After the opening, in the heavy rain, Roma continued to look for opportunities and organized in the frontcourt, while Verona also took advantage of counterattack opportunities to launch several attacks.
In the 3rd minute, Verona's Serbian left winger Lazovic made a beautiful crotch pass past Manic, then shot from a small angle, which was blocked by Patricio, but the linesman called for offside.
In the 6th minute, Verona's Argentine striker Simeone took the ball with his back at the edge of the penalty area, leaned on Cristante, turned and shot, but it was slightly off target.
In the 9th minute, Lazovic made a comeback, breaking through Calafiori on the left and cutting inside to shoot, but his shot was blocked by Cristante.
Despite having the upper hand on the field, Verona's three attacks still made Mourinho shout loudly on the sidelines, reminding the players not to underestimate the enemy and to focus on the oppressive defense.
In the 11th minute, Zaniolo made a cross from the left, which was caught by Verona goalkeeper Mendip.
In the 13th minute, Wu Lei made a quick forward run after being offside, and after receiving the pass from Pellegrini, he made a horizontal pass. Abraham received the ball at the top of the penalty area, but his stop was too far and was cleared by the opponent's defender.
In the 15th minute, Pellegrini took a free kick about 35 meters from the right side. Cristante headed the ball, but it hit the crossbar and went out of bounds!
After Roma focused on wing defense, Verona increased the frequency of long shots from the center. Since Chen Xiaoliang was not on the field, Cristante could not cover the entire front of the penalty area alone, and Verona's tactics were very effective.
In the 21st minute, Verona's Czech midfielder Anthony Ballack took a long shot from 5 meters outside the penalty area. The angle was a little straight and was hugged by Patricio.
In the 26th minute, Zaniolo broke through and shot under double-teaming, but he failed to pass the ball to Abraham who was in a better position and was blocked by the opponent's defender.
Abraham gestured to Zaniolo, but Zaniolo chose to ignore it and Mourinho couldn't help shaking his head.
The game changed in the 35th minute!
Calafiori made a cross from the right, the ball hit the body of the Verona defender and changed direction slightly, Pellegrini inserted and directly kicked the ball with his heel. The opponent's goalkeeper Mondip did not expect such a shot, and failed to save the near corner, and the score became 0-1!
In the 38th minute, Zaniolo ran with the ball again, again chose to ignore Abraham's running space, and once again forced a shot. The ball somehow hit Abraham and bounced out of the baseline...
This time, Abraham no longer just raised his hand to complain, but directly questioned Zaniolo.
It would be fine if the ball wasn't passed to me, but he just kicked it blindly and shot it at himself. What does this mean?
Zaniolo couldn't avoid it this time and had to give a reluctant explanation.
Mourinho watched the lack of tacit cooperation on the field, and felt that the rain kept falling and the atmosphere was not harmonious...
In the 46th minute, Pellegrini made a cross from the right, but Wu Lei failed to get past the opponent's defender and the ball was cleared, thus ending the first half.
Although the two teams were basically equal in ball possession in the first half, Roma took the lead in the number of passes and shots.
Faced with the increasingly heavy rain, Mourinho still asked the players to be patient and use more long passes and high crosses to organize the attack. After all, in the heavy rain, the path and speed of the low ball will be very different from usual.
The leading score did not force Mourinho to make any substitutions.
Unexpectedly, at the beginning of the second half, Verona equalized the score using Mourinho's tactical thinking.
In the 48th minute, Verona's main striker Caprari came to the left to receive the ball and made a cross. Roma's vice-chairman Mancini struggled to chase back in the penalty area to clear the ball. His long legs slid on the grass in the rain and actually poked the ball towards his own goal!
Patricio reacted quickly and made a lightning-fast side dive, but the ball was shot into the goal by Verona midfielder Anthony Ballack who came in at high speed!
1 to 1!
Verona equalized the score!
Terry, Lucio, Carvalho, Ramos...
Mourinho, who has coached many excellent central defenders in his coaching career, looked at Mancini's stupid clearance and wanted to scold him but couldn't...
This is all his ability. He has the awareness to clear the ball in his mind, but he doesn't have the skills to do so.
Mourinho stood helplessly in the heavy rain, letting the cold icy rain hit his face randomly...
To be honest, compared to Mancini, captain Pellegrini's performance in this game was remarkable.
He fought continuously in the rain with great fighting spirit. The rise of newcomers like Chen Xiaoliang and the transfer of discourse power in the locker room made him feel an unprecedented sense of crisis.
In the 51st minute, he received a lob pass from Cristante and broke through the double-team of three Verona defenders, all the way from the center circle to the opponent's penalty area. He dribbled past two defenders and shot, but his shot was blocked by the goalkeeper and went out of the bottom line.
This goal made every coach and player on the bench applaud him.
However, just two minutes later, in the 53rd minute, Verona's other midfielder, Serbian Ilic, made a straight pass to the left, and the main striker Caprari received the ball and moved forward.
Although Caprari's dribbling speed was not very fast and four Roma players surrounded him one after another, it seemed that everyone thought that their teammates would kick the ball and they just needed to double-team and put some pressure on him.
So, under such onlookers, Caprari scored with a low shot from the left side of the penalty area, and Verona beat Roma 2-1!
Mourinho was very disappointed and asked Joao to arrange for the players to start warming up.
In the 55th minute, Anthony Barak took another long shot, which was slightly higher.
In the 57th minute, Roma counterattacked. Pellegrini advanced from the left and made a cross. At this time, Wu Lei had already rushed to the back post. Ilic, who had been chasing Wu Lei all the way, did not see the ball flying towards him. His running leg accidentally touched the ball, and the ball bounced into his own goal.
Verona 2-2 Roma! Both sides are back on the same starting line again!
Just as the Roma players finished warming up and were getting ready to go on the field, in the 62nd minute, Faraoni, a Verona player who played as a wing-back in this game, failed to stop the ball when receiving a pass from his teammate outside the penalty area. The ball bounced off his feet, and he kicked the ball directly. Unexpectedly, he kicked a world wave. The ball flew towards the goal, hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced into the goal!
Verona 3-2 Roma!
Both sides scored 3 goals in less than ten minutes!
In the 64th minute, both sides made substitutions at the same time.
Zaniolo, who performed poorly and only knew how to dribble the ball, was replaced by Bove.
Marayol, who played diligently but did not have any highlights, was replaced by Carles Perez.
He had an assist, but just like Karsdorp against Tottenham, Calafiori, whose right side was broken by Verona, was replaced by Smalling.
Pellegrini, who was obviously tired, was replaced by Mkhitaryan.
Mancini, whose performance was disastrous, was replaced by young player Trippi.
Mourinho used up all five substitutions at once.
Chen Xiaoliang was not allowed to play, on the one hand because Mourinho found that he had underestimated the team's fatigue, which led to their poor form, so he did not send him, Veretout and Cesco to play, and quickly replaced Pellegrini to save strength for the next league game against Udinese.
On the other hand, Mourinho still firmly believes that the rotation players in his hands are fully capable of achieving a reversal here.
In the 66th minute, Carles Perez's long-range shot went wide.
In the 68th minute, Lazovic, who was extremely active on the wing in this game, passed Smalling and rushed into the penalty area to make a triangle pass, but was blocked by Trippi who had just come on the field.
In the 71st minute, Lazovic used the same tactic again and succeeded. He broke into the penalty area and made a triangle pass to Caprari. The latter's shot was bravely resolved by Patricio, and the score almost became 4 to 2!
In the 77th minute, Carles Perez made a cross from the right and Abraham headed the ball wide.
In the 88th minute, Mkhitaryan took a long shot, but the ball did not hit the right spot and was not strong enough to be caught by Verona goalkeeper Mondip.
In the 92nd minute, Abraham's cross was blocked and Wu Lei's follow-up shot went wide, missing the chance to equalize again.
At the end of the game, Roma unexpectedly lost 3-2 away to Verona, who was previously second from the bottom.
At the press conference after the game, Mourinho denounced the league organizing committee's schedule arrangement, repeatedly emphasizing that such a dense league arrangement, without considering the travel of European teams, is murdering the players.
At the same time, Italian teams have performed poorly in European competitions at all levels in recent years, and the Italian Football Association must reflect on the league's schedule.
Today's loss was entirely caused by such a stupid schedule.
Back in the locker room, Mourinho analyzed the reasons for tonight's failure to the players for a long time.
One of the two goals in this game was a magical heel kick by Pellegrini, which was a factor of luck.
The other was an own goal by the opponent.
This is equivalent to the team not organizing a shot that can be converted into a goal through tactics.
The weakness in attack was certainly due to heavy rain and fatigue, but the fundamental problem was the rigid movement of the strikers and the inability to find the right point for crosses from the flanks.
On defense, the flanks were still exposed, and in the second half, due to lack of physical strength, the intensity of pressure and confrontation on the opponent's players was greatly reduced.
There was also the defense in front of the penalty area. Several long shots were made because the midfielder and defensive midfielder were unable to protect the front of the penalty area, allowing the opponent to launch long shots frequently.
Mourinho spoke for a long time in front of the tactical board, almost tracing the process of the game step by step, every time the opponent had a threatening attack.
Chen Xiaoliang could see that he was very disappointed, but as a so-called madman, he would not admit that he was overconfident and underestimated the enemy in his pre-match deployment.
From another perspective, he doesn't have many cards to play. He has given opportunities to three young players from the youth training camp. It is impossible for a combat-ready team to play the entire season with only 11 main players. The first-team rotation and substitute players must be involved.
Chen Xiaoliang actually wanted to play very much. If he were in Rangers, he wouldn't even have to stay in the locker room. He would text Gerrard on the plane, in the hotel, or in the car to tell him that he wanted to play.
Of course, this is not disrespect to Gerrard, but a frank communication based on a high degree of mutual trust between the two.
But Mourinho's character does not allow players to do this, and Chen Xiaoliang knows this clearly.
In the club he coaches, even if you are Cristiano Ronaldo, you cannot be above him.
Even when he was under great pressure at Manchester United, he still gritted his teeth and kept the 100 million euro player Pogba on the bench.
Chen Xiaoliang knew that Mourinho valued him very much, and even tried to improve his position in the team and crack down on his bad habits, which involved the female reporter Portman.
But even so, the extremely conceited and proud Portuguese will not allow players to tell him who should and should not play.
According to the madman's code, this is a capital crime that violates the laws of heaven.
After this loss, Roma still has 10 points, but has dropped to fifth place.
Inter Milan beat Bologna 6-1 at home and ranked 4th with 11 points.
Roma's next round opponent Udinese lost 0-4 to Napoli at home. Napoli won five consecutive games and continued to lead the league with 15 points.
Juventus, who have been in poor form recently, drew 1-1 with AC Milan at home, with Morata and Ibrahimovic scoring a goal each in the first and second half.
AC Milan is in second place with 13 points, and Juventus is in 16th place with 5 points.
Fiorentina beat Genoa 1-2 away and ranked third with 12 points, surpassing Roma and Inter Milan.
Lazio drew 2-2 with Cagliari and have the same 8 points as Atalanta, who won a small victory in this round, ranking 6th and 7th, closely following Roma.
Fortunately, the team finally ended a wave of high-pressure schedules. After returning to Rome, although Mourinho had many dissatisfactions, he still gave the main players a day off.
The next round of matches will be seven days later, at home against Udinese.
Udinese is currently ranked 9th with 7 points and is not an easy opponent.
However, their offensive capabilities are relatively poor, having scored only 6 goals in 5 league games, ranking at the bottom of the league.
After Chen Xiaoliang returned home, he refused to go out no matter what and just wanted to stay at home for a few days.
He was really tired of eating Western food on airplanes and in hotels every day, so he asked David to buy some ingredients for him so that he could make some home-cooked dishes at home to save his stomach.
Come, get a chicken first.
Forget about the boiled chicken, but it's weird to associate football with this thing.
Let’s make some chicken soup.
Make some pig intestines.
Well, since Helena is not here, I can eat as much as I want. After all, in the eyes of foreigners, eating this thing is no different from eating shit...
Finally, stir-fry a vegetable.
That’s it, I can be free and easy alone!
Chen Xiaoliang stayed at home the whole afternoon. Apart from exercising on the treadmill for a while, the rest of the time he spent surfing the Internet and cooking.
Because I didn't play in the last game, I only got 1 training point for the task of entering the big list, 6→7, and I have to make up for it through regular training.
At 7 o'clock in the evening, I was eating alone at home when the doorbell rang.
As soon as Chen Xiaoliang opened the door, he remembered that he and Wu Mi had agreed to take Italian class today.
He invited Wu Mi into the house, but after all, this was someone else's house...
"Sorry, I'm eating..."
Looking at the half-eaten pig intestines on the table... Chen Xiaoliang felt a little embarrassed... He quickly said that he was full, and after cleaning up, the class began.
Chen Xiaoliang looked at Wu Mi, who was wearing a black dress and had put on makeup today, but it was not the light makeup like last time. She was simply stunningly beautiful.
Anyway, you have to listen carefully in class and keep your eyes on the teacher.
Wu Mi taught him a sentence, and Chen Xiaoliang said a sentence. In short, no matter what he was taught, he could learn it immediately.
As they taught, the two of them started chatting in Italian.
Of course, Chen Xiaoliang would deliberately make grammatical errors from time to time, or pretend not to know how to say a certain word.
However, in Wu Mi's eyes, the man in front of him was completely different from the impression he had of a football player. He was simply the embodiment of wisdom and a learning genius!
Moreover... he has sharp features, and the more you look at him, the more handsome he becomes...
"Teacher, I always feel that you look like someone..."
"Ah, don't always call me teacher. It makes me sound very old. You can call me Susan or Xiao Mi."
"Xiao...Xiao Mi, do you know Little Jew and Little Rich Woman? It's from that TV series, very famous in Hong Kong!"
Wu Mi covered her mouth and smiled softly: "How do you know this? You are only 17 years old."
Damn, my age is showing!
Wu Mi continued to ask: "Then who do I look like? The little Jewish girl or the little rich girl?"
"Little rich woman." Chen Xiaoliang thought to himself, she was already a little rich woman, and quickly added, "But you are prettier than her."
Wu Mi blushed and smiled politely, but the slightly twinkling look in her eyes could not hide her joy.
"You are only 19 years old, don't you know that?"
"Everyone in Hong Kong knows about it. Even young people will mention this TV series every time the stock market is not doing well."
Chen Xiaoliang realized that they had been chatting for a long time but no one had poured them a glass of water, so he stood up and said he was going to make tea.
But the problem was that he forgot to ask David to buy tea leaves or tea bags, and he searched the kitchen for a long time but couldn't find any in stock at home.
"Here, I told him when the house was handed over to Mr. Reese. Maybe he forgot to tell you."
Wu Mi said as he walked to a corner of the kitchen, moved a stepping stool over, stepped on it, and opened the door of a closet.
There are indeed many varieties of tea and tea bags in it!
Chen Xiaoliang cursed in his heart: Damn it! Reese, you idiot, you didn't say what you should say and made me embarrassed!
Unexpectedly, Wu Mi was turning around to come down with tea leaves in his hand, but he accidentally stepped on empty air and fell down!
Chen Xiaoliang is familiar with this scene.
On the court, no matter how fast the player or how big the ball is, it would be difficult for them to pass in front of him, let alone now?
He fell to the ground and tackled! He hugged Wu Mi! He let her fall on his strong body with attribute 15!
It was a false alarm, he didn't fall to the ground!
But! Chen Xiaoliang committed handball!
But but! Although Wu Mi didn't fall, she twisted her foot after stepping on empty air and couldn't walk. Chen Xiaoliang had to keep dribbling and carried her to the sofa in the living room!
Chen Xiaoliang yelled in his heart: Damn it! Reese, you are a genius, but you didn't say what you should say, which made me... a little embarrassed...
Wu Mi blushed and did not make a handball foul call against a football player.
Chen Xiaoliang's heart was pounding and he quickly went to make some tea. As he was making the tea, he was thinking, what should I do so late in the evening?
She sprained her foot and it is impossible for her to go home by herself. But if you change your mindset, this is also her home.
But at her age, my age, my tongue can kill people. Some people can talk but don't listen, and they can't wash themselves clean even if they jump into the Yellow River...
The fragrant tea was ready, Chen Xiaoliang brought it over, you have a cup... I have a cup...
I don’t know what kind of tea it is, but it smells particularly good, just like the hand that Chen Xiaoliang used to dribble the ball with, instantly dispelling the remaining smell of chicken soup and pig intestines.
"Xiaoliang...can you...take me home? I sprained my ankle and can't drive..."
In this scene, this situation, and this atmosphere, we must help if there are difficulties; even if there are no difficulties, we will create difficulties and still help!
"Mr. Wu...Xiao Mi, can I help you check the extent of the sprain?"
Wu Mi blushed and nodded.
Chen Xiaoliang sat next to her, lifted her legs, placed them on his thighs, touched and looked at them again and again.
“Well…it seems to be quite serious. I suggest you don’t move…Besides, you live alone. If you go home and it gets serious tomorrow, there will be no one to take you to the hospital.
How about...staying here for one night, since you are familiar with the place, and then I will take you to the club training base tomorrow and let the team doctor check you out?"
"Hmm..." Wu Mi's face turned even redder.
There are two bedrooms in this big house. Originally, the other one was reserved for David, but David now lives in a rented house with his son.
Chen Xiaoliang left his bedroom to Wu Mi and slept in the other room himself.
The next morning, the two arrived at the club, earlier than usual!
Although it was a bit strange, after listening to Chen Xiaoliang's explanation, the team doctor thought that since the hot shot in the team had a request and it was just a small matter, there was no reason to refuse.
After a check-up, it turned out that I just sprained my foot. Although my bones and ligaments were not injured, I still need about a week to recover.
So this week, in addition to training, Chen Xiaoliang learned foreign languages ​​in the morning and in the evening, and he would take Wu Mi wherever she went.
My Italian level has improved by leaps and bounds.
Until a week later, the day before the match against Udinese.
After the team doctor examined Wu Mi, he said that all her injuries were healed, but Wu Mi kept saying that she still felt some pain when walking. The team doctor confirmed it again and again and said that there was definitely no problem.
At this time, Roma's new owner Dan Friedkin walked into the team doctor's room accompanied by Mourinho, followed by a spirited old man from the Red Country who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and had a slicked-back hairdo.
"Boss, coach."
Chen Xiaoliang stood up and greeted the two of them.
He was still worried about whether he would be scolded for bringing someone to the club for treatment without permission, but Mourinho came up with a smile on his face and pulled him away.
"You are good, I was right about you."
"What?" Chen Xiaoliang was confused.
Unexpectedly, Wu Mi's next words shocked him even more!
"Daddy...why are you here..."
What? Our American boss is her father? Could he be her godfather? That kind of godfather?
Wang Defa?!
Unexpectedly, Dan Friedkin didn't say anything. The old man from the Red Country next to him spoke up: "Dan and I are good friends. You told me that you were injured and you were treated here. I just arrived in Rome yesterday, so of course I came to thank him."
Dan Friedkin had a delighted look on his face, and he instructed the team doctors and the director of sports science to treat the patient well, with all their strength, and at all costs.
"Coach, what's going on?" Chen Xiaoliang asked in a low voice.
"You don't know? Are you pretending to be stupid? No wonder Riise wanted to find her to be your language teacher." Mourinho said this, but the joy on his face could not be concealed.
"I really don't know where this extra father came from."
Mourinho pulled Chen Xiaoliang aside again and said, "Our American boss is a car salesman, and his net worth is probably around 600th on the global rich list.
Your Italian teacher's dad would rank around 100th.
It is said that he is a very powerful person in Hong Kong, and in Italy, both businessmen and Mafia gangs have to give him some respect.
Ahem, the boss said that it’s up to you to break through the Financial Fair Play Act.”
Holy shit! How can this be called a small rich woman? This is a super rich woman!
That's not right. As a defensive midfielder, I have to be responsible for attracting investment?!
Thinking about it again, the Blackfoot Gang...Chen Xiaoliang broke out in a cold sweat!
Fortunately, I didn't do anything except handball this week! Otherwise...
Boss Wu, who had been chatting with Wu Mi for a while, turned to look at Chen Xiaoliang: "Are you Chen Xiaoliang?"
"Uh... yes... Daddy... no no no! Mr. Wu..."
Mourinho glanced at Chen Xiaoliang and thought, "He calls me dad right away and plays dumb. This kid is great... No wonder Gerrard wants to marry his daughter to him.
In fact, I also have a daughter, she is only 24 years old... and she is also single..."
Boss Wu: "Thank you for taking care of my daughter these days. Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon. Come to my house for dinner next week. I am also a football fan."
"Okay, I'll be there on time!"
Chen Xiaoliang and Mourinho accompanied their boss at the gate of the base and watched Boss Wu's extended version of Cullinan carrying him and his daughter away, and then came to the tactical meeting room refreshed.
The players noticed that the head coach, who had been depressed for a week because of the loss to Verona, was in such a good mood today.
Mourinho didn't beat around the bush and directly announced the starting lineup and requirements for the next game!
Goalkeeper: Patricio!
Three central defenders: Trippi, Smalling and Ibanez!
Two wingbacks: Mkhitaryan and Zalewski!
Defensive midfielder: Chen Xiaoliang and Veretout!
Attacking midfielder: Pellegrini!
Forwards: Cesco and Abraham!
Udinese used the 352 formation at the beginning of the season, but there was no obvious distinction between attacking midfielders and defensive midfielders among the three midfielders.
The most threatening player in the team is Deulofeu, a Spaniard who came from Barcelona's youth training and has played for Everton, Sevilla, AC Milan, Watford, and has played in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.
Mourinho repeatedly stressed that tomorrow's game must be different from the chaotic situation of the previous game, the team must show its tough side and confront the opponent more!
The home team must get all three points!