bookbashuk Chapter 32 An Unexpected Starting Position! The Frenzied Stadio Olimpico in Rome!
Chapter 32 An Unexpected Starting Position! The Frenzied Stadio Olimpico in Rome!
The second round of the 2017-2018 Serie A season kicked off at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.
Genoa vs Juventus
On Saturday afternoon at 6 p.m. local time, the match, which was considered to have little suspense, took an unexpected turn.
Pjanic scored an own goal in the first minute, and Lichtsteiner conceded a penalty.
Juventus, the away team, fell behind by two goals in less than ten minutes.
The slow-starting defending champions Juventus reacted sharply, with Dybala scoring a hat-trick and Cuadrado adding a goal to complete a comeback from 2-0 down to 4-2!
After the match ended, more than 40,000 fans had packed the Stadio Olimpico in the northern suburbs of Rome.
Chang Huan, having changed into his training shirt, emerged from the player tunnel and faintly heard fans shouting "Chang!" and "Chang Huan!"
He instinctively turned around and looked up at the stands surrounded by raised railings.
The fans on both sides of the player tunnel entrance were incredibly enthusiastic.
There were Roma fans wearing red jerseys and Chinese fans waving the Chinese national flag.
Chang Huan smiled and raised his hands, clapping to thank the fans for their support.
"Let's go warm up."
Lorenzo Pellegrini patted Chang Huan on the shoulder.
The two walked side by side across the rubber track and entered the stadium to warm up.
This was his first time visiting the Stadio Olimpico in Rome as a player for the home team, and he felt somewhat out of place.
Having gotten used to professional football stadiums, warming up on a pitch surrounded by a synthetic running track always feels like something's missing.
However, the pitch was of good quality, and the home fans were incredibly enthusiastic.
An hour before the match, announcer Enzo Marino gave a special introduction to Roma's new signings who joined the team this summer.
Kolarov, Defrel, Ünder, Karsdorp, Gonalon...
Every time a player's name was called, the stands would erupt in a huge cheer.
"Chang-Huan!"
Like his other newly joined teammates, Chang Huan, after stretching, looked around, waved, and thanked the home fans for their strong support.
Shortly after, the Italian Serie A league announced the starting lineups submitted by both sides.
Both teams fielded their strongest lineups.
Roma's 4-3-3 formation.
Goalkeeper: Alisson
Defenders: Kolarov, Fazio, Manolas, Juan Jesus
Midfielders: Nainggolan, De Rossi, Strootman
Forwards: Perotti, Dzeko, Defrel
Inter Milan, the away team, fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Goalkeeper: Handanovic
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Miranda, Skriniar, D'Ambrosio
Defensive midfielders: Gagliardini, Vecino
Midfielders: Perisic, Valero, Candreva
Forward: Icardi
……
More than half an hour before the match, the Roma players were warming up and entering the final stage of their ball training.
Players engage in two- or three-person passing, one-two passes, regular crosses for headers, and long-range shots.
In front of the goal.
Defrel received a pass back from Dzeko, adjusted his position, and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area's edge!
The shot went high and wide, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.
His left hand involuntarily reached for the muscles on the back of his left thigh as he bent over, touched them a couple of times, shook his head, and sat down directly on the grass at the top of the penalty area.
"Greguel, are you alright?"
Zheko walked over and asked with concern.
Defrel shook his head: "It feels like a muscle tear."
After a brief diagnosis by the team doctor.
A tear in the hamstring muscles on the back of the thigh.
The exact degree of tear can only be determined using an MRI.
locker room.
After team doctor Delviscovo finished reporting on Defrel's strained thigh, head coach Di Francesco frowned and turned to his assistant, Tome, asking, "Francesco, what do you think?"
Tome rolled his eyes, thinking, "Just use your eyes," but that was definitely not the right thing to say. He pondered for a moment, then said, "How about... starting more often?"
"reason."
"Continue to implement the weak-footed kicking tactic, as Chang is the best in terms of ability and form among the remaining left-footed players."
"Let me think about it carefully."
De Francis removed his glasses with his right hand, pinched his brow with his left thumb and forefinger, closed his eyes, and his brain was working at high speed.
He wasn't mentally prepared to let Chang Huan start.
However, life is unpredictable, and it is impossible to be perfect in every aspect.
After pondering for about a minute, he put his glasses back on, picked up a marker, walked to the tactics board, crossed out the Arabic numeral 23 on the right flank of the attacking third, and firmly wrote a new number on top.
【99】
……
Chang Huan chatted with El Shaarawy and Lorenzo Pellegrini as they returned to the home team's locker room, when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that assistant coach Tome was walking towards them.
I had a vague idea of what was going on.
Even before DeFreil's unexpected injury, he realized he would be a potential replacement.
The coaching staff continued to require the team to execute the pre-match tactics, so the right flank would inevitably prioritize left-footed players.
Compared to the adaptation period of Cloudy, it has a significant advantage.
Unless the pre-match tactics are changed, even Jesus can only wait in line on the sidelines.
"Chang, I hope you are mentally prepared."
Tomei walked up to Chang Huan and stood in front of him.
Chang Huan's lips twitched slightly: "Second Boss, can you please stop talking like the Big Boss?"
"You brat."
Head assistant coach Tome chuckled and scolded, "Did you guess what's going on?"
Hey~
He often smiles without saying a word.
Lorenzo Pellegrini looked at the two suspiciously, scratching the back of his head with his right hand: "What's going on?"
"you guess."
"..."
Tome ignored the dim-witted Lorenzo Pellegrini and pulled Chang Huan to the double-sided magnetic tactics board: "The tactics are consistent with the pre-match plan, but you have more autonomy in the activity area, just like in pre-match training. Are you confident in completing the tasks assigned to you by the coaching staff?"
"certainly!"
It was only then that Lorenzo Pellegrini realized what was happening.
He himself, the future fourth generation of Roma, hasn't even had a chance to start yet, but Chang Huan... is starting first!
El Shaarawy, eager for a resounding victory, exclaimed, "Coach, I can play right winger too! ┭┮﹏┭┮"
Turkish winger Ünder couldn't hide his envy.
After digesting the new tactical content from assistant coach Tomé, Chang Huan walked over to El Shaarawy: "Brother El, can I borrow your hair gel?"
……
It was 8:35 p.m. local time in Italy.
Upon hearing the start bell, players from both teams left their respective locker rooms.
The starting players remained in the player tunnel, while the substitutes quickly passed through to the field and took their seats on the bench.
PP Sports intercepted the live signal in advance.
The 4K ultra-high-definition equipment at the Zhangjiang Microelectronics Port Production and Broadcasting Center's live broadcast studio in Shanghai has been connected to the live signal.
Fans watching the live broadcast of the game could see De Rossi with his arm around Chang Huan's shoulder in the players' tunnel, saying something to him, which puzzled some of them.
Commentator He Yu, who had received advance notice, calmly explained: "Roma's starting right winger, Defrel, suffered an unexpected injury during pre-match warm-up, and our 17-year-old prodigy, Chang Huan, will start!"
"You heard right! Chang Huan will start in this key Serie A match! Making his debut at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome!"
Commentator Liu Teng chimed in.
Chinese fans sitting in front of their computer monitors or projected TVs had their eyes light up.
They were prepared for Chang Huan to be a substitute or not play, but he unexpectedly started!
Many Inter Milan fans, including some, hope that Chang Huan will perform well in the upcoming key match.
Your favorite team is important, but the hopes of your country are even more important!
Every Roma starting player in the players' tunnel gave Chang Huan a high-five and offered words of encouragement.
They trusted Chang Huan's individual abilities, but the upcoming match was very important, and it was his first official start in his professional career, so they couldn't help but worry.
Not long after.
Referee Irati received a notification from the control room and called the players from both sides, who were holding their caddies, onto the field.
The Stadio Olimpico in Rome has a maximum capacity of 70634 spectators, and fans make up about 70% of the stadium's capacity.
The area is partly due to the presence of a multi-purpose stadium, giving it a somewhat sparse feel.
As the players from both sides entered the field, the Roma fans immediately became excited.
The die-hard fans in the south stand, mainly the "Fedayn", "boys", and "Leones", unleashed their passion, creating a fervent home atmosphere.
As the first home game of the 2017-2018 Serie A season, the die-hard fans in the South Stand also prepared a traditional giant tifo show.
Die-hard fans in the South Stand jointly displayed a giant tifo, 30 meters long, themed "The Heart of the Red Wolves".
The main colors are red and yellow, with the Roma team emblem in the center.
The slogans on both sides read, "We are Rome, we are eternal."