Chapter 469: Agnelli, The Ambitious President

After Fernando Llorente scored the third goal for Juventus, the game's tempo slowed down considerably. Of course, the AS Roma players continued attacking, hoping to get another goal and reduce their losing margin. However, the highly tenacious and disciplined Juventus players didn't let them.

The Old Lady players played brilliantly during the final minutes and thwarted all of AS Roma's attempts to create goal-scoring opportunities. Additionally, they utilized clever game management strategies, including time-wasting and borderline fouls, to take the sting out of AS Roma's attacking tempo on multiple occasions. As a result, they effortlessly held on to their 3:1 lead until the game ended after five minutes of added time.

After the final whistle sounded, the Juventus players ran around the pitch celebrating. They were on cloud nine as they had just attained their sixth consecutive win of the recently commenced Serie A season. They had already amassed a whopping 18 points and were thus the undisputable table leaders of the Italian Serie A. They were already having a great season, for sure.

**** ****

"I can't even begin to express how disappointed I'm with our performance today."

After the game, Rudi Garcia, the AS Roma coach, took the press conference with a cold expression. He glanced into the cameras and continued, "We started slow and allowed Juventus to dictate the tempo during the opening minutes. As a result, we quickly conceded the opening goal, which put us on the back foot. We were also not at our best in our marking during the latter part of the game. We allowed players like Zachary and Claudio Marchisio a lot of room in the midfield, permitting them to punish us. All in all, our performance was below standard tonight."

"Coach," the reporter said, "You just mentioned Zachary Bemba, the young Juventus playmaker. He has been in good form over the past few weeks. He was again the difference in today's game. What's your impression of him?"

"Well," Coach Rudi Garcia said with a sigh, "All I can say is that Coach Allegri is a lucky manager to have such a talented player in his squad. Zachary is just so good on the field, with an uncanny ability to take hold of the ball, control games, run at players, pass and score, and be the difference in any competitive game. Up close or in one-on-one situations: you can't touch him since he's always in control. If he has the ball at his feet, he determines everything around him, including the opponent's decision-making. He's just so hard to mark, and being his opponent is a hard place to be."

"However," the coach quickly continued, "we shouldn't use his brilliance as an excuse to lose. No disrespect to Zachary, he's a great player, but we could have limited his influence on the field if we had utilized proper man-marking and zonal marking strategies. At least, we would have stopped him from scoring the second goal and prevented him from advancing the counter that resulted in the third. But we didn't try hard enough, and he punished us. And that's why we lost to Juventus by three goals to one."

"The loss today was your first this season," the reporter chimed in. "That implies that you now have 15 points, placing you in the second spot behind the table leaders – Juventus, who, by the way, have won all their games this season so far."

"Yes," Coach Rudi Garcia agreed, "It's a pity as the loss today puts us three points behind Juventus on the Serie A table. But again, the season has just begun. We have many games ahead of us, and anything can happen along the course of the season. If we work hard and win most of our upcoming games, it's highly possible to overtake Juventus on the Serie A table and even win the title. We only have to believe in ourselves."

"One last question, Rudi," the reporter said with a smile. "Juventus has already won all their six opening games this season. Do you think they can maintain a perfect winning streak or, at the very least, an unbeaten run until the end of the season?"

"You're funny." Coach Rudi Garcia laughed on hearing the question. "Do you really think it's possible for a team in a highly competitive top league, such as the Serie A, to achieve an unbeaten run? Let's take a look at Juventus, for instance. They still have to face off against other top teams like Fiorentina, AC, Milan, Inter Milan, and their local rivals – Torino. Do you really think they will come out of all those games unscathed?"

"I think it's possible, especially since they have great depth in their squad," the reporter argued.

"Then, your understanding of football and top-level competitive matches is quite limited," the coach said with a scoff. "In football, many things can happen during a season. Injuries can happen, the team's morale might also dip at certain times, and the opponents might be more prepared than you during some games. Tell me! With all those factors in play, do you think a team can achieve an unbeaten run or a perfect winning streak? Moreover, is that possible in today's Serie A?" The coach looked at the reporter as if he was a clown.

"You never know," the reporter answered meekly.

The coach shook his head, feeling exasperated. "Then, let me tell you this: There isn't a possibility of Juventus achieving a perfect winning streak or an unbeaten run this season. No disrespect to Juventus — they are a great side filled with many talents. However, let's also not forget that the Italian Serie A has grown more competitive over the past few years. Many dark horses are waiting to upset the big names. So, considering all that, I can say that Juventus will lose a game at some point in time. They will drop three, six, nine, or even more points long before the end of the season, and we'll be able to catch up with them on the Serie A table. We might even beat them to the title."

The reporter laughed on hearing that. "You must have very great belief in your players, then."

"Of course," Coach Rudi Garcia concurred with a nod. "AS Roma is a side filled with many talents this season. We can compete for the title."

"Okay," the reporter replied, smiling. "Rudi! Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us. I wish you the best in your upcoming games."

"Thank you," Coach Rudi Garcia replied, and the interview ended.

**** ****

The following day, Andrea Agnelli, Juventus FC's president, arrived early in office, at around eight. After signing a few documents on his table, his morning schedule opened up, and he decided to watch the sports news on the big screen in his office.

Switching on the TV, the speakers came alive with the voice of Rudi Garcia, the AS Roma head coach. "You're funny." Coach Rudi Garcia laughed on hearing a reporter's question. "Do you really think that it's possible for a team in a highly competitive top league, such as the Serie A, to achieve an unbeaten run? Let's take a look at Juventus, for instance…"

President Andrea Agnelli's ears perked up after hearing the word Juventus from a rival's mouth. Then, with utmost concentration, President Agnelli listened to Rudi Garcia's interview until it ended a few seconds later.

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"Does this guy think he's God?" The president scoffed after hearing the declaration of the AS Roma coach, claiming that Juventus couldn't achieve an unbeaten run. The whole interview had really left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Can we really not achieve an unbeaten run, even in the league?"

The president started drumming his fingers on his office table until he made a decision. Frowning a bit, he immediately picked up his phone and dialed Fabio Paratici's number.

"Good morning, Fabio," the president spoke into the phone after the call connected. "Thanks for a good job with the first team. I'm glad we defeated AS Roma yesterday night."

"There's no need for thanks, Mr. President. It's my duty." Fabio Paratici, Juventus' sporting director, replied with a chuckle from the other end of the line. "I have a feeling that we'll go places with the current squad of ours. We might even become major contenders for the Champions League title?"

"Really?" President Andrea Agnelli's eyes lit up. "Can we also achieve an unbeaten run in the Serie A this season?"

"Eehh!" There was an exclamation followed by a few seconds of silence before Fabio's voice sounded again. "Mr. President! Did you happen to watch Coach Rudi Garcia's post-match interview yesterday?"

"I just did today morning."

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"Of course." Fabio didn't sound surprised. "That explains everything, and that's why you're calling me today instead of yesterday night."

"So, Fabio," the president said, without minding his subordinate's reaction. "The whole Rudi Garcia interview left a sour taste in my mouth. I wish we could prove him wrong in some way."

"But he was right to a certain extent," Fabio reminded. "It's almost impossible for a team to achieve an unbeaten run in today's Italian Serie A."

"I like your words," the president said excitedly. "I'm glad you said ‘almost impossible,' but not ‘impossible.' It indicates there's a possibility."

"You can say that," Fabio replied. "But even teams with great squads need heaven-defying luck to achieve the feat."

"Then, let's become that team that makes history," President Agnelli chimed in again. "We've many talented players in our squad, including Andrea Pirlo, Zachary Bemba, Claudio, Tevez, and many others. Let's focus on achieving an unbeaten run this season. What do we need to do to achieve this?"

"We need to talk to Coach Allegri about the issue," Fabio responded. "He's the only one who can answer your questions? But don't get your hopes up, as an unbeaten run is difficult to attain over a long season of thirty-eight games. Everything has to be perfect for every game, including squad selection, tactics, and player condition."

"Isn't that what we've been doing over the past few years?" The president questioned. "We only need to step up a little and aim for a slightly more strenuous goal. We must play every game as if it's a final — and just maybe, we can go into the history books of the Italian Serie A. We can even ride that momentum and outcompete the best European teams in the Champions League, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. We only have to ensure that we don't lose a game."

"Okay," Fabio said with a sigh. "Being realistic, the task is almost impossible. But I will still talk to Coach Allegri about the issue today. I will get back to you with a response tomorrow morning."

"Okay, then. I will be waiting for your feedback tomorrow. Have a good day." The president said before ending the call.

—–

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