Chapter 214: Undercurrent
When Wang Feng won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in Basel, Inter Milan encountered trouble against Bologna in Bologna. It was Rikobah's first game back from injury, and his form clearly hadn't returned to its peak.
The Nerazzurri dominated the field but failed to score, and it was Bologna who capitalized on a defensive counterattack in the 67th minute to score the only goal of the game.
0-1! Inter Milan suffered a surprise defeat at home to Bologna, ending their unbeaten record.
Victories can mask all problems, but once there's a failure, tensions start to surface. While praising Wang Feng for winning both awards, the Milan Sports newspaper did not hesitate to criticize Inter Milan's frontline.
"They seem to rely too much on Wang Feng, forgetting how to attack. The axe-like attack that Vieri was once proud of is nowhere to be seen. The agile Recoba has become a stumbling middle-aged man, and the young Ribery is not up to the task. His finishing makes one unable to bear to watch."
The Evening Post even revealed that Vieri and coach Mancini, as well as the club's top management, were at odds. After a brief honeymoon period, disagreements arose between the two sides.
Mancini believed that Vieri's inability to return to his peak form was due to unrestrained indulgence. He was often seen spending nights with several girls, a fact that Vieri resented Mancini for overseeing his private life too closely.
The thirty-year-old Italian, who had suffered major injuries, was no longer the hero of yesteryear. Therefore, the club's top management wanted to reacquire Adriano in the winter transfer window, unaware that this would annoy Vieri.
As the third-placed scorer in Serie A last season, Adriano's strength and value meant he couldn't be a substitute, which meant Vieri would have to compete with Adriano.
He couldn't accept this situation, so he and his agent met with Moratti. The result was unsatisfactory. "If that's the case, then sell me this summer!" Vieri said firmly.
Moratti hesitated for a moment and said, "Think about it again, Christian. If you really want to leave, we'll respect your wishes."
On the private plane to Milan, Wang Feng browsed the latest news with a furrowed brow. He couldn't understand why the situation had deteriorated so quickly.
Lu Yao handed him a glass of water. "Stop reading those exaggerated news. The situation is definitely not as bad as they say. Haven't you already called Ribery?"
Wang Feng took a sip. "Yes, Ribery said everything was normal, and Vieri didn't show any obvious emotions. But I know this conflict can't be resolved, just like Ronnie back then."
"I'm just feeling a bit emotional. Why can't each season be smooth sailing? The first year was Ronnie's conflicts, last year was continuous injuries and unstable defense, and this year there's this conflict, along with pressure from the referees."
"But haven't you overcome all of that? And still achieved magnificent results?" Lu Yao leaned against Wang Feng and whispered, "No matter how the environment changes, I believe you will always be the shining star on the football field."
In the 14th round of Serie A, also the last round before the winter break, Inter Milan faced Lazio away.
On the day of the match, Rome was drizzling, and the temperature was low. The players of both sides performed relatively poorly in the opening period, as their bodies hadn't yet adapted to the wet and cold conditions.
In the 30th minute, Inter Milan had a free-kick opportunity. Wang Feng lofted the ball into the penalty area, and Vieri, with great effort, pushed aside Lazio defender Favalli and headed the ball into the opponent's goal.
After scoring, Vieri let out a roar, then ran along the sidelines to celebrate. He wanted to vent all the frustrations of the past few days. He wasn't old yet!
At halftime, coach Mancini made substitutions, bringing on Recoba for Ribery and Carron for Vieri.
In the 67th minute, Lazio forward Corradi received the ball outside the penalty area and suddenly took a long shot. The ball hit Zambrotta and changed direction, catching goalkeeper Toldo off guard, who could only watch the ball go into the net.
1-1! The home team equalized!
But they didn't enjoy it for long. Just 3 minutes later, Zanetti sent a long pass from the back, Recoba controlled it with his back to the goal and passed it to Wang Feng, who quickly dribbled past Nesta and shot with his left foot into the bottom corner, with goalkeeper Sereni unable to save the cleverly angled shot.
The Nerazzurri once again took the lead!
As the game neared its end, Wang Feng orchestrated another quick counterattack. He and Recoba, with Carron in the frontcourt, tore open Lazio's defense with consecutive passes.
Wang Feng was in the center, distributing the ball to Recoba and Carron on both sides who were swiftly making runs, then receiving their return passes to draw the attention of Lazio defenders.
This required Wang Feng's passes to be extremely accurate, able to find his teammates without fail, and his receptions to be quick and timely.
Finally, Recoba made the last pass, sending the ball into the penalty area, and Carron scored from close range.
3-1! Inter Milan won convincingly!
After this match, Inter Milan's record stood at 11 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, with 35 points, still topping the league table, securing the mid-season championship.
As the winter break approached, Wang Feng treated the team to a meal as usual, then they all went their separate ways. He himself, as before, went to a seaside city with pleasant weather for vacation and training.
This time they chose the town of Cefalù on the island of Sicily. Backed by the cliffs of Rocca, the houses in the town were built along the coast, with white walls and red tiles. From a distance, Rocca looked like a natural castle, guarding the town.
Cefalù also had famous golden sand beaches, with the sunlight shining on the sand making it glitter beautifully. Wang Feng and his group rented a small house by the beach, enjoying the sunshine and the beautiful scenery.
This was Wang Feng and Lu Yao's first New Year since they started their relationship, and both felt a bit uncontrollable, often cuddling together, which made Wang Tian very speechless.
"I think you might as well live together." Wang Tian said in her usual casual manner, instantly turning red-faced, finding it hard to accept the idea now that she was quite conservative.
Wang Feng then gave his sister a fierce look. Originally, he had planned to take it step by step and go with the flow as the atmosphere improved, but now, with his sister stirring things up, it was definitely going to backfire.
"From now on, don't expect me to buy you bags and clothes!" He thought angrily.
During the short winter break, Serie A teams were also not idle. Juventus was actively looking for a new head coach, and it was said that they had contacted former Inter Milan coach Cooper, but the Argentine declined the invitation from the Bianconeri.
Then they turned their attention to Roma's current coach Capello. While Roma is currently flourishing, ranking ahead of AC Milan on the league table and just behind Inter Milan, the club's debt crisis is worsening day by day, so he was somewhat tempted.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, brought back Adriano from Parma for a whopping 27 million euros, seemingly calming the dressing room but brewing hidden turmoil.
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