Godfather Of Champions

Hey, old man, can you still eat?

Twain walked up to Wood, bent down and asked him, “George, are you old? Do you feel like you are too old to continue running?”

“No,” Wood replied emotionlessly.

“Then, that’s good,” Twain nodded, “In the second half, your defensive duty load will be heavier.”

Wood was a little surprised. He had thought Twain would ask him to strengthen the offense, but instead, he got more work in the defensive aspect.

“The Notts County FC manager is not a ‘huge fan of 1-0′, so in the next half, we will definitely counter-attack, because I would not allow you guys to lose the competition. However, facing our offense, how would Notts County react? I feel that they would not start defending from the start, but instead continue attacking, and their offense will be more aggressive. Hence, at the very least, during the first phase of the second half, you would not have much time for participating in the offense, George,” Twain told Wood.

The players were more confused when they heard this. George was the core of the team, so if he concentrated on defense, who would organize a group attack?

Twain patted Wood’s shoulder, then walked towards Gago, who was beside him. “You’re doing well, Fernando. But you should rest more in the second half.”

Gago knew Twain was being polite. Actually, he made almost zero contribution in the first half. He was getting on in years, and his physical and mental state could not catch up.

However, no one would be willing to be replaced like this.

Gago did not nod to agree, nor shook his head to disagree, but Twain already made the choice for him. “Thanks, Fernando.”

Now that Gago has been switched out, who would replace him? If Wood needed to focus on defending, and Gago was not playing, who would organize an attack?

Twain turned and looked at Chen Jian, who had just been called back from outside.

“Chen Jian, you’re up for the second half.”

This decision surprised everyone, but Chen Jian did not reveal any sign of being shocked. He only nodded.

He already knew that he would be playing in this competition because Twain told him earlier on. Hence, he did not feel surprised. Else, he would definitely have the same reaction as his teammates – he only joined the league team four days ago, and now he was going to play in such a competition. It seemed like Twain was really putting a lot of trust in this Chinese player.

“Your task is to organize an offense. I know that you had always done this type of thing in Spain, so it should not be too difficult for you, right?” Twain asked.

Chen Jian did not answer at once. He frowned and said, “I have only trained with the team for three days. If you let me organize an attack, would it lead to…”

“George will help you,” Twain replied.

Wood also nodded to express agreement.

Chen Jian looked at his teammates, who were looking at him. Although it has only been three days, he was always watching his team from the side. He already knew well the special traits some of the players had, so he hoped he could pull this off.

“Okay, head coach,” Chen Jian replied in English.

“The Notts County FC will start the second half with an aggressive offense, so we must all keep this tactic in our minds – this opponent is definitely not one you could easily beat. This competition is a derby, my comrades! This is the Derby City that would definitely pull ahead in terms of the difference in potential! If you guys still think that you could break through their defense with sloppy dribbling, that you’d be able to pass through with low effort passes, score with lousy shots… then raise both of your arms and surrender at once, because this is not a fight you guys should get into.”

The words Twain said were extremely annoying to some of them. This was exactly what they thought in the first half, from the first second when they stepped onto the field. They thought they could easily triumph over their opponents, and who cared if this was a derby? They were the home team!

In the end, what were the results? After allowing their opponents to score from a free-kick, they went into chaos, everyone fought for themselves and were not able to even out the score until the end of the first half. Instead, they allowed Notts County FC to gain several counterattack opportunities. The Nottingham Forest audience were so shocked that they blurted out jeers of contempt.

If they lost the game in the end, the performance in the first half would really be a disgrace.

“So we launch a defensive counter-attack in the second half, wait till the Notts County presses forward. Balotelli, you have to move a little backward in your position, connect between the front and the backcourt. Our three lines have to be packed together, not allowing our opponents to split them apart. When the two flanks are attacking, you guys must dare to press forward and not be afraid of the gaps behind you, because if you are unable to press forward, you will get beat down by your opponents.”

“The simpler the offensive method, the better, I don’t care how complex and impressive the Notts County FC’s offense is. Playing their game against them would only make us fall into their trap because they would definitely hope that the ball will stay in our half for long periods of time.”

Twain was explaining the second half’s tactics to the team in detail. Actually, the arrangement of tactics has never changed; the reminder was only because of the players’ underestimation of their opponent, which discouraged them from having tactics discipline and led to this type of situation. Now, after such a terrible first half, and with Twain’s criticism during the half-time break, the players saw they had to respect their opponents and take the game seriously.

Twain knew than Dunn’s favorite tactic was offensive football. This could be easily seen from the team he created in Notts County over seven years. Counter-attacking was the best way to handle such a team.

※※※

Chen Jian stood on the sidelines and was ready to play. Although Gago had already gone out of the field, he still needed to complete this substitution ceremony. Hence he was standing by the side of the field and waiting for the fourth official to raise up his number plate.

It would be his first official game for Nottingham Forest, but he did not feel as excited as he thought he would be. Even though it was the first time for him to be playing during a league cup match, when he listened to Twain announcing this decision in the changing room, his expression was deadpan, as if this matter did not concern him at all.

He was wondering why he was so calm. Wasn’t his dream to be able to play for Nottingham Forest? Now that that dream has come true, why didn’t he feel happy and excited?

Maybe this was not really his dream? Was this a self-deceptive illusion?

The commentator was reporting the names of the players who were about to go onto the field.

“Number 14, Chen Jian!”

Some fans stood up to applaud, and as the fourth official behind him raised the number plate, Chen Jian ran forward.

He felt very calm, so calm that it did not feel right. The live scene was very noisy, but his mind was not really engaged, even though he repeatedly told himself, “This is Nottingham Forest’s home field! I am a Nottingham Forest player!

It did not work; he just was not able to get excited. He was wondering whether he was on form…

※※※

Dunn saw Chen Jian run onto the field and gave a look to Twain who was sitting beside him. He had guessed that Twain would allow Chen Jian to play in this match, so he was not surprised about this at all.

Moreover, speaking of which, he was actually a little excited to see what performance Chen Jian would put up in this competition. If next season he took over Nottingham Forest, Chen Jian would play under him.

However, he could not just let him go so easily.

Dunn walked to the side of the field and signaled the nearest Notts County player over. He wanted the player to spread the word over to his teammates on the field, warning them to keep a look on number 14.

The Chinese reporters were excited for a while upon seeing Chen Jian go onto the field, but they could not continue smiling after a while. Wherever Chen Jian was, there would always be a Notts County player, sometimes even two…

※※※

“I really can’t figure out why our head coach would want us to keep a look on that Chinese guy,” Paul Johnson shook his head, talking to the teammates beside him. Currently, the ball was off the field, giving them the opportunity to talk to each other.

“Who knows?” His teammates shrugged.

“From his performance in these few minutes, it seems he is just average…”

Of course, it was average. Chen Jian was still pondering why he was able to stay so calm, so he was not able to get himself involved in the competition. His passes were all mediocre, with many that were passed back, but not many that were passed forward.

Not only did Notts County’s players think that Chen Jian was average. Even the English commentator thought that Twain spent into much on purchasing this average performing Chinese midfielder. It looked disappointing, concerning the disparity in level between him and the rest of the team.

“There is something wrong with Chen’s performance,” Kerslake told Twain. After the training in these three days, the assistant coach has already recognized Chen Jian’s potential, so he also felt something was off with Chen Jian’s current performance.

Twain pinched his chin. “Who knows, this is his first time representing Nottingham Forest in a match so maybe he is overly excited…”

※※※

Chen Jian found out that he was really calm, even when there were two opponents coming forward and blocking him. He could still think about observing the locations of his teammates beforehand. Under the circumstances, what would he do? Protect the ball, try dribbling past the two seemingly strong players, show performance in front of the fans of the home team?

Force a breakthrough, then try a long shot?

Chen Jian’s foot shook. The ball passed through the gap between the two defenders, and rolled to the side defender who was running through, Gareth Bale!

“Beautiful!” The English narrator yelled.

Previously, that location had no one covering it at all, but Chen Jian was able to think on the same wavelength as Bale, and also pass the ball through the gap at the exact right time. It was truly admirable.

Chen Jian suddenly recalled that when he was representing the Spanish in their first La Liga match, when he was awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ by the Spanish announcer, he was also as “cold”…

He then received the ball. Balotelli turned to signal to him to pass the ball, but instead, he waved, wanting Balotelli to run forward. When he saw Balotelli run past him, he immediately sent a straight pass, the ball passed by the Notts County’s middle back, and Balotelli, upon turning and running into the space, was able to receive the ball.

Being calm and analyzing the situation on the field… wasn’t this something that he has always relied upon, even in the La Liga matches?

I am not in bad form, I am in excellent form, he thought.

※※※

Dunn found out that Chen Jian was always able to pass the ball out in the shortest period of time, causing a lot of trouble for the Notts County defenders. A player who loved to dribble by himself would be the easiest to defend against, but a player who tended to pass the ball out quickly would be a lot more of a challenge.

Chen Jian belonged to the second type of player. His dribbling was not the best, and his speed was not fast. His ball control was limited to being able to keep the ball under his foot under pressure but was not able to make fancy dribbling moves. Instead, he had a talent in passing the ball.

Now he did not know if he should be happy for having such a passer in the future or being worried about the results of the current match.

※※※

Notts County did step up their attack in the second half. However, with Wood’s defense and Chen Jian’s passing, the opposing offense was completely invisible.

The Notts County players were losing their cool as the situation changed on the pitch. They were, after all, young and not as good as the players of Nottingham Forest.

Dunn saw Twain’s plans, so he started to make arrangements in bringing back the defensive lines. However, this was Twain’s real intention – once they brought back their defensive line, coupled with Notts County’s low standards in their defensive lines, how would they be able to hold against Nottingham Forest’s thunderous offense?

Seeing that Notts County has shrunk in their formation, he immediately changed tactics, asking his players to commit a full press past the midfield line, bombarding the goal whilst surrounding the penalty area.

Dunn did not predict that Twain would actually make this move, so he could not react in time. Nottingham Forest took this opportunity to even out the score with their offense, then scored another goal to pull ahead in the next three minutes. They were overtaking!

Although none of these goals were directly assisted by Chen Jian, he had played his part. His performance was pretty good.

After the score of 2:1, Twain did not pull back but instead continue strengthening his offense. He substituted in a more offensive player, Teixeira, and replaced Cohen.

Everyone knew Twain would not settle for a one-goal lead.

By the end of the game, using the chances given by Notts County while they were in full press trying to even out the score, Twain finally used his move of “defensive counterattack”, allowing Agbonlahor to get what he wanted. After being substituted late in the game, he allowed the score to end at 3:1.

The pre-match confidence-filled Notts County lost the Derby match in the end. They were very unhappy, but no one cared about them anymore.

After the game, when the two coaches shook hands, Twain wanted to comfort Dunn, but Dunn spoke first.

“It’s a shame, I only created 45 minutes’ worth of trouble for you…”

Actually, Dunn lost due to lack of experience, since he had only led teams in the lower leagues. However, Twain would not admit it now, as he needed to consider the emotions of the loser.

Therefore, he just gave a silly laugh.

“Forty-five minutes is sufficient to allow people to see your potential clearly. Take it slowly, Dunn. ”

Dunn shrugged and did not say anything more. He only brushed past Twain and walked towards the paved path.

Before going onto the paved path, he turned to look at the stadium once more.

It was almost dusk after the game, and the golden afterglow of the sunset could only shine on the upper part of the roof. A large part of Nottingham Forest’s emblem was hidden in the shadows, while the entire stadium was shrouded in the gloom.

Tony Twain, his old friend, had beaten him once more.

Take over his team? This might be the hardest challenge ever since he started coaching.

But as Twain said, how could he improve without a challenge? Initially, didn’t he slowly challenge the champions to reach seemingly impossible goals?

Now, he only wanted to tell his wife: The Dunn she loved was back.

Feeling as though a great weight has been lifted off his shoulders, Dunn gave out a long breath, turned back around, and walked onto the paved paths the players took.