735 St. George’s Protection on England

Even though Twain told Capello not to worry about George Wood's fitness problem, Capello still kept Wood benched in their third game against Brazil. He really did not have to worry about Wood's fitness. He was worried about Wood's yellow card.

Wood received a yellow card for his defensive tough work against South Korea. In the match against Brazil, Capello was concerned that Wood had been shown another yellow card, leading to a suspension. That would have been a big loss for England.

Bearing this in mind, Capello's view of Wood was already completely different even though he was benched as he had always been.

Both sides tacitly sent off non-main players. England eventually lost to Brazil, which was in second place.

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Unlike George Wood, who had a tortuous World Cup tour, David Bentley, who was his team mate and Twain's focus on the trip, had a much smoother trip. He had no opponents on the right and was a player Capello heavily relied on.

The games for all three groups started. Their performance left much to be desired.

This strengthened Twain's confidence in buying him. With Bentley doing well, Twain needed to be ready to compete with other teams.

Twain was a side-friendly coach. The new season's guidance was all from the midfielders, almost all of whom were offensive players. The left and right forwards needed to be added, and there had to be a strong new aid in the forward line.

Žigić and Agbonlahor were both specialized players. They were particularly outstanding in one area but not exactly impressive. Žigić's height and header, as well as his good sense of passing to his team mates, were the bridgeheads of the team's attack. Abangraho's speed was a sharp weapon in a quick counterattack, but Twain still needed someone who specialized in shooting, just like van Nistelrooy.

France's leading scorer, Benzema, was in line with the requirements, but Twain knew he wanted to buy a hand almost all the time. There were also numerous big names with whom they were contending. Satisfying the appetite of Olath's shameless greed was not something Forest could do right now. As for Huntelaar, he had been bought by Real Madrid.

Twain felt that deciding who to buy was a headache, much more so than studying tactics and thinking about how to beat his opponent. After all, this was something that could not be undone once the transaction was made. The pressure brought about by the prospect of splurging on someone only to buy back a useless player was not small.

Twain decided to continue observing.

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England's team was back up against the United States. It was the second time the two sides had met since the 1950 World Cup, where England lost 1:0 to the United States. After that match 60 years ago, England's editors could not believe the match. After a prudent review, they came up with a "perfect" solution. They believed it was the front-line reporters who got it wrong and omitted a 1 before England's score. So, with great flourish, England trumped America 10:1. The news of the great victory over the United States was published in the newspapers. It became a running joke in the history of the World Cup.

England was still arrogant, but it would not make the same mistakes as 60 years ago. Mistakes on live broadcasts were almost impossible to repeat.

Wood was back on the bench and given the chance to make his debut. Capello gave him a clear mandate—defend in midfield and cut the link between the American midfielder and the forward line.

He did a good job. The whole game was under his control, and the U.S. team had to rely on long comings to attack. England scored one goal in each half and eventually eliminated the United States 2-0 to reach the top eight.

Wood played 90 minutes, shoveled the ball 20 times, made 16 attempts, tackled 11 times, successfully made nine, committed five fouls, was violated six times, passed 51 times, made 40, shot once but none on target, and assisted a goal. Those were his technical statistics. After the game, he was second on the team in scoring behind Gerrard, who had scored two goals.

Commentators around the world mentioned his name again and again during matches, calling him England's midfield pillar. With him, England's midfield was rock solid. England's ability to beat the United States so easily was inseparable from his play. Had Gerrard not scored two goals, the best of the game would have been given to George Wood.

In fact, the World Cup, for most players, was a perfect stage to show themselves to the world. Although George Wood had long been a world-class player in England and impeccable performer at the club, he had been considered a world-class player because of a lack of national team results. There was also this idea that Wood could only perform well at the club, where there was a man who trusted him to be at the heart of the team, namely their coach, Tony. When he was on the national team, he was just a side dish. He was just not as good a player, just like the Italian "Golden Boy" Del Piero. No matter how well the club played, he would not be recognized if he could not play well on the national team. The club and the national team were the two legs of a professional footballer. Without either, a player would be crippled.

At this World Cup, although Wood was on the bench, in the knockout stages, he became Capello's most reliable player.

After the game against the United States, Capello publicly praised George Wood at a press conference. "He reassured me that he knew what to do. Having him in our midfield is very orderly."

Many pundits said that although the star-studded England midfielder, George Wood, was a "bright" midfielder, he looked the least humble but was definitely the last one to replace. Whether it was Gerrard, Lampard, Bentley, Joe Cole, or anyone else, they could all be replaced. In terms of both character and role, George Wood was irreplaceable.

If England wanted to go further in this World Cup, such a diligent midfield tie was the key to the manager's tactical intent. To win the title during the big cup, it was clear they had to rely on defense. Wood was the make-or-break when it came to England's midfield defense. Capello was not a fool. He knew as much. Wood was the very definition of "defense."

Despite England's next match against the European champion, Spain, Downey boldly predicted in his column that England could reach at least the top four, and maybe even get to the finals for the second time since 1966. His confidence came from Capello's reuse of George Wood, and that he was a defensive coach.

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Before the game against England, Fàbregas, a longtime Premier League midfielder who knew English football best, was interviewed by reporters. They asked, "Who is the most dangerous man in England?" He replied with no hesitation, "George Wood."

To this day, the Arsenal captain and the Spanish national team's midfield core still could not forget the youth FA Cup he played in England. George Wood seemed to kill the spirit of the young genius. Until now, Fàbregas had struggled to face Wood in the English Premier League.

Spain's coach, Jose Bosque, agreed with his men. He said, "Unless we're going to play England's traditional long pass, we're not going to get around George Wood.

Spanish football was very much about midfield control. Spain's starting midfielders in the group stage—Fàbregas, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, and David Silva—were all technically skilled, good at attacking and intercepting the ball, and controlling the tempo of the game. This midfield lineup in the group stage, Spain's three-match winning lineup from the group, scored 11 goals, fully demonstrating their attacking prowess. All 11 goals were launched by the midfield, and the four midfield starters directly assisted seven of the goals.

After two rounds, Spain's midfield combination garnered a lot of attention. Almost everyone was wearing "art football" hats over their heads. The Spanish team played football that was pleasing to the eye. It was very ornamental with a smooth and natural attack. Fans loved to watch them keep the football under their feet, play between their hands by passing back and forth, and running around before unknowingly seeing the goal, which was really an art.

With these three group games, Spain became the top candidate for the title. The media's assessment of the power of the European champions was still there: an opponent that no team dared to look down on.

For England Coach Fabio Capello, he saw a chance to win. Spain scored 13 goals in four games, second only to Argentina, which had Messi, Aguero, and Tevez. But, they lost seven balls. Casillas's ability was indisputable. The reason for losing so many balls was that they did not value defense or that their own level of defense was limited.

For a team so focused on the midfield control layer, with frequent assists from the wing-backs and a good level of attack, what could be worse than going up against an aggressive midfield striker?

Against Spain, Capello put on a defensive display, replacing Bentley with defensive midfielder Hargreaves. In midfield, he put on a jaw-dropping three-back line. George Wood was in the center flanked by Gareth Barry and Hargreaves. Gerrard was left on attack in the center.

Capello explained his squad in his pre-match press conference. "Obviously, I'm going to defend. Against Spain, trying not to lose the ball first is the key to winning the game."

Twain agreed, saying, "I want to do the same! Defense is the basis for winning, and the side that loses the ball first in such an important game can easily lose focus and give the opponent a chance. I don't need 7:6 to win the race, I just need 1:0!"

The Spanish media regarded Capello's decision as a gesture of mercy and weakness. They proudly declared, "The Spanish team's attack is not even good. The gold-medal Coach Capello is rather afraid. Three backs can't stop us from scoring goals! The arrangement of the three backs is simply outrageous! This is the regression of football, the detox of utilitarian football! This World Cup is destined to belong to Spain and aesthetic football."

They all forget that a very important reason why Spain won the Euro 2008 was that there was a full-time defensive midfielder in good form, Senna. It was his tireless running and interceptions at the back that allowed Xavi, Iniesta, and Fàbregas to attack as they wanted.

At this World Cup, Senna did not even make the final list because of the fact that he was getting older and slipped so fast. Bosque didn't even bring a defensive midfielder to South Africa. It was just the nature of the Spanish nation, which worshipped aggression and art from the heart. They despised defense and utility from the heart.

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The match was held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The direct collision of art football and utilitarian football, the strong dialogue between the title favorites Spain and England attracted the attention of the world. Many reporters gathered on the scene, and hundreds of television media around the world broadcast live. The seats were full, and the grandstand had long been crowded. Everyone was looking forward to this quarter-final between Mars and Earth.

"Who are you rooting for, Tony?" asked Newcastle Coach Alan Shearer, who was also invited as a guest of honor prior to the game.

At this time, both men had temporarily set aside their obligations as head coaches and formed an easy alliance.

"England," Twain said. "If Capello was to play Spain in the group stage, I would bet on Spain."

"Three backs. I really didn't think of that," Shearer said.

He had once played as a striker. Even as a coach, he was known for his attacking approach.

Twain was very happy and now saw Capello as a fellow comrade. "I heard the Spaniards' reaction before the game. I bet that after half a game, the arrogant Spaniards will have broken their glasses. Three backs, Harvey, they don't want to have any more play. Ha ha!"

He had been looking forward to the game for a while now.

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After the game officially began, everything was as Twain said. With less than half a game to play, the Spaniard were already looking anxious.

George Wood, Hargreaves, and Gareth piled up in front of the lineup, leaving the passing of Xavi, Iniesta, and Fàbregas. Later, possession of the ball would become a luxury, let alone actually managing a pass.

Capello's task for the three backs was simple and clear. "No matter the method, do not let the Spanish midfielder comfortably get the ball to organize the attack."

As such, the Spanish players suffered a lot with the many fouls, small movements and reasonable use of the body of the collision. At the group stage, the elegant artists in the face of England's tough rush looked miserable.

Xavi and Iniesta were largely submerged in England's muscular forest. Only Fàbregas, who had been in the Premier League for a long time, was slightly better off physically. By then, the Spanish team had essentially given the ball to Fàbregas, who had been placed on the right. He slowly moved himself to the center, resulting in Harvey's power. In the middle, his old rival George Wood spun around.

The ensuing game was deadlocked. England's whole-hearted defense was powerless to fight back while Spain's attack was goalless. The first half was a one-on-one battle between the two sides.

In the second half, Bosque made adjustments. He replaced Diego Capel and moved Fàbregas to the center. With Xavi forming the center forward, the side-hand Silva and Cazorla could break through, opening the gap from the side.

This change brought about some effect, but Capello adjusted quickly enough. The defensive area of the three backs increased. The middle road was mainly left to George Wood, leaving Gerrard to help cope with Cesc Fàbregas and Xavi's shock.

Capello had no intention of fighting back at all. The game was so dull that viewers around the world waited in front of the television. Spain's most proud and popular offensive football was thrown out of rhythm because of the opponent's three-back midfield configuration. England drew back as well. It was as if they lost the desire to attack. What was the point of watching such a game?

Twain looked fond of watching the Spanish attack blocked by the three-back configuration. Each time he saw George Wood defend again, he silently cheered.

The score was 0:0 at the end of the 90 minutes. The two sides went into overtime after a short break. This was the first extra-time game of the World Cup.

Commentators had been critical of Capello's conservatism, but he could not hear the criticism. Even if he heard it, he continued to do what he wanted. There was no point in pleasing the audience instead of winning the game.

In the first half of extra time, England suddenly made a big difference on the attack, narrowly breaking Casillas' goal in three successive attacks, making the Spanish fans sweat. Tony Twain's thought was that it must have been Capello's own instructions. If the game was dragged into a penalty shoot-out, it would be no good for England.

The impact of Germany's World Cup penalty elimination by Portugal must have sustained until now, not to mention in the goalkeeper's ring. Joe Hart missed Casillas by more than one grade.

Capello was hoping to take advantage of the Spanish player's physical decline in extra time to let England, which had endured a 90-minute strike, take the game. They came close to succeeding but "St. Igor" showed spirit again.

In the second half of extra time, England's attack faded. Spain regained the initiative, seizing the last time they could decide the outcome of the regular season, even if the man standing behind them was Casillas and no one wanted a penalty shoot-out. Bosque, on the other hand, was already thinking about the order of the players in the penalty shoot-out.

The singing in the stands faded. The Spanish fans were so worried because they had not expected their team to play so badly. England's fans were worried because Capello's three backs gave them no hope of winning.

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The game went to 118 minutes with two minutes left in overtime. In the backfield, after breaking Fàbregas' pace, Wood chose to take the ball forward instead of handing it to Gerrard, Barry, or anyone else as usual.

His sudden movement caught the Spanish midfielder off guard. Everyone but Fàbregas, who was always with him, forgot to defend England's No.13 with the ball.

Fàbregas knew nothing more about what the boy was going to do. When Nottingham Forest was in trouble, Twain occasionally let Wood step in at the last minute to organize the attack, which often curiously ended.

"Go, George, go!" Twain shouted on the live broadcast.

"George Wood himself took the ball forward, and the Spanish midfielder had no interceptions at all!" Mortensen raised his fist and shouted. "No, Fàbregas followed him, but he was not fast enough!"

This was England's last attack. Capello rose from his seat, pursed his lips, and looked motionlessly at the pitch as if he were a statue.

"Gerrard is picking him up," Twain said. "Puyol's up! Passing the ball? No! Force a break! Well done, George!"

Wood relied on Puyol's combination of body and speed to force a pass past the Barcelona captain.

"Into the 30-meter area!" Twain seemed to have forgotten that he was now a commentator, not the Nottingham Forest manager. He got up from his seat and raised his fist, yelling at the field, "Shoot! George! Shoot!"

Shearer disagreed. He thought the pass was better. "The shot's a little ..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wood abruptly got up about 30 meters from the goal. Even Fàbregas didn't expect him to be so decisive.

The football rose to the sky without spinning and flew straight to the goal like a gust of wind.

It was too late for Casillas to adjust the position. He had to rise up, stretching his arms and trying to pounce on the corner. At that moment, St. Igor was the only Spaniard the team could rely on. The defenders could do nothing about Wood's foot.

"George… Wooood—Goooooal!"

With Motson's long whistling, Casillas fell from the air and he did not touch the ball. The football pierced the St. Igor's defense boundary and turned into a meteor crash into the net. The deadlock of nearly a 120 was broken.

"A shocking move!" Mortensen, who had been repressed for 120 minutes, also broke out. He stood up, waved his arm, and shouted, "Goal! Gooal! Goooal! A kill right before the end! There's no better killing than this! Casillas lost to George Wood! George… St. George. St. George defeated St. Igor! He is the patron saint of England! Four we go, goodbye, Spain!"

St. George, who scored the kill, was pushed to the bottom by his frantic teammates. Capello and his colleagues hugged each other tightly, swearing in Italian and venting their feelings of being repressed for 120 minutes. The England FA's goal for Capello before the World Cup was to finish in the top four, and he had done it.

The Spanish side was dead. No one could believe that England's goalkeeper could not score. Wood kicked the ball out of the world and kicked them back home in Spain at the last minute.

"Yes! He's bad at shooting! But, it's not the first time in his career that he's hit such a wonderful world wave! Manchester United and Chelsea have both lost to his foot. The Spaniards should have learned their lesson! You have St. Igor, and we have St. George!"

"The British Navy hung the flag of St. George 420 years ago in the Red Triangle in the Atlantic Ocean, fought to the end, and never backed down, defeating Spain's invincible fleet! Now, we see the flag full of glory. It is flying over Johannesburg, South Africa! Once again, we have defeated Spain's Invincible Fleet! St. George for England!"