allendalepharm Chapter 28: China's First Player to Land in Serie A!
Chapter 28: China's First Player to Land in Serie A!
Italian local time, 6 p.m. on August 19.
Allianz Stadium, Turin.
The 2017-2018 Serie A season kicked off here.
With goals from Mandzukic, Dybala, and Higuain, Juventus secured a 3-0 victory over Cagliari, achieving a winning start to the new season.
Meanwhile.
Roma head coach Di Francesco arrived at the press conference hall of Atalanta's home stadium, the Arena de la Blanco, to attend the pre-match press conference.
Due to Chang Huan's outstanding performance since joining Roma, Chinese journalists have been rarely seen in Bergamo.
A reporter from PP Sports, the exclusive all-media rights holder for Serie A in China, was mentioned by the Rome press officer.
The question left the Roma coach speechless: "Will Chang Huan make his Serie A debut tomorrow?"
Speechless as I am, the question still needs to be answered.
He shrugged and said, "The suspense will be revealed tomorrow."
To the reporter, these words seemed to carry a completely different meaning.
The absence of a direct denial implies agreement!
Starting with PP Sports' official website, platforms such as Dongqiudi and Zhibo9 quickly reposted it.
[Roma's head coach has clearly stated: Chang Huan will make his Serie A debut as a starter!]
However, a day later.
The starting lineups for the Atalanta vs. Roma match have been leaked.
Chang Huan did not start.
As the exclusive all-media rights holder, PP Sports was able to obtain first-hand information and immediately manually deleted the news that Chang Huan would definitely make his Serie A debut on its official website and verified social media accounts.
The slow response from Dongqiudi and the Live9 platform made Chang Huan the target of criticism from fans who were hoping he would become the first Chinese player to achieve this feat in Serie A.
Local time 6 p.m. on August 20.
That is, at 0:00 Beijing time on the 21st, Atalanta will host Roma at the Blue Arena!
This stadium is one of only four stadiums owned by the 20 Serie A teams.
The remaining 16 teams are all renting stadiums owned by the municipality.
Eight of the teams share four stadiums.
The San Siro stadiums shared by the Milanese clubs, the Stadio Olimpico shared by Roma and Lazio, the Stadio Luigi Ferraris shared by Genoa and Sampdoria, and the Stadio Bentegodi shared by Verona and Chievo.
Atalanta, playing at home, were very aggressive in their first league match of the new season.
The defense used high-intensity high pressing and man-to-man marking to limit Roma's key players from passing the ball out.
The 3-4-1-2 formation features three central defenders with clearly defined roles, effectively suppressing Dzeko, the target man.
The balance of power has shifted from offense to defense.
Atalanta's attack relies on their wing-backs on both sides, whose frequent forward runs provide sufficient width for the attack.
Cristante and Freuler were the two central midfielders who were the two pivots of the attack, while the two strikers Petagna and Gomez frequently switched and dropped back to launch attacks, making Roma's defense suffer.
Nearly 20,000 Atlanta fans at the Blue Arena roared their lungs out, creating a fervent home atmosphere.
The home team launched a relentless offensive.
The first three shots were all taken by Atalanta.
Fortunately, Di Francisco made a tactical shift early on, adopting a 4-1-4-1 defensive formation to ensure the safety of the midfield and backline.
Secondly, give up possession of the ball.
Give the initiative to the home team and focus on counter-attacks.
The two wingers, Perotti and Defrel, are not top-tier in speed. Their counter-attacks mainly involve quickly passing the ball through midfield to Dzeko and then advancing as a whole.
Kolarov and Perez, the two full-backs, pushed up significantly to provide width for the attack and vertically support the tall striker Dzeko.
With Dzeko twice winning possession and threatening Berisha's goal, Gasperini calmed down and slowed down the pace of the attack.
This adjustment was exactly what Di Francisco wanted.
This season, Roma lacks a clear scoring threat and their attack relies mainly on overall team play.
The midfield trio of Nainggolan, De Rossi, and Strootman ensures midfield solidity, overall control, balanced defensive coverage, and consistent ball distribution.
With Dzeko as a pivot and finisher, the actual threat is greater than that of Atlanta.
Thirty minutes into the game, the balance on the field remained unchanged.
The game was very close. Lorenzo Pellegrini turned to Chang Huan and boasted, "In this situation, we should increase long-range shots! If I get the chance, I'll teach them a lesson in no time."
I believe that.
Before Chang Huan could speak, El Shaarawy preemptively analyzed, covering his mouth and clicking his tongue: "But I still think Perotti is too hesitant when he plays. Giving me the ball would be like crossing the street at dawn."
Chang Huan, sitting in the middle, twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth.
Can these two geniuses please stop bragging?
Have you forgotten the strict father you encountered after your last appearance?
"You agree, right, Chang?"
Seeing that Chang Huan didn't react, El Shaarawy nudged him lightly with his elbow.
Chang Huan smiled slightly: "To be honest, I'm really looking forward to this scene."
"If the coach gives you a chance, you'll definitely get to see it."
El Shaarawy raised his hands naturally and narcissistically tidied up his mohawk hairstyle that he had just trimmed yesterday.
"Beep~"
The whistle on the field interrupted the three's conversation.
Kurtic fouled Nainggolan just outside the penalty area, and the referee blew his whistle for a foul.
Kolarov naturally took his place behind the ball on the left.
According to Roma's set-piece priority, Kolarov and Chang Huan have higher priority when they are both on the field.
However, the two players' free kicks have different tactical values.
Kolarov is a free-kick shooter, while Chang Huan is a free-kick tactician.
Kolarov will take free kicks suitable for direct shots, while Chang Huan will take free kicks off the flanks and corner kicks.
Facing a six-man wall of Atalanta, Kolarov cleverly kicked a ground ball.
Goalkeeper Berisha realized it was too late to make a save...
Roma took the lead away from home with this "stealing" free kick.
Atalanta attempted a quick equalizer, while Roma, who were leading, relinquished control of the game.
Gasperini was worried about Roma's counter-attacks, so he kept his formation compact while advancing the attack layer by layer, using the two wing-backs to make runs and crosses to threaten Alisson in goal.
An attack lacking a spirit of adventure often struggles to break through a tight defense, resulting in the team failing to score and equalize by the end of the first half.
The game resumes after switching sides.
Ten minutes into the second half.
The broadcast showed the Roma substitutes getting up from the bench.
Chang Huan, El Shaarawy, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and all the substitutes except the goalkeeper headed to the warm-up area.
When the camera panned to Chang Huan, Zhu Xiaoyu, the commentator in the CCTV-5 live broadcast room in Beijing, spoke with a hint of excitement in his otherwise calm tone: "Roma hasn't made any adjustments yet. Will Chang Huan make his Serie A debut?"
Chinese fans who stayed up until 1 a.m. in front of the TV were just waiting for Chang Huan to come on as a substitute, weren't they?
However, the game was close, and Di Francesco was eager to win his first official match in charge of Roma, making it difficult for him to make a decision.
Until the 75-minute mark of the match, when physical condition had stabilized.
Perotti, whose physical condition has always been a problem, experienced leg cramps.
"Chang? Or El Shaarawy?"
Di Francisco pulled his assistant Tomé aside to discuss the matter.
"Have you ever thought about... exchanging them together?"
Tomé offered a new perspective.
"That's right!"
Standing in the visiting team's coaching area, Di Francisco suddenly slapped his forehead.
Less than fifteen minutes remained in the regular match.
On the other side, Defrel's physical condition wasn't much better, so they could be substituted at the same time.
One minute later.
Chang Huan and El Shaarawy changed into white Roma away jerseys and stood on either side of assistant coach Tomé, listening to head coach Di Francesco's occasional tactical additions.
When the ball goes out of play, the referee blows his whistle and turns to face the substitution area.
The live broadcast director switches camera angles.
"Fans watching on TV, like me, have been waiting for this moment! 17 years ago, Ma Mingyu joined Perugia but didn't get to make his Serie A debut. 17 years later..."
CCTV-5 commentator Zhu Xiaoyu, watching Chang Huan and his teammate El Shaarawy smiling on the screen, couldn't help but exclaim loudly: "The Serie A stadium has finally welcomed its first Chinese player! Chang Huan!!"