150 The First Half Part 1 (1/2)

Chapter 150: The First Half Part 1

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

Tang En knew that George Wood was a naturally outstanding football player, because he could faithfully complete all the tasks his manager gave to him. As a defensive player, what else was more important?

He had made Wood protect Rebrov, but he could not say it clearly due to the restrictions at the time. In the end, Wood was able to quickly understand his thoughts, and executed the task perfectly. It was so perfect that nobody could have asked for anything more. No one could ask him to protect Rebrov, keep an eye on Okocha, dribble the ball past five people, and pass the ball to his teammates in front of the goalpost all at once.

Wood's position was brought forward, and he followed Rebrov everywhere. In return, Gunnarsson shouldered Wood's original task—marking Okocha. Luckily, Bolton was still heavily focused on defense, so Okocha was not being too daring.

Kevin Nolan had already scored a goal in this match, and was in top condition. However, it was just his luck to have met George Wood. Although the Rebrov was having a hard time being marked by him, he was having an even harder time being marked by Wood!

Not to mention, Nolan was consistently unable to snatch the ball away from Rebrov. Even when he was able to snatch the ball, he was immediately faced with Wood's attempts to steal it back. George Wood had marked him perfectly as though he was Okocha, completely crippling his ability to turn around or get past anyone. If he was any slower, the ball under his feet would be stolen away.

This kid was fast in every way, from his sprinting speed, to his reaction speed and the speed at which he could kick.

What made Nolan even more furious was that Wood had not received any new instructions from the technical area, but had taken the task up on his own. Whenever Bolton gained possession of the ball and was about to go on the offensive, he would run up and try to snatch the ball as soon as Nolan received it, stopping them from constructing any effective offense.

”Kevin Nolan is completely unable to turn around! Even though he's being marked by George Wood alone, he must feel that there are people surrounding him on all sides!” Andy Gray commentated. He had become slightly more interested in George Wood. ”Ah! Nolan passed back, and Bolton's offense was once again stopped… Something that Bolton had required three defensive midfielders to do was single-handedly accomplished by George Wood! What an impressive young lad! Where exactly did Tony Twain find him?”

”It was said that it was Wood himself who went to find Twain. Before that, he had never touched a football before…” Ever since Wood's spectacular performance during his first match, the media had paid an increased amount of attention to them, even gradually digging up much of his past. ”What a genius…”

Upon seeing Wood's performance, Motson, who was in the stands, once again remembered the previous match that he had commentated. This lad was no longer a newbie playing his first game, someone whom he could not say much about. Tang En, who was looking at Wood from the side of the field, must feel overjoyed. However, he was probably getting a headache as well—how was he going to handle the other clubs' interests in George Wood?

Various big clubs were placing more emphasis on defenders, especially defensive midfielders. Chelsea was one of them. Makelele was already almost thirty, but they still bought him from Real Madrid. Why would they do that? Because they lacked a player who could stop offenses and who intercepted offenses frantically.

But now, Real Madrid has sold Makelele. Although they have the newly-joined Beckham, their results have not improved at all. Instead, they have become even worse. Without Makelele tirelessly sprinting around and intercepting in the midfield, Zidane and the others are unable to carry out their offenses without risk. Pavon and Helguera also lost the barrier in front of them. With the back defensive line directly facing off against the opponent's firepower, it would be a wonder if they did not concede goals. In the past, when Makelele was still around, there were no criticisms of Real Madrid's defense being not up to par. Ever since Makelele left, rumors of Real Madrid's backline defense being amateur-level started to appear, before gradually becoming the general consensus.

This was precisely the importance of that plain-looking, inconspicuous Makelele, who did the dirty work and received a low-paying salary. By the time Real Madrid realized that the club truly could not do without him, it was already too difficult for them to find a replacement, because the entire world lacked a defensive midfielder who was that good. Graveson and Pablo Garcia proved to be a failed introduction into the team, and they were completely unable to replace Makelele's role in Real Madrid. It was only during the 06-07 season, when Capello brought in three defensive midfielders all in one go, Diarra, Emerson and Gago, that they could begin to achieve Makelele's effect. But it was not always effective, and the entire team of eleven players was still required for defense, as opposed to only one, as it had been during Makelele's time.

Although Motson was worrying on Tang En's behalf, Tang En did not care about that in the slightest. He knew that Wood would not be leaving Nottingham for at least three years. After all, Nottingham Forest was still actively searching for a way to cure his mother's illness. Tang En was well aware of the kind of person Wood was. He believed that Wood himself also understood that the reason he could enjoy his current success was because he was in Nottingham Forest, which was willing to give young players opportunities. And, because he met Tony Twain.

Out of the players who changed football teams at a young age, only a few were able to become successful in the end. Defensive players were unlike offensive players; one mistake would be enough to end his entire professional career. If a forward missed the chance to score, he could simply wait for the next time his teammate passed the ball to him. But what about defensive players? Their margin of error was just too small.

※※※

The match continued with both teams in a stalemate for the rest of the first half. Although Nottingham Forest's offense exerted quite a bit of pressure on Bolton in the last ten minutes, Bolton still managed to stand their ground and did not concede a goal. This upset Nottingham deeply.

Tang En was already quite satisfied with these results. The most important thing was for the team to regain their confidence and their fighting spirit. As for equalizing the score by the end of the first-half, that would have been an extra bonus.

Nolan discovered that after he had been consecutively intercepted by Wood, he had actually somewhat lost the confidence to face off against him. Now, whenever Nolan saw Wood, he would have the urge to quickly pass the ball out. This time was no exception. Campo had passed the ball to Nolan, before running forward in hopes of attracting the attention of the Nottingham Forest defenders. But to his surprise, the moment Nolan saw Wood lunging at him murderously, he panicked and passed the ball back immediately. However, Ivan Campo was no longer there.

Ashley Young easily received the ball that Nolan had unwittingly passed to him, and the only person standing before him was Simon Charlton, whom he had already broken past once before!

”A passing mistake! This is a fatal mistake!”

Upon realizing that the ball had been passed behind him, Campo, who had dashed to the front, frantically turned around and chased after the ball. However, it was already too late. Ashley Young was on the move.

Simon Charlton rushed up to defend against him, hoping to use his experience to trap Young. But, next to the agile Ashley Young, Simon Charlton seemed clumsy in comparison. The young number 18 player from Nottingham Forest had changed direction three consecutive times while running, causing Charlton to become dizzy and expose his back to Ashley Young. Afterwards, Young did not hold back as he circled around Charlton's back, diagonally running into the penalty area.

Cheering sounds exploded from the stands.

Now, Ashley Young could shoot or pass the ball; it depended entirely upon his mood.

Bolton's goalkeeper, Jaaskelainen, immediately moved to block Ashley Young's shot, and Bolton's center back Hunt's first choice was also to block his shot. Ashley Young raised his right leg, and it appeared as though he was going to shoot for the goal.

Hunt rushed forward and did a sliding tackle in hopes of blocking the shot, but Young did not kick the ball out. Instead, he suddenly turned towards the center. His actions fooled both Jaaskelainen and Hunt.

Hunt, who was unable to stop himself in the midst of the sliding tackle, tripped Ashley Young, inside the penalty area.

The sound of the whistle rang out.

”Ashley Young falls to the ground! This is a penalty, no doubt! The first half was about to end, and Nottingham Forest has gotten a penalty kick!” Martin Taylor shouted loudly. City Ground Stadium's stands were filled with roaring; the camera lenses were trembling from it.

Seeing this unfolding, Tang En, who was by the side of the field, suddenly jumped up, turned around, and hugged Walker tightly.

This was really an unexpected bonus!

”This is a perfect display of Ashley Young's individual skills! Tony Twain has brought another genius kid from Watford! Five consecutive direction changes in a row…Poor Simon Charlton, poor Nichy Hunt, poor Bolton!”