looked at the tactical board, lost in thought.
He treated the tactical board as if it was the Bernabéu stadium and replayed the first half on it.
Real Madrid's offense had a strong sense of hierarchy. The forward line, the front line, and the back line were well connected. When Tang En was watching the match in the first half, he had this feeling — after the Real Madrid players fought for the first landing point, the second landing point was always within their control. Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. They could fight for the first landing point, but they had no way of controlling the second landing point. This led to Real Madrid's attacks coming wave after wave, seemingly endless, while Forest's attacks were more like a one-shot deal.
This was determined by the quality of the midfield and the team's tactics.
Overall, Real Madrid was indeed stronger than Nottingham Forest. After experiencing the dark years of the past few years, the re-emerging Real Madrid finally found the path they were most familiar with and best at.
So what could they do to break it?
Continue to attack? No, they had to balance their defense. Defense was the foundation of everything. If they did not defend well, it would be useless no matter how many goals they scored in front. The morale boost from scoring a goal was far less than the morale hit from conceding a goal.
After all, if they put all their energy into defense, they could certainly withstand Real Madrid's offense. But if they could not score a goal, the situation would only become more and more favorable to the home team, Real Madrid, as time went by.
In fact, he thought of a way, even though this method was likely to be used by the outside world as a reason to attack him. If he ultimately lost this game, the pressure he would bear would not be as simple as losing the championship title. The criticism of him for "losing the game and embarrassing himself" would be overwhelming.
But he did not care what the outside world thought of him, because his reputation had long been bad enough.
He turned around and looked at his own men.
"We'll make some adjustments in the second half." He opened his mouth and immediately attracted everyone's attention. Their eyes showed trust and security from the bottom of their hearts. Yes, they trusted their boss so much. As long as he was still there, it meant it was no big deal. No problem, he always had a way to get us out of trouble. After so many years, we had long been used to looking at the boss when a crisis appeared, to see what he would say.
"After the first half, I think all of you have confirmed one thing — Real Madrid's strength is much higher than we thought." He saw a hint of indignation in the eyes of some players, so he smiled and said, "Don't deny it. Haven't you noticed the gap after playing for 45 minutes? "
Those indignant gazes quickly dimmed. Thinking this way was really damaging to their morale and fighting spirit, but they had no choice. His own midfield could only intercept and destroy, but the opponent's midfield could organize and build. Blindly destroying was always inferior to building.
"Now it's clear that our midfield is better at disrupting interceptions than organizing attacks. This is our advantage and something that Real Madrid does not have. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. "Twain shook his head." And I don't think it's a weakness. Actually, this is an advantage. Since it's an advantage, we should make full use of it. "
"First of all, most of Real Madrid's attacks are ground coordination, and most of them are short passes. The midfield is mostly a triangle pass. Ribery is their key player and a lot of the ball will go through his feet. "
Twain began to draw Real Madrid's lineup on the tactical board. He repeatedly drew a few strokes on the circle representing Ribery, making the circle particularly thick and black and standing out from the other circles.
"I hope everyone remembers what I'm going to say next and do it on the field." Twain poked the tactical board with the tip of his pen. "Whether it's against Ribery or anyone else, except for the dangerous areas, I hope your actions are a little more rough. Don't be afraid of fouls. Kick their ankles. "
Someone among the players whistled.
"Kick their ankles, hit their thighs, pull their jerseys … Whatever you do, in short, don't let them get the ball comfortably." Twain punched the palm of his hand. "Completely disrupt the rhythm of Real Madrid's game and make them unable to adapt to our way of playing!"
"This only destroys their defense. What about the offense, boss?" Mitchell asked. He was a center forward. Compared to defense, he was more concerned about how to score the opponent's goals.
"Don't worry, Aaron. I'm going to get there soon. Use fouls and rough actions to destroy their rhythm. When their midfield is in a quagmire, it's our midfield's turn to take control of the situation. As for us, we'll stick to our wing tactics. The full backs will continue to push forward. "
In fact, in the end, the midfield was the key to everything. If the midfield lost control, it would be useless no matter how sharp the wings were or how strong the forwards were. It was like a tank without fuel. It could only be a turret on the spot and be surrounded and attacked. With control of the midfield, it would be very easy for them to defend or attack. There was not much pressure on the defense, and there were more ways to attack …
"Nuri." Twain handed over Şahin's name. Şahin stood up and looked at him. "In the second half, you'll be more active. But not to be the core of the organization, but to attract the attention of the opponent's defensive players … especially Diarra."
Şahin knew what Twain was going to do. He nodded. "Okay, boss."
Twain saw that he understood and turned to Gago. "Fernando, you'll be responsible for organizing our offense in the second half."
Gago looked up and met his gaze.
The boos he received in the first half were limited. The Real Madrid fans did not specifically target him. But his performance in the first half was also bleak. The Real Madrid fans did not deserve their boos for such a person.
"Fury will help you attract the opponent's defensive attention. We'll hand the ball over to you. You decide the team's offensive method. Is there a problem? "
Gago did not nod readily like Şahin and say, "Okay, boss."
He was stunned.
"You usually do the same. Why are you hesitating now?" Twain asked.
"Uh, no problem. I'm fine, boss." Gago quickly replied.
Twain glanced at him and turned to Wood.
"George, protect him." Twain's order to Wood was much more concise.
Then Twain said to the team, "Try to be concise when you attack. I don't want to see our players attacking in front of the opponent's goal with an empty goal. Don't forget our Nottingham Forest tradition. Don't learn flashy things. It's not a good idea to pass the football into the goal … "
"Then, let's talk about other things." Twain stared at everyone. "This is a very tough game because it's the final. No one should think about getting lucky. If you don't fight, then victory will not belong to us. "
Twain pointed to everyone. "We have forty-five minutes left. I don't know what adjustments Real Madrid will make. But one thing I'm sure of is that they will absolutely not be willing to play to a draw here. This stadium is an ordinary final venue for us, but for Real Madrid, the home ground also means a lot of pressure. As long as we can create enough trouble for them, their mentality will be problematic. That's our chance. We must seize it! Make them more impatient! "
He saw Pepe's eager expression and glared at him. "Yes, Pepe. The goal we conceded in the first half … "
Hearing him say so, Pepe's eyebrows immediately drooped. His expression also changed from sunny to cloudy.
"You already have a yellow card on you now. You'd better behave in the second half. Don't do things like kicking ankles. I don't care what grudges you have with Ribéry. I just want you to remember that this is the final! "
Pepe nodded quickly.
Twain clapped his hands. "Guys, this is the last game. We've worked so hard this season and have won two championships. There's no reason to stumble in this last championship. Don't you think so? "
Everyone nodded. "That's right!"
"I don't want to mention that word, but that word must have been running through your minds countless times by now. All of you know what our goal is, don't you? "
"Yes!" The chorus of voices answered a little louder.
"The opportunity is right in front of us. What reason do we have to let it go? Snatch the championship back at Real Madrid's home ground! "
"Snatch it back!!"
Nottingham Forest's image was originally inseparable from bandits. The media always promoted them as the inheritors of Robin Hood. Those who hated them indignantly called them "a bunch of bandits" who used despicable, unscrupulous, and passive conservative football to snatch the championship that should have belonged to others. For example, a famous figure in the Argentine football world said before the game — "The ones who entered the final are a bunch of thieves."
Twain did not think there was anything wrong with these titles. On the contrary, he liked it when others called them that. Because when they shouted that Nottingham Forest were "bandits" and "thieves," their tone could not hide the fear in them. Even if they tried hard to put on a "disdainful" attitude, that kind of fear had long penetrated deep into their bones. They just did not realize it.
But it did not matter. Twain would soon make them realize why they hated Nottingham Forest so much — there were only a few championships every year, and there were many ambitious teams that wanted to win it. But when Nottingham Forest appeared, the originally stagnant European football world seemed to have set off a bloodbath. Nottingham Forest rose as a grassroots in the West and quickly swept England and Europe. When they were at their peak, their name was simply synonymous with the title of champion. Now, after a few years of silence, Nottingham Forest made a comeback under Twain's leadership. Their goal was still the championship.
Those people were afraid because Nottingham Forest was looking for them to take back what originally belonged to the Forest Team — the championship title.
※ ※ ※
When the team came out, Twain called out to Gago. He had some words to say to the Argentine alone.
The other teammates had already run out. Twain accompanied Gago at the back. As they walked out, he said to him, "Fernando, I don't care what you think. Now your task is very simple. Find a way to pass the football to the feet of our players. Your position is more behind than Nuri, but more forward than George. So don't be afraid of losing the ball. The opponent's defensive attention must be on Nuri at the beginning. "
Gago nodded repeatedly. He could not interject at this time. The boss spoke very fast and loudly, and the scene was very noisy. Even if he wanted to say something, it was estimated that it would be suppressed by the boss's voice.
"I want you to ambush behind Nuri and try to pass as many penetrating balls as possible. Real Madrid's defense is not very good. They lack enough protection behind them. Especially the two full backs, Ramos and Marcelo, they like to assist too much. In the second half, the frequency of their attacks will only be higher and the extent will only be greater. Behind the two of them, as well as the space in the flanks between them and the center backs, you must make use of it. "
"Pass the ball there more?" Gago finally found a chance to interject.
Twain nodded, "Yes, there are two of our full backs there. You pass the ball over to the most awkward part of their defensive line. Ramos and Marcelo like to assist, you can make use of their back … "
"Okay, boss. But you said it just now. "
"In short, the direction of your passes is the two flanks and the flanks. Let Nuri take the middle. Don't hold the ball for too long. As a defensive midfielder, you must be more concise. If there is a chance, pass the ball forward. If there is no chance, pass the ball back. No matter what, don't let the ball stay under your feet for too long. "
"I understand, boss."
Hearing these words, Gago's heart was a little more at ease.
"In addition, help me pass a message to George and the others." Twain suddenly laughed, "Get close to Diarra and snatch the ball. Immediately launch a counterattack on the spot!"
Gago was not a fool. He naturally understood why. Diarra liked to dribble the ball in the midfield. He had already seen the problem of holding the ball for too long when he was still at Real Madrid. In most cases, this habit would not bring any big trouble. Instead, it would make others think that he had excellent skills, was good at attacking and defending, and was really a good midfielder in the midfield …
But if he encountered a team that could snatch the ball in the midfield, then he was simply digging his own grave.
The ball from the defensive midfielder could directly face the defensive line … and sometimes even directly face the goalkeeper.
Gago nodded hard, "I know what to do, boss."
Twain patted him on the shoulder and pushed him out, "Go!"
※ ※ ※
Evan Doughty suppressed the idea of looking for Twain in the locker room. His mind was still clear. He knew that it was a big taboo to enter the locker room at this time.
But he could not suppress the displeasure in his heart.
At the end of the half, Florentino shook hands with him. His attitude was even more arrogant than at the beginning of the game.
A few years ago, when Nottingham Forest was invincible in Europe, he would not be treated like this. Even when his team played against Real Madrid, the Real Madrid manager, Calderón, was very respectful to him at that time.
Now that Real Madrid had changed their president, they became arrogant again. And his team experienced a low point after Twain's heart disease. Their influence in European football was not as great as before.
This was a very realistic world. People only respected the strong.
No power, no status.
Evan wouldn't yell when he was angry. He would just find a secluded corner and sulk silently.
Allan accompanied him. In fact, he was also worried about what would happen if Tony Twain's team lost to Real Madrid. He did not dare to ask this question. He knew that Evan was angry. A person who was usually smiling and friendly could be very terrible when he was really angry.
Just like that, when the second half was about to start, Evan said to Allan beside him, "Let's go, Allan. Let's go back. "
The two left the rest area and walked to the rostrum outside.
When they arrived, the players of both teams had already started to come out one after another. Florentino's seat was empty.
Until the start of the second half, the seat beside him was still empty.
He did not know what Florentino was doing, and he did not want to care what this man was doing. But he felt insulted.
If this was a national derby against Barcelona, would Florentino dare to be late in front of Laporta? He probably did not want to miss a minute of the game.
Nottingham Forest was slightly weaker. In his mind, such a team could not threaten Real Madrid. If he missed a few minutes of the game, then so be it. This game was definitely not as important as what he was busy with now.
As for what he was busy with, no one knew. Maybe he just went to the bathroom, maybe he was chatting with someone, maybe he forgot the time during the break …
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