Chapter 55 Ugly

Chapter 55 Ugly

A 2:2 draw with Schalke 04 in the away game, AC Milan lost a good game?

No, judging from the various technical statistics after the game, AC Milan does not have an advantage in the game. Whether it is the number of shots, ball possession time, or ball possession area, AC Milan does not have an absolute advantage. What is dominant is that both goals are ahead of the opponent.

In fact, Ancelotti needs to thank Kuranyi for his poor shooting skills, because AC Milan once again had an "instant short circuit" in the game like last season's European Champions Cup final against Liverpool, and the "short circuit" happened to be Appeared after two Schalke 04 equalizers.

After Soren Larsson equalized the score for the home team, Schalke 04's morale was boosted, while AC Milan fell into a brief moment of confusion, and then Kuranyi's header, brushing the far post, flew out of the baseline , Dida did not make any response, and after Altintop's long-range shot equalized the score for Schalke 04, Sander got another chance to head the ball from close range. This time Dida saved the team, he Feishen stabbed the must-goal over the crossbar with his fingertips.

Judging from the progress of the game, AC Milan still controlled the situation on the field most of the time, but it was the loss of power for a few minutes after two goals and two conceded goals that "pulled" the technical statistics of both sides back.

In fact, in the first four minutes of the second half against Treviso in the last round of the league, AC Milan allowed the opponent to intercept the ball twice in a row and shoot four times in a row. I'm afraid that AC Milan will face a full-fledged team in the away game, and it will be crushed. Of course, in the last league game, AC Milan scored another goal after successfully adjusting itself.

However, not every opponent is Treviso and Schalke 04, and not every shooter is like Reginaldo and Kuranyi. Such situations occur frequently, how dangerous!

Why is there a "short circuit"?

From the perspective of the phenomenon, one is slackness, just like last season's Champions League final against Liverpool. After scoring a goal, the toughness of the opponent's counterattack and one's own resistance are underestimated. The slack mood and lack of tension lead to the loss of players' attention. No concentration, however, in the football field, the rapid changes require the coach and players to be 100% focused at any moment.

Another important point is the inconsistency of ideas on offense and defense. How to play after leading?

Should we control the tempo or speed up the counterattack?

And after the opponent scores, should he immediately press out to win?

Or hold tight and wait for the opponent to have a loophole?

Without a clear idea, it will definitely be messed up. In this game, when the team needed Ancelotti to give the players clear instructions, Ancelotti panicked first.

The "short circuit" against Treviso did not change the situation, and the "short circuit" against Schalke 04 only lost two points. After all, the away draw against Schalke 04 is also a completely acceptable result, but the other games are It's different, if the "short circuit" problem cannot be solved in time, AC Milan will face even bigger problems in the future.

AC Milan originally had an excellent opportunity in this game, but when they took the lead again, the shouts of 50,000 German fans at the scene made Ancelotti and his players mess up.

Shevchenko's goal was equalized by the opponent's first substitution. In a hurry, Ancelotti changed three players in six minutes, but in the end he failed to turn the situation around.

This moment can't help but remind people of the key battle between Juventus and Roma in the Serie A league. Facing Capello's calm adjustments, Ancelotti's performance was clumsy, and the substitutions were not targeted. The tactics went up and down, and it was only at the last moment that they thought of a Jedi counterattack, but it didn't help, and they gave up the almost won league championship to the Romans.

The process of this game is also similar. The goal was scored in 22 seconds in the opening game. The third fastest record in history was born. Seedorf, who was criticized for his performance in the first few games of the league, shot with his right foot from 25 meters away. Rose Te was surprised to see the ball roll from his hands into the net.

The time consumed by this goal is second only to Arsenal's Gilberto's goal in 20.07 seconds against PSV on September 25, 2002, and Del Piero's goal against Manchester United on October 1, 1997. A goal was scored in 20.12 seconds of the game.

AC Milan got off to a good start, and Schalke 04's equalizer was equally astonishing. In the third minute, Lincoln broke through from the left to the penalty area. When the cross was passed, the ball bounced off Nesta's shin, becoming a perfect goal for Larsson. Good assist, the Danish forward scored with a header.

When Larsson scored, AC Milan's defense was too loose against Larsson. When Lincoln made a cross, no one even looked at him, and Caladze simply ignored him.

It has been two consecutive games without conceding a goal, which was great news for Ancelotti. Because in previous games, Milan has not seen such a good momentum. The situation of the team's defense is quite delicate. Stam cannot play, and Kaladze's state is still doubtful. The mistakes of defending Larson really dare not make people optimistic about his future.

However, fortunately, there is still an experienced combination of Maldini and Nesta in the middle that can still be relied on.

In this game, Maldini played the best form of the new season. He performed extremely well on both ends of the offense and defense. In the tenth minute, Pirlo took a free kick in the frontcourt. Maldini headed the ball backwards. Gilardino One step short of hitting the ball.

A minute later, Maldini reappeared in front of the goal, ruining a superb scoring chance of Kuranyi. When Maldini tackled the ball from the end line, it was in stark contrast to Dida. Responses were noticeably slower.

In the 33rd minute, Kuranyi received a long pass from his partner and found himself unguarded on the edge of the penalty area. In the end, it was all thanks to Maldini's desperate tackle that allowed Kuranyi to be three or four meters away from Dida. miss the ball.

Veteran Maldini used his own efforts to defend the glory of the Milan captain, but Ancelotti's on-the-spot command in this game can only be marked by clumsiness.

Ancelotti said before the game that the quality should be used to overwhelm the Germans. In terms of physical strength, Milan will definitely not be able to compete with Schalke 04, although the average height and weight of the two teams are basically the same. But physical strength is what the Germans admire most and what they are best at.

Schalke 04 coach Rangnick also admitted: "AC Milan has quality, and we have physical strength."

However, the situation on the field made the "wise man" and "muscular man" fall down.

Ambrosini is a physical player, and his injury just gave Ancelotti a reason to let his confidant, Seedorf, play. This is also the Dutchman's 100 European games. Using the Dutchman was a coup, and his goal saved Milan from falling behind from the start.

However, Rangnick successfully used Poulsen. The Dane's task was to defend Kaka closely. Kaka, who was seriously disturbed, could not help Shevchenko and Gilardino at all. The two forwards looked abnormal. alone.

In the second half, Gattuso, Pirlo and even Maldini stepped up the flank attack, and the direct result of this strategy was Shevchenko's goal.

In the fifty-ninth minute, Maldini made a cross from the left, and Shevchenko beat Rost with a perfect header. Eusebio is tied for fourth in the history of the Champions League.

Immediately after Milan's goal, Rangnick replaced striker Altintop. Two minutes later, the freshman's long-range shot from 25 meters broke Dida's defense.

In desperation, Ancelotti replaced three people in a row, but among the three replaced, Stam was just injured, Vieri hadn't adapted to the field, and Rui Costa was not as strong as Paulson.

In the following ten minutes, Schalke 04's ball possession rate reached 70%. Ancelotti's poor on-the-spot response could only make the team swallow the bitter fruit of the draw in haste.

Before the game against Schalke 04, Ancelotti had a premonition that the game would be difficult, and he also made some adjustments to AC Milan, making long passes, speeding up the pace, and catching counterattacks, which have become AC Milan's recent training. The key word, Pirlo's long pass finds Gilardino or Vieri, relying on the accurate ferry or ball protection of the two to create opportunities for Shevchenko and Kaka, this is after the introduction of the winger concept, AC Milan should have changed, but judging from the current situation, the problem seems to be extreme. Ancelotti also seems to be swaying on some issues. Against Treviso and against Schalke 04, the two away games drew one One win, 4 goals scored, 2 goals conceded, there is nothing unacceptable from the data, but from the scene, AC Milan does not have the demeanor of a strong team.

In the game against Treviso, AC Milan was superior in every aspect of statistics, but the fatal thing was that it gave the opponent too many opportunities to enter the penalty area. Chenko created some space and created two chances for Gilardino, but also allowed Schalke 04 to get frequent shots on the edge of the penalty area and inside the penalty area. Schalke 04 shot four more shots than AC Milan. This time, there are obviously more opportunities than AC Milan. From the scene, AC Milan's advantages are completely invisible.

Compared with the previous loss to Sampdoria and last season's loss to Bologna, they surrounded the opponent and besieged them. In the 2004 game, AC Milan's success lies in the fact that they basically did not defend more with less, but this does not mean a complete success, because the attack power and overall strength of the two opponents are limited after all, and when they encounter a strong opponent If the dialogue is strong, the style of play praised by Ancelotti may be a kind of "suicide" with a change of direction.

When Ancelotti built this team, he did not buy players according to the anti-reverse team. This is also doomed to AC Milan's defensive style of play. It is to give up its strengths and use its own weaknesses. , AC Milan used Seedorf and Pirlo in the midfield, and they are destined to focus on possession of the ball. When defending, the lateral interception area will not be too large. In Ancelotti's anti-reverse concept, Pirlo Accurate long pass is an essential part.

In terms of formation, Ancelotti also has self-contradiction. Since he is anti-reverse, why not increase the density of the midfield and the interception on the side. Under the law, Kaka, who has performed the best this season, has become the most idle person in this game. Kaka's final angry end is not only due to Poulsen's provocation, but also because he feels restrained from his own performance in this game.

Offensive teams also have the opportunity to defend and counterattack. Serie A is not so disparate that there is a team that can allow AC Milan to play halftime for 90 minutes. As long as there is an offense, there is a chance for defensive counterattack. It is right to catch long passes, but it is not wise to emphasize long passes frequently in positional attacks, especially for AC Milan, which has an excellent midfielder like Kaka. Ancelotti's approach , is tantamount to abolishing half of his martial arts.

Pirlo created at least four opportunities with long passes in the game, but none of them were grasped. This is caused by the extremely variable characteristics of long passes. It is easy for the opposing defender to judge and interfere with the striker. No matter how perfect it is, the success rate will be relatively low.

It can be said that the current AC Milan is in an unstable state and mentality, and is walking at a crossroads. How to choose the right path is something that Ancelotti needs to seriously consider.

Ancelotti said: "Schalke pursues a typical German football. Their physical strength is extremely abundant. I need players in good condition."

Is Digan not in good shape?

As long as he played the game before, AC Milan won all the games, a hat-trick against Ascoli, a brace against Fenerbahce, half a game against Lazio helped the team seal the victory, against Trey Viso was Degan's goal again, helping the team win.

But in this game, Ancelotti used Digan's poor physical condition as an excuse, and directly excluded him from the 18-man squad. Just imagine, if Digan played in this game instead of Gilardino , what will be the result?

Perhaps because he hasn't adapted to the Champions Cup, Gilardino can't always grasp the opportunity, although he and Schalke 04 striker Kuranyi were the protagonists of both sides' offense throughout the first half.

Gilardino also got several good scoring opportunities in a row. In the tenth minute, when Maldini's header was ferried, he was a hair's breadth away. In the 20th minute, Milan got a very good chance. Pirlo made a perfect pass and hoisted the ball to the unguarded Gilardino in the penalty area. The latter controlled the ball with his right foot, but his left foot destroyed the goal. scored a goal.

And on the field, the cooperation between Gilardino and Shevchenko was not so tacit. The most obvious thing was that in the 30th minute, Gilardino stuffed the ball from outside the penalty area to Shevchenko in the front right. It can be a beautiful cooperation in the penalty area, but it is a pity that the ball is passed too much.

In the 24th minute of the second half, Shevchenko and Gilardino played two-on-two in a fast counterattack, but the Ukrainian failed to pass the ball to Gilardino and lost a leading opportunity. , the Ukrainians are already less trusting.

Seeing that Gilardino had no choice, Ancelotti decided to let Vieri try his luck, but Vieri's performance was even more disappointing, wasting an opportunity for Milan to go beyond.

In the 44th minute, Shevchenko received a long pass from his teammate and faced the goalkeeper alone, but collided with Vieri. Milan lost the final chance of victory.

The question suddenly came back, if Degan was on the court?

At least Pirlo's continuous overhead passes and Degan's ability to compete for the top can prevent Pirlo's passes from being squandered continuously. Similarly, Degan's ability to hold the ball far exceeds his three striker competitors. It's just that there are too few opportunities in Ancelotti Degan.

Even Shevchenko said after the game: "We lack a player on the field who can hold the ball in the penalty area, and there is not enough protection around me. Very tired!"

Although Shevchenko did not name him, it is obvious that he was talking about Digan. In the last game against Treviso, it was Digan who took the ball in the penalty area and was tripped by the opponent's defender, causing Shev Chenko got the chance to score from the penalty spot.

Although the friendship between the two is mediocre, there is no doubt that even the Ukrainian himself must admit that when he is partnered with Degan, he is obviously much more relaxed.

After the game, of course, someone asked Ancelotti about Degan. It became almost a regular program. Degan was on the field. They asked Ancelotti to comment on Degan's performance. Degan was thrown on Stands, they also have to ask Ancelotti why?

"I arranged the playing time according to the player's state. Degan's body was not in the best condition before the game. He was not arranged to enter the squad for the sake of his body. And today our strikers performed well. Luck is not on our side!"

Ancelotti, Degan has been black all his life, and he has cultivated to the high-end state of spraying dung without changing his face. Of course, the reporters didn't believe what he said. Did Degan have a physical problem?

When he came to the stadium to warm up the day before the game, Degan looked like a rhinoceros. At least in terms of physical condition, Degan was much better than Vieri, who seemed to be in the top ten.

But Degan didn't want to say anything about it. He wanted to put Ancelotti on the stove, but the team had just been tied by Schalke 04 and lost a good game. It was the time when morale was seriously hit. Degan didn't want the team to suffer more turmoil because of some of his words.

"I don't want to say anything, I don't want to tell you anything, I just want to train hard and wait for the opportunities that come at any time. As for other things, it's not something I should consider!"