"Sporting de Gijón's fans are definitely the happiest fans right now. They are currently in first place in La Liga. They must be very excited, even a little complicated. I'm afraid that even the most optimistic fans would never have dreamed that their team could reach this point! What is certain is that the diehard fans of this team, nicknamed 'Red and White Army,' are both in high spirits and a little nervous. Some people might even be worried that this is a dream, because this is too unbelievable. However, Li Ang might not be so nervous. This Chinese coach has an incomparably tenacious heart. He is smart, has a fighting spirit, and has a strong personality. This young coach has the basic qualities of a great coach! In addition, what shocked us is that this team is still alive in the UEFA Europa League. In the first leg of the away game against Parma, they have one foot in the top four of the UEFA Europa League. In the Copa del Rey, they have also reached the semifinals. With a thin lineup and the identity of a newly promoted team, this Chinese coach has shocked everyone. In Spain, the team led by Li Ang has become the subject of research. They can play amazing offensive football, but their defensive counterattack is also very sharp. Under the command of Li Ang, Sporting de Gijón skillfully switched tactics, which made their opponents feel despair. There is no doubt that Li Ang is the soul of this team! This is a team whose will is the will of the manager! In this team, the manager has absolute authority, and he has the love of all the players … "– Milan Gazzetta dello Sport.
Putting down the newspaper and taking off his reading glasses, Facchetti showed a shocked expression. He didn't think that Milan Gazzetta dello Sport would have such high praise for this Chinese coach. Milan Gazzetta dello Sport was a world-renowned sports media, and was very professional. There was no need for them to flatter a Chinese coach in Spain. To be able to get such high praise from Milan Gazzetta dello Sport meant that this person had really won the praise of this Italian newspaper. At the very least, the author of this report was conquered by this Chinese.
Facchetti noticed that the author of this report was Di Gennaro, and he understood. Di Gennaro was a famous Inter Milan fan. He was a famous football expert for Milan Gazzetta dello Sport and had a good relationship with Moratti.
Of course, Facchetti did not suspect that Di Gennaro was overly praising Li Ang. He believed in Di Gennaro's professionalism and foresight. Di Gennaro was a very picky person. It was not easy to win his favor and praise.
This made Facchetti very curious about Li Ang. This young Chinese coach was admired by Moratti and praised by Di Gennaro. It seemed that he had a certain level of skill.
Of course, Facchetti was not someone who could be moved by a report. He told Moratti that he needed to know more about Li Ang before he could make a decision.
Moratti was a little disappointed that he could not convince Facchetti in the first place. However, he also knew that Facchetti needed time to observe and understand Li Ang. That was all he could do for now.
Facchetti still had doubts about Li Ang. However, in the discussion that followed, Facchetti had no choice but to give in on the issue of whether to change the manager. Moratti was the boss. Facchetti could not always disagree with the boss.
In the end, the most important decision made in this closed-door meeting of Inter Milan's executives was that they set a reprieve for the team's manager, Mancini!
*****
In the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League three days later, Inter Milan's home ground, the Meazza Stadium, would play the second leg against their city rival, AC Milan. This would be the final test of whether Mancini could still coach Inter Milan after the season ended.
With no hope of winning the league title, Inter Milan's executives viewed Mancini's ability to progress further in the UEFA Champions League as the only standard to evaluate him.
As for Inter Milan's record of reaching the semifinals of the Coppa Italia, it obviously could not move Moratti's heart to change the manager. It was not news that Serie A's powerhouses generally looked down on the Coppa Italia.
After the meeting ended, Facchetti also sighed. Although he wasn't satisfied with Mancini's coaching results, he did think that Mancini should be given more time. At the very least, he should be given another season. However, Moratti was determined. It wasn't easy for him to agree to give Mancini a reprieve.
However, Facchetti was not optimistic about Mancini's ability to overcome the danger. In the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, Inter Milan lost to their city rival, AC Milan, by a score of 2-0. If they wanted to make a comeback, they had to score three goals against AC Milan at home in the second leg. At the same time, they could not concede a goal. This was an almost impossible task.
However, Facchetti could only help Mancini this much …
*****
The aftermath of the match between Sporting de Gijón and Albacete was still ongoing.
The Spanish media were all discussing Sporting de Gijón's manager, Li Ang's declaration of his team's desire to win the title.
Sporting de Gijón's entire team was first surprised by the manager's blatant declaration of his desire to win the title. Some were even a little nervous, but more than that, they were excited.
Previously, they themselves knew that their goal was to win the league title, but they did not dare to say it out loud. It was more or less sneaky, and it made the players somewhat unconfident.
Now, Li Ang's move lifted the morale of the entire team. In their opinion, the manager's declaration of his desire to win the title showed that the manager was very confident in winning the title. He felt that it was time to announce it to the world. The morale of the players, who trusted and respected Li Ang, was greatly boosted.
There was another fallout from the match with Albacete, and that was that the Sporting de Gijón club officially complained to the Spanish Football Federation about the referee, Depay, in accordance with the request of the manager, Li Ang. They complained that Depay lacked basic restraint and control over the game.
The reason for Li Ang's move was very straightforward. The results of the post-match examination had come out. Mata's injury was not a problem. The problem was Benzema. The young French player would have to be absent from the field for at least a month. For Sporting de Gijón, who were already stretched thin on the frontline and faced the task of fighting on multiple fronts in the sprint of the season, it was very detrimental.
Therefore, the more Li Ang thought about it, the angrier he became. In his anger, he resented Depay's inaction even more, and asked the club to complain to the Spanish Football Federation about him.
If I'm not having a good time, you won't have a good time either. This was his clear distinction between love and hate, or it could be said that it was simple and crude logic.
*****
Three days later, Milan, Italy, Meazza Stadium. This was a great stadium. When it was the home ground of AC Milan, this stadium was called the San Siro. When it was the home ground of Inter Milan, this stadium was called the Meazza.
The second leg of the Champions League derby between Inter Milan and AC Milan.
In the stands of the Meazza Stadium, the club's owner, Moratti, the club's chairman, Facchetti, the club's general manager, Oriari, and the club's technical director, Blanca, impressively appeared on the live broadcast camera.
When the Italian commentator, Viviano, saw this scene, he joked that Inter Milan was paying special attention to this game. Mancini must be under a lot of pressure.
The camera then zoomed in on Mancini, who was in the Inter Milan technical area.
At this time, no one, including Mancini himself, knew what this game meant to him.
In the first leg of the game, AC Milan won 2-0. In this game, AC Milan scored another goal to extend the total score to 3-0.
This goal concede was fatal for Inter Milan. Considering that AC Milan had scored an away goal, this meant that if Inter Milan wanted to make a comeback, they would have to score four goals in the following game.
Moratti was as silent as water in the stands.
Facchetti shook his head and sighed.
Oriari glanced at the expressionless Moratti and then at Mancini in the technical area. He also sighed. He knew that Inter Milan's Mancini era might end before it even began.
Blanca's eyes flickered. No one knew what he was thinking.
*****
In the following game, Inter Milan launched a desperate counterattack. However, Cambiasso's goal was disallowed by the referee, which caused the Inter Milan fans to be furious. They threw a large number of fireworks and firecrackers into the field, which caused Dida to be hit and injured. The referee on duty was forced to announce the suspension of the game.
This derby was called the Fireworks Derby by the fans. The back view of Materazzi and Rui Costa looking at the fireworks while holding hands became one of the classic scenes in the football world.
Although the game was suspended and temporarily canceled, all the Inter Milan executives, including Moratti, knew that the result was not optimistic for Inter Milan. After all, before the game was suspended, AC Milan was in the lead. Moreover, it was the fireworks thrown by Inter Milan fans that caused chaos and forced the game to be suspended. The responsibility was on Inter Milan's side.
Subsequently, the Inter Milan executives appealed to the UEFA. They suggested that the game continue on another day with AC Milan's score of 1-0 and play out the rest of the game. This was the most advantageous situation that Inter Milan could fight for within the rules.
However, the UEFA rejected Inter Milan's suggestion and request.
After a series of discussions, the UEFA announced the punishment for Inter Milan a day later. In the future European games played by Inter Milan, Inter Milan would have six closed games. In other words, Inter Milan's fans would not be allowed to enter the stadium for the next six European games. The first four games would be played from that day onwards, while the final two games would be closed. Depending on Inter Milan's performance, the punishment could be suspended for three years. At the same time, in the second leg of the Milan Derby, Inter Milan was awarded a 0-3 loss to AC Milan. As a result, Inter Milan would be eliminated by their city rival, AC Milan, with a total score of 0-5. In addition, Inter Milan would be fined about 250,000 US dollars.
If Inter Milan's six games were closed, then Inter Milan's loss could exceed 15 million euros. At the same time, Inter Milan had already demanded compensation from the fans arrested by the Italian police. They also announced that a fan suspected of throwing fireworks in the stadium would be banned from watching the game for three years. This would be the first time in the history of an Italian team that its own fans were banned from watching the game live.
*****
After the UEFA punishment came out, Inter Milan's top management immediately held an emergency meeting at the Pinenati base of Inter Milan.
The Inter Milan manager, Roberto Mancini, was called to attend the meeting at the last minute. The Inter Milan manager received the club's thanks and blessings at the meeting. He was told that he could only coach the team until the end of the season, which meant that after the end of the season, Mancini would be dismissed. As for the termination of his contract with Inter Milan for the next two years and the compensation for the breach of contract, both sides would discuss and resolve it.
Mancini was very upset and angry. He felt that he had been abandoned and betrayed.
Moratti was a very soft-hearted and affectionate person. When he saw the sad and angry Mancini, he felt a little guilty. After all, he was the one who invited Mancini to coach last summer. Thinking back to last year, the two of them were still imagining Inter Milan's bright future together. Therefore, Moratti took the initiative to appease Mancini, saying that the decision of today's meeting would be kept confidential and that the players would not know. This would ensure Mancini's prestige in the Inter Milan locker room to the greatest extent. He also expressed that Mancini would be satisfied with the compensation for the termination of the contract.
In a sense, Moratti was indeed a very good boss. He was willing to spend money and valued relationships. Unfortunately, his Inter Milan had been squandering. This made it impossible for him to continue to endure, because he did not know when he would be able to see the rise of his favorite team.
The angry and disappointed Mancini left the Pinenati base early. He did not know that the top management of Inter Milan had not left. Later, Moratti held a closed-door meeting …
Inter Milan was eliminated by their city rival, AC Milan, with a score of 5-0. The club's top management then held a closed-door meeting in Pinenati, which attracted great interest from the media.
The media began to hype up Mancini's crisis.
However, Inter Milan later denied it. The club expressed their support and trust for Mancini.
Mancini also stood up and responded, saying that he would continue to lead Inter Milan forward and that his goal was to win the Coppa Italia.
*****
A few hours after the closed-door meeting of Inter Milan's top management, Sporting de Gijón welcomed the second leg of the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals against Parma in Gijón, Spain. With a huge lead of 3-0 in the first leg, Li Ang took into account the fact that the weekend's showdown with Barcelona was a focal point. In the end, Sporting de Gijón tied 1-1 with Parma at home. With a total score of 4-1 in the two legs, they advanced to the semifinals of the 20042005 UEFA Europa League season.
That night, when he returned home, Li Ang was in a good mood and enjoying a candlelit dinner with his girlfriend, Alice, when he received a call from his agent, Miss Betty …
"Hi, Betty. Good evening."
"Good evening, Li." Betty's voice was filled with excitement. "There's something I feel that I need to talk to you about immediately …"
PS: A four-thousand-word chapter, asking for support.
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