Chapter 57 Barcelona Loses to Zhang Jun Alone

With five minutes left in the match, Fiorentina led 3-0, and Barcelona had no chance of winning. Even in the final minute, Sabato didn't change his defensive counter-attacking tactics, failing to satisfy Barcelona's desire for even a consolation goal.

After scoring three goals, Zhang Jun was substituted by the coach. He had been attacking and defending, running more than usual, which took a toll on his stamina.

With two matches a week recently, Sabato had to conserve his strength.

As Zhang Jun left the field, the Camp Nou echoed with cheers and applause from Fiorentina fans.

The final score of the match was 3-0, Fiorentina winning decisively away against Barcelona. This game became the talking point of the Champions League round, a pivotal battle. And for a long time afterward, it was a classic example of defensive counter-attack.

The utter defeat of the European king, Barcelona, was gleefully published on the front page by the Madrid media, who mocked them to the fullest extent. Media from other regions also paid close attention to the match, and Zhang Jun's name once again became a name that the entire football world had to mention.

The Italian media exaggeratedly used headlines like "Barcelona Lost to Zhang Jun Alone" to vent their inner excitement. Some even rubbed salt into Barcelona's wounds with "Barcelona, Please Shut Up," accompanied by a picture of Zhang Jun with his finger to his lips in celebration.

Moreover, having beaten the opponent 3-0 away, there was basically no suspense about Fiorentina advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals. Fiorentina, back at home, couldn't possibly lose to Barcelona 0-4, could they?

On the chartered plane packed by Ren Yu Di, the Fiorentina players opened champagne and excitedly celebrated their team's advancement to the quarter-finals.

"No one can stop us! No one!! Yeah!!" Xiang Tao shouted, holding a bottle of champagne, like a man in the throes of ecstasy.

※※※

In contrast to Fiorentina's revelry, Barcelona was filled with mourning.

Eto'o was sent to the hospital after the match and diagnosed with an abdominal injury. However, the hospital did not announce the specific details of his injury, only saying that Eto'o might need to rest for a month.

At the same time, worse still, after the match, UEFA, based on game footage, confirmed that Eto'o's spitting violated the ethics and spirit of sports competition and was fined 30,000 euros and suspended for four games.

Rijkaard still insisted that Barcelona's era was not over and that they could definitely defend their European title this season. These remarks were ridiculed by the Italian media, who said that if Rijkaard insisted on thinking this way, then he could become a magical novelist.

Of course, Xiang Tao was also punished by UEFA, being suspended for two games. Thus, he would not be able to play for Fiorentina in the away game against Barcelona and the first quarter-final match.

※※※

When Zhang Jun returned to Italy from Spain, he had to face the cold and empty house again.

His mother and uncles and aunts had all returned home, and Sophie was packing up to travel far again. This time, she might not return until the end of the season.

After training, Zhang Jun could cook for himself, or he could eat out if he didn't want to. Of course, if he didn't want to eat out either, he had another option. That was to mooch off Xiang Tao's meals.

After You You came, Xiang Tao's quality of life had improved greatly, and at the same time, Kalu, who ate with them every day, had also improved. Zhang Jun was sometimes called by You You to eat together.

In addition to his Chinese teammates, other teammates would also invite him to their homes as a guest. In short, Zhang Jun didn't have to worry about not having food.

Even Sabato invited his beloved disciple to his house for dinner, giving Zhang Jun a good look - his usually grumpy and irritable coach was actually afraid of his wife.

Of course, you could also say that they had a harmonious family relationship and were a loving couple.

It was just that no matter how lively it was outside, returning to that huge, empty room always left a feeling of emptiness in his heart. This emptiness was especially obvious in the deep of the night.

In order not to let himself fall too much into this emotion that could affect his performance, Zhang Jun had to put one hundred percent of his effort on the training ground. The result was that his condition was very good, and all the opponents in the league suffered.

On February 26th, in the 27th round of the league, Fiorentina challenged Parma away.

As a result, Zhang Jun scored a goal, helping the team win 4-1 against the struggling Parma. They continued to maintain the lead in the league. Zhang Jun also scored his 27th goal of the season, a very impressive number, averaging one goal per league match.

On March 5th, in the 28th round of the league, at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Fiorentina easily defeated Palermo 2-0. Zhang Jun scored another goal. Twenty-eighth goal, averaging one goal per league round.

March 10th, Stadio Artemio Franchi, Champions League match day.

As people said before the match, Barcelona sent out their full squad, and Fiorentina also sent out their full squad. Both sides played very hard, but the outcome of the match was not in doubt. A team with three goals away, and without conceding a goal, and in great form recently, back at their home ground, could they easily allow the opponent to turn the tables?

Sabato substituted Zhang Jun in the 65th minute of the match, and he scored Fiorentina's first goal before being substituted.

Ronaldinho worked very hard, and the attacking line composed of Messi and Henry could not be said to be weak. However, Fiorentina had a huge psychological advantage, they could calmly handle every ball, but Barcelona's players couldn't, and they also had to endure the loud boos of the Stadio Artemio Franchi. Fiorentina's fans were like their coach, vengeful. Since their team had been booed at the Camp Nou, they would naturally have to get their revenge on their own turf.

As long as Barcelona got the ball, no matter what they were doing, they would be booed by the audience. These boos were even a bit inexplicable. Several times after they sounded, the commentators in charge of the broadcast had to guess at the audience's intentions, causing a lot of jokes.

The final score of the match was 2-1, Fiorentina defeated Barcelona at home, eliminating the defending champion Barcelona with a total score of 5-1 in two rounds, causing a small upset - in fact, it could no longer be considered an upset, this result was already well known to everyone after the first leg match.

The day after Barcelona was eliminated, the Catalan media sadly printed such a headline: "The Era of Barca is Over."

Very helpless, but it spoke the truth. The average age of Barca's players could no longer be considered young, and after this crushing defeat, the internal contradictions of the team were also triggered, with contradictions among the club's senior management, contradictions among the players, and contradictions between the coach and the senior management... The dark side that had been covered up by victories and honors all erupted at once. The once powerful king's army might face the fate of going their separate ways after this season.

And as if specifically against the Barcelona media, the Italian media said: "Goodbye, Barca. Forward, Iris!" (Purple Lily)

Professional football is like this, no team can ever guarantee that they will always be at the peak, and the teams that are very popular at a certain time are just "each leading the way for three to five years" in retrospect.

※※※

Sabato stood on the sidelines listening to the report of the physical fitness coach, Montinaro, with an expression on his face as if his mother had died. Of course, he didn't let the players on the field see this expression.

"Uh, Antonio, although this is not good news, I still have to tell you. Although we have achieved very good results recently in the domestic arena, the European arena, and the Italian Cup, I am worried that this result has exhausted our last bit of strength..." Montinaro said hesitantly, afraid of offending the coach.

"I understand what you mean, you mean the team's current physical condition is not satisfactory, right?"

"Yes, yes. The recent continuous matches have already put the players' bodies in an overloaded state. If this continues, I am afraid that the team will not be able to last until the end of the season."

This was really bad news. As the team's coach, Sabato naturally knew that the recent intensive schedule was not good for the team, and in order to pursue results, he had not used a rotation system recently. But the result not only failed to widen the gap with Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Juventus, but was instead firmly bitten by the three teams.

Now, at this time, if the team's condition is affected by physical problems, then wouldn't all the results that had been desperately exchanged for be wasted?

But if the team players are not allowed to rest, I am afraid that it will be even more trouble.

Sabato rubbed his hands, looked at the team in the training ground, and muttered: "This is... tricky, very tricky..."

On March 13th, in the 29th round of Serie A, Fiorentina lost 0-1 to Roma away from home.

This game ended their winning streak, and at the same time, it left them only two points behind second-placed Inter Milan.

After the game, the media gave scores to the entire Fiorentina team. Frey, who scored the highest, was seven points, because he made many saves throughout the game, allowing Roma to score only one goal. Otherwise, Fiorentina would have lost all face at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

The whole Fiorentina team performed quite poorly in this game, and even their captain, Zhang Jun, seemed to be out of shape, completely out of shape. Most of the team members were sleepwalking during the normal game. Kalu worked very hard to try to save the out-of-control midfield, but even he was not in shape, so who could he save?

Sabato kept biting his fingers below, and the commentators in the broadcast booth speculated about the reasons for Fiorentina's sudden poor performance. Sabato knew very well that it was all caused by physical fitness. The whole team couldn't even lift their feet on the field, so how could they implement his tactical arrangements? How could they make offensive combinations that pleased the eye? How could they make technical moves that made everyone scream?

Without these things, was Fiorentina still the Fiorentina that dominated Serie A? Obviously not. So the current Fiorentina was even worse than a second-rate team, and was directly besieged by Roma for ninety minutes. If it weren't for Frey, who was least affected by physical fitness, playing beyond his normal level, they would have definitely lost more than 0-1.

When the referee blew the whistle to end the game, the Stadio Olimpico in Rome boiled, and the Sky TV commentary booth also boiled. Because Fiorentina's unbeaten legend had finally been broken, they had almost swept the Italian and European arenas recently, and everyone regarded them as the biggest opponent. Now they had finally been defeated, and the defeat was not even a fluke, which made their opponents see the opportunity. Who dared to say that they would not be the next Roma?

Sabato kicked a water bottle beside him with force, and then opened his mouth and cursed: "Damn it..." But he quickly realized that there were countless cameras pointing at him, and he didn't want to be attacked by the media with his boring catchphrases after losing the game.

So he lowered his voice sharply, and his lips wriggled a few times. In the end, he still didn't curse out the more nasty swear words. If he really cursed them out, he would become public enemy number one in Rome the next day - what he was cursing in his heart was: "Damn Roma, son of a bitch! It's really embarrassing to lose to this tenth-ranked team..."

Because he really lost this game without any temper, he could only vent in his heart. At the press conference, Sabato said with a smile that his team played very well, said that he was proud of the team, and also said that occasional losses would help to adjust the team's condition, and would instead allow them to have the last laugh in the championship battle.

When he said this above, all the reporters gave him the middle finger in their hearts with great disdain: "Obviously nonsense! Still talking tough after losing the game!"

The next day, the Italian media reported Fiorentina's loss with schadenfreude. Three days ago, they were still cheering for Fiorentina's defeat of Barcelona. Now the praised had become the object of ridicule. That was football, and that was the news media.

※※※

Zhang Jun slumped on the sofa, not wanting to move at all, and not wanting to get up to cook for himself.

The boss adjusted the physical training plan and content, and strengthened the physical training. His physical fitness had been bad recently, and now the training volume had increased again, so his body couldn't bear it even more. Now he missed Sophie the most. At this time, no matter how tired he was, when he got home, it would definitely be Sophie's smiling face greeting him, the hot dishes placed on the table, and in the bathroom, clean change of clothes and towels neatly folded and placed.

After losing to Roma, Fiorentina then lost to Lazio away on March 19th. Losing to two Roma teams in two consecutive rounds made Sabato very depressed, and also made the Roman media quite excited. Also excited were the media from Milan, because Inter Milan had surpassed Fiorentina after winning consecutive games, and with eight rounds left in the league, they had once again become the league leader. Fiorentina had fallen to second place, and they were only one point behind third-placed AC Milan.

The team's poor performance has gradually increased the voices of doubt from the outside world. Many people believe that why did Fiorentina win the league championship last season? Because they were eliminated from the Champions League and also eliminated from the Italian Cup, they wholeheartedly dealt with the league, so they could take the lead in the competition with other teams that needed to fight on multiple fronts, and finally get their wish. But this season is different. They have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, entered the second leg of the semi-finals of the Italian Cup, and the league wants to be a leader. The pressure is too great, making Sabato dare not relax, and making the players themselves dare not relax. Fighting on three fronts, and achieving excellent results on each front, comes at a great cost.

Now Fiorentina has been bitten back.

The media believes that as the season draws to a close, Fiorentina will gradually fall out of the league - if they can go further in the Champions League. They must choose to give up at least one event. The media speculates that the most likely to be abandoned is the league championship, because Fiorentina has already won it once last season, and what they most desire now should be the Champions League championship.

The media who said this were the Milan media. They have forgotten that there are three Italian teams in the Champions League quarter-finals: Fiorentina, Inter Milan, and AC Milan. All three teams have to fight on multiple fronts, but they never mention why the Milan duo will not give up any of these events, perhaps because they never thought in their hearts that the battle-hardened Milan duo would make this kind of situation.

Of course, Zhang Jun was unwilling to have his team's efforts for nearly a season erased by outsiders painlessly. But his recent physical condition and condition were really too poor, even if he wanted to refute, he couldn't come up with practical actions.

He had not scored in two consecutive rounds, he was depressed, and the team was also depressed. Under such circumstances, wasn't it the time for him, as the captain, to stand up?

Zhang Jun turned over, letting himself lie on his back on the sofa, and then stared at the ceiling in a daze.

He seemed to see the physical condition table of physical fitness coach Montinaro on the grid-like ceiling. This was the biggest crisis for Fiorentina this season. If they couldn't get through it safely, then it would really be like what those damn media said, after working hard for most of the season, they would end up just setting off the greatness of the champion.

Zhang Jun was unwilling, unwilling, and would not let the result become like that.

His stomach rumbled, and he realized that he had to get up and make something to eat. Now that he was in poor physical condition, he had to replenish his nutrition. But looking at the kitchen, the pots and pans he ate at noon hadn't been washed yet. Since Sophie had been with him, he had become more and more lazy.

Zhang Jun didn't plan to clean up now either. He took out his phone and dialed Xiang Tao's number.

"Hey, Lao Xiang... Have you guys eaten yet? What? Still cooking? That's great! I'll go over to your place, and ask You You to make food for one more person!"

※※※

"Now is the critical moment, but our physical fitness can't support it, so I suggest giving up one competition and letting us focus on another competition. Reasonably allocate physical fitness..." Di Livio was discussing with Sabato in his office whether to focus on one competition.

Sabato waved his hand and interrupted him: "Angelo, you're half right. Now is indeed a critical moment, and our physical fitness is indeed in a very dangerous state. But we don't need to give up any competition. I know you want to say that we should give up the domestic league and focus on the Champions League... Why do you sound like those idiot media outside?"

Di Livio curled his lips. Wasn't he indirectly scolding him for also being an idiot?

Sabato didn't think so much, and he didn't see Di Livio's awkward expression. He continued: "I admit that we are encountering great difficulties now, but I don't think there is anything wrong with being second in the league. I think Angelo, you must be very clear about how much pressure there is on the leader, now we can just take this opportunity to shift the pressure to Inter Milan, right?"

Sabato comfortably propped his legs up on the desk, which made Di Livio frown again.

"We will definitely not give up the Italian Cup, and we will not give up the Champions League even more. We are only temporarily retreating to the second tier in the domestic league, letting Inter Milan be the target in the front. When everyone aims their guns at them, we will quietly complete the counter-overtake. That's how we'll arrange it for the league, we just need to keep up with Inter Milan's pace. And aren't we strengthening physical fitness training now? When the training takes effect, that's when I'll turn the tables!" Sabato clenched his fist.

Di Livio thought to himself: You're thinking too beautifully! If everything could be in your control, you'd be more successful buying lottery tickets than being a coach!

He knew that he couldn't persuade this self-centered person at all, and he could only shake his head helplessly. He secretly prayed that Fiorentina wouldn't have any trouble because of consecutive losses.

"I said before the season, the league championship, the Italian Cup championship, the European Champions Cup championship. Three championships, not one less. Even if the situation is very unfavorable to us now, I still say that, three championships, not one less, I want them all!"

※※※

Fortunately, Sabato's remarks were only said in private to Di Livio, who never gossiped, otherwise it would be reported the next day, and then it would definitely be ridiculed by the media as a delusional dream, becoming the biggest joke recently.

What reassured Di Livio was that although the team was now losing consecutive games, and physical fitness had become the biggest problem, the players had not given up hope, the hope of winning all the championships.

For some reason, Di Livio felt that saying that they wouldn't give up any competition from the players' mouths was more pleasing to the ear than hearing it from Sabato.

※※※

In the next round of the league, Fiorentina was tied by Udinese at home. Fortunately, AC Milan was also tied, otherwise Fiorentina would have dropped to third place.

Starting from this game, Sabato consciously used a rotation system, so that everyone could have a chance to rest. For example, Zhang Jun was substituted in the last twenty minutes of the second half. This would inevitably affect the results of the game. So Sabato did not care about the result of a game, he focused his eyes on the future.

Or rather, he focused his attention on the next round of the league. Starting from the next round of the league, Fiorentina would have to undergo a real "hell schedule".

April 2nd, 32nd round of the league, Fiorentina challenges AC Milan away.

April 6th, first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Fiorentina hosts Chelsea at home.

April 9th, 33rd round of the league, Fiorentina challenges Sampdoria away.

April 13th, second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Fiorentina challenges Chelsea away.

April 15th, due to the Italian Cup and Champions League, Fiorentina's 34th round of the league against Siena at home was postponed.

April 16th, second leg of the Italian Cup semi-finals, Fiorentina hosts Sampdoria at home.

April 23rd, 35th round of the league, Fiorentina hosts Reggina at home.

April 27th, league supplementary match, 34th round, Fiorentina hosts Siena at home.

April 30th, 36th round of the league, Fiorentina challenges Empoli away.

The reason why this is called a "hell schedule" is that the strength of the opponents does not seem to be very strong. But just look at how many games Fiorentina will play in one April, and how many of them are three games a week, and you will understand the meaning of that name.

Eight games in one month, averaging two games per week, which means that throughout April, Fiorentina will have to spend it in a competition density of two games a week, which is tantamount to walking through hell for them, who were already in poor physical condition.

"...Fiorentina's bench depth cannot be said to be insufficient, nor can it be said that they have few people. Ren Yu Di's team, which spent so much money, could not have not prepared for three-line combat. The key lies in the team's lack of experience in this kind of multi-line combat. They did not persist to the end last season, and this season their hopes are very high. Giving up on any front will cause huge losses to Fiorentina. Coach Sabato's lack of experience in this area has caused the team to exhaust their physical strength too early. In fact, he should have used the rotation system earlier, rather than waiting until this time. To rotate again, and to strengthen physical fitness training again. The great success in the early stage made them too optimistic, and they did not think about the cruelty of professional football."

This was Kalyani's analysis in the Milan Sports News, he was one of the few people who had hope for Fiorentina.

But as he said, professional football is quite cruel, and reality is also cruel. Once Fiorentina can't get through it, then this April will completely collapse them, and may even lead to three fronts, three championships, and none of them in the end. No matter how popular they were in the early stage, and continuously sat on the league standings for twenty weeks, in the end, wouldn't they only be reduced to a foil for others? Achieved a great season for others, not their own great season.

Zhang Jun's goal count has also stopped. The tired him is no longer the omnipotent captain, and cannot lead the team out of the predicament.

"Fiorentina, Zhang Jun... Triple Crown?" Kalyani muttered softly, then shook his head, even he felt that this was an "impossible mission" for Fiorentina.

※※※

A huge white paper appeared again on the wall of the Fiorentina locker room. Sabato did not write some confusing numbers to mystify people, but clearly wrote all their schedule for April.

"Eight games in a month..." Someone sucked in a cold breath.

"Averaging two games a week..."

"This is really a decisive April for life and death..."

The crowd gathered around the schedule and talked about it.

Zhang Jun frowned as he looked at it, he also felt that the schedule was too dense. If it were two months ago, after the winter break had just passed, then it would not be a problem for Fiorentina to play it, but now the season was nearing the end, and the players' physical strength was at its lowest point, and they couldn't stand such a beating.

Could it be that the efforts of a season would really be - a waste of effort in the end?

Di Livio didn't understand why Sabato had to do this, making this kind of thing so obvious. Wasn't this clearly adding unnecessary psychological pressure to the players?

On the way to the locker room, he was still asking Sabato about his intentions on this issue.

"Intentions?" Sabato stopped at the door of the locker room, then turned around and smiled at Di Livio. "I just want to let those bastards know how critical and difficult our situation is now. And then let them understand that they have no way out. If they don't want this season to be reduced to other people's foil, then they all have to cheer up and fight!"

"Fight? How easy is that? We can't fight at all in this situation..." Di Livio muttered.

"Angelo, I think you should read more books..."

"What book?"

"The Art of War. An ancient Chinese military book from thousands of years ago. Our current situation is very similar to fighting with our backs to the river. Only by putting ourselves in a dead end can people often unleash tremendous energy. I think Fiorentina will definitely unleash an energy that will impress people."

"You're so confident just because of a military book from thousands of years ago? I think you must be crazy..."

"Angelo, don't underestimate wisdom, especially the Chinese's." Sabato said very seriously.

Di Livio was frightened by Sabato's sudden change of expression and froze in place. Sabato then looked back at the ajar locker room door, and then kicked the door open directly, making a grand entrance.

The voices that were discussing in the locker room suddenly stopped, and everyone turned their heads to look at the coach's appearance. No one would be surprised by Sabato's unique way of entering the door anymore, they just shut up out of the most basic respect for the coach.

Sabato pulled a chair, sat down slovenly, and then looked with interest at the players who were gathered around the schedule.

"How is it? What are your thoughts after reading such a schedule?" he asked.

"It's just not humanly possible!" Xiang Tao muttered, "With such a dense schedule, I'm afraid even I, who claims to be an iron man, can't stand it."

Although someone would definitely despise Xiang Tao's arrogance in their hearts, they all agreed with Xiang Tao's sentence: This schedule is really not humanly possible.

"Do you all think so?" Sabato asked the other players who hadn't spoken.

They all nodded.

"I never realized we had so many games in April." Someone said.

"Okay, let me explain the situation." Sabato stood up, "First of all, of course, we are now very competitive in the European Champions Cup, the Italian Cup, and the domestic league. If we win any of these championships, I don't think anyone would be surprised, and the outside world would not be surprised. But, if I say that we will win all the championships this season, I think you, like those idiot media outside, will think that I have a mental disorder." Sabato laughed loudly, making a group of players sweat on their backs.

"If you really think so, you can't blame you. After all, we now have a big problem with physical fitness, and the April schedule is extraordinarily dense. Under such circumstances, it would be great to be able to guarantee that one competition is not lost, and I still have to say such 'big words' about wanting all three championships. But!" He suddenly raised his voice. "You have to know that we are Fiorentina! We are not AC Milan, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid... Because we are Fiorentina, so we can do it."

Di Livio rolled his eyes to the side: "What kind of logic is this!"

"Also because of our current predicament, we can do it! You have to know that we have now been forced to a dead end, and there is no way to retreat. If we don't work hard, if we don't cheer up, then April will be our death date, and our efforts for a season will all be in vain!" Sabato suddenly waved his arms with high emotions.

"Are you willing to do this? Watching Inter Milan and AC Milan, who have always been suppressed by you, become champions, while we are their foil? Or are you willing to see the media ridicule us for not having the life of a champion? You came to Fiorentina from all over Italy, from Spain, from Germany, from China, from the Netherlands... to play football, what is it for? Isn't it for the final championship?! So now there is a great opportunity! We have the hope of winning three championships at the same time! Why should we give up? Why should we, as those damn media say, give up one or two championships to achieve another one? On what basis? The European Champions Cup championship, the Italian Cup championship, and the league championship are originally ours, and no one can take them away from our hands!"

After slightly stabilizing his emotions, Sabato continued, "This is like a marathon, and now is the time when everyone is the most tired. Not only are we tired, but our opponents are also tired. But if this period passes, then everyone will not feel tired, thinking that the body has adapted to this intensity. So as long as everyone tries hard to get through this period, I believe we will have a great season, it's just a matter of time."

"I put this table out, not to add unnecessary psychological pressure to you, but to let you know that we now only have one way, which is to work hard and desperately. I hope everyone is psychologically prepared to face difficulties, rather than psychological pressure. Because you have to know that any championship will not be automatically delivered to your door by waiting easily at home, it requires us to win it ourselves, one game at a time, one ball at a time!"

※※※

The first fifteen minutes of training are for reporters to interview and film. Fiorentina's players are training under the leadership of Di Livio, while Sabato is on the sidelines accepting interviews from reporters.

The next round is the focus battle between Fiorentina and AC Milan, and many media and fans are very concerned about how Fiorentina, who is in poor condition, will meet the challenge, whether they will be completely separated from the Milan duo in this game, and there is also Juventus, who is eyeing the fourth place. These questions are what the media urgently want to know the answers to.

But today Sabato is unusually uncooperative...

"Coach Sabato, do you have any countermeasures for the game against AC Milan in three days?"

"Are you a spy for AC Milan? Why are you asking me this kind of question? I won't tell you even if I have one!"

"Coach Sabato, will the team's current physical problems affect the goals you set before the season? You said before the season that you wanted to win all the championships." After the reporter asked this question, everyone laughed.

Including Sabato, but he quickly stopped laughing, and then replied with a look of disdain: "Why should I tell you?"

"Then can you talk about your views on the April schedule? Don't you think this kind of schedule is a very unfair for Fiorentina?" This reporter was even more poisonous, wanting to use sympathy for Fiorentina to trick Sabato into saying that he was dissatisfied with UEFA, the Italian Football Association, and the professional committee.

But Sabato didn't fall for it, he didn't even look at the other party: "No comment."

Some reporters still wanted to ask questions, but Sabato suddenly clapped his hands: "Oh my! I'm really sorry! The fifteen-minute interview time is up, and now I have to ask everyone to leave, please!" He made a gesture of invitation, then turned around and ignored the stunned reporters, and walked straight to the training ground.

As a result, in the fifteen-minute interview, a group of well-prepared reporters only got the following answers.

I won't tell you even if I have one!

Why should I tell you?

No comment.

The sense of frustration made these reporters very angry, and one of them raised his arm and shouted loudly: "You can't do this! We are the public opinion! We are the media! You will be unlucky if you treat us like this!"

Sabato stopped, then turned around and looked at the person who shouted: "I know about your things, it's nothing more than making up lies and slandering me in the newspaper. Feel free, anyway, I'm not a good person." He shrugged, "You scold yours, and I'll win mine."

The last sentence made the sensitive reporters excited: This sentence is definitely not an angry outburst from Sabato. In other words, Sabato indirectly said that he has confidence in the next round of the league, and he is confident that Fiorentina will win the game against AC Milan.

Then, having obtained this sentence, the sneers and cold receptions they had previously suffered were not worth mentioning.