Dejan, Warm Up Quickly

He studied for several days.

Boskov still decided not to give Dejan Lu a chance to play for now.

Young talents generally have poor psychological resilience. Players these days, when interviewed, would typically say they had concerns about their debut, couldn't sleep well the night before, and so on.

He hadn't seen many players with good mental fortitude.

Boskov felt that with Dejan Lu's talent, it was even more important to help him develop the psychological resilience to match his abilities, and this would also reduce his exposure. He didn't want a player with immense talent to get lost in the spotlight.

He didn't want the player to become like a movie star after just a few games, with more off-field news than on-field action.

If it were a few years later, he would have replaced "movie star" with "Beckham."

These coaches all had similar concerns when dealing with players who attracted too much attention.

Soon, the team welcomed its summer training.

Dejan Lu's inconsistent performance, brought about by the experience card, further solidified Boskov's resolve not to give him playing time for the time being.

Boskov turned to Pezzotti and said, "Don't put Dejan in the squad list recently."

Pezzotti had played in the lower leagues in his younger days but retired early due to a knee injury. He later assisted Besserini at Torino, a renowned coach who led Inter Milan to a league title.

After leaving Boskov, he would go on to become Lippi's assistant coach.

He was a kind old man who was very good at communicating with players.

Pezzotti advised, "How about putting him in the squad list as a substitute?"

After all, Dejan Lu had been getting a lot of media attention lately. He felt that a young man like him, with high aspirations, would surely be upset if he couldn't even make the squad list.

"No need, I'll talk to him myself then,"

Boskov said.

Pezzotti could only nod.

He hoped Dejan wouldn't be angry.

Judging by his performance in training, Dejan Lu's personality seemed quite good.

After Mannini returned from his trip abroad, Dejan Lu quickly became familiar with him. Marco Lanna, the only local player and a product of the team's youth academy, always stuck close to Dejan Lu.

For young people, Dejan Lu's debut ceremony was incredibly impactful.

This young man, born in Genoa and whose furthest trip had been a two-week visit to Rome in the summer, was instantly captivated.

This was also related to the team's atmosphere.

Compared to the powerhouse clubs, Sampdoria's players were not inferior in skill, but the team's internal atmosphere was much better.

After Vialli refused Milan, the entire team had no intention of leaving.

Moreover, there was a significant gap between starters and substitutes, leading to little competition, and the coach and club president were both good people.

Mantovani helping Dejan Lu find a place to live was just one example; he would even discuss new season jersey designs and other club matters with the players, significantly downplaying his own authority.

Instead, everyone discussed things as if they were a family, so it was no wonder the team atmosphere was so good.

"My mom plans to open a restaurant, you all have to come and support her then,"

Lanna said at the end of training.

"Don't worry, Dejan will bring reporters with him. Reporters are chasing him now," Pagliuca said with a smile.

He was somewhat impressed with Dejan Lu, being able to handle so many reporters.

If it were him, he would have panicked long ago.

"Then it's settled, Dejan, you absolutely must come!"

Lanna said.

"Don't listen to that kid's nonsense. Last time he said his mom wanted to sell ice cream,"

Mancini quipped.

This also illustrated the confusion players had about their future during this era.

Although they earned more than ordinary people, it wasn't as outrageous as it would become later.

After a career of 10 or 20 years, their income would sharply decline. Coupled with the limitations of the era, they could only get information through traditional media and people around them.

Therefore, they were very eager to make money.

This gave opportunities to those fraudulent managers and agents who preyed on players.

They could easily swindle players' savings by simply scaring them, saying someone retired and became a beggar after only a few years, or that they had high-return projects.

Players' families were even more desperate for their money to grow than the players themselves. After all, they lived longer and had experienced inflation; who knew when their money would become worthless?

The team trained in such a harmonious atmosphere for about a month, and the Serie A opening match was fast approaching.

There were continuous reports on television and in newspapers.

Dejan Lu had also garnered considerable attention due to his various summer news.

Otherwise, with so many stars in Serie A, without a World Cup or European Championship, you could only get mentioned in the margins of the news.

What about the "Three Horsemen," the "Three Musketeers," Maradona, Völler, and our own Baggio and Roberto Mancini? Even Balbo couldn't make the cut.

The nickname "Little World Cup" was truly well-deserved.

Dejan Lu felt a bit regretful that at this time, CCTV only broadcast Serie A highlights. They wouldn't officially broadcast matches until three seasons later. However, Mantovani had already gone to discuss the matter.

This enthusiastic chairman was worried that Dejan Lu might feel discouraged and want to leave if he couldn't showcase his skills in front of his compatriots.

On August 26th, Serie A officially began.

Dejan Lu didn't even make the squad list.

He might as well stay in Genoa and research the system's new features.

[Mysterious Event]: Mysterious items and props will refresh irregularly. Their effects are unknown. You can use these props to help with your life and work, thereby improving your status in the football world.

This Mysterious Event: Lucky Taxi - Good things will happen when you drive this taxi.

Dejan Lu: ...

A taxi was indeed parked downstairs from his apartment building.

Playing football during the day and being a night shift driver at night, huh?

In 1990s Italy, he didn't need to work this hard to afford a house, damn it!

For now, he wasn't interested in renting out the car. This car wouldn't protect him from injury like his motorcycle did.

He'd try it out when he had the chance.

Dejan Lu and Monica watched a match at home. Sampdoria won their away game against Lazio 2-0, getting off to a flying start.

But the next day, Dejan Lu saw his name in the newspaper.

"La Gazzetta dello Sport" interviewed Galliani, the vice-chairman of Milan. He said, "We've been hearing that Dejan's name all summer. At first, I thought he was Slavic, but I didn't expect him to be Chinese. I don't care where he comes from, but Rivera always says in the newspapers that I'm wrong. Am I wrong? If he's truly a genius, why isn't he appearing in Sampdoria's matches?"

Dejan Lu was a bit confused by the report.

What does his conflict with Rivera have to do with me?

Did they really think Lu was easy to bully?

However, there was nothing he could do about it now. He could only make a mental note.

He'd "take care" of Galliani properly when he had the chance.

At training the next day, Boskov found Dejan Lu privately.

"Coach."

Entering the office, Dejan Lu sat on the sofa.

Boskov poured him a glass of water and said with a smile, "I saw the newspaper. Don't pay attention to Galliani's words. No one knows your potential better than I do. I just hope you can adjust your mindset and not be influenced by the media, understand?"

"I'm not bothered,"

Dejan Lu said with a smile.

He'd already played in Bing Er, why would he be afraid of being on the bench in Serie A?

It's not like they wouldn't pay him if he sat on the bench, right?

If the salary were higher, he wouldn't mind not playing at all.

"It's good that you understand. I'll give you a chance to play at the right time."

Boskov said.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back to training, Coach."

"Go ahead."

Seeing that Dejan Lu wasn't upset, he also breathed a sigh of relief.

But the very next match delivered a crushing blow. The team was held to a draw at home by Bari, with neither team scoring in 90 minutes.

The boos from the home crowd served as a reminder that the fans expected more from the team.

Pezzotti asked worriedly, "Should we add Dejan to the squad list? His ball-holding ability is very strong. If he had played today, he could have drawn more defensive attention, making it easier for others to find open spaces. We might have won."

"No, there's no need."

Boskov said after thinking for a moment.

He had already said what he said. He couldn't go back on his word after just two matches, could he?

Three days later, on September 5th.

Sampdoria scored first.

But in the second half, Ascoli's Borislav Cvetković scored consecutive goals, directly helping Ascoli reverse the score. Boskov was beside himself.

The most crucial point was that the team had no problems; it was Cvetković's outstanding performance.

A star player's individual ability changed the game. What could he do?

Should he scold the players for this too?

At this moment, Boskov thought of a player with excellent individual ability.

The unveiling ceremony assigned teammates to Dejan Lu, but none of them were used.

He quickly turned his head and said, "Where's Dejan? Get him to warm up immediately."

Pezzotti said with a look of innocence, "Last game, I asked you, and you said not to put him on the roster."

Boskov then remembered what he had said, looking at Pezzotti with a hint of resentment.

Why are you being so obedient at a time like this?

"Put Dejan on the roster for the next game?"

Pezzotti asked cautiously.

Boskov recalled the schedule in his mind; the next match was against Inter Milan.

Although Matthäus's character wasn't great, his playing was too strong.

In terms of performance, he was even more exaggerated than Maradona. His ferocious power was chilling. Those who dared not turn sideways when blocking Matthäus's shots were truly brave.

Although Boskov wanted to persist and maintain the image of a strict coach, his neck moved against his will, and he nodded.

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