Li Ang rotated the team in the league game against Liverpool because Inter Milan had a tough nut to crack in the league game over the weekend.
That tough nut was Napoli!
Inter Milan would visit Napoli's Stadio San Paolo on the weekend.
Napoli had returned to Serie A this season and were determined to regain their former glory.
Although Napoli was only ranked in the middle of Serie A, this team could not be underestimated, especially at their home ground, the Stadio San Paolo, which was a famous demonic home ground.
This could be seen from the attendance of Napoli's home ground. In fact, regardless of the result of the game between Inter Milan and Napoli, Napoli president De Laurentiis could not stop smiling. The tickets for the game had been sold out, and it was expected that nearly 60,000 fans would come to watch the game.
The Napoli media predicted that the ticket and broadcast income for the game could set a record for Napoli after their return to Serie A: 1.4 to 1.5 million euros. The highest single-game income for Napoli in history was the Champions League game against Real Madrid in September 1987, which reached 2.1 million euros. De Laurentiis proudly said, "These numbers are very important. It almost brings us back to the Maradona era."
So far this season, Napoli's ticket income had exceeded 10 million euros, including the closed-door game against Genoa. Last season, the ticket income for the whole season was only about 9 million euros. This season, the average number of spectators in Serie A was 22702, while Napoli's home ground had 38599. The attendance was only second to the Milan duo and Roma. The ticket sales for the game against Inter Milan were extremely hot. Five days before the game, it was already difficult to get a ticket.
Considering the safety of the fans, Inter Milan fans were banned from watching the game at the Stadio San Paolo. With the permission of the police, another 4,000 tickets for the away team were sold last Thursday, but it was still not enough to meet the demand. The prices of the few tickets that flowed into the hands of scalpers also doubled. The tickets for the stands behind the goal were inflated from the lowest of 14 euros to 40 euros, while the main stands were originally 20 euros, but now it was 140 euros. Considering the safety issue, the police said that Napoli expected to use 300 police officers and 500 security personnel for the game. Manager Reja also gained a lot of confidence from the hot ticket market. "Finally, after more than three years here, I've received the love and support of the fans."
*****
Napoli manager Reja also expressed his attitude. In the Stadio San Paolo, Napoli was fearless. Even if they faced the powerful Inter Milan, they were confident that they would win. They wanted to get a ticket to Europe in their first season back in Serie A!
However, although Napoli people were confident about this game and had their own ideas, the media was still generally optimistic about Inter Milan.
Li Ang's team had won all 26 games in Serie A, which was a terrifying number. Previously, they had won against Juventus, AC Milan, and Roma. It could even be said that they had won the last game. Although Napoli's home ground was terrifying, it would not be easy for Li Ang to suffer a defeat.
"This is the strongest Inter Milan in history!"
. "The craziest team in the history of Serie A!
. Inter Milan has made history in Serie A! "
The media was also generous with their praise for Inter Milan. Even if some of the media did not like Li Ang, they had to admit that Inter Milan was strong.
"There is no doubt that Inter Milan is already the strongest team in Europe. They are in the strongest era in the club's century-old history!"
However, Napoli manager Reja refused to admit that these titles would help Inter Milan team beat his team in an interview before the game. ".. Inter Milan team's previous 26 victories have nothing to do with Napoli. It has nothing to do with this game. The glory only belongs to the past. Today's game depends on who performs better."
Li Ang also expressed his opinion on this. "Napoli is a special team. They are very strong in the Stadio San Paolo. Although we defeated Napoli at home, the away game will not be easy. We have to go all out in this game!"
With Li Ang's unruly character, if he could say this, it could be seen that he was indeed more cautious about visiting the Stadio San Paolo.
This also made the media a little disappointed. They could not wait to see Li Ang's big mouth fire at the Napoli people.
Li Ang certainly would not let the media do as they wished. He had no enmity with Napoli. There was no need to form a grudge for nothing. In other words, the current Napoli did not pose any threat to Inter Milan. Looking at the opponents that Li Ang quarreled with, they were mainly competitors like Juventus, Roma, and AC Milan. He really did not treat the other opponents well. Even for these opponents, unless they took the initiative to provoke him, Li Ang rarely spoke ill of them.
In other words, with his current status and structure, other than a few of Europe's top powerhouses, he really did not care about the other teams.
*****
On March 9th, the weather in Naples, which had been gloomy for a while, finally cleared up.
At 3: 30 in the afternoon, the highlight game of the 27th round of the 20072008 Serie A season, Inter Milan's away game against Napoli, kicked off with the whistle of referee Rizzoli.
The Stadio San Paolo of Napoli was full. Due to security reasons, Inter Milan fans were prohibited from going to the away game. Therefore, in this game, Inter Milan was completely an away game!
"Diego Milito is partnered with Adriano in this game. Li Ang rarely let Milito and Adriano play together in this game. Behind them is Arshavin. The Russian player is very important to Li Ang …" The commentator looked at Inter Milan's starting lineup and noticed a change.
"Inter Milan's starting lineup is very aggressive." Ferrari thought and said, "In the midfield, Mata and Decaux are the left and right midfielders respectively. Then, Carlos and Modric are the two defensive midfielders. In the rear defensive line, Chivu, Samuels, and Zanetti. This … Li Ang has arranged a three-back formation!"
"In the away game at San Paolo, Li Ang actually changed the formation!" Rossi also exclaimed.
Inter Milan's playing style had always been the object of study by many opponents, the media, and professionals. All along, Li Ang had preferred a four-back formation. A team's stable tactics were the guarantee of good results in the long league. However, in this game, the Chinese suddenly arranged a three-back formation, which really surprised everyone.
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