Godfather Of Champions

Lars Lagerbäck, the manager of the Sweden national football team, was in relatively high spirits even though Sweden was trailing behind in the match.

“It’s time to counter-attack, lads!” Lagerbäck clapped his hands and said with a raised voice.

The Sweden players all lifted their heads to look at him.

“We gave them too many chances in the first half. We cannot continue to do that in the second half. We have an advantage over them in terms of height. Why aren’t we making use of it during aerial duels? We should make full use of every corner that we are given. I want all of you to be even more proactive in the second half. You all also need to be more aggressive in the midfield as well!” He clenched his fist and pounded it once against the wall.

The group of Sweden midfielders led by Jesper Karlström hung their heads in shame after hearing their manager’s words. They all knew that they had performed poorly in the first half. They had been completely overwhelmed by England’s midfield, and they did not contribute much to the team’s defense either. The reason why England managed to dominate in the first half is due to their midfield’s inability to perform.

“We are going to make a change in the second half…” Lagerbäck glanced at the team’s captain, Ibrahimović, who had kept silent all this while. “Zlatan.”

Ibrahimović looked at his manager.

“How was it like for you at the front of the pitch?”

“Their defenders are always closely marking me. I’m not given much space to move around in.” Ibrahimović answered honestly.

Lagerbäck nodded his head to signal that he understood Ibrahimović’s words. “You won’t be playing as the center forward in the second half. Your new position would be right behind Goitom as the second striker or the attacking midfielder. I want you to use your footwork and spatial awareness to organize attacks for the team. You can also shoot for goal if there is space.”

The change in position meant that Ibrahimović no longer has to directly confront both of England’s center-backs every time he got the ball, and it also provides him with more space and time to carry the ball forward. Not only that, he would also be able to utilize his techniques much better as well.

Ibrahimović was not surprised by his manager’s arrangement. He nodded his head to show that he understood.

Lagerbäck decided to boost his team’s morale after he finished assigning new tasks to his players for the second half of the match. He did not want them to be depressed over what had happened in the first half.

“Do you all still remember the clip that I showed you yesterday night?” he asked.

It was a clip of the group stage match between Sweden and England in the World Cup 10 years ago. England performed well in the first half, and Sweden’s performance in the second half was nothing short of perfect.

“Our match today is just like the match that we played in 10 years ago. I am very confident that we would come out of this match as the victors! Let us initiate a counter-attack in the second half! England has yet to win against us for 48 years. There is no reason why we should end this record today! As long as we score a goal early in the second half, the nightmare that has haunted the England players for the past 48 years would definitely persist. As we get closer to the end of the match, the England players would definitely start to panic, and that would be the best case scenario for us! We would definitely be able to win the match as long as we have more patience than them!”

Lagerbäck’s face was brimming with confidence as he spoke to his players. He firmly believed in his judgment. After all, they know the British inside out!

※※※

George Wood did not follow his teammates back into the locker room. Instead, he carried out his warm-ups alongside the rest of the substitutes on the pitch. It seems likely that he would play in the second half.

Wood has no idea what Twain said to his teammates at halftime. But, the looks on all their faces appeared to be normal when they walked back out onto the pitch.

Wood noticed the team captain, John Terry, standing at the tunnel. He ended his warm-ups and made his way towards the bench slowly. When he passed by Terry, he heard the man who is filling in as the captain ask, “Hey, George! Did you warm up sufficiently?”

Wood stopped in his tracks and looked at Terry with confusion written all over his face.

“My instincts tell me that you’d get to play in today’s match.” Terry smiled at him before walking away.

Wood furrowed his brows and averted his gaze towards the tunnel. He hoped to catch a glimpse of Tony Twain. Did the manager make some kind of adjustment at halftime?

※※※

The second half of the match kicked off with neither side making a change. At the start of the match, Ibrahimović stood at the center circle with Goitom, but as the match progressed, Twain was able to tell that Ibrahimović’s position on the pitch had been shifted backwards to where a second striker or attacking midfielder would typically operate in.

If Lagerbäck thought that Twain would be taken aback and be at loss over the change in Ibrahimović’s position, then he would be in for a major disappointment.

Ibrahimović raised his hand and asked for the ball. He was going to vent all his pent-up frustrations from the first half and show England what he’s got!

Ibrahimović received the ball from his teammates a moment later. He was just about to make his way into the penalty box and search for a chance to shoot for goal when Gerrard appeared before him.

Ibrahimović quickly turned around and stopped the ball at his feet to prevent it from being taken away by Gerrard. However, by turning around, he was now facing the opposite direction from where England’s goalpost lies. Ibrahimović was stunned. Why would Gerrard be here? This is so close to their penalty box, and it should be an area that is defended by their team’s defenders instead. Michael Johnson should the player who is marking him now, not Gerrard. Gerrard should be higher up the pitch since his main role is to attack!

Ibrahimović raised his head and scanned his surroundings. He realized that Johnson was positioned on the other side of the pitch and he was marking Karlström, who looked like he was keen on making his way into the penalty box, instead.

Is Gerrard specially here to mark him, or is this simply a coincidence?

Ibrahimović decided to conduct a test to find out. He passed the ball to his teammate and ran to a new spot away from Gerrard. He then raised his hand and asked for the ball.

The ball was passed back to him, and Gerrard appeared before him once again.

When something happens once, it can be passed off as a coincidence. But, when it happens twice…

Ibrahimović did not even bother to perform a feint when he passed the ball back to his teammate. He ran away from Gerrard and asked for the ball for the third time.

The ball was passed over to him again, and lo and behold, Gerrard appeared before him shortly after.

When something happens three times in a row it is definitely not a coincidence!

It looks like Gerrard is marking him.

Ibrahimović did not pass the ball away this time round. Instead, he chose to make use of his footwork to shake Gerrard off before making his way into the penalty box. However, he was not able to make much progress as Gerrard was hot on his trail. Gerrard did not allow Ibrahimović to get away from him, and a struggle ensued between the two for a while. Ibrahimović eventually came to realize that England’s defense was airtight and that there was no way through for him. Gerrard had clearly given up on attacking Sweden’s goalpost to defend against him. Left with no other choice, Ibrahimović passed the ball over to his teammate reluctantly.

Lagerbäck was shocked to see what was happening on the pitch. England’s adjustment was too prompt! They should not have been able to come up with a plan to defend against Ibrahimović this quickly. It should have taken Twain at least 10 minutes to realize what is happening, to come up with a plan and to relay the plan to his players. His team should have been able to make use of those 10 minutes of chaos in the England defense to score a goal.

But, it seems like things had not gone according to plan and his team would not get those 10 minutes now. Did Twain guess that he would make such an adjustment in the second half? How is that possible?

There was a twinge of a smile on Twain’s face as he stood by the side of the pitch. Lagerbäck had clearly underestimated England’s ability to research about their opponents prior to the match. Twain knew that Lagerbäck would shift Ibrahimović’s position backwards, because this is a change that Lagerbäck has consistently made whenever Sweden fails to score in a match. He first made such a change during the qualifiers, and he repeated it once more during the friendlies. Not all centre-forwards would be able to perform well when they are positioned further behind, but Ibrahimović’s technique and experience allows him to thrive in his new position.

During the break at halftime, Twain came up with a set of countermeasures to deal with Lagerbäcks’s adjustment. He got Gerrard to mark Ibrahimović, and he left the team’s attack to the wingers. England did not have to worry about scoring a goal since they scored one in the first half. Only having a one-goal lead in the match might be risky, but Twain did not mind the risk as long as his team is able to solidify its defense.

Ibrahimović had asked for the ball three times earlier, and his teammates had passed the ball to him all three times that he asked for the ball. It was clear from the players’ actions that Ibrahimović had become the core player for Sweden in the second half, and this was proof that the information England had collected against Sweden was accurate.

It seems like Lagerbäck is keen on winning the match in the second half. Sadly, Twain does not intend to let him have his way.

Twain was right in his judgment, and he also came up with the right set of measures to deal with Sweden’s adjustment. All that was left for him to do was to see how the game unfolds from here on out.

※※※

Sweden did not expect England to react to their adjustment this quickly. They were at a loss over what they should do next.

How could the England players not capitalize on this moment of chaos in the Sweden team? They went on the counter-attack straight away. The England players knew that Sweden would strengthen their midfield in the second half, so they did not let the ball stay in the midfield for long. They did a series of quick passes and passed the ball all the way to the edge of the penalty box!

Gerrard did not charge to the front of the pitch to join in the attack. Instead, he stayed behind at the back to mark Ibrahimović. The only players who went on the offense were the two forwards and the two attacking midfielders in the team. All four of them were very fast at moving the ball forward even though Gerrard did not join them in the attack. Before the Sweden players even knew it, Mitchell had received the pass from Moke at the edge of the penalty box.

Mitchell’s weakness is that he is not able to put much strength behind his shots at times. Thus, he rarely shoots at goal from outside the penalty box. Even if he does shoot, his shots usually end up being miles away from the goalpost as well.

The Swedes knew the England team inside out. Lagerbäck has an excellent understanding of every single England player’s quirks, strengths and weaknesses, and this has also led him to believe that his team is able to win against England. Before the match, he relayed all the information that he knew about the England players to his players. The players who need this information the most are the defenders, because they need to be very familiar with the attacking players on the other team to be able to defend well against them.

The Sweden players quickly recalled the traits regarding Mitchell that had been relayed to them by their manager when they saw Mitchell receive the ball. One of those traits that surfaced in their minds was that Mitchell would not shoot from the distance.

Sweden’s center-back, Peter Larsson, was the player who was positioned right across of Mitchell. Just like the rest of the players on his team, he was also familiar with Mitchell’s traits as a player. He decided that the best thing to do now is to retreat backwards and maintain a safe distance between him and Mitchell so as to prevent Mitchell from making his way into the penalty box. He knew that if he were to run up to Mitchell to defend against him, Mitchell would just make use of his footwork to get past him. But, he did not expect Mitchell to suddenly raise his right leg after lifting his head to glance at what was before him.

He intends to shoot from there?!

Larsson was taken aback. He wanted to run forward to block Mitchell’s shot, but he could not get there in time.

The Sweden goalkeeper, Andreas Isaksson, did not expect Mitchell to shoot at the goal from outside the penalty box either.

Mitchell’s shot did not have much power behind it, and the speed in which it traveled was not very fast either. But, it was aimed right at the top corner of the net that was furthest away from Isaksson…

“Mitchell has suddenly shot at the goal!”

The ball slammed against the crossbar and ricocheted into the back of the net. Isaksson stretched his hands out and leapt into the air, but it was too late. All he could do was to watch as the ball flew into the net…

The England fans at the stands erupted into deafening cheers after the ball went in. Their cheers were so loud that people thought an earthquake had occurred at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. The cameras at the stadium began to shake as the fans bellowed, “Long live England!”

“What a great gooooooooooal! An unbelievable goal! Mitchell has fired the ball into the back of the net from outside the penalty box! The ball flew in a beautiful arc before making its way past Isaksson! England lead Sweden 2:0 on the 60th minute of the match!”

“A two-goal lead! Things can’t get any better! The Swedes are trying to counter-attack, but we are the first to score! Aha!” Motson almost danced in joy. He was not only happy that England had taken a two-goal lead over Sweden. He was also happy about how England seemed to be dominating the match so far.

However, the fans were not able to get a nagging feeling out of their minds as they celebrated.

This is not the first time that England has taken a two-goal lead against Sweden for the past 48 years. But, England has never came out of the match as the victor in any of those matches. Will this match end up being any different? There seemed to be a pair of hands that was playing with England’s fate. You want to win against Sweden? Try again next time! I can make Sweden level the score against you on the 90th minute of the match!

Can Tony Twain and his team triumph over the pair of hands known as ‘destiny’ this time round?

※※※

Twain turned his head to glance at the bench after celebrating Mitchell’s goal with the people around him. He noticed that Wood had just finished his own celebrations. He then walked over towards him.

“George.”

Wood turned around to look at him.

“Go and do your warm-ups. I’d give you five minutes.” Twain spun around and left after finishing his words.

Wood heard Twain’s words clearly. He did not falter and neither did he cheer. He simply grabbed his vest that had been tossed onto the seat, and he put it on as he ran to do his warm-ups.

Five minutes later, Wood appeared before Twain and waited for his instructions.

“Sweden is trailing by two goals,” Twain told Wood, “and they will definitely attack us with all they’ve got for the next 30 minutes. I need you to get out there and defend the midfield for us.”

Wood nodded his head.

“You’ll take over Gerrard’s role. I need you to defend against Ibrahimović.”

“Yes.” Wood continued to nod his head.

After delegating Wood’s task, Twain glanced at Wood’s right foot.

Wood noticed Twain’s glance. He tiptoed and jumped a few times. “I’m fine.”

Twain gave an embarrassed smile after being found out by Wood.

“Get on the pitch, George.”

The fear and worry in the England fans’ hearts dissipated the moment they saw George Wood stand beside the fourth official. They all knew that Wood was going to play in the match right then.

The man known as ‘England’s guardian’ was going to play in the match. There was nothing for them to fear any longer.

Gerrard noticed that it was his number that was being displayed on the board. He did a series of hi-fives with his teammates before jogging off the pitch slowly. He was not acting this way because he was upset with Twain’s arrangement. He just wanted to waste time by dragging out the substitution.

The Sweden players were very upset at how long Gerrard was taking to get off the pitch. They kept raising their hands to protest to the referee. However, the referee decided to be lenient after seeing that it was only the 60th minute of the match and that there were still 30 minutes left for the Sweden players to level the score.

Gerrard walked to the side of the pitch and raised his hands into the air to applaud the England fans at the stands. When he was done, he embraced Wood, and the substitution was finally completed.

The moment Wood stepped onto the pitch, the England fans cheered even louder than they had been earlier.

John Motson’s ardent voice boomed amidst the deafening cheers, “Let us welcome England’s captain… George Wood!”

“St. George! Bless England!”

The England fans cheered in unison right as Motson finished his words. It was as though everything had been pre-arranged.

Wood raised his hands to acknowledge the cheers, and the cheers got even louder.

Despite the cheers and the lively atmosphere in the stadium, the expression on Lagerbäck’s face was glum. He knew the reason why Twain had put George Wood on the pitch. Twain did the same thing during the final 10 minutes of the match against Germany as well, and England managed to secure a 2:1 victory in the end.

It looks like Tony Twain intends to hold onto the two-goal lead with half an hour left to play in the match.