champion godfather

Chapter 986
Sean Barclay's arrival surprised Dunn a little.Because during the entire European Cup, the number one figure of the English FA did not come to inspect his team, but only provided a little help during Wood's physical examination, and seemed to disappear at other times.

Barclay did not contact the players, but directly approached Twain.This made Twain quite satisfied. At least England's Football Association officials would not bypass the head coach and directly interfere with the team's affairs like the officials of the Chinese Football Association.For now, in the England squad, he feels he is getting the respect he deserves.

Barclay and Twain had a private meeting, and they each had a cup of coffee in the coffee shop of the hotel where they were staying.Barclays is most concerned about what England can achieve this time.The minimum goal given to Twain by the FA before the game was the semi-finals. Now that Twain has overfulfilled the task, it stands to reason that the FA should also relax.But people are always greedy. Since we have reached the final, why don't we fight for the championship?
Everyone has such an idea, let alone a CEO of the Football Association.

Although Twain expressed his ambition to compete for the championship in front of his colleagues, he had to make some decisions when facing the CEO of the FA.

"I can't promise anything." Dunn spread his hands, "The match hasn't started yet, and our opponent is very strong."

Barclay scolded Twain in his heart for being cunning, but smiled and said to him: "This is not like the Tony Twain I know, who said before the season that his team was going to win the European Champions Cup ?”

Twain knew that Barclay was trying to squeeze him, but his expression didn't change. He just shook his head lightly: "The season is long, and we have enough time to make adjustments. And there is only one final game, nine 10 minutes Or 120 minutes, the room for error is too small. I don’t want to let you be more disappointed, Mr. Barclay.” He countered calmly.

Barclay continued to curse secretly in his heart.He came out this time to find out what Tang En's real goal was.As a result, Tang En was tight-lipped and tight-lipped.

"But I guess nobody's aiming for the runner-up?" he asked.

This time Tang En nodded very simply: "Of course, we will work hard to win the championship."

This sentence is the only harvest for Barclays this time.What made him a little dissatisfied was that Tang En was still as rebellious as the rumors said, and had a cold attitude towards himself, the CEO of the FA. He even became a little impatient at the end of the conversation, as if he had a lot of things to do, while Buck Lay's own time is not the same as time.

After leaving the hotel, Barclay was cornered by reporters for a brief interview.

"Our goal is the championship." In front of many media, he announced the ultimate goal of the team on behalf of Twain.

Compared with Barclay's high-profile, Twain was surprisingly low-key before the final.

In the past, when Tang En coached the team to participate in important games, he would never forget to have a verbal war with the opposing head coach and provoke psychological warfare.But this time, he didn't do that.

He did not take the initiative to attack Italy, nor did he provoke Lippi.Except for daily training, he will not talk about other superfluous things.It seems that he wants to save the first confrontation with Lippi for the press conference the day before the game.

It's just that the more low-key Tang En is, the more worried the Italian side will be.Think about the fate of the French team - Twain pretended to be a grandson before the game, but after the game he became the only grandpa.

The Italians were worried that Dunn was planning some kind of conspiracy against them behind his low profile.In the past two days, the Italian media have tried their best to inquire about England's training situation, trying to figure out what the hell the English are doing.

In fact, they really wronged Tang En this time...

※ ※ ※

During the training interval, Wood relayed the information Bell told him to Dunn.These things are very helpful to Tang En, and they are more targeted when formulating tactics, especially defensive tactics.

The overall tactics in the game have also been determined long ago.Training today revolves around that tactic.No matter what different opinions there are in the coaching staff, after the head coach makes a decision, they must put aside their own opinions and cooperate wholeheartedly.

Good news is also coming, Bentley and Theo Walcott are back from injury.In the finals will be able to go into battle.Apart from Mitchell, who was suspended for accumulated yellow cards, England can send their strongest team against Italy.

George Wood's right foot is no problem at all, team medical chief Derek White thinks that Wood's body is as strong as a bull now.

※ ※ ※

The three days of preparation time passed quickly, and it was the last day before the competition.In the afternoon, the two teams will go to the Bernabeu Stadium to adapt to the venue. At the same time, the head coaches of the two teams will take a player to participate in the last press conference before the final.

The Italian team was arranged to enter the Bernabeu to adapt to the venue first. After the adaptation training, the head coach took Italian captain Chiellini to the press conference.

At the meeting, what the reporters were most interested in was actually the first and last head-to-head confrontation between the two head coaches.Both Lippi and Twain are well-known and successful head coaches in European football, but they have never had an intersection.During the years when Twain was in the limelight, Lippi never talked about him.Of course, Twain would not take the initiative to advance an irrelevant person, even if he is the head coach of the world champion team.

But today, comparing the two of them is obviously inevitable.

After asking the routine questions, the reporter from Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport stood up and asked this question: "Marcelo, what do you think of Tony Twain?"

"He is an excellent head coach, and the trophies he won leading Nottingham Forest have proved his ability." Lippi's answer is nothing surprising, because it is a fact.

Obviously such an answer cannot satisfy the reporters.

"But he hasn't achieved any convincing results in the field of national team coaching..." the reporter from Gazzetta dello Sport continued to ask.

"I don't think this is a problem. England's performance in this European Cup is obvious to all, and this is his achievement." This time the answer began to interest the reporters.Because as an opponent, it stands to reason that he shouldn't praise the opponent so nakedly, not to mention that Lippi is a coach who has won almost all the honors he deserves. It is not easy to get his praise occasionally.

So is his praise of Tang En a smoke bomb or a real appreciation?

※ ※ ※

While Lippi was still inside accepting questions from many reporters, Tang En had already brought George Wood to wait outside.Since the media were particularly interested in the first confrontation between Lippi and Twain, the time of the press conference was also extended a bit.

From the door, you can see the situation inside and hear the voices inside.But most of them were in Italian, and Twain couldn't understand them either.

Simply chat with Wood casually outside.

"How is your mother, George?"

"It's okay..." He said it was okay, but there was no joy on his face. Tang En could guess that the situation might not be all that good.It's just that he couldn't help in this regard, so he could only sigh in his heart.Such a poor woman seems to have come into the world just to suffer.

"Will mommy watch the final?"

"She watches TV."

"Behave well and get a trophy to cheer her up."

Wood nodded.

There was a sudden silence between the two of them, as if they both had something on their minds.It was Wood who took the initiative to break the silence: "You...how are you and Shania?"

Tang En smiled and glanced at Wood: "George can care about others, it's really not easy. What can I do? Just like that, I am busy with work, and she is also busy with work. Every year, we get together less and leave more. But you, 30 years old , there is no woman at this age, which will make people doubt your sexual orientation, George."

Wood pouted: "Whatever they are."

"You can take it easy." Tang En looked Wood up and down, laughing. "The best gay magazine made you the ideal object in the minds of gay judges for three consecutive years."

Tang En was really anxious about Wood's lifelong event, so he also beat him in the name of homosexuality.It's just that Westerners don't place as much importance on family succession as Easterners do, otherwise Tang En would definitely bring out "the three biggest causes of unfilial piety are to have no descendants" and use his mother's name to suppress Wood.

"Tomorrow is the final, do you still have the mind to think about this?" Wood countered.

"I've done everything that needs to be done, what else can I do now? Frown and keep silent?" Tang En smiled brightly, "That's not my style. Besides..." He pointed at the inside of the door Pi, "We can't let the enemy look down on us. Take it easy, George. We've got three big-eared cups. What storm hasn't we seen? Ha!"

While talking, the press conference inside was over.Amid the applause, Lippi opened his chair and walked towards the exit with Chiellini one after the other.

When Lippi saw Tang En standing outside and looking at him with a smile, he was a little surprised, but his expression soon returned to normal.

He knew that Tang En was greeting him with a smile. This head coach didn't seem to be as vicious as the outside rumors said, and he was not easy to get in touch with.Since the other party took the initiative to show his favor, Lippi didn't need to put on airs. He also looked at Tang En and nodded slightly.

Perhaps because it was the final, Lippi who attended the press conference today did not wear the Kappa T-shirt he usually wears on the training ground, but a very formal dark blue suit and white shirt.The two passed by. Tang En didn't keep his eyes on Lippi's back, but George Wood and the opposing captain Chiellini sparked a spark and looked at each other.

After leaving the press conference scene, the old smoker Lippi never let himself be wronged again, he shrugged and took out a small cigar from Tuscany from the inner pocket of his suit, and put it in his mouth , lit up, Meimei took a sip.Even Tang En heard that voice.

With a cigar between them, Lippi and Chiellini just left.And Tang En patted Wood next to him: "Let's go, George. It's our turn."

He doesn't smoke, but he doesn't need to use smoking to pretend to be cool. He himself is synonymous with "cool".Especially when he appeared in front of the media, the flashing lights in one piece had already well demonstrated that he was no worse than Lippi, who won the world championship, in the limelight.

"How do you evaluate Marcelo Lippi, Mr. Tang En?" After the normal questions were finished, Tang En also faced such a question.

"He is an excellent head coach. The championship trophies he won with Juventus and Italy have long proved this." Dunn didn't hesitate or be surprised, he answered quickly.

But the reporters below, who knew both English and Italian, laughed.Because it was such a coincidence that Lippi also answered this question with the same answer.

These two people have such a tacit understanding even if they acted deliberately low-key, they really deserve to be opponents in the final...

Tang En was inexplicably laughed at, but he didn't ask what happened.

"Is it difficult to play against such a coach in the final?" asked Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I admit it's a bit difficult, after all, Lippi has a lot of experience. But..." Tang En's tone changed, "No one came to the Bernabeu to compete for the runner-up. I believe Lippi thinks the same way, if he can beat Italy and win the championship , I would be very happy."

"Mr. Tang En, you were unexpectedly low-key before the game. Do you want to make Italy underestimate the enemy?" The reporter of Gazzetta dello Sport was aggressive.

"No." Tang En spread his hands, "You are insulting Mr. Lippi's IQ." He did not forget to make a joke of the other party, and used this method to retaliate against the Italian reporter's persistence. "I do respect Lippi and it's a pleasure to play against him in the final."

Tang En did not lie.Although Twain hated Juventus and Lippi as a fan, but since he became a coach, his thinking has changed. After considering everything from the perspective of a coach, his thinking is closer to that of the Italian coaches. It's getting closer.As a head coach, a master tactician is always worthy of respect.

And Tang En also knew that based on Lippi's experience, if he provoked a war of words, he would be the one who would suffer in the end.Lippi's Italian team will not be fooled, and England, which seems to be proactive and provocative, will be inferior and its morale will also be affected.Nor is psychological warfare a panacea that works all the time.

If this kind of double-edged sword is not used well, it will only hurt yourself, so Tang En always picks the weak persimmons.

Lippi is an old fox and a rock, and he might mess up the psychology of himself and the players.

"I hope that tomorrow will be a wonderful game, but that doesn't mean I promise to play offensive football tomorrow." Dunn smiled slyly. "For me, the result comes first."

Hearing what he said, some reporters sighed inwardly.It seems that tomorrow's final will be a dull battle. If there are no accidents, the champion will probably be decided by penalty kicks.

Some other reporters heard what they wanted-tomorrow the England team is likely to focus on defense, defending counterattacks, sacrificing offense, and dragging to overtime and penalty shootouts.

It turned out that after three days of secrecy, this was the tactic Tang En formulated for the England team?There is nothing new at all...

Defense, defense, defense... I really want someone to knock his brains open to see what else is there besides "defense".

Tang En didn't think about what the reporters were slandering. After answering the reporters' questions, he and Wood left the Bernabéu together, took the team bus and followed the team back to the hotel where they were staying.The team's last tactical meeting tonight, and then just quietly waiting for the arrival of tomorrow night.

For the first time in his life, he led the national team to the final of a world competition, and it was already close at hand.

(End of this chapter)