Chapter 526: Halftime Interval

In Nottingham Forest’s locker room, everyone discussed George Wood’s goal during that last moment.

Not only because it was Wood’s goal, but also because of the difficulty and brilliant extent of entering the goal. With a distance of twenty-eight meters from the goal and receiving his teammate’s return pass, he was able to volley the shot without stopping the ball. To be able to press the football under the crossbar was a feat, not to mention to be able to shoot through the crowd.

Nonetheless, Wood did it. Regardless of whether he took a wild shot or showed his skill, the ball went in. He helped the team to equalize the score and struck a blow to Chelsea’s arrogance. This was all that mattered. Such a result in professional football was more valuable than the process itself.

After entering the locker room, Twain also directly praised Wood’s last-minute goal. It was the key that saved the team’s fighting spirit and ensured that they had greater confidence and hope to continue to rise against Chelsea in the second half.

“Well done, George.” Twain nodded to Wood. “It looks like you’re in good form today. I should just let everyone pass the ball to you. Do you want to shoot?”

His teammates burst into laughter.

Amidst the laughter, Twain turned serious and began to critique the defensive line’s performance. “Don’t let me see George Wood defending on his own again. You guys better step up. There are idiotic media outlets out there that say Nottingham Forest’s defense is George Wood’s one-man defense. As long as he’s not there, there’s nothing to worry about the Forest team’s defense. Are you willing to accept such an assessment?”

The players on the defensive line stopped laughing. The evaluation hurt their self-esteem.

In fact, Twain was a little harsh. Since Pepe’s injury, the Forest team’s defensive line in the Champions League was one of the youngest. Piqué had the experience of playing for the Forest team for a full Champions League season, whereas Kompany had none. The center back was the core position in the defensive line, the crux of the crucial point. As it happened, the Forest team’s two center backs were so young. Their experience and abilities were still not enough, and their condition was not stable enough.

Due to this, the idea of an entire team’s defense was so important. If they only relied on their rear defensive line, it would not work if more powerful defensive players were to play against them. George Wood was only one player, not a god. It was hard enough that he was the only player in the midfield to establish a defensive line, but he also had to support the rear defensive line. A player could only do so much.

“Our defense has always been good, but today we were cracked wide open by the opponent with several passes! I can’t accept conceding a goal just like that. If we concede a goal like the one George scored, I have nothing to say and will console you, but I’m angry about this conceded goal.” Twain’s face changed quickly. The atmosphere in the locker room was suddenly stern. “This is the Champions League semi-final and you know what it means to make mistakes in this kind of game. This is the kind of game where the team that makes fewer mistakes wins! In the second half, I don’t want to see similar mistakes again.”

Twain paused to let the locker room’s atmosphere slowly warm up and not be as quiet.

In fact, on the whole, he was still fairly satisfied with this first half. The main reason was obviously due to the equalizer at the end. If there had been no equalizer, he would have been in a bad mood.

“All right, guys. Don’t look like we’ve lost the game. We got an away goal and that’s important. The last thing Chelsea wants to see, other than our victory, is probably a goal from us. I’m happy to do everything that makes our opponent uncomfortable. Continue playing like that in the second half. There’s nothing to adjust.”

Indeed, Chelsea and the Forest team were very familiar with each other as both sides were old rivals in the same league tournament. This kind of fierce contest was often not a victory with surprise tactics, but simply dependent on the strength of both sides: the teams’ overall strength, and the players’ individual skills.

Tricks would not work on either of the managers.

※※※

Twain criticized the team’s rear defense performance in the locker room and said that if they conceded a goal like George’s, he would not blame the rear defense and would only encourage them.

In the home team locker room, that was exactly what Mourinho did.

His team was frustrated and annoyed at the goal concede in the final moment.

Mourinho paced back and forth among the dejected players. He looked around at his players and did not speak for a long while.

Nobody could grasp what the manager had on his mind. They did not dare to open their mouths, for fear of provoking his anger and fury. After all, they were equalized by the other side at the last minute of the first half and gave away the advantage they had.

“I say…” Mourinho, who had been pacing back and forth for a long time, finally opened his mouth and stopped to look at the players around him. “Why do you look like that? I’m not going to blame you for the goal concede. In fact, that goal concede was not that we made a mistake, but that the other side got lucky. What are you doing with your heads down?”

Mourinho raised his voice slightly and the players hurriedly looked up at their boss.

“Chelsea players are not going to be like this because of one goal concede. Conceding a goal will only motivate us more! If Chelsea is beaten down by this goal, then you will only be carried out of the game in forty-five minutes.”

Gullit and Vialli brought the technique of “sexy football” to the once-unknown Chelsea team, helping them win the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the FA Cup. Even though that Chelsea team played well and was very popular, it had always lost the crucial league tournament title. So much so that at the time, Chelsea was called “the remarkable spoiler” and “the bridesmaid but never the bride” by the media. They were never the “strong contender for the title.” Was it because the players were not strong enough? Or was the team’s overall tactics ineffective?

It was none of those things; it was the lack of a spirit.

An unyielding attitude that never gave up, dared to say “no” to a strong enemy, had the guts to challenge all powerful teams, and despised everything. To put it bluntly, they lacked “the heart of a champion.”

The arrival of the UEFA Champions League manager, Mourinho, changed everything. The new Chelsea team was deeply imprinted with his personal mark — tough, tenacious, unyielding and domineering.

The Blues finally had “the heart of a champion,” so they could win the league title for two years in a row and suddenly become an important force that would not be overlooked in European football.

Chelsea’s “heart” was Mourinho. As long as he was there, that spirit would live in Chelsea.

“You did well in the first half. The Forest team didn’t have a lot of chances. Even when they did have any chances, they were within the normal range. We were still dominant in the game.” Mourinho started to praise the team’s performance, “Continue to put pressure on them and don’t let them have too many chances to consider how to find our defensive holes. If we let them get too comfortable, we will be the ones to suffer in the end.”

“In addition, watch out for George Wood’s performance in the offense. He’s very different from his first season. Although that shot was one hundred percent a wild shot, his series of positional plays and observations were the real deal. Don’t underestimate him. If he’s going to come up… Claude,” Mourinho turned his head to look at Makelele and said, “you are responsible for pinning him down.”

Makelele hesitated a little. The task given to him before the game was van der Vaart. “But boss, what about the Dutchman…”

“Let Essien take care of him.”

The players could not fully understand. When it came to offense, the dedicated offensive player, van der Vaart was more powerful than the half-baked George Wood. Why would he want Makelele, the best in the team’s midfield defense drop van der Vaart to mark George Wood?

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Mourinho could see everyone was in doubt, so he had to explain to the players. “Van der Vaart has always been the core of the Forest team’s organization. His ability and features were thoroughly researched by the Forest team’s opponents. Van der Vaart is bound to have faced a lot of defensive pressure during games. This is generally the case.” He extended his index finger and said, “Didn’t we do the same in the first half? Van der Vaart was rendered useless by Claude’s defense. George Wood was active in offense in the first half and the Forest team would consider passing more balls to Wood to let him try… Do you understand what I’m saying?”

It suddenly dawned on everyone.

Twain thought that no one was marking Wood, so he asked the Forest team to shift the focus of the attack to George Wood. He would not think that Mourinho had already instructed Makelele to wait there.

It was tit for tat.

※※※

Seeing that the halftime interval was coming to an end, Twain had been thinking about an issue during this time. Van der Vaart was largely immobilized by the midfield defensive line led by Makelele in the first half. The connection between him and the frontline was largely cut off. Makelele was a world-class defensive midfielder. Along with the help of Essien, it was unlikely that anyone could pass easily through such a midfield iron gate.

The Forest team’s offense in the first-half was largely ineffective. It was only due to George Wood that they managed to equalize the score with a lucky goal. He could not treat this matter as if nothing had happened just because they had equalized the score. The factors behind it were the most important.

It was clear that Chelsea had made careful defensive arrangements against the Forest team’s offensive group to be able to contain the Forest team’s attack so effectively in the first half.

There had to be some change in the second half. Otherwise their offense could not break through situation and it was only a matter of time before they conceded another goal. They would have hope in this game only by threatening the opponent’s rear defensive.

In that case, what should they do?

Twain scanned and searched among the players. He did not want to change players at the start of the second half. He did not consider the substitute players.

Ribéry? No matter what, he was still a shock worker and not an organizer. He could do the work like passing, organization and sorting out the midfield. He might not be better than van der Vaart, not to mention Ashley Young…

Should he let Eastwood pull back?

The Romani Gypsy was a player who used his brains to play. But if he withdrew, the front line would only be left with van Nistelrooy alone. The pressure in the opponent’s rear was smaller, not to mention once they had fewer points to receive the ball in the front of the goal, who could they even pass the ball to if their midfield could pass the ball? Van Nistelrooy, who was closely marked?

Finally, Twain fixed his eyes on George Wood’s poker face.

Although the process of that goal shot had a lot to do with luck, George’s previous performance before that was definitely not luck. He was keenly aware of the team’s situation at the time, and made the right judgment call to decisively plug ahead in and aided his teammates … Why would he not let him try again?

“George.” Twain opened his mouth, “In the second half, if our offense is unable to break through, you have go up and provide support.”

Wood did not express any doubt. He just nodded.

When everyone heard Twain say that, they turned their heads and looked at Wood.

“Shoot or pass, you choose. Try to send the ball to a place where the opponent’s defensive power is weak.” With that, Twain looked at his watch. Time was up.

“Very well, you have enough rest. Get ready to play!” Kerslake stood up and clapped while he shouted for the players to follow him out of the locker room.

Albertini pulled Wood aside at the back so that they could walk together outside. He wanted to make use of the time to impart him his experience and knowledge in taking control of the midfield.

“If the opposing defensive formation is well organized, don’t rush forward. That will only hasten us to concede the goal and give the opponent a chance to directly fight back.”

“OK.”

“An appropriate return pass is not an escape. It’s just to lure the other side to come out and create holes. Cross passing and return passes are all means of organizing attack, and the ultimate aim is to move forward. You have to be the brain of the team. Don’t let the opponent’s pace lead you by your nose. You have to lead them instead. Once there is an opportunity, find the opportunity. If you don’t have the opportunity, create the opportunity. Observe everyone’s positions on the field while you wait to catch the ball and keep them in mind. The other side won’t give you a chance to stop the ball and look up to observe again … Maybe you see people doing this a lot, but you must never ask yourself to do that. Got it? You have to do better than all of them.”

“Got it, Demetrio.”

“Finally, if they want to tackle the ball from under your feet, be a little tougher! If you accidentally lose the ball, snatch it back on the spot. If you can’t grab it, then just do a foul! You cannot go soft on the enemy!”

“All right.”

As the two men talked, they were about to reach the exit. Albertini stopped to look at George Wood and said, “George, I have nothing more to add about your defense, but you still have a long way to go for your offense. All I can tell you is you need experience. It doesn’t mean that you have to do it as it is. You are still young and there are many more games to play, but you also have to face all kinds of opponents. Find the most suitable path for you in the games and keep going!”

He gave Wood a hard pat on his shoulder and pushed him out of the tunnel.

Demetrio Albertini’s road has already come to an end, but you, George Wood, your road is just beginning…

※※※

After a fifteen-minute break, Stamford Bridge stadium became noisy once again. The players came out in succession and the vacated seats were filled again. The atmosphere of the game came rushing forth.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second half of the Champions League semi-final game where Chelsea receives Nottingham Forest at home. Both sides had an equal score of 1:1 in the first half. The game was not that exciting, but there was a fantastic goal. George Wood’s equalizer for Nottingham Forest could basically be selected for the ten best goals of the Champions League. Mourinho must be brooding over this goal concede. Tony Twain is not the kind of man who is going to rest of his laurels just because he got one away goal. We still have a game that we can look forward to in the second half.”

As they headed to their respective coaches’ seats, the two managers met briefly, but they did not exchange any words. Twain did not take the initiative to go up to pick a quarrel. The two men each walked away as if they did not see each other.

It was meaningless for both sides to have a war of words at this time. The outcome would be revealed after forty-five minutes.

Once they won against each other, they naturally could abuse their opponent to their heart’s content after the game. If they did not win… to the team that lost the game, their defeat would not only be just about the score. It would also be the unknown future.