Volume 1: When a Hero Appears, People Pay Attention. Chapter 203: Calm Leonardo (First Update, Please Vote for Me!)

Chapter 203 Calm Leonardo (First update, please vote for me!)

Leonardo's defensive strategy was successful, because until the end of the first half, Naples was unable to score even a goal.

Now there are only forty-five minutes left for them. In these forty-five minutes, they must not only win, but also win as many goals as possible and end the suspense in the first round.

Obviously, this task is difficult.

So at the end of the first half, Naples head coach Mazzarri looked very unhappy when he left the field.

And Leonardo had a smile on his face.

At this time, the commentators also changed their tune and praised Leonardo's smart tactical arrangements.

After all, in front of Naples, who are good at offensive power, and at their home court, it is quite remarkable not to concede a goal in the first half.

"Inter Milan played 0:0 with Naples in the first half. For Leonardo, this is a good result. If Inter Milan ends up drawing 0:0 with Naples away from home in this game, it will be good for them to advance. The semi-finals are obviously great news."

"Leonardo's defensive tactics worked. Naples did not expect that Leonardo would implement such a thorough defense in the away game. They lacked effective response and were caught off guard. Now they only have 40 seconds left. Five minutes have passed. In these 45 minutes, can Naples reverse this unfavorable situation?"

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In the home team's locker room, Mazzarri was comforting the players and expressing sympathy for the team's failure to score in the first half.

"It's a pity that we didn't score. Their tactics were a bit unexpected. But it's not a big deal. Isn't it just intensive defense? You know, what we at Naples are not afraid of most is intensive defense!"

Meanwhile, in the visiting team's locker room. Leonardo was full of joy and was satisfied with the team's performance in the first half.

"We didn't concede a single goal throughout the first half, which is a good thing. We have to continue to do that in the second half, at least at the beginning. Once they find that they can't score, they will become impatient. Get up. After all, this is their home court, and home court means an advantage and a huge pressure. If they can't win us at home, their fans will put huge pressure on them. By then, it will be ours. Opportunity!”

"So in the second half, we continued to defend and patiently waited for the opportunity. In the first half, we already saw how empty the defense was when they pressed hard. That is an opportunity we can take advantage of!"

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After Mazzarri comforted and encouraged the players, he began to tell them what they should do in the second half. Football matches are not about talking, and whoever speaks the loudest words will win. Do you want to win? It still depends on the strength of real swords and guns.

"I have been thinking about one question in the first half, and that is why Leonardo let his team defend from the first minute of the game, even giving up the attack completely. A striker like Eto'o has the opportunity to be taken away. Come and use it as a defensive midfielder. At this moment, I figured it out - they hope to use such tenacious defense to break our will. Think about it, guys. This is our home court, if we can't What thoughts will you have after defeating your opponent at home? Do you think the second round will be difficult? Do you think the home fans will put pressure on you at this time?"

Someone nodded, that was indeed the case. If we cannot win the game at home, it will be difficult to play in the second round. This is why many players walked off the field after the first half with unsightly expressions on their faces. They can't help but frown when they think about the future.

"Yes, that's it. If we fail to score, we will become impatient and make some mistakes and loopholes that we didn't have before. When we make mistakes, they will seize these opportunities... They are Inter Milan, they have a lot of experience and it is not difficult to do this."

"So to disrupt the opponent's arrangements, we should try to score early in the second half." Mazzarri raised a finger. "This is one. Two, if we really can't score, don't be impatient. We would rather let the opponent take away a draw than let the opponent take away a victory and away goals. This is very critical. .”

From Mazzarri's point of view, the worst result he could accept was a draw by the opponent. At worst, the game at Meazza Stadium should be regarded as the final. The outcome will be determined by one game. As long as they don't lose at home, the two sides will still be on the same starting line.

"We can't continue to play like we did in the first half in the second half. There are too many spaces behind us, which can easily give the opponent opportunities. And our physical strength will definitely decline in the second half. If there are too many spaces in the backcourt, we will lose our physical strength. If it goes down, we won’t be able to return to defense in time.”

"In terms of offense, we should be more varied. We can't always just cross the ball...The opponent's two central defenders are still very good in air defense capabilities. We need to be more patient when getting the ball at the front of the penalty area... …”

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"I really didn't expect Naples to be unable to score a goal at their home court..."

"If Naples cannot win the game at home, it will be very difficult to advance to the semifinals."

"Yes, yes. Leonardo's move looks ugly, but the effect is surprisingly good..."

In the media box, reporters from all over the country were also exchanging their views on the first half.

Just as he was talking, players from both sides came out, and the second half of the game was not far away.

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In the second half, the two sides changed places to fight again, and Inter Milan still defended, but this time the commentators no longer criticized Leonardo.

This season, Inter Milan had a difficult time after Mourinho left. After Leonardo took over, the team's performance improved. If we can reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, or even reach the Champions League finals for two consecutive years, it will undoubtedly be a shot in the arm.

So at this time, there is no need to worry about whether the scene matches the image of a Triple Crown team. On the football field, winning is the last word.

Leonardo continued to sit on the coaching bench, while Mazzarri continued to stand on the sidelines.

The different performances of the two head coaches seem to confirm the mentality of the two teams.

Leonardo looked like he was sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, watching Naples still attacking fiercely, but his goal remained standing in the violent storm. He seemed to have seen the pained expression of the Neapolitans after Inter Milan scored...

But six minutes later, he stood up from his seat.

Wrong, it would be more accurate to say "jumped"...

※ ※ ※

Six minutes into the second half, Raul received Chen Yingxiong's header in front of the penalty area and successfully lobbed the ball.

The ball bypassed the fingers of Inter Milan goalkeeper Cesar and fell into the goal behind him...

"Ah! Beautiful! Napoli finally scored! They took the lead in the 51st minute!"

"Raul! He scored his 71st goal in the Champions League! This is an amazing result! Now it seems that Napoli got Raul for free from Real Madrid last summer. It is really a good deal. !”

"A beautiful direct lob! After the hero headed the football back to him, Raul didn't make any adjustments. He just unloaded the football and then used his right foot to lob directly! So full of imagination An inspired goal, so beautiful and cool! This is the Raul Gonzalez!"

After scoring, Raul made his signature celebration of kissing his fingers. He himself did not expect that he would really be able to usher in a new life in Naples... and continue to write his immortal legend in the Champions League.

Seeing Raul lob the football into the goal, Mazzarri let out a sigh of relief.

But on the other side, Leonardo jumped up from his seat as if his butt was on fire. Just now I was sitting on the Diaoyutai, but now I am in a hurry.

The score was equalized just six minutes into the second half, which meant Napoli still had forty minutes to score more goals.

If they are in good shape and feeling good, scoring two more goals in forty minutes will not be a problem at all...

How to deal with it?

He didn't have time to worry about Raul's goal here. His brain was running at high speed, making multiple choice questions.

Immediately press out and attack, trying to equalize the score as soon as possible?

This not only brings the two sides back to the starting line, but also gets an away goal.

But Leonardo rejected this choice without hesitation. In theory, this is a good option, but in practice it is very difficult. First of all, you can't guarantee that you will score immediately if you press out and attack. Secondly, if you press out to attack, there will naturally be space behind you. If your side is not able to equalize the score, it will allow the opponent to expand its lead, which may not be worth the loss.

So what if we continue to hold on and patiently wait for the opportunity?

Leonardo finally chose to continue to defend, but instead of waiting patiently for an opportunity, he waited for an opportunity to counterattack.

In fact, a 0:1 loss in the away game is completely acceptable to Leonardo's Inter Milan. Back at home, they can advance as long as they win 2:0.

However, Mazzarri will not give up. Naples has scored one goal, and he definitely wants to score more goals, because winning only one goal is not safe for Naples. They will definitely continue to attack, and as long as this is the case, Inter Milan will have an opportunity to take advantage.

What he needs to do now is to stabilize the morale of the troops and tell them to continue to defend, lest the players are not unified in their thinking, some want to continue to defend, and some want to go out in full force to equalize the score as soon as possible.

While Naples was celebrating the goal, Leonardo loudly called captain Zanetti down, told him his arrangements, and then asked him to tell other players on the field.

"Keep defending, tell them not to panic. Then wait for an opportunity to counterattack, that's it!" He patted Zanetti on the shoulder and sent him back to the court.

Looking at Zanetti's back as he ran onto the court, Leonardo felt a little proud of himself for making a decision so quickly and calmly.

This is his second season of official coaching, and having such qualities shows that he is really suitable to be a head coach... After retiring from AC Milan, Leonardo has been working as a scout for AC Milan, but He feels that head coach is the position that suits him best.

He hopes that he can prove his coaching ability in the wealthy team of Inter Milan.

How to prove it?

He thought again of the fans who sang "Mourinho's Song" on the sidelines of the training ground. Of course, they wanted people to forget Mourinho and sing "Leonardo's Song"!