Some worried that Zhang Jun would lose his motivation after sweeping all the football awards last year. For a superstar player, the most terrifying thing is losing that drive. However, Zhang Jun quickly answered people's doubts with his consecutive goals in the league and the Italian Cup – he is still the best striker, and maintains a consistent interest in goals and victory like a bloodthirsty wolf.

After a short winter break, Serie A reignited the flames of war, and Fiorentina still maintained their unbeaten record in all aspects.

In the first league game of the new year, a make-up game on January 5th, Fiorentina presented all their supporting fans with a heavy New Year's gift – they swept Lecce 7:2 at their home stadium! This is the most goals scored in a single game so far this season.

The game had only just started for three minutes when Lecce took the lead with a sneak attack. Just as the Lecce fans were cheering for the team's wonderful start, they did not know that misfortune was about to befall them.

Obviously, the Fiorentina players were angered by this goal and the unbridled cheers of the Lecce people. Subsequently, Fiorentina launched a storm-like retaliatory attack on Lecce.

In the eleventh minute, Zhang Jun received a long diagonal pass from Gasparroni on the left, broke through Lecce's defense beautifully, successfully countered offside, and then ran wildly with the ball, easily scoring between the legs of the opponent's young goalkeeper, Giolamo, tying the score.

Just as the Lecce people were regretting that their hard-won lead was gone, Fiorentina launched another attack just three minutes later. A throw-in from the right, and then right midfielder Joaquín did not dribble the ball, but instead transferred the ball horizontally to the left side, where the in-form Gasparroni unloaded the ball beautifully, and then crossed it. Pazzini followed up in the center and headed the ball into the goal at the near post. 2:1!

In just four minutes, Fiorentina completed the transformation from a lagging position to a leading one. This change stunned the Lecce fans who had just been cheering, but made the Fiorentina fans excited.

Then, in the twenty-second minute, the best goal of the game was born. The Lecce team launched an attack. When they passed the ball into the penalty area after a series of passes, the tall Svensson headed their pass out. Kulu, in front of the penalty area, passed the headed ball directly to Zhang Jun behind him. Then Zhang Jun dribbled the ball all the way, successively shaking off the interceptions of two Lecce players, and bringing his speed to the fastest. Under the siege of four Lecce defenders, he ran more than sixty meters to bring the ball into the Lecce penalty area, and then faced the opponent's goalkeeper, and once again calmly shot, the ball passed through Giolamo's legs for the second time... Poor this eighteen-year-old goalkeeper, who only got the start because the main goalkeeper, Ferrarri, was injured. Originally, he hoped that he could have a good memory and take this opportunity to become Lecce's main goalkeeper, but he did not expect that this game would turn into his nightmare.

Leading 3:1, Fiorentina had no intention of stopping. They continued to maintain pressure on Lecce and continued to bombard Lecce's goal.

That frightening aura scared the young Giolamo out of his wits. After saving a shot from a Fiorentina player, he kept looking around while waiting for his teammates to withdraw from the penalty area. At this moment, he made a fatal and stupid, unbelievable mistake – he threw the ball out gently, intending to kick the ball out, but he didn't expect that he would miss his kick with all his strength! At this time, Pazzini, who was outside the penalty area, seized this opportunity very keenly. He rushed to the ball almost instantly, and then easily pushed the ball into the empty goal! 4:1!

The cheers and jeers of the Franchi were mixed together. Even the commentators on Sky TV expressed their sympathy for Giolamo: "This poor eighteen-year-old goalkeeper... Maybe Mutti (Lecce's coach) should consider replacing him? His performance is disastrous..."

Only a short three minutes separated 3:1 and 4:1. Fiorentina's offensive was terrifying. Any opponent who angered them would suffer a devastating disaster. A score of 4:1 was enough for Fiorentina to win this game, but everything was not over yet, and Giolamo's nightmare was far from over.

Twenty-nine minutes into the game, four minutes after the previous goal, Fiorentina launched another attack. Kulu distributed the ball to Pazzini on the wing during a counterattack. Pazzini used his speed and skills to shake off the Lecce defender who was defending him, and then crossed the ball on the edge of the penalty area. Zhang Jun, who followed up in the center, jumped high and made a powerful header. The ball flew over Giolamo's head. He just raised his hands in vain, unable to stop the ball from flying into the goal for the fifth time, and his posture was more like raising his hands to surrender...

Zhang Jun completed a hat-trick in the twenty-ninth minute of the first half. There was only one voice in the entire Franchi: "Long live! 'Ball King' Zhang Jun! Long live! The invincible Fiorentina!!"

Fiorentina was not satisfied, and Zhang Jun would naturally not be satisfied either. In the thirty-third minute, Kulu orchestrated an attack in the center. He passed the ball to Joaquín on the right. Joaquín did not dribble the ball to the baseline, but suddenly made a straight pass. Zhang Jun understood and quickly inserted from the back, received the ball in the penalty area and shook off the defenders at the same time, and then shot. The ball pierced Lecce's goal for the sixth time! 6:1!

In the second half, after an adjustment during the half-time break, Fiorentina's crazy attacking momentum slowed down. Sabato warned the players in the locker room to pay attention to adjusting their state, after all, in two more rounds, they would go to Juventus' home stadium to challenge the powerful team.

Lecce, who were five goals behind, had completely lost their will to resist. What they were thinking about now was to end the game quickly so that they could escape from this hell.

Under such circumstances, the second half of the game was far less exciting and enjoyable than the first half, but Kulu still scored a goal. This goal was a perfect reflection of Fiorentina's frontcourt attack power and tacit understanding. Mascherano launched an attack and passed the ball to Joaquín on the right, and then Joaquín made a long diagonal pass to Zhang Jun in front. Zhang Jun headed the ball in the air to Pazzini next to him, and Pazzini directly distributed the ball to Gasparroni on the left wing, who was unguarded. Just when everyone thought he was going to dribble into the penalty area, he passed the ball. This time the target was Kulu who suddenly inserted into the penalty area. After receiving Gasparroni's pass, Kulu shot, and the ball flew into Lecce's goal without any suspense. 7:1!

Such a score not only surprised the on-site commentators, but even the Fiorentina fans themselves felt that everything was too incredible. Lecce is not a weak team. They have been in the middle of the Serie A rankings for many years and have not been relegated. In the last round of the league, they even tied the powerful Inter Milan at their home stadium. It cannot be said that Lecce is too weak or a minnow to be beaten by Fiorentina without any resistance. It can only be said that Fiorentina is too strong...

The unmotivated Lecce only scored a face-saving goal in the eighty-sixth minute by their Brazilian striker, Mabushio Nobre, with an indirect free kick.

After the game, Zhang Jun, who scored four goals alone, became the focus of everyone's discussion. He has scored sixteen goals so far and is far ahead in the Serie A scorer list, leaving all his competitors behind. His good form has made the whole of Europe feel terrified, because it will not be long before the draw for the knockout stage of the European Champions Cup. Now everyone is waiting to see which unlucky team will become Fiorentina's opponent in the European arena.

On January 12th, in the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup, Sabato sent all the substitutes to play, and tied Lazio 2:2 at the Olympic Stadium, continuing their unbeaten record. This game once made Lazio supporters think that they could break Fiorentina's unbeaten record, but unexpectedly, Fiorentina's substitutes showed super fighting power in the lagging situation, and managed to tie the score and defended Lazio's crazy counterattack in the final moments.

Sabato left Rome with two satisfactory away goals. Next, he will start preparing for two televised league games – hosting Napoli at home on January 16th, and challenging Juventus away on January 23rd.

Napoli is definitely not a weak team. Although they are a promoted team, relying on their previous reputation and appeal, they have added many players who are not very famous but have good strength after being promoted. They are currently ranked tenth in the league, which can explain some problems.

However, Fiorentina still beat Napoli 2:0 at home. For the first eighty minutes of the game, the two sides seemed evenly matched and neck and neck, and no one scored. The score remained at 0:0. But in the final moments, Fiorentina suddenly exerted their strength – no, it should be said that two tacit Chinese players suddenly exerted their strength and solved the ambitious Napoli before the game in just two minutes. Zhang Jun shoveled the ball into the net in the eighty-first minute after receiving Joaquín's cross from the right. Just one minute later, Zhang Jun dribbled the ball from the center to the left. Because of the painful lesson from Lecce, no less than four Napoli defenders went to defend Zhang Jun, and the center was empty. Zhang Jun crossed the ball in time, and Kulu followed up with a half-volley shot to break the goal. 2:0 solved Napoli.

At this point, twenty rounds of the league have passed, and Fiorentina has fifteen wins, five draws, zero losses, sixty goals scored, twenty goals conceded, and ranks first with fifty points. And AC Milan, who is ranked second, is a full five points behind them!

Halfway through the league, some northern media are lamenting that this season belongs to Fiorentina. If they can continue to maintain this momentum, then even God will not be able to snatch the championship from them, although anything can happen in a football match...

And in the eyes of the Fiorentina media, what Northern Three, what Roman Two Heroes, what Napoli's great revival... Under the purple storm of Fiorentina, everything will be wiped out.

"Long live Fiorentina! This is a great season that belongs to Fiorentina!" they shouted.

Because they have been suppressed by the Milan duo and Fiorentina in recent seasons, Juventus has been empty-handed for several consecutive seasons, so their coach Capello was naturally dismissed before the start of this season, and he was replaced by the Dutchman Hiddink, who is known as the "magical coach".

Under the leadership of Hiddink, Juventus has shown a strong rebound momentum. They are currently ranked third in the league, only one point behind AC Milan, and they have also suppressed Inter Milan.

Before the game, Hiddink expressed his own views on this game. He first praised Sabato and the achievements of his team, and then, in a turning point, he said that no team can retreat completely at Juventus' home stadium, and said very boldly that Fiorentina's continuous unbeaten record will be ended by his Juventus.

Hiddink is a cunning coach, and this statement must be a pre-match psychological warfare. In response, Sabato declared that Fiorentina will play football according to their tradition. What is the tradition of Fiorentina? In fact, it is a new concept that has only emerged in recent years, that is, to treat any away game as a home game, and to turn any home team into an away team, and defeat the opponent in their home stadium.

In summary, there are two words: arrogance.

Sabato brought this tradition to the extreme. Facing many reporters, he even said with a smile: "If we don't win, then I will eat this football in front of you!"

As soon as this statement was made, the whole of Italy was in an uproar. No team dared to say before the game that they could beat Juventus away. Even if Fiorentina is currently unbeaten, it is too much and too rude to say this to a wealthy team with the most fans in Italy.

For a time, Sabato became the enemy of the whole of Italy. The critic who wrote an article criticizing Kulu for not being the best attacking midfielder once again wrote an article in *Tuttosport* satirizing Sabato for having "lost his mind", believing that the recent "pretty good" results have made Sabato complacent and unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth, and that he could say such "extremely stupid" words. And he was gloating and waiting to see how Sabato would fulfill his promise in front of all Italians if Fiorentina did not win in the end, even if they only drew.

This critic's point of view represents the opinion of most people. This time, even some Fiorentina fans are waiting to see Sabato's jokes, not to mention others.

It is said that a certain cake company is planning to invite Sabato to endorse their newly launched "football" cake... Everything has been developing in an increasingly funny direction.

Although Sabato's words made him a clown overnight, it did successfully play the role it should have played – he angered almost all Juventus players. Juventus captain, goalkeeper Buffon, said very dissatisfied: "He should accumulate some good karma for his mouth. To be honest, this is not the first time he has made such a rant, and we are all tired of it. If he can only rely on this kind of method to attract media attention, then he is really pathetic."

And striker Trezeguet directly asked Sabato to "shut up".

Under such circumstances, the Fiorentina team did not express any opinion. When the players were asked about this question by reporters, they either mumbled and perfunctorily passed it off, or simply refused to answer.

In this regard, some media believe that Sabato's irresponsible remarks have made the Fiorentina players feel very embarrassed, so they will behave so embarrassingly in front of the media.

Only the Fiorentina players themselves know that it is because Sabato gave the order to make them deliberately appear more unbearable in front of the media. Football is war, and since it is war, then it is normal to play some tricks for victory.

Sunday, January 23, 2011.

The twenty-first round of Serie A match day.

Turin, the Stadio delle Alpi, dry weather, clear and little wind, 11c.

Li Yan looked up at the clear sky and muttered to himself: "This is a weather suitable for both sides to play their best..."

Fiorentina's home team was met with boos from the home fans because of Sabato's remarks before the game. It seems that their "home" to turn the away game into a home game will not work.

When the players of both sides stood near the center circle of the field, and the on-duty referee Stefano Farina blew the whistle to kick off, the ninety minutes of this game, which was later considered the most soul-stirring in the 1011 season of Serie A, began.

From the first second after the kick-off, Juventus and Fiorentina were caught in the most intense competition.

Fiorentina planned to organize an attack after the kick-off, but unexpectedly Kulu's pass to Zhang Jun was intercepted by Juventus midfielder Van der Vaart, and then they immediately launched a counterattack, handing the ball to Bojinov. After a series of brilliant short passes, their other midfielder, the Frenchman Copa, completed the first shot of the game. Frey performed well and saved it, and Juventus got their first corner kick.

This attack was more like a warning, a warning from Juventus to the rampant Fiorentina. Reminding them that this is Juventus' territory, not Fiorentina's Franchi.

Seeing the home team performing so well, the Juventus fans let out huge cheers. Of course, there were also a lot of jeers provided free of charge by Fiorentina fans.

Just two minutes after their corner kick was taken, Fiorentina also launched an attack. After a series of dazzling frontcourt passing and cutting coordination, Zhang Jun brought the ball into the penalty area and then shot. Buffon pushed the ball towards the back corner, but Pazzini's follow-up shot was blocked out of the baseline by the opponent's defender Zambrotta.

Fiorentina also got a corner kick.

These two shots made the Juventus supporters – of course, including the critic who satirized Sabato for having "lost his mind", who was watching the game in the press box with his press card – couldn't help but take a breath of cold air.

"Although it is an away game, and although there have been constant storms before the game, Fiorentina still showed their strong strength, and are not afraid of the boos of more than 50,000 Juventus fans at the Stadio delle Alpi! They quickly returned the favor!"