Chapter 105 Continuous Defeats!

Losing streak! Consecutive defeats!

Such words would have been almost impossible to associate with Fiorentina in the past, but now they were indeed happening. Zhang Jun's absence brought a mental breakdown. Fiorentina was unable to maintain its previous dominance on all fronts, and their ranking in the league was gradually declining.

The second half of the season was simply unbearable compared to the first.

"We must give up some things. If we try to grasp everything, in the end, we will grasp nothing," Sabato solemnly suggested to his superior, Ren Yudi.

After a brief consideration, Ren Yudi nodded in agreement. "Let's start with the Italian Cup."

Subsequently, Fiorentina sent out half of their substitutes and half of their youth team players, losing to Lazio and voluntarily giving up the Italian Cup.

"...Fiorentina's treble dream has been shattered," the outside world commented. In fact, it should have been said when Zhang Jun was injured and announced his withdrawal from the season.

Kru was working very, very hard, Xiang Tao was also working hard, everyone was working hard, but they still couldn't fill the spiritual void left by Zhang Jun. Only at this time did everyone realize Zhang Jun's importance. Fiorentina lacked confidence when facing both enemies and themselves. In the league, they were surpassed by AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus, while Roma and Sampdoria were hot on their heels, causing them headaches.

To win a championship in a long season, the league title was very difficult because the time was too long, and no one could maintain a consistently stable state. Only knockout matches provided an opportunity to fight with all their might...

Sabato set his sights on the European Champions League. This was his and Fiorentina's only chance, while also trying to maintain qualification for next season's Champions League. Fiorentina fans, whose appetites had been whetted by the good results of the past two years, could tolerate failure, but not a season without any gains.

So, the media and fans saw Fiorentina successively lose to AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus in the league, but they had to do their best to win against those mid- and lower-ranked teams.

When they finally managed to defeat Udinese 3-1 away, Sabato turned to Di Livio and said with a wry smile, "I never thought we would have such a moment."

Di Livio shrugged. "Everything that rises must fall... it's just that we're falling a bit too fast."

Sabato thought of Zhang Jun. "I don't know how that kid is doing. I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to ask."

"They moved to Volendam in the Netherlands. It's said that it's suitable for Zhang Jun to recover there. The news coming back says everything is going well."

"That's good." Sabato looked up at the blue sky. Unconsciously, it was already March. "Let's go, those reporters have been waiting long enough."

Di Livio watched Sabato's receding figure from behind. Even if everything is against us now, does this madman still intend to fight those people to the end? When we win, they can flatter us with praise, but you need to know, Sabato... once we fail, we will become the object of ridicule and the target of everyone... then Fiorentina will have nothing left, nothing at all.

Di Livio was right. Due to Fiorentina's continuous defeats, they, who had been ambitious before the season, became a laughingstock for many media outlets and experts. Faced with all of this, Sabato still fought back as before, using counterattacks, intimidation, and insults. If he had a personal file, it would probably be full of bad deeds, and he would have long been blacklisted.

Every time he made crazy remarks and recklessly scolded those who provoked him and the team, it was Di Livio, a person with a gentle temperament, who cleaned up the mess for him. Sabato acted like a madman, a maniac, and a bastard in front of people, attracting a lot of trouble, followed by Di Livio, who humbly begged grandpa and grandma in front of people to settle things for him.

※※※

The air in Volendam made Zhang Jun feel relieved, and his once-panicked heart finally settled down. He was familiar with everything here. In a house he bought when he left, he and Sophie lived together every day.

Now his life was simple. In addition to receiving Feng Qing's medicinal fumigation treatment, he would go out for a walk with Sophie. The town was small, and they could walk back and forth every day, greeting many familiar people or stopping to chat.

Zhang Jun felt like he wasn't fighting against injuries, but enjoying a wonderful vacation with Sophie and a third wheel.

Feng Qing said to him with a smile, "Having a healthy and happy heart is the key to treatment and recovery."

Here, Zhang Jun first met Feng Qing, who gave him a colorful career, five years of frustration, two years of glory, and an unknown length of time in the future, with an unknown outcome.

Now he chose to do his second recovery here. Everything was so wonderful. Was it a coincidence or a deliberate arrangement?

Zhang Jun decided not to think about it. He actively cooperated with Feng Qing's treatment, worked hard to recover, and hoped to return to the football field as soon as possible.

※※※

The days passed by like this.

While Zhang Jun was enjoying a rare leisure time in Volendam, in another world, the flames of war were raging...

Fiorentina managed to secure fourth place in the league, preserving their hope of advancing to the European Champions League next season. But despite their embarrassment in the league, they gained something in the European arena. In particular, eliminating their domestic rival AC Milan brought long-lost cheers to the city of Florence.

However, this game also cost Fiorentina a heavy price. Not to mention the "small matter" of Yang Pan, who was originally a national teammate, having a conflict with Kru... Xiang Tao was suspended for two games with a red card, Kru accumulated yellow cards and was suspended for one game, Leo Dalno was injured and would be out for two weeks, Pazzini was injured and would be out for a month, Frey was injured and would be out for a week, Bonera was injured and would be out for three months, Mascherano was injured and would be out for a month...

Looking at these injury lists, all Fiorentina supporters had to gasp.

There is a Chinese saying that "misfortune never comes singly." Fiorentina was in such a situation now. It seemed that they had squandered all their luck in the previous two years, and now bad luck followed one after another, catching people off guard.

Sabato's temper was also getting more and more irritable. He even got into a fistfight with a reporter on the sidelines of the training ground - because the reporter "greeted" his family. Of course, in the end, he did not suffer, and the other party was beaten by him and lay in the hospital for a month. Di Livio once again reluctantly cleaned up the mess for him. Subsequently, Fiorentina Club compensated the other party 100,000 euros to settle the matter. However, Sabato's image had been completely ruined, irretrievably. At the same time, because of this incident, his conflict with Di Livio was brought to the surface, which made the team worse.

Fiorentina ultimately failed to win any championship. They stumbled in the semi-finals of the Champions League, and Fiorentina, playing with a depleted lineup, was eliminated by Manchester United. The only consolation was that by the end of the season, they finally secured fourth place in the league and could participate in next season's European Champions League.

Despite this, Fiorentina fans were still very angry.

The six-time champion of the previous season, the three-time champion for two consecutive seasons, the three consecutive Serie A titles, and the team that successfully defended the European Champions League had now fallen to such a state, which could not help but make people shake their heads and sigh.

The dynasty that had been brilliant for only two years had begun to collapse. Now it was just a few bricks and tiles falling off. No one could say what would happen in the future... Maybe it would be slowly eroded by the wind of time, or maybe it would collapse suddenly in an instant.

Li Yongle led his team to lift the Serie A championship trophy at the San Siro. After Adriano left, he had officially become the "King" of the San Siro. Mancini handed the captain's armband to this Chinese player, hoping that Inter Milan could move towards new glory under his leadership. In his first season as captain, he helped the team win the league title, which completely established his position in Inter Milan.

In fact, Inter Milan people should be most grateful to Sampdoria's right back, Diego Mori. A small person changed the direction of the legend, and his kick deviated everyone from the intended track and towards an unpredictable future.

After experiencing a failed season with only an Italian Super Cup, Van Basten announced his resignation as AC Milan coach. He needed to return to his hometown in the Netherlands for a rest. Fighting wits with Sabato for several seasons was indeed too tiring for him. He had once been highly anticipated, but judging from his record, he was not a good coach.

AC Milan had just announced Van Basten's resignation, and Fiorentina immediately announced the dismissal of their assistant coach Di Livio!

This news caused an uproar in the city of Florence. Di Livio was a meritorious figure in Fiorentina. He was in the team when Fiorentina went to Serie C; he was also in the team when Fiorentina was promoted to Serie A; when Fiorentina was on the verge of relegation, he was still in the team; later, when Fiorentina underwent a major reshuffle, he stabilized the situation and allowed Ren Yudi's "regime" to transition smoothly; then, he diligently assisted Sabato, who had no experience in Serie A coaching, laying a solid foundation for Fiorentina's future glory... He was the "father" in the hearts of young players, a bridge between players and senior management, Sabato's right-hand man, and an idol and hero for all of Florence. Such a person with such popularity and prestige was actually dismissed by the club!

It was impossible not to be shocked.

Zhang Jun learned about Di Livio's dismissal on the phone. Li Yan called him, originally wanting to hear Zhang Jun's opinion on the matter so that he could write it in his manuscript. Unexpectedly, Zhang Jun was stunned, confirmed the news, and hung up.

This made Li Yan extremely depressed. When he dialed again, he only heard a busy signal.

Zhang Jun was busy calling Ren Yudi.

※※※

Ren Yudi looked at the phone in front of him. After a few seconds, the phone rang. He smiled and answered the phone: "Hello, Zhang Jun?"

"Ren Yudi, I'm asking you: Why did you fire Di Livio? Don't you know how important he is to Fiorentina?" Zhang Jun was not polite with Ren Yudi. He was not in the mood to chat on the phone now. He directly questioned him.

"Of course I know. Without him, Fiorentina is like a plate of loose sand." Ren Yudi's tone was very calm.

"You..." Zhang Jun originally thought that Ren Yudi's answer must be the opposite of his opinion, so he prepared a lot of rebuttals. Unexpectedly, Ren Yudi frankly stated Zhang Jun's thoughts as soon as he came up, which made him not know how to vent his firepower. "Since you know, why did you do this?!"

"Zhang Jun, you are too impulsive. I think this situation..."

Zhang Jun rudely interrupted Ren Yudi's words: "Nonsense! He is my teacher, and I am inseparable from him today! He has been doing well, serving the team conscientiously, how can he be dismissed? Ren Yudi, what you are doing will make a lot of people feel cold! What exactly are you doing?!"

The phone was silent for a while before Ren Yudi reopened: "I can understand your feelings for him. Everything you said, everything he did, I can see clearly. But as a decision-maker, I always have to make some decisions, even if this decision is not pleasing. I ask you, between Sabato and Di Livio, which one do you choose?"

"Ah?"

"Don't 'ah.' I'm just asking you: Only one person can stay between Sabato and Di Livio. Let you choose, which one do you choose?" Ren Yudi repeated his words.

It was Zhang Jun's turn to be silent this time.

"Answer me, Zhang Jun. Which one do you choose?" Ren Yudi pressed, while Zhang Jun continued to remain silent. "...The conflict between Sabato and Di Livio has become increasingly sharp and irreconcilable. I tried to persuade the two, but neither of them planned to accept mediation. Sabato has been in a bad mood recently, but Di Livio accused Sabato of leading the team to hell when he accepted a media interview. I used a lot of strength to barely suppress this matter a little, but I estimate that you will soon see this interview. Not to mention whether such words are correct, he stabbed Sabato in the back at this time as Sabato's assistant, and no one will feel good in their heart. They had a big fight, and then told me that only one of them could stay. Didn't you see it? From the beginning, Di Livio and Sabato's coaching ideas were completely different, and it was impossible for them to cooperate together..." Ren Yudi narrated the whole story calmly, as if he was talking about other teams.

※※※

Zhang Jun was silent for a while after talking to Ren Yudi, while Sophie looked at him with some worry beside him. She couldn't hear what was being said on the phone, so she didn't know how Zhang Jun and Ren Yudi were talking.

At this time, Li Yan called her mobile phone. In order not to disturb Zhang Jun, she could only trot to the yard to answer the phone: "Hello, Brother Li, what's the matter?"

"Sophie, I want to ask, who is Zhang Jun calling now? I always get a busy signal when I call him."

"He..." Sophie looked at the house, "is calling Ren Yudi."

"Is that so?" Li Yan was silent for a while, and then said to Sophie, "I see, thank you, Sophie! Also, remember to comfort Zhang Jun later."

Sophie hummed and then put away the phone. She was not in a hurry to return to the house, but stretched her waist in the yard. The current Zhang Jun needed a private space of his own very, very much.

※※※

After speaking, Ren Yudi asked again: "Zhang Jun, standing in my position, what would you do?"

"Could it be...is there no other solution?"

"No. This is not something that can be solved by sitting down and having a meal. Real men are very persistent in their ideas."

Zhang Jun finally understood. Sabato was the team's coach, and he had prestige in the team, and his results were also very good. Di Livio was just an assistant coach, and his coaching experience was not as rich as Sabato's. Moreover, Ren Yudi favored Sabato... This approach of sacrificing a pawn to protect the chariot was not incomprehensible.

But he himself couldn't be so decisive.

He sighed.

Ren Yudi knew that he had figured it out when he heard Zhang Jun sigh. "Zhang Jun...my position is not easy to do. I hope you can understand that some things are not what we want them to be. But no matter what I do, I promise you that I will not harm you, absolutely!"

Zhang Jun had a sentence in his heart that he didn't say in the end: "What about Fiorentina?"

Sophie went back after about the same time, and saw Zhang Jun lying on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling. Sophie gently sat down next to him, accompanying Zhang Jun.

"Lignano left because he was not suitable for the team, Van Persie left because he couldn't play in the game, and Donadel was the same. Now it's Di Livio's turn... Although the reasons are different. Basten also left Milan, and I have fewer and fewer people I know." Zhang Jun turned over and hugged Sophie, "Yudi has become more and more cold-blooded, and I have also heard about Yang Pan and the Football Association... Sophie, this world is becoming more and more unfamiliar."

Sophie scratched Zhang Jun's nose: "Hate, why do you have to use this old-fashioned tone?"

Zhang Jun smiled embarrassedly, and then he heard Sophie humming a song softly:

...I will love you, no matter how the world changes. In my heart, no matter what time, no matter what place, no matter what changes, I am by your side...

After singing, Sophie asked Zhang Jun: "How did I sing?"

Zhang Jun looked at the serious Sophie and couldn't help but laugh: "Out of tune, idiot~"

"Hate..."

※※※

Ren Yudi really didn't lie. Just three days after Di Livio was dismissed, *Tuttosport* first revealed their interview record with Di Livio, in which Di Livio's original words were as follows: "...I think he (Antonio Sabato) has lost control of the team. When the team is in trouble, he only knows how to spit with those irrelevant people... He didn't put all his thoughts on the team. If Ren continues to trust Antonio, Fiorentina will be led to hell by him..."

Even Zhang Jun, who was slightly inclined towards Di Livio, suspected that the reporter from *Tuttosport* had arbitrarily tampered with or directly fabricated it. Because these words were too fiery and too impolite. Did Fiorentina's defeat make the always gentle Di Livio lose his mind?

He shook his head and gave up the plan to mend the relationship between the two. Watching Fiorentina fall so fast, he was more distressed than anyone else, but what could distress do? Now the only thing he could do, the only thing he could do to help Fiorentina, was to recover as soon as possible and actively cooperate with Feng Qing's treatment.

Originally, he planned to return to Florence for treatment, but now this situation could only cancel the plan and stay in Volendam. If he really wanted to return to Florence, he might not be able to get treatment at all and would be trapped in the encirclement of reporters all day long. In Volendam, there were fewer reporters, and everyone was busy guarding Florence, capturing any so-called news and information that might have an impact... and even gossip.

Even if they only said "ah," the reporters could infer the speaker's meaning based on the expression of their speech, the strength of the "ah" tone, the surrounding environment, and the background of the event, even if this meaning was not the speaker's, it didn't matter, the media had a way to make the public believe that it was his true thought.

……

And in response to Ren Yudi's move, it also caused dissatisfaction among Fiorentina fans. In their hearts, although Ren Yudi had brought them three glorious seasons and allowed them to taste unprecedented happiness, the boss was the boss after all, and he was not as close to the grassroots fans. There was only one Moratti in this world. On the contrary, Di Livio's position in the hearts of Florentines was no less than that of Ren Yudi, and he was more approachable than Ren Yudi.

Countless fans took to the streets to protest Ren Yudi's "tyranny" - that's right, they called it tyranny, arbitrary and dictatorial. Some people even compared him with the former Cecchi Gori. Ren Yudi's portrait was trampled underfoot and even set on fire. You know, a year ago, the same people were still holding up his portrait in the streets to celebrate the team's unprecedented six-time championship.

Some people even shouted the slogan of letting Ren Yudi get out and letting Di Livio be the chairman. They claimed that if Di Livio had no money, they could raise money for him.

This was not the first situation Ren Yudi had encountered since he came to power. He stuffed some money to the Florence City Government, and the City Government immediately helped him speak. First of all, they praised Di Livio's contribution to the club and expressed their regret for his departure, hoping that he would be able to return one day. Then, they changed the subject and began to vigorously praise Ren Yudi's achievements in the club, saying that it was he who brought the team to the greatest glory since its establishment. Although they did not gain anything last season, we still have a seat in the European Champions League, so we hope that the team will not be disturbed by external affairs, continue to work hard, and strive to achieve better results to satisfy the fans... and so on.

The official had spoken, and the fans' protests naturally subsided. Ren Yudi still firmly sat in the senior management of the club, and Sabato gained absolute power.

Everything seemed to be over, but who could see the undercurrents under the ground?

※※※

The whole summer was tossed by Di Livio and Sabato, and Fiorentina did not add any personnel at all. In Sabato's opinion, this lineup was already perfect. As long as the occurrence of injuries was contained, it would be easy to return to the peak after a unlucky season.

This year's European Cup was also a mess. Denmark emerged in 1992, the Greek myth reappeared in 2004, and the Russian host was magical in 2012. The order of the strong teams was broken, and the new order had not had time to be established. Russia left with their long-lost Delone Cup, leaving a group of stunned people.

At the end of July, AC Milan Club announced to the world that their new coach was in office, and the first Chinese coach in history sat on the coaching bench of the San Siro. Qiu Suhui smiled and faced the questions from all over the world: Could he, who had been resting for two years, really make Milan regain its glory? Could he win the game against his former disciples in Serie A? Sabato had been suppressed by Qiu Suhui for a year, although he won the World's Best Coach in the second year, but that was because Qiu Suhui was resting at home. This time, could he prove that he deserved the title of World's Best in the direct collision with Qiu Suhui?

Qiu Suhui's arrival brought greater chaos to Serie A, which was already chaotic. The oriental's slightly shy smile became a profound mystery in the interpretation of the Italian media. He was familiar with Fiorentina and was regarded as a savior by the Milan media.

Yang Pan first expressed his welcome to Qiu Suhui's arrival on behalf of the players: "I am very happy to see him at the San Siro. After the World Cup, I thought I would never be able to play under him again. I really want to thank our boss... Yes, he is familiar with me, and he is also familiar with Zhang Jun and Serie A. His coaching ability is beyond doubt. I think he can lead us to win the championship, all the championships."

Afterwards, Kaka also expressed his support for Yang Pan.

AC Milan captain Pirlo's words were more concise and clear: "We welcome Qiu, and all players will actively cooperate with his work, because his goal is the same as ours."

Just by changing a coach, AC Milan made people smell a long-lost atmosphere - domineering. Under the gentle Van Basten, they had not shown the momentum of a generation of hegemons for a long time, and were beaten into a mess by Fiorentina.

Even Inter Milan, who had just won the league championship, showed caution. Mancini believed that Qiu Suhui was a world-class coach. Although he had been resting for two years, judging from his conversation, he was not behind at all. He first listed AC Milan as Inter Milan's number one competitor for defending the title, rather than the former Fiorentina.

※※※

Zhang Jun was also very surprised by Qiu Suhui's sudden appointment as the coach of AC Milan. He didn't believe that Coach Qiu would rest at home for the rest of his life, but he didn't expect him to come to Europe to break into the world, and he didn't expect him to coach AC Milan - he originally thought that Qiu Suhui would take over the national team again. Advocaat was always inferior to Coach Qiu in his eyes.

He wanted to call Coach Qiu to ask about the situation, but he didn't expect Coach Qiu to call first.

"Yo! Zhang Jun, it seems that you are recovering well." Qiu Suhui's voice came from the other end of the phone, "I pay attention to your news every day, come on!"

Zhang Jun sighed. "Coach Qiu, who has become the coach of Milan, is in a good mood."

"No, I'm excited when I think that I can compete with you as your opponent. I have never stood on the opposite side of you in so many years." Qiu Suhui smiled.

"Coach Qiu, are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm definitely not kidding. Zhang Jun, almost every coach and player in this world wants to be your opponent, and I'm no exception."

"Could it be...is that why you coached AC Milan?"

"Um...it's not bad to say that. When Galliani found me, I was still hesitating. In fact, there were many clubs that invited me at the beginning, including Barcelona, which I have always liked. Milan is definitely not the best choice to implement my football philosophy."

"In that case, why did you choose Milan?"

"Huh? Didn't I say the reason?"

"This is too far-fetched, Coach Qiu!" Zhang Jun shouted, "You are still kidding me! My body is like this, what opponent is not an opponent? Even if I come back, I won't be the former Zhang Jun..."

"Then what about the last time?"

"Ah?"

"The serious injury seven years ago? Didn't you also think that you would never be the Zhang Jun you were before the injury? What was the result?"

Zhang Jun was stunned. That's right, seven years ago, when he was injured, he thought he would never be able to recover to the way he was before the injury. As a result, he not only recovered, but did better, sweeping the entire Italy, Europe, and even the world!

"But...but, after this injury, I may be injured frequently, and I am no longer young..."

"Then seize every healthy opportunity to show yourself to the fullest and play football like before." Qiu Suhui's voice came through the phone, and every word impacted Zhang Jun's heart. "I will be waiting for you at the San Siro, Zhang Jun."

As a result, Coach Qiu didn't tell him why he chose Milan until the end, and his existence was just a reason. But even if it was just one aspect, he was full of expectations for the future. He longed to appear at the San Siro and fight with AC Milan led by Coach Qiu! The victory or defeat of the game was no longer important. As long as he could stand in front of Coach Qiu, stand on the court, and stand in front of the world, he would be the winner!

※※※

The day after Qiu Suhui and Zhang Jun talked on the phone, AC Milan launched their acquisition operation under Qiu Suhui's instruction.

First of all, 27 million euros were taken from Arsenal to snatch Fabregas, preparing to take over the aging Pirlo. This transaction alone shocked the European football world. The Spaniard had always been a symbol of Arsenal, and after Henry got old, the captain's armband was worn on his left arm. But Galliani unexpectedly snatched the Gunners' captain from Wenger.

Milan's actions were a bit like Fiorentina in the first two years before Ren Yudi came to power. As long as they wanted someone, there was no one they couldn't buy.

Then, ten million euros were dug from Barcelona to bring in the Belgian defender libero Kompany, and 13 million euros were spent from Ajax to buy their captain Sneijder. Four million euros were spent from Brazil to buy the international team's striker Sobis, and the Argentine international Saviola was signed for free, two million euros were bought from Newcastle to buy the English young central defender Stephen Taylor, and the Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz was rented from Bayern Munich...

Adding up those substitutes with small fame and general strength, this was the craziest summer for AC Milan in the past ten years. And these were all that Qiu Suhui had specified to buy. Berlusconi was finally willing to delegate the power in his hands to the coach, including what formation Qiu Suhui would arrange, he didn't care.

This was a privilege that Ancelotti and Van Basten had not enjoyed. It seemed that after failing to gain anything for several seasons, Berlusconi had made up his mind to make some changes.

"We have a real world-class coach who has proven his strength with his results. In front of him, I am simply like an ignorant child." Berlusconi praised Qiu Suhui in the media, saying that he was the one who insisted on letting the Chinese coach. Naturally, he wanted to put everything on him. "In that case, what else do I have to say? Qiu is not an ordinary person, he will definitely bring us everything that all Milan fans hope to see!" He was old and it was time to consider bringing Milan some memorable things before retiring. More than 20 years ago, when he first joined AC Milan, he brought the team the most glorious Milan dynasty in modern football. The Milan Three Musketeers were still talked about 20 years later. He brought Milan a generous meeting gift, and now he naturally wanted to leave an equally generous farewell gift. Beginning with glory and ending with glory was what the old man liked to see the most... The Berlusconi era of AC Milan had entered the countdown.

In the subsequent first warm-up match, AC Milan accepted the challenge of a local amateur team at the preseason training camp in Austria. As a result, AC Milan, who had been running in for less than two weeks, won 15-0 and beat the other team to the point where there was nothing left. The reporters at the training ground really saw the earth-shaking changes in AC Milan this season.

"We believe that this is the first step in the revival of the Milan dynasty!" *La Gazzetta dello Sport* was so excited that it couldn't wait. When other media were still waiting and watching, they had already shouted this long-lost slogan.

※※※

Compared with AC Milan, although not so crazy, Inter Milan was also carrying out its own team-building plan, and they selectively introduced some new players. Mancini's job was not to push it down and start again, but to repair and patch up on the existing basis.

When the Milan duo was far ahead in the pre-match preparation, Fiorentina chairman Ren Yudi was still dealing with the Florence City Government and fans. In the five seasons since he took office, no season's pre-match preparation had been as chaotic as this year.

Fiorentina's prospects were worrying...

The whole world was crazy.

Kaka was right, the world... was in chaos.

※※※

When there were only half a month left for the pre-season preparation, that is, in mid-August, finally a good news came, enough to offset all the bad news this summer. At the same time, for many Serie A teams, it was also the biggest bad news they heard all summer.

At 3:47 pm on August 17, a private jet arrived at Milan's Malpensa Airport.

Countless reporters surrounded the airport, waiting to see their new king again.

When Zhang Jun walked out of the passage accompanied by Feng Qing and Sophie and appeared in front of everyone, there was a huge cheer and applause in the hall. The source of these voices was not those fans, but countless reporters who had been waiting hard. They temporarily put down their work and stood on both sides of the passage to applaud and pay tribute to the hero in their hearts. This was a respect that transcended club grievances and nationalities, dedicated to a person who never gave up. Some excited Chinese reporters even put up a red banner: Zhang Jun, you will always be our pride!

"Eight months, finally back." Sophie looked at the touching scene in front of her, her eyes were wet.

"Well, I'm back." Zhang Jun nodded. "Let's go." Facing the crazy flashes, he took the lead and strode out.

On this day, Fiorentina announced the return of their king, and he would face a chaotic Warring States era: Fiorentina had lost its original advantage, AC Milan was reorganizing and planning to make a comeback, Inter Milan was steadily improving step by step, and there were Juventus, Roma, Lazio, Sampdoria... and so on.

Faced with all of this, what would Zhang Jun do? Would he still be the him he was before? Was Fiorentina really dozing off last season? What kind of results could Fiorentina achieve this season? Would everything develop in a good or bad direction?

Although some media expressed optimism, more media threw so many question marks to Zhang Jun's Fiorentina.

This seemed a bit unfair, but they wanted to get the answers from Zhang Jun after failing to solve the problems themselves. Who made Zhang Jun reach this height? He carried too much, and whenever there were doubts, everyone would habitually turn their attention to Zhang Jun.

Come on, Zhang Jun, let us see your answer!

※※※

"...Zhang Jun is back, after eight and a half months, he is back. Although he is still undergoing recovery and adaptation training in the team, no one will doubt that he will play in the first game of the league. Everything seems to be great, but there are many questions that people can't see surrounding him, even if he has just recovered from a serious injury, he can't get rid of these things... You live so tired, Zhang Jun. But...

People are people because they have seven emotions and six desires, and have all kinds of pressures, responsibilities, and even setbacks and failures. And great people are great because they can overcome and surpass all of the above."

Li Yan wrote these words in his own private diary and did not put them in the report for public consumption. He thought that even if he wrote them out, not many people would understand them, right?

Great people are respected, even awe-inspiring, but to understand them, we still need to wait for some time.