Chapter 305: Chapter 304: Star falls, Pirlo’s bleary eyes
"Portugal’s Most Talented Midfielder! Two Shots, One Pass, One Mastermind, 4-3 Victory Over the Blue and Black Brigade!"
"Viana—The Midfield Savior Inter Milan is Desperately Waiting For!"
"Inter Milan Offers 13 Million Euros for Viana! Sporting Lisbon Replies, Hugo is Not for Sale!"
"Endless Talent Stream! Simon, Quaresma, Viana! No Wonder Sporting Lisbon Can Challenge the UEFA Cup!"
"A Star is Born! Viana’s Football Highlight Reel Goes Viral in Italy!"
"Inter Fans: Buy Viana and Next Year’s Inter Could Aim for the Champions League!"
"Inter Fans: In Front of Viana, Seedorf is Like a Sapper. Pirlo is Three Years Older than Viana, but He Really Should Learn from Viana’s Play!"
"Inter Fans: Viana is the Zidane-Style Midfielder Inter Needs Most! He Can Not Only Organize the Team Perfectly, But Can Also Resolve the Game on His Own!"
...
Lisbon, Trigella’s Office.
"Do you think Italians have bad eyesight, or why are they so obsessed with getting Viana?"
Maxa, holding a cup of covered tea, was pondering without any answers.
"Wow, I have to tell Viana that," said Deng Kai as he pushed the door open.
Maxa hurriedly offered the tea: "I didn’t mean it that way, of course Viana is excellent. But...the Italians are about to put him on a pedestal. I may not understand football, but I do understand teams."
"Whether it’s in terms of team leadership, actual role on the pitch, initiative, or adaptability, Viana is not the absolute top in the team..."
Maxa expressed his concerns.
Trigella nodded in agreement.
Deng Kai smiled slightly: "So, that’s how time makes heroes. Italians are quite skilled at creating stars. Viana’s hardware is definitely one of the best on the team!"
"He is much more handsome than both Simon and Quaresma, so once he emerges, he will have great commercial value."
"His playing style is also extremely stylish, featuring midfield finesse as well as striker-like aggression."
"The key is his age; he’s at the right age with Quaresma, eighteen, and can sign a solid contract anywhere. Those like me and Ronaldo can’t sign professional contracts everywhere, and that brings a whole host of problems."
"Especially Viana’s speed on the break is quite remarkable among midfielders. In the current climate of Serie A, to make it as a midfielder, you need speed, particularly if you’re short-statued."
"Inter Milan already learned this lesson with Pirlo. Even a talent like him could only sit on the bench at Inter. His appearance order is not only lower than Seedorf’s but even lower than the veteran Farinos."
"A midfielder without speed really can’t make it in Serie A...unless he’s repositioned further back."
For the Italians, the only downside for Viana is that he hasn’t made a name for himself yet.
Big leagues like famous players.
But there’s also a special case, which is being impressed by the opponent’s strength during European fixtures.
For example, Shevchenko, who rose to fame like a rocket over the past two years.
AC Milan was able to pick up Shevchenko in a European clash.
Why couldn’t Inter Milan dig up a midfielder like the combination of Costa and Figo?
"The next time we face Inter Milan, they will most likely change formation," Trigella returned to the matter at hand, "They are expected to revert to a four-defender lineup. 442 or 4231..."
"Because of this, we will make substantial rotations for the weekend league match. We must get past the great mountain that is Inter Milan!"
"Ding! You have led your team to defeat Inter Milan and earned the droplet item ’Pirlo’s Sleepy Eyes’."
"Pirlo’s Sleepy Eyes: Pirlo envies your freedom on the pitch, especially how you can operate behind the scenes from the backfield. Upon equipping, your field of vision is compulsorily upgraded to level 9!"
Deng Kai also flipped through the post-match rewards and found something good.
Nine-level vision!
It’s nearly maxed out!
Deng Kai is currently wearing "Guardiola’s Tears," which enhances vision to level eight, and it has been very useful.
But when there’s level nine, who would still use level eight?
Although Guardiola has given Pirlo a hard time as a coach.
However, purely in terms of achievements and influence during his playing days, even at your best, Guardiola, you can’t match up to Pirlo.
Pirlo is the first of his kind as a regista, redefining the existence of a player in a position on the field.
And he also reached his peak as an absolute mainstay at both AC Milan and Juventus!
"Ding! You have removed ’Guardiola’s Tears,’ the star’s drop is converted into the Moment Card ’The Origin of Guardiola’s Guesses’."
"The Origin of Guardiola’s Guesses: Guardiola always likes to make new, unsuccessful attempts in big games, which may stem from a sense of boredom with his own player position due to too much understanding. You will possess all the abilities of Guardiola at his peak for one match, experiencing Guardiola’s understanding of football."
Indeed, waste not, want not.
Guardiola hasn’t left; he’s just found a different way to accompany Deng Kai.
This Moment Card is definitely Deng Kai’s most prized treasure at the moment, far more useful in practice than the Moment Card of Cech.
Guardiola is awesome!
...
On February 19, in the twenty-second round of the Portuguese league.
Sporting Lisbon made a large-scale rotation.
Players including Deng Kai, Ronaldo, Viana, Quaresma, and Matthaus all sat on the bench and didn’t play at all.
In the end, the team drew nil-nil with the opponent.
After this match, the next day, the entire Sporting Lisbon team flew to Milan, Italy.
Two days later, they would face their Europa League round of 16 second-leg match at Meazza Stadium.
This could very well be Sporting Lisbon’s most important match of the season.
The outcome of this game will have a profound impact on all the genius players on this team.
As soon as Sporting Lisbon’s plane landed, Deng Kai and the others could feel the enthusiasm of the city of Milan.
"Viana! Viana! Viana!"
Incredibly, there were Inter Milan fans in blue and black jerseys forming a welcome phalanx for Viana.
That’s outrageous!
Ronaldo was not pleased and took the lead without any hesitation.
It’s not that he has anything against Viana, but Ronaldo is never happy when he’s not the center of attention, no matter the circumstance. It’s not personal; he’s just competitive with himself.
Viana stayed to greet the fans, and the other players did not disturb him.
"This is where top players should be going," Ibrahimovic said, watching Viana with the enthusiastic fans, feeling quite envious.
"If I were Viana, I wouldn’t even know how to play against Inter Milan next," Drogba commented frankly. "Inter Milan has practically treated Viana as one of their own. Look at their eyes, that’s definitely affection! I’ve never seen such a look in the eyes of fans from any club towards me."
