The Prince of Inter Milan starts with Brother Xiaosa

Chapter 193

On the 25th, just after the celebration ceremony for the Triple Crown, Leo rushed to the Italian national team to report.

Due to playing in the Champions League final, he has missed many days of national team training and a warm-up match.

Also following him were two friends, Balotelli and David Thornton.

Except for these three young people, Inter Milan does not seem to have any more Italian players.

Although Materazzi and Toldo also won the Triple Crown with the team, their playing opportunities are quite limited and they are also older.

But when it comes to age, veterans such as Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta and Camoranesi are all in their thirties.

Their selection once again put Lippi at the forefront.

There are endless doubts that he is conservative and only trusts veterans.

And the young players who entered the list this time were questioned whether their strength met the requirements of the national team.

As the defending champion, Italy has greater pressure than other teams.

Qualifying undefeated in the World Cup qualifiers also gave many Italian fans unrealistic expectations for the Azzurri.

They completely ignored the fact that the defensive line that was like an iron wall four years ago has become four years older, and the Italian midfield and frontcourt are even more out of control.

Especially Italy's forwards, who seem to be the top shooters in Serie A, are actually difficult to score a goal in the national team.

After a few days of training, Leo discovered that Lippi had not yet finalized his choice.

It is to continue to trust the veterans, but the strength of this group of veterans in Italy has declined too obviously.

Or boldly recruit new people? However, it is difficult to say how good each of these young people are. Compared with the veterans, their competition experience is indeed very limited.

Maybe we can only use the old and new method?
  The Azzurri announced their 6-man roster on June 1. Siligu, Giuseppe Rossi, Kosu, Cassani, Montolivo, Bochetti and Bo were previously selected for the -man roster. Lelo was eliminated.

However, due to Camoranesi's injury, Montolivo is the 24th man alternative. Once the Juventus midfielder is confirmed to be unable to play, he will be replaced by the Fiorentina teenager.

Of the three goalkeepers, the first goalkeeper must still be Buffon, and the two substitutes are De Sanctis from Naples and Marchetti from Cagliari.

In terms of defenders, there are veterans Cannavaro and Gianluca Zambrotta, as well as younger Bonucci and Chiellini, as well as Criscito and Maggio. He has the two advantages of tacit understanding and versatility on both sides to win out from the competition.

There are eight players in the midfield position, Camoranesi, De Rossi, Gattuso, Marchisio, Palombo, Pepe, Pirlo and Leo.

Finally, there is the forward, Di Natale, Gilardino, Iaquinta, Pacini plus Balotelli.

Except for Iaquinta, several forwards happen to be the Italians who have scored the most goals in Serie A this season.

Not surprisingly, many people complained about Cassano's loss again, but Lippi didn't care at all.

There were twenty-three people in total, and they all seemed to be well-known stars, but they all felt a little awkward.

On June 6, Italy and Mexico played their first warm-up match before the World Cup in Brussels.

Lippi experimented with the starting lineup very thoughtfully.

Italy formed a four-three-three formation, with Di Natale, Iaquinta and Gilardino forming a three-pointer.

The three midfielders are Pirlo, Marchisio and De Rossi.

Left back Criscito, right back Zambrotta, center back Cannavaro partnered with Chiellini, just one old and one new, the goalkeeper is still Buffon.

Leo was sitting on the bench with his two friends.

"Boss, you said it doesn't matter that the old man won't let us play, why do you have to accompany us as a substitute?"

Leo smiled and shook his head, reaching out to cover Balotelli's mouth.

If you can't speak, don't say it. If Lippi is offended, he won't even think about playing in the next minute.

“Because we played in the Champions League final, we joined the training camp relatively late, and the running-in time was not as good as other players.

So the head coach's decision to let us substitute first is very reasonable, so don't complain.

Let's take a look at their performance quietly first. "

Italy played continuous cooperation on the right side of the frontcourt, Pirlo sent a through ball from the middle, Di Natale quickly inserted on the right side, and Mexican defender Aguilar destroyed the ball out of the baseline.

The Italian team got a corner kick on the right. Pirlo took the penalty and passed it directly to the goal. Iaquinta nodded the ball in front of the goal, but the ball was blocked by Mexican goalkeeper Perez with one palm!

Gilardino followed up with a follow-up shot and the ball went over the crossbar.

Marchisio's powerful long-range shot from outside the penalty area also missed the far post.

Leo shook his head as he looked at it. Italy's attack seemed very powerful, but in fact it was not a threat.

The Azzurri's frontcourt lacks the person who can make the final decision!
  Di Natale is indeed good at scoring goals. He scored 29 league goals in Udinese to win the Serie A Golden Boot. Gilardino also scored more than a dozen goals this season.

But when they got to the national team, they really struggled to score even one goal.

As for Iaquinta, who is not known for his scoring ability at Juventus, it is simply a fantasy to expect him to score to help Italy end the game.

If Leo is on the court, he can also find ways to feed them more passes and help them find their feet.

It's a pity that Leo is sitting on the sidelines now.

Seeing that Italy's offensive threat was limited, Mexico launched a decisive counterattack.

Mexican midfielder Torado, who once played for Sevilla, tried a long shot from outside the penalty area and missed the right post.

In the seventeenth minute, former Barcelona player Giovanni dos Santos broke through with the ball from the right side of the frontcourt!

Facing De Rossi's defense, Dos Santos chose to pass into the penalty area!

Arsenal forward Vela successfully countered offside in the middle of the penalty area and shot directly in front of the penalty spot!

Buffon failed to save and could only watch the ball go into the net!
  One to zero!

Mexico scored first!
  Lippi's expression was as normal, and the Silver Fox had already begun to analyze the defensive loopholes in the ball just lost. The first was the young left-back Criscito. He assisted forward, causing a gap behind him and failed to defend in time.

That's why when Dos Santos broke through, it was De Rossi who went to make up the defense.

Then there is the central defender. There is no tacit understanding between the two central defenders.

It stands to reason that although one is older and the other is younger, these two people have been teammates at Juventus for a season and should not make such mistakes.

Cannavaro has indeed reached his age, and his speed and jumping abilities have declined significantly.

If it had been four years ago, Bella would never have scored in front of him just now.

Lippi sighed in his heart without any expression, let's see again.

After taking the lead, the Mexican team became more and more courageous, almost surrounding the Italian goal and attacking wildly!

The Azzurri back line is still weak, with only Buffon receiving high and low blocks.

If it weren't for Buffon's heroic performance, Mexico would have scored at least three goals.

Italy's counterattack was blocked and they got a free kick in the frontcourt.

Pirlo took the penalty and shot directly, and the ball was lifted out of the baseline by Mexican goalkeeper Perez's hands.

Juarez broke through and passed from the left. Salcido took a long shot directly from the front of the penalty area. The ball missed the door frame and flew out of the baseline!

In the 43rd minute, Italy cooperated in the frontcourt. Marchisio dribbled the ball from the left to get rid of the defense and sent a through ball!

Criscito made a pass near the baseline, but no one in the penalty area received the ball, and Perez flew to the baseline.

Lippi couldn't hold himself any longer and shook his head repeatedly on the sidelines.

There were three forwards on the field, but none of them could score points, and they didn't know what they were playing.

Finally, the first half was over and Italy could breathe a sigh of relief.

Lippi seemed to have made up his mind during the halftime break. At the beginning of the second half, the Italian team suddenly changed four people!
  Gilardino and Di Natale were replaced together, and Leo and Balotelli came on as substitutes.

The two veterans on the back line, Cannavaro and Gianluca Zambrotta, were also replaced by Bonucci and David Thornton.

The Azzurri's formation then changed to 4312, with Leo as the midfielder!
  After changing sides, Leo once again appeared in Italy's blue jersey.

Although the team is currently lagging behind and the situation is quite unfavorable, he smiled and smiled happily.

In the 46th minute, Leo was running through Mexico's defense, and Pirlo made a seemingly casual pass!

Leo instantly shook off the defensive player and turned forward. He passed through the opponent's back line!
  When Leo stopped the ball at the edge of the penalty area, there were no defensive players around him.

However, faced with such a one-on-one opportunity, Leo did not shoot, but selflessly knocked to the right after attracting Perez's attention.

Balotelli followed up and easily pushed and shot into the empty goal!

One to one!

The second half of the game had just begun, and Italy equalized the score!

Lippi's substitution adjustments had an immediate effect!
  Since he only came on as a substitute in the second half, Leo was very energetic. He actively ran in the opponent's half, causing Mexico a lot of trouble.

Three minutes later, Leo stole the ball in the frontcourt and made a long pass over the top!

Iaquinta's header flew over, Balotelli chose to shoot in the face of Perez, and the ball hit the net!
  But the linesman had already raised his flag and ruled that Bashen was offside.

Mario walked towards the linesman unconvinced, cursing and not knowing what to do.

Leo covered his face with one hand, and held Ba Shen's back collar with the other hand to pull him back.

"Be honest and stay out of trouble."

Balotelli nodded aggrievedly.

De Rossi made a mistake in returning the ball. After getting the ball, Vela hit Buffon and missed the ball.

Italy counterattacked quickly, Pirlo made a precise long pass from the backcourt, and Balotelli stopped the ball with his back.

After receiving the ball, Leo passed the ball to the right without looking at anyone!

David Thornton quickly made a breakthrough and passed the ball near the bottom line on the right side of the penalty area!
  De Rossi scored with a diving header from behind!
  Two to one!

De Rossi, who had made a mistake before, made a contribution and Italy reversed the score!
  From leading to falling behind, Mexico's players on the field clearly began to panic.

They solved the serial killer in the 70th minute, and Moreno and Blanco came on as substitutes.

Lippi also continued to make substitutions, with Palombo and Gattuso coming off the bench, replacing Marchisio and Pirlo.

Leo: That’s not the case, is it?
  This time there are really three defensive heroes behind him.

As soon as these two people come on the court, Leo can be completely released from defense in an instant and go all out to organize the offense.

A long diagonal pass from the frontcourt, Criscito hit the wall with Balotelli from the left and then crossed the goal and fired a long-range shot with strong footwork!

The Mexican goalkeeper fought hard to save the ball!
  Even Criscito, who performed poorly in the first half, was activated by Leo, and Italy's offensive was overwhelming!

The corner kick went into the penalty area, and Chiellini and Bonucci prepared to fight for the top.

As a result, Iaquinta grabbed a little header and bounced it off the crossbar!
  Balotelli followed up with a right-footed volley that was saved by Perez, and then Bonucci made another shot from the right side of the small penalty area!

Three to one!

Italy finally pulled back three goals in a row to win!

Lippi smiled on the sidelines. Originally, he didn't have much confidence in Italy's World Cup trip, but now it seems that he can look forward to it a little.

Although Silver Fox is old, it is not outdated!
  (End of this chapter)