Mancini's Art of Management: Giving Tang Long a First-Team Professional Contract!

After the match, Inter Milan striker Icardi, who scored a brace, was named the Man of the Match.

As the spotlights flashed, he lifted the trophy high with both hands and shouted the slogan:

"Forza Inter!"

This spirited display made him look every bit like the new king of the Meazza.

Italian Sky Sport was also the first to rate the players' performances.

"Icardi, 9 points, Man of the Match, he dominated the game!"

"Nagatomo Yuto, 8 points, his tireless running made up for the Japanese player's physical shortcomings, and he provided the assist for Icardi's last-second winner!"

"Kovacic, 7.5 points, having been tempered by the World Cup, the Croatian's control over the midfield is becoming increasingly mature, and he performed his duties of organizing the midfield very well."

"Ranocchia, 7 points. Although the first goal conceded stemmed from his loss of position, his defense was solid for the rest of the match, and he never let the opponent break through the goal again."

"Tang, 7 points, the favor of the goddess of luck made him look so adorable tonight; regardless, his two touches of the ball brought about change."

"Handanovic, 6.5 points. The conceded goals had nothing to do with him, and the Inter goalkeeper did not face much pressure overall in this match."

"Head coach Mancini, 6.5 points. In his first home game since his return, he secured three points in front of 57,000 fans, even though the process was extremely difficult."

Inter Milan Youth Academy.

At past nine in the evening, U19 youth team head coach Laino returned in a hurry.

He had just finished his FIFA A-level coaching exam in Bern, Switzerland, organized by UEFA.

He drove non-stop back to his office in Milan.

With another youth league match to play tomorrow afternoon, the dedicated Laino had to start preparing immediately.

Laino walked into the restroom with his bag and happened to run into his assistant coach, Chivu, who was also walking in.

The two stood side by side to relieve themselves.

"Haha, Laino, you really are dedicated, coming to the office so late, not bad!"

"Aren't you here too? Have you drafted the starting lineup for tomorrow?"

"It's drafted, it's on your desk."

"Hmm, right, who did you submit for the youth player list for the first team?"

"Tang."

"Tang?"

"Yes, that Chinese kid, Tang Long."

Hearing this name, Laino shuddered dramatically.

He accidentally got his hand wet!

He looked at Chivu with a resentful expression, really wanting to wipe his hand on Chivu's clothes.

"Are you crazy, Chivu! This Chinese player's contract expires next month and he's leaving, why did you submit him? With such a good opportunity, why not leave it for a promising player on the team!"

Chivu looked calm.

Although he was only an assistant coach, he was a legend of Inter's treble-winning team before retiring, so he spoke to the head coach with confidence and composure.

"I think Tang is quite impressive, and besides, I've already given him a new youth team contract."

Laino frowned.

"You've gone too far, Chivu! You cannot give out new contracts without my permission."

Chivu zipped up his pants with a zipping sound, and as he walked away, he turned back to say to Laino:

"You're right, Laino. Perhaps I shouldn't have given him a new contract; it's a waste. Because in the match that just ended, Tang Long played for the first team, his luck was incredible, and he accidentally provided an assist. I reckon Mancini likes this lucky star."

Laino was left standing there in a daze, looking somewhat disheveled.

Compared to Inter's indifference toward Tang Long.

The Chinese football scene had already exploded!

The day after the match ended.

Reports about Tang Long had already appeared in the headlines of all major news media outlets.

Tencent Sports: Tang Long's Serie A debut! Becomes the first Chinese player to appear in Serie A!

Toutiao: What Ma Mingyu couldn't accomplish, 18-year-old Tang Long has done!

Titan Sports: Assist! Key pass! Tang Long helps Inter complete a comeback against Genoa!

Tang Long's name also appeared at the top of the Weibo trending list!

#Tang Long's Serie A debut creates history for Chinese football!

The video of Tang Long's two key passes received over ten million views!

Many veteran Serie A fans were incredibly excited.

Especially the old fans who fell in love with Inter because of Ronaldo.

When had they ever seen it before? Once upon a time, would a Chinese player ever wear the Inter Milan jersey and run on the grass of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza?

They hadn't even dared to dream of it!

Especially when seeing Nagatomo Yuto of Japan already having made numerous appearances for Inter Milan.

Over these years, Chinese fans have felt a deep sense of bitterness in their hearts.

Why is it that what Japanese players can achieve, we Chinese players cannot?

Now, however, the emergence of Tang Long has filled the void of Chinese players in Serie A!

Yet, in the comment section of the Weibo post featuring the video of Tang Long's key pass, there was no shortage of cold water being poured, and as the post gained traction, these comments occupied the top four spots.

"I don't know anything about football, but it's obvious that this assist was clearly a miskick, right? He just got lucky that it landed at his teammate's feet, am I right?"

"Heh, as expected of the men's national team, they're actually hyping this up? You could pull any girl from our women's national team, and she'd play better than this guy!"

"Give it a rest. You guys are calling him the savior of Inter Milan over a fluke; you've lost all shame just for the sake of traffic!"

"I watched the full replay, and to be objective, Tang Long is completely detached from the team's overall play. His current level is nowhere near the Inter Milan first team. I heard some rumors that Tang Long's appearance was nothing more than a pawn in Mancini's struggle with the locker room."

Mancini sat in front of the computer in his office.

He was reviewing the Serie A match that had just concluded.

This was his habit; the day after a match, no matter how tired he was, he would spend three hours reviewing it with his assistant coach, Herrera.

They would summarize the lessons learned and set goals for improvement.

Having coached for so many years, this was a good habit Mancini had cultivated and a reflection of his professional standards.

However, this match against Genoa had caused a major disagreement between Mancini and his assistant coach, Herrera, during the review.

The point of contention was Tang Long.

Assistant coach Herrera believed that Tang Long was completely detached from the team's tactics and that his skill level wasn't even good enough to be a starter on the youth team, let alone warrant a spot on the first team.

"Mr. Manager, I don't know why we are arguing about this player, Tang. We have all seen his skill clearly; his ability is not even in the same league as his teammates. We cannot keep him on the first team just because he happened to provide an assist by sheer luck; it is a complete waste of a first-team roster spot!"

Mancini did not think so.

He only agreed with half of what Herrera said.

"Tang's skill is indeed not yet worthy of the first team; I know that better than you do.

But not only am I keeping him on the first team, I am also going to give him a professional first-team contract!"

What?

Herrera was stunned!

Giving Tang Long a first-team contract?

He must be crazy!

Tang Long himself probably never even imagined this.

Of course, Mancini also provided his own reasons.

"Herrera, you have followed me since the Turkish Super Lig; you should be more mature by now. You must know that in the world of football, it is never as simple as just playing the game.

Was Guarin confronting me in public really just a coincidence? Why did I suppress Guarin? It was to keep the locker room in check!

But is there only one Guarin in the locker room?

Icardi, Kovacic, Alvarez, and M'Vila—are these players obedient children who listen just because you feed them a bit of candy?

The world changes fast; today's players are not like they were ten years ago. They are rebellious at heart. They earn millions of euros in salary, they have millions of followers on social media, their every move is the focus of their respective countries, and their egos have long since inflated!

Indeed, me subbing in Tang for Guarin was a bold gamble, but we won the bet in the end, didn't we?"

Mancini smoothed back his slightly graying bangs.

Then he lit a cigar, puffing away, exhaling clouds of smoke.

"Not only am I keeping Tang on the first team, but I will also put him on the substitute list for every match, sitting right there on the sidelines!

The significance of this kid's existence is to prove to everyone on the first team that if anyone dares to cause trouble with me, I can immediately replace you with a youth player who has never played a professional match—at Inter Milan, no one is irreplaceable!"

Hearing this, assistant coach Herrera nodded slightly.

He finally understood.

Mancini intended to use Tang Long as a deterrent to extend his own authority.

"But boss, why does it have to be him? Wouldn't it be better to swap in someone else from the youth team? Laino has plenty of promising stars under his wing."

"No, it has to be Tang! Because his level is poor enough; the worse he is, the greater the significance of his presence in the locker room."

Herrera's eyes lit up, and he gave Mancini a thumbs up.

"Boss, when it comes to the art of managing people, you are the professional!"