Chapter Forty-One Shock**

Chapter Forty-One Shock**

AC Milan lost. In fact, before the start of the game, some people predicted that AC Milan might lose because of the unfavorable pass from the side defense. This happened during the game.

It should be said that the problem of Milan's defense against crosses has been continuously emerging recently. AC Milan's back line is seriously aging and its personnel is not complete. Through this game, these problems have been exposed. Use this lineup to stick to it.

In this game, AC Milan played a diamond-shaped midfielder in the first half, which was also the main midfielder last season. In the first 15 minutes of the game, their central attack was impressive, posing a great threat to Sampdoria and creating Gilardino's goal.

But then, AC Milan shifted the focus of the attack to the right, mainly using the bottom pass from Cafu and Gattuso. This style of play did not have a good effect due to their lack of forward impact and height. Instead, Sampdoria seized the opportunity to counterattack and finally reversed the situation.

In the second half, AC Milan once poured the ball in the midfield, then stretched and diverted, and finally broke through from the middle. This still caused a great threat and created several excellent opportunities. It's a pity that neither Shevchenko nor Gilardino caught it.

Compared with AC Milan's wavering tactics in the game, Sampdoria's game rules are very clear, that is, to launch a counterattack from the backcourt, often Bonazzoli retreats a little bit, supports the high ball, and then Back pocket.

After Sampdoria attacked the frontcourt, they mainly divided into two sides and then made crosses. This also seized AC Milan's weakness of fear of crossing high balls. Sure enough, both goals were scored through crosses in this way.

It should be said that Sampdoria's tactical thinking in this game is very clear. In addition, Sampdoria's goalkeeper Antonioli played very well against his old club and resolved several threatening shots from AC Milan. It is also a major contributor to victory.

At the same time, Sampdoria's defense today also withstood the test. Although they were a little passive by AC Milan's mid-range attack, they still made timely adjustments and finally kept the score until the end, winning the victory.

Although Ancelotti said after the game: "We created a lot of opportunities, but luck is not very good!"

But in fact, there are not many real opportunities for AC Milan in this game, and Milan's mouthpiece "Gazzetta dello Sport" directly called this game an "ugly failure."

AC Milan can't threaten Sampdoria's goal. Gilardino was actually offside before scoring. Considering changing his "tailor".

Attributing the defeat entirely to bad luck, Ancelotti really put gold on his team's face. In addition to Gilardino's goal, Shevchenko relied on his own personal ability to break through in the first half. Gilardino created a chance. In the second half, Shevchenko received a pass from Maldini and was blocked by Antonioli. AC Milan then took a corner kick. Gilardino received a ferry from his teammate and entered the penalty area. A flying volley made Antonioli let go.

In addition, AC Milan does not have any real opportunities, and these opportunities are also created forcibly by relying on the personal abilities of the players, rather than relying on the overall cooperation to play opportunities.

Since Sacchi's time, AC Milan has been a team that focuses on overall cooperation, but in fact, AC Milan has scored more goals this season through the individual abilities of the players, especially Degan scored for AC Milan. With those five goals, why does an overall team have to rely on individual flashes to create opportunities?

In fact, Ancelotti's so-called overall style of play, emphasizing the control of the ball at the feet, emphasizing the passing of the ball, and passing the inverted foot, this style of play did bring some new things to AC Milan in the initial stage of implementation, but Now, it is completely familiar to the opponent, and the opponent only needs to be careful: no matter how fancy or complicated the kick is on the periphery, it will eventually fall to a cross from the wing, and as long as one person blocks Cafu, Sebastian The line of the cross by Erginho, while the central defender and the midfielder are standing in the penalty area, such a cross will eventually be invalid.

In this game, Cafu made eight crosses, but none of them caused a real threat.

Someone once compared AC Milan to Brazil because they always have the ball under their feet. But in fact, there is an essential difference between the two. AC Milan's ball control and kicking are all outside the opponent's defense line, while the Brazilian team's control and dribbling, I don't know how many performances full of personality are involved. A dribble that can tear through the opponent's defense, and this is not advocated by Ancelotti.

In this game, the camera lens captured a scene where Kaka dribbled the ball and failed to break through, and Ancelotti shouted at him from the sidelines.

And this kind of personal performance and changes in the offense are not encouraged, and they are blindly attacking on the periphery like a computer program. The final result is that they lose patience in the end and rely on forced crosses as the end of the offense. According to this style of play, what AC Milan needs is not Shevchenko who can break through or Gilardino who can grab points, but just needs an Algerian Tare who can easily compete for the top.

In fact, what is needed more in the offense is change, not to mention whether Gilardino's goal was offside today. In Pirlo's direct pass, Shevchenko's unexpected heel kick played a role in tearing the opponent's defense. The crucial role, this is the unexpected change, causing confusion to the opponent's defense, and in AC Milan's offense, there are too few such "accidents".

The offense needs to try some risky styles of play. Although the direct pass is easier to lose the possession of the ball than the horizontal pass, it can create a real threat as long as it succeeds once. force. Perhaps this is the inevitable result of Ancelotti's emphasis on the safe side of his character.

As for conceding the ball, it is not the responsibility of the defender, but the responsibility of Milan as a whole. AC Milan advocates slow kicks from the outside. This requires two full backs and a defensive midfielder to press on. If the second point is also obtained by the opponent, then it is a counterattack opportunity, and the opponent's offensive player will directly face the AC Milan defender. Offense and defense are connected on the court. The end of one's own offense may become the starting point of the opponent's offense.

But obviously the fans don't see it that way. They simply think that it's the defender's responsibility to lose the ball. AC Milan's defense problem does exist this season. In three league games and one Champions League, AC Milan lost six games. The ball is conceded every game. Among the criticisms of the team, the defense is the most criticized. Indeed, the aging of the defense is a problem that the team cannot ignore. This line of defense is no longer The "steel line of defense" 2 years ago.

However, there are two things that add insult to injury. The first bad news came from Jankulovski. After playing for Udinese and AC Milan last season, he suffered a broken bone in the Champions League match against Rome. He spent a summer in AC Milan to heal his injuries. The progress is good, but after the start of the season, he injured himself again with the Czech national team and the Romania team. So far, the Czech has not played even a minute for AC Milan in an official game.

To make matters worse, Jankulowski could face surgery. Jankulovski is still in pain after his last diagnosis and no fractures, possibly from a metal plate embedded in his leg for rehabilitation after an old injury last season, which was originally intended to be used in the winter. The club intends to conduct further observations, but once the operation is confirmed and the metal piece is removed, Jankulovski's comeback will have to wait until November.

Another problem lies with Stam. Amidst the criticism of the defense, Stam, the taciturn Dutch tough guy, finally couldn't help expressing his dissatisfaction.

"Whenever something goes wrong, I'm always the scapegoat. I don't know why, I feel like I'm in a good place and I can get better, but I've become the center of criticism."

Stam hinted that he might return to Eindhoven in advance. It happened that Eindhoven had invited Stam before. Stam said: "There is no direct connection between me and Eindhoven, but I read some reports in the Netherlands, I know they want me, I often say that when my contract expires, I will return to my home team PSV Eindhoven, I am still executing the contract with AC Milan, But in the world of football, nothing is certain and we learned that from the defeat in Istanbul."

In fact, after Stam's defeat against Sampdoria, he applied to the club for a transfer, but was rejected by the club. Stam's problem is not that he cannot get the trust of the club and the head coach, but rather Is under too much pressure.

But in any case, the defense line of AC Milan is in a period of turmoil. In the past two seasons, AC Milan's away performance is excellent, which also shows that the team's defense line is reassuring, but this season, the team's two home games Scored 6 goals, good offensive performance, but one win and one loss in two away games, poor defensive performance, aging personnel and other problems began to appear, although Kaka and Shevchenko were in good condition, Gilardino also found the feeling, and There is also Digan who doesn't know when he will get a chance, but it is obviously difficult for a team with a strong striker and a precarious defense to produce results.

Atalanta last season also had a major operation on the team's defense during the winter break before finally reaching the double crown. Otherwise, no matter how hard Digan can score, the defense will not be strong , the champion is still hopeless.

Although it is time for the defense line to be updated, the bigger problem exposed in this game is Ancelotti's coaching ability, first of all in terms of formation.

In this game, Ancelotti continued his rotation for the sake of rotation. One of the most stinky moves was to rest Nesta and let Maldini and Stam partner as a central defender. It was the last change that made AC Milan was in a hurry in this game where the scene was clearly dominant. Maldini lacked a tacit understanding with Stam in the middle.

Sampdoria coach Novellino's formation was quite targeted. Facing the menacing red and black army, he strategically sacrificed Frachi. Zauli's task was even clearer, destroying Pirlo every time you take the ball.

Although Gilardino's first goal to join AC Milan shortly after the opening made his teammates happy, but then Sampdoria showed efficiency.

In the 26th minute, Gattuso made a clearance in front of the penalty area and kicked empty. Zauli shot in, but the strength was too light and Dida threw him in his arms. Twelve minutes later, Tonetto made a cross from the right, and Castellini hit the crossbar with a header from the center. Bonazzoli volleyed and knocked Milan's goal open, allowing Castellini to easily head the ball. Stam and Maldini bear unshirkable responsibility.

In this battle between the two coaches, Anshuai almost missed every time. Ten minutes before the second half, Sampdoria was almost beaten by the opponent. At this time, Novellino boldly replaced Zauli with Frachi, and Bonazzoli retreated to take over the important task of marking Pirlo. .

Only two minutes later, Diana tackled the ball from Caladze and made a cross from the right. Fraggi missed the ball with an undercut in the middle. The force was too great, and Dida couldn't react in time. Kaladze's lack of ability and Cafu's assists left too much room for the opponent to counterattack.

The away game made the Rossoneri a little unsteady. One minute later, Maldini's shot in front of the penalty area was blocked. Shevchenko's follow-up shot was blocked by Antonio with his knee. Milan took a corner kick and Gattuso headed into the penalty area. Gila volleyed in the air from the side and was hugged by Antonioli again.

Especially when the team fell behind 1:2, Ambrosini and Serginho stood on the sidelines for preparations. Ancelotti was about to make substitutions, but there were still so few changes. Cards, Serginho seems to be Ancelotti's weapon, as long as there is a "lock" that cannot be opened, he will ask the Brazilians for help, but there is no real "***" in the world, sometimes Serginho It works, but sometimes it doesn't. Today is the latter.

After Serginho came on the field, except for a corner kick to let Maldini's ferry, which gave Gilardino a chance to volley a side hook in front of the goal, he did not make any major changes to the team's offense.

On the one hand, Serginho's own state cannot be so stable all the time. In addition, Sampdoria itself plays a back four. On the right, Diana is a full-back. Degan's former teammate Zenoni He used to be an Italian international. Not all teams can be opened by Serginho on the left. The scene was most obvious 10 minutes before the end of the game. Serginho made two fakes surrounded by the two. The movement, after accelerating the breakthrough, kicked the pass, but kicked empty, and fell to the ground by himself. If the physical condition is good, such a situation is impossible to happen.

Serginho, who was forced to play with an injury, was forced to let Ambrosini, who focuses on defense, to strengthen the offense. This not only exposed Ancelotti's lack of head-on ability on the spot, but also reflected one by one Ancelotti has few cards in his hand.

At this time, maybe Ancelotti will think of three names: Dorasu, Brocchi, and Degan.

Degan is at the bottom. As for whether Ancelotti will remember it, that is another matter. At least the previous two games against Ascoli and Fenerbahce proved that Degan does have Ability to change the course of the game.

As for the other two, Brocchi is now the absolute main midfielder of Fiorentina, and Fiorentina's points in the league are now 1 point higher than AC Milan, while Dorasu is the core of Paris Saint-Germain.

Dorasu and Brocchi have the common characteristics of comprehensive skills and both offense and defense. Just like this kind of game, AC Milan's midfielder seems weak in the final stage. Dorasu can strengthen the control of the team's midfielder. Brocchi Key's assault and hard work can also play a role. In fact, the opponent's left back Pisano is obviously weaker than other positions in the back line. If the right forward position can give more impact, AC Milan may have a better chance , but Serginho can only play left.

After AC Milan lost Dorasu and Brocchi, although Vogel was introduced, Vogel's terrible mistake against Fenerbahce in the last round made Ancelotti afraid to use it again for a long time He, in fact, is equivalent to AC Milan losing two substitutes who can bring a difference to the stadium.

After all, Serginho cannot solve all problems. Different games require different substitutes. It is actually the tragedy of AC Milan to regard a 34-year-old veteran as a "*".

As for Brockey and Dorasu, one was on loan and the other was sold for 3 million euros. Apart from saving some wages, it did not bring anything economically.

In fact, Ancelotti still has a useful substitute: Rui Costa, the Portuguese performed well against Siena, even if Kaka is irreplaceable, but the left and right In the position of full-back, Rui Costa has also performed well. He is still the player with the best crossing skills in AC Milan sports.

Maybe he is the only player on the bench who can fill the gaps of Dorasu and Brocchi in the attack, but he needs to get more trust from Ancelotti.

Of course, after the game, people discussed more what would happen if Ancelotti brought Degan, but there is no if in this world. When AC Milan is in trouble, there is no problem with the physical condition, and Degan, who was in good form, was thrown into the stands by Ancelotti.

When Ancelotti needed a goal at the last moment to ensure the team's unbeaten season, there was no Digan on the bench, only Vieri. After joining AC Milan, Vieri basically became A sitting bull.

Although he lost the first three-pointer of the new season, Ancelotti is still stubborn: "Congratulations to Samp, this wonderful game, both sides played at a high level. We will work hard to solve the defensive problem. The league has just begun."

Novellino went further: "This is an amazing victory. We played a great game. The only regret is that Milan scored the first goal. A coach must understand how to make choices. When facing Milan, You have to understand that if you keep defending you will only get into more difficulties, we passed the test today and won the victory, this is our football!"

Novellino's pride just reflects the disappointment of AC Milan. This game should have been a milestone. At the Ferraris Stadium in Sampdoria, Maldini ushered in his AC Milan. In the 800th game, at the same time, he also played 570 Serie A games, tying the record set before Zoff retired in 1983. However, for Maldini and AC Milan, this symbolic milestone game, The memories left behind are more bitter.

The team lost the game, and in the game, Maldini's performance also let people see clearly that the former pony brother is really old. In fact, in the summer, the team doctor of AC Milan once said that Maldini Tini's current physical condition cannot play as a full-back, and he frequently goes back and forth between the front and back courts, nor can he play three games a week.

However, Cafu was injured in the game against Siena, and then Stam missed the Champions League game due to injury. Maldini had to play two games in a row. This game was also due to Nesta's "rotation". Maldini Go up again.

During the game, Maldini just showed his helplessness and powerlessness more often. In the 25th minute, Diana made a cross from the right, and Maldini fell to the ground in the middle and failed to make a save, but changed the ball. In the direction of the flight, Zauli volleyed the goal in an awkward posture and failed to hit the goal. Dida fell to the ground and pressed the ball under his body.

But after that, the goal was conceded by the opponent in front of Maldini. Volpi took a free kick and was pushed to the other side. Tonetto made a cross. Pawan squeezed Maldini by taking off at the same time with Maldini, and Castellini rushed in front of the two and hit the crossbar with a header, followed by Bo Nazzoli's volley breaks the goal.

In terms of defense, Maldini may not have too many bright spots, but after the score fell behind, Maldini's frequent offensive scenes are touching. Apart from scoring, AC Milan is the best in the game. The opportunity came at the 16th minute of the second half. Maldini rushed into the opponent's penalty area and made an exquisite cooperation with Shevchenko. Maldini crossed the opponent's defender with a cross pass. Antonioli subconsciously saved on the goal line, and in the end Maldini could only accept this bleak "800 commemoration".

Although the game was lost, Maldini's value is unquestionable. After the game, the media gave Maldini the highest score of 6.5 points in the team, especially mentioning his offensive contribution when the score fell behind.

Maldini was absolutely devoted to this game. On the field, he always went all out. In order to equalize the score, he rushed to the frontcourt and shot furiously. In order to keep the defense, he even had a handball in the first minute of stoppage time. , Fortunately, the referee did not respond.

On this day, Zoff's record of 570 appearances in Serie A, which had been created and maintained for 12 years, was tied. The difference is that in Zoff's 22-year green career from 1961 to 1983, he has experienced four teams: Udinese, Mantua, Naples and Juventus, but Maldini has only One name: AC Milan.

However, the 1:2 defeat turned Memorial Day into a black day. With Del Piero scoring twice, Juventus defeated Ascoli 2:1 at home and topped the list with three consecutive victories. The day before, Inter Milan also won Lecce 3:0 cleanly, tying Milan's integral.

In any case, Maldini's role on the field is important. His skills, his personality, and his personal charm all affect the team.

However, AC Milan will lose Maldini in the end. Maldini very much hopes that he can break through the thousand-game mark, but it turns out that in the case of three days a match, Maldini's physical condition will indeed have some changes, such as this Despite his hard work, he still clearly felt powerless in some situations. Although he still maintains a high fighting spirit and a good state, Maldini, who has become an epoch-making figure in modern football, has indeed come to the end of his career. This is a fact that many people do not want to admit but must admit. AC Milan's defense needs a new leader.

Perhaps the only thing to be happy about this defeat is that Gilardino finally scored a goal, but the goalkeeper Gilardino was obviously a little frustrated with the loss: "I scored a goal, but it is a pity that this goal cannot be exchanged for a goal Victory for the team. Our carelessness conceded two goals, in fact we should have won the game earlier. Milan controlled the game, we created a lot of chances and our performance was not for nothing. Now we have to pick ourselves up again , I am full of confidence, we are the most united group, we all know what we should do."

This defeat also left a series of question marks for AC Milan. Did they lose the home court advantage to Sampdoria?

The fans at the Ferraris Stadium were indeed enthusiastic enough, and coach Novellino also yelled on the sidelines for a full 90 minutes, but their technical disadvantages were obvious, and they defended desperately for 90 minutes.

Lost in weak offense?

AC Milan's offense was too concentrated in the center, but Gilardino's goal in the 18th minute was completed on the central axis. Seedorf may be a problem. As a left midfielder, he always runs to the center. Milan has only Kaladze to attack and defend on the left, which has become the source of Sampdoria's continuous counterattacks.

Lost the line of defense that was proud of in the past?

AC Milan has conceded goals in four official games this season, and is especially afraid of high-altitude balls. The two conceded goals in this game were the failure of the first point to compete for the top, the second point lack of protection, and the opponent's unguarded player scored a supplementary shot. Although Nesta takes a break, Stam and Maldini are not vegetarians.

Lost to Ancelotti?

In the case of falling behind, Ancelotti's on-the-spot command is indeed questionable. He replaced Serginho with Gattuso, and the formation changed to 352 to strengthen the wing attack, but when he replaced Vieri, he unexpectedly With Cafu replaced, even Vieri, who is in his best form, needs the support of shells on both sides, but without Cafu, AC Milan's right attack is almost paralyzed.

In the last 15 minutes, the three big killers Shevchenko, Gilardino and Vieri charged together, what a spectacle, what a piece of fabric this is!

Boss Berlusconi's famous "tailor and cloth" metaphor is always hanging over Ancelotti's head. In case of another capsize against Lazio in the next round, the tailor may really be fired.

After this game, the team has been widely criticized and questioned from top to bottom, but club chairman Galliani still has his own views on this unexpected failure.

"We were very calm after the game. I spoke to Prime Minister Berlusconi after the game and he was very relaxed. We created a lot of chances today and we wasted two good chances due to lack of concentration. But It's normal for the front line to miss some chances, maybe we are being too generous now, but we have to see the positives from this defeat, we need to start thinking about the next game, we want to move forward in the league and the Champions League look."

In the end, Galliani called on the fans to calm down and continue to support the team. He believes that the current defeat is just a warning sign, and things are not as serious as imagined.

But no one will take all the words of the liar Galliani seriously, just like he said every time that the team's summer transfer work is over, but every time the day before the transfer window closes, he can have An astonishing move was staged.

In fact, from the first round of the league, when facing Ascoli so hard, Ancelotti's coaching position has been unstable. As for whether he will be fired by AC Milan?

It seems not for the time being, Galliani made a public speech on Ancelotti's position: "Ancelotti's coaching position has not been shaken, and we have not considered changing coaches, as long as we think of our three years Results, we have been at a high level and won often, so we don't worry too much. After three rounds this season, our points are three points more than last season, and we are also in the same championship as last season. We won the first game of the World Cup, thinking about a year ago, until the end, we had the possibility of winning two championships, now, we only need two things, the first is calm, and the second is still calm."

Since Galliani said that his coaching position is still safe, Ancelotti immediately felt relieved, and immediately said: "Galliani visited the players in the locker room after the game, and at the same time encouraged the players, He was very calm because against Sampdoria we did not play badly and Galliani was happy with the game and he calmly expressed his opinion to the team."

However, Galliani's next words are very intriguing: "For the arrangement of the lineup, Coach Ancelotti will have his own considerations, but mistakes cannot be repeated. We hope this is the last time. Discuss it with Ancelotti, the problem will be found and solved."

So what is the root of the problem that Galliani mentioned?