Chapter 278: Win the Puskas Award again?
After playing against Liverpool, Roma rested for a day.
After getting up early in the morning, Chen Xiaoliang started tinkering with his system again.
In the last game, he scored a goal (2 points), made an assist (2 points), and was named the best player of the game (5 points). In addition, he was included in the roster (1 point), played (2 points), and won (2 points), for a total of 14 basic skill points.
Liverpool is one of the most famous giants in world football. Coupled with its outstanding performance in recent years, its reputation has remained high. The reward coefficient for this cup match is naturally doubled.
In the end, Chen Xiaoliang obtained 28 skill points.
Skill value 8 → 36
In addition, the unexpected surprise of logging into the Champions League for the first time was that several achievements related to the Champions League flashed in the system.
[The first goal of the Champions League has been achieved]
[Achievement Reward: 10 Skill Points]
[The first assist achievement in the Champions League has been achieved]
[Achievement Reward: 10 Skill Points]
[The first Man of the Match achievement in the Champions League has been achieved]
[Achievement Reward: 1 Upgrade Material Card]
Skill value 36 → 56
Although material cards cannot obtain attribute bonuses on the field for a short time like star cards, they are also good. If accumulated, they can be upgraded to skill level 18.
He took a look at his item backpack in the system and remembered that he had two skill training cards, which could be exchanged for 50 points of progress in the two skills of "good at long-distance passing" and "good at through balls".
These two skills are very useful in Mourinho's counterattack system, and I often use them in my daily life.
The former can increase the accuracy of ultra-long-distance passes, which is extremely useful for the team to use deep space when counterattacking.
The latter can help improve the through-ball ability, capture fleeting opportunities, and provide teammates with behind-the-back ball opportunities that are enough to tear open the defense.
After thinking about it, Chen Xiaoliang chose the latter.
Skill points 56 → 6
[Used item skill "Good at passing through balls" skill points 50]
[Skills acquired: Good at passing through balls]
Chen Xiaoliang has also thought clearly about his next goal. If he accumulates 44 skill points, he will be able to gain another skill. Then, if both are triggered at the same time, he will be able to gain bonuses when making ultra-long-distance passes.
The engine of the midfield, the organizer of the offense, the soul-stirring pass, who else but me can be the one to handle the ball?
Emma, it’s so early in the morning, why do I feel like I’m still dreaming?
After mastering the skills, another thing to do is to obtain the rewards for the giants' missions. By defeating a big club like Liverpool, you will naturally get a chance to draw the opponent's club's legendary star card.
As the extraction began, a black shadow flashed repeatedly in front of him, and then began to slow down, and finally a vague name and figure began to appear!
Oh shit!
Luis Suarez!
This is a super shooter who has won the Eredivisie Golden Boot, Premier League Golden Boot, La Liga Golden Boot, Club World Cup Golden Boot and European Golden Boot!
Chen Xiaoliang couldn't wait to click in, wanting to see whether it was shooting attributes or dribbling attributes.
【Get the Peak Suarez Biting Card】
[Effect: Bite the opponent's player once without the referee's sight, causing his mentality to collapse sharply]
[Attribute: Sportsmanship -3]
this……
The air around me froze...
On November 21, 2010, in the Dutch Eredivisie match between Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, Suarez, who was the captain of Ajax, bit the opponent's midfielder Bakar's shoulder. The referee did not see it, and he was banned for 7 games by the Dutch Football Association after the game.
On April 21, 2013, in the Premier League match between Liverpool and Chelsea, he bit the opponent's defender Ivanovic's arm, but the referee did not see it. After the game, he was banned for 10 games by the Premier League Disciplinary Committee.
On June 25, 2014, in the third round of Group D of the Brazil World Cup, he bit the shoulder of Italian central defender Chiellini. Although the latter pulled open his clothes to show the referee, the referee refused to make a penalty on the grounds that he had not seen it with his own eyes. After the game, he was banned from 9 games by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and banned from participating in all football-related activities for 4 months.
Biting once is not awesome, biting three times is just average awesome, but biting three times is more famous each time, the camera, media, and fans all saw it, but the referee didn't see it, that's really awesome...
But now we have VAR! If the opponent's mentality doesn't collapse, I might collapse first!
Oh my god, the system actually has this kind of thing. Could it be that choosing to be a bad boy player is just like playing a certain old classic martial arts game, and if you get a bad ending with low moral value, you will also have a set of skills and star cards to match it???
Chen Xiaoliang, feeling at a loss for words, could only put the card into his bag, then shut down the system and went out for a morning run.
Next, a tight schedule of two matches a week is about to begin.
In four days they will go to Tuscany, not too far from Rome, to challenge Empoli away, who have 4 draws and 1 loss in the first five games of this season, with 4 points and are ranked 14th in the standings.
Then he would go to Ibrox Stadium, which often appeared in his dreams at midnight, to challenge his old club Glasgow Rangers.
After that, they will face Atalanta, which is currently ranked second in Serie A with the same points as Roma and is ahead of the top three teams in the north.
After that there will be a week of national team matches, after which they will travel to challenge Inter Milan.
It can be said that once the early season running-in period in August is over, the test of the season truly begins when the Champions League kicks off in September.
Cesco's ankle injury was confirmed by an MRI. There was no bone damage and no ligament tear, but the strain was real. His ankle was swollen like a steamed bun. It was red for the first two days and turned purple in the next few days.
Chief team doctor Manara suggested being more conservative and letting the players rest for a week before returning to training. Mourinho immediately agreed and said that Cesco would not travel with the team for the next two away games against Empoli and Rangers, but would stay at the club to recover from his injury.
The key is to nourish it thoroughly and well.
This gave Abraham an opportunity. When he transferred to Roma, his value was 40 million euros. After one season, his value increased by 5 million to 45 million euros.
To be honest, this value is not a low number even considering that he has an English residence permit. However, Cesco, who was bought for 12 million euros at the beginning, is now worth 50 million euros. This cannot but make Abraham, who is a little lazy by nature and his mind is not entirely on football, feel a lot of crisis.
After 3 days of training, starting at 12 o'clock, after arriving in Tuscany, they rested for one night. At 18:00 the next afternoon, Chen Xiaoliang led his teammates into the Carlo Castellani Stadium which was filled with 19,847 people.
Although they are opponents tonight, compared to the three northern powers that all lost in the first round of the Champions League, Roma has become the savior to maintain the last face of Serie A. Empoli fans gave a round of applause to the Roma players when they entered the stadium.
Mourinho made a slight adjustment in this game and returned to the three-back system.
He played Guevadiol as a central defender, with Ibanez on the left and Mancini on the right;
Spinazzola and Bigna played as wing-backs;
In the middle, Chen Xiaoliang and Cristante form a double defensive midfielder partnership;
With Wijnaldum missing half the season due to injury, Mourinho still hopes to rotate Enzo and Chen Xiaoliang and try not to have them start at the same time in every game, so that they can reserve enough physical strength during the long season.
Dybala is on the right and Pellegrini is on the left, playing as double attacking midfielders, with Abraham alone in the middle.
This formation looks defensive, but in fact it uses Spinazzola and Bigna, who have stronger offensive capabilities, and is intended to be used as wingers.
The reason why there are no wingers is that Abraham is "dark and soft" and not suitable to be a fulcrum in the penalty area. Dybala and Pellegrini, who are good at short passes, are allowed to deliver the ammunition behind him, and Chen Xiaoliang, who is good at making big moves, is allowed to coordinate and organize further behind him. In addition, Cristante, who is also good at long passes, is added to supplement the team. It can be said that in order to help Abraham score goals, the team has provided enough nannies.
On the other hand, Empoli, who have been in poor form recently, exaggeratedly put out a six-defender lineup. In addition to the four-defender lineup, there are two wingbacks in front of the full-backs on both sides.
The right wingback is Swiss international Haas, and the left wingback is the team captain Bandinelli.
The starting 11 players are worth 53.8 million euros. The young head coach Paolo Zanetti, who was born in 1982, has done his best with limited resources.
After the opening, Roma, with the momentum of defeating Liverpool, launched an attack in the first minute.
In the 7th minute, Roma switched from defense to offense. Chen Xiaoliang ran into an open space outside his own penalty area and received a pass from Gvardiol . This time he did not choose a long pass to counterattack. Instead, he used his new skill and kicked a ground ball more than 30 meters straight towards the right side with the outside of his foot.
Empoli captain Bandinelli launched an attack from the wing and had no time to chase back, but the 22-year-old left-back Parisi, who was repeatedly targeted by the three northern powers, started early and was half a body length ahead of Binya who was also running.
But the ball rolled in an arc and passed right in front of him, allowing Binia, who was closer to the outside, to receive the ball.
The Uruguayan took a few steps and hoisted the ball into the penalty area before Parisi kicked the ball, but to be honest, the quality of this high-speed cross was very poor.
The opponent's central defender Lupeto stood in front of Abraham, and the ball fell towards his head as if it was passed to him. Although Abraham tried his best, he was trapped behind by Lupeto, who was 191 cm tall, and the landing point was not good. He could not jump up and head the ball through the person in front of him. He just tried his best and then gave up.
Unexpectedly, Luperto either didn't expect Abraham to give up, or he used the wrong force. To the surprise of the home team fans, he used a back-looking moon shot on a harmless high ball.
The problem is that he didn't see the moon and didn't turn his head properly, so the header was neither high nor far, and it fell at the feet of Dybala who was actively advancing.
Abraham was stunned: WTF! This is possible!
Then he watched helplessly as the Argentine fairy poked the ball with her left foot and scored into the Empoli goal near the right post, facing the confused opponent goalkeeper Vicario.
In the 8th minute, Empoli 0-1 Roma!
Scoring a goal is certainly a happy event, but Mourinho was not happy, and even Chen Xiaoliang who was observing in the backcourt was not happy either.
If it is said that Abraham's lazy and soft style of play limits his goal efficiency, the act of Dybala, who is much shorter than Abraham (194cm) in stature, rushing into the penalty area to grab the second point is enough to become a model of diligence and a textbook for professional players.
Opportunities are earned through hard work. Even if you want to pick up a wallet, you have to get to that position.
In terms of absolute physical fitness, Abraham, who is 194cm tall and 81kg, is actually better than Cesco, who is 195cm tall and 77kg.
In terms of burst, top speed, jumping and strength in the team's physical tests, he is not behind Cesco in any of them. However, in the most critical aspect, which cannot be measured by rulers and instruments, namely diligence and hard work, he lags far behind the Slovenian.
And Empoli is not ready to give up, they are also fighting for the season goal of relegation.
In the 16th minute, Empoli took a corner kick. Ibanez's first header was not far enough and then the ball was taken by Empoli, which triggered a melee in the penalty area. Finally, Croatian international midfielder Piaza shot in the small penalty area and caught Patricio off guard, but was blocked by Chen Xiaoliang who was guarding near the right post.
This block is completely equivalent to scoring a goal for the team!
Despite being in shock, Roma still launched a counterattack immediately. Chen Xiaoliang once again started from the penalty area and ran at full speed to the front court.
But the embarrassing thing is that no matter whether it was Gvardiol or Cristante who had control of the ball, neither of them could pass the ball directly to the front court.
Unlike Cesco, Abraham would go straight to the middle in this situation, choosing to stay close to one of the opposing centre-backs, usually the shorter one.
By doing this, you can not only drive the central defender's running , but also be ready to use the height difference to receive long passes from teammates in the backcourt.
Cristante looked up and saw Abraham? Pah, this guy was hiding from the other team's two tall and strong central defenders and chose to spar with the left-back.
It cannot be said that it is wrong to play like this. During his peak period at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo liked to receive the ball slightly closer to the wing during counterattacks. This allowed him to avoid being surrounded by the opponent, and as he could shoot accurately with both feet, he could increase his attacking methods and even pass the ball to his teammates.
But Abraham has neither the explosiveness of Ronaldo nor his superb two-foot ability, and his crosses are even worse. Even if he catches the ball on the wing, he has only one way to cut inside and attack the penalty area, which makes it very easy for opponents to defend.
Cristante simply passed the ball to Chen Xiaoliang who was still running forward and in a not very good position.
"List!"
Chen Xiaoliang only heard Dybala's loud warning and knew that the ball was coming towards him. He looked back and then slowed down slightly to prepare to receive the ball.
At this time, the opponent's midfielder Marin had taken advantage of his slowdown and returned to defense to block him.
Chen Xiaoliang did not let the ball fall to the ground. Instead, he kept his body moving forward, lifted his right foot backward, and knocked the ball with his heel, knocking the ball in front of himself!
Now, not to mention Marin, even the 15,000 people in the entire stadium, no one could have expected Chen Xiaoliang to be so outstanding!
In the eyes of Marin who was watching and retreating, the ball flew incredibly from behind Chen Xiaoliang, then jumped over his head and then over his own head. When he realized that the ball had hit the empty space behind him, he turned around and wanted to chase it, but the Roma captain had already gotten ahead of him with his speed.
Although this dribbling past the opponent without touching the ground was very beautiful, it was not perfect. Chen Xiaoliang knew in his heart that if his ball-stopping ability was 20, the ball would fall right in front of him as he just shook off Marin, and he could dribble, pass the ball, or shoot.
But the slightly long dribble gave the opponent's Stojanovic, who was staying in the backcourt during the corner attack, time to pounce.
Chen Xiaoliang calculated that if he caught the ball, Stojanovic would be able to steal the ball in less than a second, and he might not have enough time to adjust his other foot to protect the dribble.
So he simply prevented the ball from falling to the ground again, and took a long volley shot from 40 meters away from the goal outside the penalty area!
Not only the people in the stands, but even the Empoli players on the field couldn't help but shout in their hearts when they saw this scene, is this kid an acrobat? !
[Good at long-distance shooting] and [Good at difficult shooting] were activated at the same time. In addition, he had plenty of energy and strength shortly after the start of the game. This shot was made with the instep slightly to the inside, and it even touched the shoelaces. It first flew to the right like a curved ball of the Crescent Moon Sabre, and then spun back to the left from the right.
But the angle of the arc is not as large as that of the crescent moon sword.
But just as the opponent's goalkeeper Vicario moved his feet to wait for the ball to go, the ball that spun back to the left unexpectedly changed direction again and flew to the right again! And it fell rapidly in the air!
Vicario jumped up subconsciously in shock, then stretched out his hand to block the ball above the center of the goal!
At that moment, just like many passionate men who think of the name of their future child the first moment they see a beautiful woman, Chen Xiaoliang had already put this goal together with the amazing long-range shot against Lazio last season in his mind, and he seemed to see the scene of winning the Puskas Award again!
Then a loud "bang" sound pulled him back from his dream.
Book that!
Chen Xiaoliang cursed in his heart and kicked the ball onto the crossbar!
The players and coaches on and off the Roma field felt regretful. Even some Empoli fans felt regretful, as they almost witnessed a great goal!
When playing against a team like Roma that could beat Liverpool, they didn't think their team could win. They were going to lose anyway, and losing to a beautiful goal was worth it for the fans to buy tickets to watch the game.
"Woo..." With a cheer from the whole stadium, a red number 21 figure rushed to the top of the penalty area before the Empoli players who were returning to defense could react, then controlled the ball with his left foot, took a step forward and shot with his left foot. This time it was a authentic inside-foot arc shot.
Vicario, who had just stood up from the ground, had no time to react a second time. Moreover, in his eyes, the ball seemed to fly out of the goal frame the moment it left his feet, but it turned back less than halfway!
As the referee pointed to the center circle, the director inside the stadium shouted reluctantly:
"In the 17th minute, Empoli 0-2 Roma, the scorer is Dybala, No. 21."
After scoring the goal, Dybala opened his arms on the spot, then turned around and smiled at Chen Xiaoliang behind him.
Dybala: "Chen, that kick you just made was such a pity!"
Dybala said as Chen Xiaoliang ran over to celebrate with him.
Chen Xiaoliang: "It's not a pity, your shot was also very exciting!"
Then he said to Abraham who came late: "Learn this! You should be in the middle, this rebound ball may be your chance!"
Abraham nodded, but he still couldn't figure it out:
Why do you think the ball always goes to Dybala's feet and never to me?
Mourinho, Chen Xiaoliang and Dybala all know that whether they can figure out this problem depends on themselves.
