Chapter 228: Be careful
After Real Madrid was eliminated, Inter Milan's opponent in the Champions League semifinals was confirmed to be Monaco from Ligue 1. "Be careful, Wang," Ronaldo called Wang Feng.
What impressed him most was Monaco's coach Deschamps and the small forward Juri. Deschamps' excellent tactics made it difficult for Real Madrid to gain an advantage, while the 1.64-meter-tall Juri greatly exceeded Real Madrid's expectations. His brace directly caused the Galactic Warship to be eliminated.
Although Juri was small in stature, he was incredibly fast, with top-notch passing and shooting skills. "He's like an electric mouse," Ronaldo described him.
"Our defense was in chaos because of him. He can sprint quickly along the wings, causing us a lot of trouble with both cuts inside and crosses. It seems a bit like your style, except your physical qualities and skills are better," Ronaldo said.
"Since losing Makelele, Real Madrid's defense has become very weak," Ronnie sighed. "This season, the club is likely to face a situation of getting nothing, and we have lost dominance in the league, while arch-rivals Bar?a are rising."
"I'm glad to see Little Ronnie play. Rivaldo and I probably won't play for many more years. He will become the new flagbearer for Brazilian players, but I'm annoyed that Bar?a is rising. I hate that club."
Ronaldo never hid his disdain for Bar?a in front of Wang Feng and always advised him not to go there. It's really hard for outsiders to fit in, "And Real Madrid shouldn't consider it either. Although it's not good for the club, as a friend, I can't help but remind you."
"The dressing room is a mess, Queiroz is useless, he'll probably leave soon. Florentino is under a lot of pressure; he's asked me about your situation more than once, hoping to bring you in as part of this summer's superstar plan."
"But I think you're still in the prime of your career and not suitable to be with us old guys." Ronnie said.
While Wang Feng and Ronaldo discussed the game, Inter Milan coach Mancini was also not idle. He and his coaching staff were carefully studying all of Monaco's Champions League match footage from this season.
Often, dark horses appear not just because the tactics of strong teams are flawed, but also because they don't understand the characteristics of their opponents and are caught off guard.
Mancini didn't like being caught off guard, so he immediately decided to start studying the opponent's tactical approach. "This young coach Deschamps really has some skill to train Monaco so well," he sighed after roughly watching the footage.
Monaco's attacking style is possession-based, tearing apart opponents' defenses through continuous short passes. The focus of their attacks is mainly on the wings, making it easy to cut inside or play wide.
With Juri, the wing assassin, executing such tactics, it's like adding wings to a tiger, and he's fully capable of playing as a second striker, linking the midfield and attack.
"However, their lineup still has flaws," the technical coach said. "The formation stretches wide, requiring players to make flexible runs, and their defensive style is high pressing, so the players won't be positioned too deep."
"We can completely use speed to attack behind them, exploit defensive counterattacks to tear open their defense. Wang Feng is the best executor of this tactic."
Mancini nodded, "Monaco scored five against Real Madrid over two legs, but they also conceded five, which says a lot."
"Our defense is better than Real Madrid's, and we can dominate any opponent in attack. We still have a certain advantage in this series."
On April 11th, in the 29th round of Serie A, Inter Milan welcomed Perugia at home. Inter Milan controlled possession and the tempo of the game as usual. Wang Feng, immersed in a happy life, was exceptionally active.
After a Perugia turnover in Inter Milan's half, Civu passed to Zanetti, who passed to Dalma, who then split the ball to Ribéry's diagonal run, quickly advancing the ball to the front.
After experiencing several seasons of tempering, Ribéry's skills and courage became increasingly outstanding. Now was the stage of his rapid growth. He cleverly dribbled past defender Diomande on the wing with a feint and then crossed into the penalty area.
Wang Feng didn't expect Ribéry to dribble past his opponent before crossing, so his position was closer to the near post. Seeing the ball about to pass in front of him, Adriano, at the far post, didn't arrive in time.
So he improvised, jumping up and lifting his left foot high, sideways in mid-air, hooking the ball with force towards the goal. Perugia's goalkeeper Carracci had already moved with the ball towards the far post, not expecting Wang Feng to reach the ball, let alone hit it to the near post. He could only watch helplessly as the ball went into the net.
"Goal! Beautiful side volley! Wang Feng scores first for Inter Milan, and he looks to be in excellent form."
"Wang Feng turned what should have been a fruitless attack into a goal with his skill!"
"This goal demonstrates his perfect body control. Whether it's the jump, mid-air adjustment, or the final shot, everything is just right. Perugia's defense had no chance!"
Just before halftime, Wang Feng scored again, securing a brace and helping Inter Milan extend their lead.
Also assisted by Ribéry from the wing, this time Wang Feng was surrounded by Perugia defenders Di Loreto and Diomande. Unable to shoot with his foot, he found another way. Facing the ball at his feet, he lightly flicked it with his heel, deflecting it into the net.
"Perugia did their best, but Wang Feng is a weapon all over his body!"
In the second half, in the 63rd minute, Wang Feng assisted substitute Recooba to further extend the lead. The Uruguayan hugged Wang Feng tightly, crying tears of joy.
Since returning from injury, his form had been poor, and he had always been at a disadvantage in competition with Ribéry. Moreover, his nature of not participating in defense made Mancini quite unhappy, gradually making him a substitute.
But unlike Recooba and Vieri, he never thought of leaving Inter Milan. He loved the Nerazzurri and respected President Moratti very much. Moratti also liked this Uruguayan star, but the oil tycoon couldn't interfere with how the coach used him.
Losing the starting position during these years was indeed painful, but he still felt gratified because he could accompany Inter Milan out of the dark ages and into full recovery.
He once had a dream: Inter Milan without Wang Feng. At that time, Ronaldo, Vieri, Adriano, Martins, none of them could help the Nerazzurri win the championship, and they could only accept season after season of failure.
In the dream, Recooba still couldn't become a starter, but that feeling was a hundred times more painful than now. He even felt that as long as Inter Milan didn't win the championship, even if he didn't receive his annual salary, he couldn't imagine leaving the Nerazzurri with no achievements.
Fortunately, this is reality! Inter Milan is advancing steadily towards their goal of a third consecutive league title and defending their Champions League title!
The final score of this game was 3-0, with Inter Milan defeating their opponents decisively.
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