754 Anyone and Us (1/2)

When team leader George Wood announced the extension of the contract, the team easily triumphed over Manchester City on away ground 2:0. These two matters combined to inflate Nottingham Forest's morale, boosting their confidence.

Upon facing the Celtics in the Champions League group match, the Nottingham Forest players expressed that there was no problem in winning on home ground. Twain took a list of the names of people who either expressed similar sentiments to the media or were overconfident in their usual training from Dunn. On the starting roster of this starting group match, none of those people were on it. Overconfidence was the most serious problem in the middle and back court. Shahin, Bostock, Bentley, Kompany, and Rafinha were on that list.

The Celtics saw another version of Nottingham Forest on the road: goalkeeper Akinfeev, central defenders Pepe and Woodgate, left back Joe Mattock, and right back Nkoulou. For the midfield position, eternal captain St. George continued to start. He was untouchable. The person who partnered with him was Tiago. The right avant-garde was Lennon, and the left avant-garde was Cohen. The forward line comprised partners van Nistelrooy and Agbonlahor. Not letting Ibišević start was a tactic to protect him and relieve him of pressure.

The Celtics were absolutely afraid to say that they could easily win over such a version of Nottingham Forest. In fact, because Twain had always liked frequently rotating, each lineup did not vary much in terms of strength. Anyone could be said to be the main lineup. Sometimes under his ingenious words, the lineup that was not an optimal one would bring immense energy to the field.

This was deeply felt in 07-08. During the Portsmouth season, they thought that the Nottingham Forest, which had a major rotation of the main lineup, could be easily bullied. He had planned to beat the incomparable team and the incomparable head coach at home. They almost succeeded. In the end, the outraged Nottingham Forest dominated with seven goals. After that, no one dared to look down on the second lineup of Nottingham Forest.

The Celtics used a lineup that prioritized defensive counterattacks on the road, striving for a steal by securing a point. Twain expected that the opponent would do that, but the Nottingham Forest of today was no longer a team that only defended counterattacks. Although his lineup lacked a midfield organizer like Shahin, George Wood's progress in offense was enough to make Twain feel relieved.

There was also a benefit to this midfield configuration. The midfielder had two defensive midfielders who cut off the route the opponent intended to use in his counterattack. In the formation of the two, the two people stood side by side, and the two side avant-garde positions were very forward. They were almost to the position of the winger and seemed to be far away. This was not the case during the actual competition. Wood and Tiago always took turns to intercept. The two frontiers would also retreat, so there was no danger that the distance would be too far to be cut off.

Twain had always asked players to be flexible, so his lineup did not represent actual results. On defense, he required everyone to strictly abide by tactical discipline. Things that should not be done were not done. On offense, he gave the players the greatest freedom to play freely under a big tactical frame. As long as one could score, he did not care how they did it.

The Celtics laid many men in the middle and backcourt, just like a web weaved by a spider, waiting for the stupid bird, which was Nottingham Forest, to slam into the net so a counterattack could be used to kill them.

Twain was no fool. He asked the team to press properly, but the defense line would not move. One of the benefits of getting Joe Mattock and Nkoulou to start was that they were more obedient than those old sticks in the mud. Bale had evolved into an old fritter, so he knew how to be sly and play tricks.

Twain did not ask for the fullback to assist the offense, but he asked for the midfielder to plug in. Originally, there were two midfielders, but they continued to take turns in the game to inset, causing the Celtics' defensive line to be cautious, especially toward Wood. His speed and body made him extremely threatening when he was plugging in, moreover his through pass was getting more clean and accurate. After playing for 30 minutes, Wood had two direct passes to penetrate the Celtics' heavy defense. Unfortunately, neither van Nistelrooy nor Agbonlahor could receive his ball.

The Celtics were also smart and immediately adjusted their defenses. The back line shrunk back further, not giving Wood any space for a straight pass.

After seeing it on the sidelines, Twain got up from the coaching seat and made his first adjustment in the game. He let van Nistelrooy get to the top and Agbonlahor to the side, emptied the middle, and strengthened the long shot. George Wood, Tiago, Lennon, Cohen, Agbonlahor, and van Nistelrooy could try to shoot long shots whenever they had the chance.

Although the long-range scoring rate might be the lowest of all scoring methods, the Celtics created such a good opportunity for Twain that he did not have to be too violent. After the Celtics' backline contracted, there was a big gap in the forefront of the penalty area. There were several times when Wood was there to take the position, but none of the Celtics players would give up the defensive, giving the Nottingham Forest players too many adjustment opportunities.

The Celtics were also unlucky. Wood, who usually had a poor aim, made two long-range shots that hit the door frame. Although there was no goal, stands of the city stadium cheered loudly. The Celtics reacted too slowly, hence they still did not rush forward to control Wood's long shots. On the third shot long shot, Wood scored.

”Hey, George Wood! Beautiful long-range shot! Fast, powerful, angled! His shot is getting better! Nottingham Forest leads at 1:0 at home!”

After the goal, George Wood was surrounded by teammates and rushed to the side of the field to enjoy the cheers.

”This is the best gift he gave to the club after he renewed his contract! He's always played a stable state and constantly made his opponents feel despair. Such a person renewing his contract in the team for another five years, Tony Twain must be the happiest person in the world!”

Twain stood up and applauded Wood's goal. He smiled from the side and said to Dunn, ”Your efforts paid off. His long shot today and from when I first time I met him are worlds apart.”

Dunn also applauded him. ”It's his efforts. I didn't do anything. Demi was right. Wood's a genius even in this regard.”

Speaking of Demi, Twain was a little lost. If Albertini was among the people around him, the Italian would probably be elated.

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After scoring the goal, playing the match felt more manageable for Twain and his team. The core of his tactics was to let himself lead and then launch counterattacks against the opponent. This tactic was very cumbersome, but it worked best.

Now, he had to look at the opponent's mentality. If the Celtics felt that it was nothing to lose a goal on the road, they would continue to wait for the opportunity to counterattack. Maybe they could tie the score at the final moment of the game, which would be ideal. This was more uncomfortable for Twain. 1:0 was the world's most unsafe score, so he had to keep the team vigilant for the rest of the time, cautiously and constantly besieging the Celtics. At the same time, they had to beware of their counterattacks. This type of contest would be too tiring for the players. If he had the choice, he did not want to play like that for the remainder of the game.

Another possibility was that the Celtics were not willing to lose on the road. They would want at least a draw. So, they would try to attack the rest of the game.

This was Twain's favorite coping style. He could come and go with the opponent on the court. Of course, it was not a counterattack. Only a fool would launch attacks on a team that wanted to score. He wanted to defend those counterattacks. The two roles of the teams would switch. It was in his blood to play dirty like that.

This time, the Celtics did not do what he wanted. They chose to continue defending and waited for an attack. Twain had to stand on the sidelines and supervise the war, asking his players not to relax their vigilance.