Chapter 920: A Decision on The Sidelines
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Toshack believed once he had found the tactic to deal with England’s “Gerrard and Wood Duo”, he would have found the key to defeating the England team. It was not completely big talk for the sake of psychological warfare.
All along, England’s core section was the duo, Gerrard and Wood in the midfield. Capello’s England team was able to finish fourth in the World Cup in South Africa because it relied largely on the excellent play of both men, especially George Wood’s successive break outs.
As a result, everyone thought for England to be able to rise again, it was down to these two players. As long as he could contain the play of these two people, then England would be no different from an ordinary strong team.
However, Toshack must have not antic.i.p.ated that Twain did not schedule the appearance of “Gerrard and Wood Duo” in the game. Gerrard was told he would not start in the match, while his replacement for the starting lineup was Wilshere, nominated to be the best player in the previous round of Premier League game between Nottingham Forest and a.r.s.enal.
Gerrard gave no indication to the decision and chose to accept it. He played averagely in the last round of the league, which he himself was aware of. He had nothing to add when the manager did not let him start. He was not the kind of p.r.i.c.kly person who was going to have a big fight with the manager if he did not start in a game. After all these years in the English football world, no one had ever heard of Gerrard being at odds with the manager due to his appearances in games.
Liverpool’s media did not have a fight with Twain this time. From now on, these pro-Liverpool reporters must accept the fact that Gerrard was getting older and his position in the national team was gradually faltering. He would no longer be the flagbearer and symbol of the England team. Even if it were not Tony Twain who was coaching, the fact could not be changed.
The change that Twain made caught Wales off guard.
When Toshack saw in the technical area that the player standing in the midfield together with Wood was Wilshere, and not Gerrard, he lowered his head and uttered a foul word.
Gareth Bale did not care if Gerrard was playing in the game or not. Toshack did not arranged for him to mark Gerrard one-on-one. it did not make an impact on him whether Gerrard was in the game or not.
The live broadcast was playing the national anthems of both teams. Having just finished playing Wales’ , it was now playing England’s .
Making use of this moment, Bale’s eyes looked at Tony Twain in the visiting team’s technical area.
After more than two months had pa.s.sed, he saw his mentor again. But he could only look from afar and not go up to hug him.
He averted his gaze after he looked at Twain for a couple of beats. He knew what the most important thing he had to do now was during this period.
His teammate at the club, George Wood was in the line of players next to him. If there was no other surprise, he would surely be instructed by the boss to mark Aaron Ramsey. The Wales national team depended mainly on Bale and Ramsey. Bale was a full back with limited role and posed a limited threat. Ramsey, on the other hand, was the attacking midfielder and the playmaker who organized the offense. Sometimes he also served as the one who finished the attack.
He understood the boss’s tactical thinking. With regards to such a player, he would not ignore and let go of him. If he especially marked him, then Wales’ offense was left to his own side.
Ramsey was not yet an absolute mainstay at a.r.s.enal. With Wilshere present and in the same position, he was a subst.i.tute player more often than not. Even so, he remained unquestionably a core player in the Wales team.
Toshack’s tactics in this game did not pin their hopes on Ramsey. He knew George Wood must have been a.s.signed to keep an eye on Ramsey, so Ramsey’s activity in the front field was only intended to attract the attention of the England’s defense. With Bale being moved up to the left midfielder position by Toshack for the game, the main attacks would come from his side.
After the game began, Ramsey was indeed quickly marked closely by Wood.
His team lost to a.r.s.enal in the league tournament. He would not fall at the feet of the a.r.s.enal player again in the national team compet.i.tion.
Very soon, Twain could see that Wales’ attack was clearly biased to their left side and he was very clear about what Bale’s position being moved up meant. Because he would do it occasionally when he was at the Forest team.
Cardiff Millennium Stadium was no stranger to the players on both sides. It was here that Twain won his first champions.h.i.+p trophy. So even though it was away game, he had a favorable impression of the pitch and thought that the Millennium Stadium could bring him good luck.
In fact, he did have good luck.
In the beginning, Wales did make use of its home field advantage to create some threatening opportunities when England had still not yet adapted. For example, in the 14th minute, Wood tripped Ramsey and Wales got a direct free kick from twenty-seven meters away from the goal in the right-hand side of the penalty area.
The penalty made Twain nervous. He got up from his seat and walked to the sidelines. His eyes unblinkingly stared at the field.
Bale came up to take the free kick and there was a unison of shouts in the stands at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium to cheer on Bale.
The England team were very careful too. They lined up a six-man human wall.
England might still be a little arrogant and underestimate the opponent if they were to attack in a mobile warfare. But when it turned into a dead ball and Wales was awarded a direct free kick in front of the goal, none of them dared to take it lightly because they all knew how powerful the Welsh number 2 player’s free kick ability was.
Bale’s free kick managed to get around the human wall. It also bypa.s.sed the goalkeeper, Joe Hart’s fingertips. But its arc was too wide, and the football flew out of the end line after a brush with the goalpost.
When the football brushed the side of the net, Twain had even thought that the football had gone in, which really startled him.
Huge cheers also broke out in the stands at the Millennium Stadium. But when they saw Bale lifted his arms up to cover his head in frustration instead of celebrating the goal, they realized that the football did not fly into the goal. They had collectively wasted their joyful expression …
“d.a.m.n it! It was a great opportunity!” Toshack was sorely disappointed that the ball did not go in. He was aware of the disparity in strength between the two teams. If he could be in the lead against the England team at home, then the next game would be easier to play.
Next door, Twain said to his a.s.sistant manager, Des Walker, “There is a saying in China that ‘those who survive a catastrophe are bound to have good fortune later on.’ We’re in luck.”
※※※
The England team, which took its time to warm up in the game, soon launched a siege on the Welsh goal.
Wilshere did not have to think about defense at all. He could devote all his energy to organizing the attack. As a result, the England team’s offensive efficiency had improved a lot.
Any attacking midfielder would want his partner to be George Wood. Because they could be completely free of worries. Without any pressure, they could naturally play at the highest level.
“Wilshere’s beautiful direct plug-in… He bypa.s.sed two defenders from Wales… Unfortunately, Mitch.e.l.l missed the ball because he was too high!”
“This time he personally dribbles the ball to plug in ahead. Beautiful! He shook off the poor James Collins! And he shoots!! Hennessey’s wonderful save rescues Wales’ goal!”
Toshack did make an exceptional arrangement to counter England’s attack. Even though Wilshere’s appearance came as a surprise, there was no let-up in the defense against several key players. England’s attack was full of sound and fury but with little result.
If the situation continued to develop in this way, Wales’ self-confidence would rise, and England would be in trouble. It was their home ground, after all. With more than sixty thousand Welsh fans cheering on and encouraging their team, the momentum was scary.
Twain stood up again from his seat in the technical area. He walked to the sidelines and whistled toward the field. After attracting Wood’s attention, he made a gesture to move forward.
Wood now no longer needed Twain to pull him over to his side and lay out the arrangement in detail. He knew exactly what to do during an attack.
He nodded his head.
So, Twain walked back and sat down.
※※※
In the 40th minute, England was awarded another chance for a corner kick. The two center backs, John Terry and Steven Taylor rushed to the front of the Welsh goal, ready to fight for the header.
Bale noticed Wood dragging at the back near the center circle. He felt slightly rea.s.sured.
He still remembered one of the Forest team’s many corner kick tactics in the past was to arrange for Wood to wait outside the penalty area. Then when the corner kick went straight to the top of the penalty area arc, Wood would try to score a goal amid the chaos after he received the ball and volleyed a shot.
Despite seeing Wood far from the goal, Bale did not completely let his guard down. He did not join his teammates in the penalty area to contain England’s center backs. Instead, he stayed outside the top of the penalty area arc, just in case.
Downing, who was in charge of carrying out the corner kick, raised his right hand and put up three fingers as well, which was the secret signal for their tactics. Different hand gestures had different arrangements, and everyone in the England team must know what tactics these hand gestures corresponded to.
After seeing him raise his hand, it became even more chaotic in front of the Welsh goal, with players from both sides huddled together and tugging at each other aggressively in the corner where the referee could not see.
But Downing did not kick the ball into the penalty area. He directly pa.s.sed it diagonally ahead toward Wilshere, the small guy in the corner of the penalty area.
“Spread out!” The Wales national goalkeeper, Wayne Hennessy yelled and pushed the man in front of him outwards. He was worried that Wilshere would cross the ball, so he wanted to create an offside position.
The players rushed out in a flurry. But Wilshere did not pa.s.s the ball inside. Instead, he turned around and kicked the football diagonally toward the back…
Bale cast a glance to the center circle once again, and he found that Wood was gone!
“George Woooood!!”
The commentator roared.
The disappeared Wood appeared in front of the Wales defensive line which was pressed forward. About thirty meters away from the goal, he received Wilshere’s ball and dribbled forward.
Bale only saw Wood at this time. He could not remind his teammates in time and rushed up on his own.
It was a rare opportunity for him to meet his own club captain head-on in an official arena!
This was not the time to care about their friends.h.i.+p in the club. Bale charged toward Wood’s legs and ferociously shoveled.
Wood certainly saw Bale’s movements – he did it so obviously by charging head-on. He would be blind not to see it.
Instead of shaking Bale off with a feint, Wood directly swung his leg for a long shot first before Bale could kick him or kick the ball!
Although it was not a shot that was ready to be shot, to shoot like this in a football game was many times better than the effect of a shot at the goal after the stance was arranged properly before the leg was lifted to fire a shot.
Because that was the human instinctual reaction. Amid fierce compet.i.tion and lightning quick attack, the body’s instincts were more trustworthy than the composition of the complex and sophisticated brain.
With a m.u.f.fled “pop” sound, the football flew over Bale’s head and stirred up a gust of wind, dropping blades of gra.s.s on his face. He looked back at the football that flew straight to the Welsh goal.
Wood, who finished the shot, landed on the ground a little messily. He made a dodging move in the air. If he did not so, his knee would hit Bale’s face directly. The consequences … would be too horrible to contemplate.
The football he powerfully shot out was like a sh.e.l.l that hit the bullseye in the target in front.
Ten points!
The speed of Hennessy’s save was still slow in the face of this long shot. There were so many people in the penalty area, but no one managed to touch the ball. The football flew straight into the goal!
“George Wood’s signature long shot!! England takes the lead towards the end of the first half!”
Wood fell and laid next to Bale on the ground.
The two men looked at each other.
“Your action just now was too dangerous.” Wood said to Bale, and then he got up from the ground. He waved his fists to celebrate his goal.
Bale laid on the ground with his face to the sky, watching countless feet appear and disappear from his line of sight. The cheers of the England players rang out in his ears.
He spat out a breath as his hands formed into fists. He grabbed a clump of turf and swore, “d.a.m.n it, so lame…”
※※※
Seeing Wood score, Twain rose from his seat for the third time. He raised his arms high and hugged Des Walked next to him in celebration. No matter what kind of game they were playing, to be able to score a goal first and take the lead over the opponent was something worth celebrating.
After the halftime interval, the two sides changed sides and fought again.
Wales still relied on Bale’s offensive on his side. So, Twain adjusted his approach. Instead of strengthening the defense on the right side, he stepped up the offensive. The huge defensive pressure forced Bale to have no choice but to reduce the number of times he stepped in on the attacks. More often than not, he helped the defenders at the back and played more like a full back than a winger.
Toshack was a little disgruntled by it. But what could he do? England was in full attack mode and his players naturally had to stabilize their defense first.
Unfortunately, they could not hold on…
Following which, the game entered England’s...o...b..t.
Ramsey was entangled by Wood. While at the same time, Wood still had the energy to step forward and be involved in the attacks. Even a long shot from him was enough to make the Welsh players panic at the slightest move, let alone his superb long pa.s.ses. Wilshere’s and his combination of long and short pa.s.ses had left the Welsh team weary and struggling.
England scored another goal in the second half. The goalscorer was Walcott. At the time when England was fighting back, he dribbled the ball and raced over fifty meters. No one in Wales could catch up with him, and a crowd of people looked on helplessly as he left them in the dust. He swung past the goalkeeper and kicked the ball into the empty goal.
Twain gave his opponent a vivid knowledge of the disparity in their strength as compared to England with Walcott’s gallop of fifty meters.
The game eventually ended with a 2:0 score. England comfortably beat Wales at the Millennium Stadium. With two wins in two games, they had the same six points as Denmark. But they had more net goals and now England was at the top of the group.
Gareth Bale played the entire game. After the game ended, he did not exchange his jersey with his opponent, but went straight to the visiting team’s technical area.
Twain was celebrating the victory with his a.s.sistant manager at the time. Suddenly he heard someone calling him from behind.
“Boss.”
He turned his head around to find that it was Bale. The sweat-soaked little monkey looked like he had just been fished out of the water. The hairstyle which he had always cared the most about was stuck close to the scalp at this time. His hair was completely out of style.
“Gareth. You okay?” Twain laughed.
“Not good at all. Your team just beat us.” Bale pursed his lips tightly while he opened his arms at the same time and asked, “Can I have a hug with you?”
“Of course.” Twain also greeted him with open arms.
“I’m all good!” As he let go, Bale smiled at Twain and said, “Now I don’t have to envy them anymore. Boss, why is Bentley not here?”
Twain wondered why he asked about the opposing player. But he still replied, “His form has been average, and we have too many midfielders, so we did not pick him.”
Hearing the boss say so, Bale laughed happily, “Now I have a reason to laugh at him when I get back!”
With that, he said to Twain, “Goodbye, boss. I’ve got to go back there…” He pointed to the pitch, looking a little forlorn.
Twain rubbed his head and said, “Do a good job, Gareth. Try your best to lead Wales to the UEFA European Football Champions.h.i.+p.”
“We’re in the same group, boss…”
“The second-best team in the group can play in the play-offs.” Twain winked at Bale and added, “I hope to see you in the Welsh red jersey playing in Spain in two years’ time.”
He reached out his hand.
Bale high-fived him and said, “We’ll be there!” He even shouted at Twain as he turned and ran away, “We’ll definitely go!” He raised his fist and waved.
“Do you believe Wales can advance to the next round?” asked Walker next to him, “There were still Denmark and Serbia in the same group. If Freddy had not retired, maybe…”
“Hope is always a good thing.” Twain walked straight to the middle. He had to shake hands with the Wales manager.
※※※
Ramsey was looking for Wood to exchange his jersey. He said to him, “Okay, George. You had marked me for ninety minutes, and I had gotten over it. Come on, let’s swap the jerseys! What are you hesitating about? Still thinking about the last round of the league tournament? That had nothing to do with me…”
Then Wood took off his wet jersey and handed it to Ramsey.
“Wow!” Ramsey took the jersey and exclaimed, “It’s so heavy with water! Aren’t you tired?”
伍德没理他,直接从拉姆塞另外一只手上抢过他的球衣,搭在肩上.
Wood ignored him. He directly grabbed the other jersey directly from Ramsey’s other hand and put it on his shoulder.
“We’ll see each other in the league tournament. The next time we’ll be at our home ground, so we won’t lose to you.” With a toss of the remark, he turned and walked away.
Ramsey looked at his back and muttered, “This petty guy can really hold a grudge!”
※※※
“Tony Twain has led the England team to win their second UEFA European Champions.h.i.+p Qualifying game. England is currently at the top of the group with six goals and zero goal concede. It looks like they have no problem to advance to the next round. The English press must be starting to proclaim that England is the strongest team in history this time, isn’t it?” The television commentator in Wales said sourly.
“Good luck to them.”