Chapter 108

Chapter 108

The appearance of the Champions League and the promotion to the quarter-finals made Fiorentina celebrate. For Viola fans, although they have shown sufficient dominance in the league, they lack confidence after all. Compared with Rome, they all feel three points short.

After all, giants cannot be built in a day. In the eyes of Viola fans, although the Champions League symbolizes the top honor of European clubs, it is still not as real as the league.

Fiorentina went on a killing spree in the UEFA Champions League. They defeated the La Liga giant Barcelona with a total score of 6:3 in the two rounds. While the fans were rejoicing, they couldn't help worrying whether the team had invested so much energy in the Champions League. To the results of the league!

Fiorentina has been looking forward to this league championship for nearly half a century. If they stumble at the last minute because their energy is distracted, it will not be worth the loss.

It is not without such precedents in the history of football. At the time, Leverkusen's Sanya king may be a little far away from Florence. After all, it happened in Germany. But a few seasons ago, Lazio was leading by more than ten points. The thing that was reversed by AC Milan to win the championship happened right beside them.

You know, now Fiorentina is not just fighting on two fronts, but on three fronts, and there is a Coppa Italia final waiting for them.

However, in the twenty-eighth round of the league that followed, Fiorentina's performance reassured the fans a lot. The score of 3:1 allowed Fiorentina to continue to consolidate its lead in the standings.

In this game, Degan sat on the bench, and Prandelli sent out the combination of Cavinaghi and Mutu on the front line. As a result, towards the end of the first half, Fiorentina, who had been gaining power and not scoring before, suddenly made an effort , First, Cavinaghi received a cross-knock from Mutu in the penalty area and scored with a push. Only two minutes later, the Argentine reciprocated with a header, and then followed up with Mutu. Expanded to two goals.

In the second half, the two teams changed sides and fought again. In the 73rd minute, Degan came off the bench. Just after he came on the field, he helped the team lead by three goals with a free kick. Genoa was only at the end of the game. A face-saving goal was scored by former international Di Levyo.

The game? Although they won the game, in fact, Fiorentina did not perform very well in this game. In particular, the control of the situation did not have the feeling of ease in the past, but seemed powerless.

This is also something that can't be helped. The team has to fight on the third front. In the European arena, they have also experienced two fights with Barcelona, ​​especially in the first round. It is not so much that Florence killed Barcelona, ​​it is better to say that they killed the enemy. Thousands, self-defeating 800. While Barcelona was eliminated, Florence's physical fitness was also greatly consumed.

Defense, after all, takes more effort than offense.

And the closer to the end of the season, Fiorentina's physical problems will also be highlighted. This means that Fiorentina has done a good job of stamina reserve before the start of the season. up.

For the current Fiorentina, they can only grit their teeth and persevere. There are some young people in the team. Their desire for honor is very strong, and their beliefs support their bodies. Fiorentina can only go on like this now.

The performances of other teams participating in the UEFA Champions League this round were also not satisfactory. Although Inter Milan took the initiative on the field in the case of 11 against 10, they could only accept a helpless draw in the end. When playing more and playing less, Inter Milan has a chance to win the game, but at the last moment Mancini made frequent tricks, especially replacing Figo with Vieira, and was criticized by countless media after the game.

Inter Milan managed to score a point, and their city rivals AC Milan lost again. Roma, who defeated them, did not perform well in this game. The two teams fought a real battle of attrition in 90 minutes. As a result, Roma Relying on the captain Totti's two flashes of inspiration, they won 2:1, but they paid the price of Panucci and Cassetti's serious injuries and reimbursement for the season.

After losing to Rome 1:2, AC Milan has been unbeaten for six consecutive games in two seasons. The results of the six games are 2 draws and 4 losses. This is in stark contrast to AC Milan's prosperity from 2003 to 2005.

The 03/04 season was the heyday of AC Milan. In the league and the Coppa Italia, AC Milan faced Roma four times and defeated the league runner-up Roma four times. The three 2:1 overtakes in the league and the Coppa Italia victory over Roma are the most exciting. The other is the league championship battle. They won the championship early after defeating Roma 1:0 at home.

In the 05/06 season, although AC Milan was tied 1:1 by Roma at home, they defeated Roma cleanly and 2:0 with two goals from Digan in the away game. In those six games, AC Milan's The record is 5 wins and 1 tie.

From 5 wins and 1 draw to 2 draws and 4 losses, it only took 5 short years. The roles of the two heroes in Serie A were switched, and such a huge change took place. AC Milan lost three times to Inter Milan in two seasons, and lost six games to Rome. The record is not accidental. Five years is not long, but it is not short. Five summers and winters are enough to change a team in the transfer market. The match between AC Milan and Roma In terms of strength and weakness, the transfer market in the past five years has played a big role.

Berlusconi seems to have indeed lost interest in football investment. Since the summer of 2003, since Kaka, a considerable part of the players introduced by AC Milan are veterans who are in decline, including: Cafu, Panka Luo, Stam, Favalli, Crespo, Amoruso, Vieri, Emerson, Ronaldo, the decline of some of them is reflected in the increase of injuries, such as Stam and Ronaldo, and the other Some people are manifested in the decline of their competitive level, such as Favalli, Emerson, Cafu, Amoruso, etc. The original main lineup is getting old day by day, and most of the newly introduced players, From the first day of joining, the state has been declining. How can such a lineup be guaranteed?

It is not that AC Milan did not fail to introduce rising players, but from Kaka to Pato, Degan played for a short period of time. There is no doubt about the quality of the players, but the number is too small and the coverage is too small. Two or three in five years Being a player is far from keeping up with the aging speed of the team.

On the other hand, compared with the main lineup in the summer of 2003, the team has quickly completed the change of old and new. At that time, only Totti, Panucci and De Rossi remained in the main lineup. The remaining eight players in Roma's current main lineup, including main substitutes Cicinho, Giuly, Aquilani, Vusinic and others, all come from acquisitions in the past five years.

In contrast to AC Milan, Nesta, Karadze in the defense, Pirlo in the midfield, Gattuso, Seedorf, Ambrosini, all came from the main force of the 02/03 season or the substitute at the time. Even the goalkeeper Karachi has just "grabbed the class and seized power" this season.

In fact, it is not that AC Milan has never introduced players. The Swiss Vogel, who joined in the summer of 2005, was 27 years old when he was a player. His performance was also well received, but he was still unable to enter the main lineup. He was a little older than him. Dorasu, who joined in 2004, was also in good form, but the result was the same as Vogel. Indeed, only those veterans who began to decline in form, Favalli, Amoruso, Emerson This is the case with Vieri and AC Milan. Ancelotti, in addition to Berlusconi's refusal to pay for it, is also to blame for Ancelotti's lack of determination to change the lineup.

The signings for five consecutive years cannot be said to have no bright spots, but overall, they have not promoted the team's metabolism. The quality of signings is important, but the quantity is also important. Real Madrid's "one superstar a year" policy brought great benefits to the team. It was prosperous for a while, but the sequelae caused by it have not been cured for several years.

In contrast, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, and Roma will introduce multiple available players every year. Although Inter Milan will have eliminated new players every year, the remaining players can still be used for the replacement of the team.

Today, AC Milan has no problem with its main lineup, but there are too few players available to cope with the two-line battle. In the summer transfer, AC Milan may need to "pay off its debts" for the past five years.

In Gattuso's words, "4 or 5 players need to be introduced."

Otherwise, even if 40 million or 50 million euros are thrown at one or two superstars, I am afraid that the situation that AC Milan cannot cope with multi-line battles will not be fundamentally changed.

The team's lineup is not thick enough, so it can only overdraw the main lineup indefinitely. Kaka had a two-week rest due to injury before, but in the case of a lack of players in the team, Kaka can only continue to persist.

In this game, Kaka tried his best to bring Milan back to the top level. He succeeded more than half of the way. In terms of scenes and oppression, people can see Mr. Golden Globe and Milan last season.

"Gazzetta dello Sport" also dedicated the highest score of 7.5 points to Kaka, and rated him as the best in Milan, praising him for "super demeanor, he has done what the Ballon d'Or should do".

Kaka leads the soul of Milan and has a clear advantage in the competition with the opponent's core Totti. His personal status and performance are excellent, confirming his pre-match definition.

Kaka said before the game: "After the Champions League was out, when we all felt disappointed and the most exciting adventure was over, the difficult days came. The first few days were the most difficult. As time goes by, we will gradually raise our heads , reinvigorated, and strive for other goals."

In this game, Kaka was really desperate and scored a wonderful goal, which shows that Kaka has already objectively recognized the current situation of Milan and is ready to start the next era. It's a pity that he alone is not enough, not to mention he still suffers from a back injury. Kaka needs more and higher-level partners.

In addition to Seedorf's empty goal missed, Milan's three threatening shots in the second half came from Kaka's feet. One scored and two were magically saved by Doni.

Including the goals in this game, Kaka has scored his 10th league goal this season, his 49th goal in Serie A, but he still lost the game. Of course, losing to Roma is not a shame.

Kaka also said after the game: "Roma plays the most advanced football in Italy."

Roma played the most advanced football in Italy, so what about Milan?

Kaka is working hard, but it seems that her heart is a little tired.

He wants to play the savior, but this role is really not that easy to do.

In the twenty-ninth round of the league, there was another double match in a week. Although Degan returned to the starting lineup in this game, after 90 minutes, the score between Fiorentina and Naples was still 0:0. Even Degan, a lunatic Beast also stopped his scoring streak.

Fiorentina was too tired. Throughout the game, they failed to create too good opportunities, and were even suppressed by Naples for a while.

Fortunately, the goalkeeper Frey played well. In the second half, he saved two single-handed goals from the opponent's core player Ravezzi in a row, and tried to keep the goal.

Fiorentina tied, and Inter Milan won this game, and the gap between the two teams in the standings returned to 14 points.

As fierce as the battle for the top spot is the battle for fourth place in the league. Juventus beat Empoli away in this game with two goals from Trezeguet and Del Piero.

AC Milan, ranked fifth, lost again. They lost to Sampdoria at home. After the game, Ancelotti's formation was attacked by everyone, especially the team's defense. In this game, Ancelotti actually selected the combination of Serginho, Favalli, Maldini and Cafu. The combined age of this defense line can catch up with more than half of the opponent Sampdoria. team.

After the game, Ancelotti's explanation was that the team had no one available, but is there really no one available?

Is it true that Milan's defense is really embarrassed to the point where it is going to squeeze the remaining value of those old guys?

AC Milan's defensive staff is indeed not rich, but under such circumstances, it is strange that Simic, the former captain of the Croatian national team and AC Milan's backup defender, was "assigned" to the youth team by Ancelotti up.

A few hours before the match between AC Milan and Sampdoria, Simic appeared in the AC Milan youth team's match against Udinese. According to the regulations of the Italian Football Association, two overage players are allowed in the U19 Youth League. This is an arrangement that allows the first-team injured to recover and play some low-confrontation games. Usually, clubs will not allow first-line players to participate in such games. More often, some first-line players who have just returned from injury will play in such games. to find the status.

But this time Simic did not have any problems. In the roster announced on the official website of AC Milan, it also specifically marked which players were unable to play due to injuries, and those players were not recruited. Recruitment" column. On the second day, he appeared in the youth team field.

It was a match between the teams currently ranked second and third in the division, and since Albertacci was called up to the Italian under-17s, Simic took their place, and Simic seemed to be in a calm mood with no signs of exasperation , I can't see the joy.

Although his agent said before that Simic wanted to stay in AC Milan, it is hard to believe this now. It is said that Tottenham Hotspur club offered a good salary and started contact with AC Milan. If you miss a transfer opportunity, you may never have it again.

Another unlucky one is Dida. Dida did not enter the bench against Roma. Ancelotti explained in the press conference before the game: "Dida did not become the third goalkeeper, but he had a cold at that time. His current situation very good."

But when it came to the game against Sampdoria, Dida still appeared in the stands wearing a leather jacket and a baseball cap. This time, no reporter asked Ancelotti about him.

According to the figures released by Gazzetta dello Sport, Dida's annual salary of 4 million is tied for the second highest salary in AC Milan with Nesta, Pirlo and others, and is second only to Buffon among Serie A goalkeepers. Said it was all over.

Ancelotti seems to be used to the internal instability of the team and the poor performance of the game, but what makes it difficult for him to accept is that Kaka was injured in this game.

In the previous games, including the Champions League against Arsenal, Kaka has always played with injuries. In this contest with Sampdoria, Kaka's body can no longer support it.

When the game progressed to the 62nd minute of the second half, Kaka suddenly fell to the ground after a non-violent contact with the opponent's defender Palumbo. Into the hospital.

Judging from the results of the post-match examination, Kaka's back injury has no way for him to continue. He will have a truce for at least two months. Basically, when Kaka returns, it will be the final game of the league. .

Now that AC Milan is out of the Champions League, the top four in the league has become their only goal, but there is still a Juventus on their heads, leading them by as much as six points. At this critical moment, Carlo Ancelotti The only ace has fallen, and it is no wonder that at the press conference after the game, Ancelotti will be disappointed and said: "Kaka's injury is a disaster for AC Milan, but we will not fall here, we still have hope!"

has hope?

Have a ball!

After learning that Kaka was injured, Degan rushed directly from Naples to Milan and went to the hospital to visit him. Before that, Degan told Kaka to pay attention to his body. The rotten vegetable field in Milan is not worth it at all. He is a farmer who works hard, but Kaka doesn't listen to him at all.

In the ward of the hospital, Digan saw Kaka. Kaka seemed not in a good mood, and Caroline, who was sitting beside her with a big belly, was also frowning.

Seeing Digan coming, Kaka finally showed a smiling face: "Rod!"

Digan raised his shoulders and looked at Kaka angrily: "I think you can take a good rest now!"

This season, from the warm-up match before the start of the season to the match against Sampdoria, Kaka only rested for two games due to injury during this period, and played almost 90 minutes in the rest of the games. Even Iron Man can't hold it anymore.

In Milan, Gattuso is recognized as having good physical strength, but isn't he still going to rotate with Brocchi and Ambrosini?

Digan wasn't called a physical madman yet, but at this time, he still couldn't hold on and needed rest, let alone Kaka.

Is there really no one else who can replace Kaka in Milan?

At least Digan knew Gourcuff's ability was good. Carlo Ancelotti could let the French teenager share Kaka's burden, but Fatty An was too conservative.

In Milan, it's not just Kaka, why Simic was assigned to play in the youth team, isn't it because of Ancelotti's conservativeness and distrust?

Kaka knew that Degan was concerned about himself, and smiled: "Okay! Rhodes! You also know the current situation in Milan. At this time, I can't escape, but now, it seems that there is really no way!"

Although Kaka was smiling, Degan could clearly sense the helplessness and frustration behind his smile. Kaka really tried his best, but it was a pity that he lacked some people around him who could help him.

Digan is awesome!

But when he was in Atlanta, if there were no Pacini, Montolivo, Maxwell and others, it would still be a dream for him to win the league championship.

The same is true in Florence. Degan also needs enough helpers to bring Florence to its current position.

But Kaka in AC Milan is really too lonely.

When he came out of the hospital, Degan was surrounded by a group of reporters. Without waiting for the reporter to ask questions, Degan said angrily: "Ancelotti must review his behavior, how did Ricardo get injured? I think you all know that Ancelotti's overdraft of Ricardo led to this injury. This is the key. I don't want to comment on his employment methods, but from the perspective of a younger brother, I want to say Yes, that bastard had better get out as soon as possible, otherwise AC Milan will be dragged into hell by his incompetent bastard sooner or later!"

Afterwards, the AC Milan club issued a statement in the first place, expressing its support for Ancelotti, and Ancelotti, who was scolded by Digan, was not hurt or not in an interview later. He said itchyly: "He doesn't know anything at all!"

In the 30th round of the league, Fiorentina, which had a rare one-week break, faced Lazio at home. Degan, who had recovered from his strength, showed his power in this game. He scored a hat-trick with a head kick and assisted Mutu to score. One goal, before the end, Hamsik's long shot helped the team complete the massacre.

In the thirty-first round of the league, Fiorentina defeated Udinese 2-0 in an away game. Although Degan did not score, he assisted Cavinaghi to score the first goal. In the second half, Kompany passed another corner kick. Scored the first goal after the comeback.

Then, there is the Champions Cup. Fiorentina will go away to challenge Chelsea. The two teams have never played against each other before, but the atmosphere of this game has been a bit abnormal since before the game.