I AM the Football Star

Chapter 590: Chapter 157: You Damn Well Should Have Let Him Play!

The biggest reason for conceding this goal lies with Candreva!

As a defensive midfielder, it’s not too bad if he’s completely out of position, as Bernulin can cover.

But the problem is that he was clearly in position, yet he brought no pressure to the opponent.

He was even preparing to press forward for a counterattack.

As a result... the opponent had such an easy shooting environment at the top of the penalty arc.

Italy, hanging by a thread!

In the second half, these mistakes continued.

Candreva himself was getting anxious.

He realized he was just a big sieve as a defensive midfielder, preferring to play in midfield to concede fewer goals.

As a result, Italy’s situation somewhat improved.

A three-midfielder formation without a defensive midfielder is extremely risky.

Moreover, Vincent was very dissatisfied with Candreva’s performance and even more so with his dereliction of duty.

Thus, he substituted Candreva with Drake in the seventieth minute.

At this time, the few Italian fans on the sidelines began chanting ”Lu Yang” ”Lu Yang”!

But Vincent turned a deaf ear, as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Clearly, Robben wasn’t performing well on the field, and Italian midfielder Pellegrini’s performance was also mediocre. Trying Lu Yang and Morici at this time wasn’t a bad idea.

But... Vincent simply refused to substitute.

He firmly believed that a superstar like Robben, just being on the field is a threat and can create miracles.

But he forgot, the biggest miracle in Italy right now is the San Remo miracle!

One to zero!

Sweden narrowly defeated Italy at home, taking the first leg.

Not only did Italy lose, they didn’t even score an away goal, making it very difficult for them.

This means they need to score at least two goals at home to have a chance at a comeback.

And considering their recent goal tally... it equates to three to four matches’ worth.

For a moment, Italy was filled with lament.

Halfway into the grave.

And Vincent, who had a sudden spark of inspiration with the starting lineup, was even more downcast. After responding with ”I don’t know” once, he hurriedly fled the post-match press conference, in utter disarray.

Italian football, finished!

...

”Deception! Vincent has never respected the fans!”

”Why summon if you won’t use them? San Remo was terribly wronged by Vincent!”

”Was the call-up of Lu Yang and Morici just to appease the fans?”

”Absolutely insincere! Vincent would rather have an attacking midfielder play defensive mid than let Lu Yang and Morici play!”

”Robben’s performance was mediocre; he’s never found his super state with the national team like he has at the club!”

”Perrotta expressed dissatisfaction post-match; there’s already a rift between the Wolf King and Prince Zebra!”

”Drake is angry! He bluntly stated that Vincent didn’t put the right players in their proper positions!”

”Candreva takes the blame? Udinese’s official website was bombarded by Italian fans, and Candreva’s personal account received 30,000 abusive messages overnight!”

”Does Italy still have a chance? Sweden shouldn’t let their guard down? The Swedish coach remains steady as a rock; what does Vincent have to win?”

”Sacked! Vincent must be dismissed immediately!”

”Hopeless Italian football, what’s the difference between it and the national team at the east end of the continent?”

European football media is in an uproar.

Italy is simply too poor!

Once again, they failed to beat Sweden.

Given this situation, Italy’s probability of making it into the European Cup at the last moment has dropped below five percent.

There’s no need for the Italian media to struggle anymore.

There’s really no point in trying to uplift everyone.

For such a rotten team, criticism is the only way!

Of course, perhaps the Italian players may feel somewhat innocent, as they are indeed excellent players in clubs and worldwide.

The problem wasn’t much with their attitude; it was more about the coach and tactics.

Hans was the first to burst out, not just to stir up trouble this time, but because he simply couldn’t take it anymore personally.

Live Football Report column: ”We’re puzzled, if Vincent never planned to use Lu Yang from the start, then why did he call him up?”

”Was it to give Maniero an explanation?”

”It’s truly laughable! When all the Italian fans in the stadium are chanting Lu Yang’s name, shouldn’t a coach consider if there are issues with his player selection?”

”Moreover! By using Candreva instead of Drake, Vincent’s move is probably incomprehensible. Is this some sort of homage to Maniero? It’s reliably reported that Maniero himself was strongly opposed to the lineup for this match, but his opinion was not given weight by Vincent.”

”Vincent can practically be confirmed as a coach lacking both talent and morals. Under his leadership, the Italy National Team has been deteriorating, and he has completely squandered the peak period of Italy’s last golden generation!”

”After this year, Italy’s golden generation will be entering the twilight of their careers. Their stats might continue, but their peak abilities are certainly declining.”

”In the future, who will lead Italy? Which young player can uphold the golden banner of Italian football?”

”For the last match, I even hope Lu Yang and Morici don’t play. Because it might make them targets at the last moment.”

”Such arrangements, young talents may not understand the lurking dangers, or even if they know it’s disadvantageous, they’d still be willing to jump into the fire to save Italy, but... I really don’t want to see such promising young people being manipulated by shameless people to become tools for sharing responsibility.”