Chapter 243: The Unstable Forest Part 2
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The local media of South London thought that Nottingham Forest before the match was just a tired lion. They ran back and forth and were not even able to return to Nottingham. Even if they had won in the match in UEFA Europa League, it would not have proved anything. Crystal Palace, who did not have to deal with such a tight match schedule, waited calmly for the fatigued team and thought that they would surely be able to take down Nottingham Forest, currently ranked sixth, on their own home ground.
On a separate note, due to their recent results and an arrogant loud-mouthed character, Tony Twain and Nottingham Forest had already been listed as prime targets for research by several Premier League team managers. Especially for the teams who were behind in their ranks, they hoped a win against Forest team could comfort them. Even a newly-promoted team could climb all the way up to rank six; if they could beat them, wouldn't it signify that their abilities were closing in on that rank?
So, despite Crystal Palace only accumulating five points after nine rounds in the League (ranked one from the bottom), it did not stop their fans from imagining Forest's defeat on Crystal Palace's home ground, freeing them from their misery.
But the reality was unavoidably cruel.
Tang En fielded a large majority of substitutes and younger players for the match. On one hand, it allowed the main players to rest; on the other, it served to train the team up. Center Backs Piqué and Wes Morgan were new partners. And while there was no change for the Left Back, Chimbonda as Right Back took a break with John Thompson taking his place. Midfielder Albertini rested, while Brynjar Gunnarsson and George Wood partnered up. Kris Commons started as Left Midfielder as a substitution for Franck Ribéry. Right Midfielder Ashley Young was replaced with Aaron Lennon. The Forward line was made up by double Center Forwards Crouch and Bendtner.
Forest's strategy in the match was very simple. They kicked high balls as often as possible with their Side Midfielders passing to the middle from the endline instead of cutting inwards. It was very rare for a manager to field two tall Center Forwards at the same time in a match, but Tang En did it and its effects were surprisingly good.
Crystal Palace was at a complete loss in the face of Bendtner and Crouch's team-up. They had not expected Forest to field that combination. Bendtner was an all-rounder in his techniques, excelled at headers, had a robust body, and could score goals on his own. At the same time, he could support the offense of his teammates through passing. Although Crouch's heading ability and physique were not as good as Bendtner's, his outstanding height helped him to successfully contest for many more headers than an average player. Additionally, those long legs of his were often difficult to defend against.
This strange combination for the Forward line created a total of 11 goal shot opportunities in the match, with seven that got within the goal area, and three actual goals. Among the three, Crouch scored twice, while Bendtner scored his second league goal of the season.
Even though the match results made Tang En very happy, what he was more excited about was the growth of the young footballers. There was nothing more to say about Bendtner or Crouch; Tang En clearly understood Bendtner's abilities, while Crouch, at well over six feet tall, had already attracted the attention of some clubs.
The one who truly excited Tang En as well as comforted him was Aaron Lennon. As England's new star of hope—with England's stars of hope perhaps just being those who weren't completely wicked (the media had a knack for making some quiet somebody overnight geniuses)—he could only be Ashley Young's substitute after entering Forest because of his youth. Most of his time was spent training with the First Team and the Reserve Team Competition. Sometimes he would even be borrowed by the Youth team.
But he seemed grounded. He did not make any overly demanding requests, such as having a secured spot playing as a main player or have a guaranteed amount of time to be fielded. He simply immersed himself in training and worked hard to improve his own ability.
In the match with Crystal Palace, he directly assisted with two out of the total of four goals by Forest. He also indirectly assisted another one; he passed center towards Bendtner, who ferried the ball over to Crouch. The latter then shot the ball in.
On another note, Kris Commons' performance in the left wings was average. Even though he was not as outstanding as Lennon, he was very stable. Tang En liked such players. Often, their demands were not high; they were not like star players who would often hope to be starters, have their salaries raised, or ask for this and that. They were clear about their own positions and would work hard at what they had to do; to perform at their best when they were needed. Even if their abilities did not top the main players, they were satisfied with being excellent substitutes.
All teams required players like that. Those willing to be substitutes. Kris Commons was someone like that. While he was a low-key player on Forest team who did not usually attract any interest, someone occasionally neglected by even Tang En, he would not disappoint whenever he was needed to perform.
Substitute Midfielder Wes Morgan was in a similar situation to Commons. While he could only be a substitute in the current season, he had played as a main player in the previous one. Yet he was still one of the most optimistic players on the team, and no one had ever seen him show any dissatisfaction.
With such players on the team, Tang En worried much less.
The final score of the match was Nottingham Forest, as the away team, winning by 4:2 over Crystal Palace. This further cemented Crystal Palace, who was ranked one from the bottom, in their position as the "vice-monitor." There was no change to Nottingham Forest's position, with them still ranking sixth with 17 points. Looking at the names of the teams sandwiching Forest team on the ranking board, with number five being Manchester United with 17 points as well and rank seven being Liverpool with one less point, the fans of Forest had good reason to be proud of the team's performance.
After the match ended, Crystal Palace's players were dejected while Tang En contentedly brought Forest back to Nottingham. Five days after, they would be heading North to challenge Newcastle. Ranked eighth with the same number of points as Liverpool, 16, they were an opponent of a completely different level in comparison to the vice-monitor that was Crystal Palace.
Forest team's easy victory in the away match against Crystal Palace was not in any way indicative of their ability to do the same in an away match with Newcastle. Furthermore, after the match with Crystal Palace, Forest was faced with a mini-monster of a schedule:
October 30: Challenging Newcastle as an away team.
November 4: UEFA Europa League Group Match Round 2, Home match with Lazio.
November 7: Challenging Liverpool as an away team.
Forest's status was currently unstable, fluctuating between good and bad. It was the main reason why Tang En felt so uncertain.
With such an opponent, it was not like when they had fought Norwich City. Back then, even if they were not playing well, they could still scrape by and get a draw. However, any mistake here would cause them to lose a ball.