Days in the Stands with Roberto Mancini

"Yee-yee-yee-yee-yee-yee..."

Boskov was wildly throwing punches with his right hand on the sidelines.

Pezzotti had a feeling that the speed of the punches from the person he was assisting was getting faster and faster.

If he continued like this, he could go into professional boxing after leaving Sampdoria.

At the Juventus bench not far away, Zoff turned around almost immediately and told his substitutes to get up and warm up.

The match had already passed the 80-minute mark. At this point, should they go for broke or play it safe? Any Italian coach would make the same choice.

Two points would be great, of course, but one point was also acceptable.

This was precisely the biggest reason why the scoring system was later changed to three points for a win.

The gap between a draw and a win was too small, leading to increasingly conservative play.

This was a global trend, let alone for Italy, a nation built on defense.

In the stands, Mancini's expression was quite something.

He was happy that his team had equalized, but also a bit troubled.

Did the team score points with or without him? Didn't that mean he, as the second captain, was somewhat useless, that it didn't matter if he was there or not?

However, after watching today's match, he truly admired Dejan Lu.

Damn it, an attacking player going to the center and frequently appearing in both penalty areas?

He wouldn't be able to do that if it were him.

Too ruthless!

Another tackle!

Mancini was starting to wonder if Dejan Lu was better as a defensive midfielder than as an attacker.

Salzano received a pass from Vialli and immediately took a shot, which was blocked out for a corner by Juventus's goalkeeper, Stefano Tacconi.

Another corner.

Mancini couldn't help but feel nervous.

No way?

He had a strong premonition now that this corner might lead to Sampdoria taking the lead.

"Defend, defend!!!"

Zoff shouted at the top of his lungs.

All the Juventus players retreated into their penalty area, even the striker Schillaci.

"Let's try the ground pass."

Dejan Lu said in a low voice.

Lombardo, walking towards the corner flag, immediately nodded.

With so many Juventus players in the box, it really wasn't easy to win the header.

Beep, As the referee's whistle blew, Lombardo nudged the ball out of the corner flag, and Dossena immediately moved to receive it.

The Juventus players panicked.

A ground combination!

It wasn't the direct cross into the box they had expected.

In the ensuing confusion, Marocchi abandoned Dejan Lu and rushed to chase the ball.

Dossena passed the ball back to Lombardo, who immediately played a reverse pass to the edge of the penalty area.

Pari was already prepared and tapped the ball into the penalty area.

Dossena, receiving the ball again, turned and went down the byline before quickly chipping a cross. The ball flew directly towards the far post.

Verchowod jumped up, preparing to head the ball, but Pasquale Bruno jumped a moment later, successfully blocking the ball.

The ball struck Pasquale Bruno's head and bounced towards the edge of the penalty area.

"Damn it..."

Zoff's eyes twitched involuntarily as his gaze followed the ball.

Dejan Lu!

Dejan Lu was standing there.

And he was unmarked!!!

The ball had a good height and wasn't too fast. Dejan Lu shifted his feet slightly, clearly adjusting his position. As the ball descended, Dejan Lu put his weight on his left foot and jumped, swinging his right foot directly.

Bang—

Swift as a boat on a rushing river, mountain flowers brushed his face with fragrance!

A volley!

The players from both sides barely had time to turn around, let alone react, before the ball shot towards the goal like a cannonball.

Stefano Tacconi couldn't even jump; he could only instinctively lean back and stretch his right arm, trying to block the ball from entering the net. Unfortunately, it was all in vain.

His movement became the perfect backdrop.

BOOM—

"Dejan!!!"

"Dejan!!!"

"Dejan!!!"

The away fans' stands erupted once more.

Mancini rose with the fans, celebrating wildly. He and Marco Lanna hugged and jumped up and down.

"Did you see that, did you see that? That bastard Dejan, damn it, I knew he could score!!!" Mancini shouted, somewhat excitedly.

Marco Lanna nodded vigorously.

For the first time, he felt that sitting in the stands was more exhilarating than playing on the field.

This feeling of having expectations, and then having them immediately fulfilled, of not letting your expectations down, was truly wonderful.

Dejan truly never disappointed.

Sigh.

Zoff shook his head and turned back to sit on the bench.

Damn it, just damn it.

The legendary goalkeeper didn't want to say anything at the moment.

In the broadcast booth, Rossi was shouting Dejan Lu's name.

"Dejan!!!!"

"Goal!!!!!!!!! "

"GoalGoalGoal!!!!!!!!! "

"After getting injured, Dejan made a swift return and once again dominated the match. Dejan, who came on as a substitute today, was very active on both offense and defense. He successfully made 3 interceptions, 5 tackles, attempted 3 headers and won 3, and most importantly, he initiated two attacks. He also seized opportunities when his teammates earned corner kicks, helping Sampdoria take the lead."

"I completely understand Zoff's disappointment. He had prepared everything for this match, and Mancini's suspension also benefited Juventus. However, the one thing he didn't anticipate was Dejan, playing in midfield, displaying absolute dominance and successfully dismantling Juventus's targeted pressure on Sampdoria's midfield."

"Juventus will not have any more chances."

There was just over a minute left in the match.

But when they tried to organize another attack, Lu Dejan stepped up once again.

The Soviet Maradona's pass was intercepted by Lu Dejan before it even crossed the halfway line, and he immediately passed it to his teammate.

The referee, Carlo Longhi, simply blew the whistle for the end of the match.

Only then did Zoff gather his spirits and walk to the sideline. The legendary goalkeeper adjusted his suit, moved his mouth from side to side, ensuring his expression was just right.

Alexander Zavurov walked to the sideline and, upon seeing his coach, immediately went to greet him.

But the next second, Zoff walked right past him, leaving Zavurov stunned on the spot.

Turning his head, he saw Zoff reaching out to Sampdoria's number seven and asking, "Are you interested in coming to Juventus? We can offer you a higher salary..."

Lu Dejan was about to refuse when he saw Boskov rush forward, waving his fist.

He quickly stepped forward to block his coach.

Don't let the coach get suspended too, just because the player's suspension isn't over yet.

"Let me go, Dejan. I'm going to teach this guy a lesson..."

Boskov shouted as he struggled.

Pezzotti quickly came to help restrain Boskov.

Although he was in his thirties and not young, when he struggled, one person really couldn't control him.

Zoff gave a wry smile and turned towards the players' tunnel.

As expected, the Yugoslavs are not to be trifled with.

Seeing Zoff leave, Boskov said dismissively, "If you guys hadn't held me back, I would have let him know the power of my iron fist today."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Pagliuca, who had run over, said in a tone used to pacify a child.

Pezzotti, however, felt that Boskov was telling the truth.

To prevent any issues, Pezzotti attended the press conference in Boskov's place.

Zoff did not mention the post-match scuffle, as he was the one trying to poach a player. He was not stingy with his praise for Lu Dejan. Zoff said, "Today's match was ruined by Dejan. We played a good 60 minutes, but in the last 30 minutes, Dejan took over the game. His technical superiority isn't his biggest advantage; his positioning on both offense and defense is excellent, which caused us a lot of trouble. I think Sampdoria is the biggest favorite to win the championship."

After defeating Juventus, Sampdoria once again reached the Cup Winners' Cup.

With the home-field advantage, Sampdoria, on a three-game winning streak, made significant rotations.

Mancini, who had no European competition suspension, was still in the stands, as was Dejan Lu.

"Sometimes I really wonder if the boss deliberately doesn't let me play," Mancini complained.

At his age, he had no intention of slacking off.

"Actually, not working still pays pretty well," Dejan Lu said indifferently.

"What do you know? I want to get back into the national team,"

Mancini said.

Baggio had been playing exceptionally well recently. Fiorentina's ranking wasn't high, but Baggio had scored quite a few goals.

"Maybe Italy will bring a few more Number 9.5s,"

Dejan Lu advised.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore," Mancini waved his hand irritably and said, "I asked that kid Marco earlier, he put all his money with his girlfriend. I have a feeling he's going to suffer a big loss."

"Yeah, even lawyers dislike people like that because they can't afford legal fees,"

Dejan Lu nodded.

Icardi was the best example; all his money was with Wanda.

If you want to learn, learn from Achraf; that's a truly smart person.

"I can't just watch him lose out. This guy might end up on the streets one day," Mancini said with some concern.

Although he had a bad temper, he was quite good to those around him.

"Why don't we suggest he get a commercial driver's license?"

Dejan Lu said.

"What do you mean?"

"It gives him more leverage when going to court."

Dejan Lu said.

Who the hell would have thought that physics was the only truth in the universe?

The way to protect yourself isn't by reasoning, but by having someone who cares about you and doesn't want to reason.

Fortunately, Marco Lanna was born in Italy.

If someone like him were elsewhere, he'd probably be set for life.

"Why don't we take him out later to broaden his horizons? That way, he won't be hanging himself on one tree,"

Mancini turned to Vialli and said.

The two of them used to be regulars at discos, but Mancini started to restrain himself after getting married.

"It's possible, but it might not be very useful,"

Vialli said.

He didn't understand what a simp was, but Lanna had lost himself a bit.

As the son of a wealthy family, his parents had always told him that he must sign a prenuptial agreement before getting married. Entrusting your assets to your partner's conscience was the riskiest gamble.

Thanks to book friends 20200904211229539 and Lu Jia Xiao L for their rewards.

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