The Prince of Inter Milan starts with Brother Xiaosa

Chapter 147 Brand new lineup

On November 11, Leo’s 18th birthday, Italy ushered in a warm-up match against the Swedish team in Cesena.

Veterans such as Buffon, Cannavaro, Pirlo, Zambrotta and others have returned to the club. Lippi used the opportunity of this game to inspect some candidate players.

Today's Azzurri lineup, how should I put it, gives people a very weird feeling.

Even Italian fans feel uncomfortable.

Many people have been saying that Italy is sluggish and lacks changes, but at least today, Lippi sent out a brand new lineup.

One of the most striking signs is that not one of the starting eleven has participated in the 2006 World Cup!

Sampdoria striker Pazzini, who has scored seven Serie A goals so far this season, partners up front with Balotelli and Marchionne.

Leo is the attacking midfielder, and behind him are Biondini and Candreva who are starting for the national team for the first time.

Left back Criscito, right back Maggio, Bonucci and Chiellini partnered as central defender and goalkeeper Marchetti.

Maybe Lippi is not as stubborn as many people think. He doesn't like to use young players and only trusts veterans.

Everything happens for a reason. If Italy's young players can conquer the head coach with their outstanding performance, maybe the result will be different?

After exiting the World Cup qualifiers, Swedish coach Lagerback resigned. This was the first game for new coach Hanlen to take over the team.

Sweden's top star Zlatan Ibrahimovic was not selected, and Hamburg striker Berry also missed the match due to a cold.

Swedish head coach Hanlen recruited seven Swedish U21 youth players, and his intention for training is very obvious.

Sitting at home against Sweden, which has already been eliminated from the World Cup preliminaries, even if they field a so-called "second-line lineup", they should win easily, right?

In the first two minutes of the game, Bonucci failed to call for offside, and Swedish forward Hesson suddenly stepped forward and scored a solo goal!

Then his left-foot shot from the penalty area was blocked by Marchetti with one hand and went out of the right post!
  After the corner kick on the right was destroyed, the visiting team made another pass from the right, and Melberg's volley from the front was deflected by Marchetti.

If it weren't for Marchetti's heroic performance today, the Azzurri would probably have conceded a goal at the start.

This is not because Italy has lost their usual strength of defense, it is simply because the time for these players to get used to each other is too short, and the level of tacit understanding is still insufficient.

Although many of the Italian starting players who played today are indeed young, their ability to make a name for themselves in Serie A is still guaranteed.

So what kind of performance they can perform depends on their performance on the court.

Leo made a direct pass, Swedish defender Mellberg fouled Pazzini, and Italy won the first free kick of the game.

Leo took a free kick from the left and passed it diagonally into the penalty area, but was punched out by the opponent's goalkeeper Isaksson!
  Balotelli met the ball from the edge of the penalty area and volleyed the pass. Chiellini shook his head in front of the goal and was pushed over the crossbar by Isak Son!
  Italy took a corner kick, Leo sent the ball directly to the back point, and Bonucci's header was saved by Isaksson.

As the game progressed, the Italian team, which had superior strength and played at home, gradually took the initiative.

Candreva received a pass from Marchionne and drew a curved ball from the outside of the penalty area that missed the left post.

Then Leo from the left sent a diagonal pass from the outside of his instep, and Pazzini's volley shot in front of the small penalty area was missed!
  Maggio broke through from the right and made a high ball pass!

Balotelli's volley from a small angle was blocked by Isaacson!

Biondini's follow-up shot in front of the goal missed slightly!

The Swedish team was completely at a disadvantage when facing the attacking Azzurri. They could only parry but had no power to fight back.

The goal did not come too late. In the 23rd minute, Balotelli's powerful long-range shot from outside the penalty area was blocked by the defensive player!

Leo took a corner kick from the right, Pazzini rushed to the top from the middle but failed to hit the back point, Chiellini dived in front of the far post and headed the ball into the near corner!

One to zero!

The Italian team successfully took the lead.

There were not many spectators in the stands today, but those who came to support the team in this kind of game were basically real Italian fans.

After Chiellini scored, the Italian fans wearing blue jerseys applauded and cheered continuously.

After scoring the goal, the Italian team was still working hard to attack. They all wanted to seize this rare opportunity to perform well.

The result was that Pazzini missed the ball, Candreva missed the long shot, Biondini missed the low shot, and Maggio broke through and cut outside the penalty area to hit the goal.

The attacks came one after another, but there seemed to be no threat.

In the 32nd minute, Candreva received a direct pass from Leo and broke into the penalty area, but his shot was too light and was easily scored by goalkeeper Isaksson.

Two minutes later, it was Leo's wonderful through ball. Pazzini received the ball from the left and broke into the penalty area.

But before the Samp forward had a chance to shoot the ball, the Swedish goalkeeper made a flying save.

Sweden's counterattack saw Svensson's furious shot from the outside of the penalty area go over the crossbar.

"You are the core. Whether it is an opponent or a teammate, a truly top star needs to be more aggressive."

Leo recalled what Mourinho said to him, and he had to say that it is rare and valuable to meet a reliable leader at the beginning of his career.

Looking at the time, the first half is almost over, and the teammates who are eager to express themselves are almost done.

You can also tell what the weight is and what level it is. Lippi asked Leo to help him inspect these players before the game. Maybe it can be considered completed, right?
  In the 44th minute, Leo made a very subtle gesture to Balotelli, who nodded understandingly.

Dribbling the ball in the middle, facing the defensive players who came forward to grab the ball, Leo deftly broke through the encirclement with a fried ball.

Then he made a diagonal pass into the right side of the penalty area. After receiving the ball, Balotelli passed a Swedish defender and faked a shot and passed it back to the small penalty area!
  Leo got rid of the defense and moved forward to follow up with a powerful volley past the opponent's goalkeeper and straight into the dead corner of the goal!
  Two to zero!
  Italy extended its lead to two goals in stoppage time in the first half!
  In this attack, Leo and Balotelli made almost no unnecessary movements, and the passing and receiving cooperation was crisp and clean.

Leo also looked so confident and decisive in the final shot.

How should I put it, compared with other teammates, it gives people a sense of superiority.

Without Leo's goal for comparison, you might still think that those people played well, but they just didn't score.

But once compared with Leo's performance, it is very interesting. The audience has the idea of ​​"no wonder they can't score, Leo can" in the hearts of the audience.

At the end of the half, Italy temporarily led 2-0 at home!

In the second half, the two sides changed sides and fought again. Lippi replaced Macho, Biontini and Marchionni with Cassani, Garoppa and Giuseppe Rossi respectively.

Three people were replaced at once, and Italy's cooperation was a bit chaotic, which gave the visiting team a chance.

Mastovic received a free kick and headed the ball towards the goal. The ball hit the Italian defender and changed its line. Fortunately, the ball speed slowed down and Marchetti calmly got the ball.

Giuseppe Rossi and Cassani's cooperation from the west wing broke through to the right side of the penalty area and passed in a one-two!
  Pazzini's volley was saved by Isaksson!

Then the Swedish team Orsini and Safali's two shots were all blocked by the Italian defender!

The Italian team continued to make large-scale substitutions, with Lippi replacing Palombo, Camoranesi and Bochetti.

Due to the home team's continuous substitutions, the coordination on the field was unfamiliar and mistakes were frequent.

There was nothing Leo could do about this situation. He couldn't do it all by himself. He still had to cooperate with his teammates.

But many times they don't want to be together and can't understand what Leo means.

Obviously Leo passed the ball into the gap, but Rossi thought the ball could not be passed and stopped running. This is very uncomfortable.

Leo observed the situation and gently swung his right leg to send the ball behind him!
  Pazzini countered offside and broke through to form a single!

However, when he faced the attacking Swedish goalkeeper, he seemed a little flustered and the ball was slightly too big. The ball was saved by Isaksson!

Signs were raised on the sidelines to replace Balotelli and Leo together.

With the game ending like this, Leo felt a little dissatisfied and wanted to try again.

In the 76th minute, Leo's last attack before leaving the field.

At the front of the penalty area, Leo dialed the ball and turned away from the visiting team's defensive player. He took advantage of the situation and kicked the ball diagonally into the penalty area!
  Balotelli got rid of the defense and faced the goalkeeper with a curved ball into the upper right corner of the goal!
  Three to zero!
  Italy secures victory!

Leo and Balotelli looked at each other and smiled, now it's almost the same!
  After the goal celebration, Leo and Balotelli were replaced by Montolivo and Di Natale respectively.

In the following games, the home team basically had no good chances. In the end, Italy defeated the Swedish team 3-0 at home.

After the game, Lippi calmly answered reporters' questions as to why he chose such a lineup for this game.

"Some people say that I use veterans, but you still have doubts when I replace them with young players.

I used to build a team based on Juventus players, but you said I was selfish. Many of today's players come from mid-tier teams, and you don't recognize their strength.

I don’t even know who is the head coach of Italy! "

Seeing the expressions of reporters from major media present changing, the old coach continued:
  "Although the players have not cooperated with each other in the past, the many changes have not changed the enthusiasm, desire and determination of the players.

Many of the players who played today are young players, and most of them have insufficient experience playing for the national team.

But everyone can see that whether they are from Serie A giants or mid-to-lower teams, the strength of the boys is beyond words.

Maybe some of them have not played in continental competitions or European wars, but I believe their potential is unlimited.

All it takes is more opportunities and training.

I never said who was confirmed for the World Cup squad.

I think it's too early to start talking about the World Cup lineup now. There are still more than half a year before the start of the tournament, and there are many variables.

I will select the most suitable group to go to South Africa based on the players' performance at the club. "

Leo also received birthday wishes from reporters after the game.

"Thank you, I feel honored to be able to help the national team win the game on my 19th birthday.

Today's teammates are also very good, but it may take some time to get into the lineup and develop a tacit understanding..."

Looking at the young player talking freely, the reporters suddenly realized that he was only 19 years old and was already the well-deserved core of Inter Milan.

Now he still wants to take over the Azzurri from Pirlo. Is this a real genius?
  Maybe there is really no problem in placing hope on Leo?

(End of this chapter)