Chapter 224: Chapter 224

Faced with an unfavorable situation, Mancini quickly reverted to his conservative mindset.

Since we can’t attack, we’re getting pressed, then I’ll simply defend well.

Hold for a draw, drag it into extra time!

For this, Mancini made a tactical change in midfield decisively.

He changed the formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-1-2.

He aimed to combat Juventus’ coordination by adding a defensive midfielder.

Shaqiri was substituted, and the young Croatian Kovacic came on.

As for the changes in the attack line, the experienced Sun Jihai indeed guessed Mancini’s next move, which is to play with double strikers.

So, at the start of the second half, seeing Inter’s lineup, Sun Jihai joyfully slapped the table:

"See? Double strikers are more suited for Inter now!"

Mancini arranged for Podolski, originally supposed to be on the wing, to return to the center, forming a double striker with Bonazzoli, while Tang Long remained in the attacking midfielder position.

As for the midfield, the three defensive midfielders were Gualin, Medel, and Kovacic.

Mancini’s sagacity lies in that although he may not win many matches, if he doesn’t want to lose, it’s hard to beat him!

Kovacic is an Eastern European player who underwent traditional sports team physical training from a young age, his running ability is extremely strong, not inferior to Gualin and Medel.

Originally, Gualin and Medel, these north and south players, were run ragged and exhausted like headless flies under Pirlo’s orchestration in the first half.

Now with Kovacic, the coverage of the defensive midfielder expanded from two to three people, Gualin and Medel’s running tasks decreased by 50% instantly, and their stamina was greatly relieved.

Tang Long, although an attacking midfielder, frequently retreated to the front of the defensive midfielders under Mancini’s orchestration, serving as the first line of defense before the defensive midfield, blocking the opponent’s passes and breakthroughs.

Yet Mancini still made a deceptive move on the attack line, deploying two strikers.

He tasked Podolski to keep the ball in Juventus’ half if there’s a chance for a counterattack, giving the teammates in the back more time to rest.

Scoring isn’t important, delaying time is.

Podolski and Bonazzoli’s positioning was also meticulous; their distance wasn’t parallel opened but rather staggered.

Bonazzoli at the front, Podolski behind, the two almost stood in a straight line.

"Inter Milan firmly defended the center, their midfield is very crowded!"

"Pirlo is still coordinating left and right methodically, but now the tearing force on Inter’s formation is limited."

"Weird, Juventus seems to have made no adjustments? They’re not in a rush!"

"Still playing according to their tactical ideas."

"The players’ faces are very calm, that’s the terrifying aspect of Juventus, they’re chillingly calm, so calm it’s frightening!"

Thus, the first 15 minutes of the second half passed uneventfully.

Reaching the 60-minute mark, Juventus indeed started to exert force!

This time, playmaker Pirlo didn’t lob the ball to the flank but surprisingly made a ground strike direct pass.

The ball with a strong outspin, like a little horse that can turn corners, swiftly bypassed Gualin’s outstretched foot, then rolled, rolled, and rolled again along the ground to the right side edge of the penalty area.

This sudden change in rhythm tightened the nerves of every Inter player, knowing the storm is coming!

Evra, advancing, didn’t stop the ball, sweeping it to Llorente with one kick.

Llorente uses his strong back muscles to hold off Ranocchia and, half-turning, uses his heel to flick the ball towards the center!

Pogba, penetrating from the center, swings a powerful shot just over the crossbar!

"Great shot! Great shot! Oh, just a little off."

"No worries, Juventus has started to exert force, I know them too well. Within 10 minutes, Juventus will surely score, I guarantee you."

In the stands, the Italian Football Federation president conversing with the president was .

Pogba, who almost scored, shouted loudly, waving his hands upwards, signaling Juventus fans at the Olympic Stadium to cheer, make some noise!

Under his command, a cacophony arose on the green pitch.

Until now, Tang Long has still had few chances to take the ball.

Because in terms of ball possession, Inter is far behind!

In the first 15 minutes, Juventus’ ball possession is still over 70%, while Inter Milan’s is a pitiful less than 30%.

However, like Juventus’ players, Tang Long is also waiting for a timing.

He knows very well, with the change from single striker to double striker, his position will definitely be liberated!

With only one center forward Bonazzoli drawing attention, Juventus’ tight defensive line can entirely have one center-back mark Bonazzoli, while the other two guard the attempt of Tang Long trying to link with him.

After Podolski moved from the wing to the center, the Prince of Cologne’s intimidating presence forced Juventus to assign an additional central defender to mark him.

After all, this forward who has played over 100 games for the German national team, despite not being in his best form as he was during his Bundesliga and Premier League days, is renowned enough to distract Juventus players.

This gave Tang Long more space.

The football was passed back and forth on the field with a constant "pang-pang-pang" sound.

The 22 players on the pitch were constantly moving their feet.

Tang Long’s brain, equipped with an AI system, continually ran calculations, providing him with feedback on neural information.

He was waiting for the right opportunity to arrive, and once it appeared, he would strike lethal damage on Juventus.

When the match reached 60 minutes, Juventus’ sudden acceleration made the situation on the ground tense and alarming.

Juventus pushed all their lines forward by 10 meters, fiercely bombarding Inter Milan’s penalty area.

Their formation seemed to be driven by an invisible force, pushing forward in unison by a full ten meters, engulfing Inter Milan’s penalty area in a storm-like offensive.

Evra, like a precise targeting system, delivered an accurate cross cutting through the sky!

Llorente, like a mighty lion, leaped high and fiercely headed the ball, with a whistling sound heading straight for the goal!

Tevez performed a solo act of speed and passion, dashing past Yuto Nagatomo one-on-one effortlessly.

Then he cut inside, using his left foot to carve a beautiful arc, the ball streaking like a meteor towards the far corner of the goal, dazzling everyone!

Meanwhile, the tacit collaboration between Pirlo and Pogba left people applauding in admiration.

Their one-two pass flowed like running water, and Pirlo unleashed a shot from 25 meters away from the goal, the falling leaf ball gently descending from the air towards the goal with a deadly trajectory!

Vidal was not to be outdone, charging forward like a sharp dagger straight into the heart of Inter Milan’s defense.

At the top of the penalty arc, he explosively struck the ball with the top of his foot, sending it roaring like a cannonball with unstoppable momentum!

Despite Inter Milan’s goalie Handa performing extraordinarily like he was blessed by the gods, facing Juventus’ tide-like offensive, Inter Milan’s defense swayed like bamboo in the wind, seeming ready to collapse at any moment under the ferocious assault.

Meanwhile, Inter’s offensive showed no progress.

Though Podolski moved to the center and used his experience to organize somewhat, the still very young Bonazzoli remained too tense. In such a pivotal battle, he appeared to struggle with the enormous responsibility.

In the Sky Sports studio, Trezeget started mocking Ronaldo regarding Bonazzoli’s performance.

"Heh heh, Ronnie, is this Bonazzoli the successor you’ve pointed out?"

Trezeget’s tone was frivolous and disdainful.

On the surface, he was belittling Bonazzoli’s abilities; in reality, he was questioning Ronaldo’s judgment.

Incidentally, after Sky Sports host Dilata left Tang Long’s home, she wrote a report titled "Ronaldo Appointed Successor: Bonazzoli!"

Many who read the report just laughed, including Trezeget.

They all thought this was just commercial hype because Ronaldo was Bonazzoli’s agent.

To be honest, although this factor existed, Ronnie genuinely believed Bonazzoli had potential.

Even if he didn’t reach Ronaldo’s lofty heights, he could still achieve half his potential.

The key was whether Bonazzoli could connect with Tang Long.

As the game reached the 71st minute, Ronaldo couldn’t sit sill any longer.

He suddenly got up, tore his headphones off, and threw them onto the table, then dashed out of the broadcast studio under Dilata’s and Trezeget’s amazed gazes.

"Hey! Mr. Ronnie, where are you going?" Dilata called out in a panic.

"Getting mad and running away after a couple of comments? That’s such a small tolerance!" Trezeget chuckled.

However, he didn’t leave the Olympic Stadium; he only ran out of the studio, then dashed down the steps to the very bottom.

With his widely recognized face coupled with his Sky Sports pass around his neck, he seamlessly passed through several security-guarded gates, running boldly towards the field.

Finally, he dashed up from the player tunnel!

Under the astonished gaze of Inter’s substitute players, he raced to Mancini’s side.

Mancini was anxiously directing the match in the coaching zone, suddenly feeling a gust of wind behind him. View the correct content at

Turning his head, he was instantly startled.

"Ronnie? What... what are you doing here?"

But Ronaldo ignored his query, only widening his eyes and shouting towards the center of the pitch:

"Get your ass up to the forward line!"