Chapter 41: The pressure from the Serie A champions? (Two in one) Rome, Office of the Sporting Director. The dim light illuminated the old man's slightly bald head. There was a crystal clear ashtray with a half-smoked cigarette stuck on the edge and long white ashes dangling precariously. The TV was broadcasting Roma's starting lineup. "Goalkeeper: Stekelenburg." "Defenders: Heinze, Kjaer, Aleandro." "Midfield: Pjanic, De Rossi, Totti, Taddei." "Forwards: Bojan, Gao Qi, Lamela." The young assistant sat upright and didn't dare to interrupt.
This season, Roma faces the toughest battle. Juventus is like a mountain, making it hard to breathe. Stadio Alpi, Turin. There was a roar of applause from the stands on all sides. With the referee's whistle, the game officially started. “The ratings for this North-South showdown were very high.” "Can Gao Qi shake up the world-class defense of the Zebras?" "The Roman oppression was crazy." "They want to speed up the game, but Pirlo won't let you!" Near the center circle. Pirlo met the return pass towards the Zebra striker. Lamela pressed closely. Snapped. Pirlo looked half asleep. Movements are random. While turning sideways, gently stop with your right foot to meet the ball. Light cloud and wind. The football just rolled past Lamela's side. The young Argentine player came to his senses, turned around and saw: Pirlo made a slow fake move in the air, leaving Bojan's rushing save empty.
“It’s very slow.” “Getting rid of the rhythm is too good of a control.” "Mazzoni wrote in his autobiography: Pirlo was taught by Baggio when he was a teenager." “The vertical distribution of the ball is very reasonable.” "Catch the ball again." "Comb slowly." Roma's frontcourt pressure gradually slowed down. Can't get up quickly. The initiative of rhythm is in the hands of Juventus. "A midfielder who can slow down the game and make the whole team play at his own pace can be called a master." "The midfielders who can slow down the game and keep their own rhythm and 'breathe together' with the whole team are Xavi and Pirlo." Courtside. Enrique paced back and forth anxiously. Feeling of oppression. The pressure brought by Juventus was too strong. Bald Ivan excitedly gestured on the sidelines, directing the defense and asking the players to protect the vertical space. I wish I were a dozen years younger so I could go and play football myself. As the second-generation La Masia No. 4, Ivan is well aware of the terrifying nature of his opponents. The Zebras' independent offensive phase was not only about restraining and pulling the opponent in space, but also about mastering the control of the timeline. "slow!" "quick!" “A whole change of pace!” "coming!" "Juventus gave the ball to Pirlo at the moment when Roma's defense tilted to the right!" “Masterful vision.” “It’s like a long transfer of a work of art!” There was thunderous applause. The trajectory of the football is like a ribbon that continues to stretch and unfold.
It fell accurately towards the "weakest area" on the left side outside the Roma penalty area. A perfect pass! After landing. The football bounced in place, shocking everyone! A pass from such a long distance bounced back without any deviation after landing? "There's less and less of this kind of long pass." "Piero!" "Hit the door!" The Alpi Stadium became much quieter, as if it was gathering strength to prepare for bursting into cheers at the next moment. The 37-year-old Zebra Prince, in his famous area, made a gesture to shoot. The black and white striped No. 10 jersey fluttered in the wind. Piero area. Vocabulary specific to the football field. Football causality weapon. It means: Peak Piero appears near the left side of the penalty area and can score in any way he wants! Snapped! The right foot hits the far corner and shoots an arc! "This" "It was a miss." “What a pity.” The Alpi Stadium was suddenly filled with sighs. Piero lifted his jersey depressedly and covered his face. Conte on the sidelines bent down and pounded the grass. Command area. Enrique and Ivan breathed a sigh of relief. It was really thrilling. The mineral water bottles in the hands of the two were dented due to nervousness. "Don't panic. Juventus will gradually give up possession of the ball when playing against an evenly matched opponent and won't continue to attack like this." "Boss, I feel like Juventus doesn't see us as an equal opponent." "Um" The distant eastern country. Many fans sat in front of their TVs to watch this north-south showdown in the Apennines.
They may not care about Roma, they may not care about Juventus. Not Roma vs Juventus. But: Gao Qi VS the big devil of the novice village! Alpi Stadium. Gao Qi received Kjaer's pass near the center circle. The moment the ball stops. A strong figure rushed over. "Vidal!" "The iconic Mohawk hairstyle and the iconic muscular explosion!" "This Chilean warrior is so strong!" Boom! Gao Qi felt like a wild bull hit his back. The 'dominance' talent plus the 'double-shooting' passive ability were actually a bit too much to handle. Vidal felt like his shoulder had collided with a wild bull. With the top physique and top strength under his charge, he couldn't even grab the ball? The young Roman player staggered two steps and leaned forward uncontrollably. The Chilean macho was unsteady on his feet and had no time to continue his steal. The most primitive and fierce hand-to-hand combat scene caused the dopamine of tens of thousands of fans at the scene to be secreted wildly. Both of them have very tough physiques! Touch it a few more times! Gao Qi before the second confrontation. With the help of his good sense of the ball, he gently passed the ball back to his teammate with his left foot, then turned around and rushed forward. He tried to suppress Juventus's defense line to allow his teammates in the midfield and frontcourt to have more space to organize and pass the ball. Pressure! You have to push forward! In Juventus' three-center-back system, Chiellini played as the defensive midfielder. Get rid of the traditional defensive structure of the Apennines. The football rolled back and landed at Pjanic's feet. "Don't rush to pass it!" "Guide it, guide it again, and think about how to break through Juventus' vertical defense in the backcourt." "oops." "If you, Pirlo's successor, can think of it, Pirlo himself can also think of it!"
The football made a beautiful arc and spun towards Lamela on the right. The latter stopped the ball. Start a flexible dribbling performance. Continuous feints. Useless. Under the suppression of absolute power, dexterity is not worth mentioning! Snapped! Chiellini, who looks tall and thin, is extremely strong. While completing the steal, he also knocked over the Argentine genius. "overbearing!" "Conte's power-based team-building strategy!" "Chiellini plays more like a wide midfielder in a three-center-back system." “Completely out of the parallel defensive line of Bonucci and Barzagli.” "The range of the grab is quite large." "Watch out, the midfielder Marchisio, retreat to fill in the back line, follow Gao Qi." "Juventus' rotation in the midfield and backcourt really made the attacker feel powerless." "Hey, hey, there's a Buffon at the back." No wonder they only conceded eighteen goals in 32 Serie A games. The football came to Pirlo's feet again. The Roma formation pressed forward and had no time to retreat. An Italian midfield maestro who is best at choosing the direction of attack during the transition phase. Mazzone wrote in his autobiography: Baggio and Pirlo hated their teammates' shouting and commanding them, they thought the effect of shouting and commanding them was to help the opponent and disturb themselves; later, Brescia's teammates stopped shouting and commanding them, because no one felt that their awareness, thinking and overall view could compare with Baggio and Pirlo; Bah! A deadly blade stabbed out from Juventus' half and penetrated Roma's high defense line. Increase the long pass! "Too cruel." "Chance!" "Single sword!" At 37 years old, Piero is not as fast as he was when he was young. But his grasp of the right time to start has not been taken away by time. It was almost the moment when Pirlo touched the ball to launch a long pass attack.
The Zebra Prince rushed through Roma's high defense line. When receiving a slowed down long ball. He has appeared on the left flank in Roma's half. Step forward with your left foot. Micro-bend support. Swing your right leg back. Shoot with the inside of the foot! Bah! The football flew off the ground, drawing a rainbow above the Roma penalty area. A beautiful and deadly rainbow. It makes people feel extremely desperate. Goalkeeper Stekelenburg felt like he was falling into the abyss in an instant. He leaped forward. Purple gloves, stretched to their limit. Out of reach! As the Roma net shook, the entire Alpi Stadium erupted in cheers like a landslide and tsunami. 1:0!!! Piero knelt on the ground with red eyes. "Piero Zone!" "Turin Rainbow!" “A legendary veteran’s farewell performance.” "Next season, Juventus will no longer see the Zebra Prince." "Juventus fans in front of the TV, is your youth over?" Studio. Barrage flying. - 【Awesome! 】 - [Although I hate Piero, but.] - [It is difficult for Roma to reverse this game. Juventus's suppression of the entire Serie A is too strong. Conte's first-hand layout and the iron defense line in the midfield and backcourt. ] - [Too weak, can't be beaten. 】 - [The Zebras' physical armor and magic resistance are maxed out, give them some real damage, Gao Qi! ] - [Victory and defeat are common in war.] - [Young people can’t be too successful, they have won seven league games in a row. ] - [Roma’s record is 11 consecutive wins, but it’s still a long way to go.] Command area. Conte raised his fists and roared loudly. The exaggerated expression exudes a crazy temperament. As long as they are one goal ahead, Juventus's defensive structure in the midfield and backcourt will completely crush Roma, leaving them no chance of recovery. End point? Bojan and Lamela couldn't get involved. Totti is old.
Gao Qi's means of ending the situation is single. De Rossi and Pjanic's long shots. No, they had no chance to take long shots at all. The other side. Enrique seemed to be in a trance, standing there in a daze. too difficult. Considering his rich combat experience, this match is too difficult. Ivan quickly reminded: "Don't just stand there, it's not like we haven't lost a tragic game before! The guys on the field are still fighting!" The coaching staff stood on the sidelines, watching Gao Qi pick up the football from the net and run back. Enrique shook his head and regained his confidence. King Kong Bullfighter. Never give up easily. "What's the next fight?" "Juventus froze Gao, the tactical fulcrum, between the two lines. He couldn't help his teammates create space, but his teammates should help him create space!" "bring it on!" "Adjustment!" time flies. Roma launched their attack patiently, while Juventus remained as solid as a mountain. The scene gradually became dull. Alpine fans were used to this scene and the cheers gradually died down. The overall situation has been decided. 90 minutes later, the Zebras would win again with a score of 1:0. "Gao Qi kept running sideways." "It's difficult to get rid of Vidal and Chiellini." "Ouch!" "He finally opened up Juventus' first line of defense!" "Pjanic's through pass finds Totti at the front!" Totti feels very sad. The 36-year-old Wolf King was surrounded by a steel defense line the moment he received the ball.
If I were ten years younger, I could use my body and my skills to dodge and create space to turn around and shoot. After a beating. He passed the ball to Bojan on the left with difficulty. The line is stable. Moderate strength. Boyang didn't dare to rush forward. Suddenly I got scared. With one touch, he passed the ball back to Heinze who was making a run. Heinze really wants to kick the ball and cross it. However, even in his peak period, his crossing technique was only slightly above the passing line. Horizontal knock. Do it for De Rossi! "Continuous ground pass!" "Roma's entire formation overwhelmed Juventus' half!" "The backcourt is empty, we must not lose the ball!" "Correct." "Pass the ball to Totti, Totti is the most stable with the ball!" Totti ran to the right side of the opponent's penalty area. catch the ball. Draw defense. Then pass the ball back to Pjanic who was making a run. "The Wolf King was knocked down!" "The referee indicated that there was no problem!" "Pretty!" "Pjanic's diagonal pass found Gao Qi on the left side outside the penalty area!" "Gao Qi's running position is very good, catching the weakest side of Juventus' defense!" "Rome's series of passes seem to be waiting for Gao Qi!" The route that Pirlo's successor can think of. Pirlo thought of it too. He filled the "defensive gap" in time.
The meeting of red and yellow and black and white stripes. There was no expected physical contact. Snapped! Gao Qi's movements are very standard. This reminded Ivan on the sidelines of his shooting training during this period. Left foot spike. Deduct the shooting angle. Right foot back swing. Shoot with the inside of the foot! Bah! The football flew off the ground, drawing a rainbow above the Juventus penalty area. "Wow!" “Rainbows meet rainbows again!” "Buffon is being tested!" Buffon was calm. In every period, different fans have a "world's best goalkeeper" in their minds. However, the "Second Goalkeeper in the World" will always be the Italian goalkeeper - Buffon! No exaggerated save gestures. There are no signature blocking stunts with strong personal touch. There is no weakness. Bah! It was a textbook standard boxing move, and the platinum gloves barely blocked Gao Qi's arc shot! In the south stand of the Alpi Stadium, extreme fans burst into loud boos. The Roma coaching staff held their heads in despair. Enrique fell to his knees. Ivan felt lost. "so close." "The arc is just a little bit off." "Is there really no way to score against Juventus?" The commentator's tone was somewhat weak. Just like how powerless the Red Wolf felt when facing the iron defense line. “The crisis has not been resolved!” "The football was blocked by the post!"
"Bounce!" "Totti!" Totti had no chance to shoot. He unloaded the ball on the right side of the penalty area. Everywhere he looked, he saw densely packed black and white socks. Use your heel to pass the ball back out of the penalty area. Pjanic prepares to reorganize the second attack. What a shit organization. De Rossi couldn't hold it back anymore. catch the ball. Pilling. Then look for Gao Qi on the left side of the penalty area! This endpoint is the most threatening! Pirlo didn't expect De Rossi to be so direct. However, Marchisio stuck to Gao Qi this time. Can't get up. The young Chinese player had no chance to kick! do not know why. Gao Qi adjusted his pace while catching the falling football. He suddenly smelled a mixture of soil and ryegrass under his feet and heard the boos from the south stand. A familiar booing sound. The long-lost booing. Time seemed to have slowed down countless times. A ponytailed figure wearing a black and white No. 10 jersey suddenly appeared in the field of vision. Lead the ball. Empty step. With each connected movement, the ponytail shadow becomes clearer. The complex emotions are becoming stronger. joy. pride. anger. unwilling.
Regret. That was the epitome of Baggio in the black and white years. Gao Qi flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot to get rid of Marsicchio. In an instant. He completely overlapped with the ponytail shadow. “Let’s go!” "The angle for the shot is out!" Followed by. Another young black and white No. 10 shadow emerged: Piero. Lean back. Swing arms. Take a small step forward. Shoot with the inside of the foot. At this moment, tens of thousands of fans at the Alpi Stadium were stunned. Bah! An explosion that resounded through the night sky brought back all thoughts. rainbow! A real Turin rainbow! The football flew off the ground. It was like a beautiful rainbow, lighting up the dark night of the Alps. Howling. Spinning. Rising high, it crossed the indestructible steel defense line. The violent fall tore apart the pride of the South Stand. Buffon felt powerless and desperate. He tried his best but could only watch the net being lifted up. 1:1! ! ! Gao Qi felt drained of energy. He staggered two steps. Looking at the legendary shadows of the two generations of Zebra No. 10 standing side by side, they were blown away by the night wind of Alpi. (End of this chapter)