If Tang En had known that the commentator’s evaluation of him was “timid,” he would probably fly into a rage right then and there. He had never thought that persisting for victory was a performance of timidity. However, to recover his image in other people’s hearts, he needed to do something, something that fit with most people’s aesthetic sense of what was an attack adjustment.
On the other side, while the reserve players were excitedly celebrating the goal, Mancini only gave a simple high-five to his assistant before walking back to the manager’s seat. He was not trying to act cool. He had been standing from the first minute of the match and could finally sit comfortably for a brief rest.
A lead of 2:1. Though that single away goal felt like a nail in his heart and annoyed him, it was better to win than lose or even get a draw. Furthermore, from the two goals, Mancini could tell that Nottingham Forest was only bluffing with a strong front. When Inter Milan got serious with them, they were immediately seen through, revealing themselves. Teams lacking in depth were like that. With a moment’s momentum, they could gain the upper hand briefly, but it would never last long.
For numerous Forest fans, being able to gain the results of 1:2 in an away field already satisfied them. After all, they had gotten one away goal and were only behind by a ball. They could achieve more when they returned to their home field.
But, as the team’s main manager, Tony did not think the same way. From the beginning, he had never thought that losing by one goal was a victory. He wanted to counterattack, a real defensive counterattack.
Arteta jogged back from the warmup area. Tang En pulled him back and personally explained his mission on the field.
Upon hearing that the person he was substituting was fullback Leighton Baines, Arteta was somewhat taken aback.
“I’m not putting you in to defend, Mikel.”
“Yes, I know, Boss. But…”
“You’re worried about defense? That’s is not something you have to consider. Your mission is to get in and help organize attacks; relieve Demi of some pressure.” Tang En held the tactical board and spoke as he drew on it. “After getting in, discuss in more detail with Demi how the two of you want to do this. Whatever it is, don’t let him get surrounded again.”
Mikel Arteta nodded, but he was still fretting over the defense. “So, the defense…”
“Tell George to run more.”
“Okay, I understand.”
“Go now, we don’t have much time!”
Kerslake waited for Arteta to stand by the sidelines, awaiting entry, before walking over to Tony.
“Tony, you’re really bold. Inter Milan’s attack is that strong, but you’re choosing to use three rear defenders?”
“I have no choice. The four-man grouping in the midfield is already set, and Arteta works in the middle. Between Albertini and George Wood, I can’t move either. If I change out George, it would be equivalent to having no one defending the midfield. When that happens, Inter Milan’s counterattacks would likely become even easier for them. If I change out Albertini, Arteta would be tightly marked very quickly after he gets in. That would be a complete waste of the substitution. The two on the forward line also helps to divert some of the opponent’s defensive energies, relieving our midfield of some pressure. So… only the players on the defensive line can be changed out.”
“You’re not worried about losing goals?”
“I’m worried. But… if I keep holding onto the idea of ‘not losing any more goals’ and refuse to make an unconventional change of players, we’ll definitely lose.”
Nottingham Forest was awarded a throw-in at the front field. Arteta finally got his chance to switch in. The Fourth Official raised the player change sign: Number 22, Leighton Baines, out; number 14, Mikel Arteta, in.
“Nottingham Forest is making a substitution. An attacking midfielder for a fullback. Manager Tony Twain has finally remembered that they needed to attack… but, how are they going to deal with Inter Milan’s attacks if they change out a fullback?”
“That isn’t something we have to crack our heads over.”
※※※
Arteta ran into the field and related Tang En’s tactical intent to Albertini.
Hearing that Arteta was being sent in to help share his burden, Albertini’s first reaction was to turn back and look at George Wood standing behind him.
If Arteta is in, he would no longer need to clutch stubbornly onto Wood as a life-saving straw. This way, Wood could properly focus on defending while Arteta and himself could focus on the offense. There would surely be some change in Forest’s situation.
From an overall perspective, this was a great adjustment.
But if the Boss was always using Wood as an engineer, when was Wood going to become a true well-rounded midfielder? Unavoidably, they all needed Wood for their defense. But, surely, they could not always take out a fullback and put in an attacking midfielder whenever they meet with these sorts of situations, right?
No matter; the main manager had decided. As a player on the field, he needed to adhere to it.
Albertini nodded to Arteta. “I got it.”
After completing his mission, Arteta ran back to his position. Albertini then ran to Wood.
“Wood, you’re in charge of defense. We only have three fullbacks, and our opponents are attacking fiercely. You’ll have to do the work of two players on your own.”
“No problem.” Wood nodded.
“Mm…” Albertini hesitated to speak, and finally just smiled at him.
“Go for it!”
From the angle of the television broadcast, it was evident that the Forest Team had adjusted their formation. Due to Leighton Baine’s departure from the field, the three—Chimbonda, Piqué, and Pepe—had become a defensive line formed by three fullbacks. In front of them was George Wood, a single defensive midfielder. Albertini and Arteta, along with Franck Ribéry and Ashley Young, formed a flat four positioning in the midfield. Meanwhile, Mark Viduka led them right at the front with Anelka slightly behind.
It was the 3:1:4:2 formation.
This set-up directly relieved Albertini of having to take care of both ends. At the same time, it also relieved George Wood. Now he could devote himself entirely to carrying out what he did best. He no longer faced a state of being at a loss whenever he needed to help Albertini with offense. Defending had already seeped into Wood’s blood, becoming an inherent ability in his body. There was no need for excessive words when asking him to defend; he knew what he had to do. Going on the attack, however, was not the same. To George Wood, defending was as simple as eating, while attacking was something much too complex.
As there were only three rear defenders left, Tang En stopped Chimbonda from assisting with the offense. The flanks were left entirely to Franck Ribéry and Ashley Young. At the same time, Forest had more options to attack through the middle with Arteta in the fold. Besides Albertini’s precise long passes, Arteta’s ability to dribble and break through, as well as his short passes, created more offensive maneuvers for Forest’s attack through the middle. This made it more difficult for Inter Milan to defend.
Naturally, when defending, the two side midfielders still had to retreat to help. Otherwise, Forest’s flanks would be almost empty. The good thing was that Forest’s players on the flanks were both younger and more physically capable than Inter Milan’s players; they could afford to run more.
George Wood obediently defended in the back, no longer thinking about the pressure he faced from sharing Albertini’s burden in organizing the attacks. Despite Inter Milan’s continued attacks without weakening, such work was something he did with ease. With his entire focus now on dealing with his enemies, his performance naturally started looking up again.
Verón wanted to face-off on his own against Wood. This time, Wood unceremoniously cut him off with his body, forcing his way in to steal the ball. Following that, Wood continued blocking him bodily and passed the ball to his nearest teammate, ignoring whatever attempts Verón made from behind. Thereafter, it was no longer Wood’s business. He continued awaiting the next attack from their opponents without worrying about the progress of Forest’s own attacks. If the passes from his teammates were intercepted, he would simply rinse and repeat what he did earlier.