Chapter 125: The Dignity of the Defending Champion

Chapter 125: The Dignity of the Defending Champion

The small town of Appiano Gentile is located between Milan and Como in Italy. It was originally an unknown little place, but it is famous all over the world for having the training base of Inter Milan, the first division team.

The Pinetina base was built in 1962 and was funded by Moratti's father, Angelo Moratti, under the strong request of the then coach Herrera. But the purpose of building this base is only for training. There are no accommodation facilities at all, only training grounds, gyms and swimming pools.

In 1965, there was only a small main building at the Pinettina base, but the problems of uncoordinated structure and imperfect functions of the base have been left over.

The players' rooms at the Pinettina base are small and poorly lit. The only window is near the roof and is only the size of a palm. The air-conditioning system is even more of a mess, cold in winter and hot in summer.

Before Mancini took charge of Inter Milan, the Nerazzurri club had always been used to letting players sleep in the rooms at the Pinettina base before home games, which is the same as AC Milan. Closing the base before the game can not only avoid external interference, but also save a lot of money.

It was Inter Milan coach Mancini who asked to stay in the hotel before the game, because he could not accept the unreasonable and even crude facilities in the room at the Pinettina base.

Moratti spent a lot of money to let the team stay in five-star luxury hotels such as Milan Melia before the game, but recently the big boss of Inter Milan changed his mind, and he can no longer bear to continue to bear this huge expenditure for the team , More importantly, the team stayed in a luxury hotel. Not only did they not sleep better or play better, but there were many rumors related to external interference and violation of discipline.

It is impossible not to make comparisons among the players for the same Milan City giants team. In the Milanello base of AC Milan, the players' rooms are decorated according to the standard of a five-star hotel, the restaurant is warm and stylish, and there are billiards rooms, wireless Internet access and other facilities. In almost every respect, Inter Milan's Pinettina base looked backward and outdated.

Mancini asked the team to stay in a hotel before the game, which is indeed due to objective reasons, and he never settles down in a hurry. Moratti asked the team to return to the Pinetina base, a compromise condition is to redecorate the base.

The renovation work started in March this year. The first phase of the project renovated the six rooms on the top floor, including new doors, windows, lights, furniture, floors, wall painting, and LCD TVs. It was not completed until October.

However, it will not be Mancini's turn to enjoy the good environment that has been won. Since he succeeded Zaccheroni as the coach of Inter Milan on July 7, 2004, Mancini has been in Inter Milan for nearly ten years. It is not easy to be the most stable person in the coaching position, and it is not easy to work under Moratti for four seasons, even for famous coaches like Cooper and Lippi.

In Inter Milan, Mancini completed a seemingly impossible task, leading the sinking Inter Milan to win the Serie A championship. Inter Milan won the Italian Cup in 2005/06 and the Italian Super Cup in 2006. He coached 227 games, with 140 wins, 26 draws and 61 losses.

However, Mancini's Inter Milan is indeed a typical civil war expert and foreign war amateur. Under Mancini's coaching, Inter Milan's best result in the Champions League is only the quarterfinals, which is more than one level behind the city's rival AC Milan. .

This has also become one of the triggers for Mancini to leave Inter Milan. It is precisely because Inter Milan was eliminated by Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Champions League this season that Mancini said after the game that he would leave Inter Milan. into the current situation.

However, in the direct confrontation between Inter Milan and AC Milan, Mancini had the upper hand. He participated in a total of eight Milan Derby matches in the league and achieved 4 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses, and reversed AC Milan in one fell swoop. Overwhelm Inter's situation in the Milan derby.

But in the Italian derby with Juventus and the direct confrontation with Rome, Mancini did not gain the upper hand. Especially in the last two seasons against Fiorentina, except for the first round of last season, in the absence of Degan, he won the away game against Fiorentina, and Mancini lost all the remaining three games.

Just yesterday, Inter Milan's official website officially announced that it will end the working relationship with the team's head coach Mancini after the end of this season. Although Mancini still appeared on the Pinettina training ground today, but In fact, he has officially dismissed get out of class, it's just a reprieve, and he still needs to persist in the position of Inter Milan's head coach until the end of the season.

Inter Milan's official statement is very brief: "Inter Milan Football Club has confirmed that Mr. Roberto Mancini will be removed from the position of head coach of the first team after the end of the season."

Regarding this statement, two points can be confirmed: First, Mancini has officially dismissed get out of class. Second, Inter Milan's official statement deliberately emphasized one point: Inter Milan made the decision to dismiss Mancini, mainly because Mancini voluntarily offered to resign after the Champions League.

However, this statement left two doubts: First, did Inter Milan want to shirk all the responsibility for Mancini's dismissal from get out of class, so as to avoid the responsibility for breach of contract, you know, Mancini still has a four-year contract with Inter Milan. In other words, this statement represents the unilateral termination of the Inter Milan team.

Second, although Mancini announced his decision to resign through a press conference after the game against Liverpool, Inter Milan issued an official statement the next day confirming that Mancini would stay in office. He also retracted his previous statement. This means that Mancini's statement at the time of his resignation no longer has legal effect. Obviously, if this is used to shirk responsibility for breach of contract, there are still big doubts.

Of course, it is not ruled out that Inter Milan's move has reached a contract termination agreement with Mancini, so such a statement is made as an official explanation for the dismissal of the meritorious coach. Up to now, Mancini has not personally expressed his position on this, and previous media reports, after Mancini leaves office, the successor of the coaching position will be the Portuguese Mourinho.

Mancini coached Inter Milan in the summer of 2004. In his four-year coaching career so far, he has won two league titles, a Coppa Italia title and an Italian Super Cup title for Inter Milan.

However, for four consecutive years, Mancini's team has not been able to achieve a breakthrough in the Champions League, and, in this season, the Inter Milan team under Mancini's frequent outbreak of locker room scandals shows that Mancini Lost due authority within the team, in addition, the intensification of conflicts between Mancini and Moratti, irreconcilable, which is the main reason for his dismissal.

The news about Mancini's departure has been hyped a long time ago. The person who will replace Mancini will be Mourinho. It was no secret that this candidate was two years ago.

Although Inter Milan has still not stated that the next season's coach is Mourinho, but the news about Mourinho has reached the brink of explosion, even which direct descendant the Portuguese is going to bring in or which player to drive away, The media has said it all.

The scene returns to Mancini, and the reason for the termination of the contract given by the international is actually very far-fetched. After being eliminated from the Champions League, Moratti also retained Mancini.

However, some media revealed that Mancini had denounced Moratti, indicating that he must get a five-year liquidated damages. The official reason for the termination of the contract given by Inter Milan is to remind Mancini. Don't forget that you were the one who proposed to resign. Don't fantasize about the release clause of 48 million euros. That is impossible.

Mancini's termination fee may eventually be within 20 million euros, which is still a huge fee. Although Inter Milan officially denied it, Mancini and Moratti's turnaround is a foregone conclusion. For Mancini, seizing every opportunity to obtain liquidated damages is the kingly way, just as he desperately placed his cronies to Inter Milan.

In any case, Mancini's dismissal is inevitable. Speaking of it, Mancini's dismissal is both unfair and reasonable. Grades are always the first factor to measure the success of a coach. Without grades, everything is out of the question.

Mancini started with winning the Coppa Italia and ended with two consecutive Serie A titles. He led the team's performance under Moratti's most outstanding performance. It stands to reason that Moratti should not take him under the knife. Considering the background that the domestic competition in Italy is not fierce enough: Berlusconi has reduced investment in AC Milan, and Juventus has been seriously injured due to the phone door. Such a champion must be discounted.

Then, Mancini's breakthrough point should be in the European arena, but it happened that in the European arena, Mancini's performance was lacklustre. 8 finals, in any case, is not a result worth showing off.

Especially compared with AC Milan's experience of reaching the final three times and winning the Big Ears Cup twice, Moratti's sense of loss doubled.

Especially this season, Moratti has stated that the team's goal is to reach the Champions League final to celebrate the club's centenary. Unfortunately, in the end, all he saw was disappointment, which became the headline crime for Mancini's dismissal.

Mancini was well-known in Serie A when he was a player. Because of his unruly personality, he had disagreements with many coaches. It is proof that he left the team when he was angry with Sacchi in the national team. As the years passed, the star player became a young coach, but his flaws in character still caused him a lot of trouble. Due to the lack of tact when dealing with players, the Italian media said he lacked charisma. In fact, the relationship between him and big-name players is also slightly tense, and this tension is not just the exiled Adriano.

When he was eliminated by Liverpool in the 1/8 finals of the Champions League this season, Vieira deliberately dragged his feet when he came off the field, and Figo even refused to come off the bench in the game. This tense relationship has been interpreted to the extreme. It's normal for big-name players to disobey, but there are so many like Inter Milan that they need to reflect on it. Mancini is obviously still a little tender.

The tension with the players has almost become synonymous with Mancini. The former Nerazzurri king was exiled back to Brazil by Mancini this season, which caused the Nerazzurri's striker to be very tight. After recovering the lost shooting boots and scoring consecutive goals in the league and the Liberty Cup, many people began to question whether Mancho's decision to exile Adelaide was correct.

In other words, under Mancini, Adriano may not be able to regain his previous state. Although Mancho also strongly denied that he was against Adrian, it is undeniable that Adriano is very important to Moratti. A favorite player, Adelaide also admitted that Moratti is like his father. Although Adelaide's exile was mostly due to his own fault, and returning home on loan was also an official operation of Inter Milan, it was actually the best epitome of Mancho's mismanagement of big-name players.

There is also Figo. After transferring from Real Madrid to Inter Milan, Figo has been fighting openly and secretly with coach Mancini. This season, this kind of fighting has developed to the extreme. Figo even refused to come off the bench during the game! Then he announced that if Mancini stayed, he would leave!

Due to often sitting on the bench, Figo came up with the idea of ​​going to Saudi Arabia for gold after the end of the season last year. After that, Figo played less time. Figo believes that the reduction of his playing time can be regarded as the coach's revenge.

And Mancini said that Figo should accept the role of a super substitute, which made the two of them at odds. Figo and Moratti have a good personal relationship. It was with Moratti's persuasion that Figo gave up the idea of ​​playing in Saudi Arabia. Now, the Portuguese are already looking forward to the arrival of the madman.

Where there are conflicts, of course Ibrahimovic is indispensable. The Swedish Magic Scorpion was the absolute main force in the Mancini era and the hero of Inter Milan's championship. However, Ibrahimovic expressed his support after learning the news of coach Mancini's dismissal, "In any case, this is the decision made by Moratti. Moratti is the chairman of the team and he must make a choice about it. I think he made the right decision."

Ibrahimovic and Mancini also had constant conflicts. In the last round of the match between Inter Milan and Cagliari, Ibrahimovic was replaced in advance in the 77th minute. , "Corriere dello Sport" invited lip language experts to analyze and learned that Ibrahimovic said at the time: "I hope this guy gets out!" Now he can be regarded as fulfilling his wish.

At the same time, the conflict between Mancini and the club's management has not lasted for a day or two. In terms of signings, general manager Branca and Mancini can't always think of going together. Branca bought it, but Mancini didn't like it, and Mancini wanted it, but Branca couldn't get it, which made the two feel bad.

For example, Suazo was almost stolen by AC Milan during the summer transfer. At that time, Mancini tried his best to ridicule Branca's ability, saying, "The person who operates the transfer market is called Branca, and there is a chairman named Moura. Dee, you should ask them what happened", but when Suazo really came, Mancini's use of him was too limited. In fact, it doesn't matter whether you buy Suazo or not. The important thing is that this matter will The struggle between the two of them was revealed to the world.

In addition to the technical manager Branca, the conflict between the team doctor Konby and Mancini is also often exposed by the media, especially this season Inter Milan's long list of injuries has made the Nerazzurri coach's formation stretched. Mancini was in front of reporters before. Said, "Now it is more difficult for players to recover from injuries than before, but this is not their problem. I think it is because our doctors are lower than before," and Komby's reply disclosed by "Gazzetta dello Sport" said, " Next season, Inter Milan will either have a new coach or a new team doctor", which has now proved to be an accurate prediction.

Mancini left, Mourinho took over, and the rumors that Madman went to Inter Milan to replace Mancho have been circulating this season. At that time, Mourinho also denied that he would go to Inter Milan to coach, but with the end of the season, Mu Rinho's contact with Inter Milan has also become more and more frequent. In order to clear the way for the madman to take over the Nerazzurri, Mancini naturally has to give way first.

And many generals in the Inter Milan team began to collectively look forward to the arrival of the madman before Mancini officially announced his dismissal, which also exerted strong pressure on the club invisibly. It can be said that although Mourinho was not the main reason for Mancini's dismissal, he also played a role in fueling the flames.

In addition, the Liverpool team is also one of Mancini's sufferers. This season, Inter Milan, who was looking forward to the Big Ears Cup, was eliminated by Liverpool in the 1/8 finals. On the occasion of the centennial celebration, such a result is somewhat unacceptable. The Champions League is the most important trophy in a season. Mancini also understands what it means to him to lose the Big Ears Cup. After the game, he made a decision to resign voluntarily, and this point was also mentioned in the official statement of Inter Milan's dismissal of Mancini.

The Roma team is the second of Mancini's suffering. Inter Milan had a chance to win the championship early in the league, but they were forced by Roma in the final round, which made the old Moratti terrified when he looked at the ball. Although the Nerazzurri finally completed the defense of the league title, in the Coppa Italia, Inter Milan was completely defeated by Roma and lost the chance to be crowned the double champion. This has also become one of the reasons why Mancho got out of class.

Having said so much, let me finally talk about Man Qiao himself. It is said that character determines destiny. Mancho has grown from a professional gambler who held high the banner of offense when he debuted, to an uncompromising fighter. Mancini always does not handle the relationship with big-name players in the team very well. , which also led to civil unrest.

As early as 2006, the Italian media concluded that Mancho had a "fragile personality", and Mancini's general character characteristics basically said less and did more, but occasionally he seemed less demeanor, and some of his remarks after the game Often controversial.

Mancini's on-the-spot command is not yet hot enough, and the tactical system is not perfect enough. Interested media experts bluntly said that compared with Capello, Mancini still lacks some means. If you want to make a breakthrough, you must make some sacrifices, but for the stubborn Mancini, it is not easy to break through the shackles.

The so-called "frozen three feet is not a day's cold", missed four consecutive years in the Champions League without a major breakthrough, and the conflict with the players has become increasingly intensified, coupled with the outbreak of a crisis of trust with Moratti, Mancini has already been in this team. Having lost the prestige he should have as a head coach, and this contradiction has reached the point of irreconcilability, it is inevitable to dismiss get out of class.

But the pride in Mancini's bones prevents him from running away halfway. Although almost everyone in Inter Milan now wants him to leave as soon as possible, Mancini is still stubborn to wait until the end of this season .

Regarding Mancini's choice, Moratti didn't say anything. Anyway, this season, the team is doomed to lose the Big Four. The Coppa Italia was eliminated early. The Champions League made the centennial celebration a joke. The league?

It seems that there is still a theoretical possibility for Inter Milan, but this possibility can only be said to be minimal.

As usual, Mancini arrived at the Pinettina training ground early in the morning with a gloomy expression on his face, but no one would interpret his expression as frustration about leaving. In fact, this guy has always had facial paralysis.

"Hello! Coach Mancini!" The doorman greeted Mancini.

Mancini didn't speak, just nodded and walked in.

The doorman curled his lips in disdain, and muttered: "Continue your arrogance, you will be gone soon!"

From the attitude of the doorman, it is not difficult to see that Mancini is really a failure in life. In Inter Milan, almost no one likes him, except those cronies who are forced into him.

On the deserted training ground, Mancini was preparing as always. It was hard to imagine that a young coach would be as rigid as those old guys who were about to die. During Mancini's training, the players couldn't even take a single step. There is a deviation.

Players arrived one after another, some greeted Mancini, and some ignored his existence. At this time, they were not afraid of Mancini giving them small shoes to wear.

"Look at that guy, I hope he's gone today!" Ibrahimovic sneered, his face full of sarcasm.

Figo didn't speak, but it was clear from his expression that he and Ibrahimovic had the same thoughts.

Some people hope that Mancini will leave quickly, but some people don't want this day to come. For example, Cesar is not the one who keeps the goal, but the guy who is almost scolded by international fans in the midfield.

When he came to Inter Milan, he went through the back door of Mancini. Now that Mancini is leaving, it is estimated that his journey to the wealthy should come to an end.

What the players are thinking, no matter how low Mancini's EQ is, he can guess. Seeing that everyone is here, Mancini still called all the players together as usual.

Looking at the players with different expressions, Mancini felt a little cold. Although the relationship between everyone has not been good in the past four years, he has brought several championship trophies to Inter Milan after all, and now he is treated like this , there is something unreasonable.

"I think you all know it!" Mancini looked very calm. At the last moment, he chose to be strong. "I'm leaving here. I think this is what most of you have been looking forward to!"

The crowd was a little excited, and some players started talking in a low voice.

"However, my task here has not been completed. Until the end of this season, I am still the head coach of Inter Milan. I don't want to ease the relationship with you. The reason why I want to persist is because I want to confirm one thing , Do you guys still have the dignity of defending champions!"

Mancini paused here, reorganized the language, and continued: "We have not completely lost hope. Of course, I know it is difficult, but as the defending champions of the league, we have an obligation and must do something. Things, for people to see that our league title last season was the real deal!"

The players' eyes were full of doubts. They didn't quite understand what Mancini meant. The league has reached this level, and they are behind by 16 points. Only a lunatic would think that Inter Milan has a chance to fight back.

"The result is not important to us now!" Mancini said to himself, "I have been proven to be a loser, but you still have a chance. Tomorrow's game, in San Siro, Inter Milan This is your chance to prove yourself. If you beat them, it will prove that you are different from me. You still have value in Inter Milan. But if you lose, it will prove that you are a failure. It's not just me."

When the players heard this, their eyes immediately changed.

After the draw with Cagliari, in fact, they have already regarded the next airport game as an errand, no one wants to waste experience on meaningless games, some of them have already thought about what to do A local vacation, even thinking about how to start again after the new head coach arrives.

But what Mancini said made them sober. Mancini is right. The head coach has a poor record and can change places. Moreover, with Mancini's achievements in Inter Milan, he will not worry about finding a new job. , but what about them?

Most of them will continue to stay here next season, and now, it is to give themselves a good chance to gain chips in the future.

It seems that they really shouldn't have given up so early, at least not thinking about how to deal with errands!

Mancini felt the changes in the players, and continued: "For Inter Milan, this season is doomed to fail. There is no league championship, no cup championship, and Inter Milan's centennial celebration has been messed up, but at least we are still there. There is an opportunity to prove courage to people, and now, with your performance, prove that you are at least more qualified than me to stay in Inter Milan!"

After Mancini finished speaking, he gave a few words to the assistant coach Mikhailovich and stepped aside. Mikhailovich greeted him and started the team training.

These days, because of the vacillation of the team's coaching position, people in the Inter Milan team are also emotional, but after listening to Mancini's confession, they decided to get serious, just like Mancini said, at least let people see to the dignity of their defending champions.