Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

Coupled with the mental imbalance of other young players who prematurely linked themselves with Inter Milan, Sporting Lisbon has suffered an unusual three-game winless streak!

This included two losses.

They were once overtaken by Porto from their position as leaders of the Portuguese league.

After a winter break, everything seemed to have changed.

Sporting Lisbon, who were originally considered favorites to win the Portuguese league title, now seem to have fallen off a cliff.

Let alone the championship.

Even if they fall out of the top four, fans won't be surprised.

Immediately, the media also started stirring things up, giving Sporting Lisbon no chance to catch its breath.

Quaresma meets with a female model at night; the Portuguese player's mind is no longer on the game!

Viana's recurring minor injuries have eroded the players' composure, leading to a decline in their on-field performance!

Didier Drogba's goal-scoring efficiency has always been low, leading Italian fans to jokingly call him the "reverse Vieri!"

Following Sporting Lisbon's loss, some fans verbally abused the players, leading to an argument between Yin Bu and the fans, which nearly escalated into a physical altercation!

Pepe's irrational retaliation was extremely foolish, resulting in another red card and further compounding the team's woes.

Chelsea have confirmed they will recall Terry next season; is the foreigner just going through the motions?

Is Barzagli, the Italian "waste," reborn in Portugal? Inter Milan fans: He's not even as good as my youth academy's substitute!

Cristiano Ronaldo still hasn't provided an assist. Is he the team's top scorer or a lone wolf who never passes the ball?

The reason for Deng Kai's declining performance has been found: it's because he and Hathaway moved in together before their relationship ended! Did the two have an affair?

Both Inter Milan and Bayern Munich were previously known as Hollywood stars.

It means there are too many big-name players and too much gossip, making it difficult for the players to concentrate on playing football.

But now, Matthäus has brought this trend to Sporting Lisbon.

Matthäus: Isn't it because of Duncan? Was it because he insisted on going to the Golden Globe Awards to make his presence felt? Now he's caused trouble, hasn't he?

The team was clearly on the verge of collapse.

At Sporting Lisbon's internal meeting, Triguera, as if nothing had happened, began his analysis and explanation of Inter Milan.

In Deng Kai's words: "The reason why young players are called young players is precisely because their form is inconsistent. If you tell any young player that their next opponent is Inter Milan or Vieri, they will all experience fluctuations."

"It's impossible to control. Instead of trying to control your emotions, you might as well look forward to that day coming sooner."

"If we really get over this mountain, the scenery might not be these few floating clouds in front of us anymore."

Triguera recited the prepared statement: "This Inter Milan team is strong in its forward line. In order to make full use of this forward line, they have piled up a lot of players in the midfield, hoping to establish a midfield advantage through numbers and convert possession of the ball into as many attacking opportunities as possible."

"Therefore, after their new coach took office, he transformed the original four-defender system into a three-center-back system. Moreover, unlike the ordinary three-center-back system, two of the center-backs were converted from full-backs and have extremely strong attacking attributes."

Trigra unearthed photos of Ivan Cordoba and Javier Zanetti.

The two full-backs, one on the left and one on the right, are now both playing center-back.

This gives a glimpse into the height of Inter Milan's defense.

To put it dramatically, apart from Laurent Blanc, who was selected for last year's European Championship Team of the Year, this Inter Milan team currently has no defenders.

Full-court midfield.

It would be truly strange if a team like that could win.

If the opponent dares to attack, this defensive line will definitely be breached.

It doesn't matter who comes.

……

February 16, Alvalade Stadium.

Sporting Lisbon hosted Inter Milan at home.

In an instant, the entire football atmosphere in Lisbon was ignited by this match.

Inter Milan's starting lineup is truly star-studded.

Vieri and Recoba were the two strikers.

Francisco Farinos, Cristian Brocchi, Luigi Di Biagio

The five midfielders, including Clarence Seedorf and Andrea Pirlo, dominate the midfield.

The three center-backs are Cordoba, Blanco, and Zanetti.

The goalkeeper is Sebastian Frey.

Sporting Lisbon, on the other hand, fielded their usual lineup.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Quaresma

Viana, Deng Kai

Matthäus, Deschamps

Terry, Fonte, Barzagli

Schmeichel.

Among them, Viana has just recovered from injury and returned to the field.

Quaresma has been in poor form recently.

"Oh! It seems Sporting Lisbon is planning to engage in a midfield battle with Inter Milan."

"They didn't make any special arrangements in their defense, which is quite bold, considering they're facing one of the world's best attacking lineups!"

From the start of the match, Sporting Lisbon displayed a fighting spirit and went toe-to-toe with Inter Milan.

You won't believe it until you try it; once you do, you'll be amazed.

The Sporting Lisbon players were surprised to find... that they could win?

Not scientific!

This is Inter Milan!

In the seventh minute, Deng Kai made a direct interception in the attacking third, and the opponent he intercepted was none other than Pirlo, whom he had previously singled out.

Inter Milan had too many midfielders. Pirlo's long passes are usually excellent, but they were completely useless in this situation.

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Furthermore, Inter Milan's attack relies too heavily on Vieri. Every player who wants to create a threat tries to pass the ball to Vieri. This overly simplistic style of play doesn't work against players with brains.

In the twelfth minute, Seedorf dribbled and created space for Viana.

But he was positioned too far back, and while the foul was insignificant, it interrupted his brilliant performance.

If Seedorf had been positioned further forward, he would have posed a much greater threat this time.

The problem remains the same: there are too many players in midfield, which prevents truly talented players from fully utilizing their abilities.

Many players watching the game also noticed something amiss.

Guardiola, far away in Spain, kept shaking his head: "Inter Milan is really wasting money. They have a huge group of the world's best players, but they're playing second-rate tactics and being coached by third-rate managers and staff..."

"Even if I were to become Inter Milan's head coach, beating Sporting Lisbon would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?"

"Look what the Sporting Lisbon players are doing? They're dominating the big circle! They're taking over the big circle!"

"The big circle represents space. It's a tactic that focuses on playing through the middle, and it also results in a crowded midfield. Sporting Lisbon utilizes the width of the pitch to separate their players as much as possible, allowing them to be accommodated without causing any adverse effects."

"Inter Milan doesn't compete for the big circle; instead, they focus on the small circle of midfield. They may appear to have a lot of players, but in reality, all the passing options are completely surrounded by the opponent."

"Inter Milan's coach must have never played Go! If they keep playing like this, Sporting Lisbon won't be an upset at all; they should have won this match!"

In the 15th minute, the first goal of the match was scored.

Deng Kai chipped a pass into the crowded midfield.

Drogba made an offside run and easily created an opportunity.

He made violent physical contact with Blanco, but he did not fall down. Instead, he completed a kick in the fierce confrontation.

This was a stunning, earth-shattering kick.

Inter Milan goalkeeper Frey felt like he was seeing Fiorentina's Batistuta.

"Goal! Unbelievable! Sporting Lisbon scored the first goal!"

"These young players actually did it?"

"Inter Milan's stars don't seem to be in form yet. Did they not get enough rest last night?"

I like playing football on the ground: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him.