Chapter 959: Volume 7: Heart of the Lion King

The Nueva Mestalla Stadium has been hailed as "the best stadium in the world", but this title should now be on the head of the "Crimson Stadium".

The sound insulation effect of the dressing room of the former world's best stadium is very good. Even if the singing and roaring outside are already shaking the sky, as long as the door is closed, no sound can come in.

The dressing room was not quiet either. The highlights of England's 4:2 victory over Portugal were being played on the large-screen LCD TV, and the passionate voice of BBC TV ace announcer John Mortensen echoed in the spacious dressing room.

In the past, music may be played in the locker room before the game. Today, Mortensen's voice has become the background music. While changing their jerseys and equipment, the players glanced up at the TV screen from time to time.

This was deliberately arranged by Tang En. Although the game against the German team is a game that does not require mobilization, he still has to take an insurance policy.

After Tang En saw that the players had already changed their jerseys, he turned down the volume of the TV. Everyone knew that the boss had something to say.

"Our match against Germany was a match that didn't require me to mobilize. So I'll make a long story short." Tang En coughed and cleared his throat. "I'm not worried about your fighting spirit, but I'm worried that your enthusiasm is too much."

The players looked at each other in blank dismay, not understanding why the boss said that.

"Enthusiasm is a good thing, but football is not won by enthusiasm alone. We must keep our heads so that we can play well. Shall I give you an example? The FA Cup final in the 90-91 season, Toth Naham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, Gaza (Gascoigne) was obviously over excited, so instead of hurting the opponent, he hurt himself. I don't want to see something like this after the game starts. Mind anytime, anywhere Staying calm helps us win."

"The outside world has given us too much pressure. It stands to reason that I should decompress you and tell you at the same time: 'Don't worry, just play like a normal friendly match.' But this set doesn't work today, we face Yes Germany, we all know what kind of opponent it is. If I really said 'Let's face Germany like a friendly match!' you would think that I can't be trusted as a manager Don't understand the situation. So what I want to tell you is..."

Tang En took a deep breath and was not in a hurry to say the rest. He wanted to give the players time to brew their emotions.

"Yes! Even if we lose to Germany, we still have hope to advance to the knockout stage, but is that what you want? Losing to Germany and barely qualifying as the third place in the group will become a joke around the world! Think about the first game Looking at our performance now, the gap is so big, can you accept it?" Tang En pointed to the TV screen behind him. "Anyway, I can't accept it."

"In fact, beating Germany and stepping on their dead bodies for the round of 16 is the best result I can think of. Guys, I'm done, what to do, you all understand, right?"

After finishing speaking, Tang En clapped his hands and stepped aside to open the door of the dressing room.

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"Is a tie good for both sides? If the game on another field decides the winner, then Germany and England will be ranked second and third, and the third place will probably be ranked third in the four best-performing groups. If this is the case, England will be ranked third. But after all, it is very unsafe, so I don't think the two teams will choose to draw. Whether it is Tony Twain or Matthias Summer Well, their goal is very clear - to win. Only by defeating the opponent can they ensure their qualification and hold their destiny in their own hands. This is also the dignity of being a strong team."

Before the start of the game, the TV station responsible for broadcasting the game is inviting experts to analyze the qualifying situation of the two teams, and in this way tell the audience how important this game is.

"We've just got the squads for both teams. Both managers were cautious and didn't announce their starting XIs until the last moment. Now let's see...there were rumors in England before the game, saying that George .Wood will come back early in the life-and-death battle with the German team to help the team win. But judging from the roster we got, Wood is still sitting on the bench. He will be replaced by Michael Johnson. I believe Twain The coach will not fail to understand the importance of this game. In such a game, he still does not let Wood play. It seems that there is no doubt that Wood's foot injury has not healed completely... For the English, this is really Tragedy, if Wood is healthy, they believe that qualifying from the group will not be a problem, but now they have to fight to the death with Germany for a place to qualify..."

"For England, the goalkeeper is still No. 1 Joe Hart. The defenders are Joe Mattock, John Terry, Stephen Taylor and Micha Richards from left to right. The midfielders stand in parallel, From left to right are Chris Cohen, Michael Johnson, Stephen Gerrard and Theo Walcott. The two forwards are Wayne Rooney and Aaron Mitchell. This lineup is the same as the first two There are two changes in the game, that is, Richards replaced Glenn Johnson and became the starting right back. In fact, Richards played more as a center back in Manchester City, but he can play as a right back. Don En fixed him in this position in this game, obviously because of his excellent defensive ability. Another change is that Chris Cohen replaced Tang Ning. Tang Ning is fast and sharp in offense, but his defensive level is not so good. Compliment. The biggest feature of Chris Cohen is "balance". Both offense and defense are very average. He has no obvious shortcomings. He has excellent physical strength and good crossing skills. He and Joe Mattock also come from Nottingham Forest Club, and the tacit understanding they cultivated in the club will definitely help England at critical moments."

"Let's look at Germany again... the goalkeeper is No. 1 Adler (Rene_Adler). The back line from left to right is Jensen (Marcell_Jansen), Westermann (Heiko_Westermann), Mertesacker (Per_Mertesacker) and Lahm (Philipp_Lahm). The four midfielders are diamond-shaped, with Simon_Rolfes as the defensive midfielder, and the forward midfielder is Toni_Kroos, a genius from Bayern Munich. The left midfielder Schweinsteiger ( Bastian_Schweinsteiger), the right midfielder is Sami_Khedira from Stuttgart. The two forwards are Lukas_Podolski and Mario_Gomez (Mario_Gomez).

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When the starting rosters of the two sides were introduced on the TV, the players of the two teams were lining up in the corridor of the New Mestalla Stadium and waiting to enter the field.

The middle of the player tunnel at the Nuevo Mestalla Stadium is separated, and there are also two exits for the use of the two teams. This design naturally avoids any small conflicts between two teams that have always had old grievances.

With the player corridor as the boundary, the stands for the fans of both sides are separated on both sides. The exit of the German team is close to the stands of the fans of the German team, and the exit of the England team is close to the stands where the fans of England gather. Such an arrangement would allow them to be greeted with the loudest cheers on their way out without having to worry about lighters and coins falling from the sky.

"Guys, it's time for us to play!" John Terry, wearing the captain's armband, turned his head and shouted to his teammates behind him. Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Schweinsteiger was yelling the same words.

Amidst deafening chants, England and Germany players filed out onto the steps leading to the pitch.

"They're coming out!" Everyone shouted in the stands, in the TV broadcast seats, and in front of the TV.

England wore their red jerseys, while Germany wore the traditional white top and black shorts. Players from the two teams stepped into the field with their heads held high, and the much-anticipated battle between England and Germany was about to begin.

It is not an exaggeration to describe the atmosphere at the scene as frenzied. Both the English and the Germans are cheering the team up in their best way, calling the players' names one by one. The temperature inside the stadium was several degrees higher than outside.

The game was scheduled to be held at 5 pm local time, and the heat at noon had not dissipated, but in front of the enthusiastic fans, this was nothing at all.

Tang En stood in front of the coach's bench with his hands in his pockets. Today he didn't wear a suit either, just a shirt and tie. Before the game even started, the back of the shirt and the underarms were soaked with sweat.

People sweat when they are excited, nervous or scared. Such an atmosphere on the court made Tang En's heart beat faster, sweat kept oozing out, and he was excited.

Such a frenzied atmosphere did not subside until the national anthems of both sides were played. Whether it is England or Germany, sporadic boos can be heard when the national anthem is played. There has been a long-standing grievance in football between the two countries. Even occasions that should show respect to their opponents inevitably become a stage for mutual provocation.

After going through the necessary procedures, players from both sides stood on the court and waited for the kick-off.

The afternoon sun was shining brightly, turning the green turf a little white. The white jersey of the German team almost blended with the background.

Tang En suddenly cursed inwardly... The Germans even took advantage of this, and England was at a disadvantage before the game even started. I knew he would have insisted on choosing the white jersey, and let the German team wear red...

Although the design of the New Mestalla Stadium is very ingenious, there is no backlight and backlight environment for the two sides of the match, but the snow-white jerseys reflect the bright sunlight, making their figures look very dazzling, which cannot be changed by the stadium environment .

Look at the expressions of the English players now... Without exception, they all squint their eyes, frown, and have to turn their faces to look at their opponents, and they can't stare for too long, and they have to move away after a glance look, or the eyes will want to cry.

It was only then that Tang En realized that he was not despicable enough, because he hadn't discovered the trick of using sunlight. I didn't expect that the honest Germans would play this trick, but was it intentional by Sammer or was it purely a coincidence?

He also misses his Ray-Ban sunglasses very much now, and he can't stare at the German players for too long off the court. He lowered his head to avoid the glare of the light, and cursed in a low voice. He could of course have the sunglasses retrieved for him, and he would then add to his personality storybook by becoming the first ever football manager to command a game while wearing them. But that doesn't help the team, he just makes the players feel like they've been abandoned.

Therefore, Twain could only endure the troubles caused by those dazzling jerseys, and chose to stand with the players.

Even the referee put up a canopy with his hands and put it on his forehead. After looking at the players on both sides, he checked the time with the fourth official off the court and blew the whistle to start the game!

"The game begins! England kicks off!"

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The glare of the sun and the whitish turf, as well as the German team's jersey, caused great trouble to England. As long as the Germans moved, the dazzling white would sway in front of the eyes of the English players, as if someone was holding a mirror and playing a game of reflecting sunlight in front of their eyes.

But don't underestimate such details. Disturbed sightlines will naturally make the players anxious, trance-like expressions and inability to concentrate will follow. Just watch Michael Johnson pass the ball straight over the touchline without anyone defending to see how much trouble this small detail has caused England.

Although such an impact is not decisive, it is necessary to know that England is facing the German team, not just any cat or dog. Facing such an opponent, any mistake may have serious consequences.

Originally, Tang En arranged for the team to attack first, using continuous attacks to boost the morale of the team. Now England easily handed over possession of the ball, fought and retreated, and was pressed back by the German team a few minutes later. The England team was unwilling to admit defeat like this. They were trying their best to find opportunities to attack. As long as the ball was on their side, four or five England players would immediately rush to the opponent's half.

But in Tang En's eyes, his brows frowned.

The grievances between the England team and the German team made the England players unwilling to lose the game against the German team, and they couldn't bear any grievances. It is a good thing to be competitive, but if the blood rushes to the head and drowns the reason, it will turn a good thing into a bad thing.

Under such circumstances, the German team obviously took advantage of the natural conditions to gain the upper hand. At this time, England should stabilize and shrink the defense. England also behaves like this in normal times, but today they encountered a special opponent, and England's players still only think about attacking.

Tang En felt that this could not go on like this, he had to get the team back on track.

He walked to the sidelines and shouted to the nearest players: "Shrink the defense, let's play a defensive counterattack! Don't press out! Pay attention to the space behind you!"

Those few players will naturally convey his instructions to the whole team, and the next thing is to see if the English players can calm down.

After being yelled at by Tang En, England's defense was obviously much more stable. The offense is no longer blindly pressing forward, and wins by numbers.

The game returned to the "defensive counterattack" that Dunn and England were accustomed to.

Twain didn't care about playing ugly, but the English fans definitely couldn't bear the "worse" appearance of the England team. The German fans also thought that their team had the upper hand, and they kept singing in the stands to support the team. Come on, and blow the arrogance of England fans by the way.

Summer, however, was not as excited as the fans. When he saw that after Tang En yelled, the England team began to withdraw, he felt that something was wrong. His people had specially collected match data between England and Portugal. The England team, under Twain's command, was already well adapted to defensive counterattacks. If your team continues to play against England...

He thought of the 4:2 game. Portugal's yesterday seems to be Germany's today.

So he went to the sidelines and blew his whistle.

German fans must really want to see their team beat England. Even if they can't score, it's great to be able to suppress England.

But Summer didn't let them get their way.

After a tentative siege of the England team for ten minutes, the German team also withdrew and began to slowly deal with England in the midfield.

Such a change is naturally considered from the perspective of team safety, but it makes the fans who watch the game very dissatisfied...

In this way, it was originally a game like sparks hitting the earth, but because the coaches of both sides paid more attention to the results, it became dull.

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PS, the war is about to kick off, ask for a monthly ticket~~~