Lam's arrival at the San Remo training ground was a huge shock to the Shanghai Port players who often came to watch the games.
Because they never imagined that this center-back, hailed by Europe media as "the worst choice" and "the wrong answer" who couldn't find a place at Liverpool, would be so strong!
Because of the cooperative relationship, Shanghai Port players can also train together with San Remo players when the time is right.
To be precise, it means San Remo Sanremo's training without affecting the San Remo players.
In the one-on-one attack and defense mini-game, Shanghai Port's strongest player Shi Tian, lost ten consecutive games against Lam!
It's worth noting that Shi Tian had won several times under both Nagy and Mathias.
This is enough to prove Lam's strength.
This is it? And they didn't even want it?
Moreover, during training, it was observed that Lam appeared more often in the defensive midfield position.
In other words, even someone as strong as Lam can't find a place in San Remo's defense?
What a terrifying lineup!
After more than ten days of intensive training, the main event finally arrived.
San Remo invited several teams to play friendly matches, all of which were held domestically!
These teams include Perugia, a traditional powerhouse in Serie B.
Perugia is a team that occasionally manages to be promoted to Serie A, and in recent years their performance has generally been in the top half of Serie B, so their strength can be described as very strong.
Perugia and San Remo had done business together and had a good relationship.
In fact, San Remo has a good reputation in Italy football circles. Most of the teams that have done business with him have not lost money, such as Benevento, and they have maintained good relationships with them.
This is also part of the club's growth.
If San Remo and these friendly partners all develop well in the future, then that will be considered true influence.
The players that Benevento couldn't buy for 20 million, San Remo might be able to acquire for 15 million.
This experience... Juventus and Bayern Munich say it's great!
San Remo also contacted Benevento, but the team was actively preparing for Serie A and didn't have the resources to raise money at the moment, nor were they short of funds.
The second friendly team was even more impressive: Espanyol, who were promoted to La Liga last year and successfully avoided relegation!
Pirola is the team's starting center-back.
The third team is the most formidable; even San Remo themselves didn't expect to be able to invite Premier League giants Arsenal!
Of course, Arsenal's goal is self-evident.
They are vigorously developing their team brand market globally, with the East being a particularly important region for them. Even without San Remo, they would have come to China within three years.
It was only because of San Remo and Lu Yang that their journey was more natural and smoother.
At the same time, Arsenal manager Wenger may also have intended to win over Lu Yang.
At least, he arrived in China well before the team, and it wasn't just to exchange tactics with Soto; it's said he invited Lu Yang to dinner and they enjoyed drinks together.
Finally, San Remo also invited Shanghai Port SIPG to play a friendly match against them, provided it did not affect their league matches.
This is definitely giving Shanghai Port face.
Most of the tickets for these four matches will be given to the visiting teams as their appearance fees.
Fortunately, the other party's asking price wasn't high, so San Remo didn't need to spend extra money to hire them.
Otherwise, San Remo would have to spend a lot of money just on Arsenal.
From this perspective, Nana is quite understanding.
Hopefully, they can find a 4-star team this year, or at least compete for a 321-star team.
These four matches were purely friendly games.
San Remo even fielded four different starting lineups.
San Remo suffered a defeat against Arsenal, losing 2-4. The key to this match was the experimentation with the defensive midfield position; Moric was even substituted at halftime, allowing Latuidi and Lam to form a double defensive midfield pairing.
At first glance, the effect is indeed very strong; after they came on, Arsenal scored three goals in quick succession...
Clearly, the double-pull combination requires time to become familiar with.
But after this match, they were dubbed the "Double Trash" duo.
Poor Latuidi, a dignified defensive father, is now being ridiculed like this. It's truly heartbreaking.
San Remo made another change to their starting lineup against Espanyol, managing to draw Espanyol.
This time, Lam appeared on the defensive line and successfully shut down the opponent's second striker, delivering a brilliant performance.
In their third match against league rivals, San Remo managed a 3-3 draw against Perugia. However, they continued to adjust their lineup, even abandoning their previous 4-3-3 formation and opting for a 3-5-2!
One word: Go have fun!
Tactical mastermind Soto was clearly having a blast.
Finally, against Shanghai Port, San Remo, using the unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation, defeated Shanghai Port 5-2!
If it weren't for the fact that this was a team they were cooperating with, and that Shanghai Port SIPG had been so friendly lately, San Remo might have easily doubled their goal tally.
But Shanghai Port is not discouraged, because after several matches, even Professor Wenger said that San Remo is definitely not an ordinary Serie B team, and they may very well bring surprises to the Italy league this season.
Against a team like this, Shanghai Port still managed to score a goal, which is quite impressive.
It's worth mentioning that among Shanghai Port SIPG's two goals, promising young player Shi Tian contributed one assist and one goal, making him Shanghai Port's best performing player.
A week after the match, an offer came as completely unexpected as could be.
After returning to Spain, Espanyol suffered a major setback in their next preseason friendly. Their key striker, or rather, his second striker, twisted his ankle in a challenge with an opposing player, resulting in an injury.
It is initially estimated that it will be at least three months before he can play.
They already lacked striker reserves, so they continued to buy forwards.
They made two offers, one to a Belgian Pro League striker for €2.5 million.
One offer was sent to Shanghai Port SIPG, with a bid of 1.5 million euros.
The entire country was instantly in an uproar.
Should Shi Tian accept this contract?
In just one day, related discussions exceeded ten million!
On the one hand, although Shi Tian is an important player for Shanghai Port, his position in the Shanghai Port this season is rather awkward. His position has been replaced by a foreign player, and he seems to be unable to play.
On the other hand, it's rare for players from the China National Football Team team to have the opportunity to go abroad, and the general opinion is supportive.
Finally, after discussions with the Espanyol, Shanghai Port released Shi Tian for a transfer fee of two million euros.
Shi Tian's move to Espanyol in La Liga China National Football Team players joining European clubs.
This is an event that will be recorded in the history of China football.
When the media summarized this event, they discovered that Shi Tian's opportunity to travel to Europe actually stemmed from Lu Yang's efforts to promote cooperation between San Remo and domestic football clubs.
Shi Tian was just an accident.
However, according to the cooperation agreement between the two parties, more players will inevitably emerge to play in Europe in the future.
For a time, some even called Lu Yang "the future godfather of China football"!
Such a title is truly too much for Lu Yang to bear.
Whether it can live up to its name in the future remains to be seen.
With the conclusion of the European Under-21 Championship and the start of pre-season training camps for many teams, Europe football has entered a new era of anticipation.
The media and fans are having a blast with their evaluations and predictions of various teams.
Various ranking lists were also released during this period.
For example, in the predictions for this year's Champions League winner, Liverpool, who wasn't even in the top ten last year, has jumped to fourth place.
That's the aura of a defending champion.
Liverpool is even second in the Premier League title predictions!
Keep in mind, they were only fifth in the Premier League last year! And their squad was predicted to be only seventh in the Premier League last year!
Liverpool's squad has remained virtually unchanged between last year and this year!
This is what a championship can bring to a team.
Transformation!
AC Milan, as last year's runners-up, are clearly a strong team with a complete squad and even some targeted reinforcements this summer. However, they can only be ranked fifth in this year's Champions League title predictions!
Without a doubt, this was a slight against them. Being overturned twice by a score of 3-0 made AC Milan a laughing stock for the whole world.
Many people have suggested that Izelet transfer this summer, and Real Madrid has also made an offer for Izelet.
But Izelet refused.
This is the only thing that brings comfort to AC Milan fans.
Therefore, no one had time to discuss Izelet's contract renewal anymore.
Putting aside everything else, the fact that Izelet managed to stay this year already makes her a true hero and a true red-and-black!
You can't ask for more.
At least, rational fans have already prepared for a kind of separation from this moment on.
Extreme fans... let's not even talk about them.
Extremes are never good.
In Serie A, this year's champion prediction list is more attractive than the previous two seasons.
Juventus achieved a three-peat in Serie A last year, reaching the pinnacle of their success!
But last year's Fiorentina put a lot of pressure on them.
In fact, if it weren't for their favorable schedule, Fiorentina could very well have upset Juventus.
Therefore, this year, Fiorentina with a full squad, Roma with reinforcements, and AC Milan, who actually have the strongest starting lineup in Serie A, all have the potential to challenge Juventus ' dominance.
Inter Milan have just lost their star player, but they have also made significant reinforcements. The final result remains to be seen.
The three powerhouses in the second tier of Serie A – Lazio, Napoli, and Atalanta– have also steadily improved their strength and all have a chance to challenge for Champions League spot this season.
Whether they can achieve a breakthrough is also something to watch.
The battle between the three newly promoted Serie A teams Brescia, Benevento, and Chievo, and the Serie A -threatened Verona and Pescara LS Solo, is also quite exciting and captivating for countless fans.
Of course, the battle for the top three spots in Serie B standings among Monza Serie B, Perugia, and Empoli, the three Serie B teams Sampdoria, Bologna, and Vicenza, and Serie B newly promoted teams San Remo and Arezzo, has been frequently mentioned and closely watched.
In addition to the champions and promotion rankings, Tuttosport has released the latest Golden Boy Award rankings.
This has sparked a new round of discussion throughout Europe football.
Enriquez is undoubtedly still number one on the list.
Not only in the European Under-21 Championship, but he has also been performing increasingly well in recent warm-up matches. As a young Real Madrid player, he has begun to show a "ball hog" attitude that he had never had before, yet he is also able to pass the ball and combine effectively at the right time.
He is rapidly progressing towards becoming a top-tier striker.
Real Madrid's head coach stated that Enriquez was completely revitalized in this European Under-21 Championship, which is the biggest significance of this European Under-21 Championship!
This was an arrogant remark, but it also showed how much he valued Enriquez.
The second on the list is Mancini, who transferred to Barcelona.
Although his performance at the European Under-21 Championship was somewhat lacking, Mancini's debut at Camp Nou was a success. He also performed excellently in the subsequent warm-up matches, scoring four goals in a game against weaker opponents, announcing his arrival in La Liga with a four-goal haul, which won the hearts of Barcelona fans.
Pavlovsky of Poland ranked fifth, Melkan of Germany ranked fifth, and Ceballos climbed up to eighth!
Lu Yang has finally risen from twenty-five to thirteenth!
Moric broke into the top 30, ranking 26th.
Canyes is ranked thirty-second.
Overall, it's fairly objective.
However, Lu Yang's issues still leave some fans dissatisfied.
In response, Tuttosport stated bluntly. "We have done everything we can to improve Lu Yang's ranking. If he is truly good enough, his performance in the league will take him even further, but definitely not now!"
One European Under-21 Championship cannot determine everything, nor can it negate the efforts and hard work of other players throughout the year.
This is another form of fairness, well... if it weren't for Ake and Nikedidas's subsequent attacks on the HXLT in the Europe market!
HXLT's new shoes haven't even been released yet, but photos of their past shoes have already been leaked by marketing accounts under these two giants, publicly humiliating them in the Europe sneaker market!
To be honest, those designs were absolutely hilarious.
"Hahaha! Lu Yang ended up endorsing this kind of sneakers? I'm laughing!"
"Lu is still too young. He permanently damaged his endorsement value for four million euros!"
"This is absolutely awful! If Lu endorses these kinds of sneakers, Armani will probably terminate his contract, right? It's such a blow to his image!"
"I heard this is the best-selling sneaker in China? That's all?"
"I'm a fan of Lu, but to be honest, these shoes are really ugly."
"I can't stand it! I absolutely refuse to buy these sneakers!"
Lu Yang's signature sneakers have faced a boycott across Europe even before their release!
At this point, Ake's management finally spoke out, " Lu Yang could have become an excellent player, but he gave it all up. His performance in the sneaker market and his ranking in the Golden Boy Award both fully demonstrate this."
Soon after, Nikedidas echoed this sentiment, "Choice is more important than effort! I hope today's young players can face this issue squarely. A long-established and reliable brand brings you not only signing fees, but also brand value."
"We have so much to offer our young players, and that's our core competitive advantage."
For a time, many reporters wanted to know Lu Yang's opinion on this.
Will Lu Yang regret it?
Such an opportunity will come soon.
As August drew to a close, the Italian Super Cup was about to kick off. A large number of Europe journalists flocked to Beijing, the capital of mainland China, and they finally had the opportunity to interview Lu Yang.
Reporter: " Lu Yang, what is your opinion on the statements made by Ake and the Nikedidas spokesperson?"
Lu Yang: "Which part are you referring to? The part about them manipulating the Golden Boy Award?"
The reporter was stunned.
What the hell... how am I supposed to answer this?
Reporter: "If you think so, then so be it."
Lu Yang: "Okay, personally, I think when a brand can so readily claim to have influence over certain awards, it's time for us to find new awards to replace those that have been corrupted by money."
"The Diamond Boy Award, Golden Boy Award, Football Boy Award, Europe Youth Football Award—these awards should all be released by now, because some of them have lost their function of recognizing the best young players under 21."
Reporters were all astonished.
Lu Yang has made up his mind not to accept the Golden Boy Award.
That's fucking tough!
Once those words were spoken, anyone with even a shred of backbone at the Golden Boy Award would never give Lu Yang the Golden Boy Award, even if Lu Yang ever actually had a chance to win it one day.
After all... although Lu Yang Lu Yang age and the speed of his rise, he has a very good chance of competing for the Golden Boy Award within the next two years.
Moreover, he plays in Italy, giving him a home advantage.
But now... Lu Yang has turned home advantage into a negative one.
What an arrogant young man!
But I have to say, it's really exciting!
No wonder his number of young fans has increased so dramatically; perhaps this is the reason.
Those who like Lu Yang can feel this exhilaration at any time.
Reporter: "What about sneakers? The sneakers you endorse might not be well-received."
Lu Yang: "I really dislike people who judge me based on past perspectives, because I am constantly improving, and any past perspective is a form of belittling me. The same applies to 'Made in China' products."
"My sneaker design is completely different from what some Europe media outlets have advertised. At least, I personally think it's the best-looking sneaker in the world to date, bar none!"
"I personally participated in the design of these shoes!"
"I can't reveal more specific details yet, but I can tell you that I will wear it in my first Italian Super Cup Italian Super Cup match on the 28th."
Lu Yang announced this major news.
Reporter: "Could you please tell us the name of these sneakers?"
Lu Yang: "I'll name it ' Hunting Blade '!"
Reporter: "The name is nice, but are you sure it will be the best-looking sneaker in the world? Everyone has their own Harry Potter story!"
Lu Yang: "After hearing your famous quote, Shakespeare would be crying in the bathroom! I'm sure these are the best-looking sneakers in the world, and at least one other person besides me would agree."
Reporter: "Who? The owner of HXLT?"
Lu Yang: "No, it's not Sophia. As long as she's happy."
The reporter died.
Let me tell you about a Jaguar!
This isn't the first time Lu Yang has criticized the Golden Boy Award, but it's still quite shocking.
He directly challenged Ake and Nikedidas, which surprised many young stars who hadn't paid attention to him.
They all hoped that they could work with these two companies like Lu Yang.
After all, no one who becomes a star athlete is stupid.
They know perfectly well how much money Ake and Nikedidas made off them, and how unfair their child labor contracts were.
If they had better options, do you think they would still choose these two?
The " Hunting Blade " sneakers that Lu Yang mentioned also attracted a lot of attention.
Before the era of cutting-edge sneaker technology arrived, the core appeal of sneakers had just shifted from "wearable, durable, and high-quality" to "good-looking."
At this stage, the aesthetics of sneakers are the most important factor.
Even in the age of cutting-edge technology, appearance remains the top consumer factor in terms of purchasing power.
What do sneakers that Sophia approves of actually look like?
Soto's office.
San Remo is currently selecting their formation for the Italian Super Cup match.
During this period, they mainly established two formations.
One is the traditional 433.
Depending on the positioning of the three midfielders, Moric, Lu Yang, and Latuidi, the formation can be changed to 4-2-1-3 or 4-1-2-3.
The difference isn't significant.
However, the two are not entirely consistent.
At the very least, in a 4-1-2-3 attack, moving Canyes forward to become a right defensive midfielder and pushing Moric to the winger position is a routine that requires long-term practice and teamwork.
The second main lineup is the 3-5-2.
Soto didn't lie to Lam; San Remo really will use a 352.
The three-defender formation is actually quite popular in Italy.
The biggest advantage of this formation is that it is very effective when the team is winning, allowing strong teams to play more steadily.
Its core characteristic is to use the numerical advantage in midfield to control the ball and keep it in the opponent's half to look for opportunities.
However, this formation lacks explosiveness when facing strong opponents and is not very suitable for weaker teams.
What Soto wants to do now is make a bold decision.
That means having the team play with a 3-5-2 formation.
"Yes, it looks like we're in a 3-5-2, but actually..." Soto moved the two wingers back, turning them into wing-backs, "We can be in a 5-3-2, or even a 5-2-1-2!"
Soto beamed, feeling absolutely fantastic. "This tactic is hard for other teams to execute because very few teams can find two players, one on the left and one on the right, who can simultaneously function as both full-backs and wingers."
"The soul of this lineup lies in these two full-backs!"
"Coincidentally, our new right -Canyes San Remo, Kanyes, is a super winger who can play both right-back and right midfield!"
"He fits this tactic perfectly, which fully unleashes his offensive talent while compensating for his defensive shortcomings."
" Canyes ' playing style makes him seem a bit weak defensively when playing right-back. But if he plays right wing-back... then defense becomes his advantage over other wing-backs!"
"Furthermore, this lineup allows Lam to quickly adapt to the defensive midfield position, making it a perfect tactic!"
"Up front, Baizami and Fernandez can rotate with each other, ensuring ample attacking power."
Old Tom, seeing the excited Soto, couldn't help but remind him, "But we only have one Canyes. Our left-back Camihon, might be able to play center-back, but he clearly doesn't have the ability to play as a winger."
Soto: "Who said he was going to play as a winger?"
Old Tom: "Then... Beretelli? Obviously not. The biggest requirement for a wing guard is stamina. You're saying Lu Yang is lacking... wait, you mean... Lu?"
Soto laughed, "In fact, although the wing-backs are the soul of this lineup, even the soul has its priorities. If we really have to distinguish them, I think the left wing-back, where Lu Yang is, is more important!"
"Fullback, winger, attacking midfielder, even left center forward... Along this path, Lu can become any player he wants to be; he possesses the core abilities required for almost every position."
"This is a position that can maximize his all-around game. And I don't think any defender can simultaneously defend against all the attacking players in the front, midfield, and back."
Just like to be competent in multiple positions, you need to possess the core competencies required for each position.
The full-backs need to be good at both defense and crossing.
The winger needs to be good at crossing, dribbling, and controlling the ball.
The winger dribbles inside and shoots.
The attacking midfielder on the wing effectively controlled the ball and orchestrated the shot.
The left center forward needs to make runs, contest, and take shots.
Accordingly, to defend against them, the defenders must have different strengths.
This is why the same defensive player can sometimes perform exceptionally well against different types of players and sometimes perform terribly.
Lu Yang... can render any type of defensive player ineffective.
Because he is so versatile that he can exploit any player's weaknesses.
He will be the trump card of the 352 San Remo!
A true trump card, not one that only becomes a trump card by relying on Moric's control most of the time!
With this lineup, Moric's job is simply to watch and applaud.
Soto's eyes sparkled.
This was the first tactic that he, as a tactical mastermind, independently designed and truly belonged to him.
He had a feeling that he might be about to have his masterpiece as a coach!
Hahaha!