655 I Won’t Agree

In the locker room during halftime, the Nottingham Forest players were a bit dejected. No one could accept the result of their opponent's equalizer towards the end of the first half.

"All right, don't think about that goal concede. It can't be helped..." Twain comforted them. "Instead of feeling frustrated about what's already over, think about how we still hit back in the second half!" He waved his fist in front of everyone.

"We took control of the initiative in the first half and the pace of the game was in our hands. Lampard's goal... It was an accident. There will always be accidents like this on the football field. But I want you to minimize the probability of it happening in the second half. If you look at the source of the goal concede, it wasn't an accident. Essien's sudden plug-in prevented us from reacting and let him run all the way to the front of our box for a long shot. You all thought he would cross, or divert the football to someone else, right?"

"For ten minutes after the second half starts, slow down the pace a little and adjust. Focus on defense and save your strength. Wait until the last twenty minutes to start powering up again."

Twain was aware that it was tiring to keep the same pace in a major game, because the mental stress on top of their physical exertion using up their energy was not to be underestimated. Nottingham Forest had the upper hand in the first half and repeatedly launched a threatening offensive. They had more ball possession than Chelsea, at the cost of a lot of physical exertion, especially on the two sides. If they continued to play like that in the second half, their stamina could collapse before the ninety minutes were over.

They needed to adjust the tempo when necessary, slow down the pace of the offensive, and properly let the opponent move out to attack. Besides being able to restore their fitness, it would create chances for them to counterattack. When it came to counterattacks, Twain did not think there was a team in the world that could do it better than Nottingham Forest.

"Chelsea's morale after the equalizer will be strong and they will launch a fierce offensive against our goal at the start of the second half. Don't rush to press out and deal with them. Pepe and Piqué, continue to make sure that you suppress Drogba... You guys did a great job in the first half, so much so that I even thought Drogba was not playing in the game." He spread his hands and joked.

The remark amused everyone, and the atmosphere lightened slightly.

"So, that's it, defense." Twain once again threw out his "theory of defense above all else.""Preventing the opponent's attack can enhance our morale and can hit the opponent's morale hard. Football games are the process of long elimination. If you can withstand their ferocious attack at the beginning of the second half, then the victory basically belongs to us!" He clenched his fist as if he had grabbed the championship trophy.

"Then we will attack. You can't forget to fight back while you're defending, and you can't forget to defend when you attack. That's what I ask of you in our usual training. I want you to be able to show me it in this game. After you withstand the onslaught from Chelsea, they are bound to feel discouraged and will be low in stamina. You know what to do, don't you?"

The players laughed. "Of course!"

"Lastly, I hope you don't lose your desire for the title and your confidence in winning no matter what happens. This is more important than any tactic. Chelsea is sure to counter, so let them come! We're not afraid! The crazier they counter, the closer we are to the championship title!!"

※※※

Meanwhile, in Chelsea's locker room. Grant was giving the players the tactical rundown for the second half with a calm expression. He did not act in a manner like Tony Twain exaggerated movements and powerful words. He was not good at that kind of work.

"Offense has to be stepped up. Our offense was terrible in the first half!" In the past in the locker room, Grant avoided provoking the star players and creating antagonism between the players and coaches in the locker room, but he could not care about that this time. The rumors that he would be dismissed even if he won the Champions League title were already swirling. His days at Stamford Bridge had entered a countdown, and he did not want to stay at Chelsea to coach. His greatest wish was to beautifully win the trophy in Moscow and give a hard slap back to the faces of the media and busybodies. Then he would take the penalty fees for the breach of the contract given by Abramovich and walk away.

"Drogba, you're completely restricted by the opponent's center-backs. Do you have a way to get rid of them?"

Drogba was still gasping for his breath and did not want to deal with the replacement manager who robbed his mentor's job. He lowered his head and answered with an "um" to indicate that he was fine.

Grant looked at the player who gave him a headache. Everyone knew that in previous reports circulating about him, this player was among the people in the locker room who opposed and questioned him. But he was Chelsea's best striker.

"If you can't, I'll bring you off." Grant was grim as he said the harsh words.

Drogba drew back the corners of his mouth and did not say anything.

But the other players in the locker room looked differently at Grant. They were astonished. When did the manager, who had always acted cowardly in the face of the star players, start to be tough? Grant's position in the players' mind was not high. Even though he had led the team to the Champions League final, there were still many people who thought that he was a coward. They could not be blamed because Grant's predecessor was so brilliant. Anyone who came could only live in the shadow of the arrogant madman manager.

Grant found himself in trouble. His players seemed a little distracted. It was strange that their morale was still strong after the equalizer. So why did they behave less than enthusiastically during halftime? Was it because the pressure was too high? Or could it be some other reason?

He knew there had been some factional fighting in the locker room. There were contradictions between the players, conflicts between the players and the coaches, and even disagreements between the coaches themselves. With so many contradictions, Chelsea still broke into the final. He felt he was quite remarkable as a manager.

But to fall short through lack of a final effort, it definitely was not something Grant could accept.

He stopped his rundown of the tactics. Since they were not listening, there was no point in continuing.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked. "We equalized the score. But why do I feel you're not happy at all?"

No one answered his question. He was the manager of this team, but in the locker room, his authority was not even as strong as Lampard.

"Where do you think you are?" Grant was angry and could not help but raise his voice. "It is halftime in the Champions League final! There's still forty-five minutes left before the game is over! And you're getting distracted? Whether or not we can get the title is down to these last forty-five minutes. I'm explaining tactics, but why doesn't anyone listen?!"

He slammed the tactical board. His actions and tone, which completely went against his normal behavior, made everyone look up.

"You don't want to win this title, do you? The club has never played in a Champions League final in its history. Now that you've done it, you want to stop here, is that it?" His volume was still rising. "Are you guys satisfied to score just one goal in the Champions League final? Are you happy with the equalizer? I won't agree! The fans out there won't agree either!" The furious Grant shook off his suit jacket as he growled and pointed at the door. It shocked everyone.

Lampard finally came forward. He was more supportive of Grant. "I'm sorry, boss. None of us here wants to give up the game." He turned and indicated his teammates behind him. Some people followed up with nods.

"Yes, we all want to beat Nottingham Forest and win the championship." The captain, Terry declared the team's position. Well, now the problem was solved.

"Then listen carefully!" When he saw Lampard stand up and recall what he had just gone through, Grant's tone eased a little. He picked up his jacket and tossed it aside. He began to explain the tactics to be used in the second half.

At the same time, he was shocked that he had lost himself. He became like that huckster, Tony Twain, and used words to criticize and provoke the players.

But it felt pretty good.

※※※

"Chelsea is certain to make some adjustments, not necessarily among the players. The biggest possibility is tactical. But I wouldn't be surprised if Grant replaces Drogba. The only one who is surprised would be Drogba." Sitting in the technical area, Twain spoke to the people around him with a smile. The second half of the game was about to begin, and he was relaxed enough to joke with his assistant managers.

It was strange that he did not have the same mentality when they played against AC Milan. Even when he played against Mourinho's Chelsea, he did not dare to relax much. However, when he played against Grant, he always had the feeling that "everything is in the palm of my hands."

He had never regarded the old Israeli man as a true opponent.

The two teams changed sides to compete in the second half. Neither team made any changes in the players. They only fine-tuned their tactics. Nottingham Forest placed more emphasis on defense, while Chelsea used the advantage of their kickoff in the second half to launch a series of offensives against the Forest team's goal.

In the 55th minute, Essien once again charged into Nottingham Forest's hinterland from his full-back position. After he swung past Ribéry, he raised his leg to shoot and the shot went slightly above the crossbar.

Two minutes later, Drogba received a corner shot from the left. He jumped high to attack with a header shot, but unfortunately, it hit high again.

Shortly ten seconds later, Ballack suddenly dribbled the ball to break out from the midfield and kicked a long shot. The football deflected out from the right column.

Chelsea's offense completely suppressed Nottingham Forest. The Forest team gradually declined in the confrontation in the midfield. It was not that Chelsea's midfield was stronger, but that Grant had instructed the midfielders to increase the intensity of the confrontation and strengthen the whole midfield because George Wood was also a tough midfielder. If they still remained soft, it would be no surprise to lose the midfield.

The basis to decide the victory in the game was in the midfield. By gaining the midfield, Chelsea had hope of completing the reversal.

Once Ballack, Lampard and Makelele toughened up, Chelsea's situation on the field changed. No matter how strong George Wood was, he could not confront three alone.

Pepe, Piqué, and the others made many crucial rescues in the face of Chelsea's waves of offensive. In addition, due to the pressure from Chelsea that caused Nottingham Forest formation to be compressed backward, George Wood was more like a center-back than a defensive midfielder. Even van Nistelrooy came back to take part in the defense, leaving only Eastwood in front — he was placed there to be ready to fight back. But for now, the Forest team had no chance of fighting back.

Grant understood Tony Twain's team. He could not take them lightly and needed to keep an eye and defend, even when they were besieging them. Therefore, when he instructed his team to besiege Nottingham Forest and launch a counter press in the midfield and in front, they could never give them a chance to fight back.

In the 66th minute, Chelsea once again forcibly obtained a corner kick through a series bombardment. Lampard launched the corner shot. The successive attacks put a mental strain on Edwin van der Sar. Instead of waiting for the defenders to lift the siege, he intended to strike on his own and take the ball to completely end this round of Chelsea's offensive.

But —

"He missed the target!" the commentator exclaimed.

Edwin van der Sar chose to strike, which was a little risky. There were three players in the middle. When he struck, he could not even get the football. At best, he could only get the ball out. Van der Sar realized mid-air, so he tried to quickly change his strategy, which resulted in him missing his target.

The football skirted past the front of his fists!

The Nottingham Forest people was so startled that their heart leapt to their throats, because Chelsea's captain, John Terry was next to Edwin van der Sar.

The center-back was brilliant at header shots.

Perhaps he was dazzled by Edwin van der Sar's attack. When the shining white football suddenly flew in front of him, Terry did not react. He hurriedly swung his head but ended up the same as Edwin van der Sar — he missed!

Everyone gasped.

The football was not touched by anyone. It glided through Nottingham Forest's penalty area at a high speed and flew straight out of the sidelines on the other side.

"Nottingham Forest narrowly escaped! And John Terry will surely be annoyed at not getting to that ball! They had a chance to lead ahead of Nottingham Forest!"

The ball startled Twain, making him jump from his seat and almost cover his head with chagrin. Fortunately, Terry was addled, and did not head the ball.

On the other side, Grant jumped out of his seat too. At first it was because he was excited, and then he jumped again due to chagrin.

"Chelsea missed a good opportunity. They'll regret it after the game. But now that Chelsea has the upper hand on the field, they can create more opportunities. Surely Chelsea's powerful offense will be able to seize a chance at some point, won't they?"

Without waiting for Chelsea to seize the opportunity, Nottingham Forest's own defensive line collapsed in a corner.

Piqué fell to the ground and did not get up after a fierce scramble. He rolled on the ground as he held his calf in his hands. He had a cramp.

The team doctor, Fleming, was summoned once again. George Wood had already pressed Piqué's leg down as an emergency treatment.

"Chelsea has put a lot of pressure on us..." Kerslake muttered.

The pressure was very high. The defenders was busy until dizzy with the constant siege. As a center-back, Piqué not only had to fill in Bale's position, but also had to return to the middle and defend against Drogba. He had to scramble for Chelsea's passes in the wing, and block Chelsea's frenzied long shots with his body.

"Is it time to make adjustments?" Dunn saw Twain get up.

Twain nodded.

"It's a little earlier than expected. But the plan would not have kept pace with the change. What's important is the command on the scene." Twain walked to the sidelines. He called George Wood and van der Vaart.

"Press out, don't shrink in the back. George, you're the defensive midfielder, not the center-back. What are you doing running into the box? Rafael, we need to rely on your skills here to get the football out. You can rest assured that George will protect you in the back. If you encounter interception, pass the ball and cut ahead!" Twain made a gesture. "Don't tangle ceaselessly with them in the midfield and be deceived by Chelsea. Use your fastest speed to pass through the midfield. Threaten their goal and show them what you've got. That will keep them in check! When there's a chance for a long shot, take the long shot. It's not necessary to pursue the success rate of the attack. Under such circumstances, one or two threatening shots will be enough to turn things around!"

As he spoke hurriedly, the two nodded simultaneously.

"Well, go up and tell the others what I said, and let them carry it out."

After he patted the pair on the shoulders and sent them back to the field, Twain did not walk back to the technical area. He continued to stand on the sidelines and watch the pitch. The situation was becoming critical, and he was unable to stay calm. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.

He turned and glanced sideways at Grant, who was also standing on the sidelines.

Chelsea's play made him stressed. He could no longer joke to deal with the game like he did at the start of the second half.

Did it look like he was going to have to change his view of Grant?

Could there be some minor waves of changes in this game?

How big a wave do you want to set off, Mr. Grant?

Want to get the title? I won't agree.