Chapter 522: The Countdown Begins

Chelsea’s close gap in points with Manchester United appeared on various media pages the day after Chelsea’s game. Mourinho smugly told the media that he was going to seize all the championship titles this season. Next to the printed words of what he had said in the interview was a photograph of Ferguson’s livid face while he attended the post-match press conference.

The English media were skilled in dealing with this kind of story. The readers could see the relationship between the two sides and the hidden story behind them at a glance.

Twain, who directed all of it, kept cover at the Forest team’s training base in Wilford at this time in preparation for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final game and to make the home stretch.

For him, the messier the contest between Chelsea and Manchester United got, the easier for him to prevail over his opponents in the melee.

With four days to go until the Champions League semi-finals, Twain announced that the team would held closed-door training and all training would be closed to the media. Even people with good relations with the team, like Pierce Brosnan, were unable to get permission to enter Wilford for an interview.

Naturally, not everyone would abide by Twain’s wishes, otherwise the world would be a lot easier for Twain.

For example, recently, Twain discovered that Tang Jing and Dunn had gotten a little closer, which was something that made him think.

During a break in the training, the players sat on the sidelines to rest and chat about things they were interested in. The coaching staff were the same. Everyone mostly talked about the imminent Champions League semi-final.

Even if they were Nottingham Forest people, to be able to advance to the semi-finals for two consecutive seasons was still a bit unexpected. It looked like there was a mysterious aura around their manager.

Twain ignored how others looked at him. He went straight to Dunn’s side and leaned over to grab a bottle of water. After he twisted it open and gulped down a mouthful, he looked at the players on the field and asked, “what did that woman want from you?” Twain was referring to Tang Jing, and he knew Dunn was clear about it too.

“Nothing. We just talked about stuff in China.” Dunn was acting more and more like a Chinese. Before it was just his appearance, but now he was very Chinese from the inside out. “Like Chinese football.”

Twain almost choked on the water.

“You two are so boring!” He coughed between words.

Looking at Twain’s sorry manner, Dunn remained expressionless.

“Talk about Chinese football … Hey, it looks like I’m going to have to talk to you about Chinese football too one of these days, and see what your thoughts are as a foreigner …”

“There’s nothing to it. I didn’t understand it before, and now I understand it.” Dunn also found this topic boring and was unwilling to go any further.

“She didn’t try to pry into our plans for the Champions League semi-finals, or anything like that?” Twain cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at Dunn.

“She did pry.” Dunn nodded.

“Oh? How did you deal with that?”

“I just said no comment to all her questions.”

Twain raised his head and thought about Dunn, with his straight face against Tang Jing at her wit’s end… It did seem appropriate.

“Very good, women will ruin things, especially an overly inquisitive woman.” Twain nodded. “I don’t want things to go awry.”

“Tony, I don’t understand this matter at all. We know Chelsea very well and Chelsea also knows us very well. There doesn’t seem to be a need for closed-door training …” Dunn raised the question in his mind.

“A closed-door training is not entirely about keeping information confidential.” Twain pointed to the players and said, “it also allows the players to put all their focus into this game and let them understand what kind of game this is from their bodies to their minds. This is… a semi-final game that we can’t afford to lose.”

Dunn looked at Twain from behind and was silent for a moment. He opened his mouth but hesitated before he spoke up again, “Won’t the pressure be too much?”

“What?”

“To give the best farewell game for Demetrio, give George another final and maintain an unbeaten record against Mourinho … You take on these things even though no one has asked you to do those things. Aren’t you afraid of breaking under too much pressure?”

When he heard Dunn said that, Twain smiled and pointed to his heart, “I did this on purpose. I’m afraid that once I relax here, it will be hard for me to be firm again.”

In the face of Twain’s smiling face, Dunn had nothing to add.

Tossing aside the half-finished water, Twain walked up to Kerslake and patted him on the shoulder. “Blow the whistle. Let’s continue the training.”

With that, he put on his sunglasses again and stood in the shade.

It was four days away from the semi-final on the 26th.

※※※

April 25th was the first day of the Champions League semi-finals and the day Manchester United invited AC Milan for a home game. The next day would be the day when the Forest team played against Chelsea.

This year’s top four of the Champions League had three English teams ranked among them. To the English media, this was a massive happy occasion that required lots of publicity. Once the “the world’s number one league”, Serie A was in decline and La Liga also became weaker after years of strength. It was the world of the English Premier League now!

English media outlets were all so optimistic. The three teams formed a siege around AC Milan, and it was highly likely that the English teams would end up with the champion and runner-up titles.

Bundesliga had already fallen, and France Ligue 1 had long been kicked out of the “five big leagues” circle. Serie A had gradually declined, and La Liga fluctuated. It appeared as if only the English Premier League was able to consistently maintain a high standard for ten years. With this kind of mentality, the English media began to report optimistically on the Champions League semi-finals. They bragged about Manchester United, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, but completely forgot AC Milan.

In the eyes of those proud English media, AC Milan would not be able to stop Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. After all, “they only have one Kaka, and we have a Rooney and a Ronaldo!”

“AC Milan has already flown to Manchester, where they will challenge their host, Manchester United, in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. When Kaka was interviewed at the airport, he talked about the opponents of this game. He thought Ronaldo and Rooney are very good players and that Manchester United is a strong team, but he is confident to advance into the final …”

The televisions showed the earlier sports news. AC Milan had arrived in Manchester and in two days, they would be in a crucial contest at this stadium.

As the team’s top star player and the core of the midfield, Kaka attracted everyone’s attention. Countless microphones, flashes and cameras surrounded him, making it difficult for him to take even one step forward.

“Kaka…” murmured Twain in front of the television. He had been a Kaka fan before he joined the soccer world. He had focused on the brilliant kid since before he landed in Europe, when he was just a nobody on the Brazil national team’s substitutes team and had a few appearances. He liked this kid’s character, his technical style and his handsome appearance. He liked his press forward breakthrough speed and his powerful long shots. He did not think he’d get a chance to be his opponent one day.

“Hey, Dunn. How good it would be if Kaka could come to the Forest team… That is, we have Kaka to press ahead in the front of our midfield, and George guarding the back, Ashley Young, Beckham and Aaron Lennon on the right flank, Ribéry and Petrov on the left flank… we would be invincible!” He said excitedly as he watched the television.

“Stop dreaming. AC Milan will not let go of him.” Dunn was not at all interested in such unrealistic fantasy, but Twain was imagining that if he had started a few years earlier, then it would not have been a dream…

It was a pity that it still looked like a dream now.

“Oh, that’s right, speaking of Kaka.” Twain pulled out a ticket from his pocket and handed it to Dunn. “The tickets to the 25th match in Old Trafford. You’ll go with me.”

Dunn did not say anything and just took the ticket to put it away.

Twain turned his head back to continue watching the television. The news had shifted to Manchester United and began to report on Manchester United’s preparations.

Ferguson looked somber on screen. The sky was cloudy over the Carrington training base and the team was under pressure.

Semi-finals were only three days away.

※※※

Twain encountered Tang Jing again at the entrance of Wilford training base in the morning just as he and Dunn were about to enter the door. The security guard at the door looked miserably at the woman standing in front of him, which turned out to be Tang Jing.

It was clear that Tang Jing wanted to go in, but the security guard could not let her do what she wanted. As a result, she was held back here by the security guard.

“Good morning, Reporter Tang.” Twain waved to her in greeting.

“Good morning, Manager Twain.” When Tang Jing saw Twain and Dunn approaching, she ditched the poor security guard and made a beeline for the two men.

“It’s illegal to trespass on restricted area, Reporter Tang.” Twain teased the female reporter in front of him while Dunn stood behind him in silence.

“Do you have a warning sign here that says all trespassers will be killed on sight?”

“If it’s okay with Reporter Tang, I can immediately get the security guard to set it up and even write in it in Mandarin.”

Tang Jing fumed at Twain. She glanced at Dunn next to Twain for help.

Dunn hesitated for a moment before he said, “I think it’s better to use both Mandarin and English.”

Tang Jing rolled her eyes.

Twain laughed. “Don’t bother wasting your time with schemes, Reporter Tang. I’m not going to let the media get any information on our preparation for the semi-finals.”

“When did Mr. Twain, who likes to be in the limelight, start to keep a low profile? Currently, all the media reports and news are about the four teams’ preparations for the Champions League except for your Nottingham Forest team.”

“So what? I’m not a clown to satisfy the audience’s whims and tastes.” Twain shrugged. “Anything that has to do with all you reporters will turn out to be bad. I’m sorry I have to proceed with caution before an important big game.”

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Seeing that method of attacking his ego and reverse psychology was ineffective, Tang Jing changed her strategy, “You see, Mr. Twain. I’m just a reporter working for the Chinese media from thousands of miles away. Even if I know your training details, it will only be read by the Chinese readers and fans. You don’t have to worry about leaks at all …”

“Don’t kid with me, Reporter Tang. We’re in the age of internet. The world’s news is all available everywhere. I won’t fall for it. Furthermore there’s nothing good to interview. The training content is the same as what you have seen before. Chelsea and our team are very familiar with each other. Heheh.” Twain smiled slyly.

Tang Jing, who felt played, was a little angry. “So why did you close the training?”

“Just to give my ears some peace and quiet. At such a time, I wish I have more hours in a day. Where will I be able to find the time to deal with the news media?”

As he looked at Tang Jing’s look of reluctance, Twain was initially ready to turn away, but he stopped again and said, “don’t wander around here. It will be bright when the sun comes out later. A beautiful lady’s skin will not be as pretty if her skin becomes too tanned. Just go back. There will be a press conference before the game as usual. You can ask any questions at that time, Reporter Tang.”

He did not expect Tang Jing to shake her head all of a sudden and say, “I do not have any questions. Can I have a word with Mr. Dunn alone?”

Twain looked at her and cocked his head at Dunn. “Why are you asking me? He’s his own person and I am mine. I cannot limit his personal freedom. If he wants to talk to you, then you can have a chat.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Dunn did not expect Twain to simply walk away. He had wanted to refuse Tang Jing — the two of them really had nothing to talk about together — but now that Twain was gone, it was hard for him to do that.

Tang Jing said with a grin next to him, “Mr. Dunn can we talk?”

The helpless Dunn could only turn around to face her and asked, “What do you want to talk about? If it’s about the Forest team… then I can’t tell you anything.”

“Of course, I understand, Mr. Dunn. It’s a headache to work with that eccentric person, isn’t it?”

Dunn shook his head and said, “No, we work well together.”

Tang Jing had a look of disbelief, but Dunn could not be bothered to explain the excellent rapport they had between them. Even if he had explained, Tang Jing would not believe. Would anyone believe if someone had told him about such a thing like swapping body with another person?

“Then let’s talk about something else. Something unrelated to football…” Tang Jing smiled sweetly at Dunn, while she gently swept a strand back of hair that was stuck on her forehead.

Kerslake saw that the players had arrived at the training ground one by one but did not see Dunn. It was time for the coaching staff to come together for do some preparation for a new day of training. When he remembered that Twain always come together with Dunn, he hurried to Twain’s office to find him.

However, he only found Twain in the office.

“Eh? Where’s Dunn?”

Without looking up, Twain said, “He must be in a love haze, right?”

“Love haze? What’s that?”

“Devil knows.”

“Uh…”

“David, today’s training program is focused on set pieces, right?” asked Twain, looking up.

Kerslake nodded.

“Okay, let’s go with that. Just leave Dunn alone for the time being. Let’s go to the training ground. It’s time for the players to assemble.” With that, Twain went to the door to walk out with the confused Kerslake and went straight to the training ground.

At the entrance of the training base, the players who came to train, curiously watched their Chinese assistant coach chatting to a Chinese woman, who looked exuberant and the assistant manager looked a little distracted.

“The weather is really nice today, Mr. Dunn.”

“…”

“How many years have you been in Nottingham? Are you used to living in England? In the beginning, I hated the weather in this country…”

“…”

“Speaking of which, do you miss home since you left home for work on your own at such a young age?”

“…”

“I was going to write a detailed story about your past, but eventually, I found out that you were a lackluster person with very little to write about before you became a coach in Nottingham Forest… Ah, I’m so sorry I used this description. In short, really boring. You actually have not have a relationship between grade school and college… By the way, do you have a girlfriend now? Long distance relationship? Or a foreign affair here? Is she pretty?”

“…”

The semi-finals were two days away.

※※※

The team did not train in the morning, so the players could have a good night’s sleep at home before they gathered in Wilford in the afternoon. Then they would take the club’s red bus to London, where they would stay at the hotel and prepare for the semi-final game the next day.

Twain and Dunn did not go to London with the team. After they said goodbye to the team at the training base, they drove to Manchester by themselves.

There was still some time before that night’s game, and the entrance to the Old Trafford stadium were already full of people. The difference between the fans clad in the red Manchester United jerseys and red and black AC Milan jerseys were distinct and separated by the police. The reputation of both Italian and English fans was not good. With the performances of the players from both teams still unknown, the police in Manchester were on guard for all possible dangers.

Dunn came fully equipped with a digital video, digital camera, mini laptop, traditional handwritten notebooks, binoculars. He was mainly in charge of bringing first-hand intelligence about the enemy to the team.

On the other hand, Twain was like a tourist with his hands in his pockets and wearing his sunglasses.

The two men were caught in the crowd of AC Milan fans, slowly squeezing their way towards the entrance.

The surrounding AC Milan fans kept shouting all kinds of chants, which Twain could not understand. The only word he could catch was “Kaka.” Due to AC Milan’s lackluster performance this season, all hopes for the league title were lost. The Champions League title was the only trophy they could hope for. Kaka’s powerful breakout this season was the guarantee that filled these people with confidence.

With Shevchenko walking away from England, Alberto Gilardino’s state unstable, Filippo Inzaghi’s frequent injuries, and Oliveira showing his true sub-standards, the entire AC Milan front line suffered from a dearth of goals. It was Kaka who stepped forward to take on most of the goal scoring responsibility. It was almost down to him alone that AC Milan was in the Champions League semi-finals.

No matter how close he was to Real Madrid at one point according to the pre-season rumors, he had become AC Milan fans’ ace core in their hearts by this time. He was the hope of all those people.

AC Milan’s flags with Kaka’s portrait on them fluttered in front of Twain’s eyes as he muttered the name.

Old Trafford, the Theater of Dreams to Manchester United, was the best football field. In this stadium during the Champions League this season, Manchester United had annihilated A.S. Roma by 7:1 and shocked the football world. Now, facing another Italian team, what would happen?

Ninety minutes later, it was clear it was indeed a fantastic and exciting game, purely from the standpoint of a neutral fan. Twain enjoyed himself immensely as he watched in the stands. Dunn had a harder time because he was in charge of the recording.

The score happened exactly the same as Twain’s memory, with Manchester United narrowly winning against AC Milan by 3:2 at home and scoring a valuable home win. But the game was not quite the same as what Twain remembered. The course of the game and the score did not satisfy the Manchester United fans. Instead, it was the visiting team, AC Milan, that left perfectly satisfied.

Manchester United quickly scored a two-goal lead and it looked like the situation was in their favor. The Manchester United fans had even begun to envision the final in Athens.

However, at that moment, Kaka, who was thought of as AC Milan’s biggest threat by the media and experts before the game, stepped up with two beautiful attacks which resulted in two beautiful goals. It suddenly cooled down the feverish atmosphere in the Theater of Dreams. After Kaka received the long pass from the backfield, he shook off Fletcher, Evra, Heinze in a row. A single player had bypassed their entire line of defense. And when he shot the football into the goal, Ferguson finally rushed from his seat, unable to suppress the anger inside him.

The performance of the defensive line was terrible. Although Rio Ferdinand and Vidic were sidelined by injuries for a period, there was no excuse for their own defense line to perform so badly.

He suddenly thought of the last round of the league tournament. Rio Ferdinand had suffered a minor injury in that game. To be safe, he replaced him, and it was because of that, the line of defense was thrown into disarray by the Forest team’s offense. In turn, van Nistelrooy and Ribéry each scored a goal. Later on, during the training, it was discovered that Rio Ferdinand’s injury was not looking good and he would sit out the rest of the game.

Damn it! Ferguson cursed internally.

Twain laughed in delight in the stands when he saw Manchester United lose two goals.

During the second half of the game, AC Milan deliberately compacted its defensive line. With two goals, a draw was enough for Ancelotti. However, it was undoubtedly a failure for Manchester United. Hence, Manchester United attacked AC Milan’s goal in a frenzy until the injury stoppage time, when Rooney scored another goal and locked in their victory.

Though AC Milan had lost, they could be said to be winners in such a game. The one who had the last laugh was Ancelotti and Manchester United with its smooth start.

“On this night of the Theater of Dreams, both teams have brought us a terrific game. The score of 3:2 left us with an infinite reverie. The second leg of the game between both sides will have a lot of highlights to watch. Kaka and Rooney both scored twice in this game. Between these two young and outstanding players, who will be the key to determine the fate of their own teams?”

Twain stretched his back in the stands but did not stand up. He was waiting for the other fans to leave.

“How’s the intelligence gathering?”

Dunn was just transferring the video file from the digital video to the mini laptop. “Kaka is the key player.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“I think there are too many dangerous characters. AC Milan is a thorny opponent. Pirlo, Seedorf, Inzaghi… But their defenses are just as big a problem, just like Manchester United.” As soon as he talked about football, Dunn became chattier. “The repercussions of aging, slower turns and being overly reliant on their veterans, all emerged. Dida’s form is shaky and is a ticking time bomb on the defensive line. As long as we put enough pressure on their defenses, we can find more holes. So…” Dunn looked up at Twain. “I disapprove of playing defensive counterattack against AC Milan.”

Twain did not respond to his suggestion. He mumbled as if he had not heard it, “All the powerhouse clubs in the world are having headaches about their defensive problems… Let’s go, Dunn.”

Once he got up, Twain looked back at the field and said, “what a wonderful opening act game. The lead is going to take the stage.”

Semi-finals were less than a day away.