Chapter 147 Encounter

Shawn Barclays' arrival surprised Donn a little. Because during the European Cup, the FA's top figure did not come to inspect his team, but only provided a little help during Wood's physical examination, and sometimes it seemed like it had disappeared.

Barclays did not contact the players, but directly found Done. This made Done quite satisfied. At least the English Football Officers would not bypass the head coach and directly interfere in team affairs like officials of the Chinese Football Association. At present, in the England team, he felt that he had deserved respect.

Barclays and Donne had a separate meeting, and each person had a cup of coffee in the hotel cafe where they stayed. Barclays was most concerned about what achievements England could achieve this time. The lowest goal given to Donne before the game was the semi-finals. Now Donne has exceeded the task, so as the FA, it should have been relaxed. But people are always greedy. Since we have reached the final, why not win the championship?

Everyone has such ideas, let alone a FA CEO.

Although Tang En expressed his ambition to win the championship in front of his colleagues, he had to take a look at this FA Ceo.

"I can't promise anything." Tang En spread his hands, "The game hasn't started yet, and our opponents are very strong."

Barclay scolded Don Eun in his heart, but smiled and said to him: "This is not like the Tony Don Eun I know, who said before the season that his team was going to win the European Champions League?"

Donn knew that Barclay was running himself, but there was no change in his face, and he just shook his head slightly: "The season is long, we have enough time to adjust. The final is only one game, ninety minutes or one hundred and twenty minutes, and the room for mistakes is too small. I don't want to make you bigger hopes, the greater the disappointment. Mr. Barclay." He fought back calmly.

Barclay continued to curse in his heart.    This time he came out to find out what Tang En’s real goal was.                                             �

"But I think no one's goal is runner-up, right?" he asked.

This time, Tang En nodded simply: "Of course, we will work hard to win the championship."

This sentence was Barclay's only gain this time. What made him a little dissatisfied was that Tang En was still as rebellious as the rumored, and was cold to himself, the CEO of the FA. He even became a little impatient after the conversation, as if he had a lot of things to do, and Barclay's own time was not the same as time.

After leaving the hotel, Barclays was blocked by reporters and received a brief interview.

"Our goal is the championship." In front of many media, he announced the team's ultimate goal on behalf of Don En.

Compared with Barclays' high profile, Donn was unexpectedly low-key before the final.

When Tang En coached the team to participate in important games, he could never forget to have a verbal battle with the opponent's head coach and provoke psychological warfare. But this time, he did not do this.

He did not take the initiative to attack Italy, nor did he provoke Lippi. He did not talk about any other extras except for daily training. He seemed to want to save his first encounter with Lippi for the press meeting the day before the game.

But the more low-key Don is, the more worried the Italian side is. Think about the fate of the French team - Don is pretending to be a grandson before the game, but after the game he became the only old man.

Italians are worried that Don En is planning a conspiracy against them behind his low-key relationship. In the past two days, Italian media have tried every means to inquire about the training situation in England and want to find out what the English are doing.

In fact, they really wronged Tang En this time...

During the training interval, Wood forwarded the information about Bell telling himself to Don En. These things were very helpful to Don En. They were more targeted when formulating tactics, especially defensive tactics.

The overall tactics in the game have long been determined. Today's training revolves around that tactic. No matter what different opinions are in the coaching staff, after the head coach decides, they must put down their opinions and cooperate wholeheartedly.

Good news is also coming, Bentley and Walcott both returned from injury. They will be able to play in the finals. In addition to Mitchel, who has suspended due to cumulative yellow cards, England can send their strongest lineup to face Italy.

George Wood's right foot is no longer a problem. Team doctor team leader Derek White believes that Wood is as strong as a bull.

The three-day preparation time passed quickly, and it was the last day before the game. On this afternoon, the teams of both sides will go to the Bernabeu Stadium to adapt to the field. At the same time, the head coaches of the two teams will take a player to the last press conference before the finals.

The Italian team was arranged to enter the Bernabeu adaptation field first. After the adaptation training, head coach Lippi brought Italian captain Chiellini to the press conference.

At the meeting, what the reporters were most interested in was actually the first and last head-on confrontation between the two head coaches. Lippi and Tang En were both famous and successful head coaches in European football, but they had never had any intersection. In the years when Tang En was at the limelight, Lippi had never talked about him. Of course, Tang En would not take the initiative to take the initiative to be a person who was unfavorable, even if he was the head coach of the world champion team.

But today, I took out the two of them for comparison. Obviously, it was inevitable.

After asking the routine questions, a reporter from Italian "Sports in Milan" stood up and asked this question: "Marcelo, what do you think of Tony Don?"

"He is a very good head coach. The trophys he won in leading Nottingham Forest proves his ability." Lippi's answer was nothing unexpected, because it was a fact.

Obviously, such an answer cannot satisfy the reporters.

"But he has not achieved any convincing results in the field of coaching the national team..." A reporter from Milan Sports continued to ask.

"I don't think this is a problem. The performance of England in this European Cup is obvious to all, and this is his achievement." This time the answer began to interest the reporters. Because as an opponent, it should not be praised so nakedly, not to mention that Lippi is a coach who has almost all the honors he deserves. It is not easy to get his praise occasionally.

So is his praise for Tang En a smoke bomb or really appreciating it?

When Lippi was still answering questions from many reporters, Don was already standing outside with George Wood waiting. The media were particularly interested in the first confrontation between Lippi and Don. The press conference was also extended a little.

You can see the situation inside at the door and hear the sound inside. But most of them are in Italian, and Tang En can't understand it.

Just chat with Wood outside.

"How is your mother in good health, George?"

"It's okay..." He said it was okay, but there was no joy on his face. Tang En could guess that the situation might not be very good. But he couldn't help in this regard, so he could only sigh in his heart. Such a poor woman seemed to have come to the world just to suffer.

"Will mom watch the finals?"

“She can watch TV.”

"Perform well, and you will be happy to get a trophy."

Wood nodded.

The two of them suddenly became silent again. It seemed that they were both worried. It was Wood who took the initiative to break the silence: "How are you... how are you and Shania?"

Don Eun smiled and glanced at Wood: "It's not easy for George to care about others too. What can I do? Just that, I'm busy with work, and she's busy with work. Every year, I'm a little together. But you, thirty years old, don't have a woman at this age, will make people doubt your sexual orientation, George."

Wood curled his lips: "Whatever they want."

"You can see it easily." Tang En looked up and down Wood. Hey hey. "The best gay magazine will make your ideal partner for gay men on judges for three consecutive years."

Tang En was really anxious about Wood's lifelong affairs, so he also used the name of homosexuality to beat him. It seems that Westerners do not value as much as Easterners in inheriting the family line. Otherwise, Tang En would definitely bring up the idea that "unfilial piety is the greatest thing" and use his mother's name to suppress Wood.

"Tomorrow is the final, do you still have the heart to think about these?" Wood fought back.

"I have done everything I should do. What else can I do now? I frown and remain silent?" Tang En smiled brightly, "That's not my style. Besides..." He pointed to Lippi inside the door, "We can't let the enemy look down on you. Relax, George. We are the ones who have brought three big ear cups. What kind of wind and waves have you seen before? Ha!"

While he was talking, the press conference inside ended. Amidst the applause, Lippi pulled open the chair and walked towards the exit with Chiellini.

When Lippi saw Tang En standing outside and smiling at him, she was a little surprised, but her expression soon returned to normal.

He knew that Tang En was greeting him with a smile. The head coach did not seem to be as fierce as the outside world rumored. It is not easy to contact. Since the other party took the initiative to show goodwill, there was no need for Lippi to show off his airs. He also looked at Tang En and nodded slightly.

Perhaps because of the finals, Lippi, who attended the press conference today, did not wear a t-shirt he usually wore on the training ground, but a very formal dark blue suit and white shirt. The two passed by, and Don did not keep his eyes on Lippi's back. Instead, George Wood and the other captain Chiellini sparked and looked at each other.

After leaving the press conference, Lao Yan Gun Lippi never let himself be wronged again. He shrugged his shoulder and took out a Tuscan-made cigar from the pocket of the suit liner and put it in his mouth. He lit the fire and took a breath. Even Tang En heard the sound.

With a cigar in hand, Lippi and Chiellini left.   Donn patted Wood next to him: "Let's go, George. It's our turn."

He doesn't smoke, but he doesn't need to use smoking to pretend to be cool. He himself is synonymous with "cool". Especially when he appears in front of the media, the flash that is connected in a row has well shown that in the limelight, he is no worse than winning the world championship, Di Lippi.

"How do you evaluate Marcelo Lippi, Mr. Tangen?" After the normal question was completed, Tangen also faced such a problem.

"He is an excellent head coach. The championship trophys he won in Juventus and Italy have long proved this." Don En did not hesitate or was surprised, and he answered quickly.

However, the reporters who know both English and Italian below laughed. Because this was really coincidental, Lippi also answered this question with the same answer.

Even if these two people deliberately acted in a low-key manner, they really deserve to be the final opponents...

Tang En was laughed for no reason, but he did not ask what happened.

"Is it difficult to fight such a head coach in the final?" asked Milan Sports.

"I admit that it is a bit difficult, after all, Lippi is experienced. But..." Tang En's tone turned aside, "No one came to the Bernabeu to compete for the runner-up. I believe Lippi thinks so too. If he can defeat Italy and win the championship, I will be very happy."

"Mr. Done. You were unexpectedly low-key before the game. Do you want Italy to underestimate the enemy?" The reporter of "Milan Sports" was aggressive.

"Not.  " Tang En spread his hands, "You are insulting Mr. Lippi's IQ." He did not forget to make the other party's joke and used this method to retaliate against the Italian journalist's reluctance. "I do respect Lippi. I am very happy to be able to fight him in the final."

Don Eun didn't lie. Although Don Eun hated Juventus and Lippi as a fan, since he became a coach, his thoughts have changed and everything has been considered from the coach's perspective, his thinking has become closer and closer to the Italian coaches. As a head coach, tactical masters are always worthy of respect.

And Tang En also knew that based on Lippi's experience, if he provoked a war of words, he would definitely suffer in the end. Lippi's Italian team would not be fooled, and in that case, England, which seemed to provoke, would fall behind and would also be affected in morale. Psychological warfare is not a universal magic weapon that can be useful at any time.

This double-edged sword will only hurt yourself if you don’t use it well, so Tang En always picks soft persimmons to squeeze them.

Lippi is an old fox and a stone, but he may mess up his and the players' psychology.

"I hope tomorrow will be a wonderful game, but it does not mean that I promise to play offensive football tomorrow." Tang En smiled sly, "For me, the result is first."

Hearing him say this, some reporters sighed in their hearts. It seems that tomorrow's final will be a dull battle. If nothing unexpected happens, the championship will be decided by a penalty kick.

Other reporters have heard what they want from it - England will likely focus on defense tomorrow, defend and counterattack, sacrifice attacks, and drag to overtime and penalty shootouts.

It turned out that it had been covered up for three days. Is this the tactic that Done formulated for England? It was really nothing new...

Defense, defense, defense... I really want to ask someone to knock on his mind and see what else is there besides "defense".

Don En would not think about what the reporters were complaining about. After answering the reporters' questions, he and Wood left the Bernabeu Stadium and took the team's bus to the hotel they stayed with. The team's last tactical meeting tonight, and then quietly waited for tomorrow night to arrive.

The first time in his life in his life, he led the national team to the finals of a world competition, is almost within reach.
Chapter completed!