This means... Inter, giving their all, was beaten by a not fully equipped AC Milan!
This...
"It’s over! Inter is done for!" said the San Remo players watching the game together at the hotel.
Everyone who plays soccer knows that Inter is finished.
Even if they equalized and won the game in the end, they definitely wouldn’t be able to keep Gutierrez.
Because they actually subbed out Gutierrez, the top striker in Serie A, while they were trailing!
Admittedly, Gutierrez didn’t perform well in this match, missing a one-on-one chance and having three shots off target.
He’s not in good form; ever since rumors about leaving started, Gutierrez has been affected, including Inter’s exit from the Champions League, which is closely related to his slump.
But... no matter what, Gutierrez is Inter’s top star. Substituting him at this time, are they really planning to break up, or do they really not see him as a star?
It turns out, it should be the former.
Because Gutierrez, who was subbed out, didn’t give the coach a high-five but directly questioned him on why he was taken off.
"Why? Why me? Why take me off!" Gutierrez was very agitated. He could sense the subtle changes from the coaching staff and the management towards him, and he could vaguely feel this substitution might be a premeditated trap, but he couldn’t hold back his emotions.
Because he felt greatly insulted!
In front of the TV, Lu Yang and Morici exchanged a glance, and ideas quickly formed in their minds.
The two quietly sat together, and Morici whispered, "Is the Inter management trying to shift the blame?"
Lu Yang nodded, "The coaching staff should mean the same."
Morici: "But this isn’t fair to Gutierrez. Anyone who watched the games should know, Inter’s exit from the Champions League isn’t solely Gutierrez’s responsibility!"
"His teammates have also been inconsistent. They no longer trust Gutierrez as much, or they’re also eager to be the stars in the match. This is one of the main reasons for Gutierrez’s slump!"
"Even if the management and the fans don’t understand this, shouldn’t the coaching staff get it? By doing this now, aren’t they just putting all the blame for the exit on Gutierrez?"
"Besides, if the Champions League exit is Gutierrez’s fault, then what about being out of the title race early in the league and only fighting for the top four? Is that Gutierrez’s fault too? He’s the Serie A top scorer this season! 28 goals in 31 matches, he’s done his best!"
Lu Yang: "If Gutierrez doesn’t take the blame, who will? The other majority of players? That’s impossible! Then it would have to be the coaching staff or the head coach. Do you think it’s hard to choose between suffering themselves or letting a player about to leave suffer?"
Morici shrugged helplessly, "It’s indeed not hard. But... what about the summer transfer? With things between Inter and Gutierrez so tense, Chelsea will definitely lower their offer!"
Lu Yang smiled, "How will they lower it? Chelsea has already shown their cards; they want Gutierrez! And... the way Inter is setting things up actually reveals some issues."
"If Inter had anticipated a big conflict with Gutierrez, wouldn’t it be more logical to start throwing some dirt on Gutierrez now?"
"Anyway, he’s a tool about to leave, and since they’re going to fall out, why not make it explosive, and while they’re at it, take some incomplete KPIs with them? It’s not too much, is it?"
Morici thought for a moment and then was surprised, "Is Inter planning to bite Chelsea hard? They’re actually not opposed to Gutierrez transferring, but they’re going to demand a high price? Gutierrez’s contract has only one year left. If Chelsea waits a year..."
"No, they won’t wait. They are eager to achieve some results. Inter has a sharp eye; they’ve been thinking about this piece of meat for a while. So... is securing fifth place in the league also part of their management’s plans?"
Lu Yang shook his head, "That wouldn’t be it; qualifying for the Champions League is important for any team. Inter initially might not have decided to let go of Gutierrez, but since Gutierrez kept delaying the contract renewal, Inter naturally had to think of a Plan B."
"After discussion, they found that Plan B might actually bring more money, so they simply scrapped Plan A and started executing Plan B. Keeping Gutierrez would require a six million euro annual salary, over three million in signing bonuses, and around ten million euros in additional support this year."
"But selling Gutierrez could directly bring in over forty million euros in transfer funds this year! An in-and-out of over fifty million! In the gradually declining Serie A, how many players would it normally take to generate such a large sum?"
"Apart from Gutierrez, only Izalelt in Serie A is worth that price. Other top stars in Serie A barely reach thirty million, and regular stars are generally under twenty million."
"Selling one Gutierrez is enough for Inter to replenish three first-rate stars without spending anything, forming a Galaxy Battleship at the Serie A level, which is really profitable."
The discussion between the two concluded, and the volume on the TV suddenly increased.
Unexpectedly, Gutierrez, who was arguing incessantly with the head coach, pushed the coach.
The head coach instantly flew into a rage, putting on an impressive performance, roaring, "If it weren’t for you, how would we have exited the Champions League? How would we be fighting for fourth this year?"