148 The Better Interceptor Part 1 (2/2)

Don't think of this game as the EFL Cup semi-final. To hell with the trophy! Just treat this game as a Premier League match! Check to see if you, as a manager, are qualified to have a foothold in the Premier League. Find out if you're capable of leading this team to the future you talked about this morning!

The players are watching you, the coaching team is watching you, Mr. Chairman sitting in the box is watching you. The loyal fans in the stands are watching you, and even the little Gavin is watching you from heaven!

Allardyce... Tang En turned his head again and looked at the man. If you want to hold on to these three points, I will let you hold. I want to see how long you can hold on for!

He turned to walk back to the technical area and asked Walker, ”Des, how much time is left in the first half?”

Walker looked at his watch. ”It's just past thirty minutes. Tony, our offense is completely closed off...”

Tang En reached out to interrupt Walker's complaint and then said to Peter Crouch, who was sitting on the substitutes' bench, ”Crouch, you go warm up and go to the locker room at halftime!”

In general, those substitutes who would not be expected to appear in the game for the time being, would be led by the coaching team to do their warm-ups on the field rather than go to the locker room during the halftime interval. There was only one type of substitute player who would be asked to follow the starting lineup to the locker room at the halftime interval, and that was a player who was going to play when the second half started.

Crouch was stunned. He had not expected to get a chance to play so soon.

”Quickly, go!” Walker turned to him and signaled.

Crouch immediately stood up from the bench. There was a ”bang” sound, and he covered his head and sat back down. Walker and Tang En turned their heads away; they could not bear to watch. He had bumped into the awning over the substitutes' bench.

The cameras naturally captured the amusing scene, and Andy Gray laughed in the press box, ”Maybe the Forest team should have a special seat for Crouch: a skylight in the awning over the substitutes' bench!”

”Hey, hey!” exclaimed Tang En, ”Are you gonna have to be taken to the hospital on a stretcher before you even play? How are you feeling, Crouch?”

When they heard Twain, the surrounding substitutes could not help laughing. Crouch clutched his head and mumbled, ”Don't bring me off, Boss, I... I can do it...”

Even Tang En burst into laughter.

”You haven't even played yet, Peter!”

Red-faced, Crouch went to do his warm ups.

As Crouch ran off to the distance, Tang En returned to the sidelines. Walker followed too, and voiced his doubts. ”Tony, Crouch is tall, but his header abilities aren't too great. Can he really play against those defenders?”

”Des, the tallest Bolton Wanderers defender is only six feet, two inches. How does that compare to Crouch? That five-inch gap is not so easy to make up for. Besides, I'm not just trying to get him to intercept with headers.” Tang En glanced at Allardyce. He had noticed Crouch, who was warming up on the sidelines. He was too conspicuous to keep a low profile. ”What do you think about a man with a height of six feet, seven inches who can pedal and dribble?”

”It's a little weird.” Walker knew who Twain was talking about.

”Yes, his ability is beyond our normal comprehension. Even if he's not good at headers, his height on the field acts as a deterrent to the defenders. His ability to assist his teammates with the ball is outstanding. We can take advantage of that and pass the ball to him. He's different from Rebrov in that he's not afraid of the English-style defense. And I think he's going to make the Bolton Wanderers defenders feel very uncomfortable.”

After listening to these words, Walker did not say anything, because Crouch's performance during training made it obvious. His long legs indeed made it difficult for Wes Morgan and Robert Huth to defend against him, let alone Clint Hill, who was shorter in stature. They could not keep up with Crouch's pace.

Just as he was about to turn back to the technical area, Tang En added, ”Another thing, Des. After this game, design a specialized practice program for Crouch to strengthen his headers. It's a waste of his height if he doesn't have a good header to complement it.”

Crouch did get some headers, but that was because of his height advantage. He still lacked header skills. Tang En wanted to make Crouch a veritable ”Air Master,” but that was not something that could be achieved overnight.

Beside the problem of the strikers, the Forest team's two wings did not soar like Tang En had imagined either. Under the opponents' fierce pressure, McPhail and Ashley Young finally got a rare opportunity for an individual breakthrough which brought several place kicks for the Forest team.