In fact, it was not only Gerrard who knew very little about the Macedonian team. Even Tony Twain was not familiar with the opponent they were about to face.
Not to mention Twain, most Britons would not be able to find out where the country of Macedonia was on Earth in a short time with a map. If they had not participated in the UEFA European Championship qualifiers, the people of the British Empire would have thought the unknown country was somewhere in Antarctica.
Twain had always thought Macedonia was in Western Europe a long time ago, only to find out later that he was wrong. Macedonia was once part of Yugoslavia, and their football strength was nothing to boast about. The most successful football club in the country, Vardar, had participated in the three major European cups eight times, but their best result was only to reach the second round twice …
In today's Macedonia team, the player Twain was most familiar with was Glyn Pandev, who was still playing for Lazio. The thirty-one-year-old Pandev was also the number one star and captain of the Macedonian team. He was also the only player who could pose a threat to England's rear defensive line.
In fact, the focus of the England coaching staff's research was on how to stop Pandev. They basically did not care about the other players. After all, the difference in strength between Macedonia and England was too great. The only teams in the group that could pose a threat to England's advancement were Denmark and Serbia. England's intelligence-gathering work had long begun with these two strong rivals.
The Macedonians were able to understand England's contempt. As the manager of the team, Tony Twain did not mention the name of Macedonia even once in front of the media. Instead, he kept talking about Wales. Because after the match against Macedonia, Twain's England would be playing against their neighbour, Wales.
As the team's main force, Mitchell was asked in an interview by a reporter, "Do you know where Macedonia is?" His answer made the Macedonians furious — "Maybe in the north? I don't know … "
In response, Pandev declared in an interview that they were going to give England a taste of their own medicine. "… Although we're an away team, I'm glad we have the opportunity to tell them where Macedonia is on Earth. I hope they can remember it firmly after this game. "
Macedonia looked aggressive, but Tony Twain was still not worried. He talked about his friendship with Bale in the media, putting psychological pressure on Wales … even though the game between England and Wales would not kick off until October.
"The agitated Macedonia will attack at the start of the match. Their morale must be high now. I can imagine how the opposing manager encouraged them — "Tang En imitated the Macedonian manager, the Slovenian Srecko Katanec, as he waved his fists and roared," They look down on you! They look down on you! Teach them a lesson, let them know the price of looking at you all!! "
The coaches next to him burst into laughter.
Tang En also looked at the group of colleagues who were laughing so hard that they staggered from side to side. He only continued when they were no longer laughing.
"If Cattanich is a smart man, he will use our contempt to boost his team's morale. Originally, it was difficult for the players to be interested in an away game against a strong opponent. Now, we have given them an excellent excuse and opportunity. They will definitely catch him. That's why they'll take the initiative to attack at the start of the match, and we'll attack them head-on. They have a lot of holes in their defensive line, and we can make use of them. Try to score as soon as possible. As time goes by, Katanic will understand that he has been tricked, and he will start to shrink his defense. If we have not scored by then, he will feel that maintaining a draw and taking away a point is also a great victory. If that's the case … "Tang En talked incessantly as he analyzed the progress of the game to his coaches.
"We'll press forward. I'll leave Pandev to George, and you don't have to deliberately take care of the others. Next, pay attention to the mental state of our players. If the score remains a draw, it will become more and more disadvantageous for us. This situation must be avoided, so I hope the team can score as soon as possible. If Macedonia shrinks their defense, we will have a lot of free kicks. We'll take advantage of this and try to open up their goal. "
"That's not a problem. We've been practicing free kicks these few days." Beside him, Walker interrupted.
"That's all for now. No matter how perfect a plan is, it can't compare to the changes in an actual game." Tang En clapped his hands and ended the preparation meeting between the coaches.
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This was the first time George Wood wore the England team captain's armband in a game. Before the game, Tang En pulled him aside alone and instructed him to pay attention to marking Pandev. Pandev used to be a striker. As he grew older, he moved closer to the midfield. Now, he was the core of Macedonia's offense. Organizing attacks and ending attacks all depended on him. As long as he kept a close watch on him, Macedonia would not be able to stir up any waves.
Wood nodded as he listened to Tang En's tactics. His expression was very focused.
At the end, Tang En patted Wood's left arm. "Before this game, there were still a lot of voices questioning and objecting to you being the captain. What do you think of this, George? "
"I'll prove that I'm worthy of the captain's armband."
Tang En was very satisfied with Wood's answer. He laughed loudly. "That's right! That's it! If they mock and doubt you, then use your performance to give them a slap in the face! Didn't we do the same when we were in the Forest team? In fact, being the captain of the national team is no different from being the captain of the Forest team. As long as you play well, there won't be any problems. "
This was what Tang En liked the most about Wood. He would not mince words like "I'm flattered by the captain's armband" or "I'm surprised that I can be the captain. In fact, Terry and Gerrard are more suitable than me." He would only express confidently that he had the ability and that he deserved such treatment. Such an attitude would be seen as arrogant in the eyes of most people. But, like Tony Twain, he had the right to be arrogant.
Now that Gerrard was getting older, the 28-year-old George Wood had indeed become the number one midfielder in England. Tang En giving him the captain's armband was not considered nepotism. It should be said that "the worthy should not be shunned by relatives."
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Leading England to play in their first official international A-level match (the previous game against the Forest team could not be counted as an international A-level match because the opponent was a club team), was also a test for Tang En. He knew that the game against the Forest team was just a warm-up. From now on, he was officially on the road to conquering the world.
Standing in front of the technical area and listening to the live broadcast of the British national anthem, "God Save the Queen," the people next to him were singing loudly to the music. Only Tang En kept his lips tightly shut and did not put his hand on his left chest like a player would do.
Deep down, he was still a Chinese. Leading the England team to play in the UEFA European Championship qualifiers was a job and money to be made. Singing the national anthem to show loyalty was one thing. Besides, he did not know how to sing it. Until now, he did not even know the lyrics of the British national anthem.
He turned his gaze to the field. Wood was wearing the captain's armband and standing next to the referee. The way he sang the national anthem really did feel like that – it was not the first time he had stood in this position. He was a veteran who had been through hundreds of battles. He was a trustworthy captain.
Thinking back to the scene of meeting him at his own doorstep 11 years ago, that ignorant child had now grown into such a tall man.
Although Macedonia was not a strong team and the anger of the Macedonians was almost ignored, the new Wembley Stadium where the game was held was still full. The enthusiasm of the English fans for football was evident. Of course, there must be a reserved program.
Before the players entered the stadium, the fans in the stands were already singing, "If you hate Manchester United, please stand up!"
Almost four-fifths of the fans in the stadium stood up.
Unfortunately, no one sang, "If you hate Nottingham Forest, please stand up!" Otherwise, Tang En could proudly claim that his Forest team was already the strongest team in the whole of England.
Now in the stands, the fans from Nottingham hung slogans, banners, and head portraits in support of Wood as the captain, while the Liverpool fans booed discordantly when Wood came out.
It seemed that although the national team had long since quieted down, the free fans did not buy it. They would vent their emotions in a straightforward manner.
Wood said that he would use his actions to prove that he deserved to be the captain.
He did the same after the game started.
Just 13 seconds after Macedonia kicked off, the football returned to England's feet.
Pandev received the pass from behind in the front field. Before he could stand firm, the football was poked away by George Wood from the diagonal back.
The Forest fans in the stands chanted Wood's name with all their might and cheered for their captain. The Liverpool fans, who were waiting to nitpick, could not boo in the face of Wood's wonderful interception.
Pandev was Lazio's main force, but Lazio was now hovering in the middle of Serie A. Their main force was still a little less capable against the main force of the Treble winners.
England used the interception to launch an attack and quickly broke into the Macedonia penalty area. Aaron Mitchell started England's offensive frenzy with a low shot.
Just as Tang En expected, Macedonia did want to rely on aggressive attacks and momentum to catch England off guard in the beginning.
But England's tough attitude caught them off guard.
Just ten minutes into the game, Macedonia had two shots, while England had four shots, two of which were quite threatening.
As Macedonia's entire front line pressed forward, there were a lot of gaps behind them. Tang En made full use of Rooney's technical characteristics, and his breakthroughs made Macedonia's back line jittery. And when Aaron Mitchell, a big guy who was more than two meters tall, cruised in front of Macedonia's goal, he could also make all the Macedonian defenders nervous — if he really jumped up, could they stop him?
Eleven minutes later, their nervous premonition became a reality.
After Rooney pulled to the flank, he broke through and passed the ball. Mitchell outflanked in front of the goal and jumped high to head the ball. The Macedonian defenders had no way to stop him. They could only watch as Mitchell dominated the air in front of them and then hit the goal with a powerful header. The new Wembley stadium rang with loud cheers.
"Aaron Mitchell!! A clean header! The Macedonian defenders can only act as spectators! 1: 0! England has taken the lead! "
Tang En jumped up from his seat. The game would be easier to play if they scored first. And it was Mitchell who scored. A goal from a Forest player undoubtedly relieved the pressure on him. The media still wanted to say that he was "nepotism"? That was a resounding slap in the face!
"Aaron Mitchell from Nottingham Forest took the lead for England. Before the game, there was a lot of talk about Tang En's nepotism. Now Mitchell's goal must be what Tang En wanted to see the most … Look at how excited he is on the sidelines! Ha! He's still as flamboyant as he was when he was at Forest even though he's the national team's manager … "
After Mitchell's goal, Macedonia still wanted to put up a last-ditch struggle. Their offense became even more ferocious. But with George Wood firmly watching Pandev, their offense could not bring any real threat to England at all.
Instead, England fought bravely under the singing of the home fans. It did not take much effort to play against an opponent like Macedonia. On the contrary, everyone hoped to use their excellent performance in this game to impress the man on the sidelines so that they could occupy a main position in the England team in the future.
So, do not think that this England team would not be interested in playing against a weak team. Even if they wanted to slack off, they had to wait until they were sure of their position in England. Now that there was a new manager, it was time for them to desperately show themselves. Thinking of John Terry and Steven Gerrard, who had been stripped of the captain's armband, sent chills down their spines.
This new manager's methods were thunderous. It was so easy to settle the matter of changing the captain that had been stirred up by the outside world. If they did not perform their best in the first few games and please him, they might only be further and further away from the main players of the national team in the future.
Driven by this idea, the England team continued to attack the hinterland of Macedonia.
In the 29th minute, England scored another goal with Rooney's long shot and took a 2: 0 lead. It basically established the victory of the game.
"Like we said before, the outcome of this game is not suspenseful at all … Tony Twain's first test is too easy." The commentator felt that such an easy victory was boring. But the performance of the new captain was eye-catching.
Pandev, the only threatening core of Macedonia, could hardly even receive the ball under George Wood's tight defense. After the Macedonian players saw him like that, they no longer sent the ball over as if they were courting death. That would only transfer the possession to England faster.
Then Pandev almost disappeared from the field, and the television broadcast did not give him a shot for as long as 15 minutes.
"Wood's defense is still so good …" The commentator and the guest praised together.
The people in the stands who were the most pleased were the Nottingham Forest fans. The first goal was scored by Mitchell. The Forest team's captain was the person who made Macedonia's offense unthreatening. What reason did they have not to be pleased?
The first half ended with a score of 2: 0. During the halftime interval, Twain told Wood that he did not have to closely mark Pandev in the second half, because the opposing manager would definitely make adjustments according to the situation in the first half during the halftime interval. They were likely to let the rest of the team share the pressure on Pandev, or push Pandev to the front line and play a simpler offensive tactic by directly looking for Pandev. But these were not issues that Wood needed to consider.
Twain gave Wood a new task. He was to participate more in the offense in the second half. If there was a chance, he could try some long shots. Maybe there would be an unexpected surprise.
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In the second half.
"GOOOOOAL —!!" The commentator roared. "A brilliant long shot! England's new captain, George Wood —!! "
"The football produced two consecutive refractions, but the speed and strength did not decrease. The goalkeeper, Masukovsky, could not react at all, and the football flew past him and into the goal! 3: 0! "
After the goal, Wood waved his fist hard, and then was hugged by Gerrard. The hug also shattered the rumors that Gerrard and Wood were not on good terms.
For Twain, there was not a trace of regret in this game.
Through the test of this game, Twain could officially support Wood to the position of the core in the next game. England's tactics also had to be formulated around Wood.
When the game was about to end, Bentley, who came on as a substitute for Walcott, scored another goal to help England lock the score at 4: 0.
Tony Twain led the team to a big home victory. The team's offensive momentum and impregnable defense made the England fans and media very relieved.
After this game, there was no longer any discussion about whether the captain's armband should be given to Wood, Gerrard, or Terry.
In the face of victory, such discussions were insignificant.
The next day, The Times used this headline:
The New England Set Sail!
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