After talking to Wood, Tang En also made a final decision. He thought it was necessary to let the players understand what kind of UEFA European Championship they would face.
The England team began their new day of training. The media were allowed to film for 15 minutes before they were asked to leave the training ground.
The morning in Spain was sunny and the temperature was not too high. A gentle breeze brought the coolness of the night. The players had just finished warming up and were gathered in a circle to listen to the manager's speech.
"Before training, I have something to tell everyone."
Tang En stood in the middle of the players, while Wood was with his teammates.
"It's like this. Everyone knows that George's right toe is injured, and whether he can make it to the UEFA European Championship has always been in doubt. The media is very concerned about this matter. I believe you are also very concerned?" Tang En asked with a smile.
This made many nervous players breathe a sigh of relief. The fact that the boss could smile meant that George's injury must be no big problem.
"Now what I want to tell everyone is that … he can play in the UEFA European Championship … Don't worry." Tang En made a gesture to interrupt some people's cheers. "But, he may not be able to play in the UEFA European Championship."
Looking at the players' confused expressions, Tang En decided to reveal the mystery.
"George's injury has not fully recovered. The doctor said that if he wants to play, he has to at least wait until the knockout stage. That means he can't play in all three group games. "
There was a commotion among the players. Many people turned their heads to look at Wood, who stood calmly among them and accepted their surprised gazes.
"Now the problem is very simple." Tang En raised his voice amid the commotion to make sure everyone could hear him. "If we want George to play, we have to get out of this group. Don't you think so? "
"That's right!"
"Yes, Boss."
"Yes!"
Everyone echoed one after another.
"I'm not willing to give up any of you, whether it's George or anyone else. If any of you were in the situation that George encountered today, I would make the same decision — I decided to keep George in the team, even if he might miss the first three games. I know that doing so will increase the burden on everyone, but I also hope that through this matter, everyone understands that we are a whole, not simply a team composed of 23 players. We are 'one,' not '23.' "
Twain stretched out his hand and gestured "one" and "twenty-three".
No one objected to Tang En's decision. Even the Nottingham Forest players breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then it's settled. George will be waiting for us in the knockout round. Don't let him laugh at us." He winked at everyone.
The players laughed along and looked at Wood at the same time. Wood was a little embarrassed …
"Alright, guys, let's start training! The UEFA European Championship is right around the corner. Don't slack off! "Des Walker stepped forward and took over Tang En's work.
※ ※ ※
Even though Tang En had been emphasizing that George Wood would follow the team to compete in the UEFA European Championship, there were still people who held a skeptical attitude. They believed that Tang En was merely trying to stabilize the team's morale. If Wood's foot injury was still unable to recover on June 8th, the day before the UEFA European Championship began, then he would have no choice but to make a substitution.
He did not expect the England team to hold a press conference two days before June 8th. At the conference, Tang En brought Wood along to meet the media.
"There's only one theme for this press conference —" Tang En looked around the venue. Almost all the reporters who had been loitering around the training camp these few days were here. Not only were there British reporters, but there were also German reporters, Portuguese reporters and other reporters from all over the world. They were all very concerned about George Wood's recovery.
After letting the players know the truth, Tang En could calmly face the media. He only needed to be responsible for the players. The media was just for entertainment.
"I'd like to inform everyone about George Wood's recovery situation."
Tang En's words surprised many of the media. They had been following England around like flies for so many days. They wanted to find out some inside information about Wood's injury, but Tang En was always secretive. Since when would he sit in front of everyone and talk about this issue so openly?
Tang En looked at Wood beside him and gave him a look, indicating that it was his turn to speak.
Wood did not seem to see it. It was only when Tang En coughed a few more times that he reacted.
"Well … I've decided to stay and participate in the UEFA European Championship."
Wood's words were simple.
The reporters were stunned for a moment before they reacted. He had just announced a very important matter!
The scene was boiling. Countless reporters wanted to stand up and ask questions. They raised their arms high, hoping that the press officer would point them.
Tang En waved his hands. "It's not time for the media to ask questions yet, ladies and gentlemen. Let us finish talking first. "
He signaled for the scene to be quiet. The reporters who were usually dissatisfied with Tang En obediently put down their hands and shut their mouths, waiting for Tang En to speak.
"I must first clarify to everyone that George Wood has not fully recovered from his injury."
His words caused another uproar. You're still taking him to play in the UEFA European Championship without recovering? What's going through your mind, Mr. Tony Twain?
"But if everything goes well, George should be able to return in the knockout stages." Tang En quickly revealed the answer to the riddle. "He'll miss all three games in the group stage. That's it. Do you have any questions? "
Immediately, a reporter stood up and pointed the spearhead at Tang En. "A few days ago, you kept saying that Wood's injury would not be a problem for him to make it to the UEFA European Championship. Now, he'll miss all the group stage matches. Were you consciously lying before?"
Tang En spread his hands and looked innocent. "Lying? I said he could make it to the UEFA European Championship. In fact, he did make it. Mr. Reporter, you can't not treat the knockout stages as a part of the UEFA European Championship, can you? "
The reporter's face turned green and red at these words. Clearly, he was in a hurry to ask questions and forgot basic logic. Tang En caught the loophole in it.
The second person who stood up to ask a question was a German reporter. He asked Twain in very unpracticed English, "Mr. Twain, with George Wood absent from all three matches of the group stage, how confident is your team in advancing out of this group?" As a German, he was proud. At the same time, when he heard that Wood would miss all three group stage matches, he could not hide the joy in his heart.
In fact, Tang En only heard his broken English once and understood it. However, seeing the other person's somewhat arrogant expression, Tang En decided to tease him. So, he put his hand to his ear and said, "I'm sorry, sir. Could you please say it again?"
So the bald German had no choice but to use his "German English" to stutter again.
Tang En still did not understand. "I'm sorry, sir …"
This time, the German repeated his question in a very, very slow manner.
Tang En raised his hand to his ear for the third time, and the German's face immediately changed. An expression of being on the verge of collapse appeared on his face.
Tang En also knew that enough was enough, so he smiled and said, "I'm just joking, Mr. German. I've already understood your question. For us, advancing from the group stage is not too big a problem. Of course, we will seriously deal with every opponent in the group. You will have no chance to take advantage of it. "
His words made the English reporters laugh knowingly.
"England is not a team of one person. No one's absence will affect our ultimate goal. Advancing from the group stage is just the first step. Even if Wood is absent due to injury, we are still capable enough to enter the knockout stages. But … "Tang En looked at the foreign reporters with a strange smile." I welcome everyone to think that the England team is a second-rate team without George Wood, and that advancing from the group stage is a problem. Really, if you think so, I won't be angry at all, and I won't refute you. "
Of course, he would not refute, because the other side underestimated the enemy was what he was most happy to see.
In fact, George Wood's absence did have a great impact on the England team's strength. After all, he was the core of the team. It had never been said that the absence of the core would not affect the team. But if Tang En tried to cover it up, it would only make his opponents more certain that the England team was actually weak.
So, Tang En played an "empty fort strategy" at the press conference. He opened the four city gates, and then went up the city tower to play the guqin alone with the little boy attendant. His carefree manner made the many foreign reporters who wanted to find out the truth feel baffled.
Moreover, with Tang En's style, when he said "one," he often did "two," and when he said "no," it actually meant "yes." He then openly admitted that his England team could not do without Wood, which meant he was lying. For more than a month, wasn't the England team training for "no-core tactics"? Perhaps the England team had long stopped relying on George Wood, the core. Tang En's insistence on bringing him along was just a smokescreen. His real purpose was to hope that everyone would focus on George Wood, the "former core" of the England team, and then his "no-core" England team would go on a killing spree, cutting their opponents into pieces, and eventually climb all the way to the top …
This idea hovered in the minds of the reporters, getting closer and closer to the truth.
Tang En looked at the reporters huddled together to discuss in whispers and snickered in his heart.
He waited for a while and saw that everyone was getting more and more excited, so he coughed and said, "If there are no other questions, today's press conference will end here …"
He had just got up to leave when he saw the reporters stand up and raise their hands to speak.
"Mr. Tang En! Can we talk about the first game against Portugal? "
"Mr. Tang En, what if George Wood can't come back in the knockout stage?"
"Tony, who are you going to replace George Wood?"
"George, do you have anything to say about not being able to participate in the group stage?"
Tang En waved his hands and said, "You're too noisy, all quiet down!"
After the situation was slowly under control, he continued, "First of all, I won't answer any questions about the replacement for George Wood or the tactics. Secondly, we will deal with the game against Portugal seriously. Thirdly, I don't want anyone to disturb my team with when George Wood will play in the future. "
His first answer made the reporters even more certain that England had a way to win even without George Wood. For the reporters from Germany, Portugal and Wales, that was enough. They had found out the most important information.
The other reporters were still making a racket, but Tang En had already ignored them and turned to leave with Wood.
※ ※ ※
The news that George Wood could participate in the UEFA European Championship and that George Wood would miss all three group stage games was very shocking.
If England was placed in a weak group, then the news would make many England fans feel relieved. In that kind of environment, it would not be difficult for the England team to advance from the group stage. But now they were in the group of death. In the group, there were two strong opponents, Germany and Portugal. Only Wales might be able to get that point, which was very worrying.
What if … what if the England team could not advance from the group stage? One had to know that the last group stage game was against Germany. If they were lucky enough to advance in advance with two consecutive wins in the first two games, it would not matter how they played against Germany.
But was Portugal that easy to deal with?
Miguel Veloso, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Pepe … These were all famous star players. The Portugal national team formed by them was not a pushover that could be easily pinched.
The first game against them was still six days away. The England team without George Wood was really worrying.
Of course, there were also people who felt that the current England team could not play without George Wood. No matter what, it was still a first-class team in Europe. Were the other star players just playing small roles?
What had Tang En been doing for more than a month? Could it be that he was not preparing for England without Wood? As the most successful manager in the European continent, he must have countless backup plans, right? Then whether it was Portugal or Germany, they would not be a match for England. Even without George Wood, we still have Tony Twain!
The two ideas collided among the England fans, and no one could convince the other.
The debate about England's prospects in this UEFA European Championship would continue before the game.
※ ※ ※
After the showdown with the public, Twain breathed a sigh of relief. He and his team could finally prepare for the game without any interference. He did not have to think about how to deal with the reporters who were like moths flying into a flame, and the question about whether George Wood could participate in the UEFA European Championship. After he held the press conference, the reporters from the three countries who usually lingered around the training camp also decreased a lot. For them, the most valuable news was already in their hands, and there was no need to continue to waste time here.
George Wood did recovery training alone every day. He worked hard, but the team doctor did not allow him to exercise too much, for fear that he would suffer another injury before he recovered. The most painful thing for George Wood now was to watch his teammates train together, while he could only do recovery training alone in the corner.
He found that he had never been so eager to play football as he was this time. As long as he saw the football rolling in front of him, his feet would involuntarily shake, as if resonating with the football.
The experience of his first injury was so unforgettable that he never wanted to experience it a second time.
Hiding himself in the water, he looked up at the blue surface of the water above.
The pool that allowed him to recover was like a prison, imprisoning his body, and every movement was extremely heavy.
As long as he broke through the shackles of this water, he could be reborn …
No matter who the opponent was, he would release the energy that had been suppressed for so long by ten times!
The team doctor who was in charge of taking care of George Wood suddenly realized that George Wood had been in the pool for what seemed to be several minutes.
He was shocked by his discovery, dropped the book in his hand, and kicked over his chair. He almost scrambled to the side of the pool, and shouted in horror, "George!! Come out, George! Don't scare me … "
With a splash, George Wood, who was dripping wet, suddenly emerged from the water and appeared in front of the team doctor, staring at him with a pair of bright and piercing eyes.
The team doctor was so scared that he sat down on the side of the pool, looked at Wood, and gasped, "You scared me, George! What happened to you? "
"I slept for a while down there."
Wood's answer made the team doctor's heart beat faster again. "Sleep … sleep? You mean you fell asleep under the water? "
Wood pressed his hands against the side of the pool and propped himself up, "I think so." He shook his head, and the water droplets on his hair sprinkled on the team doctor.
The team doctor just grinned. This monster!
Wood picked up a towel and wiped the water off his body, recalling the feeling he had just experienced under the pool.
He seemed to have fallen asleep in a hazy state, but his consciousness was very clear. There was a voice in his mind that repeatedly said to him,
I want to play football, I want to play football, I want to play football! Nobody can stop me, not even injuries!
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