"Is the 'Maestro' a fluke?"
Before the Lazio kickoff, that was the question echoing through the studios of Torino Sport and Milan Sports Newspaper. Critics pointed to Renzo's early success against mid-table fodder, claiming the "tactical cages" of a top-four Serie A defense would swallow a 16-year-old whole.
They were wrong.
Fiorentina didn't just beat Lazio; they erased them. The final stats were a horror show for the Romans: 71% possession for the Viola. In the first half of the season, Montella's side struggled to keep 50% against the elite.
With Renzo at the helm, the passing wasn't just "possession for possession's sake." It was a strangulation. Lazio's 29% was a desperate, gasping figure, leaving the "Blue Eagles" grounded in their own stadium.
While the newspapers were busy crowning Renzo the new King of Florence, Head Coach Vincenzo Montella was staring at a different kind of masterpiece in the team's medical center.
"Look at the knee scans, Vincenzo," the team doctor said, handing over a tablet. "This is Mario Gómez after six consecutive starts. It's... pristine."
Montella blinked. A year ago, Gómez couldn't play three games without his left knee swelling like a balloon. The medial collateral ligament injury that cost him the 2014 World Cup had turned him into a "limited minutes" player.
"How?" Montella whispered.
"It's the kid," the doctor replied. "In your old system, Mario had to drop deep, sprint 40 yards to track back, and wrestle with two center-backs just to get a touch. He was burning his joints just to stay in the game."
"But with Renzo?" The doctor traced a line on the screen. "Mario's running distance has dropped by 30%, but his touches in the box have doubled. Renzo finds him so accurately that Mario just has to... exist. He's a pure executioner now. The 'Renzo System' has literally extended Mario's career by three years."
But the news wasn't all purple. The doctor pulled up a second report: Alberto Aquilani.
"The 'Little Prince' is red-lining," the doctor warned. "His fighting spirit has returned because of Renzo, but his body is still 30. He's covering too much ground trying to keep up with the kids. If you don't rotate him, he's going to snap."
Montella nodded, his face hardening. The upcoming clash against Inter Milan was a massive stage—the first game of the new "CCTV Era." He needed his veterans, but he couldn't afford to break them.
Back in his dormitory, Renzo felt a tickle in his nose—a sneeze that usually meant someone, somewhere, was talking about him.
He didn't care about the gossip. He swiped his hand in the air, opening the Milestone Mode interface. Two golden envelopes were vibrating, glowing with an intensity he hadn't seen since his Liverpool days.
[NOTIFICATION: CHAPTER 61-68 MILESTONES CALCULATED]
[BONUS: "ROMAN CONQUEROR" & "LEGENDARY RECOGNITION" DETECTED]
Renzo's heart hammered against his ribs. It was time to see exactly how much the "Goddess of Football" had rewarded his Roman campaign.
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