Undercurrents Surging! The Clash Between the South American Faction, Argentina, and the Italian Faction!

There was no response from the other end of the line.

After a long silence, a slightly weary voice came through.

"Chivu, you should contact the sporting director, Ausilio, regarding your resignation; I am only the first-team manager. Also, Laino is untouchable. He has a very good relationship with Mr. Moratti, you understand."

"I know, but Mr. Mancini, it was you who brought me from Roma to Inter Milan in 2007. I have great respect for you, so I wanted to notify you before I resigned."

"Is this the result of careful consideration?"

"Yes, Mr. Mancini, this is the result of my careful consideration. I am very sorry."

"Hmm, it's fine. Where are you planning to go?"

"To Ajax. They contacted me last month, asking me to coach."

"Ajax is where you grew up. Going there as a head coach, your future is limitless."

"No, it's as an assistant coach for the first team."

"An assistant... By the way, Chivu, let me ask you a question. What do you think of the player Tang?"

Mancini suddenly diverted the topic to Tang Long.

Chivu was stunned, then replied, "Tang's vision of the game is far beyond his peers. That is his talent, which is why I recommended him to the first team."

"Hmm, good."

Mancini, on the other end of the line, smiled.

"Chivu, you're only going to be an assistant at Ajax. Why not come to the first team and join my staff? I need you."

"You want me to replace Herrera as your assistant?"

"No, Herrera won't retire until the end of this season. I need you because I want to implement a special training program for Tang, and you are the most suitable person to lead it!"

The next morning, Tang Long changed into his gear and stepped onto the training pitch.

It was drizzling today, and the temperature was around 5 degrees Celsius—very damp and cold.

A gust of cold wind blew, and Tang Long couldn't help but shrink his neck and shiver.

"Achoo~"

Suddenly, a scarf was wrapped around his neck.

It was made of fine black wool, warm and cozy, still carrying body heat.

This is...

"Tang, the Italian winter isn't very cold, but it's very uncomfortable when it rains. You need a scarf."

It was Inter Milan captain Ranocchia.

The 1.95-meter-tall Ranocchia looked at Tang Long with the demeanor of a warm-hearted man.

"Thank you, Captain, but what about you?"

"I have two. Giving you one is no problem."

Ranocchia's show of concern for Tang Long caught him a bit off guard.

However, Tang Long also knew that while Ranocchia's care for him certainly stemmed from a first-team captain's concern for a young player, the deeper reason came from the press conference after the match against Roma, where he had praised Ranocchia to the media.

When La Gazzetta dello Sport asked Tang Long who the man of the match was, Tang Long deliberately avoided the obvious answer, Icardi, and instead named captain Ranocchia.

"Ranocchia's solid defense and keeping a clean sheet were the keys to us winning this match!"

Wanting to counter the South American Faction led by Guarin, Tang Long chose to extend an olive branch to the Italian Local Faction and the Argentine BBQ Gang.

Training moved into the scrimmage phase.

During a 50-50 ball challenge, the defensive midfielder Medel lunged in with a brutal slide tackle!

He took both the man and the ball, sending Tang Long tumbling past the sideline.

"Hey, kid, if you're a man, get up! Don't just clutch your leg!"

Guarin mocked from the sidelines.

It was obvious that Medel, who had no personal grudge against Tang Long, had done this under the private instruction of the South American Faction boss, Guarin.

Mancini, standing nearby, remained silent, but he saw it clearly.

Medel was an old hand; the tackle was very cunning. On the surface, it looked like he hit the ball first before hitting the man, so it wasn't a foul. But after the tackle, there was a subtle, extra movement where he lifted his foot slightly.

That was why it had sent Tang Long flipping and rolling several times.

"Medel, this is training! Why are you being so vicious? Save that aggression for the opponents!"

Icardi was the first to rush over.

He rushed in front of Medel, their noses almost touching; a conflict was on the verge of breaking out.

Medel was stunned. He had never expected Icardi to stand up for Tang Long, and for a moment, he was at a loss for what to do.

Guarin walked over and said with a sinister tone:

"Mauro, why are you getting so worked up? If you aren't serious in training, do you think you can ask your opponents to go easy on you during a match? Besides, that wasn't a foul; it was a beautiful sliding tackle!"

Guarin stood 184 centimeters tall, which wasn't particularly imposing.

However, the guy weighed a massive 86 kilograms and was packed with solid muscle. Standing next to Icardi, his presence instantly overshadowed him.

Guarin's nostrils flared like a bull's, huffing out hot, foul-smelling breath.

Icardi wiped the rain from his face and instinctively shoved Guarin away with both hands!

With that push, the nature of the situation changed!

On the side of the South American Faction, the two Brazilian defenders, Jonathan and Juan Jesus, crowded around.

The Argentina Faction—Palacio, Osvaldo, Campagnaro, and Carrizo—were not to be outdone, stepping up to support the 22-year-old Icardi.

Assistant coach Torreira watched the situation nervously before tugging on the sleeve of head coach Mancini.

"Boss, aren't you going to stop them?"

"Let them fight. I want to see just how far they'll take it." Mancini remained unmoved.

On the other side.

The Ex-Yugoslavia Faction and the Italian Faction were both watching the show.

Japanese defender Nagatomo Yuto ran over foolishly, saying, "Everyone, don't be impulsive. Let's talk this out..."

No one paid him any mind. Instead, Guarin glared at him with utter contempt and shoved him away with one hand!

Nagatomo Yuto was not tall, standing at only 170 centimeters.

The 184-centimeter-tall Guarin was a big man, and that shove happened to land directly on Nagatomo Yuto's face.

Slap!

It was effectively a slap in the face!

Nagatomo Yuto was left completely dazed, clutching his face pitifully, standing frozen in place, unable to move.

Captain Ranocchia helped Tang Long up and, after confirming he was unharmed, charged into the crowd.

He was the tallest of them all, standing in the center like a telephone pole, forcing everyone to look up at him.

"Everyone shut it! This is Inter Milan, not some back alley. We are professional players, not street thugs. If you want to fight, get the hell out of here and do it!"

As a local player and the captain, Ranocchia's authority within the team was self-evident.

Behind him, D'Ambrosio and Andreolli followed closely, glaring at the others.

"Medel, you're right to defend seriously, but Tang's ankle hasn't been right since he was tackled by two players against Genoa. What is the meaning of this?"

"And Guarin, you're 28 years old, a veteran of this team. Why are you picking a fight with Icardi?"

Although Ranocchia was merely fulfilling his duties as captain to break up the fight, anyone with eyes could tell the captain was playing favorites!

The leader of the Argentina Faction, Palacio, gave Ranocchia a meaningful look.

"Alright, break it up, break it up. What are you arguing about? The coaching staff is watching! What does this look like? Back to training!" Palacio said, trying to smooth things over.

At this moment, Mancini walked over.

He said expressionlessly, "Guarin, Icardi, both of you are done for today's training. Go home and cool off immediately! Everyone else, continue training!"

The rest of the training session passed without incident.

However, when Mancini noticed the few media reporters visiting the training session, he whispered a few instructions to assistant coach Herrera.

That afternoon.

The official Inter Milan website released a grid of nine training photos.

Captured by high-definition cameras, the players were shown shooting, heading the ball, and sliding into tackles!

Everyone looked full of energy and life.

However, the final two photos had a slightly different vibe.

One was a photo of Medel and Tang Long embracing.

In the photo, both of them were wearing bright smiles.

The other was a photo of Icardi and Guarin warming up side-by-side.

They were holding onto each other's shoulders, each using one hand to pull their own ankle back to stretch their quadriceps.

Naturally, both of them were also smiling.