Football: Three sure-fire weaknesses in every match!

The day before the competition.

Genoa.

Sampdoria's home ground, Luigi Ferraris Stadium.

The Roma team bus slowly came to a stop outside the stadium.

The car door opened.

The players got off the bus one after another.

This stadium has a completely different feel from the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

It lacks that sense of grandeur and openness.

It lacks the smooth outer shell of a modern stadium.

Even some of the passageways and grandstand structures exude a distinct old-fashioned feel.

narrow.

oppression.

obsolete.

Yet it's very close to the stadium.

The stands seemed to press down on the grass almost as if they were right next to it.

On match day, when the stadium is full of fans, the roar doesn't come from a distance, but seems to hit the players directly in the ears.

But the Roma players, who had just arrived, were clearly not immediately struck by the feeling of being under pressure.

Rather, it was shabby.

Salah, carrying his bag, looked around and chuckled softly.

"This stadium... has a vintage feel to it."

Florenzi, standing nearby, looked at the corridor walls and couldn't help but say:

"Having a sense of age is a nice way of putting it."

To put it bluntly...

"It looks like it hasn't been properly renovated in decades."

Nainggolan, with gum dangling from his mouth, still walked with his usual nonchalant gait.

He looked up at the stands.

"Is this really the home ground of the Serie A leaders?"

"I thought we were going to some regional league."

Several players laughed.

One substitute player was even more outrageous.

"Seriously."

"Some parks and stadiums in Rome have newer facilities than here."

As soon as those words were spoken...

The laughter grew even louder.

But the laughter had just spread.

A cold voice came from behind.

That's enough.

Everyone turned around.

James Pallotta was standing there.

The current owner of Rome.

He didn't look well.

He scanned the players.

His tone was direct and straightforward, without any beating around the bush.

"If you think the stadium is old, you can win."

"Then we don't need to play tomorrow."

"Just find a construction company to assess the hardware."

The players immediately fell silent.

Pallotta stepped forward.

Looking at that lawn.

"True strength."

"We'll see who wins on the field."

"It's not about whose locker room is more luxurious."

"It's not about whose passageway is prettier."

"It's not about who has the newest stands."

He turned to look at the players.

Sampdoria just beat AC Milan by three goals at the San Siro.

"They didn't win because of stadium renovations."

"It depends on the players."

"Rely on the competition."

"By scoring goals."

"So don't underestimate your opponent."

"Especially don't underestimate your enemy in such a foolish way."

The air suddenly became quiet.

That's just how Pallotta is.

Strong.

direct.

Quick-tongued.

He was never afraid to say unpleasant things.

He is from Boston, USA.

His professional background includes hedge fund manager and private investor.

He already had a presence in the American sports world before entering Italian football.

He is a shareholder of the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball.

He also once held shares in the NBA's Boston Celtics.

2012 October.

He took control of Rome with a 70% stake and as chairman.

From that time on, he tried to transform this traditional Italian club with a typical American boss's mindset.

data.

Commercial development.

New stadium plans.

Brand value.

International market.

In his eyes, these things are just as important as grades.

He's not the kind of boss who indulges in sentimentality.

It could even be said that he was very impatient with the deeply entrenched locker room culture, veteran privileges, and media relations in Italian football.

legend?

Of course, I respect that.

But legends cannot supersede the interests of the team.

Totti is forty years old.

Then they should rotate the teams.

They can no longer be the absolute main force.

We cannot linger on the throne of the past.

Therefore, he supports Spalletti.

Support reconstruction.

Support for forcing the team to move beyond the Totti era.

Because of this.

His relationship with Roma's traditional fans has always been complicated.

Some people think he is shrewd.

Daring to gamble.

Willing to invest.

Some people think he is cold-blooded.

They don't understand Rome.

I don't understand what Totti means to this city.

But Pallotta didn't care much about these things.

He often told Italian and American media:

"I'm not an American who comes here to make a quick buck and leave."

"I want to build the Roman Empire!"

That sounds arrogant.

It also fits his personality.

Big mouth.

Strong desire for control.

pragmatism.

They dare to openly criticize referees, the media, opponents, and even their own people.

Winter of 2016.

He promptly fired Rudy Garcia.

Spalletti was brought back.

That's the style.

No delay.

I can't bear it.

Not nostalgic.

If it's wrong, change it.

If it doesn't work out, just leave.

now.

He stood on the sidelines of the Ferraris Stadium.

Looking at his own Roma team, his tone remained firm.

"We need three points tomorrow!"

"This is not a joke!"

Done.

He turned and walked toward the stands.

The players were left looking at each other in bewilderment.

Nainggolan spit out his chewing gum.

He said in a low voice:

"All right."

"Looks like the boss isn't in the mood for jokes today."

Florenzi shrugged.

"Because he wants to reach the summit."

"We all want to."

The field training session began soon.

Sidelines.

The Roma coaching staff is finalizing their pre-match tactics.

Spalletti is holding a tactical board.

His expression was cold and hard.

The assistant coaches then laid out the data reports from Sampdoria's last three matches.

Lin Qi's running hot zone.

The area where the ball touches the ground.

Methods of scoring.

Number of times the victim was violated.

The passing link between Bruno Fernandes and Bruno Fernandes.

Everything was marked with dense labels.

One of the assistant coaches, looking at the tactics board, couldn't help but say:

"Luciano".

"Your solution is indeed very direct."

Spalletti did not speak.

The teaching assistant continued:

"Lin Qi's biggest problem right now isn't how to defend himself."

"It's not that we can't let him kick comfortably."

"If you let him have free rein, he will keep coming up with new things."

"Header."

"Dribbling".

"Counterattack."

"Flanking maneuver at the back post."

"So we have to disrupt his rhythm from the very beginning."

His tone clearly carried a cold, executive quality.

"Physical contact must be strong enough."

"Let him know that this isn't one of those AC Milan games where things only get out of control in the second half."

"He will be surrounded from the very first minute."

"Every time I catch the ball, someone sticks to me."

"Every time I turn around, someone bumps into me."

"Someone interrupts me every time I start it up."

Spalletti's expression remained unchanged.

He simply asked:

"What about the standards?"

The teaching assistant paused for a moment.

"Take turns doing it."

"We can't let one person commit consecutive fouls."

"De Rossi once."

"Nainggolan once."

"Rüdiger once."

"Florenzi once."

"The full-back can also be called up once."

"Everyone's actions are kept to the point of being borderline yellow card."

"This makes it difficult for referees to directly and severely punish a particular person."

"But Lin Qi himself will sense it..."

"It wasn't a particular guard guarding him."

"The entire Roman team is watching him."

To put it simply, this plan...

It's a war of attrition.

It wasn't about winning possession of the ball on any particular occasion.

Rather, it was to gradually wear down Lin Qi's body and mind.

This made him hesitant to receive the ball.

This made him feel the pressure before he even turned around.

Make him feel like he's not facing an opponent.

Instead, they faced eleven red shadows that could pounce at any moment.

……