Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Nottingham Forest equalized the score in the final moments of the first half, which caused a huge mental blow to Liverpool. Fortunately, the first half had ended, giving them a chance to adjust their mood during halftime. If the game had go on, Nottingham Forest may have scored another goal.
It was not a joke. Countless instances had proven that the moment after the first concede was the most dangerous, it was easy for the opponent to pull off another goal. The morale and confidence of the team that just conceded a goal would be hit hard and was likely to collapse.
Liverpool would not just collapse. They had staged numerous big turnarounds in many key games. Twain was aware of that. Benítez would be sure to sum up the first half at halftime to appease and boost morale to prevent any hits in the second half.
All Twain had to do was make Benítez’s efforts during halftime to go down the drain.
Instead of instructing his own players to step up their offense in the second half, he told them to continue like they did in the first half.
They had to remain immutable to deal with the changing situation. It was the wisdom of the ancestors again.
“Whether we’re ahead or behind, defense is very important. I’m sure Liverpool will play with us slowly at the start of the second half. Benítez emphasizes stability. He won’t let his team take risks easily. All of Europe knows that in addition to defense, what we do best is fighting back with sneak attacks. The last goal in the first half strengthened this image of us. This is good.” Twain nodded vigorously. “Benítez won’t let his team bombard at the start of the second half because he’s afraid of our sneak attacks. So, we will play it safe. As long as you hold onto the draw, the Liverpool players will become agitated as the game goes on, even if Benítez does not instruct. They will not accept the equalized score and will not wait to beat us in ninety minutes. That’s our chance. Remember.”
Twain held up his right index finger. “Wait patiently for the other team to show impatience and start a massive attack. We will counterattack then. Otherwise, a solid defense is the most important thing.”
“Then, it’s a set piece. Increase the quality of the set pieces. Even if you do not score, you must also pose a threat to the opponent. Let them know how strong our set pieces are. That way, they will not use fouls carelessly in the dangerous zone, and that’s our chance.”
The threat of the set pieces was not limited to just scoring a goal. If the opponent was afraid to cause too many set pieces and acted timorously in key positions as they dared not foul, it would similarly pose a great threat to the opponent’s goal.
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Unlike what happened on Nottingham Forest’s side, Benítez did not lay out the tactics for the team first. Just as Twain thought, he reassured and boosted the team’s morale. The blow from the goal concede in the final moments of the first half was big. After fighting hard for forty-five minutes, they were going to bring their lead into the locker room, and everyone was happy. At the last minute, they were equalized by the other team.
The Liverpool players could finally understand how their opponent felt when they were reversed by them repeatedly in the first place.
After he reassured the players, Benítez began to lay out the second half tactic for the team. Contrary to what Twain thought, the first thing he said to the players was, “storm the moment the second half starts.”
The Liverpool players’ spirits jolted upon hearing that.
“Twain will think that we are afraid to step up our offense because we are worried about their sneak attacks, that we will be afraid to increase our attacking force and press up strongly. Their defensive strategy will be on track as planned and nothing would change. So, once the second half starts, intensify the attacks, press on to storm them. Disrupt their defensive pace and score again in the chaos. They definitely will not anticipate this. Definitely.”
Benítez used two “definitely”s and sounded certain. He understood that Twain was conceited, and once he had judged and decided, he would be bent on finishing. If he thought that he was a steady man and would not take risks easily, he would be firm in his belief, and then use it as a basis to specify the Forest team’s counter strategy.
It was a point that could be exploited.
The Forest team thought the Liverpool team would be afraid to attack in full force in the second half and they would have to retain the strength to fight back. In that case, what if we storm right away from the start in the second half?
“In addition to strengthening the long shots from the middle, both flanks are to actively press in and suppress the Forest team’s flank offense. The key to victory or defeat is within the first portion of the second half. I don’t care what you do, just make sure you score!”
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The second half of the game began and the teams switched sides. The fans also revived after the fifteen-minute break and were active again.
Contrary to what Twain expected, Liverpool broke the Forest team’s attack after the kick-off and did not mess around in the midfield at all. They kicked the football to the front. If Kuyt had been better with his shot and had not deviated from the goal…
Two minutes later, the Forest team’s attack was fruitless, and Liverpool regrouped and made a comeback. Riise firmly plugged in from the back half of the field and did a long-range raid. He coordinated with his teammates on the flank to make two versus one pass. Kuyt headed the ball, but due to Pepe’s close interference, his header was too high.
Liverpool’s offense was in line with what Twain said during halftime. The Forest players stayed on track to defend. They had experienced these situations a lot so there was nothing to make a fuss about.
Not to mention Kuyt was anything but a striker, since his shooting ability was so poor.
Next, it was Liverpool’s offense and the Forest team’s turn to stay steady.
The Forest team organized several counterattacks but did not pose any substantive threat because the number of players invested was not sufficient. Liverpool was still attacking constantly.
From the fiery atmosphere of Stade Louis II, Twain gradually got the hint that something was wrong.
Liverpool’s offensive was too strong, far stronger than he had expected. In particular, Benítez had allowed two full backs to frequently press on to assist, as if they did not care about the Forest team’s counterattack at all.
It was not like the first half. No matter how Liverpool attacked in the first half, their two full backs rarely assisted in the front field. They would occasionally go up and quickly go back and rush back and forth.
It was different now. A couple of times he saw that Riise had gone up and did not go back at all. He continued to wait for an opportunity in the front.
This was “a high pressing” situation!
Was Benítez not afraid that the Forest team would sneakily attack the gaps in his rear space?
He turned his head and looked over. The Spaniard sat in the technical area, surrounded by his aides, so he could not see anything.
He thought something was not right but could not tell for a moment what was wrong, what kind of effect it would have on himself and on the Liverpool team. He needed time to observe and analyze.
Twain left his seat and walked to the sidelines. With his arms across his chest, he knitted his brows and observed the situation on the field.
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Gerrard had the ball, and George Wood, a teammate from the England national team was opposite him.
The failure of the World Cup had become a thing of the past. Gerrard’s position in the national team had not been shaken one bit. McClaren trusted him very much. Beckham, who was on the Forest team, was not so lucky and failed to be chosen again after being selected for the England team last season at the last minute only to play for only two games due to his injury.
George Wood was recruited into the national team every year but had not received a chance to start once. At the World Cup, George did not play even a minute of game time. After Eriksson left and McClaren took over, George Wood still could not get the trust of the manager. Although he was the unshakable mainstay in Nottingham Forest, England’s best rookie, one of the best local players in the English Premier League last season, the team captain of the UEFA Champions League winning team and in one of the Champions League’s top eleven-player squads, he still had not been given a chance to prove himself on the England national team. Eriksson did not give it to him, and McClaren did not give it to him either.
Some people said it boiled down to the personal feud between McClaren and Tony Twain that led to Wood being implicated. What was the truth? No one knew.
Since he was a teammate from the national team, Gerrard was naturally aware of Wood’s strength. During national team training, his defense was so tight that many players could not outstrip him.
Gerrard did not dribble the ball. He did not even consider dribbling to bypass Wood.
His task was simple. Lure Wood over and pass the football out. He was to get rid of George Wood’s marking by passing the ball. No player in the world could guard against an entire team’s passes. Even George Wood, who was dubbed a monster by the media, could not either.
When Gerrard saw Wood rush toward him, he passed the football out. Wood did not follow the ball and continued to follow Gerrard. The other Forest players would deal with the rest of the Liverpool team. Gerrard was Wood’s target in this game.
Gerrard was not worried about being frozen because Alonso could organize the attacks in the team. He was closely marked which meant one less offensive point, but did not mean that Liverpool’s offense would be paralyzed.
His mission was to lure Wood out of the defensive zone and give his teammates a chance to take advantage of it.
Alonso saw Wood follow Gerrard in positional play, and he took the opportunity to give the ball to Torres.
Torres did not break through outside the box but swung his leg for a long shot. The football was slammed out of bounds by Edwin van der Sar, and Liverpool got a corner kick.
Gerrard ran to fire the corner kick. Wood went back to the front of the goal to take part in the defense. Although they were teammates on the national team, they had never fought alongside together. In Wood’s few games for the national team, he was brought on to replace Gerrard.
Gerrard drove the football out, and looked for Agger, but George Wood rushed in front of the Danish defender and headed the ball out.
Although he was not as tall as Agger, his jump was better and he managed to box him out, so Agger had no chance.
Liverpool’s offense was not over yet. Wood headed the football and Mascherano made to look like he was going to do a long shot after he received the ball. The Forest players were repeatedly exhorted by Twain that they had to be on guard. When they saw Mascherano swing his leg, Pepe rushed out immediately and was ready to use his body to block the opponent’s shot.
However, Mascherano did not shoot directly and took the opportunity to twist the football up when Pepe turned his back on him. The football bypassed the crowd in the box and flew toward the right.
That was where Gerrard was!
Gerrard, who had just kicked the corner shot, saw Mascherano pass the football before he could run back into the middle. Before he received the ball, he glanced back at the assistant referee behind him and he was not offside!
After he stopped the football with his chest, no one in the Forest team was able to rush up in time to defend. The penalty area was filled with players, and Gerrard chose to volley the football into the goal so that if no one blocked, it would go straight in. If someone got in the way, the shot would still most likely get into the goal…
The football flew all the way to the goal. No one stopped it from coming, but Edwin van der Sar appeared in the correct spot and made a timely save. Gerrard’s long shot was so powerful and astounding that Edwin van der Sar did not intend to hold the football in his hands. He wanted to hit the ball out of the end line. But because this shot was too fast and powerful, Edwin van der Sar had not completed his action before the football whizzed into him.
The result of not being to fully stop the ball was that Edwin van der Sar leaned and fell back into the goal, while the football flew straight up into the air.
Everyone, including the television viewers, followed this football up and down.
The Liverpool players responded by desperately squeezing into front of the goal in the hope that they could head the ball into the goal when the football fell, while the Forest players naturally tried to keep the opponent out and keep them from getting close.
Wood looked up among the crowd. The football had already risen to its peak and was about to descend. Edwin van der Sar was still inside the goal, struggling to climb back up.
It was dangerous to use a header to break the siege because he faced the goal. When he jumped, the opposing players were bound to interfere below. What could have been a header to lift them out of the siege would likely turn into an own goal.
However, they had to lift the siege. Once the football fell, the goal would descend into chaos. Whoever touched the football might just plunk the football into the goal within such a close proximity.
How would he lift the siege? Wood looked up at the falling football while his body tilted back. The posture…
George Wood suddenly leaped high from the crowd with his body leaned toward back. He was not going to use a header to lift the siege but a bicycle kick!
The football was kicked by his right leg and flew straight out of the sidelines!
“George Wood! A bicycle kick to lift the siege! It’s beautiful!”
This action won Wood a lot of applause. The Nottingham Forest fans collectively chanted their captain’s name and cheered at him for lifting this siege.
But Twain, who stood on the sidelines, was not happy at all, and his frown became deeper.
He glanced sideways at next door, as the Liverpool manager, Benítez, came out of the technical area. It was clear he was sorry that the ball did not enter the goal or… was he a little disgruntled?
Benítez did not wave his arms or shout from the sidelines. He just stood with his arms crossed, as if he was not interested in anything in front of him. But if he was truly as calm as he looked on the outside, why would he come out of the technical area?
This was the first time he had left the technical area in the game to appear on the sidelines.
Twain thought about it with his head cocked to the side and laughed. He turned around and walked back to the technical area. He said to his assistant manager, Kerslake, “go tell them to step up the offense. Stop defending.”
