Chapter 124 Cassano's Integration

Because of Chen Hero, Cassano was indeed integrating into the team faster. Even if there were still some players who disliked Cassano, they wouldn't dare say anything to his face out of respect for Chen Hero.

And Cassano proved with his actions that he really wasn't a bad guy; he was just a kid who hadn't grown up yet… He liked to joke around and play pranks, but there was no malice behind it. He just thought it was fun.

This coincided perfectly with Chen Hero.

Chen Hero had never been a serious player. He also liked to joke around, which was why he got along so well with Denisov and the others. However, when he first arrived in Naples, he immediately faced a very dangerous situation. He simply couldn't joke around, nor did he have the mood to do so. All his time was spent on improving himself and fighting those extreme fans.

Now that there was Cassano in the team, and his situation in Naples was getting better and better, his playful side resurfaced.

The two like-minded individuals quickly became good friends—they were just friends before, but now they were good friends.

Of course, there were limits to joking around. Cassano would never pull a prank like jumping on a teammate's bed and pretending to need to defecate ever again…

The jokes he played with Chen Hero now were just harmless pranks that, at most, made people shake their heads and smile helplessly, but not to the point of getting angry.

Arshavin also quickly joined in. In fact, Arshavin was also a very playful person who liked to act cute. Just like when he took the initiative to join the Saint Petersburg Zenit gang of revelers, he wouldn't miss out on anything interesting.

As the saying goes, three women make a drama. In Naples, it was three treasures who made a drama.

With Cassano's addition, Chen Hero and Arshavin were energized, and there was a lot more laughter on the training ground in Naples.

Although the training intensity was high during the training camp, the atmosphere was still relatively relaxed, precisely because of these three treasures.

For example, Cassano would prepare a large amount of ketchup, meat sauce, chopped spaghetti, cheese, and rice in advance and mix them together. Then, at lunchtime, he would pretend to vomit and quickly pour these pre-prepared ingredients onto the table…

Then, Chen Hero and Arshavin, who were sitting next to him, would light up their eyes and pick up spoons, sitting over and scooping up these "vomit" and eating it with relish.

While eating, they praised how delicious it was.

"Antonio, this spaghetti you made for lunch is really great!"

Arshavin muttered in Russian with a frown while eating, and Chen Hero translated, "He says your taste is a bit strong."

Cassano pretended to be surprised. "Really? Let me try it?"

With that, he wiped his mouth and used his own spoon to scoop up a bite and chew it carefully, frowning as he savored it, as if he was seriously tasting it.

"I think it's fine. Your taste is too bland, Shava."

In the end, he came to a very serious conclusion.

As for the surprised teammates watching from the sidelines… Maggio and several others with low psychological endurance covered their mouths and rushed into the restroom…

Chen Hero saw the horrified expressions of his teammates and scooped up a spoonful to hand to them. "Hey, try it, it's delicious!"

Everyone dodged him as he approached.

Hamsik screamed, "You guys are disgusting—!!"

After receiving the praise, the three of them dropped their spoons and burst out laughing.

At this time, everyone realized that this was just a prank they had prepared…

There were many similar pranks. Chen Hero and Cassano could always come up with very creative pranks.

Even though everyone was used to it, they were always surprised by their new ideas.

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Pranks aren't always a good thing, but for Cassano, they were a good thing because, through pranks, his relationship with his teammates became closer, and his understanding with Chen Hero and Arshavin became deeper.

Perhaps this was the tacit understanding developed through pranks. Because now, many times when they were pranking, they no longer needed to discuss it in advance. They knew what the other wanted to do almost telepathically; a single look was enough.

So when they applied this tacit understanding to the field…

After a few warm-up matches, the media began to exclaim that Naples' trident was gradually taking shape!

"Chen Hero, Arshavin, and Cassano are the three players at the front of Mazzarri's 4-3-3 formation. These three have different characteristics, which makes Naples' attacking routines more diverse and complex, making it harder for opponents to defend. Arshavin and Cassano are both players with excellent footwork, capable of passing and dribbling, but Arshavin's breakthroughs are sharper, while Cassano's passes are more lethal. As for Chen Hero? It's enough for him to be at the front and connect with his two teammates. His physical advantage is too obvious… To be honest, Chen Hero has caused a lot of trouble in training before this season, but we can also see that his level hasn't declined because of this, at least in terms of physicality—almost every time a new season begins, we can find that Chen Hero is physically better than before. No one has photographed Chen Hero not doing physical training while on vacation, but we are willing to believe that he has done so…"

"Naples' trident has taken shape, and I am full of expectations for this season!"

"It really surprised me. I originally thought that Cassano would become a dressing room cancer, and that he would bring disaster to Naples along with him… Who would have thought that he seems to be having a good time in Naples?"

"Yesterday, Cassano and Chen Hero teamed up to trick their captain, Paolo Cannavaro, again. Oops, why did I say 'again'…"

……

Now, no media outlets are questioning the relationship between Chen Hero and Cassano, because Cassano, Arshavin, and Chen Hero are often seen together, and they are often seen in Naples' nightclubs.

These three have obviously formed a community similar to the European Union. Of course, their connection is much closer than the EU's…

When Cassano found a house, Chen Hero helped him move, which shows the relationship between the two.

Perhaps it's really like what the media said: birds of a feather flock together, and idiots always have something in common. That's why their relationship is so good…

But no matter what, the good relationship between these two helps improve the team's performance, as can be seen from the warm-up matches.

Mazzarri also intends to promote this kind of cooperation. Warm-up matches allow for substitutions at will. It's normal to substitute all eleven players in one match, but no matter what, the time that Chen Hero, Arshavin, and Cassano play together is definitely the longest.

Occasionally, Sanchez and Datolo will substitute for Arshavin and Cassano to partner with Chen Hero to see how it goes. But most of the time, it's still the trident of these three together.

Mazzarri is using warm-up matches to cultivate the understanding and cooperation between the trident.

Naples' attack in the new season will largely rely on this trident.

Although Sanchez is talented, he is too young and lacks the experience compared to Arshavin, who became famous in the European Cup. At the same time, he is not as important as Cassano in the coach's mind, so he can only be a substitute.

What about Datolo? He is new to the team and seems very unaccustomed to Italian football. This is similar to Chen Hero's situation when he first joined the team, but for different reasons.

In this way, amidst the intense and exciting, yet joyful atmosphere filled with the pranks and jokes of the "bad boy" trio, Naples is getting closer and closer to their first Champions League qualifying match.

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On August 18th, Naples challenged Sporting Lisbon, a traditional Portuguese powerhouse, away from home. Their Champions League qualifying match had finally arrived.

Before this match, Naples suffered an injury attack. Sanchez, who had just joined the team this season, sprained his ankle in training and may need to be out for a month. This was undoubtedly a very painful thing for Sanchez, who was eager to integrate into the team.

However, Chen Hero and the other teammates from the Naples branch of the gang of revelers comforted him one after another, which brought him great psychological comfort.

When Chen Hero stepped onto the Alvalade Stadium, Sporting Lisbon's home ground, he suddenly thought of his first season with this team, representing the team in the Intertoto Cup, and striving to obtain a UEFA Cup qualification.

At that time, he had almost no friends in Naples. All around him were enemies, and he was fighting alone.

Now, in the blink of an eye, a season has passed. Not only has he gained the support of the fans in the West Stand, but he has also gained a very good reputation within the team and made many friends.

It's really hard to imagine such a tremendous change in one season.

Last season, he was trapped by his initial arrival, his lack of adaptation to Italian football, and the conflicts between him and the coach and teammates, unable to display his true strength on the field.

In the two Intertoto Cup matches, he didn't score a single goal. Whether the team won or advanced at that time seemed to have nothing to do with him.

All he gained was the overflowing hatred of the city's fans.

But now it's different. He is the team's top scorer, he is the team's attacking core, and the entire team's tactics must be designed around him. He has his own close comrades-in-arms in the team, and he is no longer fighting alone.

So although Sporting Lisbon is one of the traditional top three teams in Portugal, I'm sorry, but this time, we'll have to use you as a stepping stone!

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ps, there are only three days left until the end of this month. I think I have worked very hard this month, and I also thank everyone for their support.

If you still have monthly tickets, please don't forget Forbidden Zone!