I AM the Football Star

Chapter 828 - 200: A Different European Cup, Protect Russia and Struggle with Portugal (3)

That’s what I call thoughtful!

...

The first round of the European Cup was quickly completed.

The rankings in Group A, where Italy is situated, surprised many.

Portugal’s Real Madrid superstar Madeira scored twice, helping the team secure a 4-1 victory over Russia.

As a result, Portugal is sitting at the top with three points.

France and Italy both have one point, and due to identical head-to-head results, goal difference, and goals scored, they can only be ranked by UEFA’s national team coefficients, placing France second and Italy third.

Russia is left at the bottom.

As it stands, Portugal is in the best position to advance.

But in the second round, Portugal will face France directly.

If Portugal remains undefeated, they are very likely to advance.

However, this also means France is in danger.

So the next round’s match between France and Portugal will be exceptionally thrilling.

In the next round, Italy will face Russia, and many still believe Italy has a chance to win.

After all, they managed to draw with France.

And it wasn’t one to one; it was three to three.

This means Italy has no trouble scoring anymore; they are relying on strength, not luck!

"Ding! You have used football to maintain world peace, achieving what countless footballers have dreamed of but never accomplished, earning three Peak Cards as a reward!"

"Peak Card: Upon use, a random teammate on the field will be selected to relive their peak! This creates an unparalleled synergy between you, lasting for half an hour and effective in a single match only!"

Clang!

The water cup in Lu Yang’s hand fell to the ground.

He was stunned.

A new card type?

This system... really knows how to please me!

Too intelligent!

It always knows when to release the right rewards.

This Peak Card is definitely tailor-made for the Italy National Team!

At this moment, Lu Yang suddenly felt that there was no need for Sogel, Kolber, Canyes, Lam, Cortino, Oreola, and Morici to be selected.

Just field the veterans, especially those who were exceptionally strong at their peak.

Why is the Italy National Team struggle?

There are many official explanations, but really, a very realistic and cruel reason in the past year or two is... they are old!

Everyone’s getting old!

Truly, the power of time is too strong.

Prince Zebra Ancelotti was famous, but last year and this year, his performance in the national team was noticeably declining.

Italy’s trouble with scoring can be attributed to Ancelotti’s decline in performance, right?

Juventus’s weaker dominance in the league is also largely related to Ancelotti’s decline. But his club teammates understand him better, and the coach creates a tactical environment that plays to Ancelotti’s strengths.

So his decline is not as obvious at the club level.

How does Ancelotti hold Italy back?

Ancelotti has excellent shooting skills, but his speed is much slower than before.

Moreover, after several injuries, Ancelotti is reluctant to physically confront defensive players. While he’s not known for physical confrontation, his balance was so good that he used to "wobble but not fall" under intense defensive pressure.

But now, he simply avoids contact, because he got injured while in the "wobble but not fall" state.

But in high-level matches, if you want to avoid contact, there’s only one way, and that is... to concede.

That’s why speed-oriented, agile forward Wu Lei has struggled in La Liga and the Second Division in the past two years. Completely giving up on confrontation due to weak physical presence is not advisable.

The result of conceding is that Italy’s forward line loses a player.

So Italy’s chances in the front court have decreased significantly. Fewer opportunities mean fewer goals, which is not a difficult math problem.

If Ancelotti were replaced with a forward who dares to confront defenders and attack the opposing line, Italy would have a lot more opportunities in the front court.

This is why Perrotta complains about Ancelotti, as he increasingly feels isolated and unsupported.

And Ancelotti at his peak... arguably, he was absolutely one of the world’s top forwards, even stronger in scoring than the once highly popular, former Serie A Divine Striker Gutierrez!

As for Perrotta, he’s also very strong now, but in his prime, being called the best target man in the world wouldn’t be disputed by anyone.

His strategic deterrence was far greater than it is now.

Even against the France Team, he alone could create numerous chances against two central defenders!

And others like Praxedes, Bernulin, and Drake, each at their peak, were top players globally, ranked in the world’s top five in competitive positions.

Even the consistently stable Audi, he hasn’t not declined, just slowly. And his peak performance was so high that even though he has declined significantly, he remains Italy’s best goalkeeper.

But during his peak, he was the best goalkeeper in the world.

Those three goals conceded against France, Peak Audi could probably have saved two!

And not only does it let them relive their peak, but it also gives them full synergy with Lu Yang, this...

Lu Yang estimates that currently, he only has full synergy with Morici, the kind where they can perform a one-two effortlessly.

Of course, if this card randomly affects someone like Canyes or Morici, Lu Yang would be a bit irritated.

Because, in all likelihood, these young players are currently at the strongest point of their early careers and don’t need to relive their peak.