Chapter 212: This Is My Team Part 1
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The viewing stands of City Ground were already full of fans and their loud, unceasing cheers. Both teams were warming up in the middle of the soccer field. Tang En sat alone in the locker room, staring at the blank tactical board and mumbling to himself.
"Guys, what match are we playing today? I know that the record from 25 years ago is too far away from us in history. At that time, some of you weren't even born yet. Even so, that glory belongs to Nottingham Forest. And today, someone is here attempting to take away glory that belongs to us. Will you cede it?"
Tang En paused and thought briefly. "No, that's too sentimental."
He coughed and waved his hands with furrowed brows. "Arsenal is a strong team. They've already gotten 42 matches with no losses! Are you afraid? Have your legs gone soft?"
"No… that just sounds like a bluff." Tang En dismissed it again.
"Aha! Our… this season, we have not had the best beginning. In two league matches, we got a loss and a draw. Now we have to face an opponent like Arsenal…"
Tang En stopped before he had even finished.
Tang En felt a tinge of nerves. What he had felt half a year ago at Cardiff Millennium Stadium all came rushing back. But this situation was different from that one. In truth, this was just a normal league match.
Why do I have to care about a record that has absolutely nothing to do with me? Regardless of whether we let Arsenal take three points or one, and allow them to set a new record, what loss is it to us? Arsenal is not our direct competition in the path towards the championship. It is completely understandable if we lose this match. After all, difference between Arsenal and us is simply too great…
If I were smart… I would tell our players to relax as much as they could, and to get rid of any unimportant thoughts unrelated to the competition. No matter the result, we just need to learn something useful in our fight with Arsenal. That's enough.
But…
"Mr. Twain, what do you think of Arsène Wenger and his team tying with Forest's undefeated record of 42 no-losses in the English Premier League?"
"Mr. Twain, what do you have to say, as the holder of the current record, about meeting with Arsenal in this crucial match?"
"Arsenal is very strong. As their opponent, what does Forest have in store for this match?"
"Henry has been in excellent condition recently. Can you say what special arrangements you have in mind to counter him?"
"As a team that has managed to go neck-to-neck with the record by Forest, do you think that Arsenal is already a great team?"
"What do you think of the manager Arsène Wenger? Do you intend to learn from him?"
Whenever he recalled these questions, he was not, in fact, smart. Tang En was not one who did not know his limits, but this did not mean he could tolerate such insults and contempt without retaliating, either. It made him feel impotent.
He hated being looked down on, hated being ignored, hated being made to be a stepping stone for someone else. He was only 35; but in reality, he was even younger!
He was still young, and the young would always be rash without thinking of the consequences. They just wanted to retaliate straight away, and what came later would come later.
That's not a bad thing. This is soccer, not some kind of political show. We can retaliate when we are unhappy; we can box them in their ears if we're looked down upon, or even pinch their cheeks to make them face us. Why should we have to give up our hard work if we truly want to win? Is it only because our opponents are stronger than us?
Bulls**t!
I was never afraid of anyone, no matter who is sitting in the managerial seat opposing mine. Whether it was Wenger or Ferguson. My team shouldn't be afraid of anyone either, regardless of whether it's Arsenal or Manchester United that stands before them!
The corridor filled with the crisp sounds of shoes hitting the ground. Tang En knew that his players were back from their warm-up. He relaxed his clenched fists and waited for the players to open the door, so that they could see a confident manager full of fighting spirit.
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At the same time, in another locker room, just like Tony Twain, Arsène Wenger did not go out with the players to observe their conditions during the warm-up. Instead, he stayed back alone in the locker room for the away team, trying to calm himself down.
He was anxious… or excited. At this point, just 90 minutes from now was a crucial moment in which he could potentially make history. He was both as nervous and as exhilarated as a new player.
They stood on the home ground of the current record holders and faced their guardians. As long as they did not lose to them, Arsenal would become the new record holders and be written into history. And he - Arsène Wenger, a Frenchman, would be the chief manager behind this record. It would be an incomparable achievement in his managerial career. Compared to this, a mere Premier League championship appeared almost insignificant.
Arsène Wenger paced about in the somewhat cramped locker room with its old installations.
The tactics for the match were well-thought out, and he did not believe that his players would have any problems implementing them during the match. The team's condition was good, and they had already defeated countless strong opponents before this. There were only a handful left who could possibly resist the domination of his team.
His only regret was that the match was not held in Highbury.
What threat could Forest possibly present? Wenger remembered the time when he had followed the Youth team to Nottingham to participate in one of the usual matches of the FA Youth Cup. It was there that he had gotten to know Tony Twain, who had left him with an impression. It was not easy for any manager to be remembered by the rather arrogant Frenchman.
He did not expect the words that he had said to Twain after the match to become reality so soon.
What should he be on guard against? Tony Twain was not a man he could see through. What kind of trouble would he create in the match for Arsenal?
He couldn't know.
But there was one thing he did believe: so long as the team played to their own rhythm in the match, victory would not be far from them. They had done that for the past 42 matches, and would surely do the same for the 43rd. There would not be any changes simply because they met with Nottingham Forest.
Noisy footsteps filled the corridor. Wenger stopped and sat down in his seat as he waited quietly.
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"Does anyone know if there's any special meaning behind this match?' Tang En asked with a raised hand.
"Isn't it about that record? A streak… A streak of no-losses for 42 matches?" All the players spoke over one another, some with certainty and some without.
What Tang En thought was not wrong. What has a single 25-year-old record got to do with the current Forest? What does it have to do with these players, who only joined Forest this summer for various reasons?
If he spent precious time here babbling to the players about the once glorious history of Forest, he was sure a good half of them would fall asleep. It simply had nothing to do with them; they were not interested. It would also have no effect whatsoever on drumming up their morale…
"Wrong. There is no special meaning behind the match today." Tang En waved his hands and said, "This is just any normal match in the Premier League. What does a record from 25 years ago have to do with us?"
A number of people shook their heads and agreed with Tang En.
"There are only four days between the second and third round. Our time is very tight. Not to mention, we still have to deal with the damned media pestering us, asking questions like what we think of Arsenal… what a joke. What does Arsenal's record-breaking have to do with us? I hope you can win this match today, but it isn't for some pointless reason like stopping Arsenal from breaking the record. It is because this is a Premier League match that we can either win and get three points from, or lose and get nothing. Arsenal is our opponent. Which team would not want to beat? We did not have a good start with a loss and a draw, so we have no right to just give away three good points to our opponents on our home ground. Do you think I'm just boasting when I say I want to defeat Arsenal? That I'm just day-dreaming?"
Tang En looked around at the players in the locker room. He scrutinized their expressions, hoping for a clue to their thoughts.
Albertini shook his head. He still did not know how to speak much English, and only knew a few words, but he said, "No, manager."
Hierro's English was just slightly better than Albertini's. That was probably because there were English players on Real Madrid. When Steve McManaman first arrived at Real Madrid, Hierro was the person in charge of introducing him to the team's traditions and his teammates, and making all sorts of arrangements for McManaman.
The Spanish veteran said, "Even teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona do not undefeated forever. I will not have any surprise if Arsenal end up losing this match."
Even with his struggle with grammar and pronunciation, everyone understood what he was trying to say.
"In a football match, anything is possible." Viduka did not say much, but spoke to the point.
Tang En's gaze stopped at Wood, hoping he would express his thoughts in front of everyone. With a look at Tang En, Wood declared, "If you tell us to win this match, we'll win it."
His words amused the audience in the locker room. How could it be that easy?
Tang En also smiled and nodded. "Very good, George. I'll tell you that we need to win before every match we play in the future."