In the Nottingham Forest youth team, there were two players that Tang En paid the most attention to. One was Gareth Bale, whom Tang En had personally poached from Southampton. He would always find time to check on Bale's training to see if he was improving.
Bale was very obedient. Although Tang En had forgotten to tell him why he had switched to left-back, he still insisted on practicing in the left-back position. Although he could not see much effect at the moment, he was still practicing. The other thing that attracted Tang En's attention was Bale's free kick practice.
What excited Tang En was that after proper guidance and practice, the kid's talent for free kicks was beginning to show. According to Bale's father, the young Bale loved free kicks. Now, he only did one thing at home in the yard and in school physical education class: practice his left foot free kicks.
Standing on the sidelines and watching the kid kick the football over the moving human wall again and again, Tang En felt as if he was watching the birth of another Beckham. The sense of accomplishment of personally watching a player's ability gradually develop from mediocre to distinctive was indescribable. It was as if … as if … as if he had given birth to a child and raised them with his own hands.
These young players were his children, and he was their father.
As for the other person he was very concerned about, it was naturally George Wood. His attention to Wood had already been made public. The entire youth team knew that the silly kid was highly regarded by the coach, but only a few people could see why. Wes Morgan was one of the people who understood what was going on.
Leading the team for four games, Tang En did not let Wood play a single game. He put him on the substitutes' list every time but let him watch from the sidelines. He did not give him a chance to play for even a minute. Kerslake thought Tang En was worried that the kid would go up and cripple another player. But Tang En himself was very clear about the meaning of his actions.
Did George Wood also know? Tang En was unsure. The kid usually did not speak much. If he did not take the initiative to ask, he would not be able to hold back for three days. If he had any thoughts, wouldn't it ferment in his heart? So, he decided to have a good talk with Wood after today's training.
At the end of the day's training, the youth team players left the training ground in twos and threes, discussing where to play at night. It was their time to relax. Tang En and Kerslake never cared about the players' private lives, as long as they did not go overboard.
After bidding farewell to Kerslake and the other coaches in the office, Tang En hurried to the locker room. There were still a few players who had just finished showering. They sat naked in the locker room, chatting as they waited for the water on their bodies to dry. Among them was the youth team captain, Wes Morgan.
Twain barged in and interrupted the children's conversation. He glanced around and did not find George Wood. So he asked, "Has anyone seen Wood?"
Morgan stood up. "No, Coach. We didn't see him come back. "
"Eh?" Tang En found it strange. "I didn't see him come back?"
Mo Gan nodded and pointed to the north. "I saw him heading north after training …" After thinking for a moment, he added, "And he took a football."
When he saw Morgan pointing to the north, Tang En had already guessed that George Wood must have gone to the second arena for extra training. This kid!
"Thank you. I wish you all a pleasant evening! "Tang En bade farewell to the players and walked towards the second pitch.
When he reached the side of the second pitch, it was as he had expected. George Wood continued to do the basic training he had been doing for half a year on the training field in the twilight: headers, passes, dribbles …
Seeing this scene, Tang En did not feel moved. To be honest, he was even a little angry. He quickly walked forward and stepped on the football that Wood had kicked out.
George Wood's gaze moved up from Tang En's feet and saw the furious Tony Twain.
Tang En stretched out four fingers in front of Wood's eyes and said to him with a hint of anger in his voice, "Four hours. The maximum daily training time set by the UEFA for young players. "Then, the four fingers became two. It looked like the number had decreased.
"Twenty hours. The maximum weekly training time set by the UEFA for the youth team. Do you know why they specifically set this rule for training time, George? "
Wood shook his head. He had no reason to care about this. To him, it was fine as long as he practiced well.
"It's to prevent people like you from doing stupid things like this!" Tang En sternly reprimanded. "Do you know why I stopped your basic training here when I transferred you back to the team? If you add another two hours of training after receiving three to four hours of high-intensity training every day, your body will collapse before you can achieve success and recognition! "
Tang En's tone and expression were stern. He had thought that George Wood would be frightened. He did not expect him to shake his head and say lightly, "I don't think the team's daily training is too tiring."
Shit！ Tang En cursed in his heart.
"Are you King Kong or the Hulk? Alright, I don't care how much energy you have left in your body. In short, you have to end your training now and go home! " Tang En pulled the football back and forth under his feet, calculating in his heart how he could successfully lift the football from his feet to his hands in one go. He did not want to embarrass himself in front of his own players.
Tang En, who was focused on how to successfully lift the football, did not notice that George Wood's gaze was firmly locked on the football that he was pulling back and forth as he moved the ball.
After pulling back and forth about a dozen times, Tang En estimated that he should be able to succeed in one go. His right foot abruptly pulled back, causing the football to roll back slightly. Following that, he quickly kicked his foot forward, the tip of his foot rising to meet the football that was rolling back. He "scooped" the football up like a shovel!
Haha! I did it! Tang En, who was terrible at playing football, was just about to let out a loud laugh when he suddenly felt a gust of wind beside him! Sensing danger, he instinctively leaned his body back. Following that, he saw clearly …
Wood did not know when it happened, but he was already lying on the ground. His body was parallel to the ground, his right hand supporting the ground. At the same time, his left foot quickly swung towards the football that was still in the air. The wind he had felt earlier was actually caused by this foot!
The distance between the football and Tang En's foot was less than five centimeters. Looking at Wood's ferocious posture, if he had kicked downward just a little, Tang En would have to lead the team in training tomorrow with his right foot in a cast and both his hands on crutches …
With a dull thud, a few pieces of grass flew in front of him. Tang En could not help but narrow his eyes.
Following that, he sat down on the ground and turned his head stupidly to look at the few rows of trees in the north. Wood's kick just now had actually directly kicked the football to the back of the forest … There was a slope there, and below the slope was the Trent River!
This kid! To actually kick the football so far with one kick … That was not the main point! The main point was that he had actually cleanly intercepted this kick! If it were during a match, this would be a defense that would be enough to cause the commentators and fans to cheer. Fast! Precise! Swift and violent! Too perfect … Wood, you're indeed suited to be a defensive midfielder!
George Wood did not know what Tang En was thinking at that moment. He climbed up and wanted to pick up the ball. He had only run a few steps when he was stopped by Tang En, who had returned to his senses. "Don't go, George. Do you know where you kicked the football to just now? "
"There." Wood pointed to the dark forest under the dusk.
"Wrong. It's even further. "Tang En pointed upwards." You kicked it into the Trent River. Don't go pick it up. "
"But that's the club's football …" Wood was afraid that the club would want him to compensate.
"Every year, the club loses countless footballs. It doesn't matter if you lose one. I think if you're lucky, maybe you'll see many, many footballs in the river in the autumn … "
"Why?" Wood did not understand.
"Because the football that I kicked out for you has to swim back from the Atlantic Ocean to lay its eggs! Haha! "Tang En sat on the ground and laughed. But halfway through his laughter, he coughed again and frowned. "Ah, damn it! You still kicked me! "
His right hand lightly touched the tip of his foot. It was very painful there, probably caused by Wood's shoe studs.
"Come here, help me up." Tang En, who was sitting on the ground, extended his left hand to Wood. But he quickly changed his mind — he extended both his hands. "Just carry me on your back!"
"Why?" Wood seemed a little unwilling.
"Why? You kicked me and I can't walk. If you don't carry me, are you going to make me hop back on one leg? Besides, don't you still have excess energy that you haven't released? Carry me home. That's also a form of physical training. Hurry up, it's getting dark … "
Wood had no choice but to walk in front of Tang En. He bent down and let Tang En climb onto his back, then forcefully lifted him up. The scene of a seventeen-year-old boy carrying a thirty-four-year-old man outside was really comical.
Tang En slightly adjusted his posture to make himself feel more comfortable. Other than the sticky sweat on Wood's body, everything else was good.
"Hey, George." Tang En, who was lying on Wood's back, patted the boy's broad shoulders.
"What is it?"
"Tell me, why must you give yourself extra training?"
"Because I …" Wood grunted with all his might. "I feel that my foundation is too weak."
Tang En's mouth opened into a silent smile. "George, do you know why I haven't let you play in these few matches?"
"Because my foundation is weak."
"That's just one of the reasons. Actually, I want you to watch how your teammates, who have received seven or eight years of football training, do on the field from the substitutes' bench. It's useless to show you those high-level football videotapes now. You have to start learning from the people around you. You have to learn how they handle the ball and how they deal with the various situations that happen in the game. Then, remember it firmly in your mind. This is your experience. Keep these experiences in mind. The next time you encounter the opponent's striker running in front alone while you chase from the back, you'll know what to do best. "
"Yes." Wood nodded.
"Also, if you must do extra training after training every day … Sure, I agree to it. But you have to be under my supervision, and you can't do extra training for more than forty minutes a day. Also, George. "
"Yes?"
"Although you kicked my foot, I still have to say that your tackle just now was very, very … beautiful!"
Tang En did not hear Wood's reply. He did not say thank you or anything else, but Tang En could feel that the boy's walking speed had increased, and his steps were more powerful.
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