791 An Army Burning with Righteous Indignation

The area which Guardiola was most careful about these days was not the training ground, but the team doctors. Iniesta and Milito had been injured in the game against RCD Espanyol. The team doctor had said at the time that Iniesta, who was only slightly injured, was likely to play against Nottingham Forest. So after playing in the "war of the century" with Real Madrid, he began to care about this issue, for fear of a relapse.

Iniesta was now the team's midfield core. He and Xavi managed things well in the midfield for Barcelona's offense. Barcelona was considered to be the team that played most beautifully on the planet at the moment, and it was to the credit of both of them.

Guardiola did not want to lose Iniesta when it came time to deal with the aggressive Nottingham Forest.

Aside from Gabriel Milito's slightly more serious injury, he wanted to come up with the strongest lineup to deal with a tiger like Tony Twain.

Two days before the game, the good news finally came. After a detailed physical examination of Iniesta by the team doctors, they confirmed that he had recovered well and was in good form. He could play in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.

Guardiola could finally heave a sigh of relief.

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Despite the life-and-death battle between the two teams, there was already tension between the two managers. But the relationship between the players was not as bad as outsiders thought it was. As a Barcelona player who had played for Nottingham Forest for many years, Piqué still had a good relationship with a few people, even though many of his former teammates had left Nottingham Forest, such as Bale and Lennon, as well as his former center back partner, Pepe.

Fortunately, Twain had gotten used to it a few months early. Otherwise he really couldn't have known how he would feel when he saw Real Madrid's future main center back and Barcelona's future main center back joking together and acting like brothers...

Of course, there were also some media that used this relationship to speculate. When the Nottingham Forest team arrived in Barcelona, Pepe was asked about it in the interview. Pepe did not mince words, saying that he and Piqué were good friends. "We had a good understanding on the pitch, and I enjoyed that time. Of course, I currently work well with Kompany, Woodgate and other teammates...But I thought it was normal that he left. After all, he came out of La Masia...You ask what will happen when it comes to the game? I certainly will not hold back. Friendship is friendship, and the game is the game ..."

Piqué also responded to Pepe's words. "Yes, I still remember my time at Nottingham Forest. But I'm clear-headed, and I know what the game is. You don't have to doubt my loyalty to Barcelona. Otherwise I wouldn't have chosen to leave Nottingham Forest then. Maybe I'll treat them out to a meal after the game, but until then I just want to beat them."

He was also asked by the reporters how it felt to work with Twain. Piqué was slightly upset by the Catalan media's recent aggressive comments about Twain, which were already sufficient to constitute personal attacks and slanders—leaving aside his loyalty to the team and the manager, Guardiola did not hold the same place as Tony Twain in Piqué's mind.

So he decided to put aside his previous "no comment" attitude and say something nice about Twain. "Tony Twain is a charismatic manager. He seems to have a magical aura that captivates you. There is a lot of criticism of his style in England, but his players always stand with him."

The Catalan media were not happy with the answer. They wanted to hear the voices of the Barcelona players joined in opposition to the same adversary, rather than such an "anomaly." Then someone asked, "But every player who left Nottingham Forest did not seem to have anything good to say about him..."

Piqué laughed. "Am I not one of them?"

"What about Guardiola?"

It was a trap, and Piqué carefully went around it. "They are both very good managers. I have had the privilege of playing for them, and winning the Champions League titles." Piqué had won two Champions League titles under Tony Twain, and under Guardiola, he had lifted the championship cup for the third time last season. Therefore, when it came to the experience of getting the Champions League title, he might have more than many of his current teammates.

Piqué was probably the only player on the Barcelona team who had goodwill toward Nottingham Forest and Tony Twain. The other players did not speak as nicely during the interview.

"There is no doubt that we will win."

"I want a victory."

"We're the defending champions!"

And so on. Declarations like this made people think that Barcelona was full of confidence.

What did Tony Twain, the master of psychological warfare, think of this?

"The louder the clamor is at this time, and the more nonsense being said, the more they prove that they lack confidence, and must use this false bravado to boost some confidence in themselves. As for me? I never talk nonsense before a game." He casually dismissed Barcelona's angry attacks, even though a number of members of the Catalan media derided him as giving himself a slap in the face. "If he 'never talks nonsense before a game,' then maybe it's the end of the world." Some Barcelona fans in China even lashed out at Twain, saying that his "thick skin is as thick as the Great Wall." On the internet, they even traded insults with those they labeled as "country bumpkin upstarts." Following the rise of the Forest team, a rising number of Nottingham Forest fans also emerged to trade insults.

That was what Twain said, and that was what he did. Since the team's arrival in Barcelona, he had refused to accept interviews of unidentified origin. If outsiders wanted to know what the manager was doing, they could only find out through Pierce Brosnan's Nottingham Evening Post. Still, he gave pitifully little information to the "royal correspondent."

He was focused on preparing for the game, and he intended to wage a big war at Camp Nou.

The media complained that Tony Twain's "secretive time" had returned, and they didn't know why he liked closed door training so much. But what made the media even more miserable was that even though Tony Twain drove them away like they were flies, they really scrambled madly for him like flies to a cake. To put it bluntly—they were really lowly.

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On April 16th, after a month of repeated hype, both sides engaged in numerous wars of words. Mixed in with Derbi barceloní, El Clásico, Nottingham Forest's heavyweight games against Chelsea and other teams, the high-profile clash that would leave both sides shattered was finally about to start.

By this time, all the noise seemed to disappear. Whether it was the Forest team's side or Barcelona's side, no one jumped out and spat at each other. They would not be considered as qualified professional players if they still hung on to the outcome of a war of words at this time.

On the day of the match, there were only 90 minutes in the game to decide which team would finally be able to hold their heads up high. and which team could only hang their heads dejectedly, and go home with their tails between their legs. If they did not want to be trampled in the mud and be humiliated after the match, then they had to put all their efforts into the game.

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Tony Twain was in the luxurious away team locker room at Camp Nou, giving the players one last reminder and special instruction.

"Iniesta and Xavi are the playmakers in this game. More attention must be paid. Don't give them too much space and time to get the ball in front of the penalty area. Our flanks should pay attention to the opponent's full backs, especially on their right. Today's defensive task is quite important. Alves and Messi are both positioned in this area. But I don't ask that you just defend, because that doesn't work. Fight back at the appropriate time, and let Barcelona know that if they dare to press on, we'll fight back!"

Twain looked stern, and so were his players. No one would take such an opponent lightly, let alone on the opponent's home ground.

Using the "luxurious" to describe Barcelona's lineup today was probably not enough. "Terrifying" was more appro[prioate.

On the tactical board, Twain listed the opponent's starting lineup, which he had just received:

The goalkeeper was Valdés. The center backs were Piqué and Puyol. The right back was Alves, and the left back was Lahm, who had joined the team from Bayern Munich that summer. The three midfielders were Yaya Touré, who was further back, with Iniesta and Xavi in the front to organize the offense. Among the three strikers, Bojan was in the middle, Silva, whom Twain was interested in at one point, was on the left, and Messi was on the right.

The 34-year-old Henry had already left the club. While there were rumors of Eto'o being sold off cheap every season, ultimately he still remained on the squad, only for his main position to be replaced by Bojan. His speed, which he was so proud of, had also gradually grown rusty with age. Other than his mouth, he was not the valiant player he had once been.

This time, Twain had no intention of handing Messi over to Wood, because of Xavi and Iniesta, the two players in the middle. It was impossible to cede the middle to them. So, the main responsibility of Wood and Tiago would be to directly defend against the two playmakers in midfield. Messi was left to Baines, Matías Fernández, and the others to take care of.

At the same time, the defensive pressure on the right side was not insignificant, either. Silva was not to be trifled with, and Lahm was also a full back who excelled in assists.

Coupled with the agile Bojan, it was really a headache to face such an offensive lineup. The defensive side should handle everything, and not be exposed.

If they really had to attack Barcelona head-on, there were probably few teams in the world that could fully escape unscathed. Twain cleverly chose to play defensive counterattack, and placed many players in the middle of the backfield. To be on guard and defend to the end required the team's cooperation.

"You have to make sure the formation stays in shape, and not let their give-and-go disrupt us. The full backs do not have to withdraw by too much. It will give them the chance to play near the sides. Messi and Silva were great players. We have George and Tiago in the flanks. Our range of activity should be appropriately increased, but don't lose your positions."

"Guys, this game is very demanding on the defense. But that doesn't mean we don't value offense. The aim of the away game is not to prevent defeat, but to score goals and more goals. You must think of attacking anytime, anywhere while playing defense. But with defense as our priority, we can't give the offense too much support. This requires you, the attacking players, to find your own way. But no matter what you do, you must be resolute. When there's a chance, you must plug ahead and pass forward! Don't think about the pointless question of whether the attack will be successful. Just think about getting the football closer to the other side's goal, and consider that a success! As long as we can create enough trouble, Barcelona's offensive momentum will naturally wane. We cannot play pure offense or defense in this world. We must be more patient than our opponent!"

After he had finished talking about the technical tactics that required attention, Twain tossed aside the marker pen in his hand. "Okay, guys. Let's talk about something that's not so dry. Will you be surprised If I say I'm not sure we can finally win the championship title this season?"

It appeared that most of the players were not surprised. Obviously they also had a certain understanding of their own strength.

"I always give people the impression that I'm arrogant and conceited. But I'm never blindly arrogant. When did I say we'd win the championship and not win? No, not once." He shook his head. "But I can't ask you for more this time. Barcelona is currently really strong, and I think they're even stronger than last season, when they won the Champions League title." Twain said this with an imposing expression on his face.

But someone disagreed. Eastwood smiled and said, "Hey, chief. You're kidding us, aren't you? I've been with you all these years, and I've never seen you so afraid of a team..."

Twain glared at him and said, "It's not fear. I'm never afraid of an opponent, but I hope you don't develop a blind self-confidence, which will only push us into the dark abyss. To be honest, I didn't think we would advance into any finals this season, so I'm happy to be able to encounter Inter Milan and Barcelona two rounds in a row—I don't have to wait until the final to meet one of them, which is great! I'm asking you now to play every game as if it were a final. Regardless of how far we can eventually go, it's beside the point! Totally beside the point!"

It was unusual for the boss not to boost morale for everyone before the game. The players really found it incomprehensible that he would say something that demeaned himself and gave high praise to the opponent... But when they saw the serious expression on the boss' face, they knew he was definitely not pretending. So they also followed suit and wiped the smiles off their faces, leaving only frowns and piercing gazes. They always believed in the boss, and since the boss said so, they would follow his instructions.

"Play against Barcelona like they are our opponent in the finals, and then play against any opponents after like you would in a final! That's all I ask of you."

The players finally took to the pitch with this sentiment, while Twain and Dunn stayed at the back.

"What was all that about?" Dunn asked.

"Barcelona is really strong, so I've got to scheme a little. An army burning with righteous indignation is bound to win." Twain laughed slyly. "Tell them not to think about what to do in the future. They need to play the game like it was the finals, and play every game with their utmost efforts. Then, when they suddenly want to stop to take a breather, they'll look up—and the finals will already be here!"

"So, do you think about winning the title or not?"

"If we're in the finals, why should we do our best to fight for a runner-up spot?" Twain turned to look at his partner. His brown eyes flashed with an elusive glow.