Fortunately, as the host, Lu Yang took the initiative to welcome Camihong and Belletti.
"Camihong, you made the right choice joining our team. Our Lang Team has long been unable to run. Why is it so hard to be comfortably a substitute for a season and then retire!" Lu Yang pulled Camihong over to Rondo, "Rondo, you’re going to be in the office next year. Can you take this half-year opportunity to teach all your skills to Camihong? Can you train another excellent central back for us?"
Rondo laughed heartily and said it was doable.
Camihong also smiled in agreement and further understood his situation.
He and Rondo indeed share playing time, but there’s no competitive relationship between them.
Rondo couldn’t wait for Camihong to play more matches.
His old bones couldn’t handle playing as a central back, let alone the half-season as a full-back. If the team doesn’t bring in more full-backs, he might have to apply for early retirement!
This really disregards the physical needs of veteran players.
Similarly, Lu Yang also pulled Fernandez and Bai Zhami over to Belletti: "You two, learn from Belletti well. He was once a star winger dominating Serie A!"
"Even just sharing a skill or two will benefit you immensely!"
Those words sounded incredibly fake.
Dominating Serie A, those four words are really undeserved.
But if you talk about a star winger, Belletti indeed thinks he barely qualified back in the day.
With just two introductions, Lu Yang solved the potential conflicts within the team.
He also made the two new players aware of their positions within the team.
Camihong knew he wouldn’t lack playing time.
Belletti felt respected by the team and players.
Fernandez and Bai Zhami’s sense of being replaced greatly diminished.
Everyone got what they needed.
A harmonious atmosphere prevailed.
On January 23rd, the fourth round of the Italian Cup officially kicked off.
San Remo continued to enjoy the home-field advantage.
When the commentator called out Lu Yang’s name, the entire stadium erupted in wild cheers.
Although Sanremo City Stadium is not large, even a veteran like Belletti was startled by this scene.
The atmosphere in this home stadium was excellent, which could bring great support to the team.
However...what kind of outstanding player could win over the fans to this extent?
Beep!
The whistle blew, and the match kicked off.
Only ten minutes later, Sotu frowned.
Similarly, Lu Yang on the field looked puzzled at Fernandez and Bai Zhami.
"Why hasn’t their condition improved?" Sotu, experienced as he is, can tell when a player is not right, and ten minutes were enough for him to observe.
The tactics he formulated before the game clearly showed that Fernandez and Bai Zhami weren’t in the right positions.
Especially Fernandez.
Lu Yang, while passing the ball, could also clearly feel this, and he had to frequently support Fernandez as a result.
"I think, is his leg feeling uncomfortable?" Belletti casually remarked on the bench.
Having suffered injuries and seen teammates injured, Belletti has some knowledge about the common ailments of professional players.
Several errors in ball stops by Fernandez clearly indicated some physical discomfort.
"He had a slight thigh strain earlier, but with a winter break, he should have recovered!" Tom was also puzzled, "As for Bai Zhami, he was frequently training on the pitch during the winter break, I just found out about that."
Sotu and Tom looked ashen.
This winter break, they were busy with transfers and had no time to manage the training ground.
Moreover, extra training by players is generally seen as a good thing, so the training ground administrators were naturally willing to cooperate.
However... Bai Zhami and Fernandez didn’t know that their problem wasn’t too little training, but too many matches.
What they needed was not more perfection but to stop temporarily and rest well.
This point is always hard for young people to understand.
Often, they only realize to stop when their bodies can’t bear it anymore, but by then, it’s usually too late, and the damage is done.
Balancing work and rest doesn’t just mean study and entertainment; the essential part is unwinding and settling down.
This is the true balance of work and rest.
Of course, the team didn’t provide enough security for the players, causing them to train non-stop, so in this aspect, the team also bears a significant responsibility.
On the field, Lu Yang felt the lack of strength from the two wingers, making this match feel no different from the last game before the winter break.
It was as if he had lost his wings.
And Venice, after all, is a Serie B team. Their players naturally sensed such a significant gap.
They started to focus boldly on Lu Yang, relaxing their guard on San Remo’s flanks.
In the thirty-fifth minute of the match, Lu Yang used his individual skill to create a front-field set piece.
Versachi took the free kick.
Naji scored with a header.
San Remo took a one-zero lead.
However, only three minutes later, a weak pass from Fernandez allowed Venice to intercept, and they transferred the ball from the left to the right in a large range, exploiting the space behind Rondo.
Rondo’s pace was not enough to catch up, allowing the opponent to reach the endline and cross.
The opposing central forward did a small action with his hands, pressing Naji and jumping first.
Naji couldn’t jump up, and the opposing central forward successfully headed the ball into the net.
Naji complained to the main referee, but the main referee deemed it normal physical contact, and Naji suffered the loss.
Rarely did he lose his temper, almost receiving a Yellow Gem.