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

Chapter 139: The pink eagle flaps its wings and mistakes the Champions League for the Italian Cup

This year's Champions League actually has two Serie A civil wars, which is earth-shattering!

Before this season, no one expected to see the Milan derby and the "He Li" battle in the Champions League quarter-finals!
Champions League?

No, this is the Italian Cup!

If Roma hadn't performed so poorly, how terrible would this year's Serie A be?
The Sun even quoted He Tianqi's words that he said many times this season to mock the Champions League: "League title competition? No, no, no, we are just a Serie A relegation team."

"Our biggest task this season is relegation and the Coppa Italia."

"We want to win three consecutive Coppa Italia titles and build a dynasty for Palermo!"

The Sun also invited members of the Chinese Poetry Association to write the headline for this issue of the newspaper: "The pink young eagle flaps its wings, but is defeated by the might of the A-League giants. The league is flat and a new path is opened. It mistakes the Champions League for the Italian Cup! For the Italian Cup!"

I have to say, The Sun is pretty cool.

Barbara then published a reminder in her "Barbara Column": "Aite He Tianqi, dear, you are playing in the Champions League, not the Italian Cup!"

For a time, European football became a sea of ​​joy.

No wonder Palermo plays so well in the Champions League, it turns out they treat it as the Italian Cup.

And they have won the Italian Cup for two consecutive years, with an unstoppable momentum and victory after victory. I guess that is reasonable, right?
But no one expected that He Tianqi also responded on his social media.

He Tianqi asked Barbara: "Ah? Wasn't the team we played against Modena a few days ago?"

Then, below this paragraph was posted the post-match news about Palermo's 5-0 win over Real Madrid.

Modena, Modena, Serie B team.

Madrid, Madrid, is generally used to describe Real Madrid.

Playing with abstraction, right?
He Tianqi doesn't mind being the center of public opinion.

After all, only when the team brings fun to the fans will the fans become the team's traffic and bring fun to the team.

It's a pity that our emperor was caught in the crossfire.

In the following La Liga match, Zidane was asked about this by reporters. He could only helplessly say: "Hello everyone, I am Zidane from Modena in Serie B. Our goal this season is to beat Verona and become the champion of Serie B!"

Verona.

This is obviously a reference to Barcelona.

The reporters burst into laughter.

Zidane expressed in a humorous way that the team still has goals to strive for and does not want to give up this season.

Subsequently, the teams that have played against Palermo this season followed suit, either actively or passively.

Manchester Evening News: "Manchester United lost to AC Milan in the Italian Cup and was unfortunately eliminated, but they still have hope of competing with Chelsea and Arsenal for the league title this season!"

The Times: "Arsenal are having a hard time winning the Coppa Italia, Henry is only one Coppa Italia away from being crowned champion!"

Sky Sports: "Chelsea beat Barcelona in the Italian Cup, Mourinho is expected to win the tournament again!"

These news make ordinary fans fascinated.

Is the Italian Cup also known as the Champions League?
Twenty years later, some football fans did some archaeological research and regarded this season's news as the best evidence that Serie A is a mini World Cup, arguing that until the Calciopoli scandal, Italy was the undisputed center of European football.

And it is far ahead of other leagues.

Reasonable and well-founded.

……

The joke of "mistaking the Champions League for the Italian Cup" has to some extent concealed Italy's dissatisfaction with UEFA's grouping.

Although it is a draw, whether it is random or destined, those who understand will understand.

Eight teams, four Serie A teams.

If all are separated, then three or even all of the top four teams in the Champions League might be Serie A teams.

The great idea of ​​"He Tianqi's team taking all four places in the semi-finals" was realized ahead of schedule.

Of course, there are also media from other regions saying that Italy is just dreaming.

The civil war grouping will allow you to have at least two teams enter the semi-finals, which is called a guarantee.

If all were separated, the four Italian teams would most likely be wiped out.

Such stories have happened before and are happening now.

March 20th, the 29th round of Serie A.

Palermo played with all their main players, but due to the poor condition of the players, they finally just shook hands with Parma.

But one point is still a point.

Palermo's real points-losing schedule in the second half has not yet arrived.

After this game, the national team players of each team rushed to their national teams, because March 26th is the national team match day.

This day is very important.

At a time when competition is fierce, the national team match day is another heavy blow to the giants.

It is also a chance for the relegation teams to rest and recuperate.

After this match day, every battle between the giants will be difficult.

Even if we meet a weak team, we may still lose.

Italy's opponent this time is Scotland.

Before the game, "Barbara's Column" praised Camignani's coaching and put forward some thoughts.

She believes that after some previous matches, Camignani has become familiar with the abilities of the Italian players. So should the team enter a new stage? Should the Italian team's main framework be established?

Should we use the Juventus framework or the AC Milan framework?

Or use the Roma + Inter Milan system as the framework?

As mentioned before, although the national team is full of superstars, its technical and tactical level is far inferior to that of the club.

The vastly different playing habits and lack of tacit understanding among the players have led to a lack of chemistry in the team.

Especially that kind of "mercenary power".

The local league is not strong, and the country's super players are playing in different leagues abroad.

Their playing styles are very different.

Relatively speaking, Italy, England, Spain, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Portugal are more advantageous.

Most of the stars come from local leagues and have a common training environment, so it is easier for them to attract players.

Of course, Portugal's focus on developing young wingers has allowed the club to reap transfer fee dividends in the short term, but in the long run it has caused the national team to lack quality players in other positions, and its overall competitiveness has seriously declined since the golden generation.

Although the Dutch clubs also adopt the black shop model, their products are more comprehensive, including center forwards, wingers, attacking midfielders and midfielders, so their overall performance will be better in the future.

The Spanish team, under the framework of Barcelona, ​​supplemented by stars from Real Madrid and other clubs, has achieved terrifying results in three consecutive major tournaments.

The Italian team bounced back from the bottom twice and won the championship. It also relied on the overall style of Serie A, which allowed a group of first- and second-rate stars to play the role of top-rate stars.

So the framework is important.

The club's framework is more important than the league's framework.

Just as everyone was thinking about it, Camignani gave his answer.

In this World Cup qualifier, he used a 352 formation.

Iaquinta and Cassano as double strikers.

Totti attacking midfielder.

De Rossi and Gattuso as double midfielders.

Grosso and Zambrotta were on the left and right, flying on both wings.

Cannavaro, Nesta and Barzagli, three central defenders.

Buffon goalkeeper.

The answer is out.

Midfield and frontcourt, Roman framework.

Juventus + AC Milan + Palermo in the midfield and backcourt.

This excited the Roma fans.

Over the years, there has been a conclusion as to who is the real core of the Italian team between Totti and Piero.

So what if Juventus is first in the league?
Didn’t the national team lose to our Roma?
In this game, Totti lived up to Camignani's "esteem", scoring one goal and making one assist, and was named the best player of the game.

Helped the team to equalize with the explosive Scotland and continued Italy's unbeaten record.

Totti knows that if he can't play the role, the next Italian team's midfield and frontcourt combination will most likely use the Juventus framework, with Piero as the core.

In this game, players such as Iaquinta, Totti, Cassano, De Rossi and others ran a lot.

Because before the game, Camignani emphasized the importance of running to the team, saying that if someone is unwilling to run, someone who is more willing to run will be found to replace him.

The Italian team has many excellent players and no one is essential.

This national team match day seemed to be uneventful.

But Turin Sports Daily spoke up for Piero after the game, saying that if Piero played in Totti's position, he could bring victory to the team.

In addition, they believe that Camignani used the Roman frame because the old man wanted to help Palermo.

The national team trained Roma's three core players desperately, infecting them with the "FIFA virus". As a result, Roma was at a disadvantage in the second leg of the Italian Cup semi-final between Palermo and Roma a week later.

He Tianqi is so insidious!
In this regard, Camignani said: "First of all, I don't need to explain my deployment to anyone. I am responsible for the results, not Turin Sports Daily or Juventus."

"But since they asked sincerely, I will tell them out of mercy."

"My arrangements are all based on the national team level, and I am constantly evaluating the status of the national team players, especially the core players."

"Totti has been playing better recently, so he started."

"Due to injuries, Piero's condition fluctuates greatly. I hope he can get more rest before playing for the national team. Is this consideration wrong?"

"If Turin Sports Daily continues to speculate about me in this irresponsible manner, then in order to prove my innocence, I may let Toni, Grosso, Chiellini, Barzali, Zaccardo and other players play at the same time in the national team's games."

"But I believe that neither Juventus nor Roma will be satisfied with this arrangement."

"So vote, do you want to see all the Palermo players start for the national team? If you want to see it, then no matter how much opposition there is, I will let them play."

This statement caused a sensation in Italy.

The meaning is very simple. If you, Juventus and Roma, don’t want to be in the national team’s starting lineup, there are plenty of people who want to be in.

Are you willing to give up your position?

Del Piero then said: "Thank you coach Camignani for your concern. The injury did cause me some trouble, but I have recovered now. I hope to make more contributions to the Italian team in the subsequent national team games."

What I mean is, old Cami, remember your words, use me as the core next time, don’t use Totti.

Totti also responded immediately: "I don't think the national team's games will affect my performance at the club. I have at least five days to rest."

"Many people misunderstood Mr. Camignani, which made me angry. As one of the best coaches in the world, his arrangements are not something that ordinary people can understand."

"Just like after the European Cup defeat, no one could believe that we have remained undefeated under the leadership of Mr. Camignani!"

"I hope to take more responsibility in the national team. The national team also needs fresh blood like Cassano and De Rossi. Everything is for Italy!"

Of course Totti has to show his goodwill to Camignani, he still wants to continue to maintain his core position.

And if he has Cassano and De Rossi to assist him, his performance in the national team will be better.

Those who didn't play don't think there is anything wrong with Camignani.

Those who were kicked would not dare to think so.

Turin Sports Daily's good intentions were not rewarded and it was attacked back by the fans.

Corriere dello Sport even said bluntly: "Juventus are just jealous of us, jealous that the main color of the Italian team is the dazzling Roman red!"

Barbara's Column also complained for He Tianqi: "Juventus' accusation is too disregarding of the facts. He Tianqi is the club head coach in the world of football who supports players being selected for the national team the most."

"Whenever the national team needs players, he will send them there just to help them realize their dreams."

"I believe that if all Palermo players start in this national team match against Scotland, He Tianqi will only be happy."

Barbara's words were supported by the public.

Yes, He Tianqi is such a person.

He is really good to the players.

And no player can refuse the call of the national team.

So the national team can hate any head coach, but they will definitely not hate He Tianqi.

After responding strongly to the media, Camignani also invited He Tianqi to dinner to express his "apology" for not starting many Palermo players.

Then at the Camignani home, old Camignani finally asked: "I understand the need to deplete Roma, but why put Iaquinta on instead of Piero, Camoranesi and the others?"

"Since we are going to consume them, shouldn't we also consume Juventus' players?"

Hahaha!
Turin Sports Daily actually guessed it right.

It cannot be said that there was any selfish motive in Camignani's deployment of troops. It can only be said that it was carried out entirely in accordance with He Tianqi's instructions.

He Tianqi was not stingy with his advice, since Camignani couldn't learn anyway: "Juventus has a make-up match in Serie A on April 1st."

"This is to make room for the European competition. Other teams don't have this treatment."

"Piero is not in good shape. How can he play well in this game if he doesn't get enough rest?"

"Now that Juventus' players have recovered their strength, they will definitely win this league game and catch up with AC Milan in points and tie for first place."

"In order to prove his status, Piero will definitely ask to start or even play the whole game. He wants to get better data than Totti's one goal and one assist, and respond from a distance."

"This puts pressure on Inter Milan and Roma, who are second and third."

"And a day later, it's the second leg of the Italian Cup semi-final between Roma and us."

"Their three core players are not in good form, and their title rivals continue to win. If they lose a game, they will basically miss out on the championship."

"In this case, whether to fight Palermo in the Italian Cup or grab points in the league is a question that must be considered."

"The 3-3 draw last time showed them that we are not easy to deal with and that they may not win even if they try their best."

"If Roma's financial situation is good, they might take a gamble and compete for the championship on two fronts. Even if they fail miserably, they can just try again next season."

"But Roma's internal economy and the team's morale are on the verge of collapse. There is no championship this season and morale has collapsed."

"There will be no Serie A title this season, the economy will collapse and the team may even go bankrupt."

"To sum up, they can only compete for Serie A, there is no other choice!"

Camignani was stunned.

What did He Tianqi just say?
Why didn't he understand a word?

"Also," He Tianqi pointed to April 6 and said, "This is the day of the first leg of our Champions League quarter-final against Juventus."

"If Roma lets the game go in the Coppa Italia semi-final on April 2, we will be in a better position to play against Juventus."

"Juventus played one more league match with all their main players."

"You are Roma. Are you willing to use an opportunity that you can't win and may even destroy you to allow Palermo to face Juventus in the best condition?"

"It will be very difficult for Juventus to continue to score points in the league, whether they win or lose."

Camignani was sweating coldly: "Fuck! This means that a national team match weakened Roma and consumed Juventus, allowing Palermo to gain consecutive benefits in the upcoming Italian Cup and Champions League?" "You...you are playing a big game!"

He Tianqi raised his glass and said, "You have said this in the past few years, which is considered as scolding me. People are getting angry when they hear this, and they think it is empty talk."

"But 20 years later, people only admire this statement. Because we have really succeeded in playing this big chess game! China is awesome!"

Camignani agreed with that, but raised his glass: "China is awesome! He Tianqi is awesome!"

……

April 2nd, the second leg of the Italian Cup semi-final.

Palermo will face Roma at home.

This condition was also important to Rome.

Because if Roma is at home, it will be difficult to play badly.

After all, they are a wealthy club, not a small team like Palermo.

If a wealthy club plays badly at home, even if it is for the Champions League final the day after tomorrow, the fans will still destroy you.

As soon as the starting lineup was announced before the game, He Tianqi knew that he had a sure win in the game.

Because of Totti and the other two main substitutes!
And two young players from the youth training system were selected for the roster.

When Ibrahimovic and Cassano, who started the game, were alone on the field, they did not cooperate with each other.

They didn't pass the ball to each other.

Palermo's defense is equivalent to defending one less striker.

Delicious.

As expected, in the first half, Ibrahimovic and Cassano each had wonderful performances, but their final shots were a bit hasty.

The dribbling is threatening, but the shooting is not.

Even if the other person has an open spot, they won’t pass the ball.

Palermo, on the other hand, successfully launched their offensive.

Toni and Toure scored.

So the game was evenly matched, but Palermo was leading 2-0.

In the second half, Roma directly replaced Ibrahimovic, Cassano and De Rossi to prepare for the league.

Announced the abandonment of the game.

In the second half, Eduardo scored and Palermo beat Roma 3-0.

The total score of the two rounds was 6-3, advancing to the Italian Cup final for three consecutive years!
Three consecutive Italian Cup titles are just around the corner!

"Corriere dello Sport": "The Italian Cup semi-finals have met expectations. It is not a pity for Roma to give up the Italian Cup for the Serie A championship!"

"Gazzetta dello Sport": "Inter Milan and Palermo advance to the final, the Italian Cup three consecutive championships usher in the strongest resistance!"

"Corriere dello Sport": "The three-year agreement has come to an end, Palermo has reached the final again, but Juventus has fallen behind!"

"The Future": "Inter Milan is the only team that has the potential to win the treble in Serie A this season! AC Milan and Juventus compete in the Champions League and Serie A! Palermo competes in the Champions League and Italian Cup! Roma focuses on the Serie A championship!"

Italy's major championship contenders have been announced.

As time goes by, the options will be crossed out one by one. After all, only one person can win the championship in the end.

But Turin Sports Daily once again expressed their dissatisfaction. They strongly accused Roma of giving up the Italian Cup, believing that Roma did not want to win from the beginning and did not pretend in the second half.

In response to this, the official website of the Roma club released a "Roma Serie A championship map" as a response.

This inspired the ambitions of Roma fans and they no longer had to worry about the Italian Cup.

……

[Ding! You led the team to the Italian Cup finals for three consecutive years and received the rewards "Iron Division" and "Elevator Ball"]

[Iron Division: Superstar Skill (Coach Exclusive). Your team's chance of getting injured is reduced by 10%. Players' recovery speed after injury is increased by 10%. Players' recovery speed after serious injury is increased by 20%.]

[Elevator Ball: A star-level skill. It can only be triggered by a free kick. The ball is extremely fast, rising rapidly in mid-air, passing over the wall of players, and then falling rapidly in front of the goal, just like riding an elevator. It is extremely difficult to save.]

!!!

It's all good stuff.

Achievements are often accompanied by miracles.

Normally, a team's biggest opponent is injury.

Especially teams that focus on running and defense.

However, their style of play is prone to causing injuries to players, so the peak periods of Mourinho, Klopp and Simeone's teams are relatively short, and the career life of players playing in their teams will be greatly shortened.

On the contrary, playing in a technical team or a senior team, injuries are relatively less frequent and not that serious, and the career can be prolonged.

The [Iron Division] can reduce player injuries, ensure the team's competitiveness, and extend players' careers.

Palermo have suffered injury crises in the past two seasons.

But so far this season, there have been no major injuries due to proper rotation.

However, the next two months will be the peak period for injuries.

This skill comes at a very timely moment.

The [elevator ball] is one of the most classic free kick penalty methods.

It was played by Juninho and others in the early days, and was promoted by Pirlo in national team competitions. Then it reached the peak of its reputation under Ronaldo and became a household name.

When taking a slam dunk, the most important thing is to get the ball to the fastest speed in the initial stage.

And the football should not spin.

Sheer brute force works wonders.

This requires extremely high leg strength from the players.

After Ronaldo's leg injury and his old age, his success rate in elevator balls plummeted. Later, he had to take curved free kicks or take speculative shots in the gaps between the walls.

There are not many players in Palermo who are capable of using the "elevator ball" technique.

Overall, Yaya Toure is the most suitable.

After he was promoted to a star-level player, he still lacked a star-level skill.

Just give him a call this time.

In this way, the team's mid-range and long-range free kicks can be given to him.

The original Ribery, Modric, Van Persie and Di Maria were better at close-range free kicks.

After assigning skills to Toure, He Tianqi found Toure again and taught him specifically how to play the elevator ball, and asked him to practice more in the next few days.

After hearing this, Modric also wanted to add some responsibilities to himself. The more he learned, the more he would gain.

But he was stopped by He Tianqi.

The elevator ball requires a lot of leg strength, and the way of scoring is exciting, but the cost-effectiveness is actually not high.

The permanent damage he caused to his legs would not be worth it for Modric.

If Yaya Toure had not gained weight this season and was able to withstand such consumption, He Tianqi would not have made any arrangements for him.

Given He Tianqi's training method and investment in Modric, it would be a waste if Modric doesn't play until he is 40 years old.

But if his legs don’t last until he’s forty, do you think it would be a loss?

The main foot of a Ballon d'Or-level midfielder should not be used if possible. Except for games, it is recommended that he sits in a wheelchair at other times.

What the hell are you still practicing elevator shots?

Besides, when Cristiano Ronaldo’s elevator ball goes in, everyone will just feel that he is mighty and majestic.

Because of your Modric's elevator ball goal, people might want to tie you to a pillar and burn you to death, you witch.

It's okay for us to be responsible for our duties.
You are the Pope's spy in hell. Just be a good ball stealer and don't try to compete for the title of football champion.

April 6, the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Palermo will play away first and then at home.

So they were visiting the Stadio Alpi in Turin.

He Tianqi was interviewed earlier.

Some media asked: "What performance will Palermo use in this game to prove that you deserve everything you have now? After all, your opponent is the powerful Juventus."

He Tianqi: "Prove ourselves? No, no, no, Palermo doesn't need to prove anything. We were able to beat the Galacticos this season, which is already a huge success."

"Reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League is something we never thought about before the start of the season."

“We’ve done everything we wanted to do, so we have nothing to prove.”

"On the contrary, I think it is Juventus and Mido who should prove themselves."

"They haven't won the Champions League for many years, they have repeatedly lost the league championship, and we have won the Italian Cup twice in a row!"

“This time, they didn’t even make it to the Coppa Italia final.”

"Mido is at a disadvantage in all aspects of the competition with Ibrahimovic. Although I am more optimistic about Mido, he needs to show some performance."

"I hope Mido can play like a Juventus star in this series of matches against us. After all, he is the future of Juventus."

"Of course, we will also make key arrangements for Mido."

After hearing these interviews, Lippi wanted to spit at He Tianqi.

so bad.

How come Mido, a newcomer, became the star player of Juventus?

He was indeed the future of Juventus before, but after offending Juventus superstars such as Piero and Moggi, he has been labeled as someone who can be sold.

If it wasn't necessary for this season's games, Juventus would have kicked him out in the winter transfer window.

Now that He Tianqi said this, there is no doubt that he is encouraging Mido to express himself more.

This will cause him to have more and more conflicts with Piero, Nedved and others on the court.

Grass!
The key is that Ibrahimovic was also very cooperative. He said that he would watch the whole game. He thought Tony was a strong center, but his talent was far inferior to his.

As for... Mido, compared to the great Zlatan, Made in Egypt is just a fake.

In his eyes, Piero is far less comprehensive and powerful than Totti.

This made Mido furious, and he said before the game that he would kill this game and prove everything!
In the end, Palermo's starting lineup was still the same, but with slight changes in positioning.

Ribery, Toni, Eduardo

Modric
Chiellini, Toure

Grosso, Vidic, Barzagli, Zaccardo

Handanovic

-

The midfield changed from a parallel position to a triangular position.

Modric became a triangle jungler, bah... became the connecting point between the midfield and frontcourt, which is crucial.

Toure will take on more defensive tasks in this game.

He Tianqi assigned him the task of keeping a close eye on Nedved throughout the game, just like he had frozen Zidane before.

Nedved is a better runner and is known for having four knees. He is also called the Iron Man. Based on a lot of running, his playing style has a futuristic feel.

But in terms of absolute talent, he is naturally inferior to Zidane.

It just so happens that Toure has put more effort into physical conditioning this season.

Gain weight, strengthen your core, and improve your conditioning.

Although his skills have not changed much, his body has developed from "normal" to "beast".

Compared to Nedved, freezing Zidane is more difficult for Toure.

Juventus' formation is a more conventional 352:

Piero, Mido

Nedved
Zambrotta, Tacchinardi, Emerson, Camoranesi
Montero, Cannavaro, Thuram
Buffon
-

Zambrotta and Camoranesi are the conventional weapons of this tactic.

In this regard, He Tianqi assigned Ribery and Grosso the task of high-position attack, asking them to use the attack to press Camoranesi into the backcourt, and to press him from right forward to right back.

Zambrotta, on the other hand, relied on the targeted defense of Zaccardo and Barzagli.

With a whistle.

The game officially kicks off.

In the fifth minute, Nedved was knocked to the ground by Toure after receiving the ball.

The referee gestured to indicate that Lei had committed a foul, but he did not intend to issue any card.

This means that the penalty standards for this game are relatively lenient.

Toure can then safely use his body to suppress Nedved.

The commentator also said that Toure's defense is not top-notch, but his running coverage has always been very good, and he and Chiellini can almost cover the entire midfield.

This made up for Modric's laziness in running.

After all, he steals the ball, even when he is running.

In the twelfth minute, Emerson made a long pass to Mido in the frontcourt.

The Brazilian defensive midfielder is at the peak of his powers and is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

He is one of the few defensive midfielders in Brazil who is good at both offense and defense, with excellent vision and long passes.

If nothing unexpected happens, he will be Juventus' best signing this season.

Mido was also great at receiving and stopping the ball. He even shook off Chiellini with a fake pass and completed the shot.

But he hadn't found his shooting boots yet and blasted the ball into the stands.

This made Piero, the person he falsely passed to, unhappy.

Mido did not apologize, but turned around and started thinking about how to perform better next time.

In the 14th minute, Modric faced Emerson who was trying to steal the ball, shook him off with a second touch, and then sent a straight pass with the outside of his foot.

Ribery made a run from the left flank and took a long shot.

But Juventus goalkeeper was Buffon, so he easily saved the ball.

This level of attack from both sides cannot pose a real threat to either Palermo or Juventus.

Both teams played at a very high level.

The tactics of cutting melons and vegetables when facing low-level opponents or weak teams will not work here.

You have to come up with something cutting-edge.

(End of this chapter)