Chapter 223: The decisive battle at Meazza!
Although they won, the own goal in the final moments made every Roma player feel too lucky.
Especially the three central defenders of Roma, Juan Jesus's selfless performance in the final moments made them blush.
Mourinho didn't say much in the locker room and generally preferred to keep the atmosphere relaxed among the players.
But as he left the locker room for the press conference, he had one question:
Are you really ready to challenge for the league championship?
This is a slightly stinging question, but it undoubtedly hits the point.
Take the three central defenders as an example.
Smalling thought of his time at Manchester United. As a young English player who was personally introduced by Ferguson, he had too much glory at the time and even secured the position of central defender for both the club and the national team.
But what happened later?
His youth was too smooth, which made him think that "it's okay to keep it this way".
He no longer tries his best or learns new things.
Ultimately, all this led to his growth not meeting everyone's expectations. After the new coach arrived, he was hidden and traded. It was not until he came to Rome that he realized that if he didn't change, his career would be over.
But the skills and concepts of players over 26 years old have already been finalized. How easy is it to change them?
Mancini was also thinking about it.
After coming out of Fiorentina's youth training team, Mancini was once labeled as a player who was unable to handle major tasks.
In 2016, he was sold to Perugia for a humiliating transfer fee of 150,000 euros.
In today's football world, what does 150,000 euros mean?
Not to mention the top transfer fees like Mbappe and Neymar, even the price of 1.5 million euros for Wu Lei's transfer from Donghai Port to Espanyol, Mancini's transfer fee of 150,000 euros is just worth one of Wu Lei's toes.
Perugia is a team that has no hope of being promoted to Serie A, and will even have difficulty staying in Serie B.
But Mancini did not give up. Just half a season later, Atalanta brought him back to Serie A for 1.9 million euros in the winter window.
After playing two wonderful seasons under Gasperini, he finally came to Roma with a transfer fee of 23 million euros, served as the team's vice-captain, and was once selected for the Italian national team.
At that time, he was only 23 years old.
For a moment, Mancini was very proud and felt that he had a bright future.
It wasn't until he was left out of Roberto Mancini's European Championship squad and watched Italy dominate Europe that he realized he wasn't as good as he thought.
It was not until the arrival of Chen Xiaoliang and Cesco that he realized what a true genius looked like.
At the post-match press conference, both head coaches specifically praised Juan Jesus' performance, especially Spalletti, who said that if it weren't for the Brazilian central defender's blocking, Napoli might have fallen behind before the final own goal.
In this round of the league, Inter Milan lost 1-3 to Spezia away, AC Milan beat Genoa 2-0 at home, and Juventus drew 1-1 with Bologna at home.
In the standings, AC Milan continues to lead with 75 points, Roma still maintains a 3-point gap with 72 points, Juventus and Inter Milan are ranked third and fourth with 64 points each, and Napoli is temporarily ranked fifth with 62 points.
Lazio and Fiorentina are ranked 6th and 7th with 53 points each.
With five rounds left, the top of the standings has already formed three tiers, with 8 points separating the 2nd and 3rd places, and 9 points separating the 5th and 6th places.
A situation where two teams from the first tier compete for the title, three teams from the second tier fight for a Champions League spot, and two teams from the third tier defend the final spot in Europe.
In other words, from this moment on, Roma's only target is AC Milan, which is 3 points ahead of them.
"21 years of waiting, regaining the championship" became an advertising slogan that could be often seen on the streets of Rome, and many businesses also used it as a selling point to attract business.
There is also a pun here. One is that it has been exactly 21 years since we won the league championship in 2001. The other is that this season is the 2021-22 season, which also starts in 21 years.
Although Chen Xiaoliang provided an assist and also created the final own goal in this game, the best player of the game was given to Napoli goalkeeper Meret who made 7 saves throughout the game.
Through the league mission, a total of 5 training points and 1 physical recovery card were obtained in this game.
Plus the 8 points gained from the 2 days of training and extra practice before the game.
Training value 3→16
Stamina recovery card 1→2
The team rested for a night, and the next morning Mourinho let the players who played the whole game sleep in, and led the others to do some simple training in the hotel gym. However, due to the overly enthusiastic feedback from the hotel guests, the training had to be hastily ended.
In the afternoon, the group flew directly to Milan, the destination of the second tough battle.
After checking into the hotel, Mourinho called a meeting with the players.
In addition to the tactical explanation, he also specifically analyzed the schedule.
After facing Inter Milan in this round, Roma's remaining four opponents are to play Bologna, ranked 12th, at home, Fiorentina, ranked 7th, away, Venice, ranked 18th, at home, and Torino, ranked 13th, in the last round.
AC Milan's opponents in the last five rounds are 6th-placed Lazio (away), 7th-placed Fiorentina (home), 9th-placed Verona (away), 10th-placed Atalanta (home) and in the final round against 8th-placed Sassuolo (away).
They are exactly the five teams ranked 6th to 10th.
Overall, except for Inter Milan, Roma's other opponents are generally weaker than AC Milan's opponents.
The key to everything lies in whether we can win against Inter Milan.
And it’s at the world-famous Meazza Stadium.
However, Mourinho, who was desperate, still thought of a strategy for the team. What remained was how the players would implement it.
In the past few days, the players who traveled with the team seemed very quiet. They basically went between the training ground and the hotel. Occasionally, some of them went out to buy something, but they came back quickly.
Everyone's attention was focused on the upcoming match that would decide their fate.
When he had nothing to do at night, Cesco called Chen Xiaoliang, Abraham and Wu Lei to his room to play illegal 22.
When it comes to playing games, Abraham is a master among them. He likes to use the Roma team the most, and then control himself to pass several people and score the ball.
Before traveling through time, Chen Xiaoliang only liked to play strategy simulation games like Football Manager, and after traveling through time, he only focused on training. Naturally, he is the weakest among the four.
Every time Abraham abused Chen Xiaoliang in this way, Chen Xiaoliang would hit him on the head with a pillow and say, "Can you practice your header and positioning? Do you think you are Messi?"
However, today was different from usual days. After playing two rounds, no one was interested in continuing playing as everyone was worried about the same thing.
Cesco: "Brother Liangzi, before you came to the team, did you ever think that you would have a chance to win the league title in your first season?"
Chen Xiaoliang: "Why are you asking me first? What about you? You have won the Austrian Super League twice."
Cesco: "I really didn't expect it. At that time, Riise told me that the team would definitely win the championship within three years, and I thought it sounded quite reliable."
Chen Xiaoliang: "What about you, Tammy? You just won the Champions League."
Abraham threw the controller in his hand onto the bed: "What's the use? I can't play as a starter at Chelsea. Tuchel doesn't like my type. He would rather let Werner and Havertz go up front than start me."
Wu Lei asked Abraham: "How many Champions League games have you played in total?"
Abraham counted: "13 games, 5 last season, 8 before that."
Wu Lei: "That's amazing. I haven't even played in the Champions League. Benjamin, how about you?"
Cesco: "I played 14 games, 12 in the group stage and 2 in the qualifiers, hehe, one more than Tammy. But I haven't won the Champions League."
He then turned to Abraham and asked, "Tammy, how does it feel to win the Champions League?"
Abraham: "It's great. Although I didn't make the squad and could only sit on the bench and watch, to be honest, I think my luck is pretty good. It's better to win a championship without winning it than not to win it at all."
Wu Lei: "That's right. How many people want it all their lives but can't get it. I don't ask for much. If I can win a championship with the team this year, any championship, I will be satisfied. This trip to Europe will not be in vain."
Chen Xiaoliang patted Wu Lei on the shoulder: "It will happen."
The night before the game, Chen Xiaoliang added the 8 training points he had accumulated during the past two days of away training into the system.
Training value 16 → 24
He added 20 points for dribbling.
Dribbling 13 → 14
Training value 24 → 4
At 18:00 on April 23, in the locker room of the Meazza Stadium, both sides received their opponents' starting lineups.
Inter Milan:
Goalkeeper: Captain Handanovic;
Central defenders: Skriniar, De Vrij, Dimarco;
Wing midfielders: Dumfries, Perisic;
Defensive midfielder: Brozovic;
Central midfielder: Barrera, Calhanoglu;
Forwards: Dzeko, Lautaro.
Among these people, De Vrij and Dumfries of the Netherlands, Brozovic and Perisic of Croatia, and Lautaro of Argentina will definitely be selected for their respective countries' World Cup squads, and except for De Vrij, they are all the main players of the national team.
As for Roma, Mourinho returned to his familiar 4-2-3-1 formation.
Goalkeeper Patricio returns from injury and Fuzzato returns to the bench;
Ibanez and Mancini partnered as central defenders, Malacia and Celik as full-backs;
Two defensive midfielders, Matic and Veretout;
Central midfielder Chen Xiaoliang;
The left and right wingers are Pellegrini, who is right-footed, on the left, and Zaniolo, who is left-footed, on the right;
Center forward Cesco is in front.
Since AC Milan's away game against Lazio in Rome will start in 2 hours and 45 minutes, if Roma can win, they will tie the latter in points with one more game, and the pressure created will be extraordinary.
Inzaghi was as low-key as ever before the game, saying that it was just an ordinary game, but the team would still go all out for a place in the Champions League.
But Inter Milan chairman Zhang Kangyang has a different view:
Inter Milan is a top club and we always fight for championships and the highest level of competitions. Every player wearing the blue and black jersey must respect the club's history and reputation and must fight for the club's honor.
Likewise, Inter Milan is not prepared to be a stepping stone for any other club on the road to glory.
Of course, the media will not write so many words at once when writing a headline.
Gazzetta dello Sport: "Chapter: Roma's Serie A title dream will end at Meazza"
Simple and clear.
Chen Xiaoliang and Handanovic guessed the sides on behalf of both sides, and Inter Milan attacked first.
When the two teams stood still, the system [dong dong dong] popped up several lines of golden words:
[Enemy detected: Nicolo Barrera]
[Rival Mission: In this game, the rival's passing, steals, interceptions, headers, and assists are all less than the host's and no goals are scored]
[Restriction conditions: Player rating after the game, enemy rating is lower than the host]
[Mission Reward: 1 Legendary Star Card of the Enemy's Team]
As these words faded, two more lines appeared:
[Exclusive mission: Win against the giants]
[Task Reward: Randomly obtain a legendary football star card of this wealthy club (five minutes)]
The mission to become a wealthy family, the mission to become a rival, and the fight for the championship, Chen Xiaoliang has no reason to lose any of them!
"Beep!" The game begins!
Lou Yichen: "Dear viewers! Welcome to watch the ! Inter Milan will host the visiting Roma team at the Meazza Stadium!
Today's commentary is brought to you by Liu Yue and me!
The referee for this match is the famous Italian referee Osato, who was appointed by FIFA as the referee for the World Cup opening match between host Qatar and Ecuador at the end of the year! "
Liu Yue: "That's right. The Italian Serie A League arranged him to referee this game because they saw his refereeing ability. I hope that in such a strong match, there will be no controversial incidents that have been repeatedly criticized by fans."
Lou Yichen: "Let's see! Inter Milan launched an attack right at the start!"
"Calhanoğlu pushes forward! Pass to Barrera!"
"Danger!"
"Barrera long shot!"
"Danger! The ball went slightly wide of the post!"
Liu Yue: "It took only 15 seconds to complete the first shot, from the kick-off in the center circle to the full pressure in the midfield and frontcourt, and then to Barrera's long shot. In the middle, except for a slight adjustment when Calhanoglu pushed forward, there was no pause at other times."
Lou Yichen: "Looking at the replay, the ball almost hit the post and went wide. Patricio missed almost 10 games. Although the No. 2 goalkeeper Fuzato's performance was remarkable, Mourinho still let the Portuguese goalkeeper, who had just recovered, return to the starting lineup."
Liu Yue: "The camera was turned to Fuzzato very promptly, and it seemed that he was also feeling a little emotional."
Lou Yichen: "On the field, Chen Xiaoliang was loudly reminding his teammates, especially his two defensive midfielders!"
"In the previous defense, the two players' attention was completely not on Barrera who was shooting from behind, resulting in no one blocking the middle area in front of the penalty area!"
Liu Yue: "According to the three-center-back formation that Mourinho often uses this season, even if the center is unprotected, there will be a center-back in the middle who can rush to block. Today, they should play with four defenders, with two center-backs on the left and right in the penalty area. It seems that the players on the Roma side have not adjusted in time."
Lou Yichen: "At the pre-match press conference, a reporter asked Mourinho why Roma always lost the ball first when facing strong teams this season. Mourinho attributed the reason to lack of concentration and slow start. Today, they almost made the same mistake again."
On the field, Patricio prepares to kick off.
After talking to Veretout and Matic, Chen Xiaoliang returned to his position in midfield.
Patricio twisted his neck, stretched his back, then pushed the ball lightly to Malaysia on the left.
Barrera's kick just now was very sudden and he did not react. Even though he was a veteran, he was still scared and broke out in a cold sweat.
But for the goalkeeper, he is not afraid of the opponent shooting too hard, but he is afraid of the opponent only shooting once in a long time.
It was precisely this kick that completely activated all the nerves in Patricio's body.
Malaysia took a few steps and passed the ball to Veretout. After Veretout received the ball, Barrera came up to him, stood 3 meters away and bent slightly to defend.
Veretout didn't want to get entangled with him. Mourinho had made arrangements. The key today was two words: simple and fierce!
The offensive routine is simple, but the defense must be fierce!
Veretout pushed the ball with the outside of his right foot and passed it to Chen Xiaoliang!
Brozovic must have been staring at Chen Xiaoliang from a distance since Patricio kicked off the game.
At this point in time, not only Inter Milan, but all of Italy knows that this 17-year-old boy is the true soul of Roma.
The more strength he can exert, the greater the blow his opponent will suffer.
However, as the man standing behind Modric and Rakitic in the national team, Brozovic has seen the best midfielders in the world, not to mention that he himself is also one of the best defensive midfielders in the entire football world.
While observing, he used his movements to cut off the connection between Chen Xiaoliang and Cesco.
On both sides, Dumfries and Perisic have also returned to defense.
"Go ahead and see where you can pass it."
Brozovic thought to himself.
Chen Xiaoliang ran to 35 meters in front of the penalty area and swung his right leg violently!
Not to mention Brozovic, all the Inter Milan players were shocked: What is he going to do? !
No no no!
It must be a fake shot and a real pass. He has used this tactic several times. In the analysis video of the coaching staff before the game, Chen Xiaoliang was studied thoroughly from top to bottom.
Including the trick he used when he was at Glasgow Rangers of faking a shot, then stepping on the ball to trick the opponent into making a tackle and then drawing a foul to get a penalty.
He must pass it to Cesco!
In the penalty area, De Vrij stuck closely to Cesco, and even secretly grabbed his jersey around his waist with his right hand to prevent him from suddenly moving away from him.
Skriniar also moved back in and stood near Cesc to prevent anyone from helping De Vrij to compete for the header when Chen Xiaoliang passed the ball high.
"Bang!"
The ball whizzed towards the goal like a cannonball!
Long shot?!
Brozovic couldn't believe it!
Throughout the season, Chen Xiaoliang only shot 4 times from outside the penalty area! The coaching team clearly said that long shots were the last option for him to take outside the penalty area!
Before he could react, the ball almost brushed his ear and flew past with a gust of wind!
Handanovic jumps up and stretches out his left hand!
"clang!"
The ball hit the outside of the post and bounced out of the baseline!
Lou Yichen: "Oh! What a pity! Compared to Barrera's kick just now, Chen Xiaoliang's kick was farther and closer to the goal!"
Liu Yue: "The power and angle were excellent, it was a straight volley with the instep of the foot, it was a bit like an elevator ball in the air, but unfortunately the angle was a little off."
Lou Yichen: "Just 2 minutes into the game, the midfielders of both teams completed a high-quality long shot from outside the opponent's penalty area! It completely ignited the desire to survive for both teams!"
Chen Xiaoliang, who was running back, did not feel any regret for missing the goal just now.
However, on the way back, Barrera was also running towards his own half.
The two looked at each other, neither prepared to avoid.
Just as they were about to collide, "Beep!"
The referee Osatu blew his whistle and called the two over.
"Don't make trouble, just focus on the game, OK?"
Barrera nodded expressionlessly, and Chen Xiaoliang smiled at Osatu.
Everything seems to be calm, but the fire of confrontation has already started burning fiercely!
