Chapter 1834 - 490: The Mighty Tiger Dominates the Land
Genoa, eager to shed their salary burden, immediately agreed.
They thought they had signed a nuclear weapon for free, but didn’t expect Toni to be ineffective after returning to Serie A.
Once the players appeared on the field, a chorus of boos erupted at Alpi Stadium.
Some Juventus fans held up signs with Del Neri’s face, demanding he get out.
Guardiola felt a deep empathy upon seeing this.
Although he didn’t believe in such supernatural tales, after all, they are all coaches.
Who knows if one day he might face the same fate.
Thinking of this, Guardiola subconsciously touched his pocket.
During his recovery period, he bought a Viking treasure.
This treasure is said to be made from the branches of the world tree Yggdrasil.
Even more impressive, this treasure doesn’t require complex operations like an alchemy box.
All he needs to do is chant a slogan in his heart, state his wish and the price, and it will work.
There’s even a method to use it by posing with it on the chest for better results, but Guardiola felt ashamed and just kept it in his pocket.
He looked at the field.
Guardiola couldn’t help but feel worried.
He had paid a great price.
It also made Guardiola a little less whimsical.
Today, he decided to use the recent luck of Clemente, Toni Kroos, Inzaghi, and Mourinho to exchange for Huang Kaiwen’s health.
"Both sides have a lot of injuries today, so the starting lineup isn’t too surprising."
"Yes, Quagliarella, Sissoko, Aquilani and others are injured on Juventus’ side, and AC Milan has Antonini, Pirlo, and Ambrosini out as well."
"Alright, let’s first take a look at the starting lineups of both teams"
Juventus with a 3-4-3 double defensive midfield:
Goalkeeper: Courtois,
Defenders: Barzagli, Chiellini, Bonucci,
Midfielders: Marchisio, Merlot, Marco Motta, Jorge Martinez,
Forwards: Matri, Toni, Krasić.
AC Milan with a 4-4-2 diamond midfield:
Goalkeeper: Buffon,
Defenders: Jankulovski, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Ramos,
Midfielders: Rakitic, Van Bommel, Lars Bender, Kaka,
Forwards: Ibrahimovic, Huang Kaiwen.
"Huang Kaiwen appearing on the forward line is somewhat surprising, but Zambrotta not being injured and still being a substitute is a bigger surprise."
"Yes, ever since Jankulovski’s injury, Antonini seized Zambrotta’s rest period and became the first substitute on the left."
"Both teams’ defenses don’t look very stable today, it’ll be interesting to see how they perform."
The afternoon sunlight was ample.
The temperature was around 16 degrees, more than ten degrees higher than in the morning.
This temperature was just right.
If only the sunlight wasn’t so glaring, it would be the best kickoff time in spring.
Huang Kaiwen directly passed the ball sideways to Ibrahimovic.
Ibrahimovic received and chose to pass back.
He’s not a player who likes to dribble from the start, nor is he quick enough to break through the opponent’s formation fast.
After receiving the ball, Van Bommel didn’t hurry with his pass.
Today, he played a conductor-like role in the midfield, tasked not only with distributing the ball but also with timing his plays appropriately.
Krasić appeared very proactive.
He moved directly toward Van Bommel to press.
Van Bommel remained calm; even if his skills aren’t exquisite, he’s still a Dutch player.
It’s really not easy for an average offensive player to take the ball from his feet.
Noticing no other challengers, Van Bommel simply turned and leaned on Krasić.
Krasić kept extending his leg from behind Van Bommel, but couldn’t manage to steal the ball.
Another forward, Matri, couldn’t stand watching any longer and rushed over to help.
At this point, Van Bommel finally sent the ball to the right wing with a kick.
Matri dashed toward Kaka, and Kaka, standing still, gently nudged the ball forward to the advancing Ramos.
Matri continued to chase back as Ramos, in motion, swiveled and passed the ball to Kaka heading toward the center.
"Excellent, this AC Milan formation, how to put it, looks somewhat like the previous four No. 10 setup."
"Indeed, neither Kaka nor Rakitic are traditional wingers, but both perform quite well on the wings."
"This time Kaka moved to the center to link up with Rakitic. The attack is now in the frontline. Juventus players are retreating rapidly knowing how dangerous AC Milan’s attacking line can be."
On the left, Rakitic couldn’t break away from Jorge Martinez’s harassing defense and had to turn and pass the ball back to the center.
Ibrahimovic, retreating, spread his legs to allow the ball to pass through.
Then he immediately reversed direction and started running forward.
Kaka took the ball and quickly made a through pass, sending the ball past Motta’s side and back to Ibrahimovic.
Chiellini and Barzagli were extremely tense.
Huang Kaiwen stood between them, despite not holding the ball.
But they both knew Ibrahimovic would pass.
And indeed!
During his run, Ibrahimovic struck the ball with a forceful pass, and number 46’s foot hit hard beneath the ball.
Huang Kaiwen, with his back against Chiellini, suddenly shifted his right foot between his left, posing in an inner eight stance, with the ball seemingly flying over his head.
As Chiellini quickly turned, he didn’t expect Huang Kaiwen to use a scorpion kick to send the ball to the left side of the penalty area.
Ibrahimovic, stretching out his arms to block Bonucci, swung at the ball with his left foot before it hit the ground.
The shot was powerful; Courtois jumped but realized he couldn’t save it, quickly using both hands to thrust upward, barely pushing the ball over the crossbar.