Icardi's in Trouble-One Phone Call Brought Him Expert Advice!
Tang Long scored a hat-trick in the opening match, Icardi now extremely frustrated!
On one hand, he discovered that his wife Wanda was flirting with an Argentina rapper on social media, interacting frequently, and often hiding in the bathroom at night to post messages, the content of which was unknown.
But every time Icardi tentatively asked a question, Wanda would glare at him angrily, then use her skillful techniques to relentlessly drain him until he was dizzy and disoriented, before slapping him a few times.
"Mauro, I only love you in this world, don't overthink it! Has Manchester United handed over your salary for this month? Transfer it to me right now!"
On the other hand, Tang Long scored a hat-trick, but Icardi felt worried about his future at Manchester United.
He noticed that the new Chile coach didn't seem to like him very much!
In the Community Shield final against Manchester City, he was substituted by Ibrahimovic at halftime;
The first round of the Premier League, the highly anticipated opening match, was watched by fans all over Britain.
Although he scored the opening goal for Manchester United, he was substituted by Bony in the 60th minute of the second half.
Bony then combined with Ibrahimovic in a passing move and scored.
Just ten minutes later, Bony used his speed to break through the opponent's full-back on the wing and assisted Ibrahimovic to score with a header.
With three players each holding a ball, Icardi's spotlight was largely stolen by Ibrahimovic and Bony!
Speaking of this strike partnership, Icardi gets angry.
Ibrahimovic immediately tried to snatch his number 9 jersey, and the two even got into a physical altercation.
Bony, a substitute striker for Manchester City, their arch-rivals last season, why does he think he can take my place right away?
Icardi was a key player brought in by Van Gaal last season and was once the Netherlands coach's favorite, who indulged him and even spoiled him. In the conflict between De Bruyne and Icardi, he sided with the latter.
But now Van Gaal has stepped down, and the new Pellegrini has a completely different style and is quite indifferent to me.
Although Icardi dislikes Ibrahimovic, he also knows that the Sweden player is incredibly strong, having scored many goals in Italy, Spain, and France.
However, he was very dissatisfied with Bony. He went to Pellegrini and questioned him why he was substituted by Bony in the 60th minute of the opening match, even though he had scored a goal.
Pellegrini, a veteran coach, didn't give a friendly look or tolerate a player who questioned his substitutions; he directly replied:
"Mauro, as a player, you just need to focus on training. I don't need to explain my tactics to you!"
Icardi was turned away and stormed out in anger.
Back home, I took a large glass of ice-cold water from the refrigerator and gulped it down. Then, I saw a news report on Tang Long's hat trick on my phone, and I was furious!
"That damn Tang! He promised to help me get the European Golden Shoe when we were at Inter Milan, but what happened? He didn't even finish the mission, and now he's at Manchester City, scoring a hat-trick right from the start. What, one Agüero isn't enough? You, a midfielder, want to compete with me for the Golden Boot?"
After criticizing Tang Long, he started criticizing Pellegrini.
"That Chile old man! It's only because Bony is your trusted lieutenant at Manchester City that you like to use him. Don't think I don't know why!"
Based on his limited football experience, Icardi believed that he was substituted by Bony simply because of Bony's relationship with him and because he was a better player than Pellegrini, and that there was nothing wrong with his own ability.
After all, he was Manchester United's top scorer last season, netting 32 league goals, a truly remarkable achievement.
I thought I could take things to the next level in the new season. Even if I didn't win the European Golden Shoe Premier League Golden Boot, I at least wouldn't let Agüero snatch it from me again. I also thought I could try to please De Bruyne and get him to give me more assists. But I never expected that my starting position would be so precarious!
This sudden and unexpected blow left Icardi feeling very agitated and uneasy.
His mind flashed back to the Premier League opener, to the eager look on Bony's face when he was substituted in the 60th minute, and he couldn't help but curse aloud again in anger:
"Hmph, this African guy thinks he can overthrow me and take my place just because he has connections? Keep dreaming! I'm the youngest Golden Boot winner in Serie A's 100-year history, who do you think you are?"
Despite the criticism, Icardi was still a little panicked.
He came to Manchester alone from Italy, without a single close friend by his side.
His wife Wanda, although his agent, knows absolutely nothing about football. Communicating with her about this is like talking to a brick wall; you won't get any constructive advice, but instead you'll be met with merciless ridicule— Icardi learned this the hard way from Wanda De Bruyne.
With his current situation hanging in the balance, Icardi, limited by his intelligence, couldn't come up with a solution.
He hoped that a wise person would give him some guidance!
After much thought, Icardi suddenly remembered someone.
"I've got it! Why don't I ask that Eastern European guy and get his advice?"
Icardi opened his phone's contacts and found Chivu's name.
Call logs show that the last time they contacted Chivu was a full year ago.
When Icardi played for Inter Milan, only Mancini could keep him in check. He looked down on all the other coaching staff, thinking that these old guys were not as good as him and had no right to tell him what to do.
However, Icardi was still quite afraid of Chivu, believing that the man had some tricks up his sleeve.
Not to mention that he was once a key player in Inter Milan's Serie A treble-winning season in 2009-2010;
However, in terms of tactical thinking, Icardi felt that the young Chivu was more open-minded than the half-gray-haired Mancini, and closer to the cutting edge of international tactical approaches.
When I received the call from Icardi.
Chivu just completed his resignation procedures at the Football Association office.
With a heavy heart, he walked out of the building without even saying goodbye to Mancini alone.
Chivu's words were a slap in the face to Mancini, making the prideful Mancini furious!
After the heated argument in the meeting room, the relationship between the two had completely broken down and there was no room for reconciliation, so Mancini quickly approved Chivu's resignation.
"Hmm, what does Mauro want with me?"
Chivu held a box of personal belongings in his left hand and pressed his phone with his right, looking at Icardi's incoming call on the screen, full of doubt.
"Dear Mr. Chivu, I'm in dire need of help! My Golden Boot is about to be stolen again! Please help me!"
Icardi began his speech with a wail, then poured out his experiences at Manchester United in a torrent of complaints.
When she got emotional, she even pretended to choke up a couple of times.
Icardi's tone was exaggerated, specifically to gain Chivu's sympathy.
Two seasons ago, Icardi's strike at the end of the season angered Chivu, who felt that the man was putting his personal interests above the team's interests and was not a good kid.
Therefore, Chivu's relationship with Icardi was rather ordinary. When he came to Manchester to scout national team players, he did not specifically meet with Icardi, and their relationship was far less close than that with Tang Long.
However, Icardi was, after all, a former protégé of his coach, Chivu, when he was Inter Milan's film director, also devoted a lot of effort and energy to training this top scorer.
More than a year later, Icardi suddenly asked for his help again, and Chivu still softened his heart.
He said on the phone, "Mauro, Pelle isn't being biased. Although Bony's shooting accuracy and movement variety aren't as good as yours, his characteristics are more in line with the requirements of modern football for strikers. As for Ibrahimovic, you have much more to learn from him!"
Chivu sat on the steps of the Football Association office building, under the midday sun, and talked to Icardi for a full hour.
Having experienced the 2016 UEFA European Championship, Chivu, as England's assistant coach, witnessed the trends in modern football development at a top-level international tournament.
A striker like Icardi, who only stays in the penalty area and scores easy goals, is tactically too one-dimensional and relies heavily on his teammates' help.
Moreover, it is greatly limited by the individual's competitive state. When in good form, they can score three or four goals in a game, but when in bad form, they can go three or four games without scoring!
Especially in high-stakes matches, forwards who cannot extend their reach out of the penalty area to make runs, create space, break through defenses, and pass the ball are easily shut down by the opponent's strong center-backs.
Chivu also specifically mentioned Tang Long.
Icardi, on the other end of the phone, suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly in agreement, especially regarding the examples Chivu gave of several UEFA European Championship matches, which he found very reasonable.
Chivu concluded by emphasizing, "When Pellegrini was at Manchester City, he started Agüero as the center forward, a completely different type of player from you. So, if the manager isn't using you, you should reflect on yourself. Okay, Mauro, I've said a lot. Whether you can improve yourself depends on you! By the way, if you want to learn, you should watch more of Dom's highlights; it will help you."
Upon hearing this, Icardi became extremely anxious, like an ant on a hot pan. In desperation, he hurriedly said, "Mr. Chivu, why don't you come to the Manchester United coaching staff? They need you here!"