Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 58 Milan's Recent Situation

This season, with Ancelotti's departure, Leonardo became AC Milan's head coach.

This top star of the 90s has been working in the management of AC Milan since retiring, and he also went to a training course to study coaching.

However, this is AC Milan's shrewd move: unable to find a replacement for Ancelotti, they simply put Leonardo in the head coach position.

Leonardo had no coaching experience, yet he suddenly became the head coach of a top club, so it was inevitable that he would face skepticism from the outside world.

Of course, it's hard to say about Leonardo's coaching ability, given that he's never even been an assistant coach.

However, at the beginning of the season, he said, "I will build an AC Milan team that emphasizes attacking play, just like the Brazilian team in 1982."

This slogan has been remembered by many people.

However, Italian media and fans have now discovered that this guy was just talking; AC Milan hasn't actually changed, and their style of play is vastly different from Brazil's in 1982...

AC Milan still uses the formation from the Ancelotti era, with a slow-paced defensive midfielder as the core and defense as the main weapon. However, without Kaká, their counter-attacks have lost their most powerful weapon.

The result was a poor performance and a bad record, including a humiliating 4-0 defeat at home to Mourinho's Inter Milan, a match that even caused a riot among AC Milan fans in the stadium.

After seven rounds of league play, AC Milan has only managed to secure nine points, placing them in 11th place in the league. Under these circumstances, Leonardo is under immense pressure.

Italian media generally favor Roma to win this round.

As afternoon approached, the San Siro stadium officially opened, and fans flocked into the stadium.

After the warm-up and a series of pre-match procedures were completed, the two teams took their positions, and the referee announced the start of the match with a whistle and hand gestures.

The San Siro stadium immediately entered a heated match mode, with loud cheers erupting from the surrounding stands.

Despite dissatisfaction with the team's performance, fans still hope for a better showing. A victory against league leaders Roma would certainly boost morale.

At the start of the match, the competition between the two sides was not very intense.

The Italian league has a slower pace than the other five major leagues. At the beginning, it's all just tentative competition, even for Roma, who favor an attacking style.

Shan Yongzhuo stood at the very front of the formation, making him a key target for AC Milan's defense. AC Milan's defensive star Thiago Silva immediately came over to closely mark Shan Yongzhuo.

The pace of the game was relatively slow. The two sides then engaged in fierce competition in the midfield. Shan Yongzhuo naturally didn't have many opportunities to get the ball, so he simply stood still and began to accumulate skills.

"Are you casting a spell? I heard from the media that it's a kind of Eastern magic." Silva felt very strange. As a young man, he finally couldn't suppress his doubts and asked Shan Yongzhuo.

"What did you say?"

"Really? You mean this is magic?"

"Are you introducing yourself? T. Silva, your name is Silva, right?"

"So magic really exists? My God."

Silva spoke Portuguese, while Shan Yongzhuo only knew German and Italian. The two had a completely nonsensical conversation, neither understanding the other's meaning, and were simply talking according to their own interpretations.

But at least it looks friendly.

Then, at the 20-minute mark, Roma intensified their attack, and Shan Yongzhuo also dropped back, receiving the ball quite far outside the penalty area.

Thiago Silva wasn't that far away; AC Milan's defensive strategy didn't involve assigning a specific player to mark him. At that moment, Gattuso rushed over, wanting to challenge for the ball.

However, Shan Yongzhuo did not give him a chance. After observing for a while, he found that the players in AC Milan's penalty area were not very dense, and AC Milan's substitute goalkeeper Storari did not seem to be in a serious mood.

Without the slightest hesitation, such an opportunity is hard to come by.

Dan Yongzhuo kicked out directly, chanting a spell in his mind.

The ball flew out immediately, heading towards the goal. Storari reacted and made a desperate save, but it was no use; the ball grazed the crossbar and nestled into the top corner of the net. Chaos erupted immediately at the San Siro stadium.

Roma fans who had traveled to Milan celebrated excitedly, chanting Roma's and Shan Yongzhuo's names. AC Milan fans, on the other hand, talked about the goal with disappointment, while most remained silent.

Roma scored! Shan Yongzhuo scored!

Just 20 minutes later, a 30-meter long-range shot pierced AC Milan's goal.

The San Siro home commentator sighed helplessly, "A truly spectacular world-class goal."

"Shan Yongzhuo, the hottest striker in Serie A right now, took a long-range shot from 30 meters out and scored directly. Gattuso didn't have time to intercept, and Storari was too slow to react."

The game was only 20 minutes in when Shan Yongzhuo scored a goal. And that was only halfway through the game.

Everyone at AC Milan is having a headache.

Head coach Leonardo was also frustrated.

"A striker who can score 13 goals in 7 games is truly impressive."

"His shot was a bit unreasonable."

"How could a ball like that go in?"

“No, we still need to have someone follow him. Thiago doesn’t have enough experience. Let Alessandro do the job.”

Then, Leonardo shouted loudly onto the field, instructing Nesta to closely mark Shan Yongzhuo.

Nesta was also helpless; he had quite a few complaints about Leonardo.

Leonardo's tactics were inconsistent, and his command was somewhat capricious.

However, as a veteran of Milan, he decided to follow the head coach's instructions, which was something he had to do.

Having experienced the ups and downs of his career, Nesta will not underestimate any opponent, especially the hottest striker in Serie A right now. Nesta is determined to give it his all and completely contain his opponent.

Nesta's defense also caused trouble for Shan Yongzhuo.

Nesta, who once held the title of the world's best center-back, may be getting old, but he still has the ability. Being marked by a player like him is definitely not a pleasant experience.

Moreover, in the following match, AC Milan intensified their attack, suppressing Roma in midfield and causing Roma's offensive momentum to stagnate.

Roma's 4-2-3-1 formation, while very effective in the attacking third, also had a glaring weakness in midfield. When Ronaldinho dropped back slightly, he and Pirlo orchestrated the attack, creating pressure on Roma in midfield and giving Pato some opportunities.

Twenty minutes into the game, AC Milan scored again.

A through ball from Pirlo went directly through the gap between De Rossi and Pizarro. Pato received the ball and broke past Mexes, who had no choice but to foul him.

Pirlo's free kick went straight into Roma's goal.

AC Milan equalized in the 40th minute.

For those twenty minutes, Shan Yongzhuo was constantly entangled with Nesta and didn't receive much support.

Nesta relies more on anticipation and positioning in defense, and his movements are very clean and efficient, without many tricks.

Under such defense, it is quite difficult for Shan Yongzhuo to receive the ball at a relatively close distance.

Even with the Ghostly Grappling Hand activated, it would be difficult to break through the penalty area with ease. The Whirlwind Ground Kick was usable, but Nesta was always by his side, and Gattuso was also watching closely from a distance, so Shan Yongzhuo didn't dare to use it easily.

(End of this chapter)