If you are a brother, come and play football

Chapter 294 San Diego, St. Paul (Please subscribe)
Before the match even started, the Italian Football Federation announced the list of referees.

This highly anticipated match will be officiated by Collina.

Collina's upward momentum is very evident.

This 36-year-old referee has extensive experience, having started officiating youth matches at the age of 17.

He has been officiating Serie A matches for five years.

The Italian Football Federation values ​​his ability to control the game.

They didn't want a repeat of Totti spitting on Simeone, so they brought in this young referee.

Although Collina only has five years of law enforcement experience, his law enforcement skills are still recognized by many people.

His philosophy has gained recognition from many people: let the players decide the outcome of the game, not the referee.

Some referees with a strong desire to perform always want to be the main character on the field.

It even became a scenic spot.

During the era of the BIG4, there were also four corresponding blind men, as well as Ferguson, Wenger, Mourinho and Benitez, which were all highlights of the Premier League.

Lu Deyang believes that Serie A is still lacking.

Italian players have the ability, but they lack distinctive characteristics.

Being handsome means you're good at picking up girls, but you don't even get any attention.

All of Vieri's girlfriends combined are not as famous in England as the old lady Rooney knows.

The news takes on a different form once it reaches Fleet Street.

Ferguson going out for coffee is reported with the frenzy that it's as if he's about to launch some plan to destroy the world with satellites.

Arsenal signs a player, and before the player has even made it to the game, the story of their childhood friendship is already unfolding in great detail.

The Premier League's later golden age was not only due to its inherent advantages, but also largely thanks to the contributions of the English media.

When he received the award later, Lu Deyang felt he should talk to the president of the Italian Football Federation about it.

The league's quality is what it is; how can it develop if other aspects are lagging behind?

At this time, the Bosman ruling and the player bubble led to a decline in the quality of Serie A, but it remained the undisputed top league. There were simply too many excellent players from Italy's youth academy, which might even have squeezed out the opportunities for foreign players.

Just so outrageous.

With such favorable conditions, all aspects, including broadcasting technology, camera setup, match timing, and post-match media guidance, must be handled well.

The only problem that can't be solved is the stadium issue.

However, doing these things will at least make the future of Serie A a little better.

The camera angles for later Serie A matches also looked awkward, like those in early football broadcasts.

The Champions League looks much better.

Italian newspapers are like it's New Year's Eve lately.

There are good news stories to report every day.

Football legends are flocking to Milan one after another.

Even if they plan to go to Naples to watch the game, they won't go to Naples in advance.

Napoli is far inferior to Milan.

The legendary footballer Pelé checked into a luxury hotel in Milan well in advance.

In a media interview, he said, "I favor AC Milan in this match. Dejan's teammates are stronger, and Diego will have a tough time."

At this time, Pele did not yet have the nickname "jinx".

However, his prediction success rate is indeed not very high.

As Lu Deyang's former coach.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Ferguson said: "There is no doubt that Diego Maradona was a great player. But even great players have their regrets. I don't think he could beat Dejan at the end of his career. This game will be uglier than people think. Napoli's strength has declined a lot compared to before."

Ferguson's views have gained considerable acceptance.

Napoli certainly made a lot of effort to keep Maradona.

However, when their performance was poor and they didn't earn as much money, Maradona's high salary hindered the team's development.

There aren't that many Carecas who would be willing to play for Napoli just for Maradona, not even caring about their salary.

To remain competitive.

While retaining Maradona, the team should continuously rejuvenate.

Napoli not only failed to do so, but also failed to retain Zola.

This has resulted in a significant gap between their current strength and that of the teams that won the championship.

Gazzetta dello Sport photographed Roberto Rivelino.

Brazil has a long history of producing great players, and this man, Maradona's idol and a legendary Brazilian winger, currently runs a football academy in Brazil to train young talent.

His playing style is characterized by a series of feints and numerous shifts in weight, allowing him to lose his balance without even touching the ball. Combined with his highly deceptive stepovers, his playing style is incredibly flashy.

Unfortunately, I was unable to interview him.

Another player Maradona admired, his compatriot Ricardo Bocchini, though he didn't make it to Italy.

However, in an interview with Clarín, the former left winger and member of the 1986 World Cup team said: "I have great respect for Diego. He is a true genius, and I hope he can achieve his goal. But life is not always smooth sailing. I think the process of pursuing victory is more important than the result of the game. During the period of challenging Dejan, Diego became a better version of himself."

Argentinians know this very well.

In order to win against Lu Deyang, Maradona has become quite restrained in his private life.

This is the biggest thing for Argentine fans.

If it weren't for challenging Lu Deyang, it's questionable whether Maradona would have even participated in the 94 World Cup.

Italian legends share the same view.

Very simple reason.

If you struggled to win even at the peak of your career, how can you expect to win at the end of your career?

There are quite a few fans who support Maradona.

However, not many fans believe he can win.

Not to mention those working in the football industry.

William Hill even offered extremely high odds to attract adventurous customers.

Unfortunately, they failed to receive the huge betting orders from Africa.

……

March 8th, the last training day before the competition.

As usual, Lu Deyang did not stop in front of Milanello's goal, but only slowed down slightly before entering the training base.

When there are many reporters, there is no time to sign autographs for fans.

He didn't want to stop the car to answer reporters' questions.

In the parking lot, Lu Deyang saw Baresi getting out of the car. After parking, Lu Deyang greeted him with a smile, "Good morning, Captain."

Good morning, Deyang.

Baresi said to himself, "I don't want to embarrass myself in the game, so I need to train harder. Fortunately, Napoli's high balls aren't very strong, otherwise I would have applied to be a substitute."

Lu Deyang did not respond.

When the two arrived near the training ground, they saw that there were already people there.

"Francisco, so early?"

Lu Deyang called out from afar.

The little prince turned his head, gave a thumbs up, and said, "I must prove that I am the best number 10 in the Italian league right now, so that our clothes will sell well."

Lu Deyang nodded, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Totti showed extraordinary enthusiasm for partnering to sell clothes.

Didn't Gigi come with you?

Lu Deyang asked.

Totti shook his head and said, "That guy is still sleeping, secretly studying every day trying to graduate before me. It's ridiculous."

Both Baresi and Lu Deyang fell silent.

These young people really have a strong competitive spirit.

Although the field is somewhat speechless.

But they really don't want to fall behind.

As he walked toward the locker room, Baresi said, "That kid is hardworking and arrogant; someone like that is bound to succeed."

"I think so."

Lu Deyang nodded and said.

While Lu Deyang was changing his clothes, Baresi was still standing in front of the cabinet.

I guess I'm about to retire, so I have a lot to say.

Having failed to gain experience with Inter Milan and Atalanta, Milan's acceptance of him is all the more important.

“Retirement doesn’t mean the end. Some people become promotional ambassadors, some become youth team coaches, and even Paulo might become a high-ranking member of the club after retirement. If you can’t bear to leave Milan, you can stay with the team in another capacity.”

Lu Deyang said as he bent down to put on his shoes.

Baresi smiled and began changing his clothes, saying, "That's how it is when people get old."

"You're not old until you're 40, and even at 60 you're just a young old man. At most, you're a middle-aged person in your childhood."

Lu Deyang joked.

Because it's quite confusing to say it in Italian.

It took Baresi a moment to understand.

"This sounds like a politician's theory, but it tells us to keep working."

Baresi said directly.

Lu Deyang smiled and nodded.

The old captain is quite astute; why not become an official in the Italian players' union after retiring?

Upon arriving at the training ground, Lu Deyang noticed that the Little Prince had left a very small distance between the training compasses.

There's really no need to make things difficult for yourself.

Lu Deyang said, "There's no point in trying to imitate other people's styles. You can dribble past people repeatedly on your own."

Height determines the center of gravity.

The center of gravity determines the way you get past someone.

Except for a very few people who can violate these conventions.

If your legs are 10 centimeters longer than someone else's, and you still want to spike the ball the same way, that's a joke.

"I just want to try it."

The Little Prince defended himself.

"Then let's play more teamwork. We can easily break through Napoli with continuous teamwork."

Lu Deyang said.

Luigi Simone's tactics left a deep impression on him.

Playing a 4-5-1 parallel midfield in Italy is no ordinary idea.

Ferguson preferred a 4-4-2 midfield formation for a period of time.

This tactic places exceptionally high demands on the individual abilities of the midfielders. The central midfielders actually shoulder more responsibility, as there is no defensive midfielder to track back, and they also need to make forward runs in attack.

Given the strength of Napoli's players, their use of this relatively simple but individual-reliant tactic has already doomed them to a mid-table finish.

Whether it's above average or below average depends on luck and performance.

After all, this tactic is countered by the mainstream tactics of many teams.

Ferguson's strategy of playing a parallel midfield was characterized by Giggs and Beckham on the wings, Keane leading the midfield, and Scholes as his partner. Not to mention their defensive capabilities, their attacking prowess was also outstanding, and they could usually dominate the opponent.

Before long, the training ground became lively.

Milan players usually arrive at the team for training early, but Sacchi doesn't follow Italian time for work hours; whoever is late is just asking for trouble.

The training ground was already bustling with activity before 10 a.m.

The coaching staff hasn't arrived yet to give instructions, and the players are generally doing their own things.

Maldini's stretching movements were somewhat unusual, prompting Lu Deyang to ask, "Is this yoga?"

“Yes, I accompanied Adriana to the yoga studio. The teacher said that yoga can help athletes maintain their physical condition,” Maldini nodded.

"Have you learned to play the flute yet? Did you bring the cobra?"

Costacurta joked.

"roll!"

Maldini said irritably.

He often swore in front of Costacurta.

Costa didn't seem to care, mimicking the motions of playing a flute with his hands on the sidelines. Panucci followed suit, twisting his waist like a cobra, and laughter filled the training field. At ten o'clock, Tardelli walked to the sidelines with his splints and said, "The starting lineup for tomorrow's match has been decided. I will announce it in advance. It won't be much different from usual. Arrigo reminds you that winning or losing isn't important. Even if we don't win every game, we will still win the championship."

The coach actually hopes that the referee's calls were flawed, causing the team to lose.

This way, psychological pressure can be released without affecting grades, and most importantly, someone will take the blame.

But the Italian Football Federation won't give that opportunity.

Seeing Collina, you know this match won't be too surprising.

Although the score against Roma seemed stable, it was actually quite close.

They can't lose now, there are still a series of strong teams like Juventus and Inter Milan to come.

You could say that Sacchi was experiencing both pain and pleasure; he wanted to keep winning, but rationally he also hoped to lose an unimportant game sooner rather than later.

That's the contradiction.

“Gigi, Paulo, Franco, Fernando... Dejan, Marco van Basten.”

Tardelli lowered his head and read out the starting lineup.

"I feel discriminated against. Is there some conflict between us, Marco?"

"I'm joking," Basten remarked.

"Okay, then Marco will start tomorrow."

Marco Tardelli quipped in response.

What to do when there are so many Marcos on the team? Even he himself feels strange calling him that name.

"After your nap, there will be a 30-minute scrimmage in groups. Be careful not to get injured. Let's warm up in the morning," Tardelli said, waving his hand.

The players nodded and began training on their own.

Many coaches delegate training to assistant coaches, who are responsible for a portion of the training.

In the early days, Ferguson also took charge of everything himself, but later he couldn't keep up with the workload, so Phelan took over the training.

So the assistant coach became ambitious and thought he could become Manchester United's manager, claiming that he would be in charge of Manchester United's training.

In reality, team training isn't that important.

Because many people on the coaching staff can handle this, the head coach only needs to control the locker room and have the authority to speak for the team.

It seems unfair, but it's very difficult to achieve this.

Solskjaer's relaxed approach to team management and focus on training, which is entirely in the style of an assistant coach, has resulted in a decline in the quality of training.

The team is afraid of you, so the quality of training can be guaranteed. Players are like those naughty students; they need teachers to put pressure on them. He didn't realize this.

He's still playing the role of a kind and understanding older brother; it's no wonder he's failing.

The training session the day before the match was very low-intensity, mainly focused on developing teamwork and maintaining touch.

The next day, the entire Milan team flew to Naples early.

After having a simple meal at the hotel, we set off for the São Paulo Stadium at 11:00 AM.

The match was scheduled for 2 o'clock, which was just the right time.

Naples is a very vibrant city.

Maradona is like God here; large portraits of him can be seen everywhere along the streets.

Various colorful paintings adorn the mottled walls.

Imagine what it would be like if such a big city only had one team.

"Let Diego win, please."

Let Diego win today!

As the bus moved forward, some home team fans shouted strange slogans.

Threatening the away team is quite common.

However, some Neapolis fans chose to plead today.

"I hate this the most."

Maldini sighed and said, "I also hope that great players can have a great ending, but as a professional player, I can't throw a game in any match."

"now it's right."

Lu Deyang said with a smile: "Letting the ball go will only turn the game into a joke. It is disrespectful to both ourselves and our opponents, and it is even more unfair to the fans who support us."

"Luckily we are teammates, otherwise I think I would face this situation in the future."

Maldini said.

He's several years older than Lu Deyang, so he'll definitely retire first.

The thought of Lu Deyang being an opponent, and the Rossoneri begging him to let him win this time, filled Maldini with mixed feelings.

"If I can no longer play, I will choose to retire."

The Little Prince suddenly said.

Lu Deyang turned to look out the window and rolled his eyes.

If De Rossi heard that, he'd kill you.

In other words, winning the championship in Milan is guaranteed, and you have more ideas now.

"Paul, did you know that Dejan is going to go into business with me?"

Totti turned to Maldini and said.

“Selling clothes, right? I’ve heard about it more than ten times. I feel that selling clothes has potential,” Maldini said with a gentle smile.

He had similar thoughts.

Young people today pursue individuality, and he happens to have some design inspiration.

"Right? I also think it will be successful. Maybe our brand will become a well-known luxury brand in the future, and then we'll give you VVIP membership cards!" Totti said with a chuckle.

"idiot!"

Buffon said sinisterly from the side, "Targeting young people means it won't be a luxury item. If you don't even know that, how can you do business?"

He just couldn't understand how Totti, that idiot, could be so lucky.

What exactly did Lu Deyang see in him?

Doing business with him, Totti wouldn't be of any help to the business other than contributing money.

Are they specifically selling this brand to people who don't do well in school?
The atmosphere on the bus was quite cheerful.

After all, Milan is the stronger side.

Napoli fans didn't cause any trouble, and the team bus arrived at the stadium on time.

"Diego!"

"Diego!"

"Diego!"

As the Milan players disembarked, Napoli fans chanted Maradona's name in protest.

Lu Deyang quickly followed his teammates onto the court.

Italy's police shortage is nothing new.

He didn't want to cause any mass incidents.

“Dejan, let’s go to the press conference together,” Saki said.

Lu Deyang nodded and followed.

When the two arrived, Maradona and Luigi Simone were already seated there.

Upon seeing Lu Deyang and Sacchi, Maradona nodded in greeting.

"Dejan, do you think Napoli will pose a threat to you in today's match?"

"Dejan, is Diego Maradona your strongest rival? How would you rate him?"

"Diego, if we lose today, would you choose to play another season?"

"Diego, would you choose to become a coach after you retire?"

"Pele thinks you can't win, what do you think, Diego?"

"Deyang, are you fully recovered?"

"..."

The coaches of both teams were relegated to supporting roles.

There's so much news to write about these two main players.

Lu Deyang raised his right hand, gesturing for Maradona to speak first.

Maradona didn't mince words, grabbing the microphone and saying, "I've said it many times, this is my last season. My career has been long enough. I've won championships and the World Cup. I have no regrets."

"Aren't you disappointed that you never beat Dejan?"

one reporter asked.

Maradona rolled his eyes.

Is not this nonsensical.

However, he patiently said, "Perhaps, but you can't have everything. Greed is one of humanity's original sins."

"What are your plans after you retire? Do you intend to become a coach, or open a football academy like some others to cultivate the next Maradona?"

the reporter asked.

Maradona frowned and said, "I'll have some fun for a while, and I want to correct you, there is no new Maradona. Other players are other players, I am me, and there will only be people imitating me and trying to get close to me."

"Surpass you?"

The reporter added.

Maradona simply pushed the microphone aside.

Lu Deyang knew this would happen.

Don't talk about things that aren't true.

He was unhappy that FIFA put Pelé ahead of him in the World Player of the Century poll.

The reporter was clearly deliberately picking a fight.

Lu Deyang began, “Perhaps a player like Diego will emerge, perhaps not, but that doesn’t matter. Diego’s greatness isn’t just because of his skills. A unique historical period created the greatest player in the Pampas, and his achievements are hard to replicate. If you want a new Maradona, you’d better encourage the British to start a war.”

Many reporters laughed.

Ten years have passed, but everyone has experienced it.

Of course I know what the situation is.

Even today, the British still hold a grudge.

"Dejan, where do you think Maradona ranks in history?"

The reporter, speaking with a Northwest English accent, asked.

"The top three, I'd say Pelé, Beckbauer, Cruyff, and Maradona. Those are the top three I recognize."

Lu Deyang said.

"There are four people," the reporter pointed out.

Lu Deyang said with a smile, "Then kick one person out. Who do you think should be kicked out?"

The audience burst into laughter.

Lu Deyang is really not someone to be trifled with.

If a reporter asks a slightly pointed question, he immediately retaliates.

Sports journalists are rarely remembered, but if someone answers this question today, their name will definitely make the headlines.

The person involved will remember him for a lifetime.

These people are all symbols of football in their respective countries; offending one is equivalent to offending a whole group of people.

The reporter reluctantly shut his mouth.

"Deyang, how are you feeling?"

The reporter specifically mentioned: "Franco Baldini, a reporter from Gazzetta dello Sport."

"It's alright, there's nothing wrong with it now. I was lucky this time, it was just a sprain, but it's also luck that a sprain can heal so quickly."

Lu Deyang said.

The reporters all nodded in agreement.

After answering a few more questions, Lu Deyang and Saki left.

Back in the locker room, Lu Deyang started drawing prizes while changing his clothes.

[Your good brother Roberto Mancini loves the limelight, so draw a player who has had a great moment in the spotlight. Ding! You have obtained a 1959 Santos International Tournament, Santos vs. Inter Milan, Ederson Arantes do Nascimento single-match experience card.]

Holy crap, Pele!

In order to allow him to play, the warlord chose to temporarily cease hostilities.

This guy really made quite a splash.

(End of this chapter)