Chapter 163 We Need a Goal!

In the last moments before the match began, Mazzarri didn't offer any morale-boosting platitudes. For the current team, they would have been truly useless.

Just look at their performance on the field.

From the very start of the match, Napoli, with the advantage of playing at home, launched a fierce offensive against Inter Milan. Their attacks came wave after wave.

Napoli might lack world-class superstars, a renowned coach like Mourinho, or substantial financial resources, but there was one thing they absolutely didn't lack. That was…passion!

Fueled by unbridled passion, Napoli launched a relentless assault on Inter Milan's penalty area.

"This is what it looks like to play on your home turf!" exclaimed the Napoli radio commentator.

The fans in the stands also sang ceaselessly, cheering on their team.

Of course, besides cheering for their team, they didn't forget the most important part of the program—mocking Chen Hero.

The hardcore fans chanted: "Ah! Mamma, mamma, mamma! Mamma, mamma, mamma! Do you know why I'm so excited? I saw Maradona! I saw Maradona!!"

This song hadn't been sung much before this season, but now the hardcore fans used it as a weapon to attack Chen Hero—mainly to express one meaning: Maradona is a billion light-years greater than you, kid! Apart from boos, they could still come up with other tricks...

Although the fact that Chen Hero and the fans were at odds was no longer news, it was the first time the Inter Milan players had felt this atmosphere at the Stadio San Paolo—amidst the deafening singing, everyone could clearly hear the boos whenever Chen Hero got the ball.

Recently, the boos had been getting louder, perhaps because he had once again shown "disrespect" to Maradona.

The boos were so frequent because Chen Hero was the finisher of Napoli's attacks, and the ball basically always ended up at his feet or on his head.

But Chen Hero seemed completely unaffected by the boos. His performance was normal…no, not normal, but very excited and active.

Those familiar with Chen Hero knew that he couldn't possibly not respond to Mourinho's disdain; he simply wasn't that kind of person. So, what did his previous silence mean? He was probably waiting for the right opportunity, such as after scoring a goal, after defeating Inter Milan…

Yes, that must be it. No one who had ever mocked Chen Hero had been let off the hook; those fans and media had all been slapped in the face by Chen Hero. There was no reason Mourinho would be treated any differently.

It wasn't like the two of them were on good terms, right?

※※※

"Hero! That was close! His third shot of the match! Also, Napoli's best scoring opportunity since the start of the game! But he shot wide!"

The Napoli radio commentator regrettably grabbed his hair and pulled hard. What a wonderful start it would have been to take the lead against Inter Milan in the first twenty minutes…but Chen Hero shot wide!

"Hero's shooting skills still need to improve!" the commentator said fiercely, not very satisfied with Chen Hero's performance. However, this dissatisfaction was no longer a mockery or ridicule of Chen Hero.

Chen Hero followed up in the middle, receiving Arshavin's ground cross, but it came to his weaker left foot, and the shot naturally went way off target…

Chen Hero's strongest foot was his right, and his left foot was very amateur compared to his right.

He wasn't the kind of striker who was equally skilled with both feet, and he wouldn't have the chance to become that kind of player in this lifetime. But that didn't matter. Maradona's right foot was also amateur compared to his left, but it didn't stop him from becoming the King of Football.

Chen Hero covered his face with both hands, feeling pained that he had missed such an opportunity.

But the match was only twenty minutes old, and he would have plenty more chances.

Mourinho, on the sidelines, stood up and walked to the edge of the field, spreading his hands to express his anger to the Inter Milan players on the field.

He was dissatisfied with the team's defense, that they had allowed Chen Hero to get such an opportunity in the penalty area so easily. Luckily, Chen Hero's shooting skills weren't refined, otherwise Inter Milan would already be behind.

The entire Inter Milan team seemed to be intimidated by the passion that Napoli had displayed from the very first minute of the match. They hadn't been able to put together any noteworthy plays.

The Napoli players ran frantically, looking for every opportunity to attack. Whenever possible, they would get the ball to the front three.

Hamsik was responsible for organizing, Arshavin was good at breaking through, and Chen Hero was like a bulldozer, using his body to crush Inter Milan's defense.

The three had completely different characteristics, but they were able to combine and put a lot of pressure on Inter Milan's defense.

Defending against the three of them required completely different strategies.

Mourinho had mentioned this in his pre-match preparations, but it was quite difficult to actually do.

※※※

Everyone knew that Mazzarri's Napoli played a 3-4-3 formation, which had many vulnerabilities in defense that could be exploited. Mourinho was also very clear about this. In fact, he had prepared everything before the match. He had analyzed the weaknesses of Napoli's current lineup to his players and how to respond.

But discussing tactics on paper was always easy. Actually implementing them required the players' efforts.

Now the Inter Milan players felt immense pressure. Napoli's attacks came wave after wave, forcing the Inter Milan players to spend most of their time defending in their own half.

Zlatan Ibrahimović stood near the center circle. His teammate's pass to him had just been headed out in advance by Paolo Cannavaro. He waved his hand in frustration. The opponent's center backs were pressing up to the halfway line, and behind them were vast expanses of space, like a naked woman, enticing the Swedish Tower, but…the damn ball just wouldn't come to his feet!

Ibrahimović was definitely not the kind of forward who could rely on his speed to catch up to a ball that was twenty meters ahead of him, shake off defenders, and then go one-on-one with the goalkeeper and score.

Before the match, Mourinho said that he didn't know who Chen Hero was. He only knew that he had a very remarkable big man, Ibrahimović. But the two were completely different types. Ibrahimović needed the ball at his feet to be a threat, while Chen Hero was the opposite. When he had the ball at his feet, his threat level dropped sharply, and he became easier to defend. But once the ball wasn't at his feet, when it was at someone else's feet, the defenders had to watch out for the figure of that behemoth nearby…

Mazzarri appeared very bold and courageous in the face of Mourinho's Inter Milan. Mourinho had calculated many things, but he hadn't anticipated that Napoli would be so energetic at home, unleashing a frenzy of attacks.

Mazzarri stood on the sidelines, looking calm on the surface, but actually feeling anxious inside.

He knew that with Inter Milan's strength, as long as they regained their composure, Napoli would be the ones in trouble. After all, Mourinho's defensive counterattacks were also very good.

He was indeed gambling, betting that his team could catch Inter Milan off guard and score first. As long as they took the lead, he would immediately slow down the pace and wear down Inter Milan.

Seeing that twenty-five minutes had passed, and his team still hadn't scored…while Inter Milan's attack was showing signs of recovering…

Just now, their pass to Ibrahimović in the backfield would have been dangerous if Paolo Cannavaro hadn't anticipated the opponent's passing intentions and quickly stepped in front to head the ball back. Inter Milan had already shown the characteristics of a defensive counterattack. They were making adjustments…

We need a goal!

Mazzarri shouted anxiously in his heart. He couldn't show it, because he was worried that it would shake the team's determination and morale, giving Mourinho an opportunity. He knew that Mourinho was a master of psychological warfare and was naturally good at exploiting the opponent's psychological changes.

※※※

Even if Mazzarri didn't shout it out, Chen Hero knew that they needed a goal.

Because he needed a goal.

This match was a duel between two strikers. Ibrahimović was ranked first on the top scorer list with twenty-three goals, while Chen Hero was ranked fourth with twenty goals. The difference between the two wasn't that big. As long as he scored one more goal, he could surpass Diego Milito and become the third highest scorer.

But since missing that great opportunity in front of the goal, he hadn't had any decent chances.

Inter Milan had also strengthened their defense against him, mainly to prevent his runs and prevent him from receiving those crosses from his teammates in the penalty area again.

The starting center-back pairing for Inter Milan in this match was Córdoba and Chivu.

Chivu was 1.84 meters tall and had decent heading skills. Córdoba was excellent at heading, but was only a tragic 1.73 meters tall…

They could only use their rich experience to compete with Chen Hero and prevent him from getting a head on the ball.

Sometimes they even resorted to using small tricks.

The small tricks annoyed Chen Hero. He wanted to complain to the referee, but the referee ignored him. The opponents did it so discreetly that the referee had no evidence.

Especially Córdoba, knowing that he couldn't gain an advantage physically, his rich experience was reflected in those subtle but effective small tricks.

Sometimes when Chen Hero jumped up, he would be poked in the waist from behind, causing his waist to lose strength and suddenly go limp. Even if he headed the ball, it wouldn't be very threatening.

In Russia, Chen Hero faced opponents who were all straightforward defenders who went head-to-head with him, and his physical advantages could be maximized. But since coming to Serie A, he had discovered that the defenders he faced were all kinds of people, and his weapons couldn't just be his body anymore.

But… Chen Hero thought to himself, I'm not without progress either!

Small tricks, huh?

The referee can't see, huh?

I'll let you see why it's said that under the absolute advantage of power, any conspiracy or trick is futile!!

※※※

ps, the third update is here, the small burst is over.

Next, please allow me to continue saving up drafts and strive to give you more updates!

Sixteen days of this month have already passed, so please support me with monthly tickets!

Let's make our ranking rise again!

Thank you!