Chapter 260: Halfway trough the league
Before the winter break, Inter Milan has two more matches, respectively the 16th round away game against Reggina and the 17th round home game against Empoli.
Both opponents in these two matches are not very strong, allowing rotation players such as Favalli, Mihajlovic, Maxwell, Davies, Emre, and Cruz to get plenty of playing time.
Wang Feng started the game against Reggina and scored a goal before being substituted, helping Inter Milan to a 3-0 victory.
In the match against Empoli, Wang Feng came off the bench and scored directly from a free kick, assisting Cruz for another goal, helping the team win 2-0.
After 17 rounds, Inter Milan's record is 13 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses with 41 points. This record is already good, but Juventus and AC Milan have performed better this year.
Juventus leads with 15 wins, 2 draws, and 47 points, undefeated and winning the first half championship. AC Milan also performed well with 13 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss, and 42 points, ranking second ahead of Inter Milan.
The Turin Sports Daily commented that "the real Juventus has awakened" and "after three seasons of decline, the Bianconeri have finally found the key to their rise."
"Under the guidance of the famous coach Capello, this team has shown very strong combativeness, especially in the three matches against Inter Milan, Fiorentina, and Lazio this season, they achieved all victories and won the first half championship ahead of Milan's two giants."
The Rome Sports Daily believes that Inter Milan's dominance is declining. "In recent years, Inter Milan has always focused on signing midfielders, putting all the attacking focus on Wang Feng. This is undoubtedly a gamble. They won for a while, but it's not a long-term plan."
"Although Wang Feng still leads the league's scorer list with 22 goals, second-place Toni from Florence only has 16 goals, but the Nerazzurri's decline in performance is an undeniable fact. Their team has problems."
The Milan Sports Daily neither criticizes Inter Milan nor supports AC Milan, but only points out that Inter Milan's decline in the past two years is abnormal, and some reporters are digging deeper into the backstage.
The external disturbances have not affected Wang Feng's mood. This season, he only wants to win the fifth UEFA Champions League trophy for Inter Milan, leaving the original Saint Belay Cup forever in Meazza, so as not to disappoint the fans who have always supported him. He can leave Milan without any worries.
Lu Yao's graduation is approaching, and she has become busier. Even during Christmas, she needs to stay at school to consult literature and write papers. To accompany her, Wang Feng and his sister did not go on vacation elsewhere.
In the evening, Milan University appeared very quiet. Most of the students had already left for home. The siblings walked on the path in the woods, preparing to find Lu Yao and go to have a Christmas dinner together.
"Brother, are you going to Madrid next year?" Wang Tian asked softly. "Yeah," Wang Feng sighed, "This time leaving may be forever. I've lived in Milan for nearly five years, and I'm really reluctant to leave."
His sister nodded, "I've been here for four years too. I really miss the days in college."
"Lu yao has decided to work at the Feng Yao Group after graduation. Have you thought about what you want to do?" Wang Feng asked curiously. "Not at all. With such a reliable brother like you, I have no desire to strive," Wang Tian stuck out her tongue.
Wang Tian chuckled, "Maybe I'll continue traveling, painting, and writing travelogues. You know, a few years ago, there was a concept called self-media. I think it suits me very well."
Wang Feng couldn't help but smile, "You just don't like to work hard, do you?" He rubbed his sister's head vigorously, and Wang Tian didn't dodge, looking at her brother with a smile, her big eyes particularly bright.
At this time, Lu Yao ran out of the library, "Sorry for keeping you waiting. Let's go eat now." Wang Feng nodded and led the two little ones to a Chinese hot pot restaurant near the university.
The owner of this restaurant is a genuine Chinese and also Wang Feng's most loyal fan. The first time he came, he was extremely excited to take a photo and get an autograph from Wang Feng, even offering him a permanent free meal.
But Wang Feng didn't want to take advantage of his compatriot for nothing. After some negotiation, they reached an agreement: Wang Feng would enjoy a 30% discount on meals, and the owner could display Wang Feng's photos and autographs in the restaurant to attract more Italian Chinese customers, making the business even more prosperous.
Eating a steaming hot pot in the cold winter, the three of them praised its deliciousness. Wang Tian couldn't take her eyes off the sizzling meat slices, waiting eagerly to pick them up when they were cooked.
As they ate, they chatted about the future. Wang Feng said, "Lu Yao, although you will work at Feng Yao Group after graduation, you don't have to go to Switzerland. With the convenience of the Internet now, you can work remotely with a computer, come with me to Madrid."
Lu Yao hesitated a bit. She didn't want to be apart from Wang Feng for too long, but it wasn't good to be away from the company for a long time either. So after some thought, she said, "Then I can commute between two places, working in the company for a period of time and going to Madrid for another period. Is that okay?"
Wang Feng could only nod. After all, Lu Yao was doing it for his company, and he didn't want to confine his beloved at home all the time. Wang Tian interjected, "Brother, have you found a place to live in Madrid?"
Wang Feng shook his head, "Balmond is helping me inquire through some connections, but we can't make it public. It would be troublesome if the media found out."
"There are several suitable areas for residence, where other Real Madrid players also live. The quiet atmosphere and privacy are guaranteed."
"Then I'll just continue to freeload at your place. I've decided. My goal next is to travel and sketch in Spain. Please applaud for the future great painter!"
Wang Feng and Lu Yao smiled at each other. "What about this villa in Italy? It holds so many memories for us. I feel reluctant to terminate the lease," Lu Yao said.
"I've contacted the original owner and bought it," Wang Feng said with a smile. "We can still come to Milan for shopping and tourism in our spare time and continue to live in this villa. I will have someone maintain it regularly."
As the winter transfer window approached, there were not many actions from Serie A teams. Moratti continued to strengthen Inter Milan by signing midfielder Cesar from Lazio and loaning young talents Salvi and Rosini from Bellinzona, Switzerland.
Juventus and AC Milan remained unchanged. Roma couldn't sign players due to a ban. Lazio made some moves at the last minute, bringing in tall left winger Bonani from Palermo to fill Cesar's vacancy. Also, due to the good form of veteran goalkeeper Ballotta, Sereni, who had been in a wage dispute, was exchanged to Treviso for substitute goalkeeper Handanovic.
Sampdoria signed former Juventus veteran Iuliano from Mallorca at the last minute, while Palermo acquired Tedesco from Genoa. Lecce bought defender Sayyed from Feyenoord but sold their starting right-back Angelo to Serie B's Crotone.
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