Chapter 188: An interview with France Football
4 minutes of injury time.
In the final stage of the game, Roma played very steadily, from leading by three goals to being tied, to surviving a disaster and being saved by the crossbar, to leading again at the last moment. Even the most reckless players knew that they couldn't waste time at this time.
Matic and Veretout played further and further back, and finally almost formed a three-midfielder posture with Chen Xiaoliang, assisting the back line in defending Juventus' three-way attack.
Juventus wanted to chase, and Morata and Kulusevski seemed to be affected by the arrival of Vlahovic and fought very hard. However, to break such a dense defense, it would be very difficult to score purely by headers with only the high point in the middle, without breakthroughs and long shots from the outside .
In addition, with time running out, Chen Xiaoliang and Matic frequently retreated to the penalty area to help compete for headers. Juventus had many opportunities to pass the ball from the wing. They even replaced McKennie with Keane at the last moment, but still could not avoid losing the game away from home.
After the final whistle sounded, the home team fans in the Olympic Stadium were reluctant to leave, and Roma's players also walked around the field in a group, constantly thanking the fans for their cheers and encouragement.
To describe their feelings at this moment in four words, it is definitely not the ecstasy of "overjoyed", but the luck of "surviving a disaster".
Just imagine, if Juventus had not suffered widespread injuries in the midfield and backcourt, and had not scored two lucky goals, plus a crossbar save, the result of this game against Juventus, which had been unbeaten in the previous six rounds, would have been hard to predict.
But as I said, there are no ifs in football, only results.
After the game, Landucci still participated in the press interview in the player tunnel on behalf of Allegri, and he expressed his disappointment with the defeat that was difficult to conceal.
In his eyes, the team continued its previous good performance and was clearly on the right path to recovery, but it really lacked some luck today, which tipped the balance of victory in favor of the home team.
When it was Mourinho's turn to be interviewed, he did not deny Landucci's statement.
"Football does require some luck, and I have encountered this a few times in my coaching career. But this is part of football, and there are always uncontrollable factors.
Just like when the ball flies out from the player's feet, no one can predict the flight trajectory of the ball. If the player can completely control the flight path of the ball, then every ball will be a blind spot.
Some of them went in, some were blocked, and some were clearly heading for blind spots but were blocked by the door frame.
The most important thing is that we won today and continue to maintain a favorable position in the league, which is enough.
As for conceding three goals in a row, they are Juventus. They were unbeaten in the previous six games and spent a huge amount of money to buy the striker who scored the most goals in the league. It is not surprising that they can do this, but we will also summarize when we go back, find the problem and then punish him, so that such things will try not to happen again in the future. "
In the locker room, Roma players were both tired and relaxed.
A fierce battle is finally over, the body is tired and the soul is relaxed.
Only Gian, while accepting congratulations from his teammates, was shirtless, holding his mobile phone and repeatedly watching the online replay of his previous goal.
When he saw Mourinho coming in, with a slight smile on his face, Veretout even joked that Mourinho bought a pair of shoes for Gian, and he scored the winning goal. Why not give a pair of shoes to the whole team so that everyone can score goals.
Although Mourinho was in a good mood, he was not happy enough to make jokes.
The team's defensive loopholes were too big. In addition to the factors of battle state and tactical arrangements, he also knew in his heart that many things had reached their limits. To put it bluntly, they had reached the ceiling of the players' abilities.
He can only jump so high and run so fast, and his predictive ability is only so good. Besides, he is not young anymore, so it would be very difficult for him to improve significantly, like being reborn.
A good head coach is here to guide a group of excellent players to achieve 1+1>2, so that the 11 people on the field can work together as one, move forward and backward freely like one person, and integrate offense and defense.
But those most basic things, the lowest level of mistakes, such as heading the ball, looking at the ball instead of the player, and the gap in ability, such as being dribbled past, losing the header competition, are all the result of basic training since childhood, and cannot be completely transformed by the adult team coach.
The first team is not a youth team, so there is no ample opportunity for them to try and make mistakes on the field again and again.
If a serious mistake is made, not only will the players be criticized by everyone, but Mourinho himself will be sent home.
After all, Matic is old. He had already started to go downhill when he went to Manchester United, and now he has long passed his peak.
When facing mid- and lower-level Serie A teams, he can still take care of both offense and defense with ease. However, when facing players of the level of Dybala, Kulusevski and Chiesa, his 33-year-old age makes him struggle and barely maintain his performance.
But the funny thing is that it seems that Matic is even stronger than Cristante.
Fortunately, the crossbar helped today, and after Chen Xiaoliang was pulled back, it finally blocked Dybala and Kulusevski from cutting inside in turn.
Thinking of Chen Xiaoliang's retreat, Mourinho couldn't help but think of Joao again.
Forget it, what’s past is past.
Compared to João, who had worked for him for more than two years, he was most at a loss when Faria, who had assisted him for 17 years, left, and he was not used to it for a while.
Sometimes when Mourinho is alone, he wonders if he is becoming more stubborn as he gets older.
He didn't know either. He only knew that in game after game, training after training, he could only make decisions continuously facing the opinions of the board of directors, the suggestions of the coaching staff, the ideas of the players, the reports of the team doctors, and the information of the scouts.
Every time, he believed he was right.
Thinking of this, Mourinho suddenly felt a little tired. He stopped being tense and spoke some relaxing words to his players.
After all, I am 60 years old and have been fighting for most of my life. It is inevitable that I will feel a little powerless.
Fortunately, the opponents in the next three games are not strong, namely Cagliari, Empoli, and Genoa.
Apart from Empoli, which is ranked 13th in the league, the other two opponents are in the relegation zone, Cagliari is second from the bottom with 15 points, and Genoa is first from the bottom with 12 points.
After that, we will play in the Italian Cup quarter-finals. We don’t know the opponent yet and have to wait for the draw.
The opponents for the first round of the Europa League knockout stage are also unknown, but that will not happen until early March. The second-placed teams in each group will play a play-off with the third-placed teams in each Europa League group, and the winners will enter the draw.
Mourinho is not the only one who is concerned about the schedule. On the bus back to the base, Chen Xiaoliang was also looking at the latest league standings on his mobile phone.
After this round, the rankings of the top few teams did not change.
Venice lost 0-3 to AC Milan at home without any suspense, but still ranked 18th with 15 points, while AC Milan ranked first with 46 points;
Napoli beat Sampdoria 1-0 at home and secured fourth place with 42 points, still 6 points ahead of Juventus, which lost to Roma this round and has 36 points;
Inter Milan defeated Lazio 2-1 at home in Meazza, and now they both have 46 points, ranking second.
Everyone thought the score of 4 to 3 was big enough, but unexpectedly Atalanta beat Udinese 2 to 6 at Friuli Stadium, not only defeating the home team and getting enough goals, but also ranking 6th in the standings with 35 points, closely following Juventus, and still maintaining a sense of pressure on the Champions League zone.
Unfortunately, Mkhitaryan's shot in the match against Juventus was deflected and was not counted as Chen Xiaoliang's assist in the end, so his assists in this game remained at 2, and he missed the hat-trick reward in the system league task. However, he still won the best player of the game with an outstanding performance and a score of 9.3.
I got a total of 12 hours of training value and 1 physical recovery card.
Training value 7→19
Stamina recovery card 0→1
By the way, I also collected the rewards for the previous Italian Cup match against Lecce.
However, facing a Serie B team with very low reputation, Chen Xiaoliang, who had no goals or assists and clocked out after playing for 60 minutes, only gained 5 skill points, and could not enjoy the BUFF bonus of [Double Rewards for European War Missions in the New Season] in the domestic cup competition.
Skill value 46 → 51
At the current rate of point growth, it will become increasingly difficult to rapidly increase attributes by simply winning and losing games, especially since the main attributes have already reached a certain level. Further increases will require multiples of training points.
There is no other way, I can only rely on daily training to accumulate more training points.
But the next day, Chen Xiaoliang had another free job to take.
The other party did not contact him through his agent, but directly. Not only did he not take a penny, but he also had to cooperate with the other party.
The reason is simple. Pascal Ferre, editor-in-chief of France Football, had arranged a personal interview with the Copa Award winner through the Roma Club a long time ago.
This is the most authoritative football magazine in the world and the organizer of the Ballon d'Or. Under the pressure of public opinion created by Turin Sports Daily and Portman, they still let the Ballon d'Or winners cast their votes according to their personal standards according to the pre-set rules. Chen Xiaoliang had no reason and could not refuse.
However, compared to the award ceremony, this interview seemed much more relaxed.
Chen Xiaoliang, dressed in casual clothes, met Pascal Ferre, editor-in-chief of France Football, and Florent Thorsch, senior editor of L'Equipe, in the reception room of the Trigoria base after having a simple makeup done by the club.
The latter has just conducted an exclusive interview with seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi and also wrote Messi's autobiography.
This interview combination is enough to show how much importance France Football attaches to this interview.
You should know that this football magazine is actually a branch of L'Equipe, both of which belong to the Editions Philippe Amaury publishing group.
After a brief introduction, two cameramen turned on the cameras from different positions and began the interview which was expected to last two hours.
However, Chen Xiaoliang made it clear in the letter he sent back to the other party through the club that they could ask anything, but they were not allowed to ask about things before he came to Europe to play football. The reason was very simple - "family privacy."
This was also the result of Chen Xiaoliang's careful consideration. On the one hand, he couldn't tell reporters that he didn't know how to play football at all. It was purely an ability he quickly acquired through the awakening of the system after traveling through time. What's more, his family and classmates in this life had nothing to do with football at all. Before, many Red Country media had interviewed his school and classmates because of his fame, which caused a lot of trouble.
Therefore, he set the scope of questions in advance on the grounds that he did not want to cause trouble to his relatives and friends in his hometown or disclose other people's privacy.
In Europe, although such reasons may seem high-sounding, they are absolutely politically correct. Media outlets like L'Equipe and France Football, which emphasize professionalism and authority, will never deliberately violate such taboos.
不过对于老谋深算、采访过许多球星的两人来说，即便这个领域不能问，他们也有的是可以“刁难”陈小亮、并且制造新闻性的话题。
After talking about some basic content, such as his recent form, life in Rome, his relationship with his teammates and coaches, and other "warm-up" questions, Pascal Ferre, editor-in-chief of France Football, began to bring up controversial topics:
"Who do you think is the best midfielder in today's football?"
Chen Xiaoliang also knew that the real problem was about to begin:
"If we go by the ranking of this year's Ballon d'Or, it should be Jorginho, Kante and De Bruyne. They are the top 10 midfielders. Of course there are others, like Mount and Bruno Fernandes, who are also in the top 30. They are all considered the best midfielders in the world."
Ferre: "Except for the top 10 midfielders, you only mentioned Mount in the subsequent candidates, but not Pedri, who is 24th, and Barrera, who is 26th. We all know that the former is your main competitor for the Copa Award and has even defeated you in other similar awards, while the latter is your midfield competitor in Serie A. It seems that there was even something unpleasant when you two met last time."
Chen Xiaoliang smiled slightly: "Because there are too many excellent midfielders in the top 30, I can't name them all. For example, I didn't mention Modric who ranked 29th, but he is definitely one of the best midfielders on the planet. I have also watched his live games at the Bernabeu. He is really strong."
Ferre: "You didn't answer me, are Pedri and Barrera the best in your mind?"
Chen Xiaoliang: "If we go by the standards of the Golden Globe Awards, of course."
Frey: "What if it's according to your idea?"
Chen Xiaoliang: "I still think each of them is excellent, but I often watch videos of De Bruyne playing football, especially his many choices of passing routes, as well as Kante, Casemiro and so on."
Torsch: "What about players in other positions? Do you pay attention to their games? For example, Messi and Ronaldo."
Chen Xiaoliang nodded and sneered in his heart, knowing that what is coming will definitely come.
"Who do you like better?"
"I haven't met Ronaldo. It's a pity that he didn't go to the Ballon d'Or ceremony. I was fortunate enough to have a brief exchange with Messi after the ceremony. He is a very humble person, so humble that it was beyond my expectation."
Torsh: "At that pizza place?"
Chen Xiaoliang nodded: "I heard that there are a lot of people going to that store now?"
Thor: “Yes, it has become an Internet celebrity store in Paris. The photo you took together has been placed in a prominent position. Almost everyone who goes there, whether they make a purchase or not, has to take a photo with the photo.
So, your answer is Messi?"
Chen Xiaoliang: "I have never met Ronaldo, and I cannot and do not want to judge someone I don't know. I just hope to have the opportunity to play against him on the court."
Torsh: "In terms of football skills alone? Whose football do you like better?"
Chen Xiaoliang: "De Bruyne."
"Hahahaha." Thorsh and Freyr both laughed.
Chen Xiaoliang: "I am a midfielder, and those two superstars are forwards, so in terms of skills, I definitely prefer midfielders. In addition to De Bruyne, there is also Makelele, an earlier player. I often use the same playing style as him."
Ferre: "There are some criticisms that your football is too fierce, even rough, and it is easy for players to get injured. What do you think?"
Chen Xiaoliang: "I only got one yellow card for taking off my shirt to celebrate."
Ferre: "But you often take the opposing players with you when you make a tackle"
Chen Xiaoliang: "Football is a sport that allows physical confrontation. As long as it is within the rules, it can be fully utilized. Defenders need to be tough to show their determination and at the same time intimidate opponents to undermine morale. For me, the stadium is like a battlefield. I have to keep fighting until I leave the field."
Ferre: "Many people still regard you as a defensive midfielder, but you are not only ranked first among all Serie A players in steals and interceptions, but also in running distance and assists, especially assists. You contributed 2 assists in the last game. The data of 14 assists not only ranks first in Serie A, but also first in the five major leagues. The closest to you is Muller of Bayern, who has 10 assists, and Mbappe of Paris, who has 9 assists.
We want to know how this is done? You know, your favorite player De Bruyne has only . "
Chen Xiaoliang scratched his head and said, "Sometimes those assists were due to the help of teammates, and sometimes it was luck. For example, the pass to Matic in the last game was actually passed in a panic, but he unexpectedly hit the mark and his long shot was very beautiful.
Another thing is the team's style of play. We mainly rely on defensive counterattacks, and there are not too many short passes in counterattacks. Usually in this case, the opponent's defense will have more space, and our frontcourt players are relatively fast. Most of the time, all I have to do is pass the ball. ”
Ferre: "Can it be understood that you take on a lot of final pass tasks in the team?"
Chen Xiaoliang: "I guess so. Compared to De Bruyne, I don't need to take on a lot of midfield passing and dribbling tasks. In addition, Manchester City attaches great importance to ball possession. Many attacks are often distributed from the middle to the wing, and then passed back from the wing to shoot. Therefore, his role is different from mine."
Thorsch: "You mentioned Manchester City. You must have known that Guardiola wanted to buy you from Glasgow Rangers. Why didn't you choose to go there?"
Chen Xiaoliang: "I want to play more. If I go to Manchester City, I might sit on the bench for a long time."
Torsh seemed to have discovered a loophole in Chen Xiaoliang's words and immediately asked pointedly: "Do you mean that Roma's midfielders are far inferior to Manchester City's?"
Chen Xiaoliang naturally understood the trap of his words: "No, Mourinho knows me better than other coaches. After all, he discovered me at Tottenham."
Torsch: "Do you like Guardiola's football?"
Chen Xiaoliang: "Why not? I like any good football."
Thorsch: "It's a higher stage there, and Manchester City is in very good form. Guardiola's tactics rely heavily on the midfield. Do you regret not choosing them? They are the favorites in the Premier League and the Champions League, but in Rome, you can only play in the Europa League."
Chen Xiaoliang: "I still have a lot of areas to improve, and so does the team. The process of improving with my teammates is very satisfying. Before the start of the season, many media predicted that our results would be between 4th and 5th.
Now we are in third place, only 2 points behind AC Milan, but 8 points ahead of Juventus in fifth place. The Europa League and Italian Cup processes have also gone smoothly, so I think we will definitely be able to win some championships at the end of the season.
The Manchester City incident is over, I am now in Roma and I fit in very well with this team."
Seeing that Chen Xiaoliang was unmoved and refused to take the bait, the two senior tricks.
The three chatted for nearly 50 minutes about various football topics, such as referees, VAR, the World Cup, the European Cup, training methods, etc.
As the end came, Ferre said that the next question would be the last one.
Ferre: “FIFA and UEFA have clearly expressed their opposition to the sudden announcement of the European Super League by those giants, and the vast majority of national football associations have also clearly opposed it, including many well-known players.
You are not a European player, nor have you participated in national team competitions, so you don't have to worry about FIFA's threat of ban for supporting the European Super League. So from a relatively neutral perspective, what do you think of the European Super League plan? "
