Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 44 He shouldn't be able to defend against me.
The next day, Shan Yongzhuo came to the club for training as usual.

After that, we entered into normal training.

The team's atmosphere was relatively relaxed after winning the first away game against Genoa, and the competition among the Roma players was not very intense.

Apart from the key players, most of the other players are returning from loan spells, and their skill level is still quite different from that of the key players.

Especially in the forward line, apart from Shan Yongzhuo, or Totti and Vucinic who can occasionally step up, there is only one Cerci.

Cerci is only 3 years older than Shan Yongzhuo, and his strength and experience are both average, making it difficult for him to compete with Shan Yongzhuo for a starting position.

However, Shan Yongzhuo's training performance is still far from good. He only maintained a mid-level in recovery training and even fell behind in tactical training, not much different from the youth team players.

This is a major flaw in Shan Yongzhuo.

Spalletti is taking Shan Yongzhuo's situation quite seriously. Assistant coach Domenicini has been providing him with close, personalized guidance, and fitness coach Scala is also monitoring his training to ensure he can recover to his best physical condition as soon as possible.

Dan Yongzhuo felt very awkward, just like those underachieving students in his class when he was in school. Everyone in the class performed very well, but he was the only one with poor grades. However, the parents of the underachieving students were powerful and influential people, and the teachers in the class took special care of him.

The feeling right now is somewhat similar to that.

Domenicini is the team's first assistant coach, and his level is quite good, but Shan Yongzhuo finds his guidance somewhat unacceptable.

The other party explained things in great detail, as if instructing a newcomer, and did so with great clarity and confidence.

Of course, Domenicini's guidance was also useful. Shan Yongzhuo gained a certain understanding of the team's style, tactics, and rhythm, and also learned a lot about some of the midfield and forward combination patterns.

These are still somewhat helpful.

……

Soon, the second round of the competition will be approaching.

The second round of Serie A matches is still very interesting, with the most anticipated being the Milan derby between AC Milan and Inter Milan at AC Milan's home ground.

Inter Milan have dominated Serie A for the past few years. Last summer, Mourinho arrived at Inter Milan and led the team to retain their Serie A title. This season, although Ibrahimovic left the team, the arrival of a number of talented players such as Diego Milito, Thiago Motta, Eto'o, and Sneijder still makes Inter Milan a strong contender.

However, in the first round, Inter Milan were unexpectedly held to a draw at home by newly promoted Bari. In this round, with the Milan derby, Inter Milan naturally hope to defeat their opponents.

Aside from the Milan derby, the most anticipated match is undoubtedly Roma hosting Juventus.

At the end of last season, Shan Yongzhuo was linked with Juventus, but in the end he quietly joined Roma.

This gossip was quickly exposed by the media.

In this round, facing Juventus directly, Shan Yongzhuo's performance is also attracting much attention.

The feud between Roma and Juventus runs deep, especially between the former Sensi and Moggi, whose personal grudges escalated into a team feud.

The atmosphere at the home game against Juventus was very solemn, and Totti maintained a serious expression throughout.

"Shan, do your job well and kill those Northerners!"

"Um... I'll try my best."

Shan Yongzhuo found it hard to understand Totti's extreme dislike for Juventus.

Even though Juventus wasn't very sincere in their transfer dealings, Shan Yongzhuo didn't dislike the team; he just felt that the deal had fallen through.

However, the veteran Roma players, led by Totti, or more precisely, Totti, De Rossi, and Pizarro, were all highly motivated.

Although Juventus has not fully recovered from the Calciopoli scandal, it has already shown considerable improvement.

Last season, Juventus finished second in the league and qualified for this season's Champions League, which is a remarkable achievement.

Totti was very dissatisfied with this; everyone could feel his anticipation for the match.

"It's just a game of football, can it really escalate to this level?"

Shan Yongzhuo pursed his lips, indicating that he did not understand.

On the other hand, Juventus also attaches great importance to this match. Their manager, Ferrara, took over from Ranieri at the end of last season, and this is his first time coaching a Serie A team.

This Juventus stalwart defender from the 90s was under immense pressure.

If he can defeat Roma in this round, it will solidify his position as manager.

……

The competition officially kicked off on August 30th.

The Stadio Olimpico in Rome is a large stadium that can hold 80,000 people. Even though Serie A is in a slump, more than 40,000 spectators still came to the stadium for this match. Obviously, the first away victory against Genoa gave Roma fans a lot of confidence.

Fans at the stadium waved huge Roma flags and sang Roma's anthem, "Rome, Rome, Rome".

This was the first time Shan Yongzhuo had ever walked into such a huge stadium. He immediately felt like a country boy entering the city, and his eyes were almost dazzled by the sight.

In the Austrian league, the largest stadiums can only hold around 30,000 people, while the Fekert Stadium in Kafenberg can only hold 12,000 people, which is like a baby compared to the huge Olympic Stadium.

"No, I can't be nervous. This is our home ground, and I'm the team's top scorer. I can't lose face here."

Shan Yongzhuo kept reminding himself.

In the players' tunnel.

The Roma and Juventus players lined up in two rows. Both sides were old rivals, sizing each other up, but no one greeted the other's players.

Shan Yongzhuo also looked at his opponent in this match.

Cannavaro and Chiellini.

These two are Juventus' central defensive pairing for this match, and they are also the opponents that Shan Yongzhuo will face directly in the game.

Looking at the tall, imposing, and fierce-looking Chiellini, Shan Yongzhuo swallowed hard.

"This guy might be a tough opponent..."

"If it were Cannavaro defending me, that would be great. He's getting old, and his physique probably isn't what it used to be. Maybe I could even have a slight advantage?"

"I'm absolutely not bullying an elderly person. I just want to exchange experiences with my seniors. That's right, that's all."

“I might be able to chat with him and introduce him to China, since he will be going to China to be a coach in the future anyway.”

Thinking this, Shan Yongzhuo unconsciously looked at Cannavaro, who also noticed that Shan Yongzhuo was looking over.

Although he couldn't understand why the young man was looking at him, Cannavaro instinctively interpreted it as the young man seeing his idol and feeling admiration.

Although Shan Yongzhuo was a forward and Cannavaro was a defender, he still felt that the young man must admire him, so he gave Shan Yongzhuo a friendly smile.

"You know Fabio?"

Seeing this, Totti asked Shan Yongzhuo with some confusion.

"I don't know him. I just thought he was the most handsome guy here besides me, so I glanced at him a few more times."

"..."

Totti's face darkened. Cannavaro is the most handsome? That pretty boy can't possibly be as handsome as me?

I, Francesco Totti, am the undisputed Prince of Rome.

But on second thought, Totti felt better.

“That’s right. Easterners have different aesthetic standards than Westerners. Fabio is not as handsome as me. He’s just a pretty boy who can put on a fake smile, but Easterners might think that’s more handsome.”

Thinking this, Totti whispered a reminder to Shan Yongzhuo, "Don't be fooled by his smile. This guy is a cunning old fox and not easy to deal with."

"It's okay, he shouldn't be able to stop me."

(End of this chapter)