362 The War Between Two Men 3 Part 1 (1/2)

From the very beginning, the game was highly confrontational and fast-paced.

Mourinho's and Twain's teams did not feel out the situation first. They just directly exchanged fire.

The Forest team was awarded the right to kick off in the pre-match coin toss. From the moment the referee first blew the kick-off whistle, the Forest team quickly drilled the football towards Chelsea's goal.

The game's starting center-forward, Mark Viduka, fought John Terry for the header shot in front of the goal. Finally, he successfully headed the football, but he was also obstructed by Terry and was not be able to head the ball at the right angle. The football skidded past the goal, which scared the Chelsea fans into a cold sweat.

There was a loud collective gasp from the stands.

”The first attack from Nottingham Forest threatened Chelsea! It's completely different from the team's challenge against Arsenal in the away game. Neither team intends to hold back in this match.”

”This game is going to be a terrific one to watch.”

”That's right, it's very exciting. Both teams' speeds of transition from defensive to attacking positions are very fast. As we speak, Chelsea's counterattack has already reached within thirty meters of the Forest team's area… And Frank Lampard kicks a long shot! And struck the beam! What a pity!”

Lampard held his head. He could not believe that his shot had bypassed Van der Sar's fingers only to fail in front of the beam. The stands in the City Ground stadium gasped loudly again.

Still feeling unnerved, Edwin van der Sar laid on the ground as he looked at the trembling beam overhead.

He had thought this Chelsea main midfielder would choose to pass the ball, so he was unprepared for the long shot.

Edwin van der Sar was not the only one who was spooked; Twain's heart almost popped out of his throat on the sidelines. He saw the football fly past the unprepared van der Sar and thought that it was going in.

”In the first two minutes, both sides each had a brilliant attack. I hope the two teams can slow down a little. Otherwise, I won't have the opportunity to introduce the starting lineup and substitutes for today's game.”

Next to him, Gary Lineker laughed into the microphone. ”I don't think they'll do as you wish, John. You'll have to make use of every second and divide the list into several sections for the introduction!”

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Of course, Motson still found the chance to introduce both teams' lists of appearances. However, the rate of his speech was faster than usual. Otherwise, he might have missed a wonderful scene.

Chelsea still remained in Mourinho's traditional 4-3-3 formation with the Czech goalkeeper, Petr Čech, and the four defenders. They were Paulo Ferreira, John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, and William Gallas. The three midfielders were Frank Lampard, Tiago Mendes, and Claude Makelele. The three strikers were Didier Drogba, Arjen Robben, and Damien Duff.

The Forest team's formation was still the traditional 4-4-2 with the goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, and the two center backs being Gerard Piqué and Pepe. Both of them had relied on their actual performances to stabilize their positions as the main force in the team. The Forest team had only conceded four goals so far this season. The improvement in their defense was very obvious. Pascal Chimbonda was the starting right back and Leighton Baines was the left back. The parallel positions in the midfield from left to right were Franck Ribéry, George Wood, Mikel Arteta, and Ashley Young. The two strikers were a combination of tall and fast players, the center forward Mark Viduka and the speedy second forward Nicolas Anelka.

Mourinho was very focused on attacks through the flanks. Robben and Duff were both good at breakthroughs at the flanks. While Shaun Wright-Phillipson, still on the bench, was a similar talent. Attacking through the flanks was the guarantee of their victory.

Twain's Nottingham Forest was also similar to Chelsea. Even though there were no wingers like Robben and Duff, the Forest team's two side midfielders had garnered much attention since last season. Many teams coveted Ribéry and Ashley Young. Twain had rejected many teams' offers for the two players that summer. The two extremely fast side midfielders could dribble, break through, pass, and shoot. They could advance to attack and retreat to defend, which made them more useful than wingers.

As a matter of fact, in today's football world, the line between a winger and a side midfielder was becoming blurred. Ribéry and Ashley Young could be side midfielders as well as the occasional wingers. It was completely dependent on the team's tactical needs.

In the face of Chelsea's winger tactics, Twain's response was to cement the defensive line firmly at the back. The two full backs were not allowed to assist. They must not give Robben and Duff the space to accelerate. When necessary, they could use foul as a tactic. At the same time, Twain did not intend to just focus on defense. To tame Chelsea's flanks, the simplest way was to let Chelsea's flanks attack first and then push them back.

Both sides of Ribéry and Ashley Young would be the Forest team's main attacking corridors. Most attacks would be sent to their feet to be passed on to the forward line.

Unlike Lampard, Arteta would organize the offense more in the middle backfield rather than dribbling the ball to the front to shoot and score goals, even though his own scoring ability was not weak and he was outstanding at place kicks.

The most important part of Chelsea's defensive system was not the team captain, John Terry, or the world-class goalkeeper, Petr Čech, but the 32-year-old French veteran, Makelele. His blockade in the midfield was the key to Chelsea's successful defense.