champion godfather

Chapter 961 The Heart of the Seven Lions

One goal behind Germany in the first half made many English players very upset. They vented their dissatisfaction in the locker room.

"Their jerseys are so dazzling in the sun, it's despicable!"

"Yeah, I can't concentrate at all!"

"Don't talk about concentrating, I can't even see their movements clearly. Why doesn't UEFA stop such behavior?"

A group of people blamed the German team's snow-white jerseys and excessively bright sunshine for their backwardness.

When Dunn followed Rooney in, the voice still did not disappear.It wasn't until Tang En closed the locker room door heavily that everyone realized that their boss was here, and it was not the time to make noise.

"What did I say before the game?"

After looking around the dressing room, Tang En asked with a straight face.

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, wondering why the boss was so dissatisfied?Although we fell behind by one goal, the morale of the team is still very strong. It should not be a problem to get a goal back in the second half.

"I told you to keep calm, but I didn't see it in the first half." Dunn spread his hands and shook his head. "I know we have a grudge against Germany, and the game against the German team will make your adrenaline rush. But if you let that thing dominate your brain, then we will lose this game..." Dunn suddenly raised his voice, "I'm not scaremongering! I'm not trying to provoke you! I'm telling you very seriously—"

He raised his arm and waved it vigorously as he said: "If you can't focus on how to win the game, but how to get revenge on the Germans, we will lose! Then we will lose the possibility of qualifying." To Portugal and Wales!"

"Have you never experienced such a game in your career? On a sunny afternoon, the opponent is wearing white or light-colored jerseys, and the reflection of the sun is a bit dazzling... Hasn't the Premier League kicked off in the afternoon? Is that the case? Did you all lose the game?"

While Tang En asked loudly, the England players slowly lowered their heads.

"So why did you play so poorly today? Because you played against Germany! You just thought 'the Germans are tricky!' 'The Germans are mean!' Did any of you think 'I'm going to win the game' ?You put all your energy into these minutiae, but you didn't think about the current game! Now I say: 'Treat this game as a normal game' Can you listen to it?"

Dunn saw George Wood sitting in front of his cabinet.He didn't seem to be listening because his eyes were on the locker room door and his heart seemed to fly to the pitch.

"Now turn your mind back to the game itself. I don't want to tell you what the consequences will be if we don't qualify. I just want to tell you that we have an agreement with George. He is waiting for us in the knockout round. We're going to see him in the playoffs."

Everyone turned their attention to Wood.Wood was indeed not listening to what Tang En said, he didn't even respond to these words, he just continued to stare at the door of the locker room in a daze.

"Are you men?" Tang En asked, "Men must keep their promises! If we promise, we must do it! We promised George that we must make it out of the group for him! If we can't do it, we're all sissies!"

"Forget the hatred between England and Germany, remember this is a game, a game related to who can qualify directly! Now, let's make tactical adjustments."

Tang En scratched up on the tactical board: "Toni Kroos is their attacking midfielder, but the German team's offensive core is indeed Weinsteiger. Pay attention to his position, where he goes will mean the German team's attack. Where is the focus of the attack."

This is the conclusion obtained by Dunn's observation in the first half.Toni Kroos is only responsible for distributing the ball, and "Little Pig" Schweinsteiger is the most threatening person. His position is also very unstable, sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right, and sometimes he will Switch positions with Toni Kroos and serve as the attacking midfielder.Although Kroos has gained fame in the Bundesliga in recent years, no matter whether he is in Bayern Munich or in the German national team, the core has never been him.He is just a cover to cover Schweinsteiger. If too much defensive attention is put on that genius boy, the big fish will be missed, which will eventually lead to dire consequences.

"So our defensive focus should be on Schweinsteiger. Restricting him will also restrict the German team's offense. Only when the defense is stable can we attack with confidence, and we must be more careful when defending set balls. "

Hearing what the boss said, Walcott lowered his head.Obviously the conceded goal had something to do with him, it was a set kick conceded.

Dunn glanced at Walcott: "Special Olympics. I don't know what happened to you. You behaved differently in the first half. But I don't want to get into the details. I just want you to know. I'll give you the second half." 15 minutes, if you are still like this, I will replace you without hesitation. You are not a newcomer, and you don't need me to take care of you. You know what you should do."

Walcott nodded vigorously.

"Now let's talk about offense. We had a lot of counter-attacks in the first half, but our players lacked the ability to take chances... Is it true? No, it's your mentality. I bet, When facing an empty goal, you all want to pump the football in vigorously. Usually you are not like this." Dunn looked at Rooney and Mitchell and said.

In the first half, these two men were indeed a little overexcited, and they seemed to be overexerting every opportunity that appeared at their feet.

"Okay, take it easy, I won't eat you." Looking at the dejected players who were scolded by him, Tang En laughed again.Don't hit them too hard... It's really a technical job to adjust the players' psychology.

"The Germans won't eat you either. As long as you relax, you will find it very easy to beat the German team. They are not such a strong opponent at all! I have the confidence to beat all the strong teams in the world , you should also have it. This kind of confidence will help you keep calm when facing strong teams." Tang En pointed to his head, "This is very important."

"When attacking, pay attention to the success rate. We are behind. In the second half, our chances of counterattack will not increase, but will decrease. Sammer is a very cautious head coach. As long as we can win such a game, a goal is enough. Enough is enough, so he will definitely shrink the defense. I ask you to take every opportunity to attack, I don't want to see too many blind shots from long distance like Wales - more shots don't lead to goals."

※ ※ ※

On the other side, in the locker room of the German team.After praising the team's performance in the first half, Summer also made adjustments: "In the second half, I started to attack, and then slowly shrank the defense. Remember, all I want is a victory, whether it is 1:0 , or 2:0 makes no difference."

The players nodded.German players are known for their strong discipline, and the words of the head coach are sacred.They will not go against the coach's arrangement just because they want to play a beautiful game.

Oddset, the largest betting company in Germany, once filmed a TV advertisement, using jokes and exaggerations to explain the characteristics of different leagues.For example, after the players in the Italian league were injured, the team doctors came up with the staff with hair dryers to make hairstyles for the injured players; in the Qatar league, a European star player appeared on the sidelines of the stadium in a Lincoln and came out. Kicked a corner, then put on sunglasses, got into the car, and left amidst the cheers of the fans.As for the German domestic league, this is how they behaved-players on both sides lined up in a neat 442 formation, and under the command of the coach with a loudspeaker, they stepped forward or backward in neat steps.

It is obviously reasonable for local German betting companies to describe their league in this way. The discipline of the Germans is not only reflected in football, but also plays an important role in other jobs and even wars.

Now Sammer tells his players that he needs to defend and win in a safe way, and the German players will follow suit. "They are like emotionless robots." Some people must complain about German football. It is rigid, stubborn and mechanical, but it is this style that makes them the most feared team in continental Europe. It can always inspire great potential in desperation and accomplish impossible miracles.

As the famous British sports commentator Kennett Wolstenholm exclaimed: "They thought it was over, but the Germans stood up again!" (Some_people_are_on_the_pitch...they_think its_all_over...it_is_now!)
※ ※ ※

When the intermission came to the last minute, Tang En ended his tactical adjustment arrangement.The players stood up and walked out of the locker room one after another, towards the field.

George Wood consciously procrastinated to the end, he wanted to talk to Dunn alone.

Tang En also noticed the strangeness of Wood, and he stayed to see what was going on with Wood.

"Are you looking for me, George?" After the players and coaches had left, Tang En turned to look at Wood who was still in the locker room, and he asked.

"Let me play in the second half." Wood said straight to the point.

"It's impossible, George." Tang En also rejected him very simply.

"The situation is unfavorable now."

"But it's not so bad that you need to play with your injuries. Otherwise, what will your teammates—those teammates who have fought for 45 minutes on the field, and teammates who are sitting on the bench in good health—what will they think?" Tang En Pointing to the door of the locker room, outside is the corridor leading to the hall.

"Don't you believe them, George?" Tang En asked, staring into Wood's eyes.

"No..." Wood shook his head slowly, "I just... just don't want to be a spectator anymore..." He lowered his head and muttered.

Tang En smiled and stretched out his hand to touch Wood's head. "I won't let you be a spectator. We will definitely go to the knockout round. See you then, George."

He went out first.

※ ※ ※

When the German players reappeared on the field, Tang En didn't see the slightest sense of pride on their faces. On the contrary, they all had stern faces and dignified expressions, as if they were the ones who were one goal behind.

This is the opponent Tang En hates to face the most, because they are not proud and underestimate the enemy, and they will not be easily provoked by themselves.They faithfully enforce tactical discipline, as long as the head coach makes no mistakes.Even in the face of very unfavorable adversity, they will not give up easily, and will think about equalizing the score at the last moment of the game.

Tenacious as a rock.Against such an opponent, the game will be very difficult.There is no moment of relaxation, the nerves have to be tense for nine or ten minutes.

To his relief, the England players are back to normal.

The other good news is that when the second half started, the lights on the stadium roof had been turned on, and the bright sunlight and dazzling white jerseys disappeared.Now that there are no distracting factors outside the field, the players of the England team no longer have to squint and worry about dealing with the Germans.

It's six o'clock in the afternoon, already evening.A cloud and mist flew from the sky, dimming the brilliance of the setting sun, and the Nuevo Mestalla Stadium was shrouded in a faint golden light. If you don't turn on the lights, you can't see anything.

The temperature also dropped accordingly, and the cool breeze blowing into the Nuevo Mestalla Stadium, the stadium that had been frenzied for 45 minutes gradually cooled down.

But this was just an illusion. When the referee blew the whistle to start the second half of the game, a huge noise erupted from the originally quiet stands.

The singing of the English fans sounded again, and the German fans were not to be outdone.The stands became a place where fans from both sides played songs with each other.That is to say, only when England fans are present can the stadium have such an atmosphere.Whether it is Spanish fans or Italian fans, or French or Dutch fans, they rarely sing like the English for nine or ten minutes when they watch the game.

The German team felt the change in the England team. Less than 3 minutes into the second half, the England team passed a cross from the wing, creating a murderous attempt.

Mitchell's header flew out against the goal post under Mertesacker's interference, shocking the German fans into a cold sweat.

This attack was not created by a counterattack, but an opportunity created by England's patient inversion in the positional battle.

"That kid is very weak and can't stand the impact. You can defend with more force next time!" Mertesacker said to Westermann beside him, telling him the secret of defending Mitchell.

Westerman nodded, indicating that he understood.

※ ※ ※

Ten minutes later, England and Germany were entangled in the midfield, and it seemed that no one could find a bargain.The England midfielder's defense against Schweinsteiger was quite successful. No matter where "Little Pig" changed, he would find an English player following him like a shadow. This English player may be Michael Johnson, or it may be Chris Cohen, maybe Walcott, or two full-backs.England does not use man-to-man defense. Dealing with players with a wide range of activities, man-to-man will disrupt their defense.

After Schweinsteiger lost the space to move freely, his contribution to the German team's attack plummeted.England also had more offensive opportunities as a result.However, the Germans' defense organization is very stable. Even when the German team is attacking, their defense line is still firmly behind. The head coach Sammer pays attention to defense just like he did when he was a professional player.In this way, England lost the chance to counterattack and could only honestly fight the German team.The Germans shrunk their defensive line and stuck to the middle. Several giants with a height of more than 1.8 meters [-] in the penalty area made the originally huge penalty area look crowded.Wanting to pass the ball to the forwards' feet is simply wishful thinking. If you force a long-range shot, the biggest possibility is to waste a hard-won offensive opportunity.

Mitchell stood in the penalty area and kept raising his hands for the ball, just like a center who went to the opponent's basket.But his teammates can't guarantee that the football will be delivered to his head accurately every time.

Cohen's cross was excellent, but England used his side as the main attack direction in the second half of the first half, and they were defended by the German team without the slightest temper.Walcott is fast and good at breaking through, but his crosses lack fire.

At this time, Tang En missed the injured Bentley very much.His speed and dribbling are not as good as Walcott, but his cross is comparable to Beckham.With him on the right, Mitchell's role can be maximized.

Pity……

Although there is Adriano Mok, his characteristic is neither speed breakthrough nor cross, but dribbling...

Walcott clearly knew the problems he was facing.No matter how fast he is, he is useless against the German team's shrinking defense - there is no room for sprinting, and his technical characteristics cannot be displayed.Mo Ke is the kind of person who can get rid of the defense in place by technology, but he is not.

The boss had only given him 15 minutes, and now he was 3 minutes short of that deadline.He had no doubt that if his performance continued to fail, he would be ruthlessly replaced by the boss.

Walcott was not reconciled to being substituted in such an important game like this, which was tantamount to being labeled as "failing performance".

After receiving the football again, the defensive players of the German team were habitually preparing to defend against Walcott's breakthrough, and the left back Jensen stepped back to compress the space behind him.Although Walcott left the front space to Walcott, he was not too worried. Walcott's cross quality was very low, and none of the previous four passes was accurately delivered to Mitchell's head.

Walcott was going to break through the bottom and walk into the penalty area, so that he could create chaos, and then take advantage of the opportunity to pass the ball, pass a low ball, and see who can touch the ball to the goal.But after seeing Jensen's reaction, he temporarily changed his mind and chose to pass directly!

The football draws an arc and flies towards the penalty area.

This time the quality of the cross was quite good, and the ball went straight to where Mitchell was.

"Squeeze him away!" Mertesacker, defending Rooney, yelled at Westermann.

Mitchell stared at the football running position, and just when he was about to jump up to head the ball, he felt a force coming from below, which completely lost his center of gravity.

Stretching his arms in the air exaggeratedly, and yelling, Mitchell fell into the penalty area!

Walcott's cross missed no one and went straight over the baseline.

Looks like another bad cross and failed attack?

Do not!
The referee's whistle sounded.He ran to the penalty area and pointed to the penalty spot!
"It's a penalty!" John Mortensen cheered with his arms raised.

Mitchell, who was lying on the ground, also raised his arms high and punched the sky.And Wei Staman, who fell next to him, glared at the referee running towards him with an incredulous expression—how could this be a penalty?I used a little force, but it was a reasonable collision at that time!

Regardless of the doubts in Westerman's mind, the referee stood on the penalty spot and unswervingly awarded England a penalty!Seeing his serious expression, he believed that Westerman's defense must be a foul.

Theo Walcott, who was in charge of the cross, raised his hands on the sideline and cheered for his cross.

Tang En even rushed to the sidelines, waving his fists excitedly.

"It's so fucking beautiful!"

Summer was very dissatisfied and roared at the referee: "That's an obvious flop!" He made a flop gesture on the court, "Can't you see it? Can't you see it!"

It wasn't until the fourth official intervened that he turned and walked back with a clouded face.Leaning on the shed of the coach's bench, he kept shaking his head as he watched the court.This is a sudden accident, as the head coach, it doesn't matter how good he is.

After cheering, Tang En squatted on the sidelines, propped one hand on the ground, and covered his mouth with the other, waiting with anticipation and nervousness for the result of the penalty kick.

The German players on the field appealed to the referee but failed, and the referee did not change his penalty.There were boos and curses from the German fans in the stands, while the England fans suppressed their curses with singing.

When nothing could be changed, calm was restored in the stands.

The German players reluctantly exited the penalty area and gave up the goal to the Englishman.

Goalkeeper Adler constantly spread his arms and moved laterally in front of the goal, creating psychological pressure on the England players who took the penalty.

The person who came to play was Gerrard. He was not disturbed by Adler after he had been on the field for a long time, and he was not shaken by the boos from the German fans in the stands.

Facing the front of the stands where the German fans gathered, and the dense middle fingers on the stands, Gerrard ran up after the whistle and blasted the penalty kick into the goal vigorously!

Adler was in the right direction, but he was no match for Gerrard's powerful volley, and he flew past when the football hit the net.

"Beautiful goal! Gerrard resisted the pressure and scored the penalty! England equalized the score! We now see hope again!" Mortensen shouted.

After scoring the goal, Gerrard ran all the way back to the team's bench, then pointed to George Wood, and gave him a strong hug.

"This goal is dedicated to you, George! We will definitely go to the knockout round!" He growled in Wood's ear.

When the cheering and celebrating crowd dispersed, Dunn walked up to Wood and said to him with a smile, "Sit back and watch the game, George. It looks like you don't need to play."

(End of this chapter)