Godfather Of Champions

“Mr. Fasal.” Shania found her agent who was reading alone in the living room.

“Ah, Shania, what’s the matter?” Fasal took off his glasses and looked back at her.

“Can I take two days off?”

“It will soon be the filming of your scenes, Shania …” Fasal had somewhat of a headache when he heard this request. He stood up and explained to Shania.

“When exactly?”

“The crew’s plan is to film your scenes on the 22nd.”

When she heard Fasal say so, Shania wrinkled her eyebrows and the tip of her nose turned up. She looked lovely even when she fretted.

Fasal guessed her intention to take a leave of absence, but he did not reveal, “Where are you thinking of visiting?”

“Moscow, Russia.”

Fasal smiled, “If it’s just to watch a game, one day is enough.”

Shania wanted to look for Twain after the game. Now it looked like time did not permit her to do so. She sighed, “Yeah, if it’s just to watch a game, there’s plenty of time. Help me book two tickets to Moscow, Mr. Fasal.”

“Two? I’m not going …” Fasal thought Shania was going to drag him to the game, but he actually had a lot of work to do himself. With Shania away, someone must be in charge of contacting the various parties here, must he not?

He did not expect Shania to roll her eyes and said, “They are for Clarice and myself.”

“Did she received a ticket too?” Fasal suddenly realized that it was Clarice Gloria, Twain’s friend. It was due to this relationship that Shania was also familiar with her.

“Yes.” Shania nodded.

“Sure, not a problem. As for Tony…”

Shania waved her hands and said, “You mustn’t tell him.”

“You want to give him a surprise?”

“No.” Shania smiled, “I just don’t want him to be distracted.”

※※※

A day before the game, Nottingham Forest held its last tactical meeting in the meeting room at the hotel where they were staying.

They would analyze the tactics and player combinations Chelsea might use in the final during this meeting, and what Nottingham Forest’s countermeasures would be. In addition to the manager’s on-field command, whether they could win in the game, would depend on the outcomes of this meeting. This was the concentrated embodiment of the entire coaching unit’s wisdom.

At this time, Dunn usually took centerstage, and Twain was only responsible for sitting on one side to listen.

Dunn spoke fluently in English with a Nottingham accent. He was very familiar with the English football and extremely proficient in the technical jargon. As for his performance in the usual work, there was simply no need for much nonsense. The English guys at the Nottingham Forest Football Club could not figure out how Tony Twain could encounter such a talent while he learnt conversational Mandarin through MSN online. Could it be that China was filled with such football geniuses in the country? It obviously did not make sense. Otherwise why was the level of Chinese football declining every year?

It could only be said that Tony Twain’s luck was surprisingly good!

“… Based on the intelligence gathered over the past few days, we speculate that Chelsea will send such a starting lineup in the final—” Dunn pointed to the tactical board as he said and drew Chelsea’s possible squad list to the players, “It’s Čech as the goalkeeper. The center backs are Terry and Carvalho, and the left-back is Ashley Cole, who returns from his injury. The right back is …”

The right back had always been a weak spot for Chelsea. Even though Mourinho had worked considerably on it during his time, the players whom he bought had always been less than satisfactory.

“We think it’s going to be Essien.” This was the result of a discussion by the coaching staff. The players would not know how this result came about and it was useless to tell them. They just needed to know an answer. At the time of the discussion, there was disagreement within the coaching unit about the pick for the right back.

Kerslake believed what Grant lacked was experience in the team, so he should send the former Barcelona player Belletti, who had experience in the UEFA Champions League final, as the starting right back. His view had been endorsed by half of the coaches. After all, what Chelsea lacked the most now was really experience.

But Dunn had a different opinion. He believed that Belletti’s state was unstable and he was too old. In such a fierce final, his presence would become a weak spot for Chelsea instead. On the contrary, Essien, who was used by Mourinho as a utility player, was more likely to appear in this position, not to mention that he had played as the left and right as well center backs when he first started playing. There was no question about his unsuitability.

Twain eventually came forward to make a decisive opinion. He said, “If Chelsea send Belletti, then their right wing will be the area we focus on attacking. Grant must have known how sharp Nottingham Forest’s flank offense is. While Belletti’s defense is completely of a different level as compared to Essien, forget about how big that guy talked before the game. When the final is being played, he is bound to be steady, at least in defense. So Essien, who is good at defense and has outstanding stamina, is more likely to be in the position of the starting right back.”

“Lampard, Makelele, Ballack, and Joe Cole will be starting in the midfield. The forwards are Malouda and Drogba. It looks like the 4-4-2 formation, but it can turn into 4-3-3 once the game starts. Joe Cole’s position moved forward into a winger and Drogba is in the middle. He and Malouda are each on the left and right. Three players stand parallel in the midfield.”

Having finished with Chelsea, it was the time to release Nottingham Forest’s starting lineup. That was what the Forest players were most concerned about. It was an honor to play in the Champions League final.

The Champions League final was not the same as the league tournament. The rotation system could not be easily utilized. The strongest squad must naturally be deployed.

“The goalkeeper is Edwin van der Sar.” This was without a doubt. As long as the experienced Edwin van der Sar had no injuries and in a stable form, he must be the main force. No matter how talented Akinfeev was, he could only be a substitute.

“Pepe and Piqué, you’re the center backs and both of your main tasks are to clamp down on Drogba. Don’t let him get active and use your physical advantage to squeeze him out of the box. Don’t give him a chance to shoot. Tony does not want to see him on the field in the final.”

The two people nodded to show that they understood their mission.

“The full backs are Gareth Bale on the left and Rafinha on the right.” This was a lineup of full backs full of attacking force. It should be completely clear from this area what Twain had in mind—he wanted to suppress Chelsea’s two flanks in the final with his offense on the sides.

“In the midfield, we have George Wood, van der Vaart, Ribéry and …” Speaking up to here, Dunn paused a little. He looked up at Twain sat next to him, and then continued, “Lennon.”

This decision was a little surprising. Beckham was hurt, but after all, it was only a minor injury. It had not reached the point of him not being to go on the field. However, under the long-standing strict disciplinary requirements, there was no hubbub in the meeting room over this. Other than Lennon himself was somewhat startled, the others looked as per normal.

Dunn was still reading the starting list while Twain secretly observed everyone’s expression, hoping to learn about their inner thoughts through the subtle changes in their expressions. In the moment the name “Lennon” came out, a look of disappointment instantly flashed across David Beckham’s face. This tiny change did not escape Twain’s eyes.

“The forwards are van Nistelrooy and Eastwood.”

The Danish kid Bendtner waited patiently until the end but did not hear his name. Unlike Beckham, his disappointment was displayed in his speech.

It was an admirable achievement that Nottingham Forest had advanced into the Champions League final for three consecutive seasons since the 05-06 season when he joined the Forest team four seasons ago. But for Bendtner himself, it was not worth mentioning, because not once was he in the starting lineup … As a star of tomorrow with high hopes pinned onto him, this treatment was a little humiliating … He was the main striker in the Denmark national team and yet he had no chance of being in the starting lineup at Nottingham Forest.

When Viduka left, he once thought his future at Nottingham Forest was bright. He did not think that Tony Twain would change hands and bought van Nistelrooy whom Manchester United did not want! In this way, as a powerful center forward too, he was again forced to accept the reality that he could only be a substitute for van Nistelrooy. At first he thought with the increasing age of van Nistelrooy, his state would certainly decline. Then it would be his chance to rise. He did not expect …this old gun, van Nistelrooy progressively played better in Nottingham Forest, and only injuries could beat him down. For nearly two years, he only had minor injuries that were not enough to affect his form and playing time.

At this thought, Bendtner suddenly felt that his future at Nottingham Forest was gloomy …

Twain was still observing when Dunn had begun to explain the Forest team’s specific tactics in the game.

“… We will hold fast to defense in the starting fifteen minutes of the game. Then the two full backs will actively plugged in. George Wood will move back in the midfield while van der Vaart will move up to the attacking midfielder position. Ribéry’s and Lennon’s position will slightly shift inward. Dunn drew the team’s formation on the tactical board as he spoke. The shape of a rhombus was in the midfield. But unlike the general classic 4-4-2 diamond formation, this diamond layout was not too elongated in that the distance between the attacking and defensive midfielders were widened. In fact, it appeared to erect the elongated diamond formation.

With Ribéry and Lennon retreated inward, they became the relay stations connecting the defensive and attacking midfielders on the midline while also giving way to the forward plug of the two full backs. In the actual game, if they plugged in straight ahead, it would directed in front of Chelsea’s flanks. If they moved obliquely, they could go to the sides and also go to the middle. In short, they could decide according to the situation on the field and become very flexible. And van der Vaart would be very close to the frontline position, so his task was not to be a playmaker, but only be responsible for the final pass, or direct long shot. In that case, who was responsible to be the playmaker?

“George.” Twain stood up and took over from Dunn to say, “The positions in the game have to be much more flexible than what they are now on the tactical board. You are the starting point for defense to turn into offense, so you’re the playmaker.”

George Wood was a little surprised. To let him organize the offense in such an important game, was Tony Twain all right in his mind?

But Twain did not explain further. After this, he just sat down again and gave the lead back to Dunn.

The tactical meeting went on, but some people had become distracted …

※※※

After the meeting, the players left the meeting room in succession. Twain stopped David Beckham to speak to him in private.

Everyone knew why Twain has asked Beckham to stay behind. It must be due to that starting list. He might have to explain. Bendtner turned his head and looked at Twain and Beckham, who remained in the meeting room. He was somewhat jealous. Why was it that he too was not on the starting list, but Beckham alone was asked to stay behind to listen to the manager’s explanation and not himself? This really a reality that was unacceptable to him …

Everyone left, and Bendtner stood at the door of the meeting room to watch it being closed. At which point, he reluctantly turned and walked away.

In the empty meeting room, Beckham sat across from Tony Twain each other. He looked at Twain opposite and said, “You asked to see him because of the starting list, boss?”

“You don’t have to call me ‘boss’ when it’s just the two of us here. Just call me ‘Tony.’” Twain scratched his head and wondered in his mind how to better broach the subject. “Well, I know you may be a little disappointed with that.”

“To be honest, I am a little. Although I’m old, I’m still eager to play in the Champions League final again. But I know you must have your reasons for this arrangement. You’re the manager. Although we are good friends, I and you have the same attitude when it comes to the games.”

What kind of attitude? It was to put the team’s requirements as the priority. Beckham was a world-class star player, but there had never been a scandal in his career that had him contradicted the team’s manager because he wanted to get a chance to play. On the one hand, he always had a steady stream of appearances, and on the other hand, it had to do with his work ethics.

Twain was grateful to Beckham for understanding him in this way. Everyone knew he had a good personal relationship with Beckham. If Beckham used this relationship to coerce Twain to give him a steady starting position, then Twain would not be able to manage the team, because the team would be divided into two factions like “the manager’s cronies” and “general relationship with the manager.” At that time, a division would be inevitable.

Fortunately, Beckham had never done anything like this to make the manager lose every scrap of his reputation.

“Yes, the only reason is a tactical need. Lennon has the ability to plug forward. He and Ribéry can fully disrupt Chelsea’s defense on both sides …”

Beckham did not speak. He did not plan to make a case for himself to play. Anyway, he had to abide by what the manager decided. In his final season at Real Madrid, Capello did not like him, so he put him on the bench. He could only silently accepted it. He only chose to leave at the end.

Twain was also aware how cruel it was to do this to a veteran eager prove himself again. This could probably be the last chance of his career to stand on the field of the Champions League finals, but he could only be a spectator.

“But you’re on the substitutes’ list.” This might be a comfort as he said, “It’s also a tactical need, so I may bring you on. After all, your long shots and passes can still cause Chelsea a lot of trouble.”

Beckham smiled.

Twain felt something was wrong, and he asked Beckham, “Is there a problem?”

“Don’t you think it’s not good for you to do this, Tony?” Beckham said.

“Not good? Which area do you mean that is not so good?”

“You specifically ask me to stay behind to tell me not to worry about not being on the field, that I’m on the list of substitutes and that I have a chance.”

“Er …” Twain still did not quite understand what Beckham meant.

“Tony, what would those players who did not get on the starting list think?”

“Oh!” Twain finally realized.

“Don’t do this next time. I’m not a kid who doesn’t know anything. Although you always say to treat everyone equally, sometimes I think you don’t treat me like an ordinary player.”

Twain looked at Beckham and laughed foolishly. Ah of course, as a fan watching you grow up, you have been with me for more than ten years of my youth. Although I try my best not to, I also can’t completely think of you as a regular player …

Like Albertini, some people have long left an indelible mark on my short twenty-six years of life. I watched them appear for the first time in professional football as a tender teenager, and watched them victorious, win championships and gorgeous women in their arms. Then I watched their experiences of failure and frustration and eventually slowly fade out of people’s minds in the face of the pain and injuries…

You say, David, how can I think of you as an ordinary player? I express that in words because I do not want to let my feelings completely overwhelm my rationale.

Your signed contract with me is only for two years. You said that if you can still play two years later, you have to go to the United States to accompany your wife. Because Victoria gave up her two years to satisfy your selfishness and you have to give back to her in double. Now, there’s only one year left. I sent off Albertini a year ago. What gift should I give you as a send-off a year later?

I can’t say what will happen in the future. So, just for this year, it will be the game tomorrow.

“If there’s nothing else, can I go back?” Beckham asked.

Twain snapped back to reality and nodded, “Get a good night’s sleep, David so that you have energy tomorrow.”

“You think of me as a rookie again.” Beckham helplessly gave a wry smile.

“Ah … I’m sorry.” Twain tapped his forehead. “Bye, David.”

“Bye … boss.” That was what Beckham said when he went out and closed the door.

※※※

Only when Twain was alone in the meeting room, did he sit down and lean on the back of the chair, breathing a long breath.

Another final showdown was impending. How many such showdowns had he experienced since he somehow transmigrated here and became the manager of this team? He could not keep count for a long time. At first he would think of them as his first, second, third match. Later, it became—which number is this? Who cares about that! All I have to do is win!

Yes, quantity is meaningless. Only the results are valuable. In the next ten, twenty years, I will also experience more such showdowns. It’s really stupid to rue over such a thing.

This is just a small step in my coaching career.

Twain got up from his chair, turned off the lights and walked out the door.