Chapter 197 New football record and Puskas Award!
Lapeti knew Mourinho's temper and rushed into the locker room.
"We win! We win!"
Mourinho was stunned. He didn't believe it at first, but after listening to the noisy sounds outside, which were obviously not like the home team winning, he immediately turned on the TV in the locker room.
Sky Sports Italy was replaying the highlights of the penalty shootout, and the commentator on TV was praising the magic of the final stage of the game over and over again in Italian.
On the field, the players on the Roma bench also rushed in. After everyone gathered together to celebrate, they greeted the Atalanta players and coaches separately, and then walked together to the Roma fans' seats to thank the audience.
After the busy work on the field, the players happily pushed Chen Xiaoliang, insisting that he be the first to go back to the locker room - everyone knew that Mourinho was alone in there, maybe he was sulking, or maybe he was overjoyed, but it was always right to let Chen Xiaoliang, who contributed to the victory, go first.
In the locker room, Mourinho did not ask much, but he had already understood the whole process from the replay, as well as the psychological warfare of the little notes played between Nuno Santos and Chen Xiaoliang.
He didn't say anything, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise, and he kept cursing in his heart: These two guys, they have so many damn tricks!
At first, he was very surprised when he saw Chen Xiaoliang dive to the left twice.
The kneeling and arm-raising movements before the save are obviously intended to mobilize one's reaction at the moment the ball comes out;
After diving, the body is stretched and kept as parallel to the ground as possible, which is obviously to maximize the diving area;
How could an amateur guest player do this?
Especially the step taken before the second side dive to make up for the height was an action made by the experienced goalkeeper based on prediction.
Where did this kid learn goalkeeping skills?
It was not until he saw the ball, when Musso's penalty kick was about to hit Chen Xiaoliang's chest and he used a volleyball-like gesture to block the ball, that Mourinho felt that Chen Xiaoliang was really an amateur...
Those two thoughts just now were just a flash of inspiration.
A group of people returned to the locker room, and Mourinho chose to hug Chen Xiaoliang and pat him on the shoulder to show encouragement.
If the 40-year-old Gerrard and Chen Xiaoliang are both teachers and fathers and can chat more together, then the 59-year-old Mourinho obviously has some generation gap with these kids. Coupled with his strict requirements, this is also the reason why most young players, even those in their twenties, are a little afraid of him.
He is not like the young coaches who watch each game as it comes and take one step at a time. He does not have too much baggage and his future is not set.
At this moment, the joy of victory in his heart quickly dissipated. After all, it was only a quarter-final match. When he returned to Rome, he still had to deal with the injuries of Patricio and Celik, Karsdorp's attitude, and his own suspension.
But even so, he still allowed the players to sing loudly and celebrate wildly in the locker room.
He just sat in the corner, smiling quietly.
But he was very clear about one thing: the red Chinese man in front of him, who had gradually united the locker room at a speed far beyond his expectations, was definitely the most important piece of the puzzle for him to prove himself again.
After the players' excitement wore off, fatigue instantly came over them.
On the bus back to the hotel, many people fell asleep, and Chen Xiaoliang was no exception.
Even once I get to the room, I fall asleep right away and do some stretching or something, leaving it for the next day.
The next morning, as usual after a brilliant performance, Chen Xiaoliang's phone kept vibrating as hundreds of congratulatory messages popped up.
Barisic's text message: You are not doing well, you are going to be a goalkeeper. When you can't make it anymore, remember to come back and be a substitute for McGregor, he will be 40 soon.
Chen Xiaoliang replied: Go to hell with you, you gay bastard. Next time you come back to Glasgow, I’ll break your legs.
Gerrard's text message: You are getting too much, I have never played goalkeeper, good job! (Remember to send two text messages to Lily when you have time)
Oh my, my boss... he really is always thinking about his precious baby...
Chen Xiaoliang replied: Okay, the boss's recent games are also good! Stay in the league this year and go to Europe next year!
Shen Mengyu's text message: Xiao Chen, you are so amazing. My teammates told me and I didn't believe it. My season is almost over. I will go to Rome to find you then~
Chen Xiaoliang replied: Okay, Sister Shen, you are awesome. You have won the League Cup, but I haven't won a championship since I came to Rome. Waiting for you~
Mother's text message: Son, do you have a bad relationship with the coach? Why don't you play football but be the goalkeeper?
Chen Xiaoliang replied: Mom, don’t think too much. If you don’t understand something while watching the game, ask Dad. I’m fine. You should take care of yourselves too.
…
It took more than half an hour to reply to the text messages, and Chen Xiaoliang opened his personal social networking site again.
Riise's players uploaded the , and after one night, more than 300,000 people liked it.
But what excited Chen Xiaoliang the most was that Lionel Messi also liked this photo and left a brief message: Wonder boy.
On the plane back to Rome, good news continued to break out:
[The Reds surpassed the English legend and set a new single-game running distance record in world football]
Chen Xiaoliang himself did not expect that he ran 16.3 kilometers in this overtime, surpassing Beckham's long-held record of 16.1 kilometers in the first-level event.
Soon, FIFA's official website also published this news, which undoubtedly indicated that the official had recognized this record.
Physical coach Lapetti and Roma's team doctor both found it incredible.
Generally, after such super-intense exercise, the joints and muscles are under high load, and players will suffer some minor injuries, such as wear and pain in the iliotibial band, mild muscle strain, or even more minor blisters on the soles of the feet.
Apart from some ligament pain and the inability to participate in high-intensity training in the next few days, Chen Xiaoliang was found to be fine after other examinations.
Chen Xiaoliang was also thankful. He had originally chosen the physical attribute in order to speed up his physical recovery and increase his training time. Unexpectedly, it also helped him to withstand the risk of injury in such an overtime game.
[The final three-goal list of the 2021 Puskas Award is announced]
Chen Xiaoliang went in to watch and saw that his long shot against Lazio, along with the long-range lob shot by Czech striker Schick just over the center line in the European Cup and the cross-leg shot by Tottenham player Lamela against Arsenal were selected as the final candidates for the Puskas Award.
However, in the online voting, it seems that there is no suspense about who will be elected.
The selection rules for the Puskas Award are divided into two parts: online fan voting and voting by the legends group, each accounting for 50% of the weight.
Not long after the list was announced, major forums in the Red Country, such as "Broadcast Bar" and "Goupu Sports", opened voting pages.
The votes for Chen Xiaoliang's goal soon showed an overwhelming lead.
The final selection results will be announced at the FIFA annual awards ceremony on February 18.
However, compared to the Puskas Award, fans are more concerned about who will win the honor of World Footballer of the Year between Lewandowski and Messi.
After all, at the Golden Globe Awards, this issue has been a hot topic among all parties.
After returning to his home in Rome, Chen Xiaoliang opened the system to collect his reward.
Needless to say, he won the best player of the match without a doubt.
Combined with Atlanta's 1.5 times reputation coefficient, Chen Xiaoliang finally received a reward of 15 skill points.
Skill value 51 → 66
However, there is good news and bad news.
Although Karsdorp apologized to the entire team at a tactical meeting after resuming training, his agent made a series of remarks in the media that made Mourinho furious.
Mourinho and Roma need to explain what they did to Karsdorp
Mourinho's temper was so bad that even Dan Friedkin, the Roma owner who had only known him for a short time, could see it. How could someone dare to threaten him? As long as he had the ability to fight back, the stronger the threat, the more ruthless his counterattack would be.
Therefore, despite a "sincere" apology, Karsdorp was demoted to the reserves.
Even if Celik's ankle ligament is torn and he needs to rest for 40 days, and even if there is no dedicated right-back available, Mourinho will not hesitate.
On one point, he is a firm believer in what Sir Alex Ferguson said about Beckham in his 2013 autobiography:
If any United player thinks he is bigger than the coach, he has to go.
The meritorious coach not only sold Beckham, but also later got rid of Roy Keane, the absolute leader of the locker room.
A mere Karsdorp dares to challenge?
Go somewhere cool, reflect on yourself, and try to turn yourself around as soon as possible!
Compared to Celik, Patricio's injury is more serious. He has a slight fracture of his fibula and it is estimated that it will take two and a half months to fully recover.
If all goes well, we will be able to catch the last crucial league matches in May, as well as the Italian Cup final and the European Cup final.
That’s assuming the team can successfully make it to the final stages of these games without his help.
After losing three players, Roma also fell into a difficult period.
On the evening of February 13, they went back to Italy to challenge Sassuolo, who ranked 10th in the league, at the Mapei Tricolore Stadium.
Second goalkeeper Fuzato made his first start of the season and had a mediocre performance.
In order to solve the dilemma of no one on the right side, Mourinho once again resorted to the three-center-back tactic and let Mkhitaryan play as the right wing-back.
Although this tactic was used at the beginning of the season, more than half a season has passed, Mkhitaryan is one year older, and his physical fitness is not as sufficient as at the beginning of the season.
At the same time, Mourinho replaced Mancini, Chen Xiaoliang and Cesco, who played the whole game against Atalanta, with Kumbulla, Cristante and Abraham in rotation in the starting lineup.
Veteran Matic, who played for most of the game, did not start, and young player Darbo was chosen instead.
He can't afford any more serious injuries to his players.
In the 33rd minute of the first half, Veretout took the free kick, Smalling followed up with a shot from a small angle but missed. The ball rolled in front of the goal, Abraham fell to the ground and shot into the goal, but he was offside and the referee blew the whistle.
Although Mourinho, who was sitting in the stands, was full of dissatisfaction, he could only keep a stern face and put his hands in his pockets, letting the referee "perform".
In the 44th minute, Binya advanced from the left and his cross hit the hand of Sasuolo central defender Kirikesh, and the referee decisively awarded a penalty.
The director, who was eager to watch the fun, immediately gave the camera to Mourinho. Although Mourinho was secretly happy, he knew that if he smiled at this moment, he would be labeled as hypocritical by the media with ulterior motives after the game, so he kept a straight face and remained calm.
Abraham, who was eager to make a contribution and had not scored a goal in 4 league games, took the initiative to ask for the penalty kick, passed the goalkeeper and shot steadily into the goal from the right side.
Sassuolo 0-1 Roma.
However, the situation changed suddenly in the second half. Sassuolo, who was well-rested, attacked more and more fiercely. Without Chen Xiaoliang, Roma's midfield was out of touch and they were once again in the embarrassing situation of being besieged.
In the 46th minute, Sasuolo's left winger Traore used his speed to overpower Mkhitaryan, who tried his best to catch up but could not.
Facing Kumbulla's continuous retreat, Traore forced a cross in front of the goal.
Before Sasuolo's top star Berardi arrived, Fuzzato chose to attack and intercept.
However, Roma's No. 2 goalkeeper, who had been out of action for a long time, made a mistake with his hands and blocked the cross in front of the goal into his legs. Then he wanted to turn around and get the ball, but it was too late.
A classic own goal allowed the home team to equalize the score.
In the 72nd minute, Roma's situation worsened. Berardi made a cross from the right, and the 21-year-old Ivory Coast player Traore, who had a heroic performance tonight, held off Smalling, causing the latter to head the ball, while he successfully took the ball off and turned to shoot.
Fuzato was helpless and could only watch the ball go into the net.
Sassuolo took the lead 2-1.
Forti asked Mourinho whether to send the main players to "save the situation".
The angry Portuguese player directly replied, "Continue to proceed according to the pre-match plan. If we don't play well, we will change everyone next season!"
Forti had no choice but to replace Malaysia, Carles Perez, Zalewski and others to make a charge.
Fortunately, at the last moment, in the 93rd minute, Pellegrini took a corner kick from the left, and Cristante headed the ball into the goal, redeeming the team and equalizing the game before the end of the game.
Three days later, on February 18, Roma welcomed the ninth-ranked Verona team at home again.
It happened that FIFA held its annual awards ceremony in Zurich on that day. Two days before the game, FIFA staff had privately notified Chen Xiaoliang that his long-range shot had been selected for the annual Puskas Award.
Just like the Ballon d'Or ceremony, Mourinho encouraged young Chen Xiaoliang to participate in more such football events.
It's not specifically for the purpose of winning this award, but I hope that after frequently meeting with those top football figures, I can naturally improve the self-confidence of a young player.
It’s just like watching Messi and Ronaldo on TV and thinking they are mythical figures.
But if you get along with them in real life, you will know that they are also flesh and blood people, with emotions and desires, and their own very different personalities. They will make mistakes on the court and in life.
However, neither of the two superstars attended the award ceremony in person. Instead, Messi expressed his congratulations to Lewandowski, who won the World Footballer of the Year, online.
What made Chen Xiaoliang very happy was that he met two of his favorite players who won the best team of the year at the award ceremony - Kante and De Bruyne.
The three of them chatted for a long time while waiting for the show to start. Chen Xiaoliang is now a well-known player throughout Europe. He is no longer the newbie who didn't even know which station to stand after entering the Chatelet Theatre when he went to the Golden Globe Awards ceremony for the first time.
Kante shared a lot of his own playing experience, while De Bruyne talked a lot about Guardiola's special requirements for the midfield.
There is one point that he and Chen Xiaoliang highly agree on, and they use it repeatedly in actual combat. That is, in the tactical task that Guardiola set for De Bruyne in Manchester City, he is positioned in the middle of the midfield and needs to frequently pull to the wing for crosses, whether it is a counterattack or a positional battle.
De Bruyne said that Guardiola will definitely let the club spend a lot of money to buy Chen Xiaoliang this summer, but they don't know whether the Roma board of directors is willing.
But there is one thing you don’t have to think about:
Instead of expecting Mourinho to give his beloved general to Guardiola, it is better to expect Paris to give up Messi and sell him to Manchester City.
Just when Chen Xiaoliang went on stage to receive the award, Roma drew 2-2 with Verona at home.
Another 2-2 draw, the embarrassing third consecutive league draw.
