We agreed to play football together, and you will be the head coach?

Chapter 124: Juventus Derby, Destined to be Relegated

On September 18th, in the second round of Serie A, Palermo faced Inter Milan.

Many fans who were attracted by Palermo's style of play heard the news and watched the game through various channels.

However, the results were disappointing.

Although Palermo fielded all their main players, due to the impact of the European war, the players were not in the best physical condition and their overall performance was poor.

In the end they lost 1-3.

Ribery scored the only goal of the game.

On the other side, Adriano scored twice and dominated the game.

As former king Vieri was frequently plagued by injuries, Adriano emerged as a rising star.

In the summer, he led the Brazilian B team to win the America's Cup and was therefore considered the new king of Inter Milan.

Many people even believe that Adriano has surpassed Ronaldo, who is also plagued by injuries.

The Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year rankings at the end of this year can also prove this point.

Adriano overthrew two predecessors in the club and national team, which was as shocking as Dybala overpowering Ronaldo and Messi at the same time in the future.

Looking at Adriano celebrating around the field, He Tianqi couldn't help but sigh that Adriano's success and failure were both caused by injuries.

As he was heading towards the peak, he was also sliding towards the bottom.

He Tianqi said at the post-match press conference: "Inter Milan's first goal was probably offside by Adriano."

"It was a goal that changed the game, we were playing really well before it."

"Without him, it would have been difficult for Inter to score the last two goals."

"Our players failed to seize some key opportunities, otherwise we would have scored at least three goals in this game!"

He Tianqi confused the media.

So the three to one score is not Inter Milan 3 and you 1, but you 3 and Inter Milan 1?

Turin Sports Daily immediately published an article mocking He Tianqi: "The unbeaten record in the league has ended, He Tianqi is so happy! The reversal of Inter Milan after the game is ridiculous!"

Neutral fans who heard the news also felt that He Tianqi could not afford to lose and began to mock He Tianqi.

The Palermo players escaped this disaster.

A subsequent article in "Barbara's Column" titled "Legendary Pink Eagle, a hero after 49 games of undefeated status" made headlines and diverted public attention.

The rest of the media thought this topic was better and began to feel sorry for Palermo.

Starting from the penultimate round of the Serie C season, the 46 games of Serie B ended in the second round of Serie A. Palermo has been unbeaten in 49 league games in the past two years.

The final conclusion can now be drawn.

In terms of undefeated games alone, the number forty-nine is not particularly special.

Uruguay's Peñarol went 56 games unbeaten in the 1960s.

Olympiacos went 58 games unbeaten in the 1970s.

AC Milan went unbeaten in 58 games under Capello's leadership in the 1990s.

Scottish Premier League Celtic are unbeaten in 62 games.

Steaua Bucharest is unbeaten in 106 games.

ASRC Mimosa is unbeaten in 108 games.

This season, Arsenal continues their unbeaten streak in the league and is likely to catch up with Palermo.

But...the difference from the above teams is that Palermo is a promoted team.

Triple jump in two years.

The environment they experience is very complex.

The scary thing about this winning streak is not the numbers, but the fact that it means Palermo's overall strength and players' abilities are growing rapidly.

From Serie C to Serie A, from the bottom of the professional league to the king of European competitions.

No one knows how He Tianqi did it.

But everyone is sure that no one else can do this except He Tianqi.

Even Wenger, who is famous for developing young players, can't do it.

Therefore, He Tianqi has almost become the most recognized head coach in European football in terms of training players, without a doubt.

Some media call He Tianqi "Bo Le", or "He Bo" for short!
He Tianqi's reputation has improved.

No one thinks losing to Inter Milan is shameful.

No one thought that Palermo had any problems because of this.

Only a very small number of He Tianqi’s confidants knew what impact the match between Palermo and Inter Milan would have on this season.

For example, Guardiola, Modric, Camignani and so on.

……

On September 22nd, Palermo challenges Fiorentina.

Facing Fiorentina, which fell into Serie D due to bankruptcy two years ago, with the targeted help of the Italian Football Association, it made a four-level jump in two years and returned to Serie A.

Even more exaggerated than Palermo.

But one got promoted through hard work, while the other was promoted by skipping levels with the support of various rules.

In the end, the one that comes out stronger.

Palermo beat Fiorentina 2-1.

The key to their victory was not being affected by the defeat in the previous round.

[Press conference reversal] allows Palermo to go into battle with ease.

With six points in three rounds, Palermo is still ranked fifth in Serie A and looks very strong.

But in the next round of games, three days later, they will visit the Alpine Stadium to challenge the top-ranked Juventus.

At the same time, two and a half days after the match with Juventus, they will face the challenge of the Red Devils Manchester United at home.

European matches against Fenerbahce, Inter Milan, Fiorentina, Juventus, European matches against Manchester United, Bologna...an average of one match every three days, this is Palermo's schedule during this period.

Not to mention the European war, which was extremely costly.

Inter Milan is a strong team.

A relative of Viola.

Juventus is a strong team with connections.

Bologna, if nothing unexpected happens, is recognized as one of Palermo's direct rivals in relegation.

This arrangement is really shady.

People are paying close attention to this game because it is a "Juventus derby"!
Juventus's head coach transformed from a youth player VS Juventus.

Filial piety brings strength!

The feud between He Tianqi and Lippi was once again brought up by the media, so people also called this game the "He-Li Battle."

For a moment, it seemed that whoever won the game had made more reasonable moves.

The fans who had heard the news before looked over again this time.

The King of Europe vs. the King of Italy!
Can Palermo create a miracle?
On September 25th, the fourth round of Serie A kicked off.

Palermo visit Turin.

But the fans at the scene were extremely dissatisfied.

Various commentators also complained.

He Tianqi's Douban score dropped from 9.8 points a few days ago to 2 points!
because……

Palermo has rotated!

Pedro, Van Persie, Di Maria

Modric, Mascherano, Carragher
Ashley Young, Thiago Silva, Barzagli, Zaccardo

Handanovic

-

The entire midfield and frontcourt were rotated drastically, and all the players were bad-looking.

Carragher has moved to play in midfield.

Ribery and Toni were not even included in the roster.

Valencia and Guardiola came on as substitutes.

Guardiola took off his coaching uniform before coming on the field.

It's just fucking outrageous.

This feeling is like Juventus punching cotton.

Winning is certain, but Lippi can't really be happy about winning against such a group of rookies.

After the game, Lippi openly criticized: "He Tianqi lacks respect for Serie A games. He has made Sicily a joke."

Nedved: "It's a pity that Palermo sent out such a lineup. This kind of three points is not difficult for Juventus."

Del Piero: "We feel ashamed to win this kind of game. He Tianqi is not as brave as everyone thinks."

Buffon: "We prepared a lot for Palermo and we took this game very seriously, but unfortunately the other team didn't think so. It was disappointing this time."

Cannavaro: "He gave up the game. As his player, this moment is painful. I sympathize with the children who played today."

There was a barrage of criticism.

However, He Tianqi praised the players at the post-match press conference: "Van Persie's performance was very good. He made people realize that he has the potential to play as a center forward."

"Di Maria fully demonstrated his skills with his feet. He was the brightest Palermo player in this game."

"Pedro's style of play has become more stable. As a striker, his investment in defense has exceeded my imagination. I like such hardworking players."

"Mascherano did a great job on my part and it was not his fault that the team conceded four goals."

"Carragher is definitely an all-round player. No coach would dislike this kind of guy who can play well in all positions!"

"Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia are very good wide players who can play in all positions on the wing."

After hearing these words, those who didn’t see the score would have thought that Palermo won the game and He Tianqi was taking credit!
In addition, He Tianqi also gave a reasonable explanation for his behavior: "There are not many opportunities to face a strong team like Juventus in a season. This is the best opportunity for the young players in the team to grow."

“Although we lost 4-1, we gained more than we lost.”

"What excites me most is that when I tell these players that they will start against Juventus, what I see in their eyes is not fear, but excitement."

"These are Palermo's players, sooner or later they will become the best players!"

The reporters no longer wanted to chat with He Tianqi.

We are not from the same world.

You say he lost the present, he says he won the future.

You say he lost three points, he says he got the best player.

This attitude of refusing to admit mistakes has led to a feast of condemnation against He Tianqi across the entire Internet.

However, the players within Palermo reached their peak of faith in He Tianqi.

Van Persie: The coach actually asked me to play as a center forward in such an important game!

Pedro: I am willing to run 15,000 meters in every game for my coach!

Di Maria: The coach didn’t lie, he really used me like Argentina’s Pele!
Mascherano: I have received unprecedented opportunities and attention under the coach!

Thiago Silva: I started in the match against Juventus. When a coach trusts you so much, you have no way to repay him except to give him your faith!
Modric also told the players in the locker room: "The boss has taken all the blame for you. But he never cares. He only cares about whether you have learned anything from the game."

"We couldn't have asked for a better coach than the Boss."

"Many people wonder why I am always favored by the boss. After all, my talent is far inferior to others. I don't mind admitting this."

"The reason is that I've seen Sicily at four in the morning."

"I train hard every late night and early morning. I never go to nightclubs. I don't drink or smoke, because I hope I can be the key to winning when the boss needs me!"

After Modric finished speaking, the whole audience was moved.

Some players who received a lot of attention and temptation in a short period of time lowered their heads in shame.

They know what to do next.

Especially those from South America.

After Di Maria returned home that day, he directly blocked several young models he met on social media.

Mascherano invited Van Persie, the strongest new player in the team's forward line, to train together to strengthen his defensive ability.

Thiago Silva began to read a lot of public tactical information within the team to deeply understand He Tianqi's tactical intentions.

Before going home, Modric first found He Tianqi to report, saying that he had given an inflammatory speech and conveyed everything He Tianqi wanted to convey.

He Tianqi praised Modric a few words and asked Modric to continue paying attention to the situation in the team.

What Modric reported some time ago about the South American players going to a nightclub for team-building was very crucial.

Such bad habits must never be allowed to develop within the team.

After Modric left, He Tianqi's phone rang.

He frowned slightly.

He Tianqi doesn't care about the nagging from the outside world at all.

The match against Juventus is just a matter of three points.

Is there any difference between taking three points from Juventus and taking three points from Fiorentina?

There is no difference at all.

What happened to the rotation?
In the match against Inter Milan, He Tianqi had already determined that when the team was not in the best condition, it would not be able to compete with the first-tier Serie A giants.

So since that game, Palermo has started to score points rationally.

If you are destined not to get points, just use new players to train, otherwise not getting the points will affect other subsequent competitions.

We must fight for every point we can get, strive for three and protect one, never give up, and strive for zero mistakes.

But the prerequisite for doing so is the full support of the club's top management.

And now, the top management seems... unable to sit still.

"Hello, Mr. Zamparini, I haven't seen you for a while. You're welcome to visit the team when you're free. With your attention, the players will be more motivated in training." He Tianqi exchanged a few polite words with Zhu Xi, the team leader who called.

Zamparini was not in a very good mood. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he finally lost his composure and said, "He, this match between us and Juventus is what all the fans are looking forward to."

"If we can win, we will be a miracle."

He Tianqi asked back: "Aren't we a miracle now?"

"We are of course a miracle, so we must not even have the courage to play against Juventus," Zamparini explained.

"This even hurts the entire Serie A. Those fans came with high hopes but left disappointed. The increase in the number of fans in Serie A this year depends largely on our performance."

"And... you know, I need Palermo as my business card to help me further expand my business territory. I am running for a seat in Sicily..."

He Tianqi nodded: "Of course I understand you, and I support you very much, whether it is the team's performance or funding."

In the past two years, the Ho Group and Zamparini have had relatively in-depth cooperation, which has achieved mutual benefit and win-win results for both parties.

If Zamparini takes over, the He Group will also gain a lot.

He Tianqi asked: "But Zamparini, you have successfully connected with the Agnelli, Moratti and other families, and even Berlusconi through football."

"So I want to ask you a very important question."

"You have to answer me honestly."

"If the answer is what I expect, I can promise you that I will let the team do its best in every strong matchup."

Zamparini was somewhat happy: "Okay, go ahead and ask."

He Tianqi: "Did Moji talk to you about Mazzini?"

Mazzini, Vice President of the Italian Football Association, was one of the key figures in the future Italian phone-gate scandal.

It connected club leaders such as Moggi, Giraudo, Bettega and referees such as Bergamo, Paileto and De Santis, thereby manipulating and influencing the game results of dozens of Serie A teams.

If Zamparini had broken into Moggi's inner circle, he would have been eligible to become one of the teams that benefited from the "Phone Gate".

Then it is not impossible for Palermo to try to take advantage of the situation by giving up rotation without getting deeply involved and playing a few exciting exhibition matches to maintain the popularity of Serie A.

Because in the end, their relegation will not be a problem.

Juventus will not let his partner fall into Serie B.

But if Zamparini didn't pick up the thread, wouldn't that be crazy?
For the traffic of Serie A, they competed with the giants and gave everything. In the end, they were arranged with a bad schedule and the referee blew away the key points, which allowed the other team to successfully avoid relegation, while they fell.

In the end, all the fan traffic you earned was taken away by others.

A huge amount of investment on your side has gone down the drain, players have fled, and the team has collapsed.

Just ask you what you want?
Are you making wedding clothes for others?
Sure enough, the answer from Zamparini was no.

He was not included in Mogi's core circle of partners.

The Serie A phone-gate scandal was not played by Zamparini.

When He Tianqi mentioned Mazzini's name, Zamparini, as a business tycoon, was able to react: "You mean, they are fucking..."

He Tianqi: "I didn't say anything, and you'd better not ask about it, otherwise it will do more harm than good."

"You won't go wrong if you listen to me about the team."

"Our biggest task this season is to avoid relegation."

"Believe me, the situation is far less optimistic than everyone thinks."

"If nothing unexpected happens, there will be at least a dozen Serie A teams with 40 to 50 points this season."

"Except for Juventus, Milan, Inter Milan and Roma, all other teams are relegation teams!"

“This is the most brutal season ever.”

"Any team could be relegated if they don't pay attention."

"We don't have any special care from the outside world, which means we will be specially targeted. So if we can't establish a relegation advantage early, believe me, we will definitely lose at the critical moment."

"It's not because we can't win, but because someone wants us to lose."

"You can learn from Moratti on this point. Inter Milan is always forced to lose in key matches."

Zamparini then said that the team's future affairs would be arranged by He Tianqi.

He would not have any objection to He Tianqi's rotation and player arrangements.

But after hanging up the phone, Zamparini thought about it and felt horrified.

Because a lot of information about He Tianqi is unknown to Zhu Xi, his team mate, and the future parliamentarian.

Although He Tianqi did not mention Berlusconi and AC Milan, Zamparini believed that those things could not be hidden from Mr. Zongli.

Since even the president is on Moggi's boat, one can imagine what the outcome will be for Palermo, the team that failed to get on board.

The key is that He Tianqi’s relationship with Juventus is still very bad.

Many players in Palermo are also targets of Juventus.

Juventus robbed Emerson from Lazio and Cannavaro from Inter Milan this season.

If Palermo is relegated, then almost all players including Ribery, Vidic, Zaccardo, etc. will be selected by Juventus.

So... Palermo is destined not to get on Juventus' ship.

On the contrary, they had actually already set a demotion target under the arrangement of certain people!

Zamparini was frightened.

He was almost fooled by the sweet words of the Italian Football Association.

If He Tianqi had not seen the danger early on, he and Palermo would not even know how they died.

At this time, Zamparini looked at Palermo's schedule again, and then he realized how dangerous Palermo was this season.

Why did He Tianqi say that the biggest task for Palermo, a team that clearly had the strength of a mid-table team, was to avoid relegation?

too difficult!
No team can beat the referee!

……

On September 28th, the purpose of Palermo's rest became clear.

The Red Devils Manchester United visited Sicily.

Except for the newly signed hotshot Rooney who was unable to attend the game due to injury during training.

The Red Devils came out in full force.

Giggs, Van Nistelrooy, Ronaldo

Alan Smith, Keane, Scholes

Heinze, Silvester, Ferdinand, Gary Neville
Howard

-

The gathering of three generations of football stars, old, middle-aged and young, is so gorgeous.

In comparison, Palermo's lineup is really simple.

Even if these players have reached the peak of their careers, they may not be better than this Manchester United.

The lineup given by He Tianqi is:
Ribery, Toni, Eduardo

Modric, Chiellini, Toure

Grosso, Vidic, Barzagli, Zaccardo

Handanovic

-

Before the game, many media were not optimistic about Palermo, even though Palermo had made special rotations for this European game.

The Manchester Evening News even commented in depth on the drawbacks of He Tianqi's rest: "He Tianqi's biggest mistake was to think that Manchester United was easier to play against than Juventus."

"They gave up the match against Juventus and concentrated on preparing for the Champions League match against Manchester United."

"But that won't allow them to beat Manchester United."

"In fact, even Juventus may not be a match for Manchester United."

"He Tianqi should guarantee the league and give up the Champions League. Because the Champions League is where the top players compete, and as a newly promoted team, their top priority this season is to stay in the league."

Manwan has always had harsh words, but this time it received public approval.

He Tianqi responded before the game: "Manchester United is a little too confident. They are indeed a top club, but we have not made any special preparations for them."

"We don't take the Champions League more seriously either."

"Even if this game was just an ordinary Serie A game, even if our opponent was a relegation team, we would still arrange the game against Juventus in the last round in the same way."

"Please don't bring them in, Manchester United, you are not that important to us."

But Ferguson saw through this.

Sir Alex Ferguson replied: "He Tianqi is lying. No one can keep the mentality when the opponent is Manchester United, because they are facing the greatest team of the 20th century."

"I know He Tianqi is a tactical coach, and this may be another trick he uses to confuse us."

"But in the face of absolute strength, these methods are ineffective."

In this way, the two sides fought from the pre-match press conference to the court.

The game officially begins!
……

After Palermo kicked off, they passed the ball back to their own territory.

At the same time, several forwards rushed towards Manchester United's half.

After three or four consecutive passes, the ball came to Chiellini's feet.

He made a long pass and launched the attack.

Although it was just a [basic long pass], it provided a good connection point in He Tianqi's kick-off tactical arrangement.

Luca Toni got into position and headed the ball past Ferdinand.

Ribery stopped and passed, then crossed over Neville and shot from a small angle on the left side of the penalty area.

Manchester United goalkeeper Howard from the United States successfully saved the ball.

He is not an excellent goalkeeper for a top club, but Carroll, who plays in the same position, is too unreliable, so the two of them are humble to each other and the competition is very fierce.

Howard has performed slightly better recently.

But after this rescue, the crisis was not resolved.

Eduardo caught up with the ball on the right, and after two fake moves, he swept the ball into the small penalty area.

Sylvester kicked the ball into the penalty area.

Toure, who made his way into the penalty area, had a fierce battle with Keane, who was defending him.

Keane was experienced and secretly elbowed Toure, but Toure's outstretched foot was slow and he missed the ball.

On the other side, Toni, who had just suppressed Ferdinand, was now blocked by Ferdinand and could not reach the football.

The best central defender in the Premier League VS the best center forward in Italy, with both teams winning and losing.

However, a pink shadow sneaked into the restricted area from outside.

Modric shot with the outside of his right foot, with a stealthy feel and the pursuit of extreme speed.

Howard's save was clearly a beat late.

The football rolled into the goal.

The Frederick II Stadium exploded instantly!
"GOAL!"

"Oh my God! Palermo scored a goal!"

"Lightning goal!"

“A dream start!”

"One to zero! Palermo midfielder Modric dribbled into the field, won in the chaos and helped the team take the lead!"

"Howard, Howard, his saves are still the same old problem. The saves were not clean and the ball was left in the dangerous area, which led to the subsequent goal."

"He was slightly better last season, but he has made a lot of mistakes so far this season."

"I don't think Ferguson will give him another chance. Manchester United should start with Carroll next time."

Palermo players started celebrating like crazy.

Modric even rushed to the corner flag area and lifted up his jersey.

He was wearing a white T-shirt with two lines of words printed on it.

Translated: We are not cowards! We are warriors!
This is a response to recent discussions about them avoiding the battle with Juventus.

Palermo fans felt the same way and cheered the loudest.

They began to chant "Five Crowns", "Five Crowns", "Five Crowns"!
For a moment, many online fans and commentators were stunned.

Huang Jianxiang, a commentator from CCYV, said with emotion: "Indeed, everyone has been calling for Palermo to be beaten recently. It's like they lost everything when they lost to Juventus."

"But in fact, just half a month ago, the whole world was praising Palermo's five-crown achievement!"

"A journey of a thousand miles tests a horse's strength, and time reveals a person's true character. I hope everyone can give He Tianqi more time, and he will definitely give everyone a satisfactory answer!"

“Just like this game!”

On the pitch, Manchester United were angered by Palermo's celebration.

It’s just one goal and there are still 88 minutes in the game. Is it that serious?

Especially the young and energetic Cristiano Ronaldo.

His dissatisfaction was almost written on his face.

During this period, everyone generally called him Little Ronaldinho.

But He Tianqi called him Cristiano Ronaldo in a pre-match interview.

In the seventh minute, Ronaldo made a series of fancy moves on the right, which made Grosso fall to the ground.

boom!
Ronaldo sent a cross.

Van Nistelrooy jumped high, but his header went wide due to interference from Vidic.

Ronaldo spread his hands in dissatisfaction on the wing, thinking that his teammates had wasted a wonderful pass of his.

It wasn't that he had a problem with Fanny.

In fact, even if he headed the ball off target, he would still blame himself.

This obsessive character and desire to win, which values ​​every opportunity, will lead to future success.

But in Fanny's eyes, it was not the case.

He clearly had a very good chance, but Ronaldo was obsessed with dribbling.

As a result, when Ronaldo passed the ball, Vidic had already caught up, and Van Nistelrooy's chance was not so good.

This big Eastern European guy is not easy to deal with.

In the 11th minute, Manchester United launched an attack on the left.

As a top star, Giggs is confident that he can easily make a breakthrough.

After all, Ronaldo over there shook Grosso off.

As the big brother, I have to show my appreciation, right?
As a result, Zaccardo made an accurate tackle and kicked the ball directly out of bounds.

Giggs fell to the ground, but the referee did not call Zaccardo for a foul.

Because it's a good shovel!
Grosso was knocked over by Ronaldo because his center of gravity was too high and he couldn't keep up with the frequency of Ronaldo's shaking, and he was better at attacking than defending.

As a defensive pioneer, Zaccardo's one-on-one ability is several times that of Grosso.

What he is least afraid of is a breakthrough player like Giggs.

No matter what kind of speed or agility, he can handle them all.

If you really have a heavy tank, it would be more difficult for him to deal with.

After Manchester United kicked the ball out, Giggs wanted to get back on track, so he pushed the ball forward and ate Zaccardo outside the sideline.

But when Giggs was about to return to the field, Zaccardo directly collided with him, knocking him out of the sideline again and confiscating the ball.

Giggs fell down the wing.

Manchester United players all looked sideways.

Although Giggs has declined slightly in the past two years, he is still a top winger.

He almost changed the defensive habits of Premier League wingers.

Before him, wingers were responsible for defending opponents head-on.

But when facing Giggs, you have to turn your back to him so that you can chase back as soon as possible after he passes you.

But now, the little-known right-back of Palermo actually defended Giggs so tightly?

what's the situation?
Ferguson gave orders on the battlefield and asked the team to shift the focus of attack to the right where Ronaldo was, avoiding Zaccardo.

In the 15th minute, Ronaldo challenged Grosso again on the wing.

He Tianqi was right next to the two of them.

"Don't follow his movements, follow the ball. His shaking is very rigid, not deceptive, and easy to judge." He Tianqi almost gave instructions to Grosso in Ronaldo's ear, "He is not in good health right now. If you hit him directly at the moment of acceleration, he will be silenced."

Ronaldo was so angry that his face turned red. He immediately passed the ball and prepared for a burst.

As a result, Grosso actually pulled Ronaldo with his hand and then bumped him from the side.

Ronaldo immediately slowed down and staggered.

Grosso easily made the steal.

After Ronaldo stood up, the first thing he looked at was He Tianqi.

Who the hell is this guy?
Why do you know me better than I do?

He Tianqi smiled warmly at Ronaldo: "Come on, Chris, you almost got past him!"

Ronaldo was furious.

Ferguson immediately complained to the fourth referee, believing that He Tianqi had provoked his players.

The referee immediately warned He Tianqi.

He Tianqi accepted it.

Is Ronaldo angry?

That's good.

In this game, Palermo's tactic was to freeze Giggs and let Manchester United focus on Ronaldo.

Because at this stage, Ronaldo's skills are fancy and sharp, but not efficient enough.

Moreover, he is thin and not strong in core, so he tends to lose a lot of ball possession when being targeted.

(End of this chapter)