734 George’s Maiden Appearance (2/2)
Of course, Wood's offensive abilities did not rival Lampard's, but a team's defense often changed its offense. Putting four attacking players on the pitch would not lead to the team's offensive abilities multiplying by four, nor would it improve an originally bad offense. The key to winning the match was to solidify the midfield defense and use an even tougher approach than the opponent to regain control of the midfield.
Twain expressed his views to the other commentators in the broadcast room. Everyone nodded their heads in approval. Motson even joked that the Football Association should get Twain to become the manager of the England national team once Capello's time was up.
Twain grinned and said, ”If they did, the officials at the Football Association would suffer from a bad headache every day.”
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The second half had barely started, yet there were no changes to the situation on the pitch. The Koreans continued to stop England's offense by running tirelessly around the pitch and committing fouls during their defense. At the same time, they were also waiting for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack against the England side.
The Koreans could accept a draw as a result for this game because their final game was against Costa Rica. They were confident of winning that match.
However, England could not settle for a draw because their final match in the group stage was against the powerful Brazil. Capello's plan was to win against both Costa Rica and Korea and play half-heartedly against Brazil so as to preserve the team's energy before facing their opponent in the knockout stages.
The Koreans were trying their hardest to drag England down. They were going to draw with England, win against Costa Rica, and compete with England for the spot in the next stage based on goal difference. They were able to only let Brazil score two goals by going all out in their defense in the previous game.
Capello knew that he could not continue the match in this manner against the Koreans any longer. He waved his hand and decided to get Lampard off the pitch.
An individual who was standing by the side of the pitch removed his outer jacket and revealed his jersey within. It was England's No. 13 player, George Wood.
”Ohhh… It's George Wood's maiden appearance for the World Cup!” Motson looked at Twain with a smile.
Twain noticed Motson's gaze on him. He shrugged and said, ”I think this substitution was only done because things have reached a critical stage. England did not think they would meet with such fierce retaliation from the Koreans. But, I still believe in George's abilities. He has always been entrusted with helping the team find a way to win during critical times in Nottingham Forest.”
As Twain said those words, Capello had pulled Wood over to him by the side of the pitch and was relaying his intentions to the player about to make his way onto the pitch through his interpreter.
”I need you to help me re-establish order in the midfield and stop the Koreans' momentum. Do you know what you need to do, George?”
Wood nodded his head. ”Defend.”
Capello smiled. ”That's right, that's what you need to do. We are losing the ball too much in the midfield, and we've allowed the Koreans to go on the counterattack several times. Things will get risky if we keep letting them do that. I hope you can protect the midfield. If the Koreans snatch our ball, you go and snatch it back. Don't be afraid of committing fouls. This referee does not blow the whistle often or show a card easily. Let's show the Koreans what we are made of!”
He pushed Wood onto the pitch.
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”George Wood. Sotonian. Plays as the captain for Nottingham Forest. He has lifted the Champions League trophy twice, the EFL Cup trophy once, and the Premier League trophy once. He has almost earned all the glory that he should earn as a professional footballer. However, his record as a national player remains as blank as a piece of paper. He is not a player that gets used much because he only plays as a defensive midfielder. This is the first big match that he has played for his national team. Capello clearly has high hopes for Wood to be putting him on at such a time in the match. Let's see what kind of changes he can bring to the current situation on the pitch.”
Motson introduced George Wood in great detail. He actually felt a little uncomfortable when doing the introduction. As a commentator for the Premier League, there was no need for him to introduce George Wood as though he were a newcomer. However, he needed to do that for Wood when he played for the national team.
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Wood ran onto the pitch and gestured for the team to shift their positions forward. He had clearly done that at Capello's request. England needed to go forward and attack, and they needed to score goals. As for the midfield defense, they could just leave everything to Wood.
Korea's star player, Park Ji-sung from Manchester United, had intended to cut into the penalty box after bringing the ball forward down the flank, but this time he met a powerful obstruction. He had kicked the ball forward a little too hard. The ball got tackled away by George Wood, who had sprinted up front.
Gerrard lost the ball in the midfield? No problem! George Wood tackled the ball away while the opponent was still trying to readjust the ball on his feet.
The Koreans' tenacity and ability to run all over the pitch that they were so proud of had no effect against George Wood. If they tried to be rough, George Wood was even rougher than them. He showed no mercy against the Koreans. He tackled the ball every time he was supposed to and fouled them every time he was supposed to. He did not hesitate in the slightest. He was just like a robot that had been programmed before the match. He carried out all the orders that had been inputted into him.
Park Ji-sung was once again sent crashing to the ground by George Wood. This time the referee finally blew his whistle to signal that George Wood had just committed a foul. However, he only issued a warning. He did not show a card.
Wood's actions caused unhappiness in the Korean players. They surrounded the referee and hoped that the African referee would show Wood a yellow card. The Korean players' actions angered the British fans at the stands. They started booing them.
”Why don't you ask for a yellow or red card from the referee when you are kicking our players?”
”Now that George is giving you a taste of your own medicine, what right do you lot have to be upset?”
In an instant, cheers directed at Wood burst out. The stands began getting louder.
”Well done, George!”
”Kick those Korean monkeys to their deaths!”
George Wood used his usual tough playing style and fierce expressions to intimidate the Korean players, allowing the England team to regain control on the pitch. The results were very conspicuous when the England team finally toughened up. That was also when the gap in abilities between the two teams finally surfaced.
Only Park Ji-sung on the Korean side had the ability to battle it out with the England players. Sadly, he was already on the list of players that Wood was going to 'take really good care of.” Every single time Park got the ball, he had to run forward while avoiding Wood. He was fearful that he would get sent off the pitch by Wood. He had not seen Wood's playing style before in the Premier League. If Capello had really sent Wood on the pitch to incapacitate him, then he might really be incapacitated by the end of the match.
The advantage Korea had gained over England by running all over the pitch slowly disappeared as their stamina depleted. On the other hand, the England team relied on George Wood's tenacity in the midfield to give themselves the upper hand in the game.
On the 77th minute of the match, Gerrard provided an assist for Darren Bent to score the only goal of the match. The England team was able to ensure their qualification in the next stage of the World Cup. At the same time, they sent the Korean team packing.
The Koreans stood rooted at the stands. They could not believe the truth that had just unfolded before their eyes. They had intended to at least make their way to the top eight teams of the competition, yet the team had not been able to make their way past the group stages in the next two World Cups after they managed to attain considerable success in the 2002 World Cup.
To the Korean fans, they believed that they were unable to progress past the group stages in the World Cup in Germany due to how the Europeans ”ganged up on them for revenge.” As for this World Cup in Africa, they could not progress further because ”they had bad luck” and were assigned to their personally defined ”group of death.”
However, the whole world knew. The Koreans lost simply because they were not good enough, and that was their true standard of football. They might have a player who played for a big football club like Manchester United, but it did not mean that their entire team was made up of players who could play for Manchester United. Park Ji-sung was not their savior, and modern football was not invented by the Koreans.
Their current standard of football only ensured that they could make their way into every World Cup in the future. They might not even be as strong as their closest neighbor, Japan.
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Twain was very happy. He was happy that the Korean side got eliminated from the World Cup in advance, and he was happy that George Wood had put in a brilliant performance.
”If I were to rate the England players' performance for this match, I'd give Wood the highest score out of all of them. His appearance on the pitch was key in changing the game in England's favor. Capello should also be praised by the British football fans for his decision to send Wood on the pitch. His decisive action of changing players led to a victory for his team and contributed to the formation of a brand new midfield for England!” Twain could not stop praising George Wood's performance during his post-match commentary. He was not even scared that others would say he was being biased.
”I believe Capello has found the best starting lineup to play in the games from here on out. Also, I'd like to remind him of something. Their next match is up against Brazil. There might be a few players on that team who need to rest, but George Wood does not need to rest! It does not matter how many consecutive matches he needs to play. He does not need to rest. He is truly nuclear-powered. He does not tire ever! Please do not put him on the bench because you want him to rest for the game. He should be a starting player for the England team as long as he is not injured! If England can make their way to the finals, then he can play in all the games, including the finals. There's no need for squad rotation, and there's also no need to get him off the pitch earlier. He's a monster, but what the England team needs the most right now is a monster!”