Volume 7 The Lion King's Heart Chapter 34 The Unique One
Two stadiums, four dressing rooms, but the atmosphere is very different.
In the home dressing room at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal's players were relaxing to music and excitedly discussing how to celebrate the hard-won league title after the game, even Arsene Wenger didn't think Forest could pull off a miracle, even if he had just learned that Nottingham Forest were 1-0 up at home.
The form shown by Manchester City in today's game did not surprise Arsene Wenger either – there really was no need to fight for this game for City. No one wants to get hurt in the final round, right? Knowing that they are facing Arsenal, who are bound to win the league title, and if they go all out, injuries are inevitable. It's better to just mess around with this game and go on vacation.
It's good luck to meet such an opponent in the last round of the league. Look at Tony again. The situation that Donn has – a Sunderland who must win against Forest to be relegated.
In this situation, if Arsenal can't win the title, Wenger really doesn't know what chance his team will have to win the title.
After two years, the league title was snatched back from Nottingham Forest, even if the Champions Cup was eliminated by them, there were no regrets.
At the City Stadium, in the Sunderland dressing room. Head coach Nelson was standing in the middle of the players, clenching his fists and giving them an impassioned speech: "It's just a ball!" Arsenal are already two goals ahead and the Foresters must have known the news at half-time, so what does that mean for them? Meaning their league title flew away! Their morale and confidence will be greatly affected, and this is our chance...... Beat them all and let's stay in the super! ”
The players' eyes lit up at what he said. If the boss doesn't do what he said, Nottingham Forest will definitely be affected, and then it's their chance. Just grab a counterattack or two...... In order to stay in the Super League, these forty-five minutes are fighting!
If you don't fight at this time, when will you have to wait?
Arsenal's dressing room is exciting and relaxed, while Sunderland's dressing room is full of restlessness and hope. Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, is as stuffy as the weather was before a rainstorm.
As soon as the players got off the pitch, they chased the coaches of the coaching staff and their teammates on the bench to ask about the game on the other pitch. They heard loud boos from the stands twice during the game and they wanted to check if that meant Arsenal were two goals ahead.
The answer is unanimous, both the coaches and their teammates told them the cruel truth with helpless eyes and nodding movements.
Time. Everyone was quiet, sitting in the locker room, not knowing what to say or do, only to wipe the sweat from their bodies mechanically.
Donn had been in the locker room, and he didn't speak.
In fact, at this time, the players of the Forest team are looking forward to saying something in their hearts, even if it is scolding. Otherwise, it will continue to be silent. It's so uncomfortable......
Bell opened his mouth to speak, and he turned his head to look around, and saw that everyone was habitually bowing their heads, and he suddenly hated this action.
Are we going to throw in the towel? Even the always arrogant and unruly landlord acquiesced to this result?
This uncomfortable silence lasted a full five minutes.
Brazilian samba music was playing in the dressing room, and Manchester City, a club with a large number of Brazilian players, was becoming more and more like a Brazilian team. Robinho, Elano, Joe, Alex...... The players from Brazil were writhing their waists to the music in the locker room. It's like it's another carnival this year.
There are still people who are coaxing along, and everyone's mind is not on the game.
Only Bendtner was in pain, as the samba music seemed to be a continuation of the laughter of the Arsenal fans, always echoing in his ears. He felt like his head was going to explode. He hated the locker room atmosphere. He'd rather everybody sit in the middle of the box and then head coach McClaren kicks in the door and scolds them all.
Shouting swear words like "what shit you guys played in the first half" and he might be more comfortable.
He put the sweat-wiping towel over his head, leaned against the wall of the closet, closed his eyes, and tried to calm himself.
Unfortunately, the noisy fast-paced music made his efforts futile, and all sorts of strange ideas came out of his head along with the music.
Do you want to continue to play like this in the second half?
Can I ask my boss to be replaced early? Well...... I guess not, right? Then I'll find a chance to get two yellow cards or hurt myself...... I don't want to play anyway.
What kind of competition is this? We lost our fighting spirit before the game. Is it a pride, a pride, an honor to watch someone lift a championship trophy in front of our eyes? Aren't these guys who are still dancing in the locker room ashamed of the score in front of them? Do they want to fail? Didn't we get together to play for the win and the championship?
Bendtner looked up slightly, his gaze passed under the towel, and he saw Ashley. Yang watched Robinho and the others perform with a smile on his face. The smile looked cold. At this moment, he suddenly envied Ashley. Yang is because ...... He was finally relieved.
Bendtner had a thought in his mind.
Allowing the embarrassing silence in the locker room to continue for five minutes, Tony. Don finally got up from his seat. With this movement, everyone's eyes turned to him.
"Everybody knows about the other field. I won't introduce it. Does this result make you very discouraged? It took us a lot of effort in the first half to take a one-goal lead. Arsenal comfortably led by two goals? I have to admit that this result is not good for us, and I can't ask you to fight for the title. Because the fate of the champion is not in our hands. Don spread his hands.
"Now all we can do is play our game. Forget about the championship for the time being. At this point, Donn glanced at the players and saw that the reaction was not strong. He laughed, "Did I discourage you by saying that?" You think I'm going to stand up and wave my fist and shout that the victory belongs to us, and the championship belongs to us. Right? ”
The players didn't answer, but judging by their expressions, Don guessed the best of the best.
"I just want you to let go of your baggage. I've been thinking about it for a long time, because if we continue to have the high expectations of the title, maybe we will lose to Sunderland in the second half...... Don't, don't look at it in disbelief. Pointing to a couple of players, Donn said, "You're all about Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal...... You don't even know who we're up against in this game, do you? Newcastle? Tottenham? Or...... Real madrid? Guys, when you have your eyes on a distant target. Let's watch your step a little. If you trip over a small rock, you'll be the laughing stock of everybody. Not only will Arsenal win the league title, but they will be able to laugh at our incompetence! ”
'Yes, at the moment we are one point behind Arsenal. It's true that Arsenal took the lead with ease. But that shouldn't be a reason for us to give up on ourselves. Play well against Sunderland, don't give your opponent any chance, and then ......" Donn said here and paused, what was he going to say next? Pray to God: Does the champion belong to us? Waiting for the goddess of fate?
"Nope. Don shook his head. "Even if the whole world doesn't look at us, we have to look at ourselves. Until the last second of this game, Arsenal cannot declare victory and the title belong to them! In the same way, you cannot declare that this is the end! I tell you, I haven't given up yet. I never gave up! I've always believed that my team is the best team in the world and deserves all the accolades. Someone is worried about me, if I lose the league title, how will I eat the table? I tell you...... I've never thought about it. Because I firmly believe that I can't lose! Don shook his fist hard, his tone suddenly becoming impassioned. "If you don't have the same mindset as me, you won't have the last laugh in this fierce battle! At any time, it is better to believe in others than in yourself! As I said before, do you remember who your opponent was in this game? I tell you, it's Sunderland! It's the unlucky guy who is doomed to be relegated! Crush them for me! ”
If he stuffed an apple into Donn's hand at this time, maybe he could just crush it.
Nelson was laying out the second-half tactics for his team and he was confident he had found a hole in Nottingham Forest.
"They have an unbalanced mentality. A one-goal lead is not safe for Donn. This is Tony. Donne's habit, he will definitely ask the team to press the attack, and then it will be our chance...... In the first half, the Forest team was very active on both flanks, and the second half was only more lively than the first. Everybody else says Tony. Donn is conservative, but he's crazy at heart, and he can continue to press in the second half in order to win. So I'm asking you to hit the counter-attack as soon as you break the ball, kick forward with your big foot and go into the box once you have it. That's it! ”
The tactical board called him a mess. He kept talking, but a few of the players could hear it clearly. He didn't have time to care. He had only one thought in his head right now: time is running out, I have to let them all know what to do in the second half!
"Keep pressing all over the court and keep using foul plays...... Of course, the foul was committed far from our penalty area. Don't be afraid of physical exhaustion, I repeat – this is the last game of the season, and if you don't fight, it's your last game in the Premier League. Even if you run cramps, run for me! If you can't keep putting pressure on them, you're the one who is out of luck! ”
"Don't be afraid to make mistakes, if you lose the ball, you can fight back on the spot. If you are fierce, they will be afraid. Think about what kind of mentality the Forest team is in right now? Their champion is gone! Nelson also repeated that last sentence three times.
Nelson may not be a great tactician, otherwise Sunderland wouldn't have fallen to this point - the Irishman Quinn still has some money behind him. He wasn't a great orator either, though, and with this particular offer, he was quite inflammatory, and Sunderland's players were red-eyed and ready to make a big start in the second half.
Knock down the unbeatable Nottingham Forest, shatter their dream of winning the trophy and keep themselves in the Premier League. This season has been perfect.
Samba music is finally gone, but Bendtner doesn't feel like his ordeal is over. Because McClaren is arranging the tactics for the second half......
Robinho sat in his seat, still shaking his head slightly, as if the music hadn't gone away. He had already been substituted, and at the start of the second half, the main striker was replaced, and he was replaced by the team's young striker, Jack, who was only twenty years old. Reid has only made five league appearances for the team this season, all coming off the bench.
McLaren is already working on new players for the team.
Bendtner, the team's top scorer, was still heavily used and would continue to play in the second half.
Bendtner really didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing for him. When McLaren was announced by Jack. When Reid replaced Robinho, he stole a glance at Ashley. Yang found that the latter was also aiming at himself, but what couldn't be hidden in his eyes was sympathy.
At this moment, a sentence suddenly appeared in his mind:
People from Nottingham Forest, no matter what, are always out of step with their surroundings. Because that person is too unique, the team he brought out is also too unique, and the people who came out of that team are naturally also unique.
If that had happened to Nottingham Forest, maybe that man would have scolded everyone in the dressing room. He couldn't tolerate failure, let alone such a defeat. Playing under him was tiring, really tiring, like being driven forward by a mace all day long, and he couldn't stop.
But one day when they were allowed to stop and rest and catch their breath, they suddenly looked up and found that they had run to the top of the mountains. At that time, I can finally straighten up my tired body, take a long breath, and take a good look at the environment around me.
See the mountains at a glance......