"Has Lu Yang's injury healed? How did he get included in the roster?"
"Why bother? Even if he comes back now, he still can't beat AC Milan; their key players are all on the roster."
"Calm down, Lu Yang might not even play. He'll probably just be a mascot."
"I heard Lu Yang participated in the team's practice match yesterday, so there shouldn't be any major problems."
"But didn't they say his injuries wouldn't heal for at least two months? It's only been less than a month."
"Conservative treatment leads to a faster recovery, but it's prone to relapse. You can think of it as the outside getting better, but the inside not."
The question of whether Lu Yang will play has been hotly debated among fans.
For fans who have watched San Remo come all the way, Lu Yang is the creator of miracles.
Only San Remo, with Lu Yang, is worth looking forward to.
The reason everyone keeps discussing it is because subconsciously everyone still harbors a sliver of unrealistic fantasy about the Italian Cup final.
But no one dared to say it aloud, because it sounded rather ridiculous.
One of them is a Champions League finalist, one of the strongest teams in Europe.
One of them is Serie C team, which is at best Serie B level.
Is there anything comparable?
Not at all!
May 22nd marked a full month since Lu Yang's injury.
There was a training match in San Remo today, Lu Yang participated.
Lu Yang performed admirably in this match, contributing one goal and one assist.
But after the training match, Moric and Soto found Lu Yang.
"Are you really planning to participate in the Italian Cup final in this condition?" Moric asked first.
Soto, standing to the side, had clearly also noticed something amiss, which was why he came with Moric.
"How am I feeling? I think I'm doing pretty well right now." Lu Yang pretended to pack his things, but he was actually avoiding Moric's eyes.
"Can't you shoot with your right foot? Why are all your shots today coming from your left foot?" Moric asked.
"Didn't I tell you I'm the legendary 'double five-footed'? I'm equally skilled with both feet, double unbalanced feet, oops, double dominant feet!" Lu Yang said. "Today I'll have more opportunities to shoot with my left foot, so of course I'll use my left foot."
Moric shook his head. "Then why is your left-footed shot also becoming weak and powerless? Is it because your right leg, which is the supporting leg, is afraid to exert force?"
Lu Yang retorted, "We're all on the same team. Who's responsible if I injure a teammate? Didn't you tell me to hold back during practice matches?"
Moric: "Then please, don't hold back! I'll concede if you can manage a shot that goes over 100 kilometers per hour! Even if you insist that your shooting is fine, why did you suddenly change your tactics today? You were just focusing on Latuidi and attacking relentlessly. You knew that would lead to a lot of turnovers, but you did it anyway."
"Why?"
"Is it because you find the pain in your knees when dribbling more bearable than when shooting, right?"
Lu Yang said, "Perhaps it's because I feel I need to practice my dribbling more? There are more than one player in AC Milan with Latuidi's defensive abilities, I need to adapt in advance. Besides... haven't you noticed that my breakthroughs have become stronger?"
Moric: "Then why do you only drive to the right? When you're on the right, you only go to the baseline, not cut inside. When you're on the left, you only cut inside, not go to the baseline! What does this mean? When did you become so inflexible?"
Lu Yang: "Because Robben Zone is on the right... never mind, because AC Milan's left-back is extremely strong defensively, I judged that under his defense I could only go down the byline and wouldn't have a chance to cut inside, so when I was on the right wing I only went down the byline."
Moric: "Stop making excuses, Lu! It's because your right knee is still hurting! It's reminding you that you're not fully healed, so you're afraid to put too much strain on your right leg."
"You dare not use your right foot to shoot with full force, because even once, the ligaments and muscles in your knee will not be able to withstand it."
"When dribbling, whether you're on the left or right wing, you can only dribble towards the right side. This is because your right foot is responsible for controlling the ball, while your left foot provides support, so your right leg won't be under too much pressure."
"Conversely, if you try to go left, your right leg becomes the supporting leg that provides the main power. And... when breaking to the right or cutting inside, it's often your left foot that takes the initiative to push off to the right, which can block the opponent by half a body length. But similarly, the pressure on the left foot that takes the initiative will suddenly increase..."
"Your left foot can handle the same movement, but your right foot can't..."
Moric finally revealed the reason: this was why Lu Yang only moved to the right when facing a defense.
At this point, Soto added, "Conservative treatment can often make players appear to be cured, but in fact, this kind of treatment is very misleading, to the point that sometimes even the players themselves don't know whether they are fully recovered or not."
"In a better scenario... the player himself knows. Because every time he exerts force, he still feels pain in the injured area, and the more force he exerts, the stronger the pain becomes. This can remind the player not to overexert himself and let him know that he is still recovering from injury."
"Some players who have recovered well think they are fine and start to exert themselves recklessly. As a result, when they feel the pain, the injury has often recurred and is more serious than before."
"I think you're the former... You're very lucky, so you shouldn't continue to squander your health like this."
Many issues related to injuries are actually quite subtle.
Why do some players seem like Iron Man, but become injury-prone after joining certain teams?
This is closely related to the team's training intensity, mechanisms, and the level of the team's medical staff.
Some seemingly insignificant details often have a huge impact on injuries.
Moreover, the recovery from injuries is extremely slow, a fact that anyone who has suffered a deep knife wound or similar injury should be very aware of.
That is, even though the wound has healed for more than half a year, you can still feel pain when you scrape hard on the area where you were injured.
This is the origin of the term "old wounds" in many martial arts novels.
Under conservative treatment, even a slightly deeper wound can take more than two years to fully heal and become painless.
Let alone a severe strain in a vital area?
Therefore, there is no doubt that Lu Yang's injuries have not fully healed.
Although he tried his best to appear as a normal person, he couldn't fool Moric.
Lu Yang was silent for a moment, then looked up at Soto and Moric and said, "I don't care what you think, I'm going to play in this match! No one can stop me."
"This is very important to me!"
Lu Yang was extremely resolute.
He has embarked on a path of no return.
Either play in the final, become the Iron Man that Maniero expects, and thus gain injury exemption.
He can either have surgery to recover, but even if he recovers, the wear and tear on his meniscus is irreversible, and his playing style will inevitably lead to another major injury sooner or later.
And most importantly, if he chooses the latter, Lu Yang doesn't know if he will still have a chance to get Maniero's Iron Man.
He had a premonition.
If he doesn't play in this Italian Cup final, the Iron Man might never reappear.
Or rather, he would find it difficult to fulfill Maniero's vision.
Even with a brand-new tactic, he is no longer the miraculous boy in Maniero's heart, capable of making up for all regrets!
Moreover... Lu Yang doesn't have the habit of stopping before the champion!
It's the Lunar New Year, and since we're all here—all relatives, and even children—how could we be content if we didn't give it a try?
May 25th, that day finally arrived as scheduled.
Italy, Milan, San Siro Stadium.
The Italian Cup final is about to begin.
Before the match began, the stadium was packed; the San Siro Stadium, with a capacity of over 80,000, had not been filled to capacity for some time.
This is exactly the kind of spectacular event the Italian Football Federation hoped to see.
Given that this is the last match concerning the Champions League finalists before the Champions League final, the entire Europe is focused on this game, hoping to see more about AC Milan.
There were many media outlets present at the match, and a large number of celebrities and dignitaries were also in attendance.
For AC Milan fans, however, this felt more like a rehearsal.
But for San Remo fans, this will be the end of their entire season.
Although the match was held at AC Milan's home stadium, according to the rules of the Italian Football Federation, AC Milan fans were mainly in the South Stand.
The north stand of this stadium is a regular haunt for Inter Milan's die-hard fans, but this time it was given to San Remo's supporters.
The remaining areas are dominated by neutral fans.
It's fair to say that, aside from being more familiar with the pitch, AC Milan won't receive any special treatment at this stadium.
Even their home dressing room has been temporarily handed over to San Remo for use, which reflects the Italian Cup's consideration for weaker teams.
Before the match, both sides announced their starting lineups.
As expected, Lu Yang was just a mascot on San Remo's side, sitting on the bench.
San Remo's starting lineup today is...
Fernandez, Soguer, Becherci
Latuidi, Moric, Versace
Camihon, Nagy, Palacios, Mathias
Jarrad
Jarrad, who was injured in the previous match in Roma, had a good post-match examination and no actual fracture was found. He returned to the field a week later.
San Remo's other two bench players Baizami and Beretelli, are waiting on the bench and are likely to play, as this is San Remo's regular rotation strategy.
On the other hand, AC Milan's announced starting lineup is terrifying.
Although three players from their regular starting lineup were not included in the roster today, and two others were on the bench, their starting lineup for this match still included two key players.
They are Serie A's star striker, Izelet, and AC Milan's defensive stalwart, captain, and Serie A's AC Milan left-back Plasedes!
These two are AC Milan's core players, one being the attacking linchpin and the other the defensive linchpin.
With those two on the team, even if all the other AC Milan players are substitutes, they still have the level of Serie A team.
Besides... not all of them were substitutes when they took to the field.
Two key players, three starting players, four substitutes, two youth academy graduates... AC Milan's starting lineup is quite impressive.
Basically, if you remove two youth academy players, this lineup is their B-team for Serie A.
Martivni was all smiles in the stands.
AC Milan knows how to handle things; their schedule next year will be easy. Make the arrangements!
Martivni could have sat in a box today, but he chose the stands because he wanted more people to see the smile on his face.
When AC Milan fielded this starting lineup, Martivni's entire effort this season in the Italian Cup was officially declared a success.
As for the outcome... wouldn't it be better to let the players decide?
He's not like Xiao Hua, who likes to write grand finales in his scripts; true masters know how to leave things unsaid.
" Maniero, who do you think will win the championship?" Martivni asked, deliberately starting a conversation with Maniero next to him as the camera approached.
Otherwise, if they were recorded on camera looking dry and brittle, wouldn't they look really silly?
" AC Milan, of course." Maniero was speechless. Surely no one's stupid enough to think San Remo could win?
Especially considering that San Remo's "King of Football" was still on the bench.
"That's what I think too. I'll comfort the San Remo lads when I give them their runner-up medals later." Martivni is proud of the San Remo players; they did everything imaginable.
Maniero nodded, but his eyes never left Lu Yang.
Nothing that people can imagine is truly remarkable.
What's remarkable is... that no one can do what people wouldn't even dare to dream of.
He had tried to do it, but failed.
Is anyone able to do this?
Beep!
With a whistle, the competition officially began.
In the first eight minutes, the situation was tense and uncertain!
AC Milan left- Plasedes beat Becherci to make the tackle, and then passed the ball to Izelet.
When Izelet received the ball, the entire stadium erupted in wild cheers, and the decibel level in the stadium suddenly rose.
Even many of San Remo's players were taken aback by the scene.
Although they had played against strong Serie A teams like Roma, the legendary Perotta was not at the time, and the appeal of superstar players had not yet been fully realized.
Now, whenever Izelet gets the ball, it's like an earthquake of magnitude 8 is raging across the stadium.
The cheers of nearly 80,000 people were a joy San Remo could never have imagined.
Bang!
After receiving the ball, Izelet immediately took a long stride and laid it down, advancing through the middle.
Moric chased after her to defend, but Izelet easily beat him with a double-speed acceleration.
Izelet is fast!
His absolute speed without the ball might not be as fast as Baizami's, but it's not far off. What's terrifying is that his speed with the ball might be even faster than Baizami's sprint without the ball!
Moric pursued them relentlessly.
But he soon despaired.
As Izelet and Moric ran with the ball, the distance between them increased.
From half a meter to one meter, to two meters, and even three to five meters away!
Moric failed to cause any disruption to Izelet.
Nagy and Palacios hadn't expected Izelet to arrive so quickly. How long had it been since Becherci had just tried to kill them?
A few seconds?
Bang!
Izelet feinted a breakthrough down the left flank, but actually dribbled slightly to the right, and with a quick exchange, he got past Nagy.
Then, before Palacios could even come up, he unleashed a long-range shot from the right side of the penalty area's edge!
Jarrad made a desperate save, but couldn't touch the ball at all.
The ball is moving very fast!
Although Izelet's shot didn't look as powerful as Lu Yang's, perhaps... his shot was even faster!
This is the effect of footwork; it's a strength that can't be expressed through movements and stances.
At this point, only six or seven seconds had passed since Izelet received the ball.
The distance he just ran was about sixty meters.
His dribbling speed even surpasses that of some professional sprinters.
Of course, the statistics here aren't very professional, but they're still very fast!
Less than ten minutes later, AC Milan's first attack broke through San Remo's defense and scored a goal.
The gap between the Champions League finalists and the Serie C teams is already clearly visible.
But the most exciting moment didn't happen before the goal, but after it.
"Oh... what's going on? What happened to Moric?"
"He threw up! Moric ran to the sidelines and gagged; he spat out some saliva!"
"He ran too fast!"
"It's well known that running too fast can cause nausea, but it's relatively rare for professional athletes."
" Moric was chasing Izelet the whole time, and his attitude was good, but in fact he didn't pose any obstacle to Izelet at all! He couldn't even catch a glimpse of Izelet!"
" Izelet outran Moric for over sixty meters, even making him throw up!"
"You know, Moric is the absolute core of San Remo, and he rarely appears so disheveled."
"The gap is too big! This is not a fair match at all. The remaining eighty minutes will just be torture for San Remo!"
" Izelet played so effortlessly! After scoring, he even had the energy to interact with the fans on the sidelines."
"His smile seemed to foreshadow the outcome of the match; the result was no longer in question. The only thing we needed to discuss now was how many points AC Milan would score against San Remo."
How many goals will AC Milan score in this match?
On the sidelines, Lu Yang looked at Moric, somewhat speechless.
Little bro, don't you even know your own speed?
With your wheelchair-bound legs, you think you can catch up with Izelet?
That guy's speed is definitely over 95!
Even a speed-type monster like Baizami isn't Izelet.
That was an amazing combination of man and ball!
He's a complete carbon copy of Kaka.
You're doing well!
Chasing Izelet until you're sick of it, what's wrong?
Want to become like Messi?
Don't you know your template is Modric + Tintin?
It's enough to make you go bald!
"How about I go on? I don't think you're up to it," Lu Yang said, "comforting" Moric from the sidelines.
"No way! No way! It's only been less than ten minutes!" Moric glared at Lu Yang. "Just sit in your wheelchair and watch how Ben Moric smashes AC Milan!"
Lu Yang shrugged. " Momo, have you forgotten that your team couldn't even beat a Serie C team?"
Moric: "Fuck! I've said it so many times, the team wasn't even gelled back then. I led the team to five consecutive wins single-handedly, okay? The team averaged 3.5 goals per game!"
Lu Yang: "Fine, fine, get lost. Losing by a small margin is a victory. I beg you, stop feeding them goals and focus on defense. What's the point of attacking? I can try to equalize if we lose by one goal, but if we lose by too many, I might as well not play in the second half!"
Lu Yang reminded Moric.
With this lineup, AC Milan is almost invincible in both positional play and counter-attacks. Before Lu Yang comes on, San Remo's focus should be on defense.
Yes!
Although no one had given permission, Moric knew that Lu Yang would definitely play.
Don't ask why, it's simply because Moric is the person who understands Lu Yang best in this world!
Of course, Sophia smiled slightly and asked, "Are you sure?"
Have you ever seen the seven continents and four oceans on Lu Yang's underwear?
Lu Yang and Moric parted on bad terms, but the commentator saw it as a testament to their strong bond.
"We can see that Lu Yang is very concerned about Moric's situation. He went to the sidelines immediately to ask Moric about it. Moric was also very touched by Lu Yang's concern, and he is currently discussing some issues he encountered on the field with Lu Yang."
The camaraderie among the commentators is slowly unfolding, but AC Milan's offensive on the field shows no signs of slowing down.
Since San Remo adopted a defensive approach, AC Milan has been playing much more easily, which is exactly the situation AC Milan wanted.
They want to maintain the form of some key players, but they don't want them to be overworked or involved in too much physical contact.
If he gets injured at a time like this, what will happen in the Champions League final?
Therefore, San Remo's defensive approach actually allowed AC Milan to play exceptionally well.
If a Serie A champion-level team plays smoothly, what chance do others have?
In the 19th minute, it was Izelet again. He received the ball outside the penalty area and easily dribbled past Versace. His dribbling move was very wide, and although Versace saw through it, he couldn't stop him. It was a deliberate tactic.
Then, before being surrounded, Izelet passed the ball to the goalkeeper and made a run into the penalty area.
A casual lob pass from Milan midfielder, a through ball over the top, tore through San Remo's defense. But the pass wasn't perfect, because it was too long.
Jarrad rushed out to try and catch the ball.
However, Izelet was extremely fast and headed the ball ahead of the onrushing Jarrad.
The football flew past Jarrad and into the goal.
Incredibly relaxing and enjoyable!
Unlike Aguilar's earlier collision with the goalkeeper, Izelet, although closer to the goalkeeper, handled the ball in a way that prevented any physical harm to the goalkeeper.
Of course, Jarrad must have suffered even more psychological damage.
He'd rather Izelet kick him.
But that's not all!
In the 37th minute, AC Milan earned a corner kick.
Izelet unusually requested to take a corner kick, holding up three fingers, but apart from the Milan players, no one understood what he meant, including Soguer, an AC Milan youth academy graduate.
Bang!
Izelet took the penalty kick.
AC Milan's left-back, Plasedes, Backward Header Flick near post.
The football went straight into the goal!
That was an incredibly difficult header goal!
Or perhaps luck outweighed skill, because Plasedes ' intention was to set up his teammates behind him; he planned to pass the ball.
But such luck is also something AC Milan earned through their strength!
The entire San Remo team withered instantly.
In the entire stadium, only AC Milan fans deserved to make a sound.
Most of the neutral fans had completely turned into AC Milan and Izelet fans at this moment, celebrating wildly, even though many of them had originally come for San Remo.
This is the extremely cruel theory of the strong prevailing in sports competitions!
The strong are worshipped.
The winner reaps all the honors and attention!
The audience and attention attracted by San Remo's hard-won underdog miracle and grassroots miracle were all snatched away by AC Milan.
AC Milan was like a bandit, and San Remo was powerless against them.
"The game is over! AC Milan are leading 3-0 at halftime. I think they can even go to the locker room during halftime to open a bottle of champagne and celebrate!" The San Siro Stadium commentator uttered a famous quote that is destined to be remembered in the football world for hundreds of years to come.
At that moment, he was greeted with unparalleled enthusiastic applause from AC Milan fans.
Speechless, my cold has gotten worse!!!
If another fever develops, won't they be taken to the fever clinic?