Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 42 Taking the Lead
luck?

Despite many Roma players sharing this view, it didn't stop them from celebrating the goal.

However, there are some people who don't see it that way.

Spalletti stood on the sidelines, chin in hand, deep in thought.

"I only noticed Dan's outstanding footwork before, but he may have another advantage, which is his keen sense of goal."

"No one reacted, but he appeared in that position. Perhaps he is a natural-born marksman."

Spalletti was overjoyed; with two goals, the team had taken the lead.

In this game, the team didn't perform very well. They made a lot of mistakes on defense and their offense lacked organization.

However, they are now leading away from home. Football is a game of scoring goals. Whether you play well or poorly, the ultimate goal is to score more goals, right?

Spalletti felt that his decision to bring in Shan Yongzhuo was the right one. Although it was only the first game and he still didn't quite understand Shan Yongzhuo, his performance was already outstanding.

With two goals scored in the first half, who can say that the performance wasn't outstanding?
On the other hand, Gasperini was somewhat frustrated.

He was eager to win the first game of the new season, and he had done extensive research on Roma, paying close attention to their new striker.

Moretti did a good job; the opposing striker had virtually no impact under the defense and was almost invisible throughout the first half.

However, the opponent still managed to score two goals.

What can this say?
Even though their own team was performing better, the opposing team was still in the lead.

Gasperini was at a loss; he really couldn't understand the opponent's number 19 striker.

With little time left in the first half, the two teams launched several attacks shortly after the game restarted, and the referee blew the whistle to end halftime, with the players returning to the locker room.

After returning to the locker room, the Roma players all had happy smiles on their faces and were talking enthusiastically about the game.

Shan Yongzhuo became the protagonist.

"Shan, you're amazing! Two goals in the first half. Even if you don't score again in the second half, you'll still be named the best player of the round," De Rossi said, walking over and putting his arm around Shan Yongzhuo's shoulder.

Shan Yongzhu smiled and scored again in the second half...

He knew it was difficult.

Having used up both skills, the chances of scoring another goal based on one's own ability are very slim.

Throughout the first half, I played very hard, and it wasn't easy to even find an opportunity to use my powerful kick.

The defense in Serie A is very layered. It's not just Moretti; whenever I drop back a little, Biava closes in, which is rare in the Austrian league.

Moreover, the players' abilities are not on the same level. Moretti may be considered a famous player, but Biava is just a veteran of Serie A, and it is hard to say that his strength is top-notch.

However, he still had no advantage in his confrontation with Biawa.

"Perhaps, the only way to score goals is to rely on more skills."

Spalletti walked in, in a very good mood.

He smiled as he summarized the first half, not saying much about the goals conceded, but he did mention the main problems of the first half.

The connection between the midfield and the forward line is not very good.

He also identified the key to the problem: Totti and Pizarro. Pizarro was positioned too far back, while Totti was positioned too far forward; the two were the core of the midfield and attacking rhythm.

For the previous few seasons, Totti had always played as a striker, and it wasn't easy to change that all at once, which often resulted in him being positioned too far forward.

The main reason Pizarro dropped back was due to the defensive line.

Both center-backs, Mexes and Santos, lacked exceptional footwork, displaying a somewhat reckless style. Mexes, in particular, struggled in the first half due to Palacio's tendency to drop deep to receive the ball, forcing Pizarro to frequently drop back to assist him.

However, Spalletti had no choice but to make do with Santos and Mexes, as he had no other available center-backs left, except for Burdisso, who had just been loaned from Inter Milan.

After the start of the second half, Totti focused more on dropping deeper into the box, while Pizarro continued to drop deep, but De Rossi focused more on making forward runs, and Roma gained a certain advantage.

After 20 minutes of play, Roma's attacking opportunities increased, and the connection between the midfield and the attack became smoother. Although their defense still had many weaknesses, their attack became more threatening.

This equates to success.

Roma had a certain advantage overall, but that doesn't mean every player performed well.

Shan Yongzhuo is a typical example of someone who didn't perform well.

In the first half, he was still able to receive the ball occasionally, although it was difficult for him to break through Moretti's defense. However, in the second half, he received the ball even less often, and when he did manage to get the ball, it was immediately dispossessed.

Genoa placed even greater emphasis on him.

Gasperini told Moretti at halftime that he must pay more attention to Shan Yongzhuo and have Biava drop back a bit more to coordinate the defense.

Shan Yongzhuo felt even worse.

However, after a half, the Roma players seemed to have gotten used to Shan Yongzhuo's almost invisible performance, and their attack focused more on organizing the midfield and breaking through on both flanks.

Vucinic and Taddei both have decent attacking power and can pose a significant threat on the flanks, but it's still quite difficult for wingers to score goals.

The two teams continued to attack each other's goal for 35 minutes, but the score remained unchanged.

Roma's attack relies more on long-range shots, so their success rate is naturally limited.

Genoa's attack was not as fluid as in the first half, and they also faced the problem of integrating a large number of new players, especially the loss of midfielder Thiago Motta, which had a significant impact on them.

Roma's defensive performance improved after Pizarro focused more on defense.

Genoa can only attack by launching high balls from the wings.

However, Palacio is not tall, and Crespo is not young either. Against the tall and strong Mexes, high balls are not much of a threat.

In the 85th minute, Genoa, who had been trailing, became increasingly anxious and launched a full-scale attack.

After their initial attack failed, Roma quickly launched a counter-attack.

Motta dribbled the ball quickly down the wing, and Shan Yongzhuo was also running forward at a fast pace. After crossing the halfway line, Motta passed the ball to Taddei.

Taddei dribbled past Biava and passed the ball directly to the center.

Shan Yongzhuo and Moretti were on the same line. Moretti was slightly faster, but Shan Yongzhuo was not much slower.

In the end, Shan Yongzhuo managed to get the ball, and in a pretty good position, right at the edge of the penalty area.

Shan Yongzhuo swung his right foot to shoot. Moretti stretched out his leg to try to block it, but failed. The ball went straight into the top right corner of the goal.

That's a theoretical blind spot!
(End of this chapter)