Absolute. That is a word that should never appear on a football pitch!
Because in football, nothing is ever truly absolute!
On paper, New Manchester United's performances this season had been nothing short of outstanding. After 36 league matches, they had recorded 23 wins, 7 draws, and 6 defeats for a total of 76 points, scoring 89 goals and conceding only 28. Their attack ranked first in the National League, while they had conceded fewer goals than any of the other 22 teams.
The sharpest spear and the strongest shield. That was how outsiders most often described New Manchester United. At the same time, it was also recognition of Bruce's coaching ability. Under his guidance, the team had built an extremely solid defense and played with tremendous unity.
There was no need to look any further than New Manchester United's ten matches against the other teams in the top six this season. Excluding the away fixture against Morecambe and the home match against Dover, New Manchester United had won seven of the other eight matches and drawn one.
It could be said that New Manchester United had dominated their direct encounters, and their place at the top of the table had been earned through sheer strength.
The defensive line of Evra, Abidal, Distin or Gary Turner, Steinnson or Kevin Evans had formed the foundation of New Manchester United's excellent results. It had also been hailed as the strongest defense in the National League. In their previous 36 matches, they had never conceded more than two goals in a single 90-minute game.
But who could have imagined that, away to Morecambe, New Manchester United's goal would be breached twice in just ten minutes, both times through attacks down Morecambe's left flank?
Ethan sat in the stands, staring at the scoreboard in shock. He then turned toward Bruce, who looked equally stunned, and felt a growing sense of unease.
For this match, New Manchester United had adopted a cautious and balanced approach. Žigić started as the lone striker, with Krzynówek and Hleb on the wings. Juninho played as the attacking midfielder, while Essien and Poulsen formed the double pivot behind him. The back four consisted of Evra, Abidal, Distin, and Steinnson, with Schmeichel in goal.
This was arguably New Manchester United's most stable and effective lineup to date. However, Morecambe's manager had clearly anticipated Bruce's selection and deliberately fielded an exceptionally quick left winger.
From the opening whistle, Morecambe aggressively attacked New Manchester United through the left and central channels, aiming to draw Essien and Poulsen inward, open space on the right side of New Manchester United's defense, and give their number seven left winger the chance to isolate Steinnson.
Steinnson was tall and strong, with excellent aerial ability, marking, and positional awareness. However, for a full-back, his lack of pace was his greatest weakness. That flaw became especially obvious when he faced smaller, quicker opponents.
According to Bruce's tactical plan, either Essien or Poulsen was supposed to shift across and provide defensive cover for Steinnson, while Distin, the right-sided center-back, would also offer support. However, Morecambe cleverly attacked through the middle first, drawing the attention of New Manchester United's players before suddenly switching the ball to the left and targeting their right flank.
In just ten minutes, New Manchester United found themselves two goals behind. The players could only stare blankly as their opponents retrieved the ball from the net, carried it back toward the center circle, and passed them with irritating smiles on their faces.
Bruce waved his arm furiously. Had he been inside the dugout at that moment, he might have torn the roof off.
This was indeed his mistake. He had underestimated the difficulty of the match, especially the ferocity of Morecambe's opening assault. He had believed his team could withstand the pressure, but in reality, he had miscalculated.
...
...
"Eric!"
Wearing the captain's armband, Schmeichel left his goal and ran toward Abidal, who stood nearby like a man who had lost his soul. He grabbed Abidal by the head and stared fiercely into his eyes, as though trying to force his own conviction into him.
"Are you fucking stupid?" Schmeichel slapped Abidal hard across the cheek, making him wince. "The match isn't over yet, you little bastard. Wake up! You were out of position for the second goal!"
Abidal shoved Schmeichel's hands away and glared at the captain, who was usually far more composed. Schmeichel immediately gave him a provocative smile.
"Good, Eric. That's the look I want. Stop acting like the fucking match is already over!"
With that, Schmeichel ran back toward his goal, clapping his gloved hands together forcefully.
"Come on, lads! We've only played ten minutes. We still have eighty minutes to get back into this. Don't panic, we can still win!" Schmeichel roared.
However, the players' response was clearly muted.
Neither this season nor the previous one had New Manchester United ever suffered such a blow. Conceding twice in the opening ten minutes while being completely dominated on the pitch was bad enough. For it to happen in a crucial match that could decide the championship made the impact even greater. Any player with weaker nerves might already have collapsed under the pressure.
From the touchline, Bruce continued encouraging the players, repeatedly signaling for them to steady the tempo after the restart. He focused especially on Juninho, warning him not to become anxious.
Aside from Schmeichel, Juninho had more professional experience than anyone else in the squad, and his mental strength was naturally greater than that of the younger players. After the restart, he consciously tried to slow the match down and stabilize the team's rhythm. He knew they had the quality to compete, but the squad was young and unfamiliar with situations like this. They only needed to survive this difficult spell.
However, Morecambe's manager was no fool. He had clearly recognized New Manchester United's intentions. After the restart, Morecambe's two defensive midfielders pushed higher up the pitch, closing down Juninho and denying him the space to receive the ball or carry it forward.
Juninho had no choice but to release the ball quickly to a nearby teammate.
That was exactly what Morecambe had been waiting for.
Morecambe employed an aggressive high press. Wherever the ball went, one or two players immediately closed down the receiver, forcing New Manchester United's players into rushed long balls upfield.
With Žigić tightly marked and the midfield unable to push forward in support, those long passes only caused New Manchester United to surrender possession almost immediately. They went from attacking to defending in an instant and were forced back into a passive position.
"Christian, that pass was too rushed! You need to look at the teammates around you!" Bruce shouted at Poulsen from the touchline.
Poulsen nodded apologetically toward Bruce, lowered his head, and ran back into position.
"This isn't looking good, Steve," Cassel said as he stepped out of the dugout and moved beside Bruce.
Bruce could see it as well.
"Their physical recovery hasn't been ideal, we're playing away from home, and the pressure surrounding this match is enormous. They're still young, and they're struggling to cope with it!"
As he spoke, Bruce also blamed himself for not preparing the team thoroughly enough before the match. At the very least, he had failed to properly understand the players' mental state. Combined with Morecambe countering his tactics, it had allowed the match to slip out of New Manchester United's control from the very beginning.
But how could he turn the situation around?
Bruce's head was pounding.
...
Watching from the stands, Ethan felt the same way. This match had exposed far too many problems, especially the players' lack of mental resilience. New Manchester United were clearly deficient in that regard.
More importantly, their momentum had been completely crushed.
Momentum should never be underestimated. In basketball, it could play a decisive role, which was why NBA commentators so often spoke about scoring runs. Such runs were built entirely on momentum.
New Manchester United had always played with tremendous confidence. Relying on that momentum, they had even managed to defeat Arsenal. It had also helped them produce comeback after comeback and win one difficult match after another. But once that momentum was suppressed, New Manchester United were like soldiers who had been stripped of their weapons, standing helplessly beneath a hail of bullets.
Morecambe's manager was clever and perceptive. He knew his team's overall quality might not be enough to overpower New Manchester United in a straight contest. From the start, he had therefore made full use of the home advantage, using the crowd to put pressure on the visitors while immediately targeting New Manchester United's weaknesses with relentless attacks and denying them any chance to settle.
Steinnson's slow turning speed was an obvious weakness. That was undeniable. It had indirectly caused New Manchester United's right flank to be completely pinned back. As a result, the entire team had been dragged into Morecambe's rhythm and forced to play on their terms.
"The players on the pitch must be incredibly frustrated right now. They have the ability, but they can't find a way to use it," Ethan muttered, rubbing his aching temples.
"Then what are we supposed to do? Ethan, think of something!" Jim, the taxi driver sitting beside him, had traveled with the team specifically for this away match, hoping to witness New Manchester United defeat Morecambe.
Everyone firmly believed that as long as they defeated Morecambe, New Manchester United would become National League champions that season.
"I'm not the manager, Jim!" Ethan replied with a bitter smile.
He looked toward Bruce near the dugout. The manager was clearly still considering how to respond.
"We've worked hard for an entire season. We can't lose this match! Come on, New Manchester United!" Jim roared toward the pitch.
Ethan understood the importance of the match just as clearly. He firmly believed that the players on the pitch understood it too. The key was finding a way to relieve the pressure Morecambe were currently placing on them.
To untie a knot, one had to find where it had been tied. If New Manchester United wanted to turn the match around, the first step was to escape the trap Morecambe had set and return to the rhythm they were familiar with.
Ethan firmly believed that if the two teams played an open, head-to-head contest, New Manchester United would have the better chance of winning.
Even at 2-0 down, there was still plenty of hope. After all, New Manchester United had once come close to completing a comeback away to Arsenal. Overturning a two-goal deficit against Morecambe was by no means impossible.
But how could he make the players on the pitch realize that?
Ethan looked at Jim, who was still shouting beside him, and suddenly had an idea!
(To be continued.)