Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 531: The Strength of the Italian Team!

"Halftime ends with the score at 2-0. Thanks to two brilliant goals from Lin Quan, Spain holds a temporary lead over Italy. Coach Conte is going to need to seriously think about how to approach the second half!"

During the halftime break, the Italian TV commentary team began assuming the role of strategists for Italy, offering suggestions for how the team could turn things around.

"In the second half, we definitely need to attack. The result from the first half already proves that a purely passive defense won't work. If we don't want to crash out of the tournament in the Round of 16, we need to put everything on the line and battle Spain head-to-head!"

"Exactly! Our wing attacks are powerful and have proven effective in previous matches. Plus, Pellè has a clear height advantage up front. As long as we can break through on the wings, it'll create good opportunities to score!"

The Spanish team's lack of height is an obvious weakness. Since we can't outplay them with technique, we'll keep it simple and direct—relying on physical battles and aerial duels to deal with Spain.

This might just work!

Conte had already considered this strategy. During the halftime break, he made a point to emphasize that the attack in the second half should be centered around Pellè.

Of course, it wasn't enough to focus only on attack—the defensive issues also needed to be addressed.

"De Rossi, you'll have a lot on your plate in the second half. I need you to not only mark Iniesta closely but also help your teammates defend against Lin Quan as much as possible."

De Rossi nodded firmly. Lin Quan had a wide range of movement and often entered his defensive zone.

Since the coach had given him specific instructions, De Rossi would go all out to accomplish the task.

"Damian, I'll substitute you in around the 65th minute. In the meantime, watch Spain's number 10 carefully from the bench. When you're on the field, your main job is to mark him closely. I'm giving you permission to use any means necessary, including fouling him!"

Damian, who was currently playing for Manchester United, lit up with excitement upon hearing the coach's plan.

As a Red Devil, he had been beaten up plenty by Manchester City in the Premier League.

So, Damian had been waiting for a chance to get some revenge!

Though Damian wasn't well-known, he was a capable player with a unique personal style.

His defense was highly aggressive, and he especially loved physical confrontations, which often led to him committing fouls and receiving yellow cards.

In the first few games after joining Manchester United, Damian managed to pick up a yellow card in every game he started, earning him the nickname "Yellow Card King!"

Conte didn't dare let Damian start precisely because of his tendency to collect cards. He worried that Damian might end up with two yellow cards in a row and leave the team in a terrible position.

But as a substitute, those worries didn't apply.

If by the 65th minute the team had equalized, there'd be no need to risk using Damian.

But if the team was still trailing, there'd be nothing left to lose—go all in!

...

While Italy was strategizing on how to deal with Spain, Del Bosque was also reminding his players not to become complacent or overconfident. He urged them to stay focused and give their all to win the game.

The veteran coach was feeling incredibly excited at that moment. Lin Quan's outstanding performance in this match had reignited his hopes of defending their European Championship title.

If Spain could successfully defend the title, they would make history as the first team ever to win three consecutive European Championships.

It would also add another major achievement to Del Bosque's already impressive career, securing his legacy. Even after retirement, he could live comfortably off his many accolades for years.

Del Bosque was already thinking about his future retirement.

He planned to retire after leading Spain through the 2018 World Cup. By then, he would be 68 years old—the perfect age to step down.

Moreover, Spain's "Golden Generation" would likely be retiring from the national team around that time, meaning the team would need to undergo a complete rebuild.

As an elderly coach nearing 70, Del Bosque felt he wouldn't have the energy to oversee such a massive project. It would be better to leave it to younger, more energetic coaches.

As for who should succeed him as Spain's head coach, Del Bosque already had an ideal candidate in mind: Manchester City's current coach—Guardiola!

If Spain's rise to dominance was built on possession-based football, then its decline would likely be tied to the same style.

And as the coach who had taken possession football to its furthest limits, Guardiola was undoubtedly the best person to take over Spain.

Plus, Guardiola's close relationship with Lin Quan would make it easier for him to gain the support of veteran players and implement his own vision.

With these thoughts in mind, Del Bosque decided that after the European Championship, he would sit down with Guardiola for a serious conversation.

Given Guardiola's success at Manchester City, if he wasn't interested in coaching the Spanish national team, Del Bosque wouldn't push him.

After all, even by 2018, Lin Quan would still be young. With his exceptional individual abilities, he could hold Spain together for a while.

If necessary, Del Bosque could stick around for a few more years, or perhaps even let Luis Enrique, who also came from Barcelona, take over the team.

...

The 15-minute halftime break quickly came to an end, and the teams switched sides for the second half.

Right from the start, Conte stood on the sidelines, closely observing every move Spain made.

He wanted to figure out Spain's second-half strategy—would they continue pressing aggressively like they had in the first half, or would they settle for holding onto their lead?

Spain's approach would determine whether Italy's tactics would be effective.

As the second half began, it seemed that Spain's attacking intensity had lessened.

When they had possession, they circulated the ball more in their own half, with noticeably fewer forward passes.

This discovery made Conte breathe a sigh of relief.

Spain had chosen to play it safe, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Italy.

Although it would make Italy's attacks harder to execute, Spain's reduced attacking desire would also ease the pressure on Italy's defense, allowing them to commit more players to their own attack.

Five minutes into the second half, the fans at the Stade de France started noticing that Italy's attacking efforts were increasing.

They frequently used Parolo and Giaccherini to make overlapping runs and exploit the gaps in Spain's defensive flanks.

Italy's forward combination was a classic big-and-small duo: Pellè, who was tall and strong, had excellent hold-up play, while Eder, though shorter, was fast, nimble, and had superb finishing ability.

If given a chance, Eder could be deadly with his shots.

Italy's midfield wasn't as star-studded as Spain's, so they wisely abandoned complicated midfield passing plays. Instead, they played simple and direct football, bypassing the midfield quickly and feeding the ball to the forwards.

This straightforward approach was no less dangerous.

In their previous match against Belgium, Italy had used the same tactics to completely dismantle Belgium's star-studded midfield, eventually winning 2-0.

Now, Italy clearly wanted to replicate that success against Spain.

In the 58th minute of the second half, Italy launched a counterattack down the left flank. After De Sciglio carried the ball to the byline, he cut it back in a diagonal pass to the edge of the box. Giaccherini took a powerful long-range shot, but De Gea made a spectacular save.

In the 63rd minute, Italy attacked again, this time sending the ball into the box. Pellè outjumped Spain's center-back Piqué and attempted a header, but the ball skimmed off his head and went over the crossbar.

Two minutes later, Italy's offense surged once again. After De Rossi intercepted the ball, he launched a counterattack, quickly passing it through to Eder, whose shot was blocked by Jordi Alba's outstretched leg.

The ball was cleared, but fell to Florenzi, who fired a long-range shot that deflected off a defender and went out for a corner.

Italy took the corner kick, and Pellè, despite being closely marked by both Piqué and Morata, almost got his head to the ball again.

Fortunately for Spain, De Gea had anticipated the ball's trajectory and caught it cleanly.

The Spanish fans in the stands were on edge, watching in fear as Italy launched wave after wave of attacks, giving Spain little room to breathe.

This team was completely different from the one that played in the first half.

Many Spanish fans began to realize just how strong this Italian team was. Despite the 2-0 scoreline, the gap between the two teams might not have been as wide as it seemed.

Given the way Italy was playing, had they not been unlucky enough to face Spain early, they might have made it to the quarterfinals or even the semifinals.

While Spanish fans were coming to terms with Italy's strength, on the other side, Italian fans, along with a large number of local French fans, were growing increasingly frustrated.

Despite Italy's relentless attacking, they still couldn't break through Spain's defense.

Spain's defense was proving to be much more resilient than they had expected. When Italy used the same strategy against Belgium in the previous game, Belgium had been utterly overwhelmed.

But against Spain, they weren't having much luck.

This wasn't going to work. Italy's attacking pressure was intense, but failing to score was becoming a serious problem. After all, Italy was still trailing!

Desperate for a change, Italy made the first substitution of the match.

They took off midfielder Florenzi and brought on number 4, Damian.

This substitution left the fans, especially the Italian fans, bewildered.

Italy was behind, so why substitute an attacking player for a defensive one?

At least Florenzi could provide accurate crosses, playing a key role in their attacks.

But Damian didn't have that ability—his strength was in defense. Right now, Italy needed goals, not more defense!

"Has Conte lost his mind? What's the point of this substitution?"

"Exactly! It's only the 65th minute. Florenzi wasn't injured or exhausted, and he just delivered a decent cross to Pellè in that last attack. Why on earth would Conte take him off now?"

Many fans watching the game, both in the stadium and on TV, began questioning Conte's decision, unable to understand his reasoning.

However, Spain's coach, Del Bosque, looked far more concerned when he saw Conte's substitution.

"Is Damian here to target Lin?"

Could Conte be trying to completely neutralize Spain's counterattacks, allowing Italy to push forward without worrying about leaving themselves exposed?

Del Bosque's suspicions were quickly confirmed.

As soon as Damian entered the pitch, Italy's marking of Lin Quan intensified dramatically.

Damian followed Lin around like a shadow, not only sticking to him closely but also using all sorts of tactics—trash talk, sneaky fouls, you name it.

Lin Quan was the core of Spain's attack, so when his teammates saw how tightly he was being marked, they hesitated to pass the ball to him.

But this was exactly the trap that Italy had set.

Lin Quan, however, quickly sensed what was happening. He dropped deeper into midfield and called for the ball.

"Sergio, pass it to me!"

Seeing Lin Quan ask for the ball, Ramos didn't hesitate and immediately sent it to him.

Although Lin was being tightly marked, Ramos trusted that Lin had the skill to shake off his defender.

As Lin moved to receive the ball, Damian closed in, trying to catch him off guard.

But Lin was ready for it. As soon as Damian reached out to intercept, Lin deftly pulled the ball back and spun around in one fluid motion.

Realizing he'd been beaten, Damian resorted to fouling, pulling Lin down to the ground.

Lin didn't waste time lying on the ground—he quickly stood up and prepared to take the free kick, hoping to catch Italy off guard.

But Damian was ready for that, too. He stood in front of the ball, even "accidentally" kicking it away as Lin set it down.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to—I swear that was an accident!"

The referee gave Damian a stern verbal warning but didn't show him a card.

Damian, acting all innocent in front of the referee, seemed like a well-behaved student reflecting on his mistake.

Watching from the sidelines, Lin couldn't help but admit that Damian was quite the actor.

Though he wondered how Damian's acting skills would compare to those of Busquets and other graduates from the "La Masia School of Drama."

"Lin, leave him to me!"

Seeing Lin being hounded by Damian, Busquets volunteered to step in and help.

Heh, kid, trying to play these dirty tricks in front of me? You've got a long way to go!

Lin nodded and accepted Busquets' offer of help.

He wasn't fond of using underhanded tactics, so it was better to let experienced players like Busquets deal with opponents like Damian.

(End of Chapter)

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