The England players walked down from the field and into the locker room. Their faces were brimming with smiles that they could not hide. In fact, they did not want to hide anything. Their smiles must have deeply stimulated the French players. This was their goal.
They wanted to show this triumphant smile to the boss, to make him blush and embarrass him.
Of course, Twain saw it. Every England player who walked into the locker room looked like they had just won the lottery. Their faces were glowing.
Twain deliberately showed weakness before the game. This angered the players and aroused all their energy and fighting spirit. Judging from the first half, he had received gratifying results. But if he was as complacent as the players, then the two-goal lead in the first half would soon disappear in the second half. Think about the game against Portugal. It was almost the same halftime interval. If not for his team's performance in the second half and the Portuguese's bad luck, Portugal might have won in the end.
Therefore, this halftime interval was very important to Twain.
The first half proved three things: First, there was no problem with his tactical arrangement. It was completely on the right track. Otherwise, the team would not have been able to dominate the score and the field. Second, his psychological work before the game had a very good effect. Both England and France were affected. The England players thought they were being looked down upon, while the French players were complacent about the enemy's compliments. Third, the England team's strength was not inferior to France at all.
With these three points, Twain had great confidence in winning the game.
After the players entered the locker room, they all looked at Twain provocatively. The expression on their faces seemed to be asking for credit.
Twain laughed in his heart, but his face was as taut as an iron plate.
"You did well in the first half." Twain only lightly described the performance of the French team with a two-goal lead and overall dominance in the first half as "well done." "But, do you think that's enough?"
His words stunned the players.
They were leading by 2: 0 in the first 25 minutes of the first half and had an absolute advantage from the beginning to the end. Was such a performance not enough? What else did the boss want?
Twain looked at their surprised expressions and continued to snicker in his heart. At the same time, he maintained a stern expression on his face. "Look at you. What are you surprised about? We are a team that wants to win the championship. Are you satisfied with such a performance? And I must also point out that you actually only played well for 23 minutes. What did you do after we were two goals ahead? Are you satisfied with the current situation and don't want to continue attacking? Well, after seeing your performance, I have to revise my statement — the most dangerous score in the world is not a one goal lead, but a two goal lead! "
Tang En's words made the players, who were initially stunned and unconvinced, lower their heads. They had indeed relaxed after taking a two-goal lead. On one hand, it was naturally related to the French team's poor performance. On the other hand, the change in their own mentality was also crucial.
"If you're satisfied here and think that a two-goal lead is enough for you to sleep in peace, then just wait for the French to finish you off in the last forty-five minutes! I am not being alarmist. You guys must know better than me that every one of you is a professional player who has been baptized in countless professional matches. You are not rookies who have just debuted for less than a month, guys! Do you know what will happen when you underestimate your enemy, and the enemy has nowhere to vent his anger? "
The more Tang En spoke, the harsher he became, as if the England team's performance was really terrible.
"After the end of the first half, you could not wait to paste your smiling faces on the French's faces. What do you think the French will think? Panic or collapse at halftime? Wrong! Gentlemen, you are facing France. They have the same goal as us to win the championship! This is not some semi-professional team in England's fifth division league! If you continue to start the second half with this mentality, I can call you right now to check out your rooms and book your flight tickets — not to Barcelona, but back to England! "
Barcelona was the venue of the first semi-final. If England could beat France, they would go there to meet the winner of Spain and the Czech Republic.
"Now do you still think I should loudly praise your performance in the first half?"
No one said a word.
"If you want me to admit my mistakes and praise you, then win this game! Are you satisfied with a 2: 0 score? I'm not! 3: 0, 4: 0, 5: 0 … Would anyone complain about scoring too many goals? "
In fact, the England players' performance when they left the field also helped Tang En. Now, the French must have thought that the English had their tails in the air. Puel must have felt that the English would be arrogant and underestimate their opponents in the second half, and France would have a chance to turn the tables.
But Tang En wanted to let Puel know that he was just a monkey in the palm of Buddha's hand, and that he would never be able to turn the tables!
"Don't think that the game is over. In the second half, keep your spirits up and continue to put pressure on the French team. Our tactics were successful, and everything was just like the first half … If you can continue to score in the second half, the French's fighting spirit will collapse sooner or later … Remember, no matter how many goals we lead by, don't be lenient! If you are lenient, the ones who go home will be yourselves! Don't let go of any chances to score a goal! Didn't you take it to heart that the French team has a higher odds to win the championship? Didn't you think that the media would only hype that the French team is the favorite to win the championship? Now there is such a great opportunity in front of you! " Tang En pointed to the locker room door and roared, "Beat France and let the world see your power! Tell those stupid media who is the real favorite to win the championship! "
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While Tang En was rousing the players in the locker room, Puel was in the locker room encouraging the French players who were stunned by the English players.
"… They are nothing to be afraid of. At the end of the day, it's just a quick counterattack. In the second half, we'll pay attention to the two full backs and not easily press forward. The key is that you have to regain your confidence — what is there to be afraid of about England? We are here to win the championship. If we can't even deal with England, how are we going to win the championship? I admit that we underestimated them in the first half, but fortunately we still have 45 minutes. As long as you can try to score as soon as possible in the second half, the rest of the game will be easy. "
Diarra opened his mouth. In fact, he really wanted to ask, "What if we don't score in the beginning?"
But he did not throw the question out in the end. He was also very depressed in the first half. The performance was too far from what he had expected. In a sense, it was because he paid extra attention to George Wood in the midfield that led to the first goal. He was considering whether he should be more honest in the second half and stay in the defensive midfielder position to stabilize the defense when he heard Puel call his name.
Diarra, who was called, raised his head to look at the manager.
"In the second half, you and Mathieu (Flamini) will press the England midfield together." This meant that there was no rush to go back for the time being. Continue to press the opposing midfielders. Because George Wood and Gerrard's position were both defensive midfielders, and they were relatively further back, if they wanted to press, then they would definitely have to press up.
Diarra did not refute the manager's arrangement. He nodded in agreement.
"No problem, manager." Flamini also nodded in response.
"Gentlemen, our strategy in the second half is still to attack. You can't win if you don't attack. I hope you all remember this. From the beginning of the game, press the England team. Run a little more aggressively in the front field and intercept on the spot. I don't want to see you all sleepwalking in the first half. "
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"I don't expect the French team to shrink back in defense because they are now two goals behind. They must score to have any hope of winning. But they should let the two full backs who were too active in the first half reduce the number of assists. This is the only concession that Puel can make. So don't rush to attack at the beginning of the second half. Stabilize the defense first. During that period, the French team's attack will be very fierce. If they are not careful, they will concede the goal. Once the lead is reduced from two goals to one goal, you all know what it means. In short, don't let your guard down. Any small mistake among you can put the team in a very dangerous situation. "
Tang En laid out the specific tactical details. Then he looked at his watch. The halftime interval was almost over. But he was not in a hurry. He decided to let the French players go out and wait.
"There's still some time. Let's talk about some of my remarks a few days before the game … "
The players all raised their heads and looked at Tang En with some surprise.
"I know some of you are very unhappy with what I said. You think I looked down on you, or even … insulted you?" Tang En looked at the surprised players and laughed.
Was that not the case? A player asked in his heart.
"Haha!" Tang En laughed with a hidden meaning. "But looking at the score now, I don't think what I said was in vain …"
Tang En did not completely make it clear, but the players who were clear in their hearts could of course understand. There was no point in pointing it out now if they could not understand it. When the game was over, those who could not understand it would naturally understand it as well.
Sure enough, the eyes of the Nottingham Forest players had already lit up. They all understood the boss's good intentions. Gerrard and Terry also lowered their heads and seemed to be deep in thought.
Tang En looked at his watch again and estimated that the French players should have already come out. Only then did he stand up, open the door and waved his hand. "Let's go, guys. Don't forget everything I said just now. That's the key to victory! "
The French players did come out first and waited a whole two minutes for England. Usually, no one would pay attention to these two minutes. But in such a noisy environment, waiting for two minutes above the field made the French players feel like fools.
When the England players appeared at the entrance of the tunnel, the French fans in the stands could not wait to give them boos and curses. The English and French people looked down on each other, and football magnified this hatred a hundred times. The French people booed the England team, and the English fans sang songs to insult the French. Both sides were at loggerheads and did not give way to each other.
The players were not much affected by the fans. They quickly stood on the field and prepared for the kickoff.
Tang En followed the players back to the sidelines. He did not sit directly in the technical area. Instead, he stood on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets. He wanted to supervise the players' game. He would not return to the technical area until 15 minutes after the start of the game if there were no problems.
He wanted to let the players know. He, the England team's manager, Tony Tang, was standing on the sidelines!
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The French team launched a fierce attack on England's penalty area at the start of the second half of the game. However, England's defensive line, led by George Wood, was not to be trifled with. George Wood's interception in the midfield was like a barrier erected in front of the Terry's players. Threatening attacks were basically unable to get in.
Whether it was Gourcuff or Nasri, they could not break through Wood's defense in the middle. They could only look for opportunities on the side. The England team had already set up a large number of players on the side, waiting for the French to crash.
In the end, the French team could only rely on the individual ability of the star players to break through and seek opportunities. This was the thing that Tang En was least afraid of. His team's overall defense was maintained quite well. No matter who came, they had the confidence to stop them.
Moreover, Benzema was left cold for half of the game. His footwork was a little rusty, and his condition was not at its best. Even when he got the chance to shoot, he wasted several of them. Tang En felt at ease when he saw the Real Madrid's leading striker holding his head in his hands again and again in frustration.
You still want to have a good performance after falling into my meticulously designed trap? Dream on!
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The French team attacked wildly for 13 minutes, but still did not get any results. The score was still 0: 2, and they were two goals behind. Diarra also did not get many opportunities to confront Wood head-on. Wood seemed to have seen through his plan. He rarely let the football stay at his feet for too long. He always sent the ball out quickly. This was thanks to him observing the situation on the field and the position of his teammates every time before he received the ball. After Diarra pounced a few times, he realized that his efforts were in vain and stopped pouncing.
Puel was dissatisfied with this. He shouted Diarra's name off the field, asking him to be more proactive.
The former Lyon manager indeed lacked the experience to deal with this kind of situation. He had lost the ball too easily in the past two years … so smoothly that it felt dangerous.
He only saw the score of 0: 2, and he could not wait to attack. He did not notice the cold light hidden behind England's impregnable defense.
Diarra saw it, and so he disobeyed the manager's orders from the sidelines. When George Wood got the ball again, he did not pounce like a ferocious tiger. Instead, he retreated and waited quietly at the defensive midfielder's position.
"This bastard!" Puel saw Diarra's performance on the sidelines and scolded angrily. If the team lost the game in the end, he would definitely teach Diarra a lesson in the locker room. This was a blatant challenge to his authority, and it was something that he absolutely could not tolerate!
But very soon, Diarra used his actions to prove that what he did was right.
When Wood saw that Diarra did not pounce on him, he passed the ball to Gerrard. Gerrard dribbled the ball and suddenly rushed forward from the middle, catching Flamini off guard. If Diarra also rushed up to deal with Wood, the French midfield would have been broken through by Gerrard alone. Fortunately, Diarra was at the defensive midfielder's position, and he arrived in time to intercept the ball after sticking close to Gerrard, stopping England's attack.
Tang En and George Wood raised their eyebrows at the same time when they saw this scene from the sidelines.
It looked like there was one person they could not avoid in the second half.
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