Godfather Of Champions

With their lead of one goal, Arsenal could officially begin playing the defensive counterattack they had been preparing such a long time for. Tang En did not think that Arsenal was unsuitable or inept at playing defensive counterattacking. He just had to look at the Arsenal in his memories, the team that got into this season’s finals for the UEFA Champions League. To Wenger’s team, it was not a question of their abilities, but an issue of their desire to win.

If Wenger had truly hardened himself to play defensive counterattacking against him in this match, then Henry was doubtlessly an important figure in it.

Tang En briefly considered and decided against making any adjustments for now. Henry could be trapped by the entire defensive line. Wood’s target continued to be Fàbregas.

However, the goal loss earlier could not be blamed on Wood having lost his mark. At that time, his decision to guard against Henry was correct. After all, Henry posed a greater threat. It could only be said that Henry was truly a world-class player. He alone could change everything. Of course, manager Arsène Wenger’s contributions could not be dismissed either. It was he who had molded Arsenal from a team without any positive attributes to speak of into one that was this pleasing to the eye. This attack had a clear sense of Arsenal’s style. The exquisiteness of the goal was extremely difficult to put into words. People could feel a poetic pace in the running of the three Arsenal players; it was clear, smooth, and made people feel carefree and joyful.

In comparison, Nottingham Forest’s football had not much artistry to speak of.

Truly, the main manager of the team determined its character. The genteel manager, Wenger, put in charge of Arsenal, immediately made it a synonym for grace and artistry. Meanwhile, after the mercenary Tang En became Nottingham Forest’s manager, the team’s utilitarian nature became stronger.

Tang En stood up from his seat. He knew that the match had already fallen in step with Wenger’s plan; he must go along with it now. But he was unwilling to let the match continue like this to its end. There was no such thing in the world as an impenetrable defense and no goal that was invulnerable. So long as Forest continued attacking, a single chance grasped would be enough to once again tilt the scales of victory.

In the past, he had habitually depended on defending to solve the problem. Today, in this match, the key to resolving the problem was attacking instead.

How strong exactly were Nottingham Forest’s offensive capabilities?

※※※

Arsenal gradually began retreating and focusing on their defense. Forest also started pressing forward. Even George Wood advanced enough to cross the half line, moving closer to Arsenal’s penalty area.

In the front field, Arteta dribbled past Edu and suddenly drew back his foot to shoot at the goal. Jens Lehmann leaped beautifully but was unable to maintain control over the football. In his haste to initiate the jump, he could only choose to bump the ball outwards. But Forest’s offense did not stop there.

Ashley Young, in the wings, received the ball that was knocked out by Jens Lehmann. He stopped it from going out of bounds and turned to pass the ball center. The football flew again to the front of Arsenal’s goal. Under Touré’s close marking, Viduka managed to head the ball. Regrettably, his header was just slightly off the mark.

“Forest’s offense is, in fact, extremely monotone,” Wenger said to Pat as he sat in the technical area. “Throughout Tony’s management, he’s always spent tremendous energy defending. In their first season playing in the Premier League, Forest getting fourth had nothing to do with their offensive capabilities at all. The most goals they scored were only when they played an away match against Crystal Palace, who wasn’t in good condition. They scored four goals in that match. They depended on their defense to get into this season’s Champions League. Mid-way through the Premier League, they once maintained a streak of eight rounds without losing a single goal. And in those eight rounds, the highest score they had gotten in any singular match was no higher than 2:0. 1:0, 2:0, 1:1… those are the most commonly seen scores in the season.”

Pat Rice looked somewhat incredulously at Wenger. He did not expect the Frenchman to have such a deep understanding of the opponent’s data. Even Twain himself might not have been able to casually verbalize those things.

“There’s been no change to the situation this season. Tony’s reformation of Forest’s defensive line is extremely successful. Although a young defensive line would often commit mistakes, he made use of the cohesive unit to make up for that weakness. Currently, they have lost 33 goals. Most of them were lost in the recent few rounds due to Forest being distracted by the Champions League. The team was somewhat unable to catch up. However, although Arteta is being slowly guided, Forest’s offensive routes remain largely unchanged. They are still breaking through from the flanks and strengthening their attacks from the middle; it’s a standardized pattern. And, in contrast to their emphasis on the cohesive unit in their defense, Forest’s attacks appear to rely more on the individual performance of a few players…” Wenger said, stroking his chin.

“Arsène…”

“Hmm?”

“Your understanding of Nottingham Forest has probably surpassed Tony Twain’s.”

Wenger only smiled.

“My understanding of that team is only in terms of the numbers. The data is right there. Anyone who wishes to understand can certainly get to my level of understanding. But, Tony Twain… What he understands is something deeper. For example, the soul of a team.”

Rice stared at him.

“And that is the reason why, despite my understanding of Forest, I continue to be Arsenal’s manager while he is Nottingham Forest’s.”

※※※

While Wenger was analyzing Nottingham Forest as skillfully as a butcher dismembering an ox, Tang En stood by the sidelines, supervising the battle. Unlike Wenger, he would not analyze everything so methodologically. Although Dunn might do such a thing, Tang En would only use that for coaching the team.

Whereas Wenger brought to Arsenal a graceful artistry in their concept of football strategy and technique, Tang En gave to Nottingham Forest the trait of a willpower in striving for “victory, victory, and more victory.”

Nottingham Forest’s players were just like their manager. They had a crazed persistence and thirst for victory. They were lofty and unwilling to lose to anyone. So what if they were behind by a point? It was just a single goal. Their Boss always spoke of how the most dangerous situation was leading by a goal. This applied not only to the Forest Team themselves, but also to their opponents.

George Wood pressed forward. On seeing him, Arteta passed the ball over.

Scattered jeers sounded all over Highbury when Wood received the ball. Just as it was said during Inter Milan’s match, George Wood was a person who would be unwelcomed everywhere except Nottingham.

Wood remained unaffected by the animosity of the audience towards him and passed the ball over to Ribéry on the other side. It was not the end yet! Wood did not stay behind to prevent the opponent’s counterattack as he usually would. Instead, he unexpectedly cut forward!

Albertini, who watched the scene from the sidelines, smiled. This boy is finally beginning to show some initiative to participate in the offense.

Lehmann saw Wood moving forward and naturally understood the lad to be joining in the offense. But he shouted to remind his own teammates, “Ignore him! Mark down the others!”

In the German goalie’s heart, this midfield engineer was no threat at all. Perhaps his foray could even generate a ridiculously high shot at the goal and help Arsenal out of their pinch.

Seeing Wood cut in, Ribéry did not hesitate and immediately passed the ball center. Touré was currently engaged by Viduka while Senderos kept an eye on Anelka. They had both seen George Wood move forward from the back, but listened to Lehmann’s instructions.

Only one person ignored his direction and followed Wood, retreating into the penalty area for defense. That was Fàbregas.

Ribéry’s pass was not to Viduka or Anelka. It was to Wood. As he ran, Wood leaped up high.

With a sudden sprint at the last moment, Fàbregas got left behind by Wood. There was no time for him to jump, and he dared not reach out to pull at him. He could only watch helplessly, looking up from behind, as Wood dashed out from among the crowd!

“George Wood!”

In that instant, sudden regret surged from the depths of Lehmann’s heart – why did he have to tell his team to ignore Wood? At this distance, there was not a single defending player. What if he managed to head it in? At the same time, his body tensed. Like a compressed spring, he was ready to leap at any time.

As Wood watched the football, what appeared in his mind was not “I want to score.” Rather, it was, how can I make sure I accurately head the ball, and in a way that wouldn’t make it ridiculously high? The second part of it was the basic of the basics. When he was in the Youth Team, the managers then had already repeatedly drilled him on that, so he could effectively maintain air control during defense. Today, he applied something he had learned for defense in offense. It felt wonderful!

“A header!”

It was very powerful. Wood’s abdominal muscles initiated a strong movement that hurtled the ball towards the goal.

Smack!

Before Lehmann had any time to leap out, the ball had already flown into his arms.

“The header was too straight. Although it was powerful, it didn’t threaten Lehmann in any way! However, I believe Arsenal’s players should really consider this. How did their tight defense allow George Wood to head a ball without any interference at all?”

Wood scratched the curls on his head. His mind was so filled with how he should head the ball that he had forgotten to observe the position of the opponent’s goalkeeper. It slipped his mind that the objective of this header was not to resolve any danger, but to score a goal… He saw someone in front wearing a light-colored jersey and headed the ball over; it was a habit from defending.

Viduka came over and patted his shoulders. “Beautiful one. You gave them a fright.”

“But I didn’t score.” Wood said.

“No need to be anxious. You’ll have your chance.” Viduka pointed to Lehmann.

“Observe his position next time before you shoot. Calm down a little.”

Wood nodded.

Lehmann was currently engaged in a discussion with Fàbregas regarding the ball earlier. From the unnatural expression on his face, it was probably no simple discussion.

“He is certainly not someone we can ignore, Lehmann. I understand him very well. Although his abrupt cut forward also surprised me somewhat…”

Lehmann shrugged. “His shooting is atrocious…”

“Even if he used the tip of his foot to nudge the ball, there is the risk of scoring a goal. He’ll get lucky at some point. What if the ball goes in? Don’t let down your guard.”

“Alright, I got it.” Lehmann patted Fàbregas’s shoulders. “I’m kicking off.”

※※※

On the sidelines, Albertini stood up from the substitutes’ bench as he watched Wood jump high and head the ball in the attack. He had even gotten ready to raise his hands in celebration. Unexpectedly, Wood headed the ball with power but made it much too straight. His hands, already raised midway, suddenly dropped as he cursed quietly to himself.

Tony Twain did something similar, but he did not just curse inwardly. Instead, he loudly swore.

“Dammit! This is the best opportunity we’ve had since the beginning of the match! When we get back, I’m going to set additional shooting drills for him!” He waved his hands unhappily.

Hearing Tang En shout that, Albertini laughed.

Tang En was exactly right. This had been the best opportunity since the start of the match. It was also the best chance in the first half for Forest. George Wood’s abrupt advancement threw Arsenal’s defense into chaos. No one had expected Wood, who very rarely cut forward, to take such an initiative. But also, because it was Wood who hardly went up, the header did not manage to secure a goal. If it was Viduka, Anelka, or Arteta heading it, it might have scored. However, would it still be as astonishing?

When the first half came to its end, the famous red screen showing the scores of the two teams in a corner of Highbury remained at 1:0, with the home team leading.

If it were already the end of the 90-minute match, that would be Wenger’s desired result.

During halftime, Tang En reviewed what had been done in the first half. Conversely, he said little about the goal loss. In fact, there was nothing much to say about it. It was a classic “Arsenal-style” goal. Depending on the intricate positioning of two players through passing and cutting, they tore apart Forest’s defense, forcing them to attend to one thing and lose focus of the other, until finally, a fatal loophole appeared.

“Throughout the whole process, we were being played with like toys. But this is nothing. Football matches are like that. In the second half, let’s return the favor with a “Forest-style” goal!” Tang En winked at the players.

What was a “Forest-style” goal like? It was one from a defensive counterattack that passed through the midfield rapidly and reached the opponent’s goal in two or three passes; it was a goal scored using the simplest and most efficient method.

Everyone believed that was the kind of goal Tang En was talking about.

Tang En turned to say to George, “About that shot… you did pretty well. Continue that way in the second half.”

But Wood shook his head. “Continuing like this means I’ll continue failing to score.”

“Hah!”

Tang En rolled his eyes as someone on the side started snickering. He glared at him, and the laughter immediately ceased.

“I’m referring to your cut forward. It was resolute, decisive, and unexpected. It’s very good, and strong! Do you understand what I mean?” Tang En waved his arms with each sentence he spoke.

Wood nodded. “I got it.”

※※※

In Arsenal’s locker room, everyone did their own things; some listened to music, some lay on the floor dozing. Wenger did not care. He was not only used to it, but he also respected the personal habits of this group of professional footballers. Sitting at the door, he rested quietly, conveniently running through the first half of the match in his mind at the same time.

When time was almost up, the players started becoming quiet. Those listening to music took off their earphones, and the ones napping returned to their seats. Everyone was waiting for the manager to speak.

Wenger raised his head and looked at them. His speech was short as always. “We all know how Forest Team is going to attack. Don’t give them that opportunity.”

※※※

The second half of the match started. Overall, Arsenal could be said to be continuing to hold a defensive stance while Forest Team persisted in their attacks, hoping to equalize the scores. However, Arsenal could somehow always manage to see through Forest’s attack routes. Each attack from Forest was successfully resolved by them. It seemed that Wenger’s analysis of Forest was not a bluff. He truly had gotten them down to a science.

Before Arsenal, Nottingham Forest could practically hide no secrets.

If the match continued progressing in this manner without any incidents, Arsenal would be set to exchange this unimpressive scene for a precious home-field victory.

Wenger did not care about the media commentary after the match. They had gotten to such a crucial point, what was losing a little face compared with the victory of the match? When Arsenal lifts the Champions League Cup in a historic moment, who was going to care about the unseemly scenes in one or two matches? Everyone would be looking at the first ever UEFA Champions League Cup in Arsenal’s history; under lighting, in all its silver shining glory, it would sparkle with starlight. That was the highest goal a club manager could pursue throughout his life.

Wenger was no exception. He looked up at the sky. With all the lights, London’s night sky shone red, so much that he could see nothing.

※※※

“This can’t go on.” Tang En stood up from his seat. “Wenger has analyzed us to the bones. In front of him, there isn’t any secret to speak of. He can’t be any clearer about what I’m good at.”

“Are we admitting defeat?” Kerslake asked.

Tang En glared at him. “Nonsense. I don’t know how to spell defeat. Are you going to teach me?”

“Relax, Tony. I’m just kidding.” Kerslake said, laughing.

“You’re still able to laugh…”

“Wasn’t it you who said that, as managers, we have to give our players confidence no matter what situation we face?”

His words made Tang En speechless.

“Are we making changes?”

Tang en nodded.

“Who are we changing out?”

“We’re not changing out anyone,” Tang En said, shaking his head. It was as if he was mumbling to himself. “For the time being… not changing anyone. Didn’t Wenger research us thoroughly? He must know what we already have. But what we don’t… he may not know!”

Hearing Tang En say that, Kerslake was at a loss to respond. Wasn’t that just crap? How could Wenger possibly know what they did not have? Even they themselves did not know.

Tang En walked to the sidelines and, taking the chance of a ball going out-of-bounds, he stopped Leighton Baines on his side of the flanks and spoke to him. As Baines listened, his eyes grew wider and wider until it looked like they were going to pop out. He turned to look at the field suspiciously, and then again at Tang En, disbelieving every single word he had just heard.

The Fourth Official noticed that Tang En had spoken to Baines for too long side and intended to interrupt them.

Tang En patted Baines’ shoulders. “Go. Tell him exactly what I told you. Ask him not to doubt anything and do as I say. If it succeeds, it’s his success. If it fails, it’s entirely on me.”

Baines looked into the manager’s eyes, nodding firmly before running back.

Tang En turned his head and saw a UEFA official walking towards him, so he headed back to the manager’s seat. Seeing that there was nothing occurring on this side any longer, the official also walked back.

“What did you say to Baines? His expression was abnormal,” Kerslake said when Tang En returned.

Tang En sat down and turned to him with a grin. “Make a guess.”