Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the dressing room, Nottingham Forest’s players were resting on the bench. The latter part of the first half was not the best period they played, and so nobody was in the mood to chit-chat. For a moment, there was just the sound of heavy breathing in the changing room.
Twain did not speak either. He had his back turned to everyone while he stared at his tactical board and he fell into deep thought. He imagined the tactical board as Bernabeu’s stadium and replayed what happened in the first half on the board.
Real Madrid had a strong sense of attacking hierarchy. The striker line, the forward line, the back line were all very excellent and consistent. Twain had a feeling while looking at the game in the first half — it was as if when the Real Madrid players were fighting for the header at the first ball landing spot, the second landing spot would always be in their perimeter, and it would be the opposite for Nottingham Forest. They could compete for the first landing spot, but had no control over its second landing spot, this then directed Real Madrid’s offense to be consistent and endless, while Nottingham Forest’s offense would a one-time affair.
This was determined by the quality of their midfielders and the tactics of the whole team.
Real Madrid, on the whole, were indeed stronger than Nottingham Forest, after experiencing their darkest years, the reformed Real Madrid finally found the path they were most familiar and excelled in. So what was the way to crack that?
Continue on the offense? No, they had to be diligent on defense as well. Defense is the foundation of everything, if the defense was not good, it would be futile no matter how many goals were scored. The morale gain from scoring a goal could not be compared to the morale lost from losing a goal.
They could not just focus on defense either, because if they expended all their resources on defense they could stop Real Madrid’s offense, but if they themselves were not able to score, the situation would only become more beneficial for Real Madrid as more time passed.
In reality, he thought of a way and although this approach was likely to be used by the outside world as a reason to attack him. But if he lost the game in the end, the pressure that he would have to bear would not be as much as simply losing the championships. Those voices criticizing him being “disgraceful because he lost the competition” would overwhelm him.
But he did not care what the outside world thought of him, because his reputation had been in tatters for a long time.
He turned and looked at his players.
“We would slightly adjust a little bit in the second half.” He opened his mouth and immediately attracted everyone’s attention. Their eyes were filled with a sense of trust and security that were sincere from their hearts. Yes, that was how much they trusted their coach. As long as he was still there, it meant it would not be a huge deal and that there was no issue. Tony would always have an idea to help them escape from a tricky situation. After so many years, they were long used to putting our sights on their captain whenever a dangerous situation occurred, to see what he was going to say.
“After the first time, I hope you guys confirmed this much: Real Madrid’s potential is a lot higher than our expectations.” He saw some uncertainty in the eyes of some players, hence he laughed, “Don’t try to deny it. After playing for 45 minutes, you guys still haven’t noticed the difference?”
Those uncertainties soon disappeared. It was really a situation which ruined their motivation and spirit, but they had no choice. Their own midfielder could only intercept and destroy, but the opposing midfield could reconstruct as easily, destruction with the same caliber as reconstructing would be one of a lower standard.
“It is now very obvious that compared to group offense, our midfielders excel more in intercepting and disrupting. This is our advantage and that is not available to Real Madrid. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.” Twain shook his head. “And I don’t think that’s a weakness. In fact, that’s the advantage we have and since it is a positive trait, we have to utilize it to the maximum.
“First of all, most of Real Madrid’s attack is on the ground, and they have more ground passes, midfielders often use the triangle formation to carry out their passes. Ribery is their core character and a lot of the ball goes through his feet. ”
Twain began to draw Real Madrid’s line-up on the tactical board. He repeated several strokes in the circle representing Ribery, making the circle extra thick and black and outstanding compared to the other circles.
“Next I want everyone to remember and do this on the court.” Twain poked the tactical board with his pen. “Whether it’s against Ribery or anyone else, and other than in the penalty area, I hope you guys are more rough with your actions. Don’t be afraid of fouling, kick their ankles.”
Some of the players whistled.
“Kick their ankles, knock into their thighs, pull their jerseys… Whatever you do, don’t let them take the ball easily.” Twain punched in the palm of his hand. “Completely disrupt the rhythm of Real Madrid’s game and don’t let them get comfortable with our play style.”
“This just destroys their defense, what about the offense, Chief?” Mitcher asked. He was a center-forward and he’s more concerned with scoring the ball in the game than defense.
“Don’t worry, Aaron. I’m getting there. Break their rhythm with fouls and rough moves, then when their midfield is in a quagmire, it’s our turn to take control of the situation. Let’s stick with our flank tactics. The wing-back, continue to advance. ”
In the end, the midfield was the key to everything. If the midfield lost control, it was useless no matter how sharp the side flanks were or how powerful the strikers we, just like a tank without fuel. It could only be a stationary cannon which would be beaten up by surrounding people. Once the midfielder was controlled, then it did not matter if it was defense or offense, it would be all simple. There would not be pressure on defense and there would be a lot of ways to attack.
“Nuri.” Twain called Sahin’s name and Sahin stood up to look at him. “Be a little more active In the second half but it’s not about being the core of the organization, it’s about attracting opposing defensive players … especially Diarra’s attention.”
Sahin knew what Twain was going to do, and he nodded. “Okay, coach.”
Twain then turned to Gago, “Fernando, in the second half you will organize our attack.”
Gago looked up at him. The jeers directed at him were limited in the first half since the Real Madrid fans did not target him in particular. But his performance in the first half was also bleak and Real Madrid fans thought he did not even deserve to be jeered at.
“Nuri would draw their defence from you and we’ll pass you the ball.You decide the way the team attacks. Is there any issues?”
Gago did not agree as readily as Sahin when he nodded, “Okay, coach.”
He was in a dilemma.
“This isn’t anything new, why are you hesitant now?” Twain asked.
“There’s no problem. I’m fine, coach,” Gago replied hurriedly.
Twain gave him another look and turned to Wood. “George, protect him.” For Wood, Twain’s order was much more simple and succinct.
Then Twain said to the team, “Try to be as simple as possible when attacking. I don’t hope to see my players still passing the ball when they’re still in front of an empty goalmouth. Don’t forget our Nottingham Forest’s tradition: substance over style. Passing the ball into the goal is not a great idea.”
“Then we’ll talk about something else.” Twain stared at everyone. “It’s a tough game because it’s the finals. None of you guys should even think about relying on luck. You won’t win if you don’t fight. ”
“We have 45 minutes left. I don’t know what adjustments Real Madrid will make,” Twain said, pointing to the group of players. “But one thing I’m sure of is that they’re not willing to settle for a draw here. This stadium is a regular venue for us in the finals, but for Real Madrid their home side means a lot of pressure for them. As long as we can cause them enough trouble, it will somehow stress them out. That’s our chance, be sure to seize it! Make them more impatient!”
When he saw Pepe’s eager expression, he glared at him. “Yeah, Pepe. About that missed the ball in the first half…”
Hearing what he said, Pepe’s eyebrows were immediately pulled down. His expressions immediately switched.
“You’ve got a yellow card now and in the second half you’d better be more decent. Things like kicking ankles, you’ll refrain from them in this half. I don’t care about your history with Ribery, I just want you to remember this is the final match!”
Pepe nodded hurriedly.
Twain clapped. “Guys, this is the last game. We’ve worked so hard this season and we’ve won two titles. There is no reason to give in in this last championship, what do you guys say?”
The team nodded in agreement, “Yes! ”
“I don’t want to mention that word, but it has to be in your mind countless times now. Each of you know what our target is, right? ”
“Yes!” The chorus of answers became even louder.
“Opportunity is in sight, what reason do we have to let it go? At Real Madrid’s home ground, snatch that championship tile back for me! ”
“Get it back!!”
Nottingham Forest’s image was inextricably tied to robbers. The media always advertised that they were Robin Hood’s heirs and their haters would angrily called them “a bunch of robbers”, using vile and despicable means to defend and snatch the championships which supposedly belonged to someone else. For instance, on the Argentinean forums, some people said, “Those who entered the finals are a bunch of thieves”.
Twain did not think there was anything wrong with these nicknames. Instead, he liked what people called them. Because when they are shouting that “Nottingham Forest are thieves and robbers”, their tone could not hide the fear they had. No matter how hard they tried to express their disdain, it was evident that their fear was bone-deep. The only ones who did not notice were them.
But it did not matter, Twain would soon make them realise why they once hated Nottingham Forest so much. There were only so many championship segments, but there were plenty of ambitious teams that wanted to win those titles. Yet when the Nottingham Forest appeared, the European football field which had seemed to be dead and monotonous, had started a bloody rainstorm. Nottingham Forest rose in the west as a rookie and soon swept England and continental Europe. “When they were in their prime, their name had basically been replacing champions. Today, after being dormant for a few years, under Twain’s leadership, Nottingham Forest have revived, and their aim was still going for the championships.”
Those people were afraid because Nottingham Forest wanted to get back what belonged to them: the championships.
※※※
When the team walked out into the field, Twain called Gago over. There were words he wanted to say to the Argentinian alone.
The other teammates had already ran out, and Twain accompanied Gago at the back, while walking and saying to him, “Fernando, I don’t care what ways you use. Now your task is simple: to find a way to get the football to the feet of our players. You’re in a more defensive position than Nuri, but a little ahead of George. So you don’t have to be afraid to lose the ball, the other side’s defensive attention at the beginning would be on Nuri.”
Gago nodded frequently, this time he could not add any additional comments. The coach spoke very fast and loud, and the scene was noisy. Even if he wanted to say anything, he would be overwhelmed by the coach’s speech.
“I want you to hide behind Nuri, try as many through balls as you can. Real Madrid’s defence is not the best and they lack enough protection behind them. Ramos and Marcelo, in particular, are two wing-backs who love assisting the offense so much that they will only attack more often rather than defending in the second half. You have to make use of the space between them and the full backs which is behind them.”
“Pass more balls towards that space?” Gago finally got the chance to interject his opinions.
Twain nodded. “Yeah, there are two of our wingers there, and the spot you’re passing to is the most awkward place in their defence. Ramos and Marcelo like assisting the offense and you can take advantage of their back…”
“Okay, coach. But you said that just before this.”
“In short, your passing direction would be towards the two wingers and the assisting strikers. Let Nuri take charge of the middle road. Don’t hold the ball for too long, being a defensive midfielder, you need to be more instinctive. If there is a chance, just pass forward, if not, just pass the ball back. Regardless, don’t let the ball stay under your foot for too long. ”
“I see, coach. ”
Hearing what Twain said, Gago felt a little more secure.
“Also, help me pass word to George and the others.” Twain suddenly laughed, “Stick close to Diarra and snatch the ball, upon the snatch, just start the counter attack!”
Gago was not a fool, he naturally understood why. Diarra loved to take the ball into the midfield and he also had the issue of hogging the ball. When Gago was still at Real Madrid, he had already seen this issue. Most of the time this habit did not bring any much trouble, and instead it might let others feel that his tactics were impressive, while being excellent on defense, he could also be capable of mid fielding.
But if he came across a team whose midfielder was able to intercept the ball, then he would be simply looking for a death wish. Intercepting the ball from the defensive midfielder, the opposing could immediately face the defensive line, or sometimes even facing the goalkeeper.
Gago nodded firmly. “I know what I’m supposed to do, coach.”
Twain patted him on the shoulder and pushed him out onto the field. “Then go!”
※※※
Evan Doughty repressed the idea of going to the locker room to find Twain. His brain was still clear. He knew that it was a big taboo to get into the dressing room at this time.
But he could not suppress his inner displeasure.
At the end of the half, Florentino shook his hand. His attitude was basically even more arrogant as compared to himself before the start of the match.
A few years ago, he would not be treated the same way when Nottingham Forest had been dominating in the European region. Even if his team was playing against Real Madrid, the Real Madrid coach back then, Calderon respected him.
Now that Real Madrid had a different chairman, they were back on their feet. His team, on the other hand, experienced a low point after Twain’s heart attack, with much less influence in European region than it used to be.
This was a very realistic world that only respected the strongest.
No strength meant no position.
Evan did not growl when he was angry, he would just find an empty corner and rage in silence.
Alan accompanied him. In fact, he was also worried. what if Tony Twain’s team lost to Real Madrid? He did not dare ask the question, as he knew Evan was still in a fit of anger. He was usually smiley and harmonious so if he were to actually get angry, it would turn out very nasty.
Just then, as soon as the second half began, Evan then said to Alan, “Come on, Alan. Let’s go back. ”
The two men left the rest area and walked to the podium outside.
By the time they came here, the players from both sides had already started to have players walking out onto the field. Florentino’s position was still empty though.
Until the start of the second half, his side’s position was always empty.
He did not know what Florentino was doing, and he did not want to care what the man was doing. But he still felt that he, himself was humiliated.
If this was a match against Barcelona in Derby, would Florentino dare to be late in front of La Porta? He probably would hate to miss even a minute of the game.
Nottingham Forest’s capabilities was a little weaker. To him, such a team would not be able to threaten Real Madrid so it would be alright and perfectly fine to miss a few minutes of such a competition. This match would definitely not be as important as what he was currently busy with.
As for what he was busy with, no one knew. Maybe he simply wanted to go to the bathroom, maybe he was talking to someone, maybe he forgot the time while he was resting.
In short, when Nottingham Forest went on the pitch against Real Madrid and launched a counter-attack, the space beside Evan Doughty was still very empty.
(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading! )
