The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 280 Crossing the Alps, Stepping onto the Apennines
Eliminating Tottenham was certainly exhilarating for Bastia fans, but this is just the beginning in the Europa League.

The Round of 16 match against Inter Milan is another hurdle!

The Bastia regional newspapers, of course, only reported the good news, brimming with confidence about Inter Milan's upcoming matches, from their elimination of Tottenham and their 13-point lead over Paris Saint-Germain to Inter's current problems.

"We are not tourists who have come to the Meazza for a pilgrimage; we are conquerors who have come to tear down the walls of a powerful city—the name of Bastia must be returned to the pinnacle of the European war!"

Fans seem to have completely forgotten Inter Milan's treble-winning achievement just three years ago and are very optimistic about the team's prospects for advancing.

After a grueling schedule of two matches against Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain, Bastia is now focusing on rotation. It is foreseeable that the intensity will increase as the season draws to a close, and the players' physical fatigue will continue to accumulate.

This is why Bastia did not celebrate in advance, because a losing streak could very well ruin all their efforts for the entire season.

Such examples are countless throughout the football world.

3 month 6 number.

The entire Bastia team traveled to Milan, Italy.

After the plane landed, the players boarded a bus and headed to their pre-booked hotel.

Gaio looked out the car window at everything rushing past.

The Pirelli Tower, towering into the clouds, reflects sunlight through its austere modern glass curtain walls, while the Gothic spires of Milan Cathedral pierce the skyline and come into view—this stone epic, completed over six centuries, has frozen time and witnessed the rise and fall of countless football legends.

Gaio knew that in this very city, there was an even more legendary place, the San Siro, or by another name, which stood quietly.

There, the magnificent dance of the Dutch trio was once left behind, the loyal bloodline of three generations of the Maldini family was witnessed, Ronaldo's tears and the title of "alien" left to the world were left behind, and Zanetti's eternal running was recorded. This stadium itself is a living history book of football.

It is the place where countless football fans were introduced to football and a sacred place for their entire lives.

And tomorrow night, he will become the writer of one of those pages.

Gaio leaned against the car window, his mind filled with thoughts. Milan, besides football, also boasts the prestigious title of fashion capital.

It's all just a power struggle among capital.

Gaio envisioned future record-breaking transfers, the fusion of oil capital and football.

And the ups and downs of Inter Milan's own fate.

Inter Milan is currently in the afterglow of the Moratti era. It has not fallen into decline like the Indonesian Monkeys, nor has it been changed by Suning, nor has it experienced the neglect of Oak Capital.

They struggled through the growing pains of revival, tenaciously defending the dignity of the treble champions.

unfortunately,

Stramaccioni, this young "scholarly general," his idealistic tactics could never blossom in the mire of reality.

Gaio knew that the young coach's future was not smooth sailing. Starting too high—managing a treble-winning powerhouse right from the start—made him lose his motivation to level up, ultimately leading to a hasty end to his coaching career and a career change to become a full-time commentator.

However, Zanetti is still at the San Siro – the legendary captain remains steadfast and is still an icon of the Nerazzurri spirit.

now,

They are all obstacles that I must overcome.

Gaio then thought of Deschamps' words: Juventus, Italy, Serie A.
"Italy"

Gaio silently recited in his heart.

This is the holy land of football tactics, the art of chain defense, but it has declined due to economic downturn and a lack of young talent.

To be honest, this is really not a good place to go.

Deschamps and his ilk still associate Serie A with the era of the "Little World Cup." Serie A in the era of Deschamps and Zidane was undoubtedly the world's number one league!

pity.

Time has changed the appearance of so many people.

They soon arrived at their destination. After the Bastia team settled in, Hagi Begic led Rothen to the meeting room, where they were to hold a pre-match press conference.

Bastia's stunning upset victory over Tottenham has already led European media to call them the biggest dark horse in the Europa League.

Haji Begichi naturally received a barrage of questions from reporters.

but,

Haji Begitch is becoming increasingly adept at dealing with reporters, seemingly answering many questions, but they can all be summarized in just a few sentences.

"Inter Milan is a prestigious club with a glorious history, and we respect them."

"We are ready to fight with everything we have at any time."

"The team's injuries are under good control for now."

"Gaio might start."

"Our defenses not only have the capability, but also the spirit of Bastia."

at the same time,

Inter Milan is also holding a pre-match press conference.

Stramaccioni said, "Cassano will be with the team. He has been called up to the matchday squad and has been training with the team. I am sure he will contribute to tomorrow's game, whether he starts or comes off the bench. There is no doubt about that."

Cassano was dropped from the squad for last week's Serie A away game against Catania by Stramaccioni after arguing with him in the locker room.

Inter Milan, without Cassano, came from two goals down to defeat Catania 3-2 away from home.

Win the crucial battle for a top-three finish in the league.

Subsequently,

Cassano publicly apologized to the coach and the club.

Stramaccioni then included him in the Europa League squad.

Simultaneously,

Inter Milan recently spent €1100 million to acquire new signing Kovacic from Dinamo Zagreb during the winter transfer window, and Kovacic is also on the pre-match roster.

In addition,

Stramaccioni focused on the team's current injury problems: "We are in a critical moment because injuries have caused us great difficulties. We have called up six players from the youth team this time. After the era of winning everything we could win has passed, we have started a new plan and initiated some important contract renewals. Now, President Moratti is leading the team into another great era."

Inter Milan are plagued by injuries this season!

Inter Milan's injury list is already very long, with Milito, Samuel, Obi, Silvestre, Nagatomo, and Mudingayi all recovering from injuries. Although Guarin has been included in the team's matchday squad, he has not yet fully recovered from his injury.

therefore,

Inter Milan will have to bring young striker Colombi to their home game against Bastia.

It can only be said that Milito's injury and Livaja's departure have left the team short-handed in attack.

However, this situation should improve next season, with Inter Milan focusing on strengthening their attack, and they have already finalized a major signing. According to Tuttosport, Moratti has reached an agreement with Sampdoria's management, confirming that Icardi's move to Inter Milan next season is a certainty. He will perfectly replace Milito, and Inter Milan will easily meet the player's salary demands.

Italian journalist Venerato also stated, "Inter Milan has a clear advantage; Icardi wants to join Inter Milan and has already rejected Napoli."

According to previous reports from Italian media, Inter Milan will pay a transfer fee of 1300 million euros for Icardi.

However, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

Even so, Stramaccioni remains confident in the team's current situation.

"This season our team is composed of veteran players and young players, and the young players will be the future of the team. Although we have faced great difficulties, so far the team is progressing very smoothly, and tomorrow will be a very important game."

"I believe that Bastia's strength lies not only in their physique, but also in their excellent technique and, more importantly, their strong spirit!"

He also specifically mentioned Gaio, saying, "Gaio is developing into one of the sharpest attacking players in Europe. He has proven himself to be a decisive player. I have great respect for Gaio, as well as for De Bruyne, Kanté, and other Bastia players. Of course, we also have many championship-caliber players, and Bastia will respect us as well."

When asked how to contain Gaio, Stramaccioni replied, "We need to play with more focus, and we know we don't have much room to change things at this point. However, it's Inter Milan playing Bastia, and at home, we need to put on a good performance."

His words were perfectly conventional.

This is quite in line with the impression Stramaccioni gives people.

Before coaching Inter Milan's first team, he was best known for leading Inter Milan's youth team to win the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2011.

This victory, especially against the talented Ajax youth team, made him a star within Inter Milan.

In March 2012, Inter Milan's poor performance led to the dismissal of veteran coach Ranieri.

At just 36 years old, Stramaccioni was personally promoted by club president Massimo Moratti to become Inter Milan's first-team coach!

This caused a huge sensation at the time.

In his early days in charge, Stramaccioni led the team to victory against Juventus in the "El Clásico". Although they ultimately finished 9th in the season, they had a good run of results after taking over and showed potential.

The team readily offered him a three-year contract extension.

Stramaccioni's tactical style was heavily influenced by Spanish football. He admired and tried to implement a technical, ground-based passing style, emphasizing ball control and proactive attacking play at Inter Milan, using the more popular 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formations.

This differs from the generally pragmatic style of Serie A, and carries a distinct idealistic character.

This style of play is very popular with Inter Milan fans, who feel that this is the best period of Inter Milan's performance in recent years.

Perhaps this is also related to his personality.

Compared to the passion or fiery temperament of many Italian coaches, Stramaccioni is known for his calmness, rationality, elegant demeanor, and proper speech.

He is adept at clearly expressing his tactical ideas in front of the media, demonstrating excellent communication skills.

Unfortunately, the young marshal eventually faced a challenge.

Entering the 2012/13 season, due to injuries and other reasons, the team's performance fluctuated greatly and its league results were not stable.

Therefore,
The European League has become a key target.

He needs to prove himself in the first team, at least by winning a Europa League title, so that he can stay in the Inter Milan head coach position longer.

night.

Gaio was chatting and resting with his teammates at the hotel. They talked about some news related to Inter Milan. Inter Milan's current squad is very depleted, which is very advantageous for Bastia.

Even more advantageous is the tactics of Inter Milan coach Stramaccioni, which are quite similar to those of Villas-Boas and are very suitable for Bastia's defensive counter-attacking tactics.

At last,
De Bruyne said to Gaião, "Do you think it's possible that we'll draw Chelsea in the quarterfinals?"

Looking at the calm in De Bruyne's eyes, Gaio smiled and said, "Want to go back to Stamford Bridge and prove yourself?"

De Bruyne laughed too. "Don't you want to?"

Upon hearing this, Gaio's memories, which were not originally his, naturally surfaced.

Looking back on his time at Chelsea now, honestly, Chelsea did nothing to wrong him.

They even indulged and let him run wild, hoping he could show his talent on the court.

Even before Gaio's final beating of his teammates, he had a stable chance to play and even had the opportunity to join the first team. Although he didn't play, it still proved that Chelsea valued him.

Off-site,

Chelsea covered the educational expenses of Gaio's younger siblings and also gave him a signing bonus, which improved Pierre's financial situation at the time.

In short, he has done everything he could to be kind and righteous.

However, Gaião himself is too eccentric, not only squandering his talent but also wasting Chelsea's goodwill.

Sometimes Gaio wonders if he was a superhero in the past.

Take back your thoughts.

Instead of giving a direct answer to De Bruyne, Gaião said, "We'll have to get past Inter Milan first."

De Bruyne nodded slightly, then turned to look at the Milan night view outside the hotel.

Gaio saw the hint of confusion in his eyes.

Gaião's future is uncertain, and so is De Bruyne's. Although he is a Chelsea player, will he really get a chance to play for Chelsea?

Especially with the Chelsea manager position still undecided, the future of players like De Bruyne and Lukaku is even more uncertain.

The next day.

At 7 p.m., the entire Bastia team traveled to the San Siro by bus.

As Gaio watched the celebrations and shouts of the blue and black fans along the way, his fighting spirit grew stronger.

The bus eventually stopped at the San Siro stadium parking lot.

The huge stadium cast long shadows under the surrounding lights, creating an overwhelming sense of oppression.

The fans' chants could already be faintly heard, carrying the unique rhythm and passion of Italian.

Gaio took a deep breath; the air in Milan seemed to be filled with the weight of history and the smoke of competition.

Gaio walked onto the court without hesitation.

This place has buried countless heroic dreams and given birth to countless legends.

tonight,

An 18-year-old boy from Corsica also wanted to carve his name here.

When the French crossed the Alps and set foot in the Apennines, they had only one purpose—they were not there for pilgrimage, but for conquest.

(End of this chapter)