Chapter 86: Pendulum trick reappears in Serie A

Chapter 86: Pendulum trick reappears in Serie A

The splendid performances in two consecutive matches have further convinced the Italian media that Wang Feng is not just a flash in the pan but rather intends to thoroughly shake up Serie A.

After two rounds of matches, Juventus emerged the strongest. They first swept aside Venice with a 4-0 victory, then defeated Atalanta 2-0, securing the top spot in the league with a superior goal difference.

Juventus' Trezeguet has been particularly impressive. Like Wang Feng, he contributed three goals in two rounds and currently shares the top spot in the goal-scoring chart with Wang Feng.

In second place in the league are Inter Milan, who have also won their first two matches. Following them are Roma, Lazio, Parma, and Fiorentina. Among the new "Big Seven" of Serie A, only AC Milan seems to have fallen behind.

AC Milan, with one draw and one loss in two rounds, is ranked thirteenth. They first drew 2-2 with Brescia in the opening round, then suffered a 1-3 defeat against Fiorentina. The Rossoneri, reinforced with the signings of Rui Costa and Inzaghi during the summer, evidently need some time to adapt to the new lineup.

Italian media have mocked AC Milan, with Milan Sports Newspaper reporting: "Wang Feng, valued at 20 million euros, leads Inter Milan to two consecutive wins, while Rui Costa is valued at 42 million euros and Inzaghi at 36.2 million euros, yet they lead AC Milan straight into the relegation zone. The editor seems a bit bad at math."

After this match, Wang Feng once again won the Best Player of the Match award with his attacking planning and a goal. According to the terms of his contract with Inter Milan, he receives an additional bonus whenever he is named the best player of the match, although not much, it still comes as a pleasant surprise.

Midweek saw the third round of the Coppa Italia matches, with Inter Milan facing Serie B team Pescara. Wang Feng was not included in the squad list, and several key players were also rotated.

However, Inter Milan's bench strength was still stronger compared to the Serie B team, so they won 3-0 and smoothly advanced to the next round.

Back at home for the third round of Serie A, Inter Milan faced a challenge from Venice. When the match reached the 81st minute, the score was tied 1-1.

"It seems that Wang Feng's dribbling is even more exaggerated than mine. In that case, the strain on the knees would be even greater. I should remind him sometime not to use this move too often."

Of course, there was still a hint of envy in Ronaldo's heart, purely envying Wang Feng's ability to gallop on the field, while he himself has been away from this stage for a long time.

At this moment, he had already begun to entertain the idea of leaving. He had won many honors at Inter Milan and even won the FIFA World Player award. It seems it's time to move on.

After Inter Milan secured three consecutive wins in the league, Wang Feng ranked first in the top scorers' chart with an impressive record of five goals in three rounds, prompting Italian media to hype him once again.

Milan Sports Newspaper described Wang Feng as a "born marksman," stating, "At the age of eighteen, he is already heading for the Serie A Golden Boot, a phenomenon never seen before. We don't know how to explain this, we can only say that Wang may be a born marksman."

The Rome Sports Newspaper published a photo of Ronaldo's surprised expression in the stands, then reported, "Wang Feng performed his signature pendulum dribble in front of Ronnie, as if to say that Inter Milan has a successor, but it remains to be seen whether he will suffer the tragic fate of injury."

In the dressing room after the match, Ronaldo found Wang Feng and said to him, "Wang, your pendulum dribble is truly wonderful. It can be said that the student surpasses the master, but this move imposes a heavy toll on the knees. You should refrain from using it lightly."

Wang Feng nodded, "I understand. Actually, I feel uncomfortable in my knees when using it. I won't use this move frequently."

Although Wang Feng has super self-healing abilities, he cannot avoid injuries. According to his estimate, if he uses the pendulum dribble more than four times in a match, the knee's tolerance will reach its limit, and he will likely be injured during the game.

After three rounds of matches, Serie A ushered in two weeks of international break. With no national team duties, Wang Feng could only intensify his training to maintain his competitive form. It's worth mentioning that the Chinese team achieved two wins and one draw in the final round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers Group A, making it highly likely to advance to the World Cup.

This delighted the relevant officials. Not calling up Wang Feng didn't result in any loss of benefits or a drop in performance, boosting their confidence.

As the national team matches concluded, players gradually returned to the club, but the long journey had left them in poor condition. Team doctor Brian Harte complained, "Every time I check on the returning national team players, I feel anxious. Did they work like slaves in the national team, or what happened to make them look so miserable?"

National team training and matches often cannot match the level of organization and scientific approach of club training, so players often get injured during national team training.