Who made him play as a winger/attacking midfielder?

Chapter 29 A Prodigy in Gasperini's Eyes! A Flying Start to the New Season!

"Kid, what do you think of the intensity of Serie A?"

Freuler stared at Chang Huan, whom he had knocked down three seconds earlier, with a harmless smile on his face.

Chang Huan, who had been pulled up by Zheke, shrugged: "The intensity is average."

"Hehe~"

As their bodies intertwined, Freuler whispered a menacing threat: "Watch out, or I'll break your legs!"

Chang Huan suddenly raised his hand and looked at the referee, Giacomo, two meters away, and loudly complained, "Referee, he said he was going to break my leg!"

???

Freuler clearly didn't expect Chang Huan to be so reckless, actually filing a complaint right in front of the referee!

Giacomelli, who was not far away, vaguely heard something.

But usually they just pretend to ignore it; when have you ever encountered a player directly complaining?

"Ahem~"

Referee Giacomo cleared his throat and gave Freuler a symbolic verbal warning: "Focus on the game!"

After saying that, he turned to look at Chang Huan: "You too."

Chang Huan nodded repeatedly, covering her mouth as she backed away, and asked the Swiss powerhouse Freuler, "How do you feel?"

Freuler: "..."

Kolarov's free kick from about 30 meters out was of average quality.

The shot was powerful, but unfortunately the angle was too straight, allowing Albanian goalkeeper Berisha to easily score.

Despite leading, Roma continued to employ a defensive counter-attacking strategy.

With El Shaarawy and Chang Huan providing deep defensive support on both flanks in a 4-1-4-1 defensive formation, Atalanta's two wing-backs were able to limit their effectiveness.

Solve the home team's attack from the source.

Defend and then attack.

The midfield trio all possess strong ball control and passing abilities.

With Chang Huan's elusive runs and precise passing on the right flank, the attack progressed very smoothly.

Right-back Perez actively contributed to the attack, widening the space vacated by Chang Huan.

Rome's entire offensive became more multi-dimensional.

Atlanta's defensive midfielder Freuler was itching to teach Chang Huan a lesson.

Five minutes passed, and not only did they not find an opportunity, they were also thoroughly outmaneuvered.

First, the fried dough ball easily broke through, then he dribbled inside and used a fast-slow-fast rhythm to cleverly get rid of the ball.

The football was passed around continuously, rolling rapidly toward Chang Huan on the right flank.

Chang Huan, having anticipated the move, passed the ball laterally to Nainggolan, who then made a diagonal run into the flank.

Freuler snatched a lonely lone wolf.

Nainggolan also passed the ball with one touch.

A wall-banging, two-on-two pass!

Seeing Chang Huan's forward passing lane, Freuler panicked and kicked the man to the ground without pulling back his foot.

The referee blew his whistle and promptly called a foul.

"Don't get up yet."

Strootman pressed Chang Huan, who was unharmed, back down, then got up and, together with De Rossi, Dzeko, and Nainggolan, made a card-drawing motion to put pressure on him.

Atalanta players including Cristante, Hateboer, and Palomino stepped forward to express their delight at the diving.

The players from both sides were entangled in a struggle.

Referee Giacomo first signaled for the team doctor to enter the field, then walked around the Atalanta players who were intentionally blocking his way, walked up to Freuler, and took out a yellow card from his breast pocket.

"The referee showed Freuler a yellow card; this is his second yellow card!"

"This is what CCTV-5 commentator Zhu Xiaoyu said loudly."

The next moment, the referee noticed that the card showed Atalanta's number 11 player had received a yellow card.

That was Freuler's number, and he decisively pulled out a red card from his pocket and showed it.

"Phew phew phew—"

Atlanta fans at the Blue Arena instinctively booed loudly at the referee.

The home team's coach, Gasperini, spread his hands in the technical area, expressing his dissatisfaction with the referee's decision.

But he knew that a yellow card wouldn't be a problem.

Cristante was drawn to Nainggolan's late run, and if Freuler let Chang Huan pass, he would be directly facing the two center-backs.

"This Chinese kid is a prodigy!"

Gasperini glanced at Chang Huan, who was being helped up by the team doctor, then turned to his chief assistant, Gritti: "Tullio, call Martin (De Roon) over."

Freuler walked off the field in frustration, and Atlanta made adjustments accordingly.

They replaced attacking midfielder Alejandro Gomez with Dutch midfielder De Roon.

Roma were awarded a direct free kick from almost the same position as their opening goal, and Kolarov, with Chang Huan providing cover, repeated the same tactic.

Atalanta's goalkeeper Berisha is, after all, the Albanian national team goalkeeper. How could he fall into the same trap twice?

With the home team trailing and playing with one less player, their attack became easier.

Quickly move through midfield and pass the ball to the wing-back who is making a run into the box.

Center forward Cornelius and attacking midfielder Kurtic entered the penalty area to contest for the header.

It's certainly good to be able to catch the ball at the right spot and hit the target area.

If we can't get the ball, let's see if we can get a corner kick.

At that time, they can take advantage of their high ground to try and tie the score.

Many times, plans are wonderful, but turning them into reality is very difficult.

Roma's midfield trio covers a wide area and complements each other's skills.

El Shaarawy and Chang Huan on both sides displayed high defensive intensity, and their overall high-pressing effectively limited the accuracy of Atalanta's midfield and defense, preventing the backline from being directly exposed to the home team's attack.

Unless the opportunity is exceptionally good, Rome doesn't prioritize speed in their counter-attacks.

Leveraging our numerical advantage to advance as a whole, and patiently passing the baton to create excellent opportunities.

El Shaarawy was somewhat sidelined in positional warfare, while Chang Huan performed in stark contrast, playing exceptionally well.

Able to pass and break through.

With free-kick specialist Kolarov in the lineup, the home team, playing with one less player, dared not commit fouls in dangerous areas.

Chang Huan performed with ease under pressure, prompting Italian Sky Sports commentator Fabio Carreza to praise him: "You can't believe this is only his second professional substitute appearance; his performance was outstanding."

Chief technical expert Beppe Bergomi nodded and said, "He has strong individual skills and handles the ball very rationally. He gives me the feeling of a seasoned veteran with rich professional experience."

"Rome really struck gold!"

Fabio Carreza gave it high praise.

The home team coach directs the technical area.

Gasperini is brainstorming with his assistant, Gritti.

How to break free from the unfavorable situation of the defensive line.

I came up with a solution, but... it didn't work.

On the contrary, Chang Huan found a breakthrough and helped Roma secure the victory!

In the 87th minute, Atalanta's attack and defense became disconnected due to fatigue, and when they received the ball in their own half, they could only make long passes to their tall striker.

Cornelius was unable to jump fully under pressure from Fazio, and the ball bounced off the ground and was caught by another center-back, Juan Jesus.

De Rossi receives the ball near the center circle and makes a long pass to orchestrate the attack.

The football, rising rapidly from the ground, flew quickly towards Chang Huan on the right wing.

The opposing wing-back Gosens and the covering defensive midfielder De Roon quickly moved over.

To maintain a compact formation, the players naturally shifted towards the left flank.

Roma forward Dzeko, left winger El Shaarawy, and box-to-box striker Nainggolan also joined the fray.

Chang Huan used the outside of his left foot to perfectly stop the ball half a meter to the left rear. Taking advantage of the defender's reluctance to move forward to defend, he decisively swung his left foot and made a long pass.

The live broadcast director switched the camera, and the football flew towards the left flank of the attack like a falling meteor.

"Ooh ooh ooh—"

The home fans in the stands instinctively gasped in surprise.

"Alexander Kolarov!"

Fabio Carreza, the commentator for Sky Sports Italy, raised his voice an octave.

This Serbian international has a high football IQ. He stopped Chang Huan's perfectly timed long pass in his comfort zone, stepped out with his right foot to support his body, and quickly completed the cross with his left foot!

The right center-back, Masciello, was a fraction of a second too late to cover and failed to make the crucial save.

Toloi, the central defender positioned near the near post, was drawn away by El Shaarawy.

Roma's tall striker Dzeko, with his right arm raised, held off Atalanta's left-sided center-back Palomino and leaped to head the ball!

Berisha was helpless against a tricky header from eight yards out...

Roma leads 2-0 away from home!

Playing at home with one less player, Atlanta seemed to have accepted the reality of losing the game.

The restarted match lacked the previous edge.

With a two-goal lead, Roma focused on controlling the game and maintained their advantage until the final whistle.

Ultimately, they secured a resounding 2-0 victory against Atalanta, the "true blue and black," away from home.