novelraw Chapter 560 - 384: After the first round of battle, everyone wonders: Who is the real traitor?
Chapter 560 - 384: After the first round of battle, everyone wonders: Who is the real traitor?
Champions League Round of 16, first leg, Inter Milan arrives at the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.
One hour before the match.
Inter Milan’s head coach Leno had no interest in laying out tactics, nor in watching the players warm up inside.
He was extremely anxious, restless, fidgeting, all for waiting on one result—
Why hasn’t the Manchester City starting lineup been released yet?
By now, it should have been announced long ago.
Every nerve of his was tightly pulled by the suspense of the starting lineup.
Finally, just half an hour before kickoff, the assistant coach hurriedly brought in the Manchester City starting lineup signed by the referee.
Leno snatched it over, eyes sharply focusing on the list.
The Inter Milan players sitting around him also looked towards him.
Finally, Leno crumpled the list into a ball, threw it heavily onto the floor, and jumped up in joy~
Clap!
Twirl!
Clap!
Keep twirling, twirl again!
He clapped and twirled three times!
Everyone found it incredibly comical, when did Leno become so manic?
Captain Kandrewa rushed to pick up the paper ball, spread it out, and after a glance, raised his arm and shouted!
"Hahaha, Tang has been left out of the starting lineup!"
The assistant coach laughed, "Not just the starting lineup, he didn’t even make it to the final list, you won’t see him on the bench either!"
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the locker room!
Many people were jumping and clapping, twirling just like head coach Leno.
The whole locker room turned into a sea of jubilation, as if they had already won the match even before it began.
"Fantastic, without Tang, our winning rate has greatly increased!"
"Brothers, do we have the confidence to win at the Etihad tonight?"
"Absolutely confident, Manchester City with Tang and without Tang are totally different teams!"
"That insider from Manchester City is amazing, helping us out at such a crucial time!"
"Go with high pressing, without Tang they absolutely can’t control the ball!"
Everyone in the locker room was celebrating.
Except for the three Italians, who stayed silent.
Bonazzoli, Di Marco, and Santon.
These three were seated together in the locker room, neither cheering nor dancing, just exchanging looks silently.
Bonazzoli and Tang Long had been roommates since their days in the Inter Youth Team, both signed with the same agent Ronaldo.
Tang Long often gave him guidance in football skills, their relationship was self-evident.
Di Marco naturally too, no need to elaborate.
Back when Tang Long formed a youth team trio within the Inter team, Di Marco was one of them and received plenty of care from Tang Long.
And Santon, born in 1990, was the only missed gem from the 2010 Inter’s treble-winning squad.
Losing two knee meniscuses, he once considered retiring, barely making the substitutes’ edge in the team.
It was Tang’s passes and playmaking that gave Santon a new life on Inter’s left flank!
Last season, with Tang Long’s help, his confidence returned, and Santon’s form improved steadily;
For this match, he started as the left-back as well.
The relationship among these three and Tang was very close, whether in life or on the pitch, they all benefited from Tang, so they were unwilling to join in the celebration against Tang.
Moreover, Santon thought, even if Manchester City lost Tang, could we definitely win the match?
Popping champagne before the game is like jinxing yourself!
"Nothing happened to Tang, did it? Could he have been detained?" Di Marco mumbled softly.
"I don’t know, when the 25-man list was announced the day before, Tang was still in it, how come he didn’t even make today’s squad list," Bonazzoli worried.
"They probably substituted him under official pressure, Manchester City pulled him out last minute."
Watching Leno and the joyous teammates celebrating in the locker room, Santon let out a disdainful sigh.
After all, he had experienced the grand treble event, his mindset was different from these teammates.
"Look at their gloating faces, sigh, my dear brothers, don’t worry about it now, focus on playing the game well, even if Tang is not in Manchester City, we’re still facing a strong opponent, never underestimate them!"
...
Under pressure from official intervention, the Manchester City Club decided at the last moment to withdraw Tang Long from the match lineup.
In a way, this was also a form of protection for Tang Long by the club.
Manchester City Club had sufficient public relations funding and connections to withstand such turmoil, but during the peak of the storm, it was better to have Tang Long lay low for a bit.
As for who leaked this secret?
CEO Belgistan felt it was no longer important now.
Having heard of the intense locker room faction fights over the years, Belgistan was naturally aware.
On the eve of a major battle, to have such a despicable insider, the one most enraged naturally had to be the club’s steward Belgistan.
Next season, when Guardiola takes over Manchester City, he will conduct a team-wide reform with this head coach, completely eradicating these cliques.
Additionally, regarding Tang Long’s decisive kick at Fernando, Belgistan felt Tang Long did nothing wrong.
Who the hell does Fernando think he is!
A rotation player in the team, daring to bully Guardiola’s chosen captain Gundogan?