<h4>Chapter 971: The Silver Fox’s Decision</h4>
<strong>Trantor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio <strong>Editor: </strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Our team needs to attack in the second half. However, I need to remind all of you to watch out for Ennd’s counter-attacks.”
Lippi could already guess what sort of tactics Twain would employ in the second half. He had studied Twain’s tactics prior to the match, and he would not be surprised if Twain chose to sit back and wait for Italy to attack them before going on the counter-attack. If his team had taken a one goal lead just like Ennd, he would have instructed his team to y counter-attacking football as well.
Italy not only needs to focus on its offense in the second half, but they also need to be wary of Ennd’s quick counter-attacks as well.
“I want all of you to snatch the ball back if you lose the ball, and I want everyone to retreat backwards and defend if Ennd gets the ball. You can foul them when necessary, but make sure you only foul them when they are in their own half of the pitch. All in all, do all you can to stop them fromunching their quick counter-attacks.”
Throughout the entire halftime break, Lippi only conveyed his tactics to the yers. He did not give them a pep talk or say things such as ‘hang on for another 45 minutes, the trophy would definitely be in our hands’. The man who is about to turn 70 knows very well that those words would not benefit the yers in any way. To the Italy team, tactics were more important than the yers’ psychological states.
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Tony Twain was still speaking to the yers, but James Vaughan did not hear a single word that he said. He was certain that he would not get the chance to y in the second halfter on. He did not think about why he was not given the chance to y in the match. All he thought about was how he was going to be a spectator just like Mitchell. At least Mitchell knows why he is unable to y in the match. He was barred from ying because he picked up too many yellow cards, and that is something that cannot be helped. But, what about him? He has been forced to sit on the bench without any exnation from his manager…
He found it really suffocating to not know the reason behind why he has been dropped from the match.
Des Walker nudged Twain lightly, and gestured him to look at Vaughan.
Twain nced over and noticed a depressed Vaughan sitting by the side.
This is not what he wanted to happen…
Twain lowered his head and looked at the watch. It was about time for the second half tomence. He waved his hands at the yers and said, “Get out there,ds. There are only 45 minutes left in the match. I don’t want any of you to leave the pitch with regrets.”
Vaughan smiled wryly to himself after hearing thosest few words from Twain. The yers who are ying in the matchter might not end up with regrets, but what about me?
“Vaughan, I want you to stay back for a while.” Twain suddenly called his name.
Vaughan froze in his tracks. His teammates averted their gazes towards the two of them, but they did not start whispering amongst themselves over what had just happened. All they did was to send a nce in their direction before they turned around and left without saying a word.
They all felt that the boss owes Vaughan an exnation. It was really too cruel of him to leave Vaughan on the bench when he has been performing well on the pitch thus far.
The pair stayed behind in the locker room and waited for the yers around them to leave. Vaughan looked at Twain, but Twain had his eyes on the outside of the locker room.
Twain only directed his gaze onto Vaughan when everyone else had left the room.
Twain tried his best to make out traces of anger in Vaughan’s eyes. But, to his disappointment, it seemed like disenchantment was the prevailing emotion that could be discerned from his eyes.
Vaughan thought that his boss would exin to him why he failed to start in the match. He did not expect the first few words from Twain to be:
“Don’t take off the shirt underneath your jersey just yet.”
Twain then gestured for Vaughan to leave the room after finishing his words.
Vaughan left the locker room feeling utterly confused. His head was still in the clouds when he walked out of the tunnel, but the deafening cheers from the crowd snapped him out of reveries. A momentter, Twain’s words began registering in his mind. Maybe the boss is trying to tell me that I have a chance of ying in the second half?
But, should he be happy or upset to hear those words from Twain? Why did the boss not make me a starting yer if he intends to y me in the match? Why did he put me on the bench? Oh well, at least there is a glimmer of hope that I might be able to y in the matchter.
Twain walked out of the tunnel a while after Vaughan made his way to the bench. He walked over to his seat in the dugout and found Des Walker looking at him. “How did the talk go?”
“I told him not to take off the shirt underneath his jersey just yet.” Twain shrugged. The people who sympathized with Vaughan would have blown their tops if they saw the kind of attitude that Twain had towards the situation.
Walker smiled wryly. “Aren’t you afraid that he woulde to despise you?”
“That’s exactly what I want him to do.” Twain answered grimly.
He did not mind being hated by a yer if it meant that he could lift the trophy. Besides, Vaughan would just be one of many people in the world who want him dead.
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The Italy yers marked the Ennd yers closely and performed more interceptions in the midfield in the second half. The way in which Italy defended against the Ennd yers made them feel quite ufortable. The Ennd yers were no longer given the time to think about whether they should pass the ball away or bring the ball forward themselves. The ball would be snatched away from them the moment they hesitate.
The importance of ‘passing the ball quickly’ bes all too apparent in situations like these. This was also a point that was emphasized by Twain repeatedly at halftime.
The yers need to carefully observe the situation on the pitch and have a good grasp of where their teammates and opponents are before they receive the pass. Doing so would allow them to instantly know what their next step should be. They should not be observing the pitch and thinking about what they should do next after they have received the ball.
Twain has been training the Ennd national team yers to observe before they receive the pass for two years. It did not matter which football club the yeres from. He has to y in this manner if he wants to y for Ennd. Any yer who fails to y in the way that Twain wants or refuses to change his ying style to suit Twain’s methods would be dropped from the team, no matter how talented or famous he might be as a yer. Twain would not change his mind and let the yer back into the team even if the pressmbastes him for it.
That is how he has managed to build an Ennd national team that listens to his every word.
The yers were not at a loss either when Twain told them to make quick passes at halftime.
Ennd’s tactics in the midfield became very simple after Italy started to pressurize them and intercept their ball in the midfield. George Wood and Gerrard were both positioned at the middle of the pitch, and their main role was to pass the ball forward. The two side midfielders yed more like wingers when they moved forward to attack. Agbohor’s position on the pitch was shifted backwards and it became very flexible. He essentially merged the line where the forwards are with the line where the midfielders are.
The entire Ennd midfield would retreat backwards during defense, and all the midfielders will form a line right before the team’s defense line. Their main role is to try and stop Italy’s attacks before they reach their penalty box.
The yers from both sides were constantly locked in a fierce battle for the ball, and fouls became inevitable eventually. The managers for both teams have instructed their yers tomit fouls when necessary, and thus, the referee’s whistle kept going off repeatedly during the second half. Both teams’ attacks kept getting interrupted, and neither side was able tounch aplete attack.
Lippi soon came to realize that it was a quite difficult to find a hole in Ennd’s defense. Twain appears to have mastered the art of defense just like Italy, though it is unclear who taught it to him.
Even Rooney, who is typically positioned at the front of the pitch, has to retreat to the center circle during Ennd’s defense. There are several different parts to Ennd’s defense, and each and every part is closely linked with one another.
Alberto Paloschi tried attacking down the nks, but his attacks failed to draw the defenders away from the middle of the pitch. The Ennd defenders stood their ground and did not allow the Italy team any space to attack. Salvatore Foti was closely marked by John Terry the entire time, and he rarely got a decent chance to make his way past the Ennd defender.
Lippi realized that the only way to break through Ennd’s airtight defense was to pin all his hopes on set pieces rather than on a particr yer’s moment of brilliance.
He looked down at his watch. 17 minutes had gone by in the second half, and the score remained 0:1. His team was still trailing by a goal. He has to make a change fast. This is definitely not the time for him to consider the pride or feelings of certain yers.
He nced at the yers who were seated on the bench before pulling his assistant manager, Ferrara, over to him. “Ask Balotelli to do his warm-ups.”
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Balotelli is an attacking yer who possesses several unique traits, and he is quite famous as well. His absence from the list of starting yers for the match was just as surprising as Twain’s decision to keep Vaughan on the bench. However, unlike Twain, Lippi was not criticized by the press over his decision to not y Balotelli in the match.
The reason is simple. Everything went wrong for Balotelli ever since he made his decision to transfer to Nottingham Forest. He had chosen to transfer to Nottingham Forest because he was unhappy at Inter Mn, but Nottingham Forest has been going on the decline for the past few years, and both his form and fame as a yer have been affected as a result. In addition, there is a ‘tradition’ among the Italy national team’s managers – they do not pay much attention to yers who y football overseas.
Balotelli used to be a starting yer in the Italy national team, but now he is demoted to a mere substitute. Many Inter Mn fans could not help butment his fate.
There can only be one reason why Lippi would choose to y Balotelli in the match at a time like this. Balotelli is good at taking free-kicks, and Lippi must be nning to make full use of that. Italy has the upper hand in the match at the moment, and they have been able to gain several free kicks in Ennd’s half of the pitch due to the foulsmitted by the Ennd yers. Given how the yers from both sides have beenmitting a lot of fouls in the match so far, Italy would definitely be awarded even more free kicks from here on out. Thus, putting Balotelli on the pitch would help Italy capitalize on those free kicks. Balotelli’s free kicks would also add creativity to Italy’s offense and create more chances for the team to attack as well.
Additionally, Balotelli is a Nottingham Forest yer, and he might be able to provide his teammates with some insights as to how Tony Twain might direct his yers to y in the match…
Balotelli stood by the side of the pitch and waited for the referee to announce the substitution. Lippi had already ryed his role in the match to him half a minute ago. His role was very simple. All he needed to do was to make use of his techniques to create chances for the team to make their way past Ennd’s defense. He would be the yer to take all the free kicks and corners in the opposition’s half, and he has to make sure that he makes full use of those free kicks and find the way to break through Ennd’s airtight defense.
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Twain began searching his memory for information regarding Balotelli after he saw the Italian yer stand next to the fourth official.
Nottingham Forest’s results for the past two seasons have been mediocre at best, but the ck yer has slowly cemented his ce as a starting yer on the team. This is hardly surprising, given how he is a yer who cost the club 35 million pounds to bring in. Are there any managers out there who would possibly dare to put such an expensive yer on the bench? Unfortunately for Forest, Balotelli was never able to make use of his own skills and abilities to boost the team’s results. His form mirrors the ups and downs of his team and has beenrgely inconsistent.
It has been reported that Balotelli is not happy at Nottingham Forest. There were numerous news stories about how he wanted to transfer to a different club all summer, and it is said that he would prefer a move to Manchester United where he would be reunited with his teacher, Mourinho.
Lippi must have put him on the pitch after seeing how Italy has been given arge number of free kicks in the past few minutes…
Guess it’s time to remind the yers to pay attention to where they aremitting the fouls on the Italy yers…
Twain stood up and walked to the side of the pitch before calling Wood’s name. He wanted the captain to convey his newest set of instructions to his teammates on the pitch.
“Pay attention to where you aremitting the fouls!”
The truth was that most people did not have high hopes for Balotelli. Lippi was one of the few exceptions who did, since he was the one who made the decision to put him on the pitch.
Balotelli’s form for this season has simply been too inconsistent. When he is ying well, he would be able to lead his team to victory by performing hat tricks. But, when he is not ying well, he turns invisible on the pitch, and thementators would be left wondering if Nottingham Forest even yed him in the match.
To make things worse, his poor performances ur much more frequently than his good performances.
However, Lippi did not see Balotelli in the same light as the others, and that is why he had given him a detailed analysis of the match before he sent him on the pitch. He told Balotelli about the issues that he needed to pay attention to, and he also advised him on what he should do when he faced those issues. In addition, he also gave him the authority to take every single set piece for the team. It is evident that Lippi has ced high hopes on Balotelli.
Sadly, Balotelli betrayed Lippi’s hopes when he received the ball from his teammates for the very first time after getting on the pitch. He tried to stop the ball at his feet, but he ended up giving it away to George Wood instead.
The Ennd fans at the stands all broke into augh after seeing his mistake. John and Bill even started singing a song that praised Balotelli. Their gesture was clearly one that was done with the intention of reminding everyone about the rtionship between them and Balotelli.
“Does Balotelli think he’s still wearing a red Nottingham Forest jersey? He actually stopped the ball for George Wood who stood across of him! Even Wood himself looks to be surprised by Balotelli’s mistake! Aha!” Motson criticized Balotelli mercilessly. It was as if he had forgotten the times he had cheered for Balotelli’s wonderful goals in the Premier League.
The Italianmentator, on the other hand, did not react by criticizing Balotelli just like Motson did. Instead, he held a hand to his face. He could not bear to watch such an embarrassing scene.
Some of the Italy fans like toe up with conspiracy theories, and after seeing Balotelli’s performance earlier, they would definitely buy into the theory that Nottingham Forest had deliberately bought Balotelli just to ruin him as a yer. They have beenying the groundwork for their victory in this finals match since two years ago! Everything that they did back then was all for today’s match! They have been plotting to render a gifted Italian yer useless by buying him over!
And, it looks like they have seeded!
The conspiracy theory caused several Italy fans to be furious at the Ennd fans. The fact that Tony Twain was the manager of both Nottingham Forest and the Ennd national football team also lends credence to the theory. Tony Twain could have been the mastermind behind all of this! He knew that this day woulde, and that is why he got Nottingham Forest to buy Balotelli! We thought it was odd that Balotelli did not go to Manchester United where his teacher, Mourinho, is at, but now we know why!
Tony Twain truly is a man who would do anything to win…
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Laughter would erupt from the stands every time Balotelli received the ball. Theughteres from the Ennd fans, and they are all intent on making fun of Balotelli after seeing the mistake that hemitted earlier.
One cannot help but wonder what Davide Lanzafame is feeling at the moment. He was the yer who got substituted for Balotelli after all. But, what people are most curious about must be what Lippi is thinking about right now…
Twain beganughing along with the crowd. He felt a little proud. Balotelli’s mistake had delivered a blow to Italy’s morale, and it had also caused his teammates trust in him to waver.
He did not understand why Lippi would risk ying Balotelli in the match. Balotelli might be skilled at taking free kicks, but his ws as a yer still outnumber his strengths. Balotelli did not y in many games in the Euro Cup so far, and his performances when he did y have also been decent at best. His most noteworthy contribution to the team has been an assist.
Then again, Lippi is a man who is referred to as the ‘Silver Fox’. Did the ‘Silver Fox’ really make a mistake, or does he actually have something up his sleeves?
“I think putting Balotelli on the pitch is an absolute mistake. If Italy goes on to lose this match, Lippi would definitely be criticized heavily by the press for that substitution.”
“I think this is a chance for Ennd to go on the offense and attack Italy even more ferociously than they are now. They should fight to get that second goal. The game would be over the moment they score, and the British would be able to celebrate winning their first ever Euro Cup trophy early.”
“Balotelli’s performances as a Nottingham Forest yer have been mediocre. The rtionship between him and the club has soured over the summer, and he is looking for a move away from the club. All the various transfer rumors surrounding him must have affected his state of mind and his form as a yer. I think Lippi made the wrong decision to y such a yer in the match…”
“Lanzafame was not outstanding in the match earlier, but he still made lots of contributions to the team’s defense. I wonder what exactly was going through Lippi’s mind when he made the decision to take off a yer like Lanzafame, who had put in a solid performance thus far, for a problematic yer like Balotelli?”
Thementators working for different countries did not miss out on the opportunity to criticize Lippi.
“Lippi has truly gotten on with age. I can’t believe he actually made a mistake like this in such an important match… I guess age really spares no man. We have to remember that he’s a 68-year-old man this year…” There were even people who shook their heads and sighed at Lippi’s decision. They made it seem as though Lippi’s decision to y Balotelli was truly a disastrous one.
The man who became the target of discussion sat firmly on his seat at the dugout. Many people expected to see either anger or impatience upon his countenance, but his face remained stoic and emotionless. He did not furrow his brows at Balotelli’s mistake, and neither did he berate his yers from the side of the pitch. He did nothing and simply remained still like a statue at his seat.
The aged man sitting at Italy’s dugout resembled Paul Newman. Lippi was really getting more and more handsome the older he aged. He had a refined, gentlemanly air to him that was hard to go unnoticed by others.
Lippi’sck of reaction was actually able to achieve a positive effect on the yers. It boosted their confidence and made them believe that they still had a chance of winning the match.
The manager is not panicking, so why should we?
There were numerous Italy yers who thought that way, and Balotelli was one of them.