Starting With Real Madrid

When the French referee Alain Sars blew the whistle to start the game, deafening cheers erupted from the Bernabeu Stadium. Over 75,000 Real Madrid fans cheered in unison for their team.

Standing in the center circle, AC Milan striker Inzaghi, wearing a red and black jersey, quickly kicked the ball to Shevchenko.

The Ukrainian striker passed the ball back to the midfield without stopping it, directing it straight to the backline.

Kaka, who had just appeared on the live TV footage with a handsome smile on his face, had not yet fully suppressed his smile when he saw three Real Madrid players rushing past him from the midline.

Raul, Ronaldo, and Beckham!

Kaka was a little surprised and turned to look behind him.

When Pirlo just received the ball, Ronaldo had already rushed in front of him. This startled the Italian midfielder, who immediately turned to knock the ball back.

But Ronaldo continued to charge forward without slowing down, approaching Nesta and Kaladze behind Pirlo.

At the same time, Raul and Beckham were also pressing AC Milan's defense.

Almost instantly, AC Milan's central defenders chose to pass back.

But Ronaldo still did not slow down and rushed directly towards the penalty area.

Dida resolutely came off his line, not daring to stop the ball, and kicked it forward with a big boot.

The quality of Dida's clearance was poor. It was immediately intercepted by Real Madrid's defense.

Ronaldo slowed down outside the penalty area, smiled at his Brazilian compatriot, showing his iconic rabbit teeth, but then turned around and ran back immediately, without a hint of hesitation.

"Ma Dan, afraid of offside!" he muttered.

Dida immediately shouted to his teammates in front, "Be careful."

Soon, Real Madrid's attack commenced.

...

As soon as the game whistle sounded, Real Madrid pushed the game into high gear with an aggressive attack.

No one expected this.

But from the tactical effect, Gao Shen was very satisfied.

AC Milan, known for their technical play and ball control, was different from Barcelona.

There were two major differences.

Firstly, in the midfield and frontcourt, especially after losing the ball, AC Milan did not invest heavily in counter-attacks. Instead, they focused on maintaining the order and stability of their defensive formation.

Ancelotti remained conservative at heart.

Secondly, the technical ability of AC Milan's players was not as refined as Barcelona's. Even Brazilian players like Kaka couldn't compare to the likes of Ronaldinho or Iniesta in terms of technical finesse.

Thus, AC Milan's ability to control the ball was much weaker than Barcelona's. Coupled with the age factor, their players' movement was not as good as Barcelona's. So after regaining the ball, they often opted for short passes in the middle and backfield rather than quick plays.

Anyone familiar with Sacchi's tactical system from back then knows this is similar to the Dutch Three Musketeers period.

This approach has its advantages, such as inducing the opponent's midfield and frontcourt to engage in on-the-spot counter-attacks, thereby exploiting the weaknesses in the opponent's defense.

Pirlo's long passes and Kaka's dribbling breakthroughs often played a key role in these counterattacks.

AC Milan's success in winning the Champions League the next season with the oldest lineup in history, and Kaka winning the Ballon d'Or and World Player of the Year, were due to Ancelotti's tactical style.

But this approach was not without flaws.

There were two ways to counter it: one, like Lyon, applying pressure in the frontcourt to cut off the connection between AC Milan's defenders and midfielders, limiting Kaka; and two, maintaining a tight defense after losing the ball.

Gao Shen did not bet solely on the first option because it was too aggressive. If the frontcourt pressing failed, Pirlo and Kaka would find opportunities to exploit the back line, making it very dangerous. He also did not choose the second option outright, as it would make the game too passive.

He chose a combination of both.

Pirlo was easier to limit; the key was Kaka.

So, Gao Shen had Gravesen and De La Red limit Kaka while protecting the defense line.

If the midfield and frontcourt pressure wasn't strong enough, they would delay or interrupt AC Milan's advance, choosing the second option if necessary, including various technical fouls.

As for the effect, one only needed to look at Ancelotti's expression.

...

Since the start of the game, Ancelotti had not returned to the visiting team's coaching bench, and his expression remained tense.

Although he mentally prepared himself before the game, he underestimated Gao Shen's determination.

Gao Shen was even crazier than he had imagined.

From the start of the game, he did not hold back at all, pulling the game into the fast lane.

This fast-paced attack and defense made AC Milan very uncomfortable.

Everyone knew there was no such game rhythm in Serie A.

What's worse, Gao Shen was targeting AC Milan's weakness.

When Milan had possession, Real Madrid increased their pressing, trying to regain the ball as quickly as possible. Milan's lack of a strong counter-attack after losing the ball allowed Real Madrid to either counter-attack quickly or switch to possession.

Technically, Milan was not dominant against Real Madrid.

What was even more unbelievable was that Raul, Ronaldo, Beckham, and Zidane, the world's top and most extravagant superstar lineup, pressed AC Milan step by step under Gao Shen's command.

"I wonder how Queiroz and Luxemburgo would feel seeing this," Mauro Tasotti couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Real Madrid's poor performance in the past three years was blamed on the frontcourt superstars.

But now, what those famous coaches couldn't handle, Gao Shen had managed.

Gao Shen used the top superstars as hardworking players, even playing Ronaldo like Negredo, and the superstars were happy about it.

"We are about ten points behind in possession right now," Mauro Tasotti reminded.

Fifty-five to forty-five.

Ancelotti's frown deepened.

In the first ten minutes, both teams had shots, but neither posed a direct threat.

Real Madrid had four shots, AC Milan one.

"What is this kid playing?" Ancelotti couldn't understand.

How long could Real Madrid maintain this intensity?

Especially players like Ronaldo and Zidane, could they last until the end of the first half?

"Could it be that he wants to fight with us and then in the second half..." Mauro Tasotti guessed.

But he quickly realized this was unlikely.

If it were about endurance, he would use Negredo, not Ronaldo.

Ronaldo was a sharp weapon meant to score goals.

As Ancelotti and Tasotti pondered, the stadium erupted in exclamations.

Gravesen and De La Red double-teamed Kaka. Gravesen was more agile, took the ball first, and passed it to Zidane in the frontcourt.

Zidane blocked Pirlo with his body.

The Italian midfielder was almost immobilized by Zidane, unable to resist.

The French midfielder stopped, picked, turned, and passed to Raul.

Raul, attracting the attention of Stam and Nesta, sent a diagonal pass to the penalty area.

Ronaldo chased after Kaladze but was still slow.

Dida rushed out and saved the ball.

The Brazilian striker roared angrily, clearly annoyed at his clumsiness and slowness.

If he weren't so out of shape, if he were a bit faster, it would have been a sure shot.

The Real Madrid fans at the scene still applauded warmly, affirming the players' performance.

Ancelotti on the sidelines shouted instructions to Stam and Nesta, indicating they should keep an eye on Ronaldo.

Fat?

No matter how fat, he was still Ronaldo!

...

Real Madrid's momentum continued to build.

Especially after Ronaldo's missed chance, the team's morale surged.

Everyone realized AC Milan feared Real Madrid's frontcourt pressing.

This was evident from the two-leg match in Lyon to the Milan derby.

Tonight at the Bernabeu was no exception.

This was AC Milan's Achilles' heel, something Ancelotti couldn't fix quickly, especially with two strikers.

Real Madrid's pressing often embarrassed AC Milan's defenders, pushing them near the penalty area.

For instance, after Real Madrid intercepted the ball near the midline, Felipe passed to Raul, but Stam headed it to Nesta.

Raul pressed Nesta, who had to kick the ball forward.

The ball reached the frontcourt and was headed back by De La Red, falling near Milan's penalty area.

At the top of the arc, Ronaldo, blocked by Kaladze and Seedorf, fought for the ball.

Seedorf, in the front, jumped but missed. Kaladze, behind, pressed Ronaldo but mistimed his jump. As the ball arrived, Kaladze was already falling.

Ronaldo, unable to jump, broke free and chased forward.

But Kaladze, quick to react, tackled the ball, taking Ronaldo down.

The whistle blew crisply.