Facts have proved that not only Albertini and other veterans are worried, but coach Boloni is even more worried.
Although he still arranged a four-three-three lineup, he adopted a three-midfielder configuration.
At the same time, in the locker room before the game, he repeatedly urged the team to stabilize their defense after the game started.
“Remember, this is the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, so you can’t be careless at any time!”
But when the players walked out of the locker room and headed to the tunnel, Sudong, Ronnie and Quaresma were all together.
"I think everyone seems to be too lacking in confidence." Su Dong raised his concerns.
"Normally, compared to us, Lazio is really too strong," Quaresma said.
The disparity between strength and weakness does indeed exist objectively, and players appear to lack confidence because of this, which is also a normal phenomenon.
To use the most obvious comparison in the media, the gap between the Portuguese Super League and Serie A is that the Portuguese Super League champion and the fourth-placed team in Serie A participate in the third round of UEFA Champions League qualifiers together.
To make a deeper comparison, the salary of Lazio's star player is almost equal to that of the entire Sporting Lisbon team.
This is indeed a disparity that is difficult to bridge!
But if you play with such a mood, how can you win?
Ronnie looked at Su Dong, smiled slightly and asked, "What are you going to do?"
The two best friends understand each other very well. Ronny can guess right what Su Dong is thinking.
"How about trying to launch a wave of offense after the opening?"
Ronnie laughed happily: "Let's see if Lazio is really that strong?"
"Of course!" Su Dong also laughed.
Both of them looked at Quaresma. The latter actually didn't have much courage, but seeing that Su Dong and Ronnie had reached a consensus, he could only nod in support.
"I will fully cooperate with you!"
When Su Dong and Ronnie heard this, they walked over and walked forward with Quaresma on their left and right sides.
"Relax, Ricardo. When you are nervous, your movements become stiff and you are even slower when passing others. How can you perform well?"
"That's right, Favali is a thirty-year-old man, can you still kill him?"
All three of them laughed.
Andre Cruz was walking behind them and felt a little sad when he heard their conversation.
His and Albertini's thinking was, at best, mature, but at worst, it was prescient and hesitant.
Although young people like Su Dong and others are a bit naive, but if they want to win the game, don't they need their spirit?
It’s good to be young!
…………
…………
How do you feel about facing the world's top superstars?
Su Dong's answer was that he was starting to get a little nervous.
The moment I saw Stam, I really started to get nervous.
The Dutch central defender is tall and has a sinewy face. He looks difficult to mess with, especially when he glanced at Su Dong with a powerful look. His sharp eyes seemed to be warning, "Boy, don't mess with me. Don't get angry."
I can’t even control myself!”
This was a central defender who was once the top player in the world, and even after being seriously injured, he was still rated as one of the top players in the world by Albertini.
How strong is he?
Su Dong had no idea because he had never played against such a central defender.
Tonight is his first time!
Just when Su Dong was hesitant, he didn't know whether he should take the initiative to go forward and say a few words to Stam, express his admiration for him, and tell him something like "I grew up watching you play."
Su Dong felt a chill in his heart when he spoke.
Following his feeling, he noticed that there was another person in the Lazio queue peeping at him.
Player No. 14, Diego Simeone.
Su Dong was no stranger to this guy. The one that impressed him most was of course the 1998 World Cup in France, the red card that made Beckham the public enemy of the whole UK, and Simeone was the instigator.
Of course, Beckham did commit a foul, but on the other hand, Simeone's playing style is indeed too dirty.
This gangster looks like a gangster, and he doesn't look like a good person at first glance!
"You know what? They say that this kid is like a hyena from the Pampas. He only eats meat. Especially when he sets his sights on prey, he will never let go until he bites off a piece of meat."
Andre Cruz reminded from the side.
Seeing that what he said was a little scary, Su Dong smiled slightly and said, "Aren't hyenas all in Africa?"
Andre Cruz was stunned. At this time, he could still do it?
But, that's right, I have a good attitude.
"Anyway, be careful with this guy!" Andre Cruz cursed angrily.
Su Dong will not underestimate Diego Simeone.
In the preparation meeting before the game, the materials submitted by Sporting Lisbon's scouts focused on reminding the players to pay attention to Simeone.
Although he plays as a deep-lying midfielder, in fact, Simeone is not a rough and reckless man. On the contrary, he is an Argentine midfielder with both offense and defense and delicate footwork. He can even play on the wing.
Simeone's forward penetration is very threatening, because he usually does not penetrate forward. As long as he penetrates forward, he must achieve results.
Either on the offensive end or on the defensive end.
In this game, Mancini's two forwards are Chiesa and Lopez, both of whom are not tall. The former has scored 22 goals in Serie A twice and even almost won the Serie A Golden Boot, while the latter
He is Lazio's leading scorer this season.
Also sitting on the bench was Inzaghi's younger brother, Inzaghi Jr.
All in all, tonight's battle is no less a test for Sporting Lisbon than the one against Porto.
…………
…………
With the referee's whistle, the game officially kicked off.
Sporting Lisbon started with a defensive counterattack, but Lazio was not aggressive from the beginning.
Albertini was right, Boloni was a conservative, and Mancini was not radical either.
As the game started, Sporting Lisbon quickly had a chance to advance to the opponent's thirty-meter area.
When the ball reached the left wing, Su Dong immediately ran to the left side of the penalty area, got stuck, and raised his hand to ask for the ball.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Ronnie spotted the right moment, passed the ball diagonally and sent the ball into the penalty area.
Generally speaking, the next development of the plot should be that Su Dong grabs the spot, headers the goal, or makes a ferry.
But just as the ball flew over, Su Dong felt a huge force from behind, pressing against his back, pushing him forward and causing him to stumble forward, directly losing his position.
The ball just flew over his head.
Su Dong turned around and saw a figure wearing jersey No. 31 from behind.
Yap Stam!
In just one move, the Dutch central defender completely pushed him away, causing him to lose his position. Su Dong had never experienced this feeling for a long time in the past.
But for Stam, it seemed like he had done something very trivial.
This made Su Dong a little embarrassed.
…
Soon, Sporting Lisbon tried to break through from the wing and earned a corner kick.
Albertini quickly took a corner kick and used tactical coordination. Su Dong ran over to receive the ball.
As soon as he received the pass from Albertini, Sudong turned around and tried to cross the ball. Unexpectedly, Stam, who was marking him behind him, suddenly stepped out and blocked the ball directly.
Throw-in ball.
The Dutch central defender slowly retreated again, his eyes not stopping at Su Dong.
This made Su Dong feel a sense of contempt.
Perhaps, in Stam's eyes, the eighteen-year-old Su Dong is just a fledgling boy.
…
Sporting Lisbon took two consecutive throw-ins and was forced by Lazio to retreat near the midline.
Queiroga stood outside the boundary, holding the ball with both hands.
Quaresma stayed close to the right sideline, while Sudong spotted an opportunity, took the initiative to leave the center back area, and ran directly to catch the ball.
Queiroga also threw the ball to Su Dong immediately.
Lift your foot to stop the ball, turn around and start...
Su Dong was about to rush forward, and just when his legs were about to exert force, he felt that his whole body had lost his center of gravity.
Diego Simeone hit him hard from the side, causing him to lose his balance and throw himself forward.
The Argentinian midfielder raised his hands to indicate that he had not committed a foul.
The referee only gave Sporting Lisbon a chance to set the ball in the frontcourt.
Su Dong knelt down from the grass and sat up, surrounded by Lazio players. Everyone looked at him with kind eyes, as if they were about to tear him into pieces at any time.
Is this a show of force?
Su Dong climbed up from the grass and looked at these cherished players in front of him. He could only see them in newspapers and on TV, but now they were competing with him on the same field.
But they became not cute at all.
It was also at this moment that Su Dong truly realized what it was like to fight against these stars.
They are all using every possible means to deal with themselves!
But I am not a fuel-efficient lamp either!
Su Dong gritted his teeth and saw Queiroga about to take a free kick. He immediately ran over and raised his hand to ask for the ball.
Queiroga quickly kicked the ball to Su Dong who was in the open position.
After Su Dong stopped the ball, he didn't wait for Simeone to get closer. He picked the ball with his right foot and passed Lazio's retreating winger Cesar, falling behind. He quickly hit the ball at a 45-degree angle.
Diagonally insert into the restricted area in the middle.
Quaresma got ahead of left back Favalli, stopped Su Dong's pass with his chest, and quickly used his right foot to pick the ball back to Su Dong from mid-air.
Sudong sprinted very fast. At the front of the penalty area, despite being dragged by Mihajnović, he opened a gap for him and headed Quaresma's pass into the penalty area. He tried his best
He broke free from Mikhainovic's entanglement and accelerated into the penalty area.
The ball is in front of you.
Su Dong caught up with him as quickly as possible, stood firm on his left foot, raised his right foot, and was about to take off.
But at this critical moment, a majestic figure shot out from the diagonal thorn, and fell to the ground with a sliding shovel, one step ahead of Su Dong, shoveling the football in front of him, and at the same time tripping Su Dong again.
He lost his balance and fell in the penalty area.
After rolling twice, Su Dong sat up on his knees and saw that the ball had been shoveled away.
Stam was not far in front of him, and he had just gotten scared from the grass. He stared at him fiercely, obviously very angry that he had suddenly intervened and almost made a threat.
At this moment, the Dutch central defender was like a lion, staring at the enemy invading his territory with a frightening look.
Su Dong stood up from the grass, grinned and smiled slightly.
I am finally willing to face my opponent squarely!
