No matter the result of Nottingham Forest’s appeal, the red card had already affected Anelka’s mood.
On that day, in the locker room after the end of the match, Anelka was as gloomy as a ghost. Just getting close to him gave the others a chill.
In truth, the usual Anelka was also pretty cold, but especially because of what had occurred, it was unusual for him to still be that way.
Tang En thought about it but decided not to approach the Frenchman for the time being. At this point, his mood could not be any good.
There were some things that should only be spoken of after the fact.
After the EFL Cup Committee and The Referees’ Association received Forest’s appeal, their answer to Forest was that they could only decide after further analysis. However, they did not state when that would take place.
Upon hearing their reply, Tang En cursed loudly in his office.
“The damn bureaucracy! Even if the analysis results of those bastards showed Anelka’s innocence, he would still have to miss out on the match against Arsenal!”
Furious as he was, Tang En had no other option. He could not possibly run all the way to the office of EPL’s committee and make a din there, could he?
He could only make use of the last stretch of time to practice a new strategy in training.
Freddy Eastwood’s recovery was not proceeding too optimistically, so Tang En would rather let him continue recuperating than force him back into the team.
Now that Anelka could not be fielded, there were only two forests that Forest Team could use: Mark Viduka and Nicklas Bendtner.
Tang En did not intend on sending both center-forwards into the field at the same time. In the away match against Arsenal, he was set on playing with the strategy of a defensive counterattack. He would be satisfied if he took away just a point from Highbury.
※※※
Nottingham Forest’s away match against Arsenal was one that received great attention.
But, such a heavy-weighted match did not fulfill the pre-match hopes of the people. That was because the match and its “splendor” did not spill out onto the sidelines.
Anelka was not included in Forest’s player list. In the match, Tang En implemented a 5:4:1 formation. Mark Viduka alone stuck out at the front. Among the three midfielders, Matthew Upson and Pepe were positioned slightly forward, while Piqué stood slightly behind in defense.
Looking at such a starting formation, anyone with a bit of intelligence could guess that Tang En was planning to go on the defensive in this match.
And they were not just defending; they were buckling down to defend to their last.
Forest placed three center backs in the middle, firmly sealing up the area before the penalty box. Their offense was to launch the ball to the front field with powerful kicks, investing only two or three attackers there. It was a plus if they could form a threat, but even if they could not, it was alright; at least the team would not be vulnerable to Arsenal’s counterattacks because they pressed forward in offense.
Henry’s speed struck fear into Tang En.
Wenger’s team tried all ways to sniff out Forest’s weak point in defense, while the latter used any possible means to disrupt Arsenal’s offense.
Every passing second tormented Tang En’s heart. Each attack from Arsenal caused him tremendous anxiety. Once they lost a ball, it meant that their prior efforts would go completely down the drain.
George Wood was charged with marking Fàbregas. Both parties were engaged in the midfield, each winning and losing some. Watching the scene, Martin Taylor sighed and said, “This is the era of the young…”
He then looked at Tony Twain, who was walking back and forth on the sidelines.
18-year-old Fàbregas, 19-year-old George Wood, and a 37-year-old Tony Twain. They were gradually becoming the main forces of this League. Having led a team into the Champions League at the age of 37, no matter what results Tony Twain would achieve in the future, he had already gained UEFA’s attention. His charge, Nottingham Forest, was also becoming frequently acquainted with the European media.
According to convention, 40-year-olds in the role of the main manager were termed “young marshals.” Examples were Mourinho, Deschamps, Ancelotti, Marco van Basten, Rijkaard, Gullit, and so on. But, taking charge of Forest at 34, bringing them into the English Premier League at 35, and leading their charge into the Champions League at 36; what should Tony Twain, who had been climbing one stage after another with each year, be called?
England had not seen such a brilliant manager in many years. Now, successful managers active within the English soccer scene were practically all non-English; for example, Manchester United’s manager Ferguson was Scottish, Arsenal’s manager Wenger was French, Liverpool’s Benítez was Spanish, Chelsea’s manager Mourinho was Portuguese… Of the four major powerhouses, none of them were under the charge of an English manager. That had always been a source of shame for the proud English.
Tang En’s abrupt and dazzling appearance satisfied the “passionate patriotism” of the English. With the media’s unbridled stirring, Tang En was pushed forward to the fore of the audience. For all appearances, although Tang En was resistant to the media’s hype for him, whether he had made use of the media or not remained unknown.
※※※
On the sidelines, Tang En anxiously watched the match progress. He seemed unaware of how Martin Taylor had personally evaluated him. Or perhaps, he did not care whether or not he knew.
The first half of the match ended with Forest in a sorry state. However, the score gave Tang En a modicum of comfort; the score remained at 0:0.
During half-time, Tang En did not make any strategic adjustments, but boosted the confidence of the team, telling them not to give up regardless of the disadvantage they faced. The match would be considered a win so long as they play to a draw.
In the second half, Forest buckled down their defense even more thoroughly. Following the progress of the match, Arsenal’s players gradually became more and more anxious.
At the 79th minute, Arsenal scored a goal. However, amidst their heady celebration, the assistant referee mercilessly raised up one of their flags: offside!
It was indeed an offside ball. Even though it was not obvious, Henry had moved just a bit too early and was spotted by the eagle-eyed assistant referee.
Wenger appeared somewhat angry on the sidelines; perhaps he felt he had gotten tripped up by the referee. Meanwhile, Tang En was applauding. The main referee overseeing the current match was the Fourth Official, Peter, from the previous League match between Forest and Everton on Forest’s home ground.
“The match is left with four minutes before entering injury stoppage time. This is ending up a classic ‘Arsenal symptom.'” Martin Taylor said with a shake of his head. He had already lost all hope in having any goal scored.
The so-called “Arsenal Symptom” referred to having high possession and high goal attempts, but still no scores. The style of ball control valued by Arsenal often allowed them to have the advantage on the field and beautiful plays, allowing the audience a feast for the eyes. However, it was a pity that that habit—being fond of having the ball under their control—also made them lose numerous scoring opportunities. Some obvious opportunities for them to score were wasted because they were greedy for showing off pretty combinations.
Tang En took hold of that habit and deployed heavy manpower in the backfield; Arsenal, so fond of ball control, became faced with a rock that they were at a loss to attack against. Outside of it, they maintained their possession but found few chances to shoot at the goal and score.
In this match, Tang En had completely given up on the offense. Up until now, Forest had only gotten six shots at the goal. In exchange, they had successfully held the score at 0:0 and brought it into injury stoppage time.
Tang En was grateful that he was not managing Spain’s Real Madrid. Otherwise, regardless of the results of the team, his fate would still end up being a dismissal.
In truth, this was not what Tang En had hoped for. If Anelka had been able to participate in the match, he would not have minded going head-on with Arsenal in Highbury.
“The match has ended. What a boring match… Nottingham Forest has forced Arsenal to a draw in their away match! Manager Tony Twain has gotten one point, to his satisfaction, but it looks like the fans who came to watch won’t be too satisfied with this kind of game.”
“It’s a total disappointment!” Andy Gray covered his mouth as he yawned. “I don’t understand. Forest’s style isn’t reserved. Why do they have such terrible matches to watch sometimes?”
“Because Twain’s style is to pursue results,” Martin Taylor answered. “If being reserved would bring him the results he wants, then he doesn’t mind playing the most reserved football he can.”
Andy Gray rolled his eyes and shut off the microphone. “That’s the only thing I hate about him… Sometimes, he’s too utilitarian.”
Martin Taylor also took off his headset and ended his work.
“That’s how it is in the World Cup, and in general. It’s why teams like Arsenal and Barcelona are especially popular. Because they aren’t utilitarian.”
“It’ll be perfect if Tony’s team could kick as beautifully as Arsenal’s…”
“You’re asking for too much, Andy.” Martin Taylor laughed. Standing from the broadcasting seat, he saw Tony and his players hugging in celebration at the sidelines. They looked so happy, as if they had won the match.
“To have a team like Arsenal… you should be happy to get even one. The shortcut to success is still victory and results…”
※※※
After ending their match with Arsenal, Forest did not return to Nottingham. Instead, they flew directly from London to France and took part in the second match of the Champions League Group Stage, held on 28th September. Forest was challenging Lille in the away field.
In France, the tired Forest ended up making good with Lille, both teams having fought to a score of 0:0.
If the result of the previous League match, drawing with Arsenal, was something Tang En was delighted about, then the draw in this match was the opposite. He originally had wanted to see the team defeat Lille in the away match, gaining their first victory in the Champions League. However, Forest Team was much too tired after continuous battling. On the away field, their will could not make up for what their body lacked.
From the beginning of the first match in the Champions League Group Stage, on 15th September, Forest played five matches in a span of 13 days. Such a match schedule was too compact. Even though Tang En felt indignant, there was nothing he could do when faced with such a reason.
The only good news was that Real Madrid was forced to a draw by Benfica in Portugal; the score among the four teams in Group D had not been pulled apart. After the two Group Stage matches, Real Madrid was ranked first with four points, while Benfica and Lille ranked directly below with two points each. Nottingham Forest had only one point and was last on the rung; it seemed like they fit well with the “fourth tier” categorization that they were given by UEFA.
Nottingham Forest’s performance fell within the majority’s expectations. Having re-entered the Champions League after 24 years, they did not show convincing abilities; it was reasonable for them to be ranked first from the last. On the other hand, a strong team like Real Madrid did not perform as outstandingly as expected. They failed to take down Benfica in the away match and only won narrowly against Forest.
The advancement was not playing out as simply as people had previously imagined in this group.
No matter how they analyzed it, based on their performance in the first two rounds of the Group Stage, not many expected Tony Twain’s Nottingham Forest to eventually be advancing. However, when they carried out such analyses, one issue remained neglected: Forest Team had been battling their opponents with a crippled line-up. Albertini had been injured, and George Wood was barred from matches. The importance of the two on the team was not so easily summarized in a line or two.
※※※
Returning to England from Lille, the final decision of the Cup Committee was also unveiled. Stephen Johnson had made an error in judgment. The red card and two-match-bar penalty for Anelka were canceled. At the same time, because of such a serious misjudgment, Johnson’s qualification to referee in the English Premier League was suspended.
That explanation could be said to be excellent news for both Nottingham Forest and Anelka, but Tang En did not appreciate it.
After receiving the result, he waved them in the face of the reporters, expressing his displeasure with a disdainful tone.
“Alright, everyone. Now, the truth proves that we were wrongly accused. But, what’s the use of it? In a crucial match, we lost an important forward. Who will compensate for that loss? I understand that they needed, for whatever matter it was, five days to analyze things, but who knew what they were analyzing?”
The next day, due to Tony Twain’s “untimely expression” of his views regarding the work of the Referees’ Association, he was fined 15 thousand pounds by the English Football Association.
Tang En did not care; he was already used to it. To him, it was a worthwhile deal to take, spending a little money to freely express his own thoughts.
In the following League match, Forest, who had regained Anelka, swept Man City away on Forest’s home ground with a score of 2:0. Tang En chose to do a rotation in the match, swapping out a bulk of the core players. That made Stuart Pearce think it was a good opportunity for Man City to gain points on an away field. Unexpectedly, after the rotation, Forest’s abilities were not negatively impacted; they became even more outstanding.
Sun Jihai was a starting player in the match against his old team. He played throughout the entire match, performing well within expectations. Naturally, on the side of Chinese media, that was called an “eye-catching performance.”
Gareth Bale also gained his first opportunity to represent the First Team as part of the starting line-up. His debut was relatively successful with an assist under his belt. Initially, Tang En arranged for him to play as the left back. When Bale’s performance appeared somewhat reserved, he was pushed to the midfield in the second half, changing positions to the left midfielder. Immediately, his performance took a turn for the better.
Even the match commentator, Motson, revealed his high hopes for Bale’s future. “At just 16 years of age, Gareth Bale is representing his club’s First Team to battle in the English Premier League. This must be a very fortunate day for him. And this is a great day for Forest fans too. After George Wood, their football team has gained another genius from the Youth Training Camp! Look at his series of performances before the assist for Viduka: calm, courageous, and resolute! It left a deep impression!”
Other than beginning to score goals again and the outstanding performance of Gareth Bale, Tang En received another great piece of news.
On the second day of the match against Man City, Albertini made an appearance on the sidelines of the training grounds in his training attire. All the players flocked to his side, welcoming their captain back to the team after a month-long hiatus.
Tang En smiled particularly widely. He stood before Albertini and joked loudly. “Look, who’s this? Demi, your legs must have gotten rusty, no?”
“You’ve hit the nail on the head, Boss. I’ve got to start being more active.” Albertini said, flexing his legs.
“Welcome back!” Tang En said, hugging Albertini tightly.
The team’s current results in the Champions League were not going as they had hoped. Albertini’s return brought back more than a mere midfielder; he brought his experience along with him. Albertini was the stabilizing pillar of the team.
As a result, Tang En’s mood was extraordinarily good. With Albertini’s return, he believed that there would surely be a massive change in the team’s performance in the Champions League.
Not to mention, Wood was also back. His match-bar had ended, and he would be returning in the next match, Nottingham Forest on their home grounds against Benfica.
What an occasion!
Those who looked down on us will soon discover how ridiculously wrong they were!