champion godfather

Chapter 754 Volume [-] Crimson George's Debut
George Wood still clearly remembers what his mother said to him when he was selected for the England World Cup squad for the first time.
Thinking about it now is like yesterday.But in fact, four years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Four years ago, he was watching other people's games in Germany. He was on the bench for five games and didn't get a chance to play for a minute.
Four years later, there was a lot of buzz in the media about making him a starter.And he himself is well aware of this.
After Capello took office, Wood, who was not reused before, gradually won the favor of the Italian iron-fisted coach with his dedicated performance and uncomplaining attitude.In the games he played, England's midfield defense was more than a grade better than before, and opponents would hit an iron plate if they wanted to pass through the center easily.What Capello should consider now is not whether Wood will play or not, but what partner to match George Wood.
However, George Wood's popularity in the team did not get better with the clarity of his main position.His taciturn personality makes him like a drop of oil in a glass of water in England.
Apart from Leighton Barnes and Alan Lennon, also from Nottingham Forest, he has few people to talk to in the England team.

He himself has a straight face all day long, just like Capello, and makes people feel inaccessible.
In the final days of South Africa's preparations for the World Cup, he couldn't think of anything else to do but train.Everyone else will go out shopping together, and let the paparazzi who follow them take crazy shots.But you will never find George Wood in these photos.
He would rather make overseas calls to chat with his mother.
Some teammates secretly nicknamed him "Good Baby", which is in stark contrast to his tough personality on the court.
Off the court, George Wood is definitely not a news figure, nor is he attracting attention.His name mentioned in the media must be related to tactics and games, and he has no part in those gossips.Except for training and warm-up games, he seems to disappear from the public eye.
But such days will not last long.The World Cup is about to begin, and it will be George Wood's stage.
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The opener was between hosts South Africa and Uruguay.There are no big-name players, South Africa takes advantage of the home court, and Uruguay is slightly stronger than South Africa, so the two sides fought evenly - and finally shook hands 1:1.
This game is considered exciting, and there are no classic pictures worth recalling.For England fans, even if it is the World Cup opener, it is not worth caring about.
Everyone is looking forward to the match between England and Costa Rica in Group D.
In the group stage of this World Cup, England, as the second-tier team, drew a good draw: they are in a group with Costa Rica from North America, South Korea from Asia and Brazil from South America. .
Brazil is of course very strong, but there are two remaining opponents... The world media are unanimously optimistic that Brazil and England will qualify from this group together.Costa Rica and South Korea will not pose any threat to these two teams.
Although the Korean media and Korean fans are still dreaming of the Republic of Korea's historic semi-finals in 2002, and YY has multiple plans for qualifying.Including a draw with Brazil, a small victory over England, and a big victory over Costa Rica; a loss to Brazil, a draw with England, a big victory over Costa Rica and a goal difference to overwhelm England's second qualifying group; victory over Brazil, victory over England, victory over Costa Rica, all three games went smoothly qualify...
But apart from their own people, no one in the world believes that they will qualify from this group.
The day before the Costa Rica game, there was already a lot of talk about England's starting line-up for the next day.In the lineup that Tony Twain made up in the pre-match prediction program, George Wood firmly occupied the position in the middle of the midfield.
Everyone thought that George Wood's World Cup debut would be tomorrow.
but……
At lunch, Wood was told that he would not be in the starting lineup tomorrow.
The iron-fisted coach Capello did not explain the detailed reasons to Wood, but told him that due to tactical needs, Lampard and Gerrard will start in the midfield of tomorrow's game.
After Capello announced the decision, he took a special look at Wood. He found that the kid had no expression on his face, and he just nodded and accepted the decision.Only then did I leave with confidence.
When Capello announced this decision, he did not treat the media the same way he treated Wood. He made his own explanation-Costa Rica's strength is not strong, and what he needs to play against such an opponent is more goals. Wood's offensive contribution is very small, so there is no need to waste an offensive spot in order to strengthen the defense in the middle, so let Wood rest.
This kind of explanation makes sense, but Wood's supporters are still somewhat unwilling to see Wood's World Cup debut in England's uniform tomorrow...
In the game on the second afternoon, England, without George Wood, felt the pressure from Costa Rica in the first 10 minutes of the game, but they always controlled the situation on the court at other times and did not give Costa Rica any better chances.
As Capello wished, England successfully won the fourth-ranked team in the group 3:1 in this game.
Lampard, who replaced George Wood, scored a goal and assisted a goal in the game, and was elected the man of the match.
Tang En was a little worried about this.No coach will replace his best player on the next game.So in the next game against South Korea, which is not strong, Capello has no reason to let Wood play.
Before the World Cup, he also wrote that George Wood would be one of the main actors of this World Cup.Now it seems that he has been positioned as a "substitute player" instead.Even if he was really allowed to play in the game against Brazil, it would give people the impression that England let the main players rest after qualifying early and did not fight Brazil recklessly.
When commenting on the ball, he complained about Capello's decision.At the same time, he suddenly hoped that the Koreans could create more troubles for England and bring about some changes in England...
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The second game was as expected by Tang En. Lampard, who performed well in the previous game, continued to occupy the starting spot, while George Wood continued to sit on the bench.
England's domestic expectations for this game are very high. They all hope to see Capello's team beat the South Korean team and qualify ahead of the two games.

Only Twain is singing the opposite tune - "The Koreans have already lost to Brazil. This game is a key battle that affects whether they can qualify from the group. I don't think this game will be as easy as some people think. If England If someone in the team underestimates the enemy, even the Koreans can make them suffer!"
Although he doesn't like Koreans, Twain still has to nod affirmatively for the willpower of Korean players.If they really go crazy, coupled with England's pride and underestimation of the enemy, then it is not impossible to "capsize the ship in the gutter".
This time Dunn guessed right again.
England encountered extremely tenacious resistance from the Koreans from the very beginning of the game.
The South Korean team used the "Total Attack and Total Defense" tactic in the game. They used their excellent physical fitness to run around the field and intercept the football at the feet of the English players from the frontcourt, forcing them to make mistakes in their busy schedule. The technical statistics of active mistakes soared.
The English players were obviously not prepared for the desperate style of play of the Koreans. They panicked when they were robbed by the Korean team, and they couldn't even play half of their usual level.
Lampard, who performed well in the last game, was "a blessing in disguise"-because his previous performance was too outstanding and dazzling, this game was "focused on care" by the Koreans.Two-person defense is the most basic, and there are also small moves such as kicking ankles, bumping thighs, pulling jerseys... and so on.
The frequent whistle of the referee could not stop the crazy Koreans at all.Compared with the future that may not be able to get out of the line, what is a foul?
Lampard fell to the ground again and again, raising his hands helplessly.It looked like he was capitulating, but he was actually protesting.But it's no use protesting.The Koreans' fouls are well measured, and it is very easy for fouls from behind to occur-this kind of foul will definitely get a card, and may even be a red card-and the people who commit the foul are by no means fixed to one or two people.
During the intermission, when everyone chatted together, John Mortensen said angrily that the Koreans were so shameless.
Tang En laughed it off.He also wished that the Koreans would be more shameless...
Capello is not a fool like McLaren. In the current situation, Lampard has no chance to be seen. He disappeared on the field in the second half of the first half, and it is of little help to the team's defense. Pitiful.If he were Capello, he would decisively replace Lampard with George Wood, and use Wood's fighting to help England regain control of the midfield.
Wood's offensive ability is certainly not as good as Lampard's.But a team's offense often initiates a transformation from defense.Sending four offensive players does not mean that the team's offense will be ×4, nor does it mean that the offense that was not working will improve.The key to winning this game is to stabilize the midfield defense and regain control of the midfield with a tougher game attitude than the opponent.
Tang En shared his point of view with other people in the studio, and everyone nodded in agreement.
Mortensen also joked to Twain that after Capello's term is over, let the Football Association find you to take over as the head coach of England!

Tang En chuckled: "The officials of the Football Association will suffer from headaches every day."
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Not long after the start of the second half, the situation on the field did not change at all.The South Koreans used their tireless running and near-foul defense to contain England's attack while waiting for opportunities to sneak up.
They can accept the result of a draw, because the last game against Costa Rica, the Koreans are confident of winning.But England can't accept a draw, and their final group game will be against a mighty Brazil.According to Capello's previous plan, it was to win Costa Rica and South Korea, and finally play a random game with Brazil, hide the main force, and meet the opponents in the knockout stage.
It's good now, the Koreans are desperately trying to drag England into the water.Draw with England, win Costa Rica, and compete with England for goal difference.They defended with all their strength in the last game, and finally controlled the conceded goals against Brazil to two.
Capello knew that he couldn't spend it with the Koreans anymore, so he decided to replace Lampard with a wave of his hand.
The person standing on the sidelines took off his winter jacket, revealing the jersey inside. It was England's No. 13 George Wood!
"Oh—George Wood's World Cup debut!" Mortensen glanced at Tang En with a smile.
Tang En noticed Mortensen's gaze, and he shrugged: "I think this substitution is a bit of a crisis...England didn't expect that they would be stubbornly blocked by the Koreans. But I believe in George's ability. He played in Nottingham Forest Do things like this often."
At the same time, on the sidelines, Capello held Wood and told the player about to play his intentions through a translator.
"I want you to help us restore order in midfield and stop the momentum of the Koreans. Do you know how to do it, George?"
Wood nodded: "Defense."
Capello smiled: "Yes, that's it. We conceded too many goals in the midfield, and the Koreans counterattacked on the spot several times. It is dangerous to go on like this. I hope you protect the midfield. If the Koreans break When you catch the ball, you immediately fight back...don’t be afraid of fouls, the referee’s whistle is too soft, and he doesn’t give up cards easily. Show the Koreans how powerful they are!”
He pushed Wood onto the field.
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"George Wood, from Southampton, from Nottingham Forest. He was the captain of the Forest team. He won the European Cup twice, the League Cup once, and the Premier League trophy once. As a professional player, he has won almost everything he can. The honor he received. But in his national team career, he was almost a blank sheet of paper. Because he was a purely defensive midfielder, he was not reused. This game was his first appearance in a major game in his national team career. Playing at this time, Capello obviously has high hopes for him, let's take a closer look at what changes he can bring to the current situation on the field."
Mortensen introduced George Wood in great detail.In fact, he still felt a little awkward when he said these words.As a commentator explaining the Premier League, he no longer needs to recommend George Wood as a rookie in the live broadcast of the game, but he still has to do so in the national team.
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Wood ran onto the field and made a gesture to make the formation press forward as a whole.
This is obviously also Capello's instigation.England need to attack, need to score goals, as for midfield defense... leave it to him!
Manchester United star Park Ji-sung tried to cut inside after dribbling the ball from the wing, but this time he encountered a strong block - the ball under his feet was a little bit bigger, and it was tackled by George Wood who was catching up with strides.
Gerrard concedes a goal in midfield?It doesn't matter!George Wood stabbed the football away again while the opponent was still adjusting the football.
The running ability and tenacious style that the Koreans are proud of have no upper hand here in George Wood.If they are tough, George Wood is tougher than them!And when dealing with these opponents, Wood is merciless, shoveling as he should, fouling as he should, without any hesitation.He was like a robot that had been programmed in advance and followed it meticulously.
Park Ji-sung was kicked to the ground by Wood again.This time the referee finally whistled for a foul by Wood, but he only issued a pocket warning and did not draw a card.
His actions aroused the dissatisfaction of the South Korean players. They surrounded the referee, hoping that the referee from Africa could give Wood a yellow card.
The actions of the Korean players provoked the English fans in the stands to boo them collectively-why didn't you say that you applied for a yellow card and a red card when you kicked our players?Now that George treats you like this, what right do you have to be dissatisfied?
Well done George!
Kick those Korean monkeys to death!
For a while, the cheers against Wood in the stands suddenly grew louder.
George Wood stunned the South Korean players with his usual tough style and fierce expression, and England regained the initiative on the field.The effect is very obvious-when England's waist is hardened, the gap in strength between the two teams can be reflected.Only Park Ji-sung in the South Korean team can barely compete with the England players, but he has also been on George Wood's "key care" list.Now he has to avoid Wood to get the ball, otherwise he is really afraid of being kicked off by Wood directly.When he was in the English League, he had seen Wood's playing style a lot.If Capello sent him up to abolish himself, then he would really be abolished...
The Koreans galloped all over the field, and the advantages they gained with physical strength disappeared as their physical fitness gradually declined.Instead, England relied on George Wood's strength in midfield to regain the upper hand.
In the No.707 minute of the game, Gerrard assisted Darren Bent to score the only goal of the game.Not only won the right to qualify in advance, but also kicked the once ambitious South Korean team back to its hometown in East Asia.
The South Korean fans stood in the stands, unable to believe what they saw—before they came to South Africa, they planned to stay at least to the quarterfinals...
After a morbid success at the 2002 World Cup, South Korea failed to make it out of the group stage in two consecutive World Cups.For themselves, the World Cup in Germany is "the collective revenge of the Europeans", while the World Cup in South Africa is "too bad luck", and they are assigned to the "death group" (the death group they themselves set).But the whole world knows that this is the true level of Korean football.Just because one player plays in a club as rich as Manchester United does not mean that their entire team is at the level of Manchester United. Park Ji-sung is not a savior, and modern football was not invented by Koreans.
Their status in this sport is that they can guarantee to enter the finals of each World Cup in the future, and they are not even as good as their neighbors Japan.
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Tang En looked very happy.On the one hand, he was eliminated early because of his hated Korean stick, and on the other hand, George Wood's performance was very good.
"If I were to rate the England team in this game, I would give Wood the highest score. His appearance is the key to reversing the situation of the entire game. Capello will also be talked about by England fans for a long time because of this substitution. Yes. A decisive substitution resulted in a victory and a brand-new England midfield core!" He made a comment after the game, praising George Wood's performance, and he did not mean to avoid suspicion at all.
"I believe that Capello has also found the most suitable home combination for England through this game. In addition, I would like to remind: the next game against Brazil may require other players to take turns, but George Wood absolutely does not need it! Regardless of consecutive No matter how many games he plays, he doesn't need a rest, he is a real nuclear power, never tired! Please don't put him on the bench for the purpose of giving Wood a rest. As long as he is not injured, he should be occupied at home in England A starting spot! If England can reach the final, he can play until the final, no rotation, no early replacement. He is a monster, but he is the monster that England needs most at the moment!"

(End of this chapter)