Chapter 322: The King of Rome's Counterattack, the Focus of the Whole World
4-0, Roma defeated Sampdoria, the second-to-last team in the league, at home. All four goals came in the second half, and Pinto in the stands breathed a sigh of relief after breaking out in a sweat.
In the 49th minute, Chen Xiaoliang, who replaced Volpato in the second half, scored with a powerful long shot from 33 meters away from the goal, making it 1-0.
In the 62nd minute, Dybala, who replaced El Shaarawy in the second half, scored directly from a free kick on the right side, making it 2-0.
In the 66th minute, Kvaratskhelia, who replaced Zalewski in the second half, dribbled past two players on the left and broke into the penalty area. He made a cross in front of the goal to assist Sesco, who also replaced youth striker Claudio Cassano in the second half, to score, making the score 3-0.
In the 87th minute, Pellegrini took a corner kick from the right side, and Cesco headed the ball and overpowered the defender to score another goal. The one who feinted and assisted him was still Gvardiol, who came on in the second half.
That's right, Chen Xiaoliang, Dybala, Kvart, Cesco, and Gvadiol, the five core players of Roma, all came on in the second half, and the goalkeeper of this game was the second goalkeeper Svilar. If a sixth player can be replaced, Patricio will also come on in the second half.
This is why Pinto in the stands was sweating and extremely nervous, because he saw a giant beast baring its fangs at him. This giant beast was called the locker room, and the one sitting on the back of the beast holding the reins was Chen Xiaoliang.
He is using his actions to tell the board of directors and management who is the real king of this team.
Of course, this result did not happen instantly. A lot of things happened in the 12 days between the unpleasant meeting on March 21 and the Jedi counterattack on April 3.
On March 21, after Riise left, Chen Xiaoliang was alone at home. He sat on the sofa and thought. Under his quiet appearance, his heart was constantly agitated. He understood that if Roma chose to endure, they would continue to suffer unfair treatment from the referee in the future. If the players chose to endure, they would continue to suffer from the club's indifference to the players' rights.
On March 22, Chen Xiaoliang arrived at the Trigoria base an hour and a half in advance as usual. After jogging to warm up, he did not wait for his teammates on the training ground as usual, but sat in the locker room and gathered all the first-team players together.
He told the players what the meeting was about, what owner Dan Friedkin had said, and what Pinto had done, with Mancini and Dybala testifying.
The result was exactly as Chen Xiaoliang expected, and the locker room was in an uproar.
Mourinho and all members of the coaching staff did not participate in the player meeting and they waited at the training ground for half an hour.
Unlike Dan Friedkin, who was blindly confident due to false reports, and Pinto, who was optimistic, Mourinho knew clearly that the locker room was not completely under the control of him as the head coach. Chen Xiaoliang, like Terry, Zanetti, Casillas, Lloris and others whom he had coached, were the real "bossessors" in the locker room.
But there is one thing Mourinho is very clear about, Chen Xiaoliang's locker room absolutely supports him.
This is enough. After all, he is the head coach of the team, not the commander of the troops. The players sell their strength, not their lives. What the players need to do is to follow tactical instructions, not obey life and death orders.
Half an hour later, the training went on as normal, just like usual. The coach arranged everything and the players executed it. Then they had lunch and rested at noon, and continued with another 1.5 hour training session in the afternoon before everyone dispersed.
However, unlike usual, there was no extra training today. Chen Xiaoliang convened the two local representatives, Mancini and Pellegrini, and the five core players, Patricio, Dybala, Kva, Cesco and Gvadiol, to discuss and announce his decision.
Since the club chooses to be tolerant, silent and not speak up for the players, the locker room should stand up on its own.
Chen Xiaoliang, as captain, posted the player announcement and photos of written documents on social media, and he and the seven main players signed the written documents.
The content of the announcement only targets the referee's wrong decision in the last round of the league and does not make the internal differences of the club public. This action protects the interests of the players and the team and is not aimed at the club itself.
But in view of the possible serious consequences, Chen Xiaoliang did not allow any rotation players, substitutes, or young players from the youth training team to participate in this operation, and of course, he did not allow anyone from the coaching staff to participate.
Then, after receiving the order, Reese mobilized a group of reporters and media to cooperate with the statement released by Chen Xiaoliang to create public opinion.
On March 23, the Italian football world was in an uproar. Although Chen Xiaoliang did not write a single word about the management of the Roma club, the players' joint announcement made all experienced reporters and fans smell something strange. What's more, the players' statement was clear and their words were firm, which was completely inconsistent with the tone of the Roma club's high-sounding and misleading statement. This was obviously a manifestation of the players' dissatisfaction.
In the afternoon, Pinto urgently summoned Mourinho and Chen Xiaoliang at the Trigoria base and asked them to explain why this incident happened.
Mourinho participated, but Chen Xiaoliang refused to attend. Pinto then went to find vice-captain Mancini, but Mancini also refused to attend. Pinto then went to find other bigwigs in the team, but no one paid any attention to him.
However, even when Mourinho met with Pinto, he did not go to the conference room, but asked Pinto to go to his office to chat.
The Portuguese was not crazy today and spoke very little. He pulled open the blinds on the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the training ground, then waved his right hand towards the training ground, meaning that Pinto should take a look for himself.
Pinto was a little exasperated: "You can't control your players?!"
Mourinho laughed and said sarcastically: "I am only a department manager, you are the general manager. It was you who told the boss that I was only responsible for tactics and training, and you were responsible for managing the team, so go ahead and take care of it. I was not involved in this matter, and now they have excluded me."
Pinto: "This is a serious breach of contract! Aren't you afraid that the board of directors will order you to be fired?"
Mourinho laughed several times, returned to his office chair and crossed his legs: "You talk to me about dismissal? Do you know how much buyout money I have received in my life? We are now 6 points ahead in the league and have reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League. No matter whether it is the northern three, Naples, Liverpool or Dortmund, we have beaten them all and made them unable to find their way home."
"Do you think I'm too old to find a job? It's just right. If you fire me, I'll take a three-month break. The next club won't have to pay me a severance pay, and my salary can be higher. Then when June comes, I'll go to a new city to start working. London, Milan, Madrid, Manchester, Rome, what's the next city? Paris? Newcastle? I'm looking forward to it."
"As for Roma's next game, I don't know."
Then he stood up, put away his smile, and looked at Pinto with a rare fierce expression: "Do you want to try it?"
"Hengzong" and "lianheng" are the basic courses for a successful master of tactics, and are also skills that need to be cultivated throughout one's life. Obviously, Pinto has not studied much about the ancient history of the Red Country.
On March 24, public opinion continued to ferment, and numerous rumors and gossip continued to emerge and become increasingly rampant. Fans pointed the finger at the Roma board of directors. In desperation, Vice Chairman Ryan Friedkin summoned head coach Mourinho and captain Chen Xiaoliang on behalf of the board of directors, asking them to explain the players' behavior.
Chen Xiaoliang went there and had only one thing to say: if the board of directors does not protect the players, then the players can only protect themselves. If the club does not appeal, there is no room for discussion in the locker room.
Up to this point, Pinto was still reporting to Dan Friedkin on the other side of the ocean, saying that those burly, uneducated ruffians were just acting on impulse and that he would soon calm things down.
Of course Chen Xiaoliang knew that Pinto would do this, so his plan was far from over.
On the morning of March 25, two of Europe's most famous and authoritative transfer experts, Romano and Di Marzio, received information from their informants almost simultaneously and released a piece of news that shocked the entire European football world:
"La Liga giants Real Madrid have made a 150 million euro transfer offer to Roma. Since it directly activates the release clause in the player's contract, Roma cannot refuse it. Real Madrid can negotiate directly with the player and his agent."
"It is reported that Real Madrid is willing to offer the player a five-year contract with a guaranteed weekly salary of 300,000 euros, plus personal and team honor bonuses. Florentino has ordered the transfer team to regard this transfer as more important than the acquisition of Ronaldo in 2009. Buying this player can ensure the team's midfield offense and defense for the next 15 years."
"Given his current performance, it will be a foregone conclusion that he will win the Ballon d'Or and all the other major individual honours in football after joining Real Madrid. This is also an important part of Real Madrid's honours strategy."
Obviously, the target of the Galaxy Battleship is Chen Xiaoliang.
At this time, Pinto realized that something seemed wrong.
Of course, Romano and DiMarzio did not expect that this news was just the beginning.
Once the news of Real Madrid's transfer was leaked, the two released news again that afternoon, but this time it was a series of:
"Chelsea made a transfer offer to Roma, 150 million euros!"
"Manchester United has made a transfer offer to Roma, 150 million euros!"
"Manchester City has made a transfer offer to Roma for 150 million euros!"
"Paris Saint-Germain has made a transfer offer to Roma for 150 million euros!"
"At 11pm that night, the Liverpool board held an emergency meeting and decided to make a transfer offer of 150 million euros to Roma!"
On March 26, Romano published another news article, but this time he was too lazy to type the following words:
"Bayern!"
"Juventus!"
"Naples has joined in!"
"Newcastle is here too! They've offered him a weekly salary of 500,000 pounds! OMG!"
"What is happening? Is Rome trying to commit suicide?"
Everyone knows what the team names he sent out mean, and the interests of fans of major clubs have all been aroused. No one expected that the transfer war has already begun before summer even arrives. For this reason, Germany's "Transfer Market" has refreshed Chen Xiaoliang's personal transfer value to 150 million euros!
However, Romano finally typed it out, because the following wealthy club could not use the name alone to indicate that they wanted to make an offer for Chen Xiaoliang.
"The Barcelona board is actively considering buying Chen Xiaoliang, but they cannot come up with 150 million euros in cash and are considering using the next lever to raise funds..."
On March 27, Chen Xiaoliang's name had completely gone viral, and on the Internet around the world, headlines like this could be seen everywhere:
[Gamba Osaka made a transfer offer to Roma, 150 million yen]
[Cao Kefan made a transfer offer to Roma, and they tasted the original flavor of Jiuzhuan Dachang]
[Qiangsheng Group made a transfer offer to Roma and was willing to take Bai Jinhan in exchange]
[Yellow Braised Chicken Rice made a transfer offer to Roma, offering 100-year-old Yellow Braised Chicken Rice for free]
[Kunkun made a transfer offer to Roma and performed for two and a half years for free. Chicken, you are so beautiful]
…
Businesses and companies also joined in. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of this traffic drama for free? For example, Coca-Cola sent a short message:
[I would also like to quote, how many bottles of Coke do you think is appropriate? The latest coriander-flavored Coke, would the pride of the Eternal City like it? ]
There was not a single word about Chen Xiaoliang and Roma, so there was no need to worry about legal risks, but every word mentioned Chen Xiaoliang and Roma.
However, as the whole world was in an uproar, there was no response to Chen Xiaoliang's phone or email, and his personal social media account was inactive, with the announcement of the player's signature still pinned to the top of the page.
He chose to be quiet.
But keeping silent at this time is the most fatal.
Now, even if Dan Friedkin, who was busy selling cars, didn't care about the club's affairs on weekdays, he couldn't be unaware of what was going on, because even his agency partner Toyota got in on the fun:
[Which brand new luxury car is the coolest to drive to quote? 】
Dan Friedkin finally realized that there might be something fishy in Pinto's previous work reports, so he called the sports director De Rossi directly. De Rossi was waiting for this moment and told him all the causes and consequences and the actual situation of the club's daily management. Dan Friedkin was furious and told Pinto directly that if this matter could not be resolved, he would be the first to leave.
But Pinto's position is safe for the time being, for a simple reason: when it comes to making money, Dan Friedkin knows that his youngest son is not yet mature enough, so he still cannot do without Pinto.
On the afternoon of March 28, Pinto waited obediently at the training ground for an hour and a half, and then watched Chen Xiaoliang, Kva, Cesco and others practice for an extra hour without saying a word and smiling.
Chen Xiaoliang asked several other people to wait for him in the parking lot. His purpose was to protect the interests of the players and fight back against the club's inaction, not to deliberately make things difficult for Pinto.
Pinto said cautiously, "Can I meet with Reese?"
Chen Xiaoliang knew that Pinto wanted to know the progress of the transfer offers, so he ignored the topic at all: "Is the club willing to issue a notice and appeal?"
Pinto: "We are preparing an appeal..."
Chen Xiaoliang: "This is an obvious wrong call. I am now suspended for one game because of the red card. The next game is five days away. If the club doesn't want me to play, I can stay at home. Prepare? Then prepare slowly."
He knew that Pinto was still dragging his feet, trying to buy time for space, and then reduce Chen Xiaoliang's influence by disintegrating the locker room.
However, Pinto clearly overestimated his abilities.
On March 29, assistant coach Forti told Pinto that Chen Xiaoliang, Dybala, Kvar, Cesco, Patricio and Guevadiol refused to play in the next game. The coaching staff disagreed, but they were powerless and Mourinho could not change the players' minds.
Pinto doesn't believe a word of Forti. As for Kva and Cesco, it is true that they are Chen Xiaoliang's staunch allies, but Patricio's absence from the game was definitely instructed by Mourinho. Not only are they fellow villagers, they also share the same agent Mendes. However, the role of the coaching staff is very delicate, and they cannot directly declare war on the management, so Mourinho uses this way to express his firm support for the players!
Pinto knew at this time that he had reached the end of his rope. If he offended the boss, he would be fired. If he offended the players, he would have to be fired as well. If so many main players really went on strike and refused to play on April 3, the boss would fire him without hesitation the next day.
If they don't fire him, should they fire all the main players and let Pinto play?
There was no other choice, so Pinto pulled Ryan Friedkin out from the bright lights and revelry of the Eighth District overnight, and then the two reached an agreement to report to their boss Dan Friedkin.
But up to this point, Pinto is still lying. He said that Chen Xiaoliang will definitely stay in the team, and the club will appeal to give the player a way out, and the storm will pass.
On March 30, Roma appealed to the Serie A League and the Referee Committee, requesting the annulment of the red cards and suspension penalties of Chen Xiaoliang, Forti and Cristante.
Ibanez's two yellow cards turning into a red card was his own fault because of a brain short circuit, so it is not within the scope of appeal.
Pinto told Forti happily, and Forti told him again in the afternoon that the player's attitude of refusing to play remained the same, and the player needed a clear announcement rather than a sneaky appeal.
The Serie A League was also confused. The matter had been a hot topic for so many days, and Roma only came to appeal without announcing it to the public.
Everyone wants to avoid trouble, and no one wants to slap themselves in the face. It would be a very embarrassing thing for the Serie A to admit the wrong call. Since your Roma club has not made any statement, I will just let it go.
This is a result that even veteran fans can guess. The reason why Serie A is in this state is directly related to the inaction of the Serie A League.
So, after the appeal, nothing came of it.
On March 31, Turin Sports Daily, which has always been a pioneer in smearing Roma, published an article, reporting vividly that Real Madrid and Manchester City are already far ahead of other teams in the battle for Chen Xiaoliang. The Spanish giants will make Chen Xiaoliang the new Ballon d'Or winner, and the new Premier League overlord urgently needs a Champions League trophy.
Although this irrelevant report was directly rated as "rubbish" by Romano, it still caused a great response in the football circle. Many people have begun to imagine what Chen Xiaoliang would look like wearing the jersey of their own team.
On April 1, seeing that it could no longer fool people, the Roma club published a statement on its official website, saying that it had formally appealed to the Serie A League, applying for the revocation of the relevant red card penalties, and protested to the referee committee about the adverse impact of the serious misjudgment.
Because the offside call in the last round was so outrageous, major TV stations and websites repeatedly broadcast the footage that showed that Chen Xiaoliang was not offside at all before scoring the goal. Even the three northern powers, who had also repeatedly complained about the poor refereeing ability, publicly expressed their support for Roma's demand for prosecution for the misjudgment, and together put pressure on the Serie A League, saying that if domestic referees are not good enough, then they should invite outstanding foreign referees to referee.
Coincidentally, because La Liga giants Barcelona are in the vortex of the "referee gate", La Liga President Tebas, a well-known big mouth, actually said in an interview that Roma's penalty was quite funny.
Fans of various teams also vented their long-standing grievances, denouncing Serie A on the Internet for becoming increasingly fake.
Faced with the fierce condemnation from all sides, the Serie A League, unable to withstand the pressure, immediately put the blame on the Italian Referee Committee.
On April 2, Serie A announced that Chen Xiaoliang's red card and suspension were revoked, and the referee David Massa and video referee Guida were banned from refereeing the remaining Serie A games this season. However, the red cards of Cristante and Romagnoli due to the conflict after the game, and the red card of Forti for rushing into the field and pushing Pedro remained unchanged, but no additional penalties would be imposed.
Mourinho still spread his hands at the press conference the day before the game, saying that he knew nothing, that the training and operation of the first team were all normal, and that Chen Xiaoliang would definitely go all out to help the team win the championship in various competitions.
As for next season? Mourinho smiled meaningfully and said:
"You will know when the time comes."
On the morning of April 3, Pinto found Forti, but the only coach who was still willing to pay attention to him told him that he didn't know whether Chen Xiaoliang and others would play in the evening.
Pinto was anxious at that time. He had boasted to his boss that everything was settled. If Chen Xiaoliang and the other five people refused to play in the evening, everything would be exposed and he could pack up and leave tomorrow.
That's why he broke out in a cold sweat when he saw that none of the five main players in the starting lineup were on the court during the game.
As for Chen Xiaoliang, he has been maintaining timely communication with Mourinho, even though the latter, as the head coach, always pretended to know nothing and be unable to control anything in front of the board of directors.
After discussing it, the two decided to teach Pinto a lesson and make the board understand that the team's current success was due to the coach's dedication, the players' hard work, or the management's deception.
And tonight's opponent Sampdoria is very weak, so weak that it only has 15 points after 27 rounds of this season, and is 9 points away from Spezia, which is 16th in the league, and is almost certain to be relegated.
In the first half, under the leadership of Pellegrini, Mancini, Abraham and others, Volpato, Zalewski, Tascilovic and other young players fought with the opponent for 45 minutes. Although they failed to score a goal, they played very well and did not give the opponent any chance.
Although the fans have not received any official reports, the various events that have happened in the past 12 days, the overwhelming rumors, and today's very deliberate "rotation" have allowed them to roughly guess what is going on.
In addition, the leader of the fan organization also has informants within the club, and has more or less heard some of the causes and consequences of the conflict, which also allows the die-hard fans to have a general understanding of the incident.
That night, the fan organization not only distributed tens of thousands of posters with Chen Xiaoliang and the number 33 printed on them, but also raised them in unison in the stands before the game, covering the entire stand to show that they stood together with the locker room. At the 33rd minute of the game, the diehard fans stood up collectively, turned their backs to the field for one minute, to express their dissatisfaction with the club's board of directors' inaction.
At this point, the battle between the locker room and the management was completely decided. Public opinion, fans, Serie A, referee decisions, coaching staff, locker room, and even transfer offers from major European clubs made it clear to everyone that all factors were leaning towards Chen Xiaoliang, and what he asked for was not unreasonable.
After the game, in order to ease the awkward atmosphere caused by the recent confrontation, old De Rossi invited his son and Totti to meet and chat with the players during the team's training the next day. After all, the two have the status of club ambassadors and can be considered semi-official personnel.
Afterwards, Totti accepted an unofficial interview with the media. He still did not reveal the specific details and process, but his words reflected the common voice of all players and fans:
"I think that my hard work can be respected and recognized by others, and I will not encounter unfair treatment in all aspects of life. This is what not only football players, but every individual living in this world pursues and deserves."
On April 5, in Florence, Chen Xiaoliang returned to the starting lineup and led the team to a 2-goal away win over Fiorentina, completing the first leg of the Italian Cup semi-final.
He was still extremely brave in the game, and the main players seemed to become more united and tacit because of this experience of advancing and retreating together. Chen Xiaoliang first broke into the penalty area, received the ball, and then passed it back to assist Dybala to score . Then, after stealing the ball, he sent a long-distance pass to Kva, forcing the opponent's defender to foul in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick.
Abraham, who started the cup match, got a penalty kick and scored it in one go.
After returning to Rome, the team rested for a day and then set out on their journey again.
They know that the real test is coming, and Mourinho will return to his old place.
London, Fulham, Stamford Bridge!
