The Nou Mestalla Stadium was known as the "World's Best Stadium," but that title should now belong to the "Crimson Stadium."
The locker room of the former World's Best Stadium was very soundproof. Even if the singing and roaring outside were earth-shattering, as long as the door was closed, no sound could penetrate.
The locker room was not quiet either. The highlights of England's 4: 2 victory over Portugal were being broadcasted on the big-screen LCD TV. The passionate voice of BBC television's ace broadcaster, John Motson, echoed in the spacious locker room.
In the past, music might be played in the locker room before the game, but today Motson's voice became the background music. The players changed their jerseys and equipment while looking up at the TV screen from time to time.
This was deliberately arranged by Tang En. Although the game against Germany was a game that did not need to be mobilized, he still wanted to play it safe.
After Tang En saw that the players had changed into their jerseys, he turned down the volume of the TV. Everyone also knew that the boss had something to say.
"Our game against Germany is a game that doesn't need me to mobilize. So, I'll make it short. "Tang En coughed and cleared his throat. "I'm not worried about your fighting spirit, but I'm worried that you're too enthusiastic."
The players looked at each other and did not understand why the boss said that.
"It's good to have enthusiasm, but you can't win football with enthusiasm alone. Our minds must remain calm in order to play well. Do you want me to give you an example? In the FA Cup final of the 1990 to 91 season, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, Garza (Gascoigne) was obviously too excited, so he did not injure his opponent, but injured himself. I don't want to see something like that after the game starts. Keeping your mind calm at all times will help us to win. "
"The outside world has given us too much pressure. It stands to reason that I should reduce the pressure on you and tell you at the same time, 'Don't worry, just play like a normal friendly game.' But that won't work today. We're facing Germany, and everyone of us knows what kind of opponent that is. If I really say 'let's face Germany like a friendly game!', you'll think that I'm not trustworthy as a manager and completely don't understand the situation. So, what I want to say to you is … "
Tang En took a deep breath and did not rush to say the rest of his words. He wanted to give the players time to prepare their emotions.
"Yes! Even if we lose to Germany, there is still hope for us to advance to the knockout stage, but is that what you want? Losing to Germany and barely making it to the next round as the third place in the group would become the joke of the world! Think about our performance in the first game, and then look at it now. The gap is so big. Can you accept it? "Twain pointed to the television screen behind him. "Anyway, I can't accept it."
"In fact, I think defeating Germany and stepping on their dead bodies to participate in the round of 16 is the best outcome. Guys, I'm done. You all know what to do, right? "
With that, Twain clapped his hands and opened the locker room door.
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"Is a draw good for both sides? If the outcome of the game in the other venue was decided, then Germany and England would be ranked second and third respectively. The team in third place could be ranked third among the four groups with the best results and rely on this to advance to the knockout stage. If that is the case, England will be in third place. But it's not safe, so I don't think the two teams will choose a draw. Regardless of whether it was Tony Twain or Matthias Sammer, their goal was very clear — victory. Only by defeating the opponent can they ensure that they advance to the next round and control their fate in their own hands. This is also the dignity of a strong team. "
Before the game started, the television station in charge of broadcasting the game invited experts to analyze the situation of the two teams advancing to the next round. In this way, they told the audience how important the game was.
"We just got the playing list of both teams. Both managers are very cautious and only announced their starting lineups at the last moment. Now let's take a look … There were rumors in England before the game that George Wood would come back in advance in the life-and-death battle against Germany and help the team win. But from the list we got, Wood is still on the substitutes' bench. Michael Johnson is replacing him. I believe that Manager Twain understands the importance of this match, yet he still doesn't let Wood play in such a match. It looks like there's no doubt that Wood's foot injury has not fully recovered yet … It's a tragedy for the English. If Wood is healthy, they believe that advancing out of the group stage will not be a problem. But now, they have to fight to the death with Germany for a spot to advance … "
"For England, the goalkeeper is still the number 1, Joe Hart. The defenders, from left to right, are Joe Mattock, John Terry, Steven Taylor and Micah Richards. Chris Cohen, Michael Johnson, Steven Gerrard and Walcott stood parallel to each other in the midfield from left to right. The two strikers are Wayne Rooney and Aaron Mitchell. There were two changes in this lineup compared to the previous two games. Richards had replaced Glen Johnson as the starting right back. In fact, Richards was more of a center back in Manchester City. However, he could also play as a right back. Tang En had fixed him in this position for this game. It was obvious that he had taken a fancy to his outstanding defensive ability. The other change is that Chris Cohen replaced Downing. Downing is fast and has sharp attacks, but his defensive level is not good. And Chris Cohen's biggest characteristic is' balance '. Whether it is offense or defense, he is very balanced. He has no obvious shortcomings. He has excellent stamina, good passing skills, and is also very conscious to retreat and participate in the defense. In addition, he and Joe Mattock are both from Nottingham Forest Football Club. The tacit understanding that the two have developed in the club will definitely help England at the crucial moment. "
"Let's look at the German side … The goalkeeper is the number 1, Rene Adler. The back line, from left to right, is Marcel Jansen, Heiko Westermann, Per Mertesacker and Philipp Lahm. The four midfielders stand in a diamond formation. Simon Rolfes is the defensive midfielder, and the attacking midfielder is the genius Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich. The left midfielder is Bastian Schweinsteiger, and the right midfielder is Sami Khedira from Stuttgart. The two strikers are Lukas Podolski and Mario Gomez. "
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As the television introduced the starting lineups of both teams, the players of both teams were lining up in the tunnel of the Nou Mestalla Stadium, waiting to enter the stadium.
The players' tunnel of the Nou Mestalla Stadium was separated in the middle, and there were also two exits for each team. Such a design naturally prevented any small conflicts between the two teams that had always had old grudges from coming together.
With the players' tunnel as the boundary, the stands for both teams' fans were separated on both sides. The German team's exit was close to the German fans' stand, while the England team's exit was close to the stands where the England fans gathered. Such an arrangement would allow them to receive the warmest cheers when they came out, and they did not have to worry about lighters and coins falling from the sky.
"Guys, it's our turn to play!" John Terry, wearing the captain's armband, turned his head and shouted to his teammates behind him. At the same time, on the other side of the wall, Schweinsteiger shouted the same thing.
Amid the deafening cheers, the England and Germany players filed out and stepped onto the steps leading to the stadium.
"They're out!" Everyone in the stands, in the television broadcast box, and in front of the television shouted.
The England team wore their red jerseys, while the Germany team wore their traditional white shirts and black shorts. The players of both teams held their heads high and stepped onto the field. The highly anticipated English-German battle was about to begin.
It was not an exaggeration to describe the atmosphere at the stadium as fanatical. The English and Germans were cheering for the team in the way they were good at, and they shouted the names of the players one by one. The temperature in the stadium suddenly rose a few degrees compared to the outside.
The game was scheduled to be held at five o 'clock in the afternoon, local time. The midday heat had not dissipated, but it was nothing in front of the enthusiastic fans.
Twain stood in front of the technical area with his hands in his pockets. Today, he didn't wear a suit either. He only wore a shirt and a tie. The back and armpits of the shirt were already soaked with sweat before the game started.
People would sweat when they were excited, agitated, nervous, or afraid. The atmosphere in the stadium made Twain's heart start to beat faster, and sweat kept seeping out. He was excited.
The fanatical atmosphere only gradually stopped when the national anthems of both sides were played. Whether it was England or Germany, sporadic boos could be heard when the national anthems were played. The two countries' football grudges had been accumulated for a long time. Even an occasion that was supposed to show respect to the opponent inevitably became a stage for mutual provocation.
After going through the necessary procedures, the players from both sides stood on the field, waiting for the kickoff.
The afternoon sun was bright, and the green turf was a little white. The white jerseys of the Germany team almost blended into the background. It was so glaring that it hurt the eyes, and people did not dare to look at it for too long.
Twain suddenly cursed under his breath. The Germans even took advantage of this. England was at a disadvantage before the game even started. If he had known earlier, he would have insisted on choosing the white jerseys and let the Germany team wear red …
Although the design of the Nou Mestalla Stadium was ingenious, and there was no backlighting or backlighting environment for both sides of the game, the snow-white jerseys reflected the bright sunlight, causing their figures to look very glaring. This was something that the environment of the stadium could not change.
Look at the expressions of the England players now. Without exception, all of them narrowed their eyes and frowned. They had to turn their faces to look at their opponents, and they could not stare at them for too long. They had to look away after glancing at them, otherwise their eyes would want to tear up.
Only then did Twain realize that he was not despicable enough, because he did not realize the trick of using the sunlight. He did not expect the honest Germans to play this trick. But was it intentional by Sammer or was it purely a coincidence?
He also missed his own pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses. He could not stare at the German players for too long off the field. Lowering his head to avoid the glaring light, he cursed in a low voice. Of course, he could get someone to retrieve the sunglasses for him. Then he would become the first football manager in history to wear sunglasses on the sidelines to direct the game, thus adding another thick and colorful stroke to his personality in the book of events. But it would not help the team. Doing so would only make the players feel that they had been abandoned.
Therefore, Twain could only endure the trouble caused by the glaring jerseys and chose to stand with the players.
Even the referee put his hand on his forehead to cover his eyes and looked at the players on both sides. After he checked the time with the fourth official off the field, he blew the whistle to start the game!
"The game starts! England kicks off! "
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The glaring sun and the white turf, as well as the German jerseys, caused a lot of trouble for England. As soon as the Germans moved, the glaring white would follow and flash in front of the England players' eyes. It was as if someone was holding a mirror and playing a game of reflecting the sun in front of them.
Do not underestimate such a detail. Their line of sight was interfered with, and it would naturally make the players' mood become anxious. They would be in a trance and be unable to concentrate. Just look at how Michael Johnson passed the ball directly to the sideline when no one was defending, and you can see how much trouble this inconspicuous little detail brought to England.
Although such an impact was not decisive, it was important to know that England was facing the German team, not just any random cat or dog. In the face of such an opponent, any mistake could lead to very serious consequences.
Originally, Twain arranged for the team to attack first and use the continuous attack to lift the team's morale. Now England easily gave up the ball possession and retreated as they fought. After a few minutes, they were pressed back by the German team. The England team was unwilling to admit defeat like this. They were trying to find opportunities to attack. As long as the ball was on their side, four or five England players would immediately rush to the other side's half of the field, completely sparing no effort and full of fighting spirit.
But in Twain's eyes, his eyebrows furrowed.
The feud between the England team and the German team made the England players unwilling to be at a disadvantage in the game against the German team. They could not bear the slightest grievance. It was a good thing to be competitive, but when blood rushed to the head and drowned reason, then a good thing would become a bad thing.
Under such circumstances, the German team clearly took advantage of the natural conditions to gain the upper hand. At this time, England should be steady and shrink the defensive line. Usually, England behaved like this, but today they encountered a special opponent, and the England players still only thought of attacking.
Twain felt that this could not go on. He had to get the team back on track.
He walked to the sidelines and shouted to the nearest players, "Shrink the defense, we'll play defensive counterattack! Don't press out! Pay attention to the gaps behind you! "
Those players would naturally convey his instructions to the entire team. Next, it would depend on whether the England players could calm down.
After being roared at by Twain, England's defense was clearly much more stable. The attack no longer blindly pressed forward and relied on numbers to win.
The game returned to the "defensive counterattack" that Twain and England were used to.
Twain did not care about playing ugly, but the England fans must not be able to stand the England team's "cowardly" appearance. The German fans also thought that their team had the upper hand and kept singing in the stands, cheering for the team and at the same time dampening the arrogance of the England fans.
Sammer was not as excited as the fans. When he saw Twain's roar and the England team began to retreat, he felt that it was not good. His people had specially collected information about the games between England and Portugal. Under Twain's leadership, the England team had become very accustomed to the defensive counterattack. If his team continued to press the England team …
He thought of the 4: 2 game. It seemed that Portugal's yesterday was Germany's today.
So, he walked to the sidelines and whistled.
The German fans must want to see their team crush England. Even if they could not score, it would be nice to be able to press the England team and not be able to come out.
But Sammer did not let them get what they wanted.
After trying to besiege the England team for ten minutes, the Germany team also retreated and began to slowly contend with England in the midfield.
Such a change was naturally for the sake of the team's safety, but it made the fans watching the game very dissatisfied …
In this way, the game, which was originally like Mars colliding with Earth, became dull because both coaches were more concerned about the result.
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