Chapter 158 Bolstering Courage

When Chen Hero walked into the locker room, he was smacked on the head by all his teammates. Everyone was using this method to congratulate Chen Hero on that direct free kick goal.

Of course, the result of being smacked like that was that Chen Hero's hairstyle, which had taken him two hours to fix, was messed up again… He had thought about shaving his head and going bald, so he wouldn't have to worry about his European teammates congratulating him in this way again. But when he thought about how he would look with a shaved head, Chen Hero immediately lost the courage to get a haircut…

He thought a bald head was just too ugly.

He would rather spend two hours styling his hair before every game than be done with it once and for all.

Spending two hours doing hair seems exaggerated, but in Italian football, it's perfectly normal.

In all the locker rooms of Italian stadiums, next to each player's jersey hook, there is an electrical outlet for the players to plug in their hair dryers… From this detail, you can see how much Italian players value their personal appearance, especially their hair. So there is a tradition of handsome men in Italian football.

Chen Hero is definitely not an outlier. In fact, he only does this before each game, which isn't even that exaggerated. Some of his teammates are even more extreme—Hamsik's mohawk, for example, requires meticulous care every day.

"Okay, I think we'll have someone to take long-distance free kicks from now on!" Hamsik announced, clapping his hands.

"Woah—" A chorus of jeering cheers erupted.

Mazzarri walked in, and the noise disappeared.

Everyone returned to their seats, waiting for the coach to say something.

"You did very well in the first half, guys." Mazzarri began by praising the team's performance.

Leading by one goal and having one more player than the opponent was clearly an advantage.

But Mazzarri didn't think so, so he quickly changed the subject: "But… a one-goal lead is the most dangerous score in the world, guys. So the second half is the real test. Mourinho's team's performance in the first and second halves is always very different. I think they will definitely make adjustments in the second half, so… in the second half, we must be more patient than them. We shouldn't rush to attack, but should first consolidate our defense. In the first fifteen minutes, try not to concede a goal. In that case, the opponent's emotions will become impatient, and that will be our chance…"

Mazzarri had already considered that Inter Milan would definitely attack in the second half, after all, they were behind.

Especially at the beginning of the second half, Inter Milan would launch an offensive, taking advantage of the time when the game had just started. Mourinho is a coach who understands football very well. He knows that the first five minutes and the last five minutes of a game are the easiest times to score. Because during this time, the players are not quick to get into the game and tend to lose focus.

In order to prevent this from happening, he had to make the players understand the grim situation in the second half, so they wouldn't take it lightly.

The leading side is always prone to slack off.

※※※

When the players of Napoli and Inter Milan returned to the field, it was obvious that the Inter Milan players looked particularly confident, as if they were the ones leading, not Napoli.

No one knew what Mourinho had said to them during the half-time break, but these wealthy players had a fanatical and confident light in their eyes.

Mazzarri repeatedly emphasized the importance of the second half to Inter Milan during the half-time break, which may have been counterproductive… Because, when they saw the Inter Milan players, the Napoli players suddenly felt a lot of pressure.

This was their home after all… Their territory. It was only natural for them to perform well, right?

Looking at the way they walked out with their heads held high, such confidence was worthy of a wealthy club!

But someone didn't agree.

Chen Hero snorted at the arrogant Inter Milan players.

So what if it's our home? So what if you're a wealthy club?

We're the ones leading!

※※※

Although Chen Hero was particularly confident, he was only one person, and football… is a sport for eleven people.

So it wasn't so surprising that Inter Milan equalized the score just twelve minutes into the second half…

The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza erupted in cheers, and the goalscorer was indeed Diego Milito, whom Mourinho had left on the field!

"Milito! Milito! He scored the equalizing goal for Inter Milan!" The commentator shouted excitedly.

But no matter how excited they were, it couldn't compare to a tenth of the excitement of the Inter Milan fans.

The entire Stadio Giuseppe Meazza was like an earthquake, and the stands were constantly shaking.

All the Inter Milan fans jumped up from their seats, waving their arms and stomping their feet.

And Mourinho? He ran along the sidelines with his arms outstretched, once again successfully attracting the attention of the television broadcast.

"Ah ha, Mourinho's performance time is here again!"

※※※

Unlike the excitement of Inter Milan's players, fans, and coaches, Mazzarri bit his lower lip, his face grave.

The thing he was most worried about had still happened.

Although he had repeatedly emphasized the importance of the first fifteen minutes of the second half during the half-time break, the players were clearly overwhelmed by Inter Milan's momentum at home…

His expression softened slightly, and he sighed.

This team was still too young… All of its temperament would have to be cultivated slowly.

He thought of owner Aurelio De Laurentiis's second five-year plan. If they wanted to become a wealthy club, it wouldn't just be a matter of financial investment, they also needed to give the team the temperament of a wealthy club. At the very least… they couldn't let their players get weak in the knees just because the other side was exuding a murderous aura at home, right?

※※※

Chen Hero was already standing in the center circle, with his foot on the ball, waiting for the kickoff.

His opponents were celebrating wantonly, and the stands of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza were full of gleeful Inter Milan fans.

He was very unhappy. So he spat on the ground.

In fact, he didn't have any major hatred for Inter Milan, so this wasn't a personal grudge.

He was just unwilling to have the score tied just like that.

"Inter Milan has one less player, but they have equalized the score. In terms of strength, they are indeed stronger than Napoli…"

The commentator said.

And this was exactly what Chen Hero was unwilling to accept—they clearly had one less player, but they still scored a goal, and they looked like they were about to take advantage of the situation… Could the gap in strength between the two sides really be that big?

Even if there was a gap in strength, what they should be looking at on the field was performance, not cold data like strength!

Chen Hero would never accept such a result.

He now felt that his characteristics were too simple—if he wanted to perform well, he had to rely on the excellent performance of his teammates. Once his teammates were trapped for one reason or another, even if he was in good form, he wouldn't be able to perform.

If he could be like Ronaldo, even if his teammates weren't up to par, he could still dominate a game by himself if he was up to it… he wouldn't have such troubles.

Although he was working hard to hone his footwork in the copy, he always felt that his experience was increasing quickly, but his own technical level was not necessarily increasing as quickly as his experience.

Because he lacked a very important thing—an excellent teacher.

Those players with outstanding skills, unless they are inherently gifted, need a good teacher to teach them. Chen Hero admitted that he was not a talented genius, so a good teacher was very important to him.

It's just that… there were teammates and coaches in the copy, but they were all programmed to death and only knew so much. The only person with independent consciousness was still a defender… and he couldn't teach him how to dribble past people!

Chen Hero now wished he could run to the sidelines and call Dracula, urging him to release the new expansion pack as soon as possible—you're Mr. Aurora, you don't need to eat, drink, play, or sleep, so what are you so busy with all day long…

But this was impossible after all, and he had to solve the problem himself for the time being.

No matter what, he still had to rely on his teammates. No matter how awesome Ronaldo was, he couldn't go up and play the game alone.

While Inter Milan's players were still celebrating wildly, he suddenly threw down the ball in the center circle and ran all the way to the backfield.

Hamsik, who was standing next to him waiting for the kickoff, was stunned for a moment and didn't understand what Chen Hero was doing.

※※※

Captain Paolo Cannavaro was standing in the backfield, feeling frustrated about the score. And the Inter Milan players celebrating the goal were in the corner area not far from him.

They clearly had one more player than the opponent, but in the end, the opponent had tied the score. Two advantages had turned into one in an instant. How could he not be heartbroken?

Just then, Chen Hero's voice rang in his ear: "Captain, while they're still celebrating, let's call everyone together for a meeting?"

Cannavaro looked up at Chen Hero, who was already standing in front of him, in surprise.

"What meeting?"

"A courage-boosting meeting!" Chen Hero said with a murderous look on his face.

※※※

Inter Milan's celebration time was really long, because anyway, the second half had only just started, and they didn't have to worry about not having enough time to overtake. Now, Inter Milan was full of confidence, and everyone believed that these forty-five minutes of the second half would belong to them.

Now, they just wanted to enjoy the joy of equalizing the score—and at the same time, use this method to put pressure on the opponent. The battle-hardened and experienced Inter Milan players had already seen that Napoli seemed to be intimidated by Inter Milan's momentum in the away game…

Yes, we just want to use such a long and arrogant celebration to tell you—this is the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, this is our home! Here, you all have to listen to us!

※※※

Chen Hero looked at his teammates with a serious face—they had been gathered together by the captain, but the person speaking was not the captain who had gathered them, but Chen Hero, who was one of the youngest players on the team.

"We've been to Anfield, brothers. It's rumored to be terrifying, but we drew with them. We didn't lose at stadiums like Anfield, so why should we be afraid of Inter Milan? We play against this team at least twice every season, and we come to this stadium at least twice every season. Are we unfamiliar with this place? We have more people than them! And this is the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, shouldn't they be the ones afraid of losing?"

Chen Hero pointed his thumb at the Inter Milan players behind him, who had finished celebrating and were slowly running back to their half.

No one thought that Chen Hero shouldn't say such things. This person was always so arrogant that everyone had long accepted his image.

He wasn't the captain, but he wasn't saying these words as the captain either. He was just saying words that were consistent with his personal image in front of everyone.

In summary, it meant just one thing—damn it, why should we be afraid of them?