The Greatest Manager of All time

Outside the vehicle entrance to Victoria Park, eleven dazzling supercars were parked crookedly all over the place. The security guards had been completely stunned by Swansea arriving for a match in supercars.

Swansea coach John Harrison stayed behind. He walked over to the dumbfounded guards, lightly patted one of them on the shoulder, and asked in a relaxed tone, "So, are you letting us park or not? Raise the barrier for me."

At this point, the guards could not possibly stop Swansea's vehicles from entering. The players had already gone inside, and leaving the cars outside to block the road was no solution either.

They raised the barrier and allowed Swansea's cars to drive in.

Before Harrison got into a car, he turned back and shouted at the guards, "Hey, come help park them. But be careful. If you so much as scratch one, you'll have to pay for it."

The terrified security guards could only grit their teeth and climb into the sports cars one by one, following Harrison as they drove them inside.

Inside Victoria Park.

After Lynn roared, "Hartlepool United, Swansea have arrived!" the stadium, which had previously been buzzing like a swarm of flies, instantly fell silent.

The small stadium's acoustics were good, and most people had clearly heard what Lynn shouted.

Only then did they suddenly notice that a strange young man had appeared by the touchline.

"Who is he? Swansea's manager? He really does have something wrong with his head!"

"Exactly. What's he shouting for? They're late, and somehow they're acting like they're in the right?"

After discussing among themselves, the supporters collectively began booing Lynn.

Deafening boos echoed through Victoria Park.

They had no idea that Hartlepool United had refused Swansea's request to delay the match or rearrange the fixture because of the traffic jam.

When Lynn heard the boos, he turned to face Hartlepool United manager Keith Turner. A smile appeared on his cold face. His chin lifted slightly, and that smile gradually became wild, arrogant, and overwhelmingly aggressive.

Keith Turner avoided Lynn's sharp gaze, turned, and walked back toward the home dugout, lowering his head as he cursed inwardly.

He had not expected Swansea to actually make it at the very last moment!

But after sitting down, he calmed completely.

Swansea had arrived, yes, but they had not inspected the pitch, had not warmed up, and had not rested after their exhausting journey. In terms of condition, Hartlepool United, playing at home, would definitely be better!

The corner of Turner's mouth rose slightly into a cruel smile.

He had already figured out how to deal with Swansea.

The referee and the other officials had been waiting in the referees' room. After receiving the fourth official's notice — Swansea had arrived and the match could begin — the referee, who had been hesitating over whether to report the situation to the FA, immediately called his colleagues and left the room.

Hartlepool United's players also came out of the home dressing room.

When they reached the corridor outside the tunnel entrance, the sight before them left them especially surprised.

Swansea's eleven starting players were sitting on the floor, taking off their clothes and changing into their kits. They put on shin pads, socks, and boots.

Assistant coach Hughes and three other coaches helped them stuff the clothes they had taken off into backpacks. Then each coach picked up three or four bags.

In less than two minutes, Swansea's starting players had completely changed. They were dressed neatly and ready to go.

Cromwell stood at the front of the team. He caught the captain's armband Hughes tossed to him, wrapped it around his arm, then lifted his head and turned to face his teammates.

He smiled and said, "Today's been pretty interesting, hasn't it?"

The Swansea players, who had just driven supercars across mountains and roads to get here, were still buzzing with excitement. They shouted together, "Of course!"

Cromwell put away his smile, his fighting spirit blazing. "Aha, exactly. Then don't let the next two hours ruin this wonderful day. We need to remember what we came here to do! We didn't come here for a holiday!"

The Swansea players' spirits shook. Every one of them clenched their fists, eager for battle.

Before the match began, Lynn stood alone in front of the away dugout.

There were no coaches behind him.

No substitutes either.

Only him.

But he stood by the touchline with both hands in his pockets, as though he intended to face the whole world alone.

The substitutes were naturally changing into their kits in the away dressing room. Some of the coaches had gone to park the cars, while the others were taking the starters' backpacks to the away dressing room.

When the referee team led both sets of players onto the pitch, Lynn turned to look at Swansea's starting eleven.

His gaze swept across every player. With a serious expression, Lynn made a hand signal to them.

Every Swansea player stepping onto the pitch nodded seriously at Lynn.

To outsiders, that gesture meant nothing. But it was one of Swansea's tactical-change signals from training.

Because Ibrahimović and Charisteas had been detained in Telford, the original 4-4-2 starting lineup had been forced into a 4-2-3-1.

At the same time, because of the negative effects of the team's rushed journey, Lynn had no choice but to change the tactical plan.

"To the spectators at Victoria Park and the viewers in front of their televisions who have already waited impatiently, the match is finally about to begin.

"Because Swansea encountered traffic congestion on their way here, they are fifteen minutes late. But fortunately, the match can still proceed as normal.

"According to the latest news we have received, Swansea's players actually arrived in Hartlepool driving supercars!

"We don't know where they got so many supercars from, but their professionalism deserves praise. They raced across half the country just to make it to the match!

"All right, let us look at the starting lineups.

"The home side, Hartlepool United, start in a 3-5-2.

"Goalkeeper: Dimitrios Konstantopoulos.

"Defenders: Chris Westwood, Michael Nelson, Adam Van Dommele.

"Midfielders: Stephen Istead, Ryan McCann, Gavin Strachan, Antony Sweeney, Richie Humphreys.

"Forwards: David Foley, Marco Gabbiadini.

"Swansea start in a 4-2-3-1.

"Goalkeeper: Glendower.

"Defenders: Gabbidon, Brunel, Friedrich, Evra.

"Midfielders: James Cook, Pedretti, Cromwell, Poulsen, Grosso.

"Forward: Villa.

"The match is about to begin. Hartlepool United will kick off first!"

Lynn had been forced to change formation, overturning the tactical plan made in yesterday's pre-match meeting.

On Hartlepool's side, manager Keith Turner had also adjusted according to today's actual situation.

Hartlepool United, originally a 4-4-2 side, had switched to 3-5-2!

They strengthened the midfield to make their attack more powerful.

By pure accident, Lynn's lineup happened to improve Swansea's defense.

He had deployed two defensive midfielders in Pedretti and Poulsen.

Keith Turner stood on the touchline. He glanced at Lynn, his eyes dark and calculating. In his mind, he planned to settle the match in the first half!

So after the match began, he immediately started directing from the touchline, urging his team to strengthen their attack and speed up the tempo.

Swansea did not start well. They even looked somewhat flustered.

The clear-headed Cromwell originally wanted his teammates to enter the rhythm of the match through passing.

But after Hartlepool strengthened their midfield, the space to control the ball in the middle became extremely narrow. Frequent passing and long spells of possession would only increase the chance of losing the ball.

Swansea could only keep launching long balls from the back toward the front.

Hartlepool United's attacks crashed against Swansea's defensive line like wave after wave of tide.

One dangerous situation had barely passed before another arrived.

In the seventh minute, Hartlepool swung a ball in from the left and dropped it into the box. Forward David Foley darted past Brunel and attacked the near post with a flicked header. Goalkeeper Glendower, tall and long-armed, threw himself across and blocked it.

Gabbidon's clearance did not go far. Outside the box, Hartlepool attacking midfielder Gavin Strachan struck a long-range shot, but it flew high over the bar.

Two minutes later, Evra cleared the ball long from the back. Hartlepool's pressing had been effective from the start, making it very difficult for Swansea to organize any meaningful attack.

David Villa looked at the ball flying toward him from the back line. He had just been about to sprint at full speed, but when he saw that the dropping point was somewhat far from his position, and that Hartlepool's right centre-back Chris Westwood was closer, he slowed down, conserving energy as he ran over to apply pressure.

On the touchline, Lynn observed the match expressionlessly.

The opponent's use of a back three made him sink into thought.

A three-centre-back system was popular in Italy, but that did not mean the defensive line only had three players when defending. The demands on the wing-backs were high — that is, the wide midfielders. When defending, they actually had to drop back and act as full-backs.

In reality, the back line was not reduced by one player. It gained one.

However, once the wide midfielders failed to retreat in time, the horizontal defensive width of the back line would expand. Naturally, the gaps between defenders would also grow, offering the opponent more chances.

For the attacking side, the key was that the wide players had to create a threat!

Only when the wide players created danger first would the opponent's three centre-backs show clear gaps.

If Swansea simply launched balls toward Villa without working the flanks, then with one sweeper behind and two centre-backs ahead, Hartlepool's three defenders could easily form a surrounding net and close Villa down.

A sharp light flickered in Lynn's eyes.

After Gabbidon dealt with one of Hartlepool's wing attacks and kicked the ball out near the halfway line, Hartlepool took the throw-in. Ryan McCann received it and tried to combine through the middle with Strachan, but his pass was slow. Pedretti intercepted successfully.

James Cook had just received the ball on the flank when Richie Humphreys stepped in and knocked it out for a throw-in.

The throw-in spot was right in front of Lynn. Lynn pressed both hands downward, signaling for the players to stay calm.

Then he called James Cook over and said seriously, "Attack down the flank decisively! Remember the three-second rule in transition! Once there's a chance, don't hesitate!"

James Cook nodded solemnly and accepted the instruction.

The three-second rule Lynn demanded in tactical training meant that within three seconds after successfully defending, the team had to complete the attacking organization, decide the direction of progression, move into position, and spread the attacking shape!

On a football pitch, attacks came from three directions: the left, the middle, and the right.

Players who needed to participate in attack had to judge their roles within three seconds of switching from defense to offense.

If there was space in front of them, then they had to charge forward and play the role of an attacking runner, waiting in the open space to receive a teammate's pass.

And if there was no space ahead, or if they were not sure they could use speed to get behind a defender without being offside, then they had to understand that their role was to provide support!