At halftime, Italy returned to the locker room with a two-to-one lead.
Despite having an advantage in the score, there were no cheers and laughter in the locker room; instead, the atmosphere seemed a bit peculiar.
Ancelotti had already become a center of low pressure, and no one dared to speak to him.
The big brother’s mood was very bad now.
On the other hand, Canyes was also worried.
If the team’s situation becomes urgent, Maniero might choose to substitute Canyes out for safety.
Canyes didn’t want to be replaced while playing.
The feeling of being a backup is quite terrible.
Even though this is the National Team, Canyes didn’t want to be outperformed, which was why he originally wanted to leave Juventus. Turan squeezed his position, making it so he could only play when the team had special needs.
Additionally, Finger was in an even worse mood because he had already predicted the timing of his substitution.
That corner kick was a display of Olic’s strength, but it was, after all, Finger’s corner kick.
Don’t underestimate the work of the one who delivers the corner, but once it leads to a counterattack, the blame for the kicker could be significant.
Moreover, this happened after Lu Yang had reminded Finger to take a tactical corner, which Finger did not adopt.
If Lu Yang were to stand out and criticize Finger at this moment, Finger really wouldn’t have a word to say.
Luckily, Lu Yang did not bring this matter up.
Lu Yang is not the kind of person who avoids blame.
Anyone who plays football should understand that when the ball is at a player’s feet, theoretically, that player can handle the ball in any way they choose, others can only suggest; only the one with the ball has decision-making authority.
This is respect for football.
To truly assign blame, you’d have to wait until the match is really over, or indeed lost; only then would Lu Yang find ways to resolve on-field issues.
The only person he couldn’t hold back from addressing problems with immediately on the field, so far, has been just Becher’s.
And Finger, in this Italy Team, isn’t nearly as crucial as Becher’s was in San Remo.
Finger is just a workhorse.
Don’t set too high expectations for a workhorse player.
But Lu Yang not holding anyone accountable doesn’t mean Maniero wouldn’t.
Many things that happen on the pitch are unknown to other players, but the coaching staff knows.
The silent debate between Lu Yang and Finger about how to take the corner has conveyed some information to the coaching staff.
"I’m going to make some personnel adjustments next, but I hope everyone understands," Maniero spoke, "Not because someone isn’t performing well enough, but because the situation requires us to make some moves."
"Our aim is to pursue an undisputed victory, the main goal of this European Cup is to advance. No one can stop us from moving forward towards this goal, be it Russia or Portugal!"
After saying this, Maniero announced the adjustments.
In the second half, Morici will be substituted in, while Finger will be replaced by Morici.
Finger didn’t speak, his fists clenched, yet he didn’t dare to voice his dissatisfaction.
Maniero has considerable control over this National Team at this point.
A new manager’s initial influence upon taking the role hasn’t been released yet in Maniero’s case.
Finger didn’t want to be caught in this bad luck.
In the second half, Italy’s substitutions surprised the commentators greatly.
Because for those invested, this adjustment could be perceived as Maniero’s dissatisfaction with the goal conceded in the first half, as well as displeasure with Finger’s corner kick.
This seems a bit harsh on Finger?
If one is substituted out merely because of such an indirect mistake, or not even a mistake in kicking the ball, who could still play well?
But if you also consider the disagreement between Finger and Lu Yang regarding the corner, then this action becomes worth pondering.
Is Maniero establishing Lu Yang’s core authority?
Did he really... gamble this much?
This is the National Team!
This isn’t the youth-filled National Youth Team, nor is it San Remo, a lower-level league without stars.
This is the star-studded, commander-rich Italy National Team.
With dozens of stars at thirty plus, when did it become time for Lu Yang to emerge as the core and establish core authority?
This is a unique favor that those who see it cannot believe.
This is also an immense pressure, enough to collapse any young star.
Is Greenwood good or not?
Not biased to say, actually not bad, not heaven-defying, but considered full of talent and once displayed quite well.
But the match where the national team coach came to watch thoroughly crushed him.
It was also that match directly leading to the collapse of Manchester United’s locker room atmosphere, public opinion, coaching, and tactical discussions.
Manchester United reached this point, and that match was a key turning point.
The fault wasn’t with Greenwood, because he was still a kid.
It was the coaching staff and higher-ups not guiding him in the right direction timely, causing him and Manchester United to face increasing pressure.
But this also reflected how Greenwood indeed lost his proper mindset, mentality, and tactical as well as playing standards in the face of pressure.
Greenwood is not the first, nor will he be the last young star to be collapsed by pressure. There had been many early famous, stronger young stars who all faced breakdown under pressure.
This is enough to signify the terror of pressure.
Is Maniero certain about letting Lu Yang undergo such experiences in this European Cup?