94 Let Me Play Part 2 (1/2)

Chapter 94: Let Me Play Part 2

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Tang En did not know what they were saying on Arsenal's side. He only took a quick glance and found that Wenger did not replace Brady to exercise his managerial authority. Instead he just stood to a side with his arms folded across his chest and watched the young Arsenal youth team players gathered around to hear Brady talk. So, he turned his attention back to his team.

”I don't think you need me to say anything more, do you? Do you all know what I like?”

”Victory!” Morgan growled, and his teammates immediately loudly agreed.

”Very good! Arsenal is not weak, but we are also very strong. It has rained every day for a while now, and I have not asked you to train indoors. When you were soaking wet from the rain and rolling on the muddy ground, battered and exhausted, and could only swallow your misery and only complain in your hearts, did you ever think that maybe we should let our opponents have a taste of that feeling?”

Although the players were shaking their heads, the excited looks on their faces were obvious.

”That's right! The Arsenal boys didn't think of it either! Go and give them a surprise, lads!”

”Forest! Forest! Victory!” The players roared together in a huddle and ran out to the field.

Wenger's attention was caught by the shouts coming from the Forest team. He turned to look at them but met Twain's gaze as he happened to be observing him at the same time.

When Wenger found that Twain was looking at him, he turned his gaze back. But Tang En was still staring at the Frenchman as if he wanted to see through him.

Arsène Wenger... We'll have a direct fight someday.

After the start of the match, the Arsenal youth team found it difficult to adapt to the terrible field condition. Many of their usually successful coordinated plays became misses because of the field.

The force of their passing diminished. The football would roll several times before it stopped in the mud. If they used too much force to kick it forward, it might directly fly out of the line. If they ran too quickly, they could not brake in time, and if they ran too slowly, they then simply could not receive the ball.

After half an hour, the score was still 0:0. The score had not changed, but their clean yellow Arsenal jerseys for the away match had almost turned black.

At the 32nd minute, the Forest team players seemed to have a little problem with their physical strength. The pace of their attack slowed down, and they began to pass the ball back and forth in the backfield. At this point, the increasingly impatient Arsenal players rushed over the halfway line like a swarm of bees, hoping to score a goal before the end of the first half. They had not expected to be trapped in a quagmire with their opponents.

Wenger raised his eyebrows at the sight of his players' show of impatience. But he did not make a sound to alert Brady who was standing on the sidelines and directing the match by shouting and yelling.

When Senderos pushed past the center circle after they could not be held back any longer, the only Arsenal player left, other than the goalkeeper, Craig Holloway, was only one center back, Franklin Simek, with a wide expanse of empty space all around him.

Wes Morgan intercepted Arsenal's Czech midfielder Papadopulos' pass and then drove the ball straight forward. For the many young Arsenal players, they were blindsided and had to scramble to kick the ball out of penalty area to crack their opponents' offensive. But who was in front of them? The Forest players were almost all huddled up in the backfield, playing defense.

They thought it was good that there was really no one from the Forest team on that side. But they did not know that the Forest team had a fast striker—Spencer Weir-Daley!

This single-handed tactic of having the full back driving the ball and doing a long pass to the striker was a drill that Tang En often ran during training. But because Weir-Daley was almost useless except that he ran fast, the success rate was not high. This did not change Tang En's mind, and he insisted on this tactic. Even if it only succeeded once out of a hundred times, as long as he scored this one time at the most critical moment!

Like now...

Weir-Daley quickly ran past Senderos' side, and he seemed completely unaffected by the muddy ground. Senderos was so shocked that he wanted to turn around and chase after the Forest player who was so fast he could not see his jersey number, but he was struck in the face by a blob of upturned mud.

The ball was still in the air and Weir-Daley had already run past the midfield. He was approaching the opponent's 30-meter zone.

John and the others on the sidelines cheered loudly and cheered Weir-Daley on.

”Run, Lad! You can do it!”

The Arsenal full back, Simek, had just started to come up to stop the ball when his feet slipped out from under him. Then he looked up in despair at Weir-Daley sweeping past him from the side.

”Keep running!!”

Weir-Daley, who had received the ball, had only one player left in front of him now—the goalkeeper, Holloway. His opponent already behind him, the rest was simple. Amidst the loud cries from the crowd on the sidelines, Weir-Daley easily moved past Holloway, who had lost his center of gravity, and shot the ball into the empty goal!

The ball was in! The ball was in!

The Nottingham Forest youth team led in the third round of the FA Youth Cup against the mighty Arsenal youth team by 1:0!

John and the rest were so excited on the sidelines that they jostled the mesh wire fence making a rattling sound. It looked as if they were going to push down the mesh wire fence and rush onto the field to join the Forest team to celebrate the goal.

”Well done, lads!” The assistant manager Kerslake stood up to congratulate the players who had run back to the technical area, and Twain applauded behind him. Things were much easier now with one goal. Now that they had the advantage, if Arsenal wanted to win in this away match, it was not going to be that easy!

On the other side, Brady shook his fists angrily and then yelled, ”That damn Tony Twain!”

Wenger stood with arms around his chest behind him, and he still did not say a word. But his gaze had now shifted from the field to the sidelines, and his attention had turned from the young Arsenal players to Tony Twain.

He knew how to use the weather and field conditions to lay the foundation for their tactics. If the weather was not favorable to them, he artificially created the conditions which were conducive to them. He made full use of every winning factor that could be used. This youth team manager was not simple.