Chapter 161: The Second Battalion Commander and His Italian Cannon Go Online
At halftime, in order to motivate the players, Mourinho asked Joao to read the latest news on his PAD:
In the last match against AC Milan, the Napoli referee Maresca was banned for two games by the league committee after the game and was sent to referee matches in Serie B. The reason was that the penalty awarded to AC Milan was a fictitious one!
At that time, the video referee team told Maresca that Mancini's physical contact with Giroud was not enough to constitute a foul, but Maresca awarded a penalty based on the physical contact.
In other words, if there had not been that penalty, Roma would have defeated AC Milan at home in the last game.
Even Milan, which ranked second last season, can surpass them, let alone the newly promoted Venice?
Taking advantage of the opponents' eagerness to equalize the score after leading, Mourinho asked his players to continue attacking in the second half!
At the beginning of the second half, Roma players followed Mourinho's requirements and launched wave after wave of offensive frenzy.
However, they returned to their old ways - having the upper hand but unable to score.
The problem of inaccurate shooting has always troubled them.
In the 48th minute, Kumbulla headed the ball high;
In the 56th minute, Carles Perez took the ball and passed it to El Shaarawy who ran quietly to the middle without being guarded. The latter's shot was like a pass back to the goalkeeper, and was directly hugged by the 34-year-old goalkeeper Romero.
In the 61st minute, Abraham received a long pass back to Pellegrini who was in the middle. The Roma captain pushed the ball and it missed the post again.
By this time, Roma had already had 12 shots, but only 4 of them hit the goal frame.
Former Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero, who moved to Venice on a free transfer from Manchester United at the end of his contract, did not face much of a test.
Before the end of the first half, he tried his best to score the first goal, and he could not control the various rebounds. The second goal was a rare back-to-back shot by Abraham, and the defender had more responsibility.
Watching the players on the field kick away one good shooting opportunity after another created by unremitting running and passing, Mourinho wanted to call all these attacking players to his side and give them a good scolding.
Say they can’t do it, they can run out of opportunities;
They can do it, but what good is it if they can't ejaculate inside? All the previous efforts are in vain!
Just three minutes later, Roma, who had been unable to break through the defense for a long time and was becoming increasingly impatient, once again paid the price for their immaturity.
Venice won a corner kick on the right. After the tactical corner kick, the ball returned to the right side of the penalty area. No. 10 forward Alamu made a fast low cross with his left foot. Cristante was stuck in the position in front of him, and when he jumped up and stretched his legs to clear the ball, he failed to kick the ball, but kicked Caldara next to him to the ground!
The referee decisively awarded a penalty!
Mourinho was very dissatisfied, but he chose to restrain himself this time. He just complained to the fourth official, then kept shaking his head. In a fit of anger, he sat back in the coaching seat, leaving Joao alone standing on the sidelines.
Alamu took the penalty kick himself after receiving the cross, fooled Patricio and scored the goal!
The score was 2-2, Venice equalized the score at home!
The home team fans in the stadium were so happy!
The fans left comments in the live broadcast room, which is "the gongs and drums are loud, the firecrackers are blasting, the red flags are waving, and there are huge crowds of people"...
Although Venice fans did not mock Roma's poor defense, the Red Country fans in the Penguin live broadcast room did mock Roma a lot.
It just so happened that this match was specially arranged by Serie A during prime time in East Asia, so there were a lot more fans watching.
But the disastrous performance was not over yet.
After conceding the goal, Mourinho saw that the situation was not good and replaced El Shaarawy, who had not played for a long time, with Zaniolo to increase the impact on the wing.
However, before Zaniolo could get going, Roma conceded another goal...
When Roma players were pressing forward in the frontcourt, central defender Karadar, who was very active in this game, made a long pass to the frontcourt. The alert Nigerian striker Okereke made a beautiful offside move and instantly got rid of all Roma defenders!
Among the three central defenders in this game, except for the left central defender Ibanez who had some speed, Kumbulla and Mancini were slower than the other. They could only watch Okereke shoot the ball into the lower left corner of the goal, reversing the score to 3-2!
At the moment the goal was scored, more than 10,000 Venice fans in the Pierluigi Benzeo Stadium almost shouted themselves hoarse, and more than a dozen flags of fan organizations on both sides of the goal were waving continuously.
Mourinho couldn't sit still anymore. He knew that if the players on the field continued to play like this, the game would be over.
In this way, Chen Xiaoliang, Zalewski and Wu Lei replaced Cristante, Kumbulla and Carles Perez.
The team's formation returned to 433, with Chen Xiaoliang playing as the single defensive midfielder, Zalewski as the left back, Wu Lei as the right winger, Veretout and Pellegrini forming the midfield, Zaniolo as the left winger, and Abraham as the lone striker.
As soon as this group of main forces came on the court, the situation changed immediately.
Especially Chen Xiaoliang's defensive position made it possible for him to intercept almost all of Venice's counterattack long passes in the first place!
The 23-year-old Nigerian striker Okereke is 182 cm tall and weighs 77 kg.
In the first half, he knocked down Ibanez in a high-speed confrontation. In the second half, he scored another goal and was full of confidence. He wanted to repeat the old trick and use his body to confront Chen Xiaoliang.
Unexpectedly, when he competed for a long pass in the air for the first time, he was knocked to the ground with his legs up in the air by Chen Xiaoliang!
After Chen Xiaoliang headed the ball out, he looked back at Okereke when he landed. He saw that on his dark face, a pair of particularly white eyes were wide open, looking at Chen Xiaoliang in shock!
Chen Xiaoliang ignored him and ran away, thinking:
He has fought against Vlahovic, who has a balanced physical fitness, Milinkovic, who has a stable lower body, and Osimhen, the speed demon. In the previous game, he just fought against Ibrahimovic and Kessie.
That’s it?
In addition to relying on physical fitness, the willpower of both parties is also very important in this kind of hand-to-hand confrontation. When one party feels that they cannot defeat the opponent, they will naturally become timid in the confrontation. The opponent can then take advantage of this mentality and double their physical advantage.
Obviously, Chen Xiaoliang is the kind of person who dares to keep fighting no matter how strong his opponent is or how strong his fighting ability is.
It's true to the old saying in the underworld: It's not shameful to lose, but it's shameful to be afraid.
In the 75th minute, facing Roma's fierce bombardment, Venice also completed the positional substitutions of three players in an effort to strengthen its defense.
In the following attack, Zaniolo's shot was blocked by Romero and went out of the baseline, and Roma got the seventh corner kick of the game.
Pellegrini also specifically asked Chen Xiaoliang whether he wanted to take the penalty kick, and Chen Xiaoliang quickly refused.
Pellegrini drove the ball to the back post, but Ibanez failed to beat the opponent's central defender Secaroni. The left-back Harps kicked the ball to Okereke again, but this time he retreated and received the ball!
Facing the Nigerian's rapid attack, Chen Xiaoliang, who stayed in the backcourt with Zalewski, made a gesture to return to defense. Zalewski understood and immediately ran towards his own penalty area.
Chen Xiaoliang rushed towards Okereke at a diagonal speed!
Facing the running Chen Xiaoliang, Okereke wanted to change direction to shake him off.
Unexpectedly, Chen Xiaoliang made a flying tackle, and Okereke dribbled the ball and jumped up to pass the ball, but he jumped over and the ball disappeared!
When I looked back again, Chen Xiaoliang was running forward with the ball!
Okereke threw his hands aside, completely deflated.
João was about to speak: "Jose..."
This time it was Mourinho who interrupted him: "If God could promise me that he would never get injured, or that there was a pill that could instantly restore the body to health, I would definitely let him play the whole game.
Because he is so important, once he gets injured, no one in the team can replace him."
Joao: "His role is really huge. It reminds me of Rodman of the Bulls. With a rebounding superman, shooters can shoot without restraint because they know there is someone who will help them get the ball back if they miss.
The same is true after Chen comes on the court. His teammates can press forward and attack with confidence because they know that even if the opponent seizes the opportunity to counterattack in the backcourt, he can still steal the ball.
With this mentality, the players will dare to press forward to a greater extent, instead of being afraid to press forward too far and not have time to return to defense.
If only ... we could have another player like that.”
"Haha!" Mourinho couldn't help laughing when he heard it.
"If Levy hadn't been so greedy and set a £35 million buyout clause, we wouldn't have been able to get him at that price based on Chen's performance at Rangers last season. Levy would have treated him the same as Kane and would not have sold him even if he rotted in his hands.
If that were the case, we wouldn’t be able to buy even one, let alone two.
Besides, in the current transfer market, which midfielder can compare with him?
Bellingham is priced at 75 million euros. Even if Dortmund offers this price, they may not be willing to let him go.
Who else is left? It's impossible to find such players among the young people.
An older player like Milinkovic-Savic? Lazio would never sell him to us.
Casemiro? I rented him from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and then bought him out. His defensive ability is not as good as Chen, but his overall ability is indeed stronger. But he was earning 200,000 euros a week in Real Madrid. If he came to us? Even if he was willing to come, we might have to spend 400,000 euros a week.
Will Pinto agree? Even if he agrees, the boss won’t agree.
Every player is unique and it’s hard to find another one like him.”
As the two were chatting, Romero made another save, blocking Wu Lei's low shot which was not very powerful.
Venice also got a rare opportunity to advance its position.
Roma's formation retreated slightly, and when Venice reached the midfield, midfielder Ampadu's through pass to Alamu was seen through and intercepted by Chen Xiaoliang, who then passed the ball to Karsdorp on the right, and Roma pressed forward to attack again!
Karsdorp dribbled the ball along the right, and Wu Lei moved to the middle, taking away the full-back while also making space for Karsdorp.
Venice's American midfielder Busio rushed over to defend, and Karsdorp and Wu Lei made a one-two pass to pass Busio!
Seeing that the left side was completely empty, left-back Harps had to give up Wu Lei and return to the left to guard Karsdorp.
At this time, Chen Xiaoliang shouted behind Karsdorp.
The Dutch knew that Chen Xiaoliang was asking for the ball and preparing to pass it!
He immediately stopped the ball, turned around and pushed the ball back to Chen Xiaoliang.
Chen Xiaoliang just raised his foot and passed the ball!
Wu Lei, who was supporting in the middle just now, went around behind the opponent's central defender Caldara and launched an attack from the blind spot, and Chen Xiaoliang passed the ball to this point!
The tacit connection between the two is dark green, which can increase all technical attributes by 3 points!
It’s just because Wu Lei has been on the field too few times and there are not enough opportunities for actual combat cooperation that it has never been able to rise to the full value of bright green.
The ball flew directly over Wu Lei's head!
Wu Lei didn't need to jump, he just leaned forward and headed the ball!
The distance was too close, Romero had no time to react!
The ball hit the post and went out!
Wu Lei, who was lying on the ground due to the forward movement, slapped the grass!
How can you not regret missing such a good opportunity!
The director immediately turned the camera to Cesco on the bench.
What I mean is that if Chen Xiaoliang had passed the ball to Cesco, it would have gone in long ago!
After Wu Lei stood up, he lowered his head and looked a little discouraged. Chen Xiaoliang, who had retreated, clapped his hands in his direction to encourage him. Wu Lei clapped a few times embarrassedly to thank Chen Xiaoliang for passing the ball.
Venice's previously threatening tactics of taking advantage of Roma's slow defense movement and slow turning speed and long passes from the back suddenly became ineffective due to Chen Xiaoliang's appearance. They tried to find Okereke several times but were intercepted by Chen Xiaoliang. For a moment, they didn't know how to organize the attack and were completely confused.
As a newly promoted team, the players' abilities are inherently weaker, and the tactics they can execute based on this ability are relatively monotonous. Once the situation on the field undergoes a significant change, it is easy for them to lose their way in a short period of time.
In the 81st minute, Roma once again laid siege in the half.
Venice withdrew another forward and replaced him with center back Modolo, leaving them with only two forwards to sweep outside the penalty area.
As for the wing, knowing that they cannot be defended, the main focus has basically been on interference, with all the defensive focus placed in the penalty area.
Mancini and Ibanez also pressed forward. Chen Xiaoliang passed the ball to the left. Zaniolo got the ball and broke through to the end line. Under the tight pressure of the opponent's right-back Mazzocchi, he made a clever crotch pass when he was about to go out of the baseline.
Even though there were five people in the penalty area trying to support the ball, Zaniolo didn't even raise his head, and shot at Caldara who was defending him with a small-angle shot!
The ball was blocked by Romero who was guarding the near corner and bounced towards the middle!
Wu Lei followed up with a shot! The opponent's central defender Secaroni headed the ball out one step ahead!
Veretout, who was not being singled out because of his short stature, leaped forward and volleyed the ball, but the ball was too straight and was saved by Romero and bounced back!
Ibanez and Pellegrini saw the ball coming and both rushed to compete for the header, but they collided with each other! Neither of them exerted enough force, and the ball was headed off target.
Venice midfielder Busio rushed towards the ball to clear it, but his foot slipped again and the ball did not go far, but somehow it landed at the feet of Chen Xiaoliang outside the penalty area!
At this point, whether it was the local Italian broadcast or the new commentator in the Penguin live broadcast room, this chaotic process almost made them speechless.
There was chaos in the penalty area, with people and horses falling to the ground!
At this time, the only person next to Chen Xiaoliang was Zalewski, who was ten meters away on the left, and everyone else was in the penalty area.
There were Venetian players in front of Zalewski, so passing the ball to him was too risky.
Okereke, who was feeling frustrated at being defended by Chen Xiaoliang, immediately rushed over, along with his teammate Alamu.
Seeing that he was about to be double-teamed and the position was too close to the middle to pass the ball, Chen Xiaoliang could not care about anything else at this time and got rid of the ball first.
He raised his foot and prepared to make a lob pass!
His idea was simple. After the ball entered the penalty area, he could step back and create a safer defensive distance.
As for who to hang it for, it was just in that direction, and when he looked down, there were people everywhere, and he himself didn't know who he was going to hang it for.
But he thought so, but Okereke and Alamu didn’t!
The two men were terrified as if they were facing a great enemy!
Who hasn’t seen Chen Xiaoliang’s amazing long-range shot to equalize Lazio?
Who hasn’t seen the replay of Chen Xiaoliang’s super arc free kick that penetrated AC Milan?
How could a midfielder with such exquisite footwork and explosive power be allowed to shoot from the middle of the penalty area? !
He must be about to shoot!
The two of them rushed forward recklessly like soldiers blocking a gun!
Seeing this situation, Chen Xiaoliang was afraid that the ball would be intercepted, so he quickly kicked the ball out.
It was originally a lob pass, but with this force, it really looked like a long shot.
The ball hit Okereke's hip, changed direction slightly, and bounced into the penalty area!
American midfielder Busio, who was focusing his attention on Pellegrini, never expected such a disaster to befall him.
The ball hit his outstretched right arm, which was used to block Pellegrini from the right side and into the small penalty area!
In an instant, all the Roma players and coaches raised their hands!
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the ball can be seen extremely clearly!
The referee Aureliano blew the whistle to indicate a foul without thinking, and pointed to the penalty spot with his right hand!
The players of Venice gathered around and explained to the referee that the ball was caused by the arm hanging naturally and it was an unintentional handball.
The referee Aureliano patiently explained that although it was indeed a natural droop, Busio moved during the flight of the ball and obviously changed the flight trajectory of the ball.
Although he was polite and patient, his meaning was clear: the penalty would not be changed.
The video referee team in the headphones also supported his point of view.
Abraham, Pellegrini and Veretout stood at the penalty spot and discussed for a few words.
Abraham even turned back to look at Chen Xiaoliang and gestured to him, "Come here," indicating, "How about you take the penalty?"
Chen Xiaoliang stepped back and shook his head.
The new female commentator trained by Penguin Live shouted excitedly: "Chen Xiaoliang is indeed a man who leaves after his work is done, hiding his merits and fame! While his three teammates were still arguing about who would take the penalty, he took the initiative to give up the penalty he created!
I believe that with Chen Xiaoliang's free-kick skills, penalty kicks are no problem at all!"
Due to his recent outstanding performance, there is a new term among football fans to describe the increasing number of Chen Xiaoliang’s die-hard fans – Liang Chui.
Obviously, this new female commentator is just a braggart.
As for Chen Xiaoliang himself, in addition to the previous nickname of "Pope", many Roma fans call him "Second Battalion Commander".
Again in Italy, with long shots, free kicks, and long-distance crosses into the penalty area, the image of the second battalion commander in charge of the Italian artillery is very appropriate.
When other non-Roma fans found out about it, they also liked the image, and it spread like wildfire, and there seemed to be a consensus on the topic.
Originally, the team's first penalty taker was clearly designated as Frenchman Veretout.
But Veretout had missed a penalty against Juventus and had recently returned from a concussion, so Pellegrini and Abraham were concerned about whether he could score, and both were desperate for a goal, especially an equalizer.
In the end, at Veretout's insistence, he took the penalty kick!
Both sides stood up and the atmosphere in the stadium was tense!
Whether Roma gets 0 points or 1 point, and Venice gets 3 points or 1 point, it all depends on this ball!
The referee blew the whistle and Veretout took a run-up!
Shoot! Hit the ball to the bottom left corner of the goal!
Romero flew out and blocked the ball with his left hand!
Just when all the Venice fans were about to burst into cheers, Veretout, who had just taken the free throw, followed up with a shot!
Romero fell to the ground and had no time to get up. He could only watch helplessly as the ball went into the net.
In the 83rd minute, Venice 3-3 Roma!
Another big score!
