357 Ups-and-Downs (1/2)

No matter the result of Nottingham Forest's appeal, the red card had already affected Anelka's mood.

On that day, in the locker room after the end of the match, Anelka was as gloomy as a ghost. Just getting close to him gave the others a chill.

In truth, the usual Anelka was also pretty cold, but especially because of what had occurred, it was unusual for him to still be that way.

Tang En thought about it but decided not to approach the Frenchman for the time being. At this point, his mood could not be any good.

There were some things that should only be spoken of after the fact.

After the EFL Cup Committee and The Referees' Association received Forest's appeal, their answer to Forest was that they could only decide after further analysis. However, they did not state when that would take place.

Upon hearing their reply, Tang En cursed loudly in his office.

”The damn bureaucracy! Even if the analysis results of those bastards showed Anelka's innocence, he would still have to miss out on the match against Arsenal!”

Furious as he was, Tang En had no other option. He could not possibly run all the way to the office of EPL's committee and make a din there, could he?

He could only make use of the last stretch of time to practice a new strategy in training.

Freddy Eastwood's recovery was not proceeding too optimistically, so Tang En would rather let him continue recuperating than force him back into the team.

Now that Anelka could not be fielded, there were only two forests that Forest Team could use: Mark Viduka and Nicklas Bendtner.

Tang En did not intend on sending both center-forwards into the field at the same time. In the away match against Arsenal, he was set on playing with the strategy of a defensive counterattack. He would be satisfied if he took away just a point from Highbury.

※※※

Nottingham Forest's away match against Arsenal was one that received great attention.

But, such a heavy-weighted match did not fulfill the pre-match hopes of the people. That was because the match and its ”splendor” did not spill out onto the sidelines.

Anelka was not included in Forest's player list. In the match, Tang En implemented a 5:4:1 formation. Mark Viduka alone stuck out at the front. Among the three midfielders, Matthew Upson and Pepe were positioned slightly forward, while Piqué stood slightly behind in defense.

Looking at such a starting formation, anyone with a bit of intelligence could guess that Tang En was planning to go on the defensive in this match.

And they were not just defending; they were buckling down to defend to their last.

Forest placed three center backs in the middle, firmly sealing up the area before the penalty box. Their offense was to launch the ball to the front field with powerful kicks, investing only two or three attackers there. It was a plus if they could form a threat, but even if they could not, it was alright; at least the team would not be vulnerable to Arsenal's counterattacks because they pressed forward in offense.

Henry's speed struck fear into Tang En.

Wenger's team tried all ways to sniff out Forest's weak point in defense, while the latter used any possible means to disrupt Arsenal's offense.

Every passing second tormented Tang En's heart. Each attack from Arsenal caused him tremendous anxiety. Once they lost a ball, it meant that their prior efforts would go completely down the drain.

George Wood was charged with marking Fàbregas. Both parties were engaged in the midfield, each winning and losing some. Watching the scene, Martin Taylor sighed and said, ”This is the era of the young…”

He then looked at Tony Twain, who was walking back and forth on the sidelines.

18-year-old Fàbregas, 19-year-old George Wood, and a 37-year-old Tony Twain. They were gradually becoming the main forces of this League. Having led a team into the Champions League at the age of 37, no matter what results Tony Twain would achieve in the future, he had already gained UEFA's attention. His charge, Nottingham Forest, was also becoming frequently acquainted with the European media.

According to convention, 40-year-olds in the role of the main manager were termed ”young marshals.” Examples were Mourinho, Deschamps, Ancelotti, Marco van Basten, Rijkaard, Gullit, and so on. But, taking charge of Forest at 34, bringing them into the English Premier League at 35, and leading their charge into the Champions League at 36; what should Tony Twain, who had been climbing one stage after another with each year, be called?

England had not seen such a brilliant manager in many years. Now, successful managers active within the English soccer scene were practically all non-English; for example, Manchester United's manager Ferguson was Scottish, Arsenal's manager Wenger was French, Liverpool's Benítez was Spanish, Chelsea's manager Mourinho was Portuguese… Of the four major powerhouses, none of them were under the charge of an English manager. That had always been a source of shame for the proud English.

Tang En's abrupt and dazzling appearance satisfied the ”passionate patriotism” of the English. With the media's unbridled stirring, Tang En was pushed forward to the fore of the audience. For all appearances, although Tang En was resistant to the media's hype for him, whether he had made use of the media or not remained unknown.

※※※

On the sidelines, Tang En anxiously watched the match progress. He seemed unaware of how Martin Taylor had personally evaluated him. Or perhaps, he did not care whether or not he knew.

The first half of the match ended with Forest in a sorry state. However, the score gave Tang En a modicum of comfort; the score remained at 0:0.

During half-time, Tang En did not make any strategic adjustments, but boosted the confidence of the team, telling them not to give up regardless of the disadvantage they faced. The match would be considered a win so long as they play to a draw.

In the second half, Forest buckled down their defense even more thoroughly. Following the progress of the match, Arsenal's players gradually became more and more anxious.

At the 79th minute, Arsenal scored a goal. However, amidst their heady celebration, the assistant referee mercilessly raised up one of their flags: offside!

It was indeed an offside ball. Even though it was not obvious, Henry had moved just a bit too early and was spotted by the eagle-eyed assistant referee.

Wenger appeared somewhat angry on the sidelines; perhaps he felt he had gotten tripped up by the referee. Meanwhile, Tang En was applauding. The main referee overseeing the current match was the Fourth Official, Peter, from the previous League match between Forest and Everton on Forest's home ground.

”The match is left with four minutes before entering injury stoppage time. This is ending up a classic 'Arsenal symptom.'” Martin Taylor said with a shake of his head. He had already lost all hope in having any goal scored.

The so-called ”Arsenal Symptom” referred to having high possession and high goal attempts, but still no scores. The style of ball control valued by Arsenal often allowed them to have the advantage on the field and beautiful plays, allowing the audience a feast for the eyes. However, it was a pity that that habit—being fond of having the ball under their control—also made them lose numerous scoring opportunities. Some obvious opportunities for them to score were wasted because they were greedy for showing off pretty combinations.

Tang En took hold of that habit and deployed heavy manpower in the backfield; Arsenal, so fond of ball control, became faced with a rock that they were at a loss to attack against. Outside of it, they maintained their possession but found few chances to shoot at the goal and score.

In this match, Tang En had completely given up on the offense. Up until now, Forest had only gotten six shots at the goal. In exchange, they had successfully held the score at 0:0 and brought it into injury stoppage time.