The Only Thing That Can Earn You Respect Is Your Skill!

Bissack felt a sharp gaze directed at him, and his heart trembled instantly!

Who was Bissack?

He was the set-piece coach for Inter Milan.

In recent years, the coaching staff configurations of Serie A teams had also been following trends, focusing on keeping up with the times.

Many Serie A clubs were imitating English Premier League teams by appointing a dedicated set-piece coach.

Their responsibility was to specifically instruct players on how to take set pieces and how to defend against them.

Against this backdrop, the Englishman Bissack had transferred to Inter Milan two years ago from Watford in the Championship.

This guy did indeed specialize in set pieces and had his own set of tactical theories regarding them.

But as for how high his level actually was, it wasn't that high; otherwise, why would he still be drifting around the Championship in his 40s?

The only reason he was able to come to Inter Milan, with his annual salary doubling from 80,000 pounds to 160,000 euros, was entirely because he was a connection of the former head coach Mazzarri!

This guy was Mazzarri's brother-in-law, having come to Italy to rely on his sister's husband.

Ever since Mazzarri was fired by Inter Milan last year.

The brother-in-law, Bissack, had been living in fear every single day!

He was terrified that now that his patron had fallen, he would also be handed his walking papers.

In other teams, he could never land a salary as high as the one at Inter Milan!

Mancini's gaze was like a torch as he stared at him and asked:

"Bissack, in the two months since I arrived at Inter Milan, I haven't interacted with you much. I heard that you are a set-piece expert invited by the club from England, specializing in set pieces. Set pieces aren't exactly my strong suit, so I'd like to take this opportunity to ask you a question.

I'm asking you, in the set-piece attacking tactics you instill in the players, what is Tang Long's position?"

Bissack swallowed nervously and said somewhat awkwardly:

"Re-report, Mr. Head Coach, in my set-piece attacking tactics, Tang is required to hold the edge of the penalty area to mark and defend against the opponent's counter-attacks and the, the second ball."

Bissack used stuttering Italian with an English accent, trying his best to convey his meaning.

After answering truthfully, Bissack's heart was pounding.

He knew that Tang Long had not executed the set-piece attacking tactics he had instilled during training in the previous match against Bologna.

That was how the header winner in the 83rd minute had happened!

Ever since Tang Long scored that header, Bissack had felt a sense of unease.

Tang didn't follow the positioning I designed, yet he scored. Doesn't that mean there's a problem with my set-piece tactics? Oh no... Bissack worried inexplicably after the match.

Mancini nodded.

He flicked the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray.

"Don't be nervous, Bissack. You can continue in English; I coached at Manchester City, my English is very good, I can understand you."

However, Bissack was indeed very nervous~

So much so that he didn't grasp Mancini's meaning and instead repeated exactly what he had just said in Italian, but in English.

Several members of the coaching staff who understood English looked at Bissack as if he were mentally challenged.

The boss wanted you to continue, so why are you repeating what you already said? Are you brain-dead?

Mancini smiled slightly.

"So that's how it is, my dear Mr. Bissack. Since you deployed Tang at the edge of the penalty area to defend against second-ball counter-attacks, why did he rush into the penalty area? I initially thought this was a tactic you had specifically arranged!"

Several members of the coaching staff laughed as well!

Chivu also cast a look of contempt at Bissack.

Bissack was already nervous, and being laughed at by everyone made him break into a cold sweat, his little heart thumping away~

He felt as if he could already see his termination notice.

Then, carrying his luggage alone, holding a plane ticket to England, walking toward the airport in the biting cold wind...

Bissack explained incoherently at length, the central idea being that Tang Long was not good at headers and was somewhat redundant in a crowded penalty area, but the position at the edge of the penalty area needed someone, so after much deliberation, he decided to place Tang Long there in the starting lineup, and so on.

After finishing, he pulled a tissue from the table, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and gave Mancini an awkward smile.

Seeing Bissack in such a disheveled state, Mancini joked with everyone.

"Mr. Bissack seems very hot. He is an Englishman, and coming to the warm climate of Italy makes him prone to sweating. It seems he is better suited to working in the cold weather of England."

A burst of uproarious laughter erupted in the conference room!

Boom!

Bissack felt as if he had been struck by lightning!

What was that supposed to mean?

Wasn't this telling him to go back to England!

Oh no...

Bissack felt his heart sink into despair.

It seemed he was simply not cut out for the job of set-piece coach at Inter Milan.

Mancini checked his watch, stubbed his cigar into the ashtray, and then spoke in a rapid, serious tone:

"Bissack is right. During set-piece attacks, someone must hold the position at the top of the arc, otherwise, we are vulnerable to counterattacks. I've learned that lesson the hard way many times!

Arranging Tang in that position is also not a problem. As he analyzed, among the starting lineup, Tang is the only one best suited to stand there.

As the team's set-piece coach, Bissack has diligently fulfilled his duties.

Alright, it's getting late. Everyone, hurry up and get ready for the morning training session. Meeting adjourned!"

Clatter—

The sound of chairs being pushed back filled the room.

As Mancini passed by Bissack, he gave his shoulder a firm, deliberate pat.

Bissack was left sitting alone in the massive conference room, completely bewildered.

After scoring a last-minute winner, securing three points, and clinching a four-game winning streak, Tang Long clearly felt that his teammates' attitudes toward him had changed!

As he changed his clothes and walked down the slope from the dormitory toward the pitch, he happened to run into a group of Italian players walking together.

Captain Ranocchia pointed at Tang Long and made a gesture of pumping both fists:

"Look, our big hero is here, woo!"

Santon, D'Ambrosio, and Andreolli also greeted Tang Long enthusiastically.

Tang Long took the initiative to walk among them, and the group chatted and laughed all the way there.

On the way, they encountered a few members of the South American Faction.

Guarin, the Colombian, remained indifferent toward Tang Long, deliberately avoiding eye contact as he greeted Ranocchia.

However, the Chilean defensive midfielder Medel looked at Tang Long with much more friendliness, even giving him a nod.

A team's locker room is just like this. This change reminded Tang Long of what Chivu had once told him:

"Tang, in the world of football, the only thing that can earn you respect is your skill. It has nothing to do with which country you come from, your race, or your cultural background. The only thing that will allow you to stand your ground is the skill you display on the pitch!"

Everything is determined by strength!

Mancini stood with his hands behind his back, silently watching the players sweating on the training ground.

As head coach, he didn't actually attend every routine training session.

Sometimes he would just watch from his high-rise office, deploy the key points, and let the first-team coaching staff execute them.

But today, Mancini had specifically come downstairs to the sidelines.

His gaze remained fixed on Tang Long.

Half an hour later.

Mancini called Chivu over from the pitch.

"Boss, what do you need?"

"I thought about it for a long time this morning, but I still couldn't figure it out. Go ask Tang why, during yesterday's match, he abandoned Bissack's set-piece tactical deployment from the start and resolutely charged toward the back post. Go ask him how he made that judgment. I watched the footage repeatedly, and it felt like he had predicted it in advance! Ask him what the basis for his decision was."

"Uh, you'd better ask Bissack. He's the one in charge of set-piece tactics. He was a bit nervous in the meeting room this morning and might not have explained some details clearly."

"Bissack knows nothing! That nepotism hire—once his brother-in-law Mazzarri finds a new coaching job, he'll be out the door sooner or later."

Chivu smiled, "Why don't you ask Tang yourself? Or should I call him over?"

Mancini quickly grabbed Chivu, then gave an awkward smile and whispered to him:

"Don't you get it? If I ask him myself, wouldn't it make me look like an incompetent head coach? Go ask him now, and come back and tell me immediately. I'll be waiting right here for you."