When Forest equalized the score, Mourinho sat unmoving on his seat without any expression while the broadcast television gave him a close-up . Mourinho knew that there was going to be a camera turning his way to join in the fuss, so he kept his facial expression unchanged, not giving the TV station or commentators anything to talk about .
Even so, John Motson and Lineker, watching the scene from the broadcasting seats, could not stop laughing .
Tang En's celebration at the sidelines was highly exaggerated . Mourinho, who was nearby, simply treated him like he was invisible, looking straight ahead without giving him a glance .
More than ten minutes ago, the two were in the exact same situation but with reversed roles .
Because of that, the scene seemed irrepressibly funny no matter how one looked at it .
With the restart of the match, both parties resumed some sort of balance . A stalemate in the field . Neither side was able to break through; in fact, neither side was willing to try and break through . They were only left with a few minutes before halftime . Neither intended to waste their energy on these last few minutes . Compared to their usual matches, this was much tougher .
Neither of the two managers said anything about making use of the last moments in the first half to go at their opponents . Tang En, who had celebrated the goal, continued standing by the sidelines while Mourinho stayed on the manager's seat, not getting up .
The match time proceeded to its 45th minute, and the referee blew the ending whistle for its first half .
"1:1! It's a very fair score . In the first half, both teams had their chances and took them . The performances of all the players were excellent . This matches our predictions from before the match . It is indeed turning out to be an exciting and intense match . "
"John, I think we can regard this as a rule . As long it's Mourinho and Tony Twain's teams clashing, it's hard for it not to be this exhilarating . "
※※※
The members of Forest swarmed into the locker room . Ribéry started shouting, "Clothes off! Clothes off!"
With half the match past, it was a common occurrence for players to take off their sweat-sodden jerseys and change into their spare, fresh ones; but Ribéry's purpose for shouting was certainly not that .
"Singlet, singlet… Wes, marker . "
Ribéry took the marker from Morgan and bent over the players' bench, writing a line of words on the singlets, starting with his own .
The others gathered behind him, watching as he wrote on every one of their singlets .
Anelka made no motion to stop them, even when he saw them writing and drawing on his .
Their captain, George Wood, handed over a white singlet when it came to his turn, stumping Ribéry momentarily .
"George? I thought you didn't ever wear this?"
"If I don't wear it, where will you write?" Wood asked with furrowed brows .
Ribéry chuckled . "What a pity . We planned to write on your stomach . "
Laughter rippled through the locker room .
Tang En was met with that scene as he pushed the door open and entered the locker room . The players were all huddled in a circle . George Wood was standing in the middle while Ribéry was half sprawled on the floor . Everyone other than George Wood, including Albertini and Anelka who rarely laughed, was chuckling in delight .
"What's going on?" Tang En was interested too .
Hearing his words, the group turned to look at him . Ribéry stood up from the ground .
"Boss, this is your fault . "
"My fault?" Tang En was completely confused .
"You knew that the Romani was coming to watch this match, right?" Ribéry asked .
"Yeah, but I wanted to give you guys a surprise, so I only told you before the match . "
"Look," Ribéry said, opening his hands up . "We're utterly unprepared . If you had told us a day earlier, we wouldn't need to be writing on our singlets right now…"
The crowd parted, and Tang En finally saw what they were busy with . Their white singlets all had "Recover soon, we're waiting for you, Freddy!" written on them with a marker .
The crowd parted, and Tang En finally saw what they were busy with . Their white singlets all had "Recover soon, we're waiting for you, Freddy!" written on them with a marker .
He rubbed his nose, feeling a little abashed .
"If I could have lifted up my jersey up like this when I scored earlier!" Ribéry said, making the motion of flipping up his jersey, "Freddy would have seen it! Alas…"
"Eh… it's not like we won't be scoring in the second half . At that point, you can lift it!" Tang En said, also following-up with the motion to flip up his shirt .
"He's just above us, and he'll still be there in the second half . He won't be leaving before the match ends . " Tang En pointed at the ceiling . "So, until the whistle signals the end of the match, you will all have the chance to let him see the words . "
Everyone agreed with Tang En and nodded .
"You're right, Boss . " Ribéry stooped again and wrote the same line on Wood's singlet . Regardless of if they were on the field or sitting on the substitutes' bench, everyone had the same line written on their clothes .
Wood stood beside Ribéry, peering down quietly as Ribéry worked through their singlets .
Tang En was more curious about the other aspect of the matter . He asked, "Franck, which one of you came up with this idea?"
"Do you even need to ask?"
Ribéry was busy with the writing and answered Tang En's question without looking up .
"When I scored the goal, everyone came running over to celebrate . We felt we should show something to Freddy, but we had nothing underneath our jerseys . So, we thought we might as well write one . "
"Good…" Tang En nodded .
"Go busy yourselves, stop standing around . " With a wave of his hand, the players obediently moved back to their lockers and started changing, slipping the singlets over their heads .
While they were doing that, Tang En started talking about their gains and losses over the first half .
"Great job, everyone . Even though the loss of that first goal took me a little by surprise…" Without asking the players to stop what they were doing to listen, Tang En leaned on the front of the tactical board and casually continued . "But, our goal also certainly surprised Mourinho a lot . "
Chuckles filled the locker room .
Chuckles filled the locker room .
"Keep playing this way in the second half . But, you two fullbacks…" Tang En said, pointing to Chimbonda and Leighton Baines, "Don't move in too fast when you're defending . "
The two nodded . Chimbonda understood that the ball loss was in no small part because of him .
"Other than that, I don't have much to say . Overall, your performance was excellent . I can't find any problems even if I scrutinize it with a magnifying glass . Are you guys this thrilled about going up against the number one team in the League? Against a team who's had a no-loss streak for 10 matches?"
"Yes!"
"That's right, Boss!"
"Good . Keep this momentum going . In 45 minutes, let's come back here to celebrate a victory!" Tang En said, pointing to the spot beneath his feet .
※※※
In contrast with Tang En's light-heartedness, Mourinho's current expression was extremely stern .
In truth, the situation of a draw now was not bad . However, Mourinho's expression would probably be somewhat better if Chelsea had been the one to equalize the score at the end . Right now, he had to walk off the field feeling like he was the loser .
The truth was that his team had not performed badly; they were at their usual standards . But, who had asked for his opponent in this match to be Tony Twain? Mourinho was completely unwilling to be at a disadvantage against that man .
Mourinho stood before his players and raised a single finger .
"In reality, Forest's midfield defense consists of George Wood alone . But, our offense is not pressuring him much . He's relaxed in the midfield, and we can't have that! He's the core of Forest's defense . I am requesting that everyone pile even more pressure on him . Continue charging at him and creating trouble for him from all positions! Left wing, right wing, center…"
He turned to the tactical board behind him and quickly drew three lines . "When George Wood collapses, it's not just their rear defense that will collapse; it's also their offense . Just look what happened when they did not have Wood; they could not even beat Lille!"
"Additionally…" Mourinho suddenly recalled something . "According to what I know, George Wood doesn't have a good temperament . If you can… find some way to do him in . "
Drogba whistled .
※※※
Drogba whistled .
※※※
At the end of halftime, Mourinho held back Lampard, who was walking out .
"When I said to do George Wood in earlier, did you think it was a joke?"
Lampard was stunned, not expecting that a question from Mourinho . He deliberated about how he should answer but finally shook his head .
"No, Boss . "
Mourinho nodded .
"Good . I'm not joking . You know why I pulled you back to speak with you alone, right?"
Lampard nodded . "I know . "
"In this match, you have the most face-to-face interactions with him . You spend the longest with him… How much do you know about Wood?"
"I've heard some things about him . Just like you said, Boss . His temper isn't good . "
Mourinho nodded as Lampard spoke . "Yes . Find a way to provoke him . "
※※※
The second half began . All of Forest's players wore the singlets with "Recover soon, we are waiting for you, Freddy!" on them, and worked diligently towards getting their second goal .
Because of Tang En's words, they suddenly had a new aim that was just as important as winning the match .
"He's just above us, and he'll still be there in the second half . He won't be leaving before the match ends . So, until the whistle signals the end of the match, you will all have the chance to let him see the words . "
They must score!
When Forest equalized the score, Mourinho sat unmoving on his seat without any expression while the broadcast television gave him a close-up . Mourinho knew that there was going to be a camera turning his way to join in the fuss, so he kept his facial expression unchanged, not giving the TV station or commentators anything to talk about . Even so, John Motson and Lineker, watching the scene from the broadcasting seats, could not stop laughing . Tang Ens celebration at the sidelines was highly exaggerated . Mourinho, who was nearby, simply treated him like he was invisible, looking straight ahead without giving him a glance . More than ten minutes ago, the two were in the exact same situation but with reversed roles . Because of that, the scene seemed irrepressibly funny no matter how one looked at it . With the restart of the match, both parties resumed some sort of balance . A stalemate in the field . Neither side was able to break through; in fact, neither side was willing to try and break through . They were only left with a few minutes before halftime . Neither intended to waste their energy on these last few minutes . Compared to their usual matches, this was much tougher . Neither of the two managers said anything about making use of the last moments in the first half to go at their opponents . Tang En, who had celebrated the goal, continued standing by the sidelines while Mourinho stayed on the managers seat, not getting up . The match time proceeded to its 45th minute, and the referee blew the ending whistle for its first half . 1:1! Its a very fair score . In the first half, both teams had their chances and took them . The performances of all the players were excellent . This matches our predictions from before the match . It is indeed turning out to be an exciting and intense match . John, I think we can regard this as a rule . As long its Mourinho and Tony Twains teams clashing, its hard for it not to be this exhilarating . ※※※ The members of Forest swarmed into the locker room . Ribéry started shouting, Clothes off! Clothes off! With half the match past, it was a common occurrence for players to take off their sweat-sodden jerseys and change into their spare, fresh ones; but Ribérys purpose for shouting was certainly not that . Singlet, singlet… Wes, marker . Ribéry took the marker from Morgan and bent over the players bench, writing a line of words on the singlets, starting with his own . The others gathered behind him, watching as he wrote on every one of their singlets . Anelka made no motion to stop them, even when he saw them writing and drawing on his . Their captain, George Wood, handed over a white singlet when it came to his turn, stumping Ribéry momentarily . George? I thought you didnt ever wear this? If I dont wear it, where will you write? Wood asked with furrowed brows . Ribéry chuckled . What a pity . We planned to write on your stomach . Laughter rippled through the locker room . Tang En was met with that scene as he pushed the door open and entered the locker room . The players were all huddled in a circle . George Wood was standing in the middle while Ribéry was half sprawled on the floor . Everyone other than George Wood, including Albertini and Anelka who rarely laughed, was chuckling in delight . Whats going on? Tang En was interested too . Hearing his words, the group turned to look at him . Ribéry stood up from the ground . Boss, this is your fault . My fault? Tang En was completely confused . You knew that the Romani was coming to watch this match, right? Ribéry asked . Yeah, but I wanted to give you guys a surprise, so I only told you before the match . Look, Ribéry said, opening his hands up . Were utterly unprepared . If you had told us a day earlier, we wouldnt need to be writing on our singlets right now… The crowd parted, and Tang En finally saw what they were busy with . Their white singlets all had Recover soon, were waiting for you, Freddy! written on them with a marker . He rubbed his nose, feeling a little abashed . If I could have lifted up my jersey up like this when I scored earlier! Ribéry said, making the motion of flipping up his jersey, Freddy would have seen it! Alas… Eh… its not like we wont be scoring in the second half . At that point, you can lift it! Tang En said, also following-up with the motion to flip up his shirt . Hes just above us, and hell still be there in the second half . He wont be leaving before the match ends . Tang En pointed at the ceiling . So, until the whistle signals the end of the match, you will all have the chance to let him see the words . Everyone agreed with Tang En and nodded . Youre right, Boss . Ribéry stooped again and wrote the same line on Woods singlet . Regardless of if they were on the field or sitting on the substitutes bench, everyone had the same line written on their clothes . Wood stood beside Ribéry, peering down quietly as Ribéry worked through their singlets . Tang En was more curious about the other aspect of the matter . He asked, Franck, which one of you came up with this idea? Do you even need to ask? Ribéry was busy with the writing and answered Tang Ens question without looking up . When I scored the goal, everyone came running over to celebrate . We felt we should show something to Freddy, but we had nothing underneath our jerseys . So, we thought we might as well write one . Good… Tang En nodded . Go busy yourselves, stop standing around . With a wave of his hand, the players obediently moved back to their lockers and started changing, slipping the singlets over their heads . While they were doing that, Tang En started talking about their gains and losses over the first half . Great job, everyone . Even though the loss of that first goal took me a little by surprise… Without asking the players to stop what they were doing to listen, Tang En leaned on the front of the tactical board and casually continued . But, our goal also certainly surprised Mourinho a lot . Chuckles filled the locker room . Keep playing this way in the second half . But, you two fullbacks… Tang En said, pointing to Chimbonda and Leighton Baines, Dont move in too fast when youre defending . The two nodded . Chimbonda understood that the ball loss was in no small part because of him . Other than that, I dont have much to say . Overall, your performance was excellent . I cant find any problems even if I scrutinize it with a magnifying glass . Are you guys this thrilled about going up against the number one team in the League? Against a team whos had a no-loss streak for 10 matches? Yes! Thats right, Boss! Good . Keep this momentum going . In 45 minutes, lets come back here to celebrate a victory! Tang En said, pointing to the spot beneath his feet . ※※※ In contrast with Tang Ens light-heartedness, Mourinhos current expression was extremely stern . In truth, the situation of a draw now was not bad . However, Mourinhos expression would probably be somewhat better if Chelsea had been the one to equalize the score at the end . Right now, he had to walk off the field feeling like he was the loser . The truth was that his team had not performed badly; they were at their usual standards . But, who had asked for his opponent in this match to be Tony Twain? Mourinho was completely unwilling to be at a disadvantage against that man . Mourinho stood before his players and raised a single finger . In reality, Forests midfield defense consists of George Wood alone . But, our offense is not pressuring him much . Hes relaxed in the midfield, and we cant have that! Hes the core of Forests defense . I am requesting that everyone pile even more pressure on him . Continue charging at him and creating trouble for him from all positions! Left wing, right wing, center… He turned to the tactical board behind him and quickly drew three lines . When George Wood collapses, its not just their rear defense that will collapse; its also their offense . Just look what happened when they did not have Wood; they could not even beat Lille! Additionally… Mourinho suddenly recalled something . According to what I know, George Wood doesnt have a good temperament . If you can… find some way to do him in . Drogba whistled . ※※※ At the end of halftime, Mourinho held back Lampard, who was walking out . When I said to do George Wood in earlier, did you think it was a joke? Lampard was stunned, not expecting that a question from Mourinho . He deliberated about how he should answer but finally shook his head . No, Boss . Mourinho nodded . Good . Im not joking . You know why I pulled you back to speak with you alone, right? Lampard nodded . I know . In this match, you have the most face-to-face interactions with him . You spend the longest with him… How much do you know about Wood? Ive heard some things about him . Just like you said, Boss . His temper isnt good . Mourinho nodded as Lampard spoke . Yes . Find a way to provoke him . ※※※ The second half began . All of Forests players wore the singlets with Recover soon, we are waiting for you, Freddy! on them, and worked diligently towards getting their second goal . Because of Tang Ens words, they suddenly had a new aim that was just as important as winning the match . Hes just above us, and hell still be there in the second half . He wont be leaving before the match ends . So, until the whistle signals the end of the match, you will all have the chance to let him see the words . They must score!
Chapter end
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