Chapter 552: A Battle of Wits and Valour
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ancelotti was not a someone that could keep a cool head during a crisis and calmly observe changes from the technical area. Now that they were two goals behind, people would suspect that he was a little abnormal if he could still appear to be calm.
What did it mean to concede two goals first in such an important final? If it were another team, they might think about raising their hands in surrender.
Although Ancelotti stood up from his seat with a grim face, he did not intend to make any adjustments as the first half was soon coming to an end. He wanted to use the method to tell the players that he was angry.
Even if the opponent’s defense is very tight, George Wood has real talent and our offense is under a lot of pressure, it is not an excuse for our rear defensive line to concede two goals in a row.
Defense is defense, offense is offense.
Ancelotti knew that AC Milan had a defensive problem. These days, there were few strong teams that had no problems in their defense. AC Milan’s problem was that the rear defensive line was aging and had frequent injuries. Ancelotti put Maldini as the center back because he knew Paulo was older, so he arranged for Nesta to protect him on the side.
However, he did not expect the Forest team to take advantage of a quick counterattack and set piece to rip AC Milan’s defensive line apart so easily. The Forest team had a total of four offensive opportunities in the first half and scored two goals. This efficiency… everyone in England stated that Tony Twain was a manager who attached great importance in efficient football and his team was an efficient killer team. Ancelotti did not quite believe it at the time, but now he had to believe it even if he did not want to.
Therefore, he just stood on the sidelines and looked at the field with a cold expression. At the same time, his brain rapidly a.n.a.lyzed the current situation to figure out what kind of targeted adjustments should be made during the halftime interval.
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The frenzied celebration was forcibly terminated by the referee. When he pulled up the Forest players stacked on top of each other in a pile, he saw Tony Twain in a suit lying on top of Albertini, between laughter and tears.
“Mr. Twain, you shouldn’t be here,” he said to Twain with a cool expression.
After he was pulled up, Twain tidied his suit before he said with a grin, “I was too excited. Hope you understand, Mr. Referee.”
“If you don’t go back, I’m going to put you in the stands.” Fandel made to look like he was going to pull a card out, and Twain hurriedly waved his hands as he walked out.
“I’m on my way out. I’m leaving now…”
He did not forget to give his players a thumbs up along the way. Then he kept waving his arms to make the Forest fans in the stands sing louder.
Every time he waved, the singing volume in the stands went up a notch. He was like an orchestra conductor conducting the Forest fans at the Olympic Stadium of Athens to follow his signals to cheer the team on.
“This kind of thing is generally done by the players during a dead ball, but in the Forest team, it’s what their manager does. Tony Twain is really an unusual manager. Leading with two goals, his coaching level is just as unusual!”
As Twain walked back to the technical area, the entire stadium was filled with the singing and shouts of the Nottingham Forest fans. The AC Milan fans had thought about countermeasures and were just about open their mouths when they were pushed back by the singing of the English people.
The moment belonged to the Nottingham Forest fans, who did not allow others to disturb their celebratory blowout.
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Albertini finally got out from under his teammates’ impa.s.sioned celebration. Because Twain had suddenly charged over, he was still at the front of the opponent’s penalty area.
He stood up and saw Maldini, not far ahead of him.
The joyous smile was wiped from his face as the two men met gazes for a moment, until Maldini averted his eyes and Albertini turned to walk away.
No matter how deep their friends.h.i.+p usually was in private, they now met as enemies. There was nothing much to say as enemies. The result would show for itself on the field.
If the Forest team won, he would hug Maldini at the end of the game. But for now, he could not even spare a smile to the other man.
As the game resumed, Ancelotti did not return to his seat. He stood on the sidelines with a cool expression like an ancient Italian sculpture. He put pressure on his players in this way.
Whereas Tony Twain had already returned to calm and sat down again to observe the game. With nearly fifty minutes more to go, this was not the time to take things lightly.
The rampant singing in the stands finally stopped, and everyone could hear the voices of the AC Milan fans again. But the Nottingham Forest fans did not cease for a second. They were just brewing another way to cheer their team on, which was to strike a blow to their opponents.
Moments later, as the game entered its 43rd minute, a song came from the stands of the Nottingham Forest fans.
This time, the Forest fans used Joe Dolce’s cla.s.sic pseudo-Italian song Shaddap You Face to provoke Ancelotti standing on the sidelines. They believed that Ancelotti would understand the meaning of the lyrics.
“What’s-a matter you? Why you look-a so sad?”
Tens of thousands of Forest fans sang the chorus together, which was spectacular.
Only the fans from England had such skills in provoking people with endless new means. A battle did not just include the profanities and middle fingers.
This song lasted until the end of the first half before it turned into a spell of laughter. The Forest fans were happy to see their team end the first half with a two-goal lead.
The Forest players continuously waved to rouse the Forest fans in the stands. Throughout the first half, they felt that the fans fought alongside them and that they were never alone. For the Forest players, they had become accustomed to such a game. No matter what, the fans were always firmly behind them to cheer them on and do everything possible to strike the opponent.
“The halftime whistle has rung! The first half of the game belonged entirely to Nottingham Forest! During these forty-five minutes, even though AC Milan had the upper hand in ball control and possession time, it was Nottingham Forest that created opportunities to score and seized them. AC Milan had nothing other than the possession of the ball, and they did not create any attacking opportunities that could threaten Edwin van der Sar. Pirlo and Kaka were frozen by the close marking of Albertini and George Wood, respectively, while the rest were caught up in the Forest team’s impenetrable defense. Tony Twain’s tactics suppressed Ancelotti. Twain is temporarily in the lead in this matchup between the two managers.”
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With a dark expression and a bowed head, Ancelotti walked quickly into the tunnel. Twain deliberately let him walk in front and stayed outside, patting the shoulders of the Forest players as they left the field one by one before he followed his own people. Before going in, he did not forgot to applaud the fans in the stands.
By the time Twain entered the locker room, everyone had gone in before him. Everyone was thrilled about the first half of the game. Who would have thought that they could lead Milan by two goals?
The team they were ahead of was not some average team but the powerhouse team, AC Milan, who had won the Champions League six times!
Twain did not stop these players from their excitement. He could not think of any reason to keep them from getting excited.
After a while, he cleared his throat to indicate that he had something to say, and the locker room was immediately quiet.
“I’m proud of your performance!” Twain’s first words made everyone in the locker room applaud and whistle.
“2:0!” He extended two fingers, which looked like they represented the victory sign. “I can’t find fault with anything at all. I believe that our opponents in front of the televisions and in the stands with their binoculars can’t either! Keep up your performance in the second half. If we end up winning the game, no one will dare to say we won the t.i.tle by luck. Maybe before this game, people would think that AC Milan deserved to win this game because they had won a total of six champions.h.i.+ps in history, and we only had two. But you gave them a slap in the face in the first half!”
When the players finished cheering, Twain pressed his hands down and reminded, “But don’t be happy too soon. Our opponent is not an unruly team after all. Be careful. They may bite back in the second half. In the next half, we will still stick to the defensive counterattack and high-pressing tactics. Counter-press if we lose the ball and intercept immediately to stop their attacks. Don’t blindly waste our opportunities. Any team that wastes opportunities is bound to suffer for it. I don’t think a two-goal lead is enough. Don’t let go of any chances to score in the second half and play as if we currently have a tie game. Score a few more goals until our opponent is in total despair!”
Everybody said Tony Twain was a conservative guy whose football was so pa.s.sive and ugly that it was unenjoyable. But he always told his team that “1:0” was the least secure score in the world. He always wanted his team to score the more goals in every game.
In fact, Twain was not conservative. It was just that everyone misconstrued the meaning of defensive counterattack. Twain believed that the basis of any offense was defense, just like repairing a house and building a high-rise building. The more levels a building had, the more secure the foundation had to be. He did not believe there was such a thing as a castle in the air in the world. He was realistic. An attack without a solid defense could not stand up to a real test, just like a building with an unstable foundation would collapse like a house of cards when blown by a gust of wind, not to mention a disaster such as an earthquake.
The reason Barcelona failed in the league tournament was because their offense was so gorgeous that they forgot they still needed to defend. Barcelona’s midfield often did not have a defensive type of midfielder. Once their attack was blocked in front and unable to break through in a long time, the problems with their defense would gradually be exposed, and finally a blowout would form, which would completely break them down.
Such offensive football was not what Twain wanted.
What he wanted was stability, which overrode everything else. As long as their defense was not fortified, he was determined not to attack. He would fight with all his might unless the situation was critical to the point of necessity.
Now that the Forest team was ahead AC Milan by two goals, he could imagine the kind of pressure his team would face in the second half. AC Milan would go crazy to launch a counterattack. His team’s defensive pressure would further increase. They had to stabilize their defense even more. And then…playing by the same rulebook, they would look for the opportunity for any sneak attack.
As long as they held their ground in the beginning of the second half, their opponents were bound to become more and more agitated as time pa.s.sed. With the goal difference of two b.a.l.l.s weighed down on their heads like a boulder, they would not sit still. When their opponents were busy fighting on the front line, more and more holes would appear behind them and catching the holes was what the Forest team was best at.
“So, the key to the second half of the game is not to concede any goal in the opening fifteen minutes. Even one goal will make them go as crazy, like a frenzy of sharks that smelled blood. In other words, a solid defense…” Twain raised his index finger, “is the most important requirement and our first aim. During that time, we can sacrifice the offense. Once these fifteen minutes are over, we will wait for the opportunity to sneak an attack.”
“Finally, keep in mind!” Twain raised his volume. “Victory must belong to us!”
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Unlike the high-spirited atmosphere in the Forest team locker room, the atmosphere in AC Milan’s locker room was a bit subdued.
Most people chose to spend those precious fifteen minutes in silence.
How many people could have imagined the first half of the Champions League final would turn out like that? They, the ill.u.s.trious AC Milan, conceded two goals to Nottingham Forest in forty-five minutes. What was even more humiliating than this was they were so stunned that they could not find their way and did not have a single threatening attack. They were as powerless as if they were trapped in a quagmire.
What was going on? Almost all of the AC Milan fans asked in the stands, which was why they had not fought back to the Forest fans.
At the same time, similar questions also hovered in the minds of the AC Milan players.
Something is wrong with our offense and we couldn’t find a specific direction. As soon as Pirlo and Kaka were closely marked, our team’s offense became a s.h.i.+p lost at sea without the guidance of a lighthouse. This wasn’t a one-time thing… But in the face of our opponent’s tight defense, what can we do?
With a sullen face, Ancelotti finally spoke.
“Does anyone think that this current situation is familiar?” When he asked, everyone raised their heads, trying to search their memories. The professional players went through so many games in their lifetimes. How would they know which game situation was similar to the game they were playing?
In the end, Ancelotti gave them the answer. “Our game against Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final. Do you remember that? We were three goals ahead of them in the first half and as a result?”
He did not need to finish the rest. Many of the current AC Milan people knew the case. In that game, with an opening goal from Maldini, AC Milan had an amazing first half, similar to Nottingham Forest in the current game. During the halftime interval, with their three-goal lead, the AC Milan players could not wait to start their winning celebration in the locker room. The sound of which could not be blocked out by the brick walls and the AC Milan’s wild celebration was heard by the Liverpool people which inspired their fighting spirit and fury within.
As a result, in the game with the initial victory within their grasp, AC Milan were overtaken by their opponents with three consecutive goals in the second half. Their confidence and morale were hit hard and completely collapsed during the penalty shootout. In the end, they lost to Liverpool and ceded the victory in their hands.
For AC Milan, that game was a huge disgrace and gave Liverpool the reputation for being the first to reverse in the Champions League final in its fifty-year history.
“We’re just two goals behind now. What’s there to worry about? The opponent who trailed three goals behind us could defeat us. So why can’t we?”
When he said that, everyone’s eyes lit up again.
Indeed, if we can be overtaken, why can’t it happen to others?
Do we lack the faith and strength to win? Have we lost interest in the champions.h.i.+p t.i.tle? Don’t we even want to win this trophy in front of us?
No, that’s not it. If that’s the case, why can’t we overtake Nottingham Forest?
Ancelotti was delighted to see his players immediately regain their confidence. He believed in AC Milan’s strength. Whether the immediate opponent was Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Real Madrid or Barcelona, he was confident in defeating them all. The key was whether the players still had the confidence to win. As long as they had the confidence to win, then it would not be a problem.
In the match against Liverpool, it was because the opponent caught up with three consecutive goals in a short period of time that caused the players’ confidence to be hit hard, and following which even their star player could not score… Just imagine Shevchenko, a world-cla.s.s striker, who never would have believed he could face a situation where he could not score a goal in the face of an almost empty goal? But that was what happened.
It was because of that lesson that Ancelotti was convinced that what was important at halftime was not to tell the players the tactics they would play in the second half. Nine out of ten players would not listen. The most important thing now was to restore the confidence of the players and let them know that even trailing by two goals was not the end of the world.
“We will continue to step up our offense in the second half.” It was only when the players were convinced there was hope in the second half that Ancelotti began to lay out the specific tactics. “We have no other way other than to attack, but we must also watch out behind us. Don’t give the Forest team a chance to counterattack. If you lost the ball in front, counter-press immediately. Foul if you can’t tackle it! Pirlo.”
Pirlo looked up at the manager.
“Albertini is older, and his stamina can’t keep up with yours. You have to keep running and not stay in one place. Accelerate to get rid of him! Also, since the opponent can use set pieces to attack our goal, why can’t we also use set pieces? We were given four free kicks in the first half in the front field and you didn’t even make use of one.”
Pirlo kept quiet in the face of Ancelotti’s criticism.
“We will step up our offense in the second half and increase the pressure on their defense. We will also get more set pieces in the front. Stop wasting them. Seize the chance and score!”
In addition to the high pressing, the Forest team’s pullback was also very fast. In the face of the overloaded thirty-meter zone, Kaka’s breakthrough and speed did not even have the room to play. They could only rely on Pirlo’s dispatches and place kicks.
Ancelotti decided to do this for the time being and make adjustments based on changes in the situation for the second half.
What else could they do since they were the ones trailing and not the front-runner?
However, things were not as bad as some people thought.
In a marathon, the one with the biggest pressure was often the front-runner who took the lead. The experienced long-distance runners would choose to follow the front-runner at all times and only power up to sprint at the last minute. They would ditch the exhausted front-runner, and hold up their arms as they dashed across the finish line.
For a football game, the ninety minutes was no doubt a marathon. Nottingham Forest became the inexperienced and seemingly impressive front-runner. But could they hold on to the end? Who could guarantee that they would not be crushed by the pressure of being in the lead? Ancelotti decided to be the shadow lurking behind the front-runner, waiting for the right opportunity, always biting at the heels of the front-runner, not allowing him the slightest chance of relaxation, so that the pressure in his heart mounted and acc.u.mulated until he could no longer bear it any longer…
It would be time for AC Milan to become the champions.
I know Tony Twain always liked to say: a one-goal lead is the least secure.
Mr. Twain, do you still think it’s safe to lead with two goals?