r18novel Chapter 72 Purple Union
Chapter 72 Purple Union
Latourby Training Centre.
This was Monaco's last day of training at their home stadium before heading to Florence.
Jardim was holding magnetic player pieces and gesturing on the tactics board.
Florence is currently fifth in Serie A this season.
"Sousa's tactics were very effective, making full use of the technical characteristics of each player in the team."
"Unlike the chain defense of other Serie A teams."
"Florence is surprisingly focusing on attacking in Serie A."
"A 3-4-2-1 formation, using wing-back Marcos Alonso to push forward, most of their attacks come from that point on the left flank."
"Sousa truly lives up to his reputation as the 'attack maniac' as the media calls him."
"Their formation rotation efficiency is insane."
"With this tactic, Florence even managed to beat Barcelona in the preseason International Champions Cup."
"But they are still an Italian team, and their defense is very strong..."
At this point, Yaldin looked at Jiang Ming in the corner of the locker room.
"Especially you, Jiang."
"Italian teams have experience in neutralizing many superstars."
"They've faced just as many superstars as Ronaldo and Ronaldinho."
"You'll be under a lot of pressure in this match."
Jiang Ming nodded upon hearing this.
He knew the defensive strength of the Italian team.
Although it no longer possesses the glory of the former Little World Cup.
But it's probably unrealistic to expect to completely crush the opponent.
……
The Europa League knockout stage is about to begin.
Chinese football fans also started to hype it up.
Mainly compared to Ligue 1 teams.
Older fans still hold onto a nostalgic, nostalgic view of Serie A teams.
—Monaco's away game against Florence!!!
—After five years, Chinese players are once again on the European competition knockout stage!
— "At 18, Jiang Ming breaks another record! Becoming the youngest Chinese player to play in a European competition knockout stage!"
—CCTV5 will broadcast the entire event live! He Wei and Xu Yang will be the commentators! Can domestic football fans still handle it?
—European knockout stages become a testing ground! According to multiple media reports, Manchester United's sporting director personally visited the Fernandez Stadium! Just to observe the performance of China's young players!
Comment area.
"It's here! The Europa League knockout stage! Jiang Ming is going to face Fiorentina!"
"Three years from now, I might be in Barcelona, Madrid, or Florence..."
"Does Florence still have the same prestige it once did?"
"It's not bad. They've been slowly recovering since the post-Batti era. They finished fourth in Serie A last season, and they have a chance to qualify for the Champions League this season."
"In terms of strength, Serie A is still far superior to Ligue 1."
"What do you guys think about this match? It feels like the odds are constantly tilting in Monaco's favor. Will Monaco lose this game?"
……
The Apennine Peninsula.
The winds of late winter swept across the Arno River.
Unlike the warm Mediterranean climate of southern France.
Florence in February still carried a slight chill in the air.
This famous tourist city.
Entering the busiest time of the day.
Cafes along the street gradually reopened.
The pigeons in the square were startled by pedestrians.
far away.
The Artemio Franchi Stadium stands quietly.
As one of the oldest stadiums in Italy.
This place has witnessed countless glories of the purple lily.
They also witnessed the peak years of Batistuta and Rui Costa.
Meanwhile, in the stadium's conference room...
A tactical analysis of Monaco is underway.
Center of the screen.
A young Chinese player wearing a red and white jersey is dribbling the ball and making a run.
He dribbled past several people, displaying superb footwork.
Facing the goalkeeper alone, he remained calm and composed.
The football rolled into the net.
The image freezes.
The entire conference room fell silent.
Florence manager Paulo Sousa, sitting at the very front, crossed his arms.
"This is the person who has been the most talked about in the French media... and even the whole of Europe recently." The assistant coach flipped through the documents.
French media have called him Monaco's biggest discovery of the season.
"Stable against weak teams, and fearless in matches against strong opponents."
"He will be our biggest threat in this game."
After a while.
Sosa suddenly asked, "What do you think is his most dangerous aspect?"
After a moment of silence in the meeting room, a teaching assistant was the first to answer.
"I think it's exceptional ability."
"His dribbling is excellent, and his passing techniques are varied, making him difficult to defend against."
Another teaching assistant shook his head.
"No, no, although he is very good at dribbling, he is not fast on his feet. Although his explosiveness allows him to get past players in one step, he can't go far."
"It might be effective against teams in the French or Bundesliga that play an open and high-scoring style."
"But we're an Italian team! An Italian team that prioritizes defense!"
"This kid's exceptional ability isn't the biggest threat."
Sosa nodded upon hearing this.
The teaching assistant then went on to explain.
"I think his biggest threat is his vision."
"His through balls are very dangerous."
"He often delivers passes that tear apart the defense and assist his teammates in scoring."
"This poses a huge threat to our current tactics."
Another teaching assistant suddenly interjected, adding:
"And there's the long pass!"
"His long passes are too accurate. If we press forward to win them, he can easily beat our three center-backs with one kick."
"That's exactly how he broke down Tottenham's defense when we played them before!"
"His clutch ability is outstanding."
"He decides the outcome of many matches."
"He has a strong mentality when it comes to competition."
The group engaged in a heated discussion surrounding Jiang Ming.
Sousa only stopped when he tapped the table at the very end.
Sosa paused for two seconds before slowly speaking, "Damn, this kid's got some skills."
"But it's okay."
"My understanding of tactics surpasses that of Yardin!"
……
The next day.
The day before Florence's match against Monaco.
A flight from Nice, France, landed smoothly at Florence's Peretola Airport.
The Monaco players had just walked out of the arrival tunnel with their bags on their backs.
The entire arrival hall was instantly filled with a familiar cheer in Chinese.
"Jiang Ming! Jiang Ming!"
Florence is already a popular tourist destination in Europe.
There are many Chinese tourists visiting this place throughout the year.
I don't know who first posted the message in the local tourist group.
Our football star is coming to Florence with his team today!
The news spread like wildfire, and Chinese tourists throughout Florence instantly became excited.
Whether you watch football or not.
Are you in Florence to visit the Uffizi Gallery or to buy designer handbags?
Upon hearing that their "own celebrity" was coming, they had no choice but to come and join in the fun!
There were also quite a few local Florence fans in the arrival hall.
They originally planned to give the French team a pre-match intimidation.
Suddenly, a bunch of tourists with black hair and yellow skin appeared.
Holding up a handwritten sign that read "Jiang Ming is awesome," he also shouted "Go Jiang Ming!" in Chinese.
The local fans were completely baffled.
Is this still our home turf?
With a touch of fear of the unknown, the Florence fans ultimately did not dare to take further action.
The Monaco bus departed the airport smoothly.
We turned into the city along the highway.
The road outside the window turned into a narrow stone-paved street, with old stone houses on both sides.
I passed by many cafes, where people were leisurely enjoying their coffee.
I don't know if this is a style unique to Italy or a characteristic of the Florence region.
Life seems to have slowed down.
It's completely different from the hurried pace of life in the great Eastern country.
The bus soon came to a smooth stop in front of a hotel in the city center.
The group from Monaco settled in smoothly.
The next day.
The field training session also proceeded smoothly.
Yaldin nodded to himself.
The players themselves did not show any symptoms of acclimatization issues.
It seems they can start this match in good form.
……
2016 2 Month 18 Day.
It's 8 p.m. local time in Italy.
It's already 2 AM on the 19th in China.
Artemio Franchi Stadium.
The Florence fans in the stands formed a sea of purple flowers.
They sang their own team song loudly.
Garrisca al vento il lavato viola
The purple flag fluttered in the wind.
Che di Firenzeè il colore
That's the color of Florence.
È la squadra che ci innamora
This is the team that we admire.
"Zhuangdianertai! Zhuangdianertai! Good evening, fellow fans!"
"Welcome everyone to this Europa League knockout match!"
"Florence will host Monaco, who are in excellent form."
"I'm commentator He Wei, and my partner for this match is commentator Xu Yang."
"Florence defeated Inter Milan 2-1 in their last league match."
"As for Monaco, I believe Chinese fans are familiar with them. Although they have recently been hit by a wave of injuries."
"However, with the support of Yardin's tactics and Jiang Ming's individual ability, they have also had a long winning streak until now."
"I wonder if either side can deliver a great match for us."
"We also look forward to a great performance from Jiang Ming, the young Chinese player who is in the starting lineup for this match!"
……
Inside the players' tunnel.
The lights were dim.
The players from both sides were divided into separate lines.
They clapped at each other to show their friendliness before the game started.
Jiang Ming has recently gained considerable fame in Europe.
Therefore, many Florence players are very curious about him.
At this moment, Florence's vice-captain, David Astori, walked over and smiled as he extended his hand to Jiang Ming.
"Kid, I watched your match, you're really good."
Jiang Ming quickly grasped his hand, and the two exchanged a few pleasantries.
Astori patted him on the shoulder and turned to rejoin the team.
Jiang Ming suddenly spoke, his voice very low:
"David, your lips look purple. Is there something wrong with your heart?"
Astori stopped abruptly, frowned, and looked around.
The player tunnel is so dark, how can this kid see anything...?
However, these words also stirred up his own thoughts.
Lately, I've been feeling tightness in my chest, but I just thought it was a normal reaction after strenuous exercise.
The club's sports medicine expert examined the patient and said there was nothing seriously wrong.
Now Jiang Ming has pointed it out again.
Astori believes he still cannot fully trust his own judgment.
After thinking for a while, Astori came to his senses.
He smiled at Jiang Ming: "Okay, I heard you Chinese people have some expertise in this area. I'll go to the hospital for a thorough check-up later. Thanks, brother."
Jiang Ming nodded upon hearing this, but didn't say anything more.
……
The players, led by their caddies, followed the referee onto the field.
Cheers erupted instantly, and the starting lineups for both teams were simultaneously displayed on the big screen.
Florence fielded a 4-4-1-1 formation in this match.
Goalkeeper: Tatarusanu.
"Defenders: Tomovic, Gonzalo Rodriguez, Astori, Marcos Alonso."
Midfielders: Kuba, Alberto Costa, Valero, Bernardeschi.
Attacking midfielder: Ilicic.
Forward: Zarate.
"Florence's formation in this match is very interesting."
"They've been playing with three center-backs for most of the season, but today they suddenly switched to a four-man defense in a parallel formation."
"It seems this is to block the space in the flanks and limit Jiang Ming's through balls that can tear through the defense."
……
"Monaco is still using a 4-2-3-1 formation."
Goalkeeper: Subasic.
"Defenders: Raggi, Carvalho, Wallace, Etxequiel."
Defensive midfielders: Toulalan, Fabinho.
Attacking midfielder: Jiang Ming.
"Forwards: Bernardo Silva, Carrillo, Lemar."
"Toulalan's recovery has turned Monaco's two defensive midfielders into defensive players."
"This will be more advantageous for defending the edge of the penalty area..."
……
"Beep—"
With a crisp whistle from the referee.
The competition has officially begun.
The match had just reached the 6th minute.
Monaco launched an attack from their own half, with Subasic passing the ball to Carvalho.
According to their usual rhythm, Monaco would slowly pass the ball forward from their own half, looking for Jiang Ming to organize the attack.
This time, however, things were different.
Florence's striker, Zarate, rushed forward.
Ilicic also used his positioning to block passing lanes.
Bernardeschi and Valero both pressed forward.
The four forwards completely surrounded Carvalho near the six-yard box.
He Wei raised an eyebrow: "Wow! Such aggressive pressing? Florence is actually playing high pressing at home?"
"Aren't they afraid Monaco will launch long balls from their own half and launch counter-attacks?"
Carvalho tried to pass the ball to Toulalan, but the passing lane was blocked.
He tried to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper, but Zarate had already rushed in front of him; if he had been a step later, the ball might have been intercepted.
In desperation, Carvalho had no choice but to clear the ball with one kick, sending it out of bounds.
Florence, on the other hand, seemed to have planned it all out in advance, quickly inbounding the ball from the sideline.
Valero received the ball, noticed the movement behind him, and gently passed the ball forward.
Marcos Alonso on the left wing rushed up and went down to the baseline.
A low cross across the face of goal!
"Alonso's cross was absolutely perfect!"
Xu Yang couldn't help but shout it out.
"Zarat moves in at the far post!"
Zarate rushed from the edge of the penalty area and, before Wallace could cover, slid in with his foot to tackle.
The result was just a hair's breadth away; the soccer ball grazed his toes.
"Oh dear! What a pity! Just a little short!"
Sarat held his head in his hands, looking extremely frustrated.
He had such a good opportunity, yet he didn't even touch the ball!
The entire attack was shown in slow motion.
He Wei stared at the screen, then suddenly slapped his thigh, realizing what had happened:
"I get it! Florence is cutting off Monaco's passing lanes, preventing Jiang Ming from getting the ball!"
"If the ball doesn't reach Jiang Ming's feet, Monaco's long pass that could have broken through the defense won't get out, and Florence's high pressing will create opportunities in the attacking third!"
"Sousa is a really good coach; he's managed to develop Florence's attacking system to this extent."
"No wonder they've been ranked high in Serie A for so long this season!"
"Can they achieve initial success using such a sudden tactic?"