The Prince of Inter Milan starts with Brother Xiaosa

Chapter 208 Captain
  In the end, Inter Milan came back to win 3-2, narrowly defeating the Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos.

Two consecutive wins in the warm-up match may not explain too many problems.

However, Inter Milan players have already felt the difference between Benitez and his "predecessor" Mourinho.

After the new head coach took office, Inter Milan has changed and stayed the same.

First of all, in terms of tactics, since the main force of the Triple Crown winner is basically retained, Benitez has rationally chosen to continue Mourinho's tactics as a whole and only fine-tuned the details.

Then when it comes to getting along with players, Benitez and Mourinho are completely different.

Mourinho likes to communicate with players privately and often talks to players. If possible, he even hopes to manage the players' off-field lives.

But Benitez is different. He appears to be more low-key and aloof, and basically does not have too much private contact with the players.

Except, of course, Leo, who was one of the only players the head coach had private conversations with before the start of the season.

There is also the on-the-spot command. Compared with Mourinho, who has a fiery temper and often "babbles" and exaggerated movements, and frequently attracts TV cameras on the sidelines,

Benitez sat quietly on the sidelines most of the time, and he was never even seen getting up during the entire game.

"Has it been decided yet?"

"It's all settled, all that's left is to sign."

"Isn't it a pity? With your current ability, you can definitely play in Europe for a few more years."

There was silence on the other end of the phone, followed by bitter laughter.

"Hengtai is very sincere and offers a very high salary.

You, Brother Dong, and I are not here entirely for money. The main reason is that we have been floating outside for six years, and time has passed in a flash.

I went back home this holiday and found that my parents have grown old without knowing it.

I have been playing football abroad these years, and I may not be able to see them every year.

Hengtai also very considerately gave me a big house. I left a room for my parents, so they could come and stay with me when they were free.

Brother is different from you. If you miss this opportunity, you may not find a more suitable one in the future.

The decision to return to China was not made lightly. I had thought about it for a long time before making up my mind. "

After King Dong Yitong finished speaking in his heart, Leo fell silent.

When he first learned that Wang Dong had decided to end his overseas career and return to China to play football, Leo was quite shocked.

How could a forward who was able to rotate at Inter Milan and score goals in Serie A all of a sudden go back to China?

And it’s not the Super League, it’s a Guangdong team playing in the First Division.

However, after listening to Wang Dong's statement, Leo could understand why the other party made such a choice.

Fallen leaves returning to their roots is a sentiment that cannot be erased from the hearts of every Chinese.

The only pity for Leo is that King Dong is now at the peak of his physical competitive state, and he can definitely compete in the five major leagues for a few more years before returning to China.

Everyone has their own ambitions, and it's hard for Leo to say that Wang Dong's choice must be wrong. There are not so many right and wrong in this world.

"I'm just sorry. It may be difficult for us to see each other again in the future."

"Hey, this is nothing. If you have time to come to China to play, I will definitely greet you well!"

"Well, it's settled then! I wish you all the best when you return to China."

……

On August 8, Inter Milan’s third warm-up match before the start of the season was held at Pizza Hut Park in Dallas, Texas, USA.

They ushered in the last game of this summer's North American training, against Major League Soccer FC Dallas.

For Inter Milan, Benitez continues to make adjustments to the starting lineup.

On the defense line, last season's main lineup of Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, and Kolarov was able to start.

Leo led the midfield, Stankovic and Cambiasso played together, and Pandev, Eto'o and Milito formed the three forwards.

Cesar continued to watch the game on the bench, and Castellachi served as the starting goalkeeper.

Captain Zanetti suffered a slight injury and took a rest in this game. Leo put on the captain's armband!

A new season, a new beginning, Leo was elected as the second captain of Inter Milan!
  When Zanetti is not present, he is the leader of the Nerazzurri!

Putting on the Inter Milan captain's armband, Leo felt that his whole state was different.

After the game started, the Dallas team, which was playing at home, faced the strongest team in Europe last season. It showed no signs of stage fright. Instead, it boldly launched an attack.

First, Dallas' Avila's long shot was caught by Inter Milan goalkeeper Castellachi.

Then Lucio's backpass was too weak, and Ferreira tried to steal the ball to form a single, but Castellachi fought hard and knocked the ball out.

However, Castellachi's knee was injured by the opponent and he continued to play after receiving treatment.

Leo saw that this was not going to work. In his first game as the captain of Inter Milan, he couldn't continue to be beaten by his opponents like this.

An aggressive press in the frontcourt caused the opponent's passing error and the interception was successful! Leo took advantage of the situation and sent a long diagonal kick to the gap on the right!

Maicon received the ball from the right and drove straight in at high speed. After passing three people, he was tackled from behind by Benitez and fell to the ground.

But Benitez escaped the yellow card.

Pandev's long-range free kick from the right was passed, and Milito's header went wide of the near post!
  Although the ball was not scored, Inter Milan finally found the rhythm of the game and took back the initiative in the game!
  The Dallas team made a long pass near the center circle. Shea used his speed to rush past Samuel and tried to score. Castellachi made a timely attack to resolve the danger!
  It seems that Inter Milan's backup goalkeeper for the new season is quite reliable.

Leo launched a quick counterattack!
  Eto'o cut in from the right and dodged two Dallas defenders. His left-footed volley in front of the goal bounced off the post!
  Less than a minute later, the Nerazzurri made a comeback. Pandev knocked back from the right, and Maicon passed the ball into the penalty area!

Milito jumped high in front of the penalty spot and shook his head to head into the net!

Before the end of the first half, Leo got rid of the defense in the middle and made a clever diagonal pass!

Etoon cut into the left side of the penalty area to avoid Hernandez's defense, and volleyed with his right foot straight into the far corner of the goal!
  Two to zero!
  Inter Milan expanded their lead.

At halftime, Benitez replaced Cesar, Coutinho, Mariga, Thornton, Biraghi, Burdisso, Materazzi, Cordoba and many other players.

Basically all the starting players were replaced.

This time, the home team found another opportunity.

In the 53rd minute, Avila kicked the ball from the left. John leaned over in front of the goal and headed the ball, but Cesar bravely blocked it!

Then the two teams started fighting in the midfield, and the scene was a bit dull for a while.

In the 75th minute, Dallas forward Cunningham, who had just come on as a substitute, broke into the right side of the penalty area and fell to the ground exaggeratedly under the defense of Materazzi and Burdisso to win a penalty kick!

Materazzi smiled helplessly, and Ferreira tricked Cesar into advancing to the lower right corner!

Two to one!

The home team successfully used an unwarranted penalty kick to regain a point!
  Entering stoppage time, Coutinho cut in from the left and volleyed with his left foot from the front of the penalty area and over the crossbar!

In the end, Inter Milan defeated Dallas 2-1, and they won all three warm-up games in North America.

Despite this, the media and fans are still very dissatisfied with this performance in the pre-season warm-up match of the "Triple Crown".

Head coach Benitez didn't take it seriously when he was interviewed.

"We have a lot of players who have gone to the World Cup and they are so tired.

Inter Milan is a very complete team. What we have to do now is to get back to form. After all, there is still a long time before the league starts.

I believe the players can definitely adjust before the season starts because we have the best players in the world! "

After the North American trip, Benitez and the team hurried back to Milan. They had no other games to play before the annual TIM Cup.

As for the Nerazzurri, there haven't been any big adjustments from last season in terms of tactics and main lineup, so they don't need a lot of running-in time.

The only problem now is that the international players who have played in the World Cup need to return to their best physical condition as soon as possible to prepare for the upcoming 2010-2011 season.

However, on this day when he should be conducting restorative training at the club, Leo was called up to the national team again.

Lippi led Italy to the top of the world for the second time and achieved the great feat of defending the World Cup.

After returning to China, Silver Fox officially resigned as the head coach of the Italian national team.

The Italian Football Federation officially announced the new coach who would take over the Azzurri on the day after Lippi resigned.

After former Fiorentina coach Prandelli received an invitation from the national team, he ended his five-year career with Viola and officially became the new head coach of five-star Italy.

On August 8, Italy and Cote d'Ivoire played an international football friendly match at Upton Park Stadium in England.

This game was also Prandelli's first coaching appearance after taking office. Compared with his predecessor Lippi, he made a bold attempt in selecting players.

In addition to the return of the "bad boy" Cassano, who has been highly praised before, three "newcomers" Amauri, Mota, and Siligu also made their debut in the national team game.

In particular, the striker combination of Amauri, Balotelli and Cassano was nicknamed the ABC combination by fans.

The three midfielders are Pepe, De Rossi and Palombo.

Pirlo and Buffon were not selected due to injuries, while Cannavaro and other veterans were directly excluded from the squad.

Putting aside the doubts about this starting list, the media were very confused as to why Leo was placed on the bench.

On the contrary, Leo himself actually didn't care.

The World Cup is over, so it would be nice to have a rest without having to play in a friendly match.

In the absence of Drogba on the Cote d'Ivoire side, they sent out a strike combination of Kalou, Gervinho and Doumbia, with the Toure brothers sitting in the midfield and Yaboa guarding the goal.

After the game started, Prandelli's new Italy did not show the level they should have as a World Cup champion.

The excellent physical fitness and skillful passing and receiving cooperation of Ivory Coast's offensive players caused a lot of trouble for Italy's defense.

Yaya Toure's powerful long-range shot in the penalty area also threatened the Azzurri's goal.

In the 44th minute, Demel made a diagonal pass from the right into the penalty area. Kolo Toure jumped high in front of the goal and beat Chiellini and Bonucci with a header!
  Côte d'Ivoire comes out on top!

Italian head coach Prandelli looked a little ugly, holding his chin and wondering what he was thinking.

(End of this chapter)