April 3rd, showers.

Nottingham, outside the City Stadium.

Despite the unpleasant weather, the weather, which is uneventful for the British, could not stop Forest fans from attending the game. Colorful umbrellas line up in front of the entrances to the stadium in front of a long snake. When the umbrellas moved to the stands with the current, they all disappeared without a trace in an instant. All that remains are people who open their arms and sing and shout in the wind and rain, one by one, in groups of people.

It was a match in the 31st round of the English Premier League, with Nottingham Forest hosting Everton. Maybe for the rest of the fans, it's a game that doesn't have anything special, to watch or not. But for fans on both sides, it's a crucial match, no less than a derby in the cities of both teams.

Everyone worked the game, and no one wanted to be a loser after 90 minutes.

※※※ There was silence in the home team's dressing room. The players had just warmed up from the pitch, soaking wet, and were hurrying to change into clean jerseys. Donn stood in the locker room doorway, watching his players do it all in an orderly manner. David? Chris Rac was a little anxious, raising his wrist to look at his watch from time to time.

Don cleared his throat, then raised his hand: "You guys are busy, I'll say a few words." The players stopped what they were doing and looked back at him, and Donn waved vigorously and motioned for them to continue to be their own. Seeing the players turn around and continue to change their clothes, Don scratched his head and said, "Well, half a month ago, we lost the League Cup...... I was so excited that we were going to win the League Cup, and it turned out to be ridiculous, I lost. ”

Don said "I lost" so easily, which surprised the players present. Their coach can be regarded as the kind of person who doesn't admit defeat even if he really loses. Why is it so abnormal today?

Don looked at the expressions on these players, and naturally knew what they were thinking. He grinned: "Have you changed all your clean clothes?" ”

The players nodded.

"Very well, all quiet down and continue to listen to me. We're promoted horses, aren't we? ”

"That's right. Promoted horses. One of the players replied.

"The goal of promotion horses is usually relegation, right?"

"Yes." This time, there were more people who spoke out.

"But......" Donn said, "the league is thirty rounds, look at our current results." Sixth in the league! Is there any promoted team that has such a good result as ours? Two more and we can play in next season's European Cup! I think it's worth it to throw away the League Cup for the Champions Cup. There are eight rounds left in the league and we have to sprint from now on to ...... Sprint! Everton are our direct competitors, we're in the sprint, they're too! ”

Don walked from the doorway to the center of the locker room and stood in the crowd, looking left and right. 'We've not had a lot of luck lately, losing back-to-back games, losing the UEFA Cup and losing two games in a row in the league. The media outside went into a ruckus, describing our Nottingham Forest as if the end of the world was coming. They sentenced us to death early, with eight rounds left in the league...... Announce in advance that our season is over, and we're done! He pointed to the gate and shouted, "Those bitches! What do you guys think? Do you think we're done with the season? Are we done with the fun? ”

At this time, if someone still says, "Yes, I don't think we're going to have fun," it's just looking for death, and all the players in the Forest team shouted, "No! ”

Donn was very pleased with the performance of the players.

"I tell you, I can assure you that Liverpool will fall behind, Liverpool will fall behind! Don't look at them now that they are in front of us, they will definitely be overtaken by us! So our main rival is actually only one Everton, and the decisive battle with them is today! As long as we can close the gap to them by one point! If we can't withstand this pressure, we must be our opponents who will be the first to collapse! He clenched his fists and smashed downward, and even though nothing was hit, everyone could hear the "thud".

※※※ "Sixth in the league, round of 16 in the UEFA Cup...... I think that's a good enough result for a promoted team. It's good enough for a manager who's only thirty-six years old. "The game hasn't started yet, the work of the commentators has already begun. Martin? Taylor and Andy? Gray analyses some information about the game.

Gray laughed, "Martin, I don't think Coach Don will agree with you. ”

"Huh?"

"He's going to feel like it's not enough, because he's not done yet. If he doesn't achieve his goal, he doesn't do it well. We can see something from this game and I can bet that Forest will definitely fight Everton in this game and it can't be a draw. Because at this time, a draw for Tony? For people like Donn, it's tantamount to failure. ”

"Andy, when did you start getting to know him so well?"

The two laughed in front of the microphone.

After the players from both sides came on, David Moyes met Mikel in Nottingham Forest's starting eleven? Arteta, all of a sudden, all tastes came to mind.

It was supposed to be a player who was supposed to train under him and wear the blue Everton shirt in the Premier League, but now he is at Nottingham Forest, his opponent.

He tilted his head to look at the home team's dugout.

Tony? The way Don was sitting precariously made it almost impossible for him to relate to the down-and-out man he had been two years ago. It's only been less than two years, and it's changed a lot...... No, we're adversaries now.

Now is not the time to appreciate each other.

Moyes withdrew his gaze and sat in the dugout waiting for the game to begin.

※※※ By the beginning of the game, the rain did not stop, it was not heavy, but it was very annoying, and there was no water on the field, but it was more slippery.

In the past, Donn's hate was playing in the rain, because it would make the team unable to perform at the usual two-thirds level. But after spending more than two years in the UK, he had to succumb to the forces of nature, and he couldn't change the climate of the British island nation, right? Then he will not be a football coach, and will directly wear his underwear outside and change his career to be Superman.

Now the Welford training base of the Forest team, since the match with the Arsenal youth team, has a special field, whenever the weather is bad, a lot of water will be poured on this field, simulating the conditions of playing in the rain, so that the team can adapt to the training. After repeated exercises with this specific surname, the team's strength loss in rainy days has been very small.

Now it seems that his starting of Bendtner and Crouch fits the weather conditions, with two big and tall men, and most of the team's offense can avoid slippery ground and go into the air.

He's not like Arsene Wenger, he has to make the team look good. Tony? Donn is a pragmatist, and if ugliness can win, he doesn't mind making the game look worthless. Of course, Arteta, who is delicate and imaginative in passing, can also enrich Forest's attacking means in the team. Don Enke is not afraid of too many offensive routines, he wishes for more, so that the opponent is confused and does not know how to defend.

Everton's midfield has weakened a lot after Gravison's departure has weakened a lot. Although Donn remembers that Graveson was a failure at Real Madrid, he was at the heart of his time at Everton. Not only can he defend, but his passing ability allows him to play the offensive job as well. It's just that he went to Real Madrid later, there are too many strongmen in the Real Madrid team, there is no room for him to play at all, and a team like Real Madrid is not suitable for Graveson, after all, not all players who are the core of small and medium-sized teams can play the main team in a giant club. Later, after Capello took charge of Real Madrid, the Danish "Hulk" became more and more pressured, and was purged by Capello because of a brawl with Robinho.

Now that there is no Graveson in this Everton team, there is no Arteta that Donn is familiar with, so Moyes has to develop another player as the core of the midfield - Australian Thiem? Cahill.

Don is no stranger to him, both in his memory and as a manager, and Cahill has left a deep impression on him. The Millwall players now donned the blue Everton shirt and were once again standing opposite Donne.

But this time, Donn is not the same Donn he was more than a year ago, and Nottingham Forest is not the vice-captain who is still struggling in the second division and has no future.

As the heart of the midfield, Cahill is still too tender!

David Moyes is completely a duck on the shelf, such a midfield core, George? Wood is probably more than enough to deal with two alone.

David Moyes also knows that Everton's midfield is no match for Forest's midfield, so don't look at Cahill as a midfielder on the surface, in fact, he is a striker.

Everton's starting striker is Duncan? Alex Ferguson (duncan_ferguson) and the "Saints" James, who moved from Southampton this season? Beattie (james_beattie), their biggest role may be to help Cahill draw the firepower of Forest's defence.

The real final blow was done by this Australian kid.

As for the midfield, Li Tie, who Tang En is most familiar with, didn't even make the squad, was injured, and was still recovering.

(To be continued)