champion godfather

Chapter 979 It's Shameful to Fail Seven Lion King's Heart
"Tonight is cloudy with brief showers and the temperature..."

On the TV screen, a beautiful and sexy weather forecaster is introducing the local weather conditions in Valencia during the game to the audience.After five days of sweltering heat, the temperature has finally dropped, which is a good thing for fans who went to watch the game.

But this news made Spain's head coach Hierro frown slightly.

The cool weather will naturally help the players to perform.But if it rains, it will affect the ground coordination in Spain...

Contrary to Hierro, if possible, Tang En would like to pretend to be a ghost and dance to pray for rain.For his England the rain would not do much, and he hoped it would rain if it could.Fighting in the rain, England players have a natural advantage.

Unfortunately, until dusk, the sky in Valencia was sunny and there was no sign of rain.It wasn't until the sun fell below the western horizon that a cloud layer floated from the east and covered half of the sky, and the edges of the cloud layer were coated with a layer of gold by the afterglow of the setting sun.

It was at this time that the England team's bus departed from the hotel where we stayed.England fans who didn't get tickets gathered outside the hotel to see off their team.This game is very important to them. Although they have to play two games in the semi-finals regardless of whether they win or lose, no one wants to play in the third or fourth finals, right?There is only one step away from success, and it would be too tragic to fall before the finish line.

Seeing the England bus coming out slowly, the England fans waiting on both sides of the road became excited. The flashing lights reflected the figures of the players waving to the fans on the window, and the fans screamed victoriously, waving to represent England. St George's cross banner.

"Champion! Champion! Champion!"

England fans chanted in unison.

In response, players in the car got up and waved to the fans.Tang En didn't do that, he was leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes to rest.In order to be able to maintain a clear mind during the game, it is necessary to fully rest at this time.

Tang En has a talent for sleeping, that is, no matter how noisy or noisy outside, as long as he falls asleep, he won't be able to hear anything.If it wasn't for this, he might have suffered a nervous breakdown from the coaching job.

Tang En, who closed his eyes, found that the first thought in his mind was still Spain, which made him a little dumbfounded.Have you formed a conditioned reflex?
Try not to think about Spain, then you can only think about other things.This time Tang En thought of his wife.Due to busy work, after dating Shania once in Barcelona, ​​the two never saw each other again.Even though he knew every England game, Shania was sure to be watching from the stands.

His greatest wish now is to take a month off after leading England to win the European Cup, and find a remote place with beautiful scenery but few people for vacation with Shania, and enjoy the world of two people to the fullest.

Tang En actually fell into a deep sleep while thinking about Shania.When he was woken up by Walker, the New Mestalla Stadium could already be seen in the twilight from the window on the right side of the bus.

"I know you don't want the players to see a head coach who fell asleep before the big game." Walker said to him.

"Uh...Thank you, Des." Tang En rubbed his eyes, then wiped his face with his hands, so that he became more energetic.

It took another 10 minutes from seeing the new Mestalla Stadium to actually coming to the parking lot of the Mestalla Stadium.The fans were so enthusiastic. Even though there were a large number of police officers on the scene to maintain order, the bus still had to pass carefully and slowly.

Approaching the stadium, the enthusiastic cheers of the fans could no longer attract the players' attention. Now their minds are all on the upcoming game, and the expressions on their faces are a bit serious.

When getting off the car, only a few veterans could calmly wave to the fans who welcomed them with a smile.Most people hurried past with their bags bowed.For this England team, many of them reached the semi-finals of the World Series for the first time. Today is definitely a day full of fresh experiences.

Since winning the Rimet Gold Cup at home in 1966, the best result of the England team in the World Series has been the semi-finals. In the 1996 European Championship held in the home country, England was knocked out by penalty kicks in the semi-finals of the German team that won the championship and missed the final. In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, England led by Fabio Capello eliminated Spain and reached the semi-finals all the way, but lost to Italy.In the third and fourth finals, they lost to the Brazilian team and did not complete a historic breakthrough.

And today, as long as they can defeat Spain, they can do what countless predecessors have failed to do-enter the final of the World Series for the first time in 50 years!It is also the second time that England has entered the final of the World Series since the establishment of the team.

Speaking of which, the record of England, known as the originator of modern football, is really pitiful...

Tang En was the last one to get off the bus. Unlike the nervous players, he was still interested in accepting a brief interview with BBC5 at the entrance.The reporter asked him with a red face if he had the confidence to lead the team to the final. Tang En gave the answer that the English people wanted to hear the most: "There is no doubt that we will be the one to enter the final."

In fact, earlier, when the Spanish team arrived at the stadium, Hierro said the same thing to the TV cameras.At this point, modesty and so on have long been useless.

※ ※ ※

George Wood tried a long-range shot, and the football shot high and flew straight into the stands.This football is like a small stone thrown into the lake, and after a ripple, it can never be found again.

"Our football is limited, George." Walker next to him said to him.

"Feel sorry……"

"I'm kidding, ha!" Walker laughed. "how do you feel?"

"Very good, I feel..." Wood clenched his fists, "...I am full of strength."

Walker nodded with satisfaction and stopped disturbing Wood's warm-up.

"Hey, look at them!" As soon as the assistant coach left, Joe Mattock came up and motioned Wood to look at the Spanish team warming up across the court.

The Spaniard seems to be very relaxed, and the head striker Bo Yang is even playing fancy balls.Several other midfielders formed a circle and made a quick pass.I have to say that from a technical point of view, Spanish players are much better than English players...

"I think they are deliberately showing off to us!" Joe Mattock said indignantly. "Why don't they just follow Maradona's tip to remove the mineral water bottle?"

"What do you care about them so much?" Wood only took a glance and then retracted his gaze.Even with just one glance, he also noticed that Cesc Fabregas was also watching him.

※ ※ ※

"Be careful of George Wood during the game." Fabregas withdrew his gaze and said to Iniesta beside him. At the same time, he knocked the football passed by Silva to Lara Lago.

"I think they have to be careful with their whole team..." Iniesta laughed. "Mr. Tang En has kneaded this team into a whole. We can't take it lightly."

"Whether it is England or George Wood is difficult to deal with." Cesc Fabregas said.

"agree."

In fact, Hierro has already warned the players to pay attention to several major players in England, including Gerrard, Wood, Rooney and Mitchell.

However, Spain will not change its tactics according to its opponents.Their traditions are technical flow and offensive football, and they never consider abandoning their traditions. Besides, the time of a game can't be adjusted even if they want to adjust it.Hierro hopes that the players can take the initiative of the game in their own hands, from the first minute of the game to the last minute, use the team's advantages in possession of the ball to lead England by the nose, and let the English The advantage cannot be played out.The match between England and France played by Hierro was re-edited and shown to the players twice. On the one hand, it is to make the players be careful about England, and on the other hand, it is to let their players learn from England in the match against France. The performance - from the beginning to the end, the stars are shining, and the French team, which is considered to be the favorite to win the championship, has no chance at all.In the words of Hierro, "From the first second of the game, the French team was doomed to fail."He hopes that his team can do the same in today's game, so that England can't fight back and lose the game without any suspense.

"Technology is our advantage, we must make good use of it. Try to control the ball at your feet. I don't want to see blind big-footed long passes and clearances. If the opponent forms an advantage in defensive numbers in a small area, use the quick Pass and cooperate to tear apart their defense, be fast when the action is fast, and be steady when holding the ball..."

These are what Hierro repeatedly emphasized to them at the tactical meeting last night. Every Spanish player must keep in mind that this is the outline of action during the game, and specific actions must be carried out in accordance with this outline.

※ ※ ※

Since Spain came earlier than England, their warm-up ended earlier.While England was still warming up, the Spanish players had already left the field one after another.

Before leaving, Cesc Fabregas looked up at the sky, and the night had completely fallen.The afterglow of the setting sun in the western sky can no longer be seen in the stadium.But this time is still early for the Spaniards-according to the life rules of the Spaniards, they should not have dinner at this time.

In fact, if everything is done according to the Spaniard's schedule, most of the European Cup games will be kicked off at midnight.However, due to the consideration of television broadcasting, the games were all kicked off in the afternoon and evening prime time.

The night sky could not see whether there would be rain, Fabregas quickly looked away, and walked into the player tunnel with his teammates.

※ ※ ※

"Did you say that it will rain like the weather forecast tonight?" After the Spaniard left the field, it was the turn of the English to start caring about the weather.

"Who knew?" The two players stood in the middle of the field and looked up at the sky, as if there were alien flying saucers on it.

Until a football concentrated on their backs, the two came back to their senses.

"What are you looking at? Warm up!" Although Gerrard is no longer the captain of the team, he still has the authority of the captain in many cases. After all, he is a veteran and respected.

"Let's see if it's going to rain..."

"What do you care about? It doesn't matter if it rains or not. If you don't actively warm up now, be careful of injury." Gerrard said to them.

The two shrugged: "Anyway, we are substitutes..."

"Substitutes also have a chance to play. Let's warm up." Under Gerrard's gaze, the two players turned and ran to the area where they should be.After Gerald finished persuading, he turned around and saw Wood looking at him, and he smiled at Wood.

In fact, not only the players are concerned about the weather, but the coaching staff of both sides are also concerned about the weather.In order to better prepare for this game, the Spanish Meteorological Observatory specially provided the Spanish team with a real-time broadcast weather service to help them beat their strong enemy England.

England is not so well treated, they are not fighting locally, and they don't have all the advantages that the hosts have.England's coaches can only guess from the weather conditions whether it will rain or not.In addition, they have to endure the boos of the fans in the audience-in fact, the England team and the Spanish team have no deep hatred. The naval battle 500 years ago obviously did not affect the feelings of the fans of the two countries. Now the Spanish fans treat England like this team, simply because England are their enemy tonight.

Until the warm-up was over, there was no sign of rain in the sky, and the England team retreated into the locker room.

Tang En, who had been staying in the locker room, approached Walker and asked in a low voice if it was raining outside. After getting a negative answer, he slapped his hands and raised his volume: "Okay, guys, don't think about that dog Today’s weather is bad. Whether it rains or not doesn’t affect us, it should be Spain that should worry about it. Now take your hearts back and I ask you... are you all ready for the next game?”

He looked at all the players. In the eyes of these people, he saw determination, hesitation, excitement, enthusiasm and excitement, anxiety and fear...

It's normal, this is the performance of ordinary people who are facing a crucial battle.Tang En was relieved.There was no consistent paranoia among the players, such as a rush of blood or a rush of nervousness.

"Of course, sir!" the men with determined eyes were the first to answer loudly.

Tang En did not encourage them, but waved his hands: "Is it really ready? I can only know by watching your performance on the field. Are there any problems in terms of tactics? It's the last chance."

No one asked questions.

"Looks like you all know what you're supposed to do. Well, don't mess with me when you get out there. Now, guys, you've got not one game, but two. This could be your The two most important games of a player's career - I'm not talking about the semi-finals and the finals."

What he said amused many people.

"These are the two most important games of your career as players and if you keep winning we'll put the whole of Europe under our feet. But if we lose...then all the hard work we've done before is in vain and people won't remember it You once kicked the Germans back to your hometown, and you don't remember that you ended your 48-year unbeaten fate against Sweden, let alone that you humiliated France with four goals, they will only remember that you are losers! Just like the ones who just left The French team, will anyone still mention that they were once called the 'favourites'? No! They will just laugh at this loser without restraint!"

Tang En raised the volume.

"Remember, guys. In football, it's shameful to lose! Keep that in your head and play me!"

(End of this chapter)