Chapter 77 The Age of Youth

Chapter 77 The Age of Youth

Fiorentina also became very popular in the Champions League for a while, especially the phrase "This is the age of young people" that Degan shouted, which pushed Fiorentina to the forefront.

Returning to the domestic league, Fiorentina has maintained a ten-match winning streak in the league before. Although in the current Italian football environment, from the Football Association to the fans, they all hope that a dominant team will emerge to change the image of Italian football that has plummeted due to the Calciopoli incident.

However, people don't want this team to be Fiorentina. If it is Inter Milan, they can still accept it. After all, Inter Milan is a wealthy team, so what is Fiorentina?

Therefore, Fiorentina, which was hyped by the media before, will challenge Inter Milan's 17-game winning streak last season, but it is just hatred for Fiorentina. In recent rounds of the league, Fiorentina players also have this feeling. Every opponent they encounter, resist They all look extremely tenacious, and no one wants to be a sacrifice on Florence's road to becoming a god.

In the next league, Fiorentina will face their powerful opponent Juventus at home. People hope that Juventus can stop Fiorentina's crazy winning streak.

The match between Juventus and Fiorentina, from a historical point of view, is itself full of excitement and classics. The "dead knock" between the two teams began in the 1980s, and its significance is no less than that of the Italian derby. and the Milan derby.

Champions, Baggio, Del Piero and other factors have built the source of hatred between Juventus and Fiorentina.

The hatred between the two teams all started in the 1981/1982 season. Before the last round of the league, Juventus and Fiorentina had 44 points together. Fiorentina only got a 0:0 in Cagliari, and Juventus In the away game against Catanzaro, the Irishman Brady won the final championship with a penalty.

And Brady had already started to pack his luggage at that time, ready to make way for Platini. After Juventus won the championship, Juventus fans and Fiorentina fans became even more fierce, and every time they confronted, they must first stage a fight.

Also, on April 28, 1985, Passarella's goal helped Fiorentina beat Juventus 2:1. That was the first time Fiorentina beat the Bianconeri in an away game in history.

On May 15, 1988, Fiorentina won Juventus away for the second time in history, and it was also the last time. More importantly, Fiorentina's first goal was scored by Roberto Baggio.

Since then, the history of the relationship between the two teams has highlighted the role of Baggio. In 1990, Baggio was sold to Juventus by Fiorentina, which caused protests from Fiorentina fans.

On April 6, 1991, Baggio refused to take a penalty kick at home in Florence and put on a purple scarf thrown by the fans. From this time on, the conflict and confrontation between the fans of the two teams surrounding Baggio has reached a new level.

On April 25, 1993, Juventus ushered in Fiorentina at home. After a simple 3:0, it was Baggio who took the last penalty kick. This was also the only goal Baggio scored against his old host ball.

After Baggio is Piero, a rising star stepping on Fiorentina, which may be the reason why Juventus fans prefer Piero.

After the baptism of the second division, on December 4, 1994, under the leadership of Ranieri, Fiorentina met Lippi who had just taken office.

Goals from Bayano and Carboni gave Fiorentina a 2-0 lead, and when the purple fans were ready to celebrate, Vialli equalized the score with two goals in the 73rd and 76th minutes. Lee's move towards the middle circle with the ball in hand is the most impressive.

After that, it was Del Piero's time. The famous volley shot helped Juventus complete a shocking reversal 3:2.

Since then, Juventus has achieved five consecutive victories against Fiorentina at home. The only thing worth noting is that Del Piero scored a 1-0 winning goal on November 19, 1995. First header on goal.

It can be said that because many elements are mixed together, Juventus and Viola can also be called a feud in Serie A. Before the game started, the strong smell of gunpowder had already permeated the entire Frachi Stadium.

Following the match against AC Milan and Roma, Fiorentina's unbeaten record was once again tested. The last time they beat Juventus dates back to December 1998.

As expected, the game was full of gunpowder from the very beginning, with fierce tackles frequently appearing on the court. Juventus took the lead in breaking the deadlock in the 36th minute. Trezeguet received Camorane West's wing pass, a header, knocked on the gate of Florence.

After conceding the ball, Fiorentina counterattacked vigorously, while Juventus retreated to defend in an all-round way. Juventus' lead continued until ten minutes left in the game.

At the critical moment, Degan stepped forward, and with a direct free kick in front of the penalty area, Fiorentina equalized the score.

Originally, people thought that the game would end in a draw, but in the first minute of stoppage time, Fiorentina scored again. The old Juventus player Mutu used his worst header to push his old club away. to the abyss.

2:1!

Fiorentina, which has often been reversed by Juventus in history, completed the reversal against Juventus at home and won the eleventh consecutive league victory.

Another thing to watch in this round is the recovery of AC Milan. Probably the disastrous defeat to Fiorentina in the Champions League hurt the self-esteem of everyone in Milan. In this round, they faced Lazio at home. Big win.

5:1!

After AC Milan experienced a long period of low ebb, it finally let people see signs of recovery.

It's just that such a victory may embarrass Ancelotti. In this game, the person who opened the door to victory for AC Milan was precisely Gourcuff who was ignored by him.

Desperate Ancelotti lined up a double midfielder formation in this game, and Gourcuff and Kaka appeared behind Gilardino at the same time.

First, Gourcuff scored a goal with a long shot, and then assisted Kaka and Gilardino respectively, expanding the score to three goals.

After the start of the second half, it was Gourcuff who scored with a header. At the last moment, the crazy Gurcuff rode solo for thousands of miles, disrupting Lazio's entire defense line by himself, crossing the middle, and Kaka made another attack city.

With two goals and three assists in one game, Gourcuff, who has been depressed in Milan for more than a year, finally ushered in a big explosion in this game and proved his worth.

After the game, the media also commented, suggesting that Ancelotti should think about what Degan said. Now is the era of young people. Although veterans are important, it is time to give way.

After this game, followed by the UEFA Champions League group stage, Fiorentina challenged the Portuguese giants Benfica in an away game. Three in a row.

In another game in the same group, AC Milan defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 2:1 at home without any risk. In the game, Fernandinho took the lead to score a goal. At the critical moment, it was Kaka and Gul. Gourcuff stood up, and Kaka scored a long-range shot to equalize the score in the 75th minute of the second half. Then before the end of the game, Gourcuff, who came off the bench, made a supplementary shot in front of the goal to help the team overtake score.

Returning to the league again, Fiorentina defeated the underdog Siena 3-0 in an away game, expanding the winning streak to twelve games, while AC Milan, which implemented a rotation policy, was defeated by Empoli 1-0 in the away game, scoring a goal It is the old Milan Shodati.

After the game, Ancelotti once again became the target of people's criticism. Gourcuff, who was in good form before, didn't even make it into the squad. He was replaced by veteran Serginho. Orginho's performance in this game, described in the words of an angry Milan fan-is disgusting and wants to vomit!

In the next league, Fiorentina played consecutive away games, and finally defeated the newly promoted Genoa 1-0 with Degan's goal, expanding the winning streak to 13 games.

The last Serie A confrontation between the two former Serie A champions dates back to September 11, 1994. Mutu got the chance first, but after he waded past goalkeeper Rubinho, he had lost his shot angle. Since then, Frey saved Leon's strong free kick, and Digan's old enemy Borriello's outside shot. In the second half, Frey made several wonderful saves, and at the end of the game, Degan scored a free kick to help Fiorentina finally win.

The highlight of this round of competition is the contest between AC Milan and Roma. This game is the last chance for these two teams to retain the right to win the Serie A this season.

In the end, Roma scored all 3 points in San Siro and continued to maintain their hope of winning the championship. It seems that AC Milan can only compete for the UEFA Cup. This is a very dangerous situation. The current situation of AC Milan is obviously Not what the fans hoped for.

Immediately afterwards, Fiorentina beat Naples 1-0 at home. This time, it was Montolivo who scored the goal, and still maintained a complete season victory. The league winning streak expanded to 14 games, constantly catching up with the Serie A winning streak created by Inter Milan last season. .

Next, the Champions League group stage rekindled the battle. Fiorentina played against Benfica at home. With two goals from Digan and Hamsik, Fiorentina won a victory and qualified ahead of the group stage.

AC Milan defeated Shakhtar Donetsk in an away game, and their qualifying situation is still not optimistic. In this group, Benfica has already been eliminated early, and the chances of AC Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk to qualify are basically equal.

In this game, Milan's hero became Inzaghi. He scored a hat-trick in the game, and it was Kaka and the reactivated Gourcuff who assisted him.

After the game, Berlusconi also talked about the game. His talk mainly involved two points. One was to praise Inzaghi for "will be recorded in the history of AC Milan". However, the player involved in this rejuvenation is Ronaldinho who is no longer young.

In the eyes of the media and people in the circle, the possibility of a happy ending for this soap opera that has revolved around AC Milan for many summers is very slim. Not to mention that Ronaldinho has found happiness again in Barcelona. With a lot of pounds in the front row, the most important thing is that Ronaldinho revealed an attitude in his conversation yesterday. He said: "I have never considered moving to AC Milan."

Maybe it's really time to forget Ronaldinho forever, not to mention whether Ronaldinho can make a qualitative change to AC Milan tactically, but in terms of cost performance, judging from the current plan implemented by AC Milan , Ronaldinho is a very unsuitable "luxury".

Galliani once said half a year ago: "In the transfer market, AC Milan will go in the direction of Arsenal instead of Chelsea."

Although people didn't pay much attention to it at the beginning, in fact, this is a signal that AC Milan began to pay from the chairman's pocket and move towards semi-self-sufficiency.

Prior to this, AC Milan had planned to invite Moggi, who once said: "I will not ask the board of directors for a penny, and I can still form a championship lineup."

Of course, AC Milan cannot become Juventus. Berlusconi has already announced his life, saying that AC Milan will never exchange Kaka for even 150 million euros. In addition to the results, there is also the problem of the club's image.

Not only Kaka, who exchanged Gattuso for 20 million euros, or sold Jankulovski for 12 million, the club couldn't do it, and more people left for free after the contract expired after their condition was not good. Before Shevchenko, the most expensive sale of the club was the exchange of Inzaghi's c Zenoni as a matching item.

Those who exchange money for AC Milan in the transfer market are mostly substitute players like Oliveira and Donati who don't contribute much to the team. This can solve some economic problems, but it is destined not to exchange for huge sums of money. capital.

It is impossible to make money by selling players, so it is impossible to dig famous players at a high price like Moggi got Buffon and Nedved. This is what Galliani called the "Arsenal model", striving to become a transfer player. "The first treasure digger" in the market.

In the past few years, under the influence of Florentino, Berlusconi is keen to introduce well-known players from other clubs, but there is a premise, which Berlusconi has emphasized many times: "We don't poach, we Only buy big stars on the transfer market."

At that time, most of those who joined AC Milan were star players who were in the wealthy but had an unhappy life, such as Inzaghi, Nesta, and Rivaldo.

But at present there is a situation that cannot be ignored: the number of giants in Italy, Germany and France is shrinking, and as Galliani said, the tax system determines that it is difficult for Italian teams to attract Spanish players, and Premier League players have never been favored by Italy. There are fewer and fewer options for such a transfer.

If you follow this mode of transfer, you can only get Emerson, and the no longer young Tony who almost joined AC Milan in the summer. Players who have gone downhill or are about to go downhill, or problem players like Cassano .

The introduction of Pato is a signal that AC Milan has begun to pursue the role of "the first treasure digger" like Arsenal. In the past, such players were often bought by some strong teams in the second tier league or mid-range teams in the three major leagues. AC Milan will not pay attention until it shows its own ability and appreciates. Among the giants, only Arsenal will be the "first treasure digger".

However, in the past, AC Milan has obtained huge sweetness in the few attempts, such as Kaka, which may be the introduction that made Galliani determined to introduce the "Arsenal model".

Taking Pato as a signal, the club has introduced a series of young players. The Slovenian U16 midfielder Novinic who joined this season, and the Russian U16 youth team defender Mikhailov have become the core of AC Milan's youth teams at all levels. , the Italian U16 main player Albertaci, who is being targeted by Arsenal, will also join AC Milan next year. It's just that these players are not in the first team, and they don't attract as much attention as Pato.

At the same time, the scouting network is being actively built. Capello's long-term assistant Gabiati has officially joined AC Milan as a scout. Frenchman Desailly signed before him. Recently, the famous The international agent Bronzetti also announced that his economic company is cooperating with AC Milan, and at the same time he has become AC Milan's transfer consultant.

At the same time, the club has further increased its investment in the youth team and has already received results. The u20 youth team led by Gary is tied for the top spot with Inter Milan in its group, while the u17 youth team led by Evani won the After the championship, the record so far this year is still unbeaten, including just winning the Milan derby last weekend.

For AC Milan, which is transitioning from "Chelsea" to "Arsenal" and is about to change from one cycle to another, what is needed is no longer Ronaldinho. This correct model is what can really wake up the sleeping The "Golden Gate" of the Empire.

Gourcuff's sudden outburst seemed to make AC Milan a little more clear-headed from the chairmanship. Although he still refused to admit it, just like Digan said, the next is the era of young people.

The UEFA Champions League group has successfully qualified, and Fiorentina, who has returned to the league, is also much more relaxed. This round of away challenge to Lazio, the game has not yet started, and the media has already helped Fiorentina to book the victory in advance.

After losing the last round of the Rome derby, Lazio has suffered five consecutive defeats in the league and the Champions League, ranking lower in the standings. Mauri, Sivilla, Behrami and other players are still missing due to injuries.

In this game, Prandelli also rotated several main players, even Degan was sitting on the bench, and Pazzini and Argentine Catania partnered forward.

Fiorentina got their first good chance in the 14th minute, Pacini's volley was saved by Barlotta. In the 19th minute, central defender Dainelli left the field with a strained right thigh, but the 10-man Viola took the lead temporarily. Pascual made a diagonal pass from the left, and the opposing central defender Kribali headed back from the front of the penalty area. Poor, the old goalkeeper Balotta fought back to avoid the corner kick, fell to the ground on the bottom line on the left side of the penalty area and retrieved the ball, but he failed to press the ball under him, Pacini stepped forward to steal the ball and cut into the middle to volley the empty goal Score, 1:0!

After the start of the second half, Rossi replaced Manfredini with Magni. Although Lazio's situation improved, there were not many threatening attacks.

In the 75th minute, Donadell sent a straight pass from the left rib, Pacini volleyed his left foot from a small angle in front of the goal and hit the crossbar before bouncing into the net, 2:0!

In the 82nd minute, Ledesma passed the ball, Kavinaji flew the header to the left side of the penalty area, and Mutu, who was unable to play, made a diagonal shot and made another victory.

3:0!

With a big victory, Fiorentina directly drove Rossi off the coaching bench, and sent Lazio to the gate of the relegation zone by the way.

Fifteen consecutive victories in the league, Fiorentina is getting closer and closer to the record created by Inter Milan.

In the next round of the league, Fiorentina defeated Udinese 2:1 at home.

In the game, Udinese took the lead in scoring. In the 23rd minute, Pepe passed from the right to the back point, and Quagliarella headed in front of Thiago Silva.

But just five minutes later, Fiorentina leveled the score, Montolivo lobbed a pass, Mutu headed in ahead of goalkeeper Handanovic, and Degan caught up in time to head the ball into the empty net.

In the second half, the two teams changed sides and fought again. In the 63rd minute, Hamsik, who was not on the field, instigated an attack from the left. After playing a perfect two-for-one cooperation with Digan, he shot the ball and scored the goal. door top.

2:1!

Fiorentina completed the reversal at home, while extending the league winning streak to 16 games.

Next, Fiorentina defeated Reggina 2-0 in the away game, and Cavinaghi and Thiago Silva scored goals respectively.

Seventeen consecutive victories in the league!

Inter Milan's winning streak is just around the corner, and Fiorentina will face Inter Milan in the next round.

I don't know if it was a deliberate arrangement or a coincidence. In short, Fiorentina, which has already stood side by side with Inter Milan in the Serie A historical winning streak rankings, tops the list, and now has a very dramatic opportunity to climb to the top by stepping on the corpse of Inter Milan. .

Of course, there is another possibility, that is, Inter Milan defended their honor and ended in Fiorentina in the away game.

Just the day before the start of the game, Fiorentina encountered a major event. The wife of coach Prandelli died of illness.

It is obviously impossible to say that such a big event has no impact at all. After several seasons of conditions, this Fiorentina team has been deeply imprinted with Prandelli's brand, just as an epic opera needs Like an excellent conductor, Florence can play the most perfect movement under Prandelli.

Since Viola ushered in Prandelli, they have returned to the ranks of Italy's top teams in just a few seasons. Although they have not won any honors, the boss of Florence, De La Valle, has already stated that, Prandelli will stay in office, because his transformation of Viola is obvious to all. Now Fiorentina has established a new style of play and a new model for Italian football.

While being a good coach, Prandelli is also a peerless good man. His life is also like an Italian opera, which always has the beauty of regret and always ends in tragedy.

Prandelli was once a very good player, won the Grand Slam with the club, but was never called up to the national team. He is also an excellent coach. Although his starting point was not high, he won the reputation of "upgrade expert" in his career of coaching weak teams, and then became a master of tactics. However, when his coaching career ushered in the dawn , His poignant love dragged him back again.

For love, Prandelli is willing to sacrifice his career, but his beloved wife Kaffia still leaves him due to illness.

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The love encounter between Prandelli and Kaffiya is so beautiful that it is unreal.

Prandelli, 18, and Kaffia, 15, met outside a hot chocolate shop. He was a little ignorant, and she was more shy, only in the flow of eyes between the two of them, encouraging the germination of mutual love.

Prandelli is from the town of Oznuovi in ​​Brescia, the wealthiest town in northern Italy. After a glimpse, the young man's mind was ready to move. The girl with beautiful eyes and white teeth is not far from my home. Destined to meet thousands of miles away, the two began to date frequently.

Prandelli went from being a member of the reserve team of the little-known Cremones team to his debut in Serie A with Atalanta, and then to the giants of Juventus. The 25-year-old Dangda used a promise of "I do" to cast the strongest cornerstone of a small family.

Daily necessities, rice, oil, salt, love, do not disappear, but are now sublimated.

Prandelli played with peace of mind. During his years at Juventus, he won three Serie A titles, one European Champions Cup, one European Cup Winners' Cup, one Toyota Cup and one European Super Cup.

She, by her side, with a pair of children, gave Prandelli the greatest spiritual support with the tenderness of a wife and mother.

The husband, who couldn't live without football, quickly took up work after retiring and became a coach.

For the first time, they moved their family to the south. The early stage of Prandelli's coaching career was not smooth. Whether it was the Atlanta youth team or the Lecce team, they both terminated their contracts early after signing. His wife is his safe haven.

In 25 years, they haven't blushed once.

They thought that such true love would be invincible.

This was supposed to be a story of holding hands till the end of life, but it couldn't escape the curse of fate, and it had a poignant tone.

Verona, Venice, Brescia, Parma, four cities have been changed in five years, and they have always been together.

But after 25 years of staying together and loving each other, they were so perfect that they were hated by God. Kaffia fell ill. In 2004, Prandelli made it through and took over the leadership of the giants Roma.

But only one month later, before he led the Roma team to play a game in the First Division, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was the first million-euro contract in his coaching career, and he looked increasingly haggard. His wife resolutely put forward her resignation: "For me, this is not a too difficult decision."

The first place in his life will always be the girl he met at the door of the hot chocolate shop. He will not let his wife down, and he is unwilling to implicate the team: "They also need my 100% dedication. Under such circumstances, Since I can't do both, then I should let them find another coach who can lead the team wholeheartedly, and I need to take care of my wife."

This is his final farewell to the Roma players.

Prandelli stayed beside his wife's sick bed, and stayed in his wife's heart eager to overcome the illness.

At the starting point of glory and brilliance, at the center of fame and brilliance, a man turned away without hesitation at the most capable age. For his beloved wife, the whole of Italy was moved.

Kaffiya's illness came and went, and finally on November 26, 2007, Prandelli ushered in his most painful day.

Manuela died.

At the last moment of her life, the Fiorentina team was preparing for the battle against Inter Milan. This time Prandelli chose to stay with his wife again. In order to stabilize the morale of the army, he told the team that he was ill.

When she was dying, Kafeiya was rarely sober. She rubbed her husband's hand and said word by word not so clearly: "Promise me, live the rest of your life well."

Although Prandelli deliberately concealed it, the careful Fiorentina players still noticed it. When they realized that Prandelli, who was always the first to arrive at the training ground, was absent today, they had a premonition.

Then, the news broke out. The death of Mrs. Prandelli shocked the Italian football world. The mayors of Florence and Rome personally sent condolences to Prandelli. Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Atlanta, Clubs such as Parma expressed their condolences on their official websites.

As the captain of Fiorentina, Degan also sent a text message to Prandelli: "In such difficult times, we will always stand by your side."

Of course, no amount of consolation could make up for Prandelli's grief over the loss of his beloved wife. Then, in the name of the Fiorentina team, Degan suggested that the Fiorentina club issue a proposal to the Italian Football Association. Yarn condolences.

The Italian Football Association quickly replied that the Fiorentina club accepted their request. Although the Inter Milan club and Fiorentina were competitors, they also chose to accept it calmly in front of the dead.

Inter Milan President Moratti also personally expressed his condolences to Prandelli's wife: "At this time, we are sad that Italy has lost a strong and great wife, and we also hope that Coach Prandelli can recover as soon as possible. stand up!"

But just as there will always be a dissonant note in a beautiful movement, at this sad moment, someone will always jump out and destroy the atmosphere.

Probably because the recent performance was too good, the Swede Ibrahimovic suddenly lost control of his head: "I don't understand why I did this, it seems to me that it is completely unnecessary!"

For a while, the entire Italian football world was speechless!