209 Record Part 1 (2/2)

Failure is inevitable when you compete in the Premier League with the same attitude as when playing the EFL.

Many promoted teams did not perform as well as expected. Although part of this was due to a lack of investment in the transfer market, a big part could also be attributed to their mentality.

From what happened on the field, the problem with Forest clearly lay in their transition between defense and offense. Albertini seemed to have difficulty getting used to the intense speed of the playstyle in English football, resulting in a lag in rhythm. For Wood… other than defending, he could not be expected to do anything else.

Tang En knew about these problems. To counter them, he asked the two side midfielders to be more active and try for breaks when they had possession, opening up a path from the wings. At the same time, the two forwards were to frequently switch their positions and constantly move back and forth to attract the attention of Blackburn's defensive line. This would create space for the side midfielders to break through.

The idea was good. Only 10 or so minutes into the game, Forest's wings had already begun creating difficulties for Blackburn. But Blackburn's manager, Mark Hughes, quickly realised Tang En's intention, and that the greatest danger from Forest came from the wings. Due to the player allocation in Forest's midfield, there was no way they could threaten Blackburn's goal from there. Hughes then strengthened his defense on the wings. Therefore, although Ribéry and Ashley Young tried to breakthrough several times, it was to no avail. At times, they could not even turn after receiving the ball. They were completely suppressed.

Forest's offense was dependent on the two wings, so when Tang En noticed that Ribéry and Ashley Young were closely marked by their opponents, he decided to activate the second-level offense manoeuvre and have the side back join in to support the offense. Pascal Chimbonda and Leighton Baines were both side backs that liked and excelled at supportive offense. In the usual trainings, Tang En also requested for both side backs to actively go on offense, creating greater depth in Forest's offensive ability.

The engagement of the side backs in offense livened up Forest's offensive maneuvers, and the teams went back and forth with each other, switching rapidly between offense and defense. However, the first half still ended with a score of 0:0. In the second-half, after Mark Hughes had familiarized himself with Forest's attacking strategies, he found a method to completely cripple Forest's wings: he requested for his team to strengthen their offense in the wings, going head-to-head with Forest on both ends. To counter offense with offense; to defend by going on the attack. With a lack of experience and still-developing coordination, Forest's wings were gradually suppressed. And then… the Blackburns scored.

When Blackburn's veteran full back Craig Short took a corner kick and scored the only goal of the entire match, Ewood Park went into a frenzy. The Blackburn Rovers had a good start, and Forest tasted a bitter defeat.

Despite losing the first match of the league, Tang En did not behave as people expected and rage at the players. Instead, during the press conference after the match, he admitted that his team did not do very well, but that was because, he said, ”You cannot expect a team that swapped out nearly half of its main players over the summer to be able to make exceptional plays or have offense that is natural and fluid. I am very satisfied that we lost only one ball to the home team.”

That's right. Tang En did not even come close to losing his temper with his players after the match. Losing was within his calculations. He took it as payment for his first lesson in the Premier League. And if he was right, he still needed to pay the fee from time to time. Nottingham Forest was not Arsenal, and Tony Twain was not Arsène Wenger. He had no interest in glorifying the past record set by his own team 25 years ago. Those who wished to maintain an undefeated streak should continue, as should those who wished to stake a claim on being champions. Tang En's goal was simple: To stand firm in the Premier League and continue on.

Rather than blaming the poor performers on the team after their loss, he'd rather think about what could be improved on the team. He still had a week's time. He could collaborate with the managerial team to further improve during their training.

After the first round of matches ended, the media commented on each team's performance. The remark given to Forest was ”disappointing.” The media felt that Forest had failed to give them a good show after spending 12 million pounds during the summer and buying 11 players. Instead, they stuck to a boring routine of attacking from the wings and played into a dead-end.

Yet, Tang En strongly believed that persisting in the direction of attacking from the wings was the right move. He only needed to sort out the coordination between the midfield and wings when going on offense, such as the players' positional awareness and other small details. At the same time, he hoped Albertini would get used to playing in the Premier League quickly. If Albertini could display just half of his prowess from his prime at AC Milan, it would be enough to bring Forest's midfield to life.

Seven days after August 22, City Ground welcomed its first home match for Forest, four years after their last time hosting a match in the Premier League. To numerous fans of Forest, it was a significant and memorable day.

On match day, City Ground, with a spectator capacity of 27 thousand, had no empty seats. Though the fans were disappointed by their loss in the first match, they still remained fervent supporters of the young team. Since they had entered the stadium, the entire place was filled with endless waves of singing.

When Tang En was still a fan, he had often watched the La Liga, mainly for Real Madrid and Barcelona. Watching this, Tang En could not help but sigh at the cultural differences in football between England and Spain. Directing a match in such an environment was the dream of nearly every manager.

For the loyal fans, they absolutely had to win this match.