Chapter 149: The Better Interceptor Part 2
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
If the two wings could not soar, there would be no chance in the middle and no hope of winning. Tang En would have to hope that God would lend a helping hand again. But Tang En did not think that God was "Lei Feng." If everything required a miracle, what was the point of him as a manager?
In reality, his current issue was not worrying about what Bolton Wanderers would do. It was obvious that Allardyce was very satisfied with this away game score of 1:0. The entire team had been recalled. Kevin Davies was only in front field for show, and he had taken the initiative to give up a number of shots that had given both sides a chance; after all, his injury had not fully recovered, and he dared not risk it.
Tang En's problem was that he could not make any substitutions now. Through the recent games, Rebrov had just started to play with confidence. If he was brought off in the first half, it would truly be all for nothing.
After watching the game for nearly thirty minutes, Tang En caved and decided not to make Rebrov play as the striker anymore, not even as the occasional guest player. The twenty-nine-year-old "veteran" had come to the point where he had to use his experience and passing to assist the team, and was not scoring goals. He and Shevchenko were not the same type of players after all.
"Rebrov!" He stood on the sidelines and shouted towards the field. His voice traveled over the Bolton Wanderers fans in the south stand of the City Ground. "Retreat!" He waved his hand towards the halfway line, and the meaning of this hand gesture was clear.
Having played in the midfield for a few matches, Rebrov too felt that playing as the striker was quite uncomfortable now, and he was glad that the manager had changed his mind.
Back in midfield, Rebrov's performance was much better than it had been for the previous thirty minutes, and the Forest team was able to organize some effective offense. And at the same time, because of his presence, the three Bolton Wanderers defensive midfielders could not help being distracted while trying to guard the middle; they were clearly aware of Rebrov's recent repeated use of long shots. This gave McPhail and Ashley Young a chance to be active on the wings.
After Ashley Young received Rebrov's pass, he used his speed to forcefully break through Iván Campo and Simon Charlton. Eastwood's deft running position shook off the center back who was marking him. He then swung a header to shoot at the goal, but the header was slightly too high. Although there was no goal, the City Ground burst into loud cheering. It seemed that, against the odds, the Forest team might be able to score in the first half.
Tang En saw the way Freddy Eastwood was rubbing his head with regret, but he was not as disappointed as his team looked. At least he knew now that the Forest team had been revitalized.
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"Eastwood! Oh—he missed a chance to score!"
"Opportunities like that don't come often! The Forest team has only just awakened from their slumber in the latter part of the game's first half. Their attacks are gradually getting more menacing, but it's not nearly enough! Manager Tony Twain's move to let Rebrov return to the midfield was right. With him there, the Forest team's offense is as slick as oil! Just look at Ashley Young's breakthrough! It was truly beautiful; Iván Campo and Simon Charlton were powerless against his speed. But it was ultimately thanks to Rebrov's passing. He sent the ball directly where Ashley Young was sprinting to, and not to his feet. That way, Young could take full advantage of his speed..."
Allardyce had come to realize the threat of Rebrov in the midfield, so he signaled to Nolan on the sidelines to mark the Ukrainian.
Nolan was younger, physically stronger, and more than enough to deal with the twenty-nine-year-old Rebrov. But, just when he had just made the adjustment, Tang En followed suit.
When he saw Allardyce's signal to Nolan on the sidelines, Tang En knew what he was going to do. It was nothing more than letting a defensive midfielder closely mark the core of the Forest team's offensive organization and using all possible means to curb Rebrov's play.
That tactic was often employed by the La Liga managers against Real Madrid's core midfielder, Guti, during the 06-07 season. As long as Guti was guarded, the entire Real Madrid team was essentially guarded as well. This was because Guti was the key figure in controlling Real Madrid's offensive momentum.
Rebrov was playing this role for Nottingham Forest now. His experience could help the team control its rhythm, and tell it when to divide, when to control the ball, when to be fast and when to be slow. His experience was a cut above the rest of his teammates. After all, he was a veteran who had played in the UEFA Champions League, and of a different level from the Forest team boys in the midfield.
Bolton Wanderers intend to use young Nolan to grind Rebrov down, but... have you asked for my opinion, Mr. Allardyce?
The visiting team was now playing a defend-to-the-death tactic, and Okocha seemed dispensable on the field. And Wood was still following him...
"George!!" Tang En yelled from the sidelines, and Wood temporarily took his eyes off Okocha and turned to his manager on the sidelines.
"Protect the Ukrainian!!" Tang En pointed to Rebrov, who was tangled with Nolan. "Don't let him lose the ball!"
In such a noisy environment, he could only summarize, and could not exhort repeatedly as he would in the locker room. Now he could only wait to see how much Wood could comprehend.
Rebrov planned to dribble past Nolan, but the ball at his feet was cut by Nolan. Cheers erupted again on the south stand; this was a chance for the Bolton Wanderers to counterattack!
But when Nolan had just bypassed Rebrov and was about to drive the ball away, he saw that a man had also charged to the front of the ball. The man was wearing the red home team jersey!
They each had a chance! Nolan did not intend to give back the ball without a fight. He exerted his utmost strength to charge past the man. He planned to use the momentum of his recent successful interception to intercept the ball again!
However, the person he faced this time was no longer Rebrov, but ...
"Boom!" The two men's feet clashed ferociously, and the football swerved to the side. Nolan wanted to intercept, but he could do nothing because he had tumbled to the ground. Even though his opponent staggered, the man was able to maintain his balance, and he ran past Nolan without turning back.
The entire City Ground broke out great cheers on the stands. George Wood, the "magic kid" who had done the crazy incepting in the midfield and eventually assisted with a sixty-meter long pass in the previous match, was back!
Rebrov turned his head back and saw Wood. He immediately abandoned his plan to turn back to intercept. He knew this kid's ferocious intercepting skill from training. With Wood by his side, he only had to think about how to attack. He did not have to worry about losing the ball and the opponent fighting back; he could go forward boldly without fear.
Wood caught up with the football and, without any hesitation, chose to pass the ball to the nearest person he could see, and the one to whom he could pass the ball most easily—Rebrov!
Nolan was powerless. As he lay on the ground, he turned to look back at his own defense zone being breached. There were no Bolton Wanderers players around Rebrov, and he had plenty of time to decide whether to shoot for the goal or pass the ball once he had taken control of it...
"Nottingham Forest has gained the advantage with its offense! With no one to mark Rebrov... Here comes the long shot!" Martin Taylor called out.
After seeing Nolan being broken through, the Bolton Wanderers' Finnish goalkeeper, Jussi Jääskeläinen, was ready for Rebrov's long-range shot. When he saw his kick, he leapt and soared, and used both his fists to strike out!
"Beautiful block by Jääskeläinen! He saved the goal!"
There was a huge collective sigh from the stands, but soon the fans applauded Rebrov, who had tried to shoot, and George Wood, who had intercepted the ball for the counterattack.
Although the counterattack had not resulted in a goal, it gave the Forest team more confidence, especially for the attacking players. They all knew what type of person was backing them up: he was tireless and had excellent interception ability. It was like having a wall of silence standing tall and upright inside the halfway line, giving them support and a peace of mind—You can attack as boldly as you want, I'm here to watch your back.
That was it. Tang En would recover by allocating a dedicated bodyguard for the core of the organization.
Mr. Allardyce, do you think that players like Kevin Nolan, Giannakopoulos, and Iván Campo are good at intercepting? Very well, now, let them see who the better interceptor is!