The Era of Emerald

ps: This is the first update today, and the 16 recommended updates will be released later in the evening.In addition, by the way, I would like to ask for a recommendation ticket here, thank you everyone...

After the Italian Super Cup dust settled, the new season of Serie A did not begin immediately, because before that, the national team coaches of European countries were dispatching troops to prepare for the upcoming European Cup qualifiers.

Because he led the Italian national team to win a World Cup championship, the old Maldini, as a meritorious coach, was not dismissed after the World Cup as in history, but renewed a work contract with the Italian Football Association.If there is no accident, the Italian football star and godfather of the Italian youth army will coach the Apennines until the end of the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan!

In the grouping ceremony of the European Cup qualifiers, Italy was in the same group as Denmark, Switzerland, Wales and Belarus.

For this grouping result, opinions from all walks of life in Italy are mixed.

The fans are obviously not very satisfied with this grouping. After all, judging from the reputation and past records of these teams in the same group as Italy, Italy still has a lot to do if it wants to break through this group and enter the European Cup finals. of difficulty.

Among other things, the Danish team, the winner of the European Cup in 92, is enough to cause a lot of trouble for Italy in the eyes of fans.Coupled with Wales, which has famous players such as Ryan Giggs and Speed, and Switzerland led by Chapu Issat, in the eyes of many people, Italy's team can be said to be full of landmines, and it is very likely that if you are not careful There is a situation where the gutter capsizes.

However, compared with the worried fans, the old Maldini was very happy, because he knew very well how good a lottery Italy got this time.

Nowadays, most of the creators of the Danish fairy tales are old, especially after the French World Cup, the Laudrup brothers announced their retirement from the national team, which made the strength of the Danish team slip from the quasi-first-class in Europe. The second-rate in Europe is no longer what it used to be.

The problems facing Wales and Switzerland at this time are similar to those of Denmark. Although the former has first-class stars such as Giggs and Speed, star shooters such as Rush and Sanders are getting old one after another. After that, striker shortage is inevitable; although Chapuisat is a very outstanding striker, but the weak midfielder of the Swiss team has dragged him back, which is not a concern at all.

Therefore, compared with the eighth group where the three strong teams of Yugoslavia, Croatia and Ireland gathered together, and the fourth group of the three teams of France, Ukraine and Russia, the group where Italy is in can be said to be quite good.At least the other teams in the first group are unlikely to pose too much threat to the old Maldini's team, at best they can only cause a little trouble.

Therefore, the old Maldini, who knows the other opponents in the group well, is quite optimistic about Italy's qualifying situation. He believes that as long as the players can play every game seriously, then entering the European Cup finals is simply a matter of grasping.

Since the veteran Bergomi announced his retirement from the national team after the World Cup in France, and the national team's main central defender Ferrara was seriously injured, Baggio, Maldini and other national team's main players are all over the age, so the old Maldini in the new In the first phase of the national team squad, some new faces were recruited from various Italian clubs, and they are preparing to start updating the national team.

For example, the small plane Montella who played for Sampdoria, Di Natale who performed well in Ajax last season, and the defensive star Koko and midfielder Ambro who played in Vicenza. Sini, etc., were all recruited into the national team by the old Maldini for close observation.

The selection of these newcomers will naturally squeeze out the seats of the players who originally occupied a place in the national team.

The first to bear the brunt is Pierrot, who filled a whole bottle of soy sauce at the World Cup.Due to the existence of Vieri and Inzaghi on the forward line, and the presence of veteran stars such as Roberto Baggio, Totti, and Pirlo in the midfield, the position of the Zebra Prince in the national team is extremely embarrassing. Not much opportunity to perform.

In this regard, Mo Laohu often expressed dissatisfaction with the old Maldini's employment at the beginning of the occasion, thinking that the Italian national team with Piero as the core of the new generation should be established, and an increasingly old Baggio should not always be allowed It is not a good thing for the renewal of the national team if Lai stays at the core position...

There is nothing the old Maldini in this world can do if he doesn't like Pierrot. Who would let those honors that should have belonged to the zebra prince now belong to Florence under the spoiler of Zhuang Mingge, a traveler?

Without Pierrot, who shines with the halo of these champions, in the eyes of the old horse, he is naturally inferior to the increasingly mature and steady Baggio, and the equally young and talented Totti and Pirlo.

So, the unlucky Pierrot was kicked out of the national team squad by the old Maldini.

In addition, Ravanelli and Di Livio, two players who were previously selected for Italy's World Cup squad in France, and Piero have become difficult brothers, mainly because they are now over [-] years old and are in the national team. The position is not indispensable, so once the old Maldini starts to update, fringe internationals like them will definitely be the first to be eliminated.

For Fiorentina, although Di Biagio, Tomasi and other players have switched to his team, Fiorentina still occupies many seats in the national team: Toldo, Nesta, Materazzi, Zambrotta , Pirlo, Inzaghi and Vieri and other seven old Maldini's generals were all selected, plus the young player Di Natale, these eight players declared Fiorentina's unshakable dominance in the national team status.

In this way, the Italian national team, which has undergone some personnel adjustments, finally ushered in its first official game since the end of the World Cup in France.

On September 9, under the control of three midfielders, Baggio, Albertini and Pirlo, Italy, who were visiting at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, firmly grasped the trend of the entire game and completely shattered the Welshman's intention to win at home. Sweet dreams!

In this game, the old Maldini formed a starting lineup that is quite unfamiliar to many Italian fans: goalkeeper Buffon, defender Pesoto, Nesta, Cannavaro and Panucci, midfielder Pirlo, Alberti Ni, Dino Baggio and Roberto Baggio, the forwards are Montella and Chiesa.

Although the main forwards such as Vieri and Inzaghi did not appear on the stage, the striker composed of Montella and Chiesa is not what the Welsh defense can handle, not to mention that there is a central midfielder with such a strong assist ability behind them. field and an extremely solid back line.

In the end, with the goals of Montella and Chiesa, Italy defeated Wales [-]-[-] in the away game and won the first victory in the European Cup qualifiers!