Chapter 220: It is not the strong who win, but the winner who becomes strong (Part 1)
Napoli deployed a 4-3-3 formation.
Center forward Osimhen has scored 12 goals this season and ranks 10th in the Serie A scorer list;
Captain Lorenzo Insigne is on the left wing, and Lozano, who has been selected for the Mexico World Cup squad, is on the right wing;
The three midfielders are Fabian Ruiz from Spain and Lobotka from Slovakia, both of whom represented their countries in the last European Championship. The last one is Anguiza, who is sure to be selected for the Cameroon World Cup squad.
Central defender Koulibaly is the core of the defense of both Senegal and Napoli. It is rumored that he will move to Chelsea next season, and it is certain that he will be selected for the World Cup list. The other player is Kosovo international Ramani.
The left back is Portuguese Mario Rui, and the right back is 22-year-old Italian Sanoli;
Goalkeeper Meret.
Roma continues to use the three-center-back combination that works well against strong teams.
Chen Xiaoliang is the single defensive midfielder, Veretout and Pellegrini are in front of him, Cesco and Zaniolo are at the front;
Celik has fully recovered from his injury and started as the right wingback in this game, while Malaysia was the left wingback.
After the opening, both sides played extremely cautiously, with not many troops deployed on offense, and were both testing the other side's tactical intentions for the day.
The attack in the front court was mainly based on small-scale cooperation between players and personal ability to create opportunities, and the scene was very dull.
But the charm of football is that it will always surprise you when you least expect it.
In the 6th minute, Napoli midfielder Lobotka made a long pass to Lozano on the right. The Mexican international successfully made an offside move and ran directly into the penalty area towards the falling ball.
Ibanez, who was responsible for defending the left side of the penalty area, hurried back and just when the ball bounced off the ground and was about to fall in front of Lozano, he made contact with Lozano from behind and Lozano fell forward.
The referee did not make any comment at first. When he saw the ball went out of bounds, he indicated that it was Roma's goal kick.
But the Napoli players immediately surrounded them, and the home team fans in the stadium began to boo continuously.
Under the collective pressure, the referee was obviously shaken. While pretending to be calm and driving the players away, he began to communicate with the video referee team.
Zhan Jun: "This ball is very controversial! Mourinho on the sidelines also protested, indicating that Lozano did not have control of the ball at all, and Ibanez's physical contact with him was also within a reasonable range. Zhang Zhi, what do you think?"
Zhang Lu: "It's hard to say about this ball. You need to watch the replay carefully, but even if Lozano didn't completely control the ball, according to the trend just now, if Ibanez hadn't hit him, he would have been able to get the ball or volley directly in the next step."
The dispute on the field continued, with both head coaches simultaneously shouting at the fourth official in the coaching area.
This is not just a battle between 22 players on the field, it is a desperate fight between two clubs for the final ranking.
After a long while, the referee finally chose to run to the sidelines to check the VAR himself.
The footage replayed by VAR was also delivered to thousands of households along with the live broadcast.
Zhang Lu: "Oh, that's hard to say. Ibanez did hit someone and Lozano immediately fell to the ground. The key point of this ball is how the referee determines who has the ball."
Zhan Jun: "Lozano is 175cm tall and weighs only 66kg, and he was running at high speed, so it was very natural for him to fall to the ground."
"I have a feeling that the more I watch this replay, the more the referee will be tempted to award a penalty!"
Zhang Lu: "Hehe, but no matter what, if there are changes in the opening, the game will become more interesting. Otherwise, both sides will always be cautious and it will be difficult to create sparks."
Zhan Jun: "The referee turned around and prepared to return to the field! Look at his gesture! It's a penalty! The Napoli players were very happy and even hugged Lozano! In the crucial battle for the top four in the league, this penalty may change their final fate!"
"Insigne stood on the penalty spot. As the captain of the team, he is the undisputed first penalty taker!"
"Everyone should know that this 31-year-old player will play for Toronto FC in the Major League Soccer after the end of this season. He made his debut in the Naples youth training and has played for the team for a full 10 years."
“The last time he faced Fiorentina’s Cabral, Fuzzato misjudged the direction, but his opponent actually kicked the ball away!”
"I wonder if he will have such good luck against Insigne today?"
"The referee signals for a free throw!"
"Insigne!"
“The run-up is very short!”
“The ball goes in!”
"Fozzato got the direction right this time! But Insigne's shot was very tricky, and the low ball rolled into the net along the inside of the left goal post!"
"In the 10th minute, Napoli led 1-0 at home!"
" Mourinho kept shaking his head on the sidelines! He seemed to be questioning why the team always lost the ball first for various reasons when facing the other four teams in the top five of the league?!"
Zhang Lu: "Hehe, but having said that, Roma did suffer some losses due to refereeing issues this season. Serie A officials also punished the referees accordingly, but it is obvious that the intensity and determination of this punishment are not enough."
"But Roma also has its own problems. Although there are some controversy about this ball, it was Ibanez's rash action that gave Lozano the opportunity. If you don't reach out and don't collide, according to the current VAR technology, Lozano's dive can be discovered by the referee."
Zhan Jun: "Zhang Zhi is right. From the current perspective, wingers and central defenders are Roma's biggest problems. Although with their current points, they have lost this game and the next game against Inter Milan, and Juventus won both games, they can still maintain the second place with the same points, but they can't afford any mistakes in the last four games."
"On the other hand, the possibility of catching up with AC Milan and competing for the league title will be completely destroyed."
What Zhan Jun said is exactly what Mourinho has been thinking about.
Fighting for the top four is the minimum goal, while winning the championship would be a miracle. Even with Mourinho joining, no one thought Roma could win the league title before the season.
And if he achieves this and also wins the European Cup and the Italian Cup, completing a small treble, he will once again become the most watched coach in Europe.
However, the ridiculous Serie A referee once again pushed him to the edge of his dream.
A very realistic problem was placed before him:
Should we continue to defend and counterattack away from home, try to score a goal and get 1 point, or should we attack from now on and risk conceding another goal, try to win and get all 3 points and continue to catch up with AC Milan?
You know, among the top five clubs, except AC Milan which has an Italian Cup final with Roma in a month, Juventus, Napoli and Inter Milan have already withdrawn from European wars and cup competitions and focused all their attention on the league.
They don't have to travel far and wide, nor do they have to play two games a week or have a devilish schedule. They don't want to make progress on multiple fronts and win three championships. They only want to fight for the top four in the league and enter the Champions League.
Even if they win the Italian Cup and the European Cup, they can only qualify for the Europa League group stage.
Mourinho hesitated. He watched the players retreat to the backcourt to defend according to the established tactics, and saw Napoli calmly passing the ball in the midfield. He really hesitated.
In the 19th minute, Celik made a run from the right, but Zaniolo's pass to him after he retreated to receive the ball was a little short and was intercepted by Napoli left-back Rui.
Rui made a long pass directly to the wing, and Insigne, who did not play back, made a forward run to receive the ball. Mancini could only shorten the distance when he wanted to turn around and chase him, but he could never reach him.
Insigne went to the bottom of the penalty area and passed the ball to the middle with his left foot. Osimhen, who was extremely fast, suddenly stopped abruptly. Ibanez, who was returning to defense, couldn't react in time and slipped to the ground. He watched Osimhen have enough time to take the ball off with his right foot, adjust himself and then choose to shoot.
Ibanez, who had no time to get up, crossed his two paws that were giving the opponent a penalty kick tightly against his chest. Osimhen's shot hit his knees, bounced high, and fell to the right. Lozano followed up and swung his right foot to shoot towards the upper right corner of the goal!
Knowing his own weight, Fuzato blocked the near post in the safest position and subconsciously stretched out his left hand, but the ball was blocked out of the bottom line!
The referee blew the whistle, corner kick!
Insigne stood in the corner flag area, waiting for Napoli's central defender Gao to run up from behind.
The two shots just now made Mourinho's heart hang in his throat.
He suddenly missed Faria, Joao, and even Steve Holland, who is now the assistant coach of the England national team. He knew that if these people were there, they would have been unable to hold back and would have run to his ears and chattered non-stop, offering him their suggestions.
Even though sometimes I don't like them doing this.
So he also knew that the reason why Forti was sitting there quietly at this moment was not because he had nothing to say, but because this guy had figured out his character and deliberately sat there without saying a word.
However, at this time, Mourinho needs someone who understands his thoughts.
He called Forti over.
"Forty, what do you think?"
Forti asked back softly, "Jose, what do you think?"
Mourinho was furious and thought: Damn, this guy... is still pretending to be confused at this time!
"I'm asking you."
Forti quickly looked at his boss and was sure that Mourinho was really anxious.
On the field, Insigne took a corner kick, Koulibaly and Mancini collided in the air, Koulibaly headed the ball out of the baseline, but was penalized by the referee for a collision foul and gave Roma the ball.
Forti: "We were a bit passive. The other team's three forwards didn't participate in the defense at all, and they were very far apart. Once we attacked from the wing, they would have a lot of defense."
Mourinho nodded: "Go on."
Forti: "Their two wingers are facing our two wingbacks, and their speed is not much of an advantage, but if we defend like this, it means we can't attack the flanks."
“And once we attack, if we want to rely on the left and right central defenders to defend, then the threat from Osimhen in the middle will be too great.”
"He's so fast that it would be very difficult for any central defender to defend him alone. Our three central defenders are not fast and it's easy for him to get rid of them when he has no chance to defend."
"We have analysed all this before the game, but the current situation is that the opponent is at home and has a goal, and they want to score another goal to completely kill us. If we don't rush forward, they can patiently organize in the midfield, and we won't even be able to touch the ball a few times, and we won't be able to turn it into an attack or a shot."
Mourinho kept nodding his head . He knew that Forti had learned a lot from him and observed the situation on the field in great detail.
But now was not the time to teach. What he was eager to hear was the final advice: "Tell me the conclusion. I want to hear your conclusion."
Forti did not choose to be cautious anymore: "Go ahead, with our current physical reserve and physical condition, these three central defenders can play almost the entire season. There is a game almost every four days in April, and half of the time is spent on planes and hotels."
"Our morale has been very good recently, and I believe the players are willing to attack. Only when we attack hard enough will their flanks be unable to hold on and they will retreat."
Mourinho finally got the answer he wanted, but there was one detail he wanted to confirm: "What about Osimhen? Put him on the wing and let the three central defenders cover the defense inside the penalty area?"
Forti: "Jose, we have the best defensive midfielder in Italy. He has the strongest defensive ability in the whole Serie A. He has once again proved how determined he is in the match against Fiorentina. Let the two wingbacks advance boldly, Ibanez and Mancini block them when they need to, and let Chen Xiaoliang do the rest."
Mourinho hesitated for a moment. When he saw that Veretout's long pass to Cesco was blocked by Koulibaly, he patted Forti on the back and said, "You think the same as me. Go and arrange it."
Soon, after a few shouts and tactical gestures , not only did the Roma players understand Mourinho's intentions, but even Napoli knew that Roma was going to start changing.
In the next 10 minutes, the two sides started a meat-grinding battle in the middle.
Roma's two wingbacks, two central midfielders and Zaniolo, who played as a No. 9, were all engaged in defense and interception in the middle.
The method of attack was also very clear, which was to attack around the two flanks of Napoli. Even if they were interrupted or blocked, they would continue to attack the flanks, inducing Insigne and Lozano to retreat and assist in defense.
Chen Xiaoliang's position was just as Forti had arranged it, but slightly further back.
In the 30th minute, Roma made a cross from the right, but Sesco failed to get the first point. Ramani's clearance to the right was caught by Anguisa, who immediately passed it to Lozano. Napoli also chose to attack on the right.
Malaysia retreated and defended, preventing the inside cut and letting the outside line, while Ibanez took position in the penalty area early to block Lozano's possible breakthrough route.
As Celik's cross had not yet returned, Insigne who was making a forward run could only be marked by Mancini who moved outwards.
Lozano made several fake moves on the left and right and then forced his way inside, but Malaysia was prepared and refused to give in!
Lozano passed the ball back to Anguiza who came to support him, and the latter kicked it directly to Lobotka in the middle, and Lobotka passed it to Insigne on the left.
At this time, Osimhen and Smalling were standing opposite each other in the penalty area.
Suddenly, Insigne cut inside and made a diagonal pass, and Osimhen suddenly started and went offside to the front left!
Although Smalling had moved back a body length, he was still unable to keep up with Osimhen's abnormal short-distance starting speed.
Osimhen received the ball with his right foot, turned around and adjusted the angle to prepare for a shot! He knew that Smalling had been left behind by him. Even if he caught up with him at this time, he only needed to dribble the ball in the opposite direction to make the old English central defender unable to stop and miss the ball completely.
There was a director, a script, and the actors were all in place. Just as the show was about to begin, Osimhen turned around nimbly and saw a figure in a white jersey and red shorts flash under his feet.
He didn't even see which leg the man used to tackle the ball. He only knew that he was tackled by his other leg and fell to the ground in an instant.
Osmeyn felt a sharp pain in his right calf and fell to the ground in agony, covering his hands.
The No. 33 who had made the tackle stood up quickly and bumped fists with the yelling Fuzato and Smalling as if nothing had happened.
Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu shouted at the same time: "Wow!"
Zhan Jun: "This tackle was almost like a shadow passing across the ground!"
"The confident Osimhen originally wanted to shoot after getting rid of Smalling! Unexpectedly, Xiaoliang had already targeted him!"
Zhang Lu: "This ball was so decisive, so decisive that it made me feel a little scared."
At this time, the screen was replaying the tackle from different angles.
Barrage:
[I thought Correa's Execution Song was out of print, but I didn't expect there would be another Osmeen from now on]
[Correa's is from the side, Osimhen fell straight down like a dog eating shit]
[This tackle was so exciting that the Napoli players couldn’t appeal to the referee]
[At that moment, Smalling's mouth opened]
[Smolin: Where am I? Who am I? I'm so scared I want to go home]
[Look forward to BGM appearing soon]
[What are you talking about? Who can explain it? ]
…
Zhan Jun also saw the fans’ comments:
"Many fans mentioned Correa in the live broadcast room! Many fans also asked where this joke came from."
"It was the 2019-20 Champions League group stage, Juventus vs. Atletico Madrid. Atletico's Argentine player Joaquin Correa received a pass from Felix and rushed into the penalty area to shoot. De Ligt rushed over and kicked him hard. Just like Osimhen in front of him, he was knocked to the ground."
"But since the ball was tackled first and there was no additional action, there is no suspicion of any foul."
"And what the fans will never forget is that De Ligt stood up after the tackle, jumped twice and high-fived his teammates to celebrate."
Zhang Lu: "Hehe, but I don't remember that ball. Which one is more brutal?"
Zhan Jun: "Hahaha, Zhang Zhi asked a very direct question. From a sensory point of view, the ball was faster today!"
The team doctor came on the field and, after confirming that there was no obvious external injury, sprayed cooling spray back and forth on Osimhen's legs several times to help him quickly eliminate the pain caused by the collision.
Forti: "Jose, do you feel that Chen has grown again?"
Mourinho: "I think he is growing every day. What do you see?"
Forti: "I think ever since the head-to-head match with Milinkovic-Savic against Lazio, there is a certain intimidating quality about this guy."
"It seems that even if the opponent has a knife in his hand, he will rush forward and confront the opponent head-on without hesitation."
"If he still has a lot of room for improvement in terms of technique, then mentally, there is probably no one in the entire Serie A who is stronger and more resolute than him."
Mourinho showed a sly but confident smile: "That means he has completely seen through the true meaning of competitive sports."
"The kindness of a victor is called grace, while the kindness of a loser can only be called cowardice."
"But football is a sport that is written by the winners."
