The Sunlight is so Blinding
The Sunlight is so Blinding
The former world's best stadium's dressing room had a great soundproofing effect. Even if there was roaring noise outside, no sound could be heard from inside once the doors were shut.
However, the Mestalla Stadium dressing room was not quiet at all. The highlights of England's 4-2 victory over Portugal on the big-screen LCD TV and the passionate voice of BBC TV ace, John Motson, echoed through the spacious dressing room.
In the pre-match dressing room, music played with Motson's voice in the background. The players changed into their jerseys and glanced up to the television screen from time to time.
This was arranged by Twain on purpose. Even though the match with Germany was a game that did not require much motivating of his players, he still wanted to be safe.
After Twain noticed that everyone had changed into their jerseys, he lowered the volume for the television. Everyone knew that the Head Coach had something to say.
"Since our match with Germany is one that doesn't require much mobilization, I will not say much." Twain coughed and cleared his throat. "I'm not worried about your fighting spirit, but I am afraid of your overzealous enthusiasm."
The players all looked at each other, wondering why the Head Coach had said that.
"Enthusiasm is great, but you can't win in football with just enthusiasm. We have to keep calm and keep our minds clear in order to play well. Do you want me to give you an example? In the FA Cup finals between the 90th and 91st, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, Gazza (Gascoigne) was clearly overly excited. Though he did not hurt his opponents, he injured himself. I hope that I will not see this kind of situation when the game starts. Keeping calm at all times will help us to win.
"There has been a lot of pressure put on you for this game, and logically, I am supposed to be calming you down and saying, 'Don't worry, think of it as a normal friendly game.' However, this will not work today. We are up against Germany, and we all know what kind of opponent they are. If I say, 'Let's face Germany like we're playing a friendly match!' then all of you would think that your Head Coach can't be trusted and does not understand the situation at all. Therefore, what I would like to say to you all is…"
Twain took a deep breath and was not in a hurry to complete his sentence as he wanted to give the players time to stew in their emotions.
"Yes! Even if we lose to Germany, we still have a chance to advance to the knockout stage, but is that what you all want? Losing to Germany and being the third team to barely qualify would be the world's biggest joke! Think about our performance in the first game, and then consider the present. The gap is so big. Can you all accept that?" Twain pointed to the television screen behind him. "In any case, I cannot accept it.
"The fact is, defeating Germany and stepping over them to continue the quarter-finals will be the best result. Guys, I have said enough. What you all have to do, you guys should know by now, right?"
With that, Twain clapped his hands and opened the dressing room door.
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"Would it be beneficial for both sides to draw? If the result of another match is decided, then Germany and England will be in the second and third place. The third-place team will probably finish third in the top four, relying on this to advance to the knockout stages. If so, England will be in third place. However, this is not guaranteed, thus I do not think the two teams will try to draw. Whether it is Tony Twain or Matthias Sammer, their goal is clear—victory. Only by defeating the opponent will each team ensure that they will be able to leave the group stage and take destiny into their own hands. That is the dignity of being a strong team."
Before the match began, the television station in charge of broadcasting the match invited professionals to analyze the situation of the two teams, which served to inform the audience of how important this match was.
"We have just received the playing rosters of both teams. Both coaches are cautious and did not announce their starting line-up until the last minute. Now, let's take a look… There were rumors in England before the game that George Wood would make an early comeback in the life-and-death battle with Germany to help the team win. However, from the list we have, Wood is still on the bench. He has been replaced by Michael Johnson. I am sure Coach Twain would not fail to understand the importance of this match. Therefore, still not letting Wood play in a match like this unquestionably points to the conclusion that Wood's foot injury has not healed yet… It is truly a sad tragedy for England because, if Wood was healthy, they believed it wouldn't have been a problem for them to advance out of the group stage, but today they are going to fight Germany for a qualifying place…
"On the England side, the goalkeeper is still number 1, Joe Hart. The defenders are Joe Mattock, John Terry, Steven Taylor, and Micah Richards, from left to right. The midfielders, standing parallel to each other from left to right, are Chris Cohen, Michael Johnson, Steven Gerrard, and Walcott. The two forwards are Wayne Rooney and Aaron Mitchell. There are 2 changes to the line-up since the first two games, one being Richards replacing Glen Johnson as the starting right-back. Richards is more of a center-back when he plays for Manchester City. However, he can play at right-back as well. Twain positioned him in right-back because he favors his excellent defensive skills. Another change is Chris Cohen's replacement for Downing. Downing is fast and sharp on the attack, but his defensive skills are not as favorable. On the other hand, Chris Cohen's greatest trait is equilibrium—his offensive and defensive skills are both average, with no obvious shortcomings. He also has excellent physical strength, good passing technique, and at the same time, he consciously retreats to defend for the team. Furthermore, Chris Cohen and Joe Mattock are both from Nottingham Forest Club, where they developed their rapport with each other, and that chemistry will definitely help England during crucial moments.
"Look at the German side… The goalkeeper is number 1, Rene Alder. The defenders are Marcell Jansen, Heiko Westmann, Per Mertesacker, and Phillip Lahm, from left to right. The four midfielders are positioned in a diamond shape. Simon Rolfes at the back, Toni Kroos, a genius from Bayern Munich, in the front, Bastian Schweinsteiger on the left, and Sami Khedira on the right. The two forwards are Lukas Podolski and Mario Gomez."
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As the starting lists of both teams were announced on television, players from both teams were lining up in the ramps of the new Mestalla Stadium to enter.
The players were separated in the middle of the tunnel, and there were two exits for the two teams. This design naturally helped to avoid minor clashes between teams that have had age-old feuds.
With the lines of the football field being the boundary for the players, the fans in the stands were divided into two sides. Germany's exit was close to the stands of the German fans, while England's exit was close to the stands where the England fans were. This arrangement would allow both teams the loudest cheers when they entered the field, and they would not have to worry about any objects being thrown at them.
"Guys, it's time for us to play!" John Terry, wearing the captain's armband, turned his head and shouted to his teammates behind him. Meanwhile, on the other side, Schweinsteiger was shouting the same thing.
Amid the deafening shouts, players from England and Germany rushed out and stepped up to the field.
"They're out!" Everyone in the stands, on the television broadcast stand, and in front of the television shouted.
England wore their red jerseys, while Germany wore their traditional white tops and black shorts. The players held their heads high as they walked to the field, and the high-profile British-German war was about to begin.
The atmosphere on the pitch was a bit of a frenzy as both England and German fans cheered for their teams in the way they knew best, shouting the names of the players. The temperature on the pitch rose a few degrees as compared to outside the stadium.
The match was scheduled to take place at 5 pm local time. The sweltering midday heat had not dissipated, but it was nothing to the players in the presence of their enthusiastic fans.
Twain stood in front of the coach's seat with his hands in his pocket. Today, he did not wear a suit, he only wore a shirt with a tie. However, before the game began, the back and underarms of his shirt were soaked in sweat.
People sweat when they were excited, nervous, or afraid. The atmosphere of the stadium caused Twain's heart to beat faster and his body to sweat profusely—he was excited.
The frenetic atmosphere did not subside until the national anthems of both countries were played. Both England and Germany could hear occasional boos as their national anthems were played. Both countries had a long history of feuds in football, and even on occasions when they should have shown respect for their opponents, it had inevitably become a stage for mutual provocation.
After the necessary procedures, the players from both sides stood on the field, waiting for the kick-off.
The afternoon sun was shining, causing the green grass to turn white. The German team's white jerseys almost melted into the background, which was painful to look at, making people dare not look straight at them for too long.
Twain suddenly cursed. The Germans had taken advantage of the sunlight, and England was at a disadvantage even before the match began. If he had known earlier, he would have insisted on choosing the white jersey and let the German team wear their red one…
Although the new Mestalla stadium was cleverly designed, the two sides of the field did not have backlighting. However, the snow-white jerseys reflected the bright sunlight, making the German players' figures look dazzling, which was something the stadium's lighting could not change.
Looking at the expressions of the England players now… They were all squinting, frowning, and looking sideways at their opponents. They couldn't seem to stare at them for too long and glanced away from them or else their eyes would tear up.
Only then did Twain realized he was not dirty enough because he had not thought of using sunlight. He had not expected the Germans, who were normally honest, to play a trick like this. Was it intentional or pure coincidence?
He now missed his pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, and he could not keep an eye on the German players for too long. Lowering his head to avoid the glaring sun, he cursed under his breath. He could get someone to retrieve his sunglasses for him and become the first football coach to wear sunglasses to direct the game on the side-lines, adding another splash to his personality resume. However, that would not help the team. On the contrary, he would make the players feel abandoned.
Therefore, Twain had to endure the dazzling jerseys, and he chose to stand with the players.
Even the referee had to put his hand on his forehead as he looked at the players on both sides. He then blew the whistle for the start of the match after checking in with the other officials on the field.
"The game begins! England kick-off!"
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The dazzling sun, the white grass, and Germany's jerseys caused a lot of trouble for the England team. As soon as the Germans moved, the dazzling white disturbed the eyesight of the England players as if someone was holding a mirror and playing a game of reflecting the sun in front of them.
One could not underestimate such details. When their line of sight was disturbed, the players would naturally become restless, and their attention and ability to concentrate would be affected. Just looking at Michael Johnson's direct pass of the ball out-of-bounds from the side-line without a defender, one could see how much trouble this small detail caused England.
Although such an impact was not decisive, it was important to know that England was going against Germany and not just any other person. Any mistake could cause serious consequences in the face of such an opponent.
At first, Twain arranged for the team to attack first, trying to use the continuous attack to boost the team's morale. However, the England team gave up the ball easily and retreated. A few minutes later, the German team returned to defense after a full press play. The England team was not willing to give up, and they were trying hard to find an opportunity to attack. Once the ball was in their possession, four or five players from the England team rushed to the opponent's half with all their might and in high spirits.
But Twain frowned.
The feud between the English and German teams had made the members of the England team unable to stand any hardships that put them at a disadvantage. Winning was a good thing, but when blood surged and all reasoning was lost, good things would become bad things.
In this situation, the German team had used the natural conditions as an advantage to gain the upper hand, so the England team should remain calm and compress the defensive line. Usually, that was what the England team would do, but today's opponent was special, so the England team's players only thought about attacking.
Twain knew that this could not continue. He had to put the players back on track.
He walked to the sidelines and shouted towards the players closer to him, "Compress the defensive line, we need to counterattack! Stop going on full press! Pay attention to the space behind you! "
Those players would naturally relay his instructions to the whole team, so it would now depend on the England team players to calm themselves down.
After Twain shouted his instructions, the England team's defense stabilized significantly. They no longer blindly pressed forward to use their advantageous number to achieve victory.
The match returned to Twain and the England team's habitual defensive counterattack.
Twain did not mind that the game was played less beautifully, but the fans could not stand the England team playing so cowardly like a chicken. The Germany team fans thought that their team had the upper hand as they kept singing in the stands and cheering for their team, demoralizing the England team at the same time.
However, Sammer was not as excited as the fans. Once he saw Twain shout and England team started to recover, he felt that things were not looking so good. He had instructed people to specially collect information on the English and Portuguese teams. England had already gotten very comfortable with the plan of defensive counterattack under Twain's guidance, so if the Germany team continued to attack the England team with a full press…
He recalled that match where the England team won against the Portuguese team 4:2, and the German team today seemed to be the same as the Portuguese team from back then.
Thus, he walked to the sidelines and blew the whistle.
German fans must have been very hopeful to see their team painstakingly destroy the England team. Even if they could not score, it was still satisfying to see the German team attack on full press, leaving England with no retreat.
However, Sammer did not act as the masses expected.
After attempting to besiege the England team for ten minutes, the Germany team pulled back and started to circle the midfield with England team.
Such changes were naturally made for the sake of team safety, but the fans watching were extremely dissatisfied.
Just like that, the match that was supposed to be groundbreaking became dull as both coaches concerned themselves with the results more than the show.
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