Godfather Of Champions

When Twain returned to the field, he felt that something was off, but he could not pinpoint why at that moment.

It was not until he saw Rijkaard walking out of the tunnel and looking up at the sky that he finally realized.

He looked up at the night sky too.

The rain had stopped.

He widened his eyes and reached out his hands. There was not a single raindrop on his cheeks or palms.

It was windy over the field and he could even see the dark clouds in the night sky rolling away.

The quagmire that Barcelona was bound by was gone. Luck had changed.

“Dammit… Dammit…” Twain muttered as he looked up.

The weather condition that was most conducive for them had become beneficial to their opponent.

Without the heavy rain and with the drainage capability of the Stade de France, the field would soon not be as slippery as it was in the first half. By that time…

He did not dare to think about it any further.

“Tony, what’s going on?” Walking up from behind him, David Kerslake went past Twain and found him still standing where he was.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go, David.” Twain did not want anyone to know his inner concerns.

※※※

“Ladies and gentlemen. Join us live at the final game of the 05-06 season UEFA Champions League! The contending teams are England’s Nottingham Forest and Spain’s Barcelona. It’s now the second half of the game the score stands at 1:0 with Nottingham Forest in the lead for now.”

After the game began, Rijkaard used “The Pale Knight,” Iniesta, to replace the defensive midfielder Edmílson. This replacement clearly meant that they would continue to strengthen their offense and gain complete control of the midfield. Rijkaard believed that the Forest team would stick to defense in the second half. In that case, it would be a waste to place their defensive midfielder in the midfield. Bringing on the technically skilled Iniesta could continue to create pressure on the Forest team’s defensive line.

Barcelona besieged Nottingham Forest as they had in the first half while the Forest team huddled in the penalty area to defend. Perhaps such a game was entertaining to watch for the viewers who liked Barcelona, as they could watch the performances of star players such as Ronaldinho, see Barcelona press on their opponents, and did not even need to worry about Barcelona’s defensive line. The Forest team simply did not have the capacity to attack within the thirty-meter zone of Barcelona.

Barcelona fully dominated the game. The situation of Nottingham Forest whereby they were so hammered that they could only ward off the attacks but were unable to fight back had made many Forest supporters break out in a cold sweat. But Twain was not worried about that at all.

Although the Forest team was on the defensive, only the experts could see that they held their own very well with their three lines still tight and not ripped apart by Barcelona’s attacks. As long as the Forest team held its ground, Barcelona would not stand a chance. Despite their onslaught, it was actually more bark than bite.

Nottingham Forest had used this tactic to play for two seasons. And now they were in their element in the Champions League final.

“It looks like Manager Twain is determined to hold until the end of the game, which is the situation he’s best at dealing with, even though the second half is only just beginning…” There was a hint of mockery in the commentator’s tone.

Barcelona also did not seem to have a better way to deal with the Forest team’s tight defensive formation. Ronaldinho found it almost an impossible task when he had wanted to break through the Forest team’s three-tier line of defense with his individual technique. Under such tight defense, there was no room for Eto’o to accelerate faster to shake them off.

Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes went by. Barcelona was getting increasingly irritable.

They had one more player than their opponent. Still, they were behind and unable to break through. It would be peculiar if they did not become impatient when faced with that situation.

Tremendous pressure hung over the heads of the Barcelona players. If they could not win this game in the end, they would be the laughing stock of all of Europe. They were stronger than their opponent, they had more players than their opponent, and they had the upper hand in the game but had let the Forest team’s one sneak attack win them the game.

Being everyone’s favorite to win the title was an honor and validation, but a form of pressure at the same time.

※※※

Twain saw that Barcelona’s players had begun to get impatient, and the tension in his face finally relaxed. This was a good sign.

As the game progressed, as long as the Forest team continued to keep it that way, Barcelona would be on the edge even more. At that time, the hotheaded Eto’o could be counted on to act rashly.

It would be fantastic if he acted rashly! Twain liked his opponents to be reckless, especially the opposing strikers.

He was not the slightest bit afraid of opponents who relied on brute force to play football.

The Forest team intercepted the ball successfully and launched an offensive. Albertini’s long pass sought out Viduka, this lighthouse in the front field. Viduka competed for the header against Márquez and lobbed the football to Arteta who quickly plugged in. The Forest team switched from defense to offense.

They were not blindly focused on defense. They must fight back to continue to harass their opponents so that Barcelona would not dare not to mount full pressure on them. This was already a cliché. Even if Twain did not speak, the Forest players knew what to do.

Arteta did not stop the ball well, allowing Puyol to intercept it, which was immediately followed by a counterattack from Barcelona. At this time, due to the offense switch on the right flank, the Forest team’s defense in the rear was not tight and had a lot of empty space to be exploited.

Puyol did not hesitate to drive the ball directly forward immediately, and the football rolled to Iniesta’s foot.

As the Forest players focused their attention on Eto’o and Ronaldinho, Iniesta charged ahead. After he received the football, he simply turned around and shook off Albertini. Then, when he faced Piqué’s tackle and attempt to snatch, he astutely poked the football out and jumped to evade. Only Pepe and the goalkeeper, Paul Gerrard, were in front of him at this time.

“Barcelona has a chance! Iniesta… Iniesta! He bypasses two players!”

Pepe was situated in an acceptable position and had a lot of confidence with this one-on-one. Iniesta saw that Pepe cautiously followed him at the back to guard against his surprise attack, so he did not choose to force a breakthrough. Instead, he suddenly swung his leg to shoot just outside the penalty area!

The football brushed along the turf and rolled towards the goal. The highly focused Paul Gerrard dropped to the ground and took the ball in his arms.

“Paul Gerrard pounced on Iniesta’s shot! This could have been a great opportunity for Barcelona, but Iniesta’s shot was too delicate!”

Pepe yelled at the back, “Don’t give them that chance again!”

But what was the use? The Forest team could not retreat into the penalty area and stay there for forty-five minutes. They had to fight their way out and press on.

Iniesta’s breakthrough just now should have been terminated by Albertini; If it were George Wood in that position, he would certainly not hesitate to foul.

※※※

“Tony, we need to fight back,” Kerslake cautioned after that gripping scene on the field.

“Of course… If we have the spare energy.” Twain still insisted on solid defense first.

“A single goal lead cannot secure anything.”

“It’s not easy to get even a single goal lead on Barcelona, David.” With that, Twain got up from his seat and headed for the substitutes’ bench. “Freddy, go warm up.”

Eastwood jumped out of his seat, tossed his jacket, and ran out.

After his instruction, Twain returned to his seat in the coaches’ area.

Kerslake smiled. “Ready for a replacement?”

“No, it’s just in case. I don’t expect Viduka to score in front. His job isn’t to score goals. He’s supposed to be a nail fixed in Barcelona’s defensive line so that they don’t act lightly. But if I want to make a change, he’s the only one I can change.”

Kerslake nodded to show that he understood Twain’s thinking.

The Forest team could hardly move in the middle of the backfield because the current defensive system set up was well organized. To simply change players would likely to reveal loopholes for Barcelona to seize.

Therefore, if he wanted to seek change and shift the current passive situation to be more aggressive, the only position he could move was the forward line.

Thinking of it, he turned his head to look at Anelka, sitting on the bench. The French striker had been reticent since he was replaced and did not have any interaction with the others during the halftime interval. He just sat alone in the corner, looking extremely gloomy.

Anelka was actually a good player for counterattacks. If he was not in the starting lineup, then he would be Twain’s first candidate for consideration at this point. It was unfortunate that Edwin van der Sar’s red card had changed the fate of several people.

※※※

Freddy Eastwood was on the sidelines doing his warm-up and staring intently at the field. He focused all of his attention on the game.

When he played at the West Ham United youth team, his biggest dream was to play in a real, professional tournament and become a professional footballer. Later, after his leg was broken by a kick in the game against Nottingham Forest youth team, his only wish was to be able to play again during the half a year after that, which he went to an amateur team for.

He had never thought that all of this would happen.

Twain had come knocking at his door, and he’d become a real professional player. Appearing in a game against Sunderland in the English Football League Championship, he had played in a real professional game. In that game, he had succeeded twice and scored the first two goals of his professional career. Six months later, the team not only managed to be promoted to the English Premier League but also defeated Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup, where he held up the first championship trophy of his career as a main player.

And now he was warming up at the side of Stade de France. Would this high-profile game be another first in his life?

The team was in trouble. Viduka only had one tactical role in the front: to curb the opposing forces. He could not pose a real threat to Barcelona’s goal. Why did the manager ask him to warm up? He would certainly bring him on to play. And why would he bring him onto the field? If he wanted him to still hold back the opposing forces, Eastwood believed the strong Viduka could do a better job.

Obviously, if he were to play, it must be that the manager was unhappy with the situation and demanded more goals. He wanted to bring him on to score goals and really threaten Barcelona’s goal.

What would he do at that point?

While warming up, Eastwood thought about how to change the situation on the field.

※※※

Even though Iniesta’s shot did not score, it brought confidence to the Barcelona players. Soon after, they launched a more violent offensive against the Forest team’s goal.

Deco dribbled the football along the edge of the front of the penalty area, swung his left leg at an angle, and volleyed a shot. Paul Gerrard was barely able to press the football to the ground. Viduka tackled van Bommel after he lost the ball in the midfield and was shown a yellow card by the referee. Twain was equally dissatisfied with that decision. Ever since van der Sar was sent off with a red card, Twain would yell on the sidelines for a while every time the referee made a decision against the Forest team. This time the slow motion showed that Twain’s anger made sense because Viduka shoveled the ball first.

Next, Iniesta made a direct pass in the middle and Ronaldinho was tripped to the ground by Pepe. Barcelona was awarded another free kick at the penalty arc. The free kick by his right foot hit Arteta in the human wall and bounced back. Arteta held his stomach and fell to the ground. Ronaldinho did not mean to kick the football out. He volleyed the shot when he received the ball and this time the football ricocheted off the goal.

Ronaldinho then fooled Chimbonda, who defended against him, with a beautiful feint on the left side of the penalty area. That action won him a loud applause from the stands. After he broke past Chimbonda, he made his shot. This time, the goalkeeper Paul Gerrard made a crucial save again. He unconsciously raised his hands and struck the football, which then deviated from its predetermined trajectory. Eto’o threw himself into nothing in the middle.

“Paul Gerrard—Ahh! Saved by his fingertips!”

Barcelona’s offensive was not over yet. Following that, van Bronckhorst’s cross pass from the sidelines was headed out by Pepe and Deco’s long shot was steadily saved by Paul Gerrard.

The rain had stopped in Paris but the storm in front of Nottingham Forest’s goal became stronger.

“We can’t go on like this,” Twain muttered.

Kerslake knew what Twain was going to do. He ran straight to the area where the players warmed up and called Eastwood back. There was no time for delay.

Twain turned his head and froze when he saw Eastwood already standing by his side.

Until the Romani Gypsy asked him first, “Chief, is it my turn to play?”

“Ah… Well, yes. Freddy. You’ll replace Viduka as the only striker. But your mission is different from Viduka’s. I want you to go up and try your best to score.” Twain pointed with his index finger. “One goal, just one more and Barcelona will collapse.”

Eastwood nodded with a smile. This was exactly as he had anticipated.

“I will, chief.”

“Let’s go out there!” Twain slapped him on the back and pushed him out.

※※※

“Nottingham Forest makes an adjustment. Manager Twain uses Freddy Eastwood to replace Mark Viduka. This is a change in the offense! Looks like Tony Twain is not willing to lead with just one goal. He wants to get more goals and a higher score! This is a bold move, considering how hard-pressed their defense is. They still want to make a change in their offense under these circumstances?”

“This manager has become the focus of attention at home in England with his wildly unpredictable manner. He has shown that side of himself again in the Champions League final.”

Viduka took big gulps of air as he high-fived Eastwood, came off, and shook hands with Twain. For his part, Eastwood ran onto the field and conveyed specific information about the adjustment to the midfielders. Judging by his gestures, it seemed to be about getting the midfielders to do short and direct passes as much as possible.

Eastwood’s advantage was that he was a technical all-rounder and flexible. He was evenly spread out in different areas. He was quick, his shooting was superb, he had remarkable awareness and a menacing long shot. It was employing his talent to the fullest by getting him to shoot as the lone striker.

Eastwood had played for less than two minutes when he snatched a chance right in the front.

This was really a “snatch.”

The Forest team charged forward as Márquez headed the football back to Oleguer at the front of their own penalty area. Oleguer faced Márquez as he went to receive the ball, but the gap between him and the ball was a little wide when he stopped it.

The agile Eastwood ran towards Oleguer when he saw Márquez jump up to prepare for the header. Oleguer’s position was the closest to Márquez and also the most convenient direction for him to head the ball. There was, of course, Puyol on the other side, but Arteta was not far from him and Márquez’s back faced Puyol. It was too risky to head the ball behind.

Eastwood judged correctly. Oleguer received the ball, but because he did not know what was going on behind him, his stopping of the ball was a little sloppy. The ball stopped a little farther from his body.

When Márquez saw Eastwood charge up, it was too late to remind his teammate aloud. Oleguer only felt a hand on his body and then saw a yellow figure running past him.

The ball was intercepted!

“Nottingham Forest intercepted the ball in the front field! Eastwood has just come on and he has already grabbed Oleguer’s ball. His stopping was clumsy!”

“Eastwood! A chance for Nottingham Forest—”

The Barcelona fans booed in the stands. Those noises were interwoven with cheers from the Nottingham Forest fans.

Márquez wanted to extend his leg to block, but Eastwood drove the ball and bypassed him. He had already entered the penalty area! Puyol dashed from behind to press towards Eastwood. Márquez was unwilling to be bypassed just like that. He turned around and gave chase.

The goalkeeper, Valdés, quickly closed in on the corner to block the angle of Eastwood’s shot.

Eastwood was strangely calm, sandwiched between his opponents front and back. He did not give the Barcelona players the chance to completely encircle him. He suddenly swung his leg to shoot at a narrow angle.

“And he shoots!”

The Barcelona goalkeeper, Valdés, quickly reacted. He jumped up and slammed Eastwood’s shot narrowly out of the crossbar with a single palm!

“Valdés saves the team!”

When he saw Eastwood’s shot being thrown out by Valdés, Twain grabbed his head with both hands and nearly struck the coach’s seat. It was a great opportunity which no one had expected to come so easily. But it was a shame not to grab hold of it!

“That’s too bad! Nottingham Forest did not increase their score and Barcelona managed to escape this one. But this gave them a wake-up call; while they tried to press on to equalize the score, Nottingham Forest did not give up the hunt for another goal. They were lying in wait! Tony Twain wanted more goals to lock in the victory.”