The First Team players were no strangers to Mario Balotelli. During the pre-season warm-up training, Balotelli had been with the team. Everyone liked the somewhat childish black lad.
"Mario! Come on! We're counting on you to score now! "The team captain, Javier Zanetti, said jokingly as he patted Balotelli on the shoulder.
"Yes, leave it to me!" Balotelli said with a determined face.
Uh … Zanetti froze for a moment, then laughed. This kid is too interesting.
Zanetti was also injured and could not play in the game against Napoli. Therefore, in the game between Inter Milan and Napoli, the Nerazzurri were really full of injured players.
During the team's training, Li Ang practiced two sets of tactics. One was to have Diego Milito as the lone striker, while Mata and David Silva would be behind the Argentine, providing him with ammunition. This was the four-three-two-one formation that Inter Milan might use, which was widely speculated by the media.
In addition, Li Ang also practiced a two-striker formation with Balotelli and Diego Milito in the training. However, even the Inter Milan players did not think that the manager would choose such a starting lineup. At most, it was a desperate play when the team was behind in the score.
*****
The day before the seventh round of the Serie A league match against Napoli, Li Ang stood on the sidelines of the training ground with one hand under his chin, watching the team's training.
Li Ang's eyes were always fixed on Balotelli.
"It would be good if this kid could be stronger," Li Ang whispered.
"For a player of his age, Balotelli is already good. His combination with the ball is good, and his speed is relatively fast!" Assistant Manager Pablo Banderas said, "As a substitute, this kid is barely enough."
"Who said I was going to use him as a backup?" Li Ang said with a smile.
Banderas stared at Li Ang in shock. "Are you serious, Li? That kid had only appeared as a substitute in the summer friendly matches. He had never appeared in an official First Team match, not even as a substitute! Now you're letting him start in such an important match. Aren't you afraid of ruining him? "
When a coach promoted a young player, he was most worried about pulling up the seedlings to help them grow. It was easy to imagine how big of a risk it was to directly start in the Serie A match. Whether it was Li Ang or Balotelli, both of them would be under a lot of pressure. Li Ang was still fine, as he was a well-deserved manager, and Inter Milan was leading by a large margin in the standings. Even if he made a mistake in this match, it would not be too big of a problem. However, for a 17-year-old kid, a failure in his debut under a lot of pressure would have a profound impact on the development of his career.
"Don't worry, Pablo. This kid is not that weak." Li Ang shrugged. "Look at him. He can't wait to play tomorrow …"
"That's because he's too excited. That's what I'm worried about," Pablo said unhappily.
Li Ang did not say anything. He liked the vitality of young people.
*****
After the end of the day's training, Mario Balotelli found Manager Li Ang. He wanted to ask for a few more tickets.
Although he did not know if he would be able to play in the match against Napoli, and he did not even know if he would start, even if he was just sitting on the substitutes' bench, this was his first time experiencing the Serie A up close.
The club would give the players some internal tickets, but it was generally limited to the First Team players. Balotelli was temporarily transferred from the youth team and did not enjoy the treatment of free tickets at the moment.
As the manager of the team, Li Ang naturally also had free tickets, and he had a larger share. He pulled out a handful of tickets from the drawer, about seven or eight of them. Li Ang handed them to Balotelli. "Take them all."
Balotelli did not take all of them. He only took five tickets. He had calculated that each of his adoptive parents would have one, his sister would have one, and his brother would have one. Well, there was one left for himself. He just needed five tickets.
*****
That night, at Balotelli's house.
During dinner, Francis Balotelli found that Mario's expression was very serious, and he sat upright.
"Mario, what's the matter?" Old Balotelli asked.
"It's a secret!" Balotelli said with a big smile.
"Okay, okay, it's a secret!" His adoptive mother, Sylvia, came up and knocked on Balotelli's head. Then she saw a stack of papers in front of her. These were the tickets.
"Tickets for tomorrow's game against Napoli." Balotelli said with a proud face. "You all have to go and watch the game live. Cheer for me."
"Oh yeah!"
"Mario, are you going to play?"
"Yes!" Balotelli's face was resolute. "The team needs me! This is the battle mission of I, First Lieutenant Mario Balotelli! "
Francis and Sylvia looked at each other with some worry. This kid was now crazy about his brothers, and the two were a little worried that Balotelli would go crazy.
However, they were only a little worried. They treated this adopted son as their own and loved him very much. In their eyes, Balotelli was a great kid, kind, humorous, and childlike …
*****
"I'm full!" Balotelli wiped his mouth and went straight upstairs. However, after taking two steps, he poked his head out again. "Don't forget to watch the game, the great Mario's game."
"Okay, okay, got it," Sylvia said with a smile. "We won't forget."
At this moment, her husband, Francis Balotelli, roared. "Mario, what did you do to Balotelli?"
Balotelli was the family's dog, a husky.
At this moment, the husky was panting and running around the yard restlessly. Huskies were indeed an active breed, but this was too active.
"It's not my fault. I wanted to help it find a girlfriend, but unfortunately, Lily next door moved away." Balotelli's aggrieved voice came from upstairs.
Lily was the family's dog next door. She was a brown female Teddy. Balotelli had been running around Lily for the past few days. Now that the family next door had gone on vacation, Lily had also left.
Hearing Mario Balotelli's words, Francis Balotelli hurried over. Sure enough, he found the evidence of his crime in the corner next to the dog bowl, the tin foil wrapper of the "little blue pill."
"Mario!" The whole house could hear the angry roars of Mr. Francis Balotelli and the manic roars of Balotelli the husky …
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