Chapter 41 Shock

AC Milan lost. In fact, before the start of this game, someone predicted that AC Milan might lose because of a bad pass on the sidelines. This situation really happened during the game.

It should be said that the problem of Milan's defense from passing the ball has been continuously revealed recently. AC Milan's defender line is seriously aging and the personnel are not neat. Through this game, these problems have been exposed, but before the winter transfer began, AC Milan only used this lineup to persist.

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

But then, AC Milan shifted the focus of the attack to the right, mainly using the bottom pass of Cafu and Gattuso. Due to their insufficient front line impact and height, this style of play did not have a good effect. Instead, Sampdoria seized the opportunity to counterattack and finally turned the situation around.

In the second half, AC Milan once turned the ball in the midfield, then pulled and transferred, and finally broke through from the middle, which still posed a great threat and created several excellent opportunities. Unfortunately, Shevchenko and Gilardino didn't catch it.

Compared with AC Milan's wavering tactics in the game, Sampdoria's playing method of this game is very clear, that is, to launch a counterattack from the backfield, often with Bonazzoli retreating a little, responding to the high ball, and then taking back.

After Sampdoria attacked the front court, it was mainly divided into the cross, which was also the weakness of AC Milan's fear of passing the high ball. Sure enough, both goals were scored through the cross.

It should be said that Sampdoria's tactical thinking of this game is very clear. In addition, Sampdoria's goalkeeper Antonioli played very well in the face of his old club, which has resolved several threatening shots by AC Milan and is also a great contributor to the victory.

At the same time, Sampdoria's defense today also withstood the test. Although it was a little passive by AC Milan's middle impact, they adjusted in time and finally kept the score to the end and won the victory.

Although Ancelotti said after the game: "We have created a lot of opportunities, but we are not very lucky!"

But in fact, AC Milan does not have many real opportunities in this game, and Milan's mouthpiece "Milan Sport" directly called this game an "ugly failure".

AC Milan can't threaten Sampdoria's goal. Gilardino was actually offside before scoring. This is a complete failure. Some media have even begun to change the coach, and Berlusconi is indeed considering changing his "tailer".

The defeat was completely attributed to bad luck. Ancelotti really put gold on his team's face. In addition to Gilardino's goal, Shevchenko relied on his personal ability to make a breakthrough in the first half and created an opportunity for Girardino. In the second half, Shevchenko received a pass volley from Maldini. Blocked by Antonioli, AC Milan then made a corner kick. Gilardino received a ferry from his teammates and flew in the penalty area and shot Antonioli free.

In addition, AC Milan does not have any real opportunities, and these opportunities are also created by the players' personal ability, rather than by overall cooperation.

Since the Saki era, AC Milan has been a team that pays attention to overall cooperation, but in fact, AC Milan has scored more goals this season through the player's personal ability, especially the five goals scored by Degan for AC Milan. Why does a holistic team repeatedly rely on personal flashes? What about just to create opportunities?

In fact, Ancelotti's so-called overall play emphasizes that the ball is controlled under the feet, emphasizes passing the ball, and inverting the foot. This kind of play did bring some new things to AC Milan in the early days of its implementation, but now, it is completely familiar to the opponent, and the opponent only needs to be sure: no matter what happens on the periphery Fancy, how complicated the foot is, in the end is nothing more than a cross on the side road, and as long as one person seals the cross line of Cafu and Sergenio, and the central defender and the back stand in the penalty area, such a cross will eventually be invalid.

In this game, Cafu made eight passes in the whole game, but none of them caused a real threat.

Some people once compared AC Milan to the Brazilian team because they can always control the ball under their feet. But in fact, there is an essential difference between the two. AC Milan's ball control and inversion are all outside the opponent's defense, while the Brazilian team's control and lead, I don't know how many personalized performances, can tear through the opponent's defensive tape, which is not advocated by Ancelotti.

In this game, the camera shot captured the scene of Ancelotti shouting at him on the sidelines after the card ball failed to break through.

And this kind of personal performance and change in the attack is blindly attacking like a computer program. In the end, the result is that you finally lose patience and rely on forced passes as the end of the attack. According to this style of play, what AC Milan needs is not Shevchenko who can break through, Girardino who can grab some points, but an Algerian Taray who can simply compete for the top.

In fact, what is more needed in the attack is change, not to mention whether Gilardino's goal is offside today. In Pirlo's direct transmission line, Shevchenko's unexpected heel hit and played a vital role in tearing the opponent's defense line. This is an unexpected change, causing chaos to the opponent's defense line, and A There are too few such "accidents" in C Milan's attack.

The attack requires some adventurous play. Although the direct pass is easier to lose control of the ball than the horizontal foot, it can create a real threat. The periphery is safe and has no lethality to the opponent's defense. Perhaps this is the inevitable result of the emphasis on the safe side of Ancelotti's personality.

As for losing the ball, it is not the responsibility of the defender, but the responsibility of Milan as a whole. AC Milan is advocating the slow down of the periphery, which requires two full-backs and a defensive midfielder to press it. Once the pass is pushed out by the opponent and the second point is also obtained by the opponent, then it is a chance to counterattack, the opponent's attacking players He will face AC Milan's defender directly. Attack and defense on the court are connected, and the end of your own attack may become the starting point of the opponent's attack.

But it is obvious that the fans don't think so. They just think that losing the ball is the responsibility of the defender. AC Milan's defense line this season does exist. In three league games, one Champions Cup, AC Milan lost six goals, and all lost the ball on the field. Among the criticisms of the team, the criticism of the back line is the most. Indeed, the aging of the defense line is a problem that the team cannot ignore. This defense line is no longer the "steel line" two years ago.

However, there are two things that are even worse. The first bad news came from Jankulovski. As early as last season, after playing for Udinese and AC Milan, he suffered a fracture in the Champions League against Rome. One summer, he made good progress in healing at AC Milan, but after the start of the season, he played with the Czech national team and Romania again. Injured, so far, the Czechs have not played for AC Milan for even a minute in the official game.

What's worse, Jankulovski may face surgery. After the last diagnosis of no fracture, Jankulovsky still felt pain, which may be caused by the embedded metal sheet in the leg for rehabilitation after the old injury last season. The metal sheet was originally intended to be removed in winter, but now it may be advanced. The club intends to observe further, but once it is determined Surgery, moving metal sheets, Jankulovski's comeback will wait until November.

Another problem is Stam. In the criticism of the defense line, the taciturn Dutch tough man Stam finally couldn't help expressing his dissatisfaction.

"Whenever something goes wrong, I will always be scapegoat. I don't know why. I feel that I'm in good shape now, and I can be better, but I have become the center of criticism.

Stam hinted that he might return to Eindhoven early. It happened that there was a news that Eindhoven had invited Stam. Stam said, "There is no direct contact between me and Eindhoven, but I have read some reports in the Netherlands that I know that they want me. I often say that when my contract expires , I will return to my home team, Eindhoven, and I am still executing the contract with AC Milan, but in the world of football, there is nothing certain. From the failure of Istanbul, we know this truth.

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

But in any case, AC Milan's defense line is in a turbulent period. In the past two seasons, AC Milan's away performance has been excellent, and the team's defense line is reassuring. However, this season, the team has scored 6 goals at home and good offensive results, but the two away games have one win and one loss, and the defense line has performed poorly. Problems such as personnel aging began to appear. Although Kaka and Shevchenko are in good condition, Gilardino has also found a feeling, and there is also a Degan who does not know when to get a chance, there is only a strong front line, and it is obviously difficult for the team to achieve results.

Last season, Atlanta finally won the double crown after a major operation on the team's defense during the winter break. Otherwise, even if Degan could score a goal and the defense line was not strong, the champion would still have no hope.

Although it is time to upgrade the defense line, the bigger problem exposed in this game is Ancelotti's coaching ability, first of all in the arrangement of troops.

In this game, Ancelotti continued his rotation for rotation. One of the most stinky moves is to let Nesta rest and let Maldini and Stam partner the central defender. It was the last change that made AC Milan a little confused in this clear and dominant game. Maldini was in the middle of the middle. Tam lacks tacit understanding.

Sampdoria's head coach Novellino's platoon is quite targeted. In the face of the fierce red and black army, he strategically sacrificed Vlaki, and Zauli's task is even more clear, destroying Pirlo's every time he takes the ball.

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

In the 26th minute, Gattuso cleared the ball in front of the penalty area, Zauli inserted a shot, and his strength was too light to be thrown into his arms by Dida. Twelve minutes later, Toneto made a cross from the right, Castellini's middle header hit the crossbar, and Bonazzoli's rear volley knocked on Milan's door, making Castellini's header easily. Stam and Maldini had an inescapable responsibility.

In this fight between the two coaches, An Shuai is almost one move away from chess. In the first ten minutes of the second half, Sampdoria was almost beaten by his opponent. At this time, Novelino boldly replaced Zauli with Vlaki, and Bonazzoli withdrew and took over the heavy responsibility of guarding Pirlo.

After only two minutes, Diana shoveled Caradze's ball and passed it to the right. Flagi's inverted hook in the middle did not touch the ball. Toneto at the back point was unguarded. He calmly stopped the ball and shot at the near corner. The strength was too strong, and Dida could not react. Karaze's lack of ability and Kafu's assists left too much room for the opponent to fight back.

The back of the away game made the Rossoneri a little unstable. A minute later, Maldini's shot in front of the penalty area was blocked. Shevchenko's back shot was blocked by Antonio's knee. Milan corner kick, Gattuso hit the penalty area, Gila made a side shot in half-air and was hugged by Antonioli.

Especially when the team fell behind 1:2, Ambrosini and Serginho stood on the sidelines to prepare for activities. Ancelotti was ready to replace, but there were still a few cards in exchange. Serginho seemed to be the master key in Ancelotti's hand. As long as there was a "lock" that could not be opened, he would go for help. Brazilians, but there is no real "master key" in the world. Sometimes Serginho can work, and sometimes it doesn't work. Today, it is the latter.

After Serginho came on the court, he did not make any major changes to the team's attack except that a corner kick gave Maldini a ferry and created a side hook in front of Gilardino.

On the one hand, Serginho's own state cannot always be so stable. In addition, Sampdoria plays itself as a four-back, and Diana is a full-back on the right side. Degan's former teammate Zenoni was also an Italian international, and not every team can be broken through by Serginho on the left. The 10 minutes before the end of the game was the most obvious. Serginho made two fake actions surrounded by the two. After accelerating the breakthrough, he kicked the ball and fell to the ground. If he was in good physical condition, such a situation could not happen.

Forced to use Sergeinho, who played with injuries, was forced to let Ambrosini, who focused on defense, strengthen his attack, which not only exposed Ancelotti's on-the-spot ability, but also reflected that Ancelotti did not have a few cards in his hand.

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

Digan is at the end. As for whether Ancelotti will remember, that's another matter. At least the previous two matches against Ascoli and Fenerbahce proved that Degan really has the ability to change the course of the game.

As for the other two, Broki is now the absolute main midfielder of Florence, and Fiorentina is now 1 point higher than AC Milan in the league, and Dorasu is the core of Paris Saint-Germain.

Dorasu and Brochi are characterized by comprehensive technology and both offensive and defensive. Just like this kind of game, AC Milan's midfield is weak in the final stage. Dorasu can strengthen the control of the team's midfield. Brochi's assault and hard work can also play a role. In fact, the opponent's left-back Pissano is obviously better than Other positions on the defense line are weaker. If the right avant-back position can give more impact, AC Milan may have a greater chance, but Serginho can only play on the left.

After AC Milan lost Dorasu and Brochi, although they introduced Vogel, Vogel's terrible mistake against Fenerbahce in the last round made Ancelotti afraid to use him for a long time. In fact, it is equivalent to AC Milan losing two substitutes that can bring different to the court, downwind ball. Fortunately, once the game doesn't start, the problem will come out.

After all, Serginho can't solve all the problems, and different games need different substitutes. Taking a 34-year-old veteran as the "master key" is actually the sadness of AC Milan.

Broky and Dorasu, one on loan, sold 3 million euros, but saved some wages, but nothing financially.

In fact, Ancelotti also has a useful substitute: Rui. Costa, the Portuguese performed well against Siena, even if Kaka is irreplaceable, but in the left and right wing forward positions, Rui. Costa has also played well, and he is still the best player in AC Milan.

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

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

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

Although he lost the first three points of the new season, Ancelotti still said: "Congratulations to Samp, both sides have played a high level in this wonderful game. We will try our best to solve the defensive problem. The league has just begun.

Novelino took an inch: "This is an amazing victory. We played a great game, and the only regret is that Milan scored the first goal. A coach must understand how to make a choice. When facing Milan, you must understand that if you blindly defend will only fall into greater difficulties, we have withstood the test today and won the victory. This is our football!"

Novelino's pride just reflects AC Milan's defeat. This game should have been a milestone. At the Ferraris Stadium in Sampdoria, Maldini ushered in his 800th game at AC Milan. At the same time, he also played 570 Serie A, tying 198 Zouf set a record three years before his retirement, but for Maldini and AC Milan, the memory of this milestone game is more bitter.

The team lost the game, and during the game, Maldini's performance also made people see that the former little brother was really old. In fact, in the summer, AC Milan's team doctor once said that Maldini's current physical condition can't play as a full-back, frequently go back and forth between the front and back, and can't play three times a week. The game.

However, due to Cafu's injury in the match against Siena, and then Stam missed the Champions League due to injury, Maldini had to play two games in a row. This game was also because of Nesta's "round break", and Maldini won again.

During the game, Maldini was more often just showing his helplessness and powerlessness. In the 25th minute, Diana made a cross from the right and Maldini fell to the ground in the middle and failed to relieve the siege, but changed the direction of the ball's flight. Zauli hit the door in a very awkward posture without strength. Dida fell to the ground and pressed the ball under him.

But the subsequent loss of the ball was exactly in front of Maldini. Volpi's free kick was pushed to the other side. Toneto's cross, AC Milan's defense was chaotic, creating a situation where the other two attacked Maldini. Pwan squeezed Maldini by jumping at the same time as Maldini, and Ka Stellini rushed to the front of the two, hit the crossbar with a header, and then Bonazzoli's volleyed the goal.

In defense, Maldini may not have many highlights, but after falling behind the score, Maldini's frequent appearance in the attack was touching. In addition to scoring goals, AC Milan's best chance of the game appeared in the second half of 16 minutes. Maldini rushed to the opponent's penalty area and Shevchenko After a delicate cooperation, Maldini crossed the head of the opponent's defender horizontally, and Shevchenko's follow-up shot was subconsciously saved by Antonioli on the goal line. In the end, Maldini could only accept this bleak "800 Memorial".

Although he lost the game, there is no doubt about Maldini's value. After the game, the media gave Maldini the team's highest 6.5 points, especially mentioning his contribution to the attack when the score was behind.

Maldini was absolutely devoted to this game. On the court, he always went all out. In order to equalize the score, he pounced on the front court and shot furiously. In order to keep the defense, he even appeared handball in the first minute of stoppage time. Fortunately, the referee did not react.

On this day, Zoff's record of 570 appearances in Serie A, which he had set and held for 12 years, was tied. The difference is that Zoff's 22-year career from 1961 to 1983 has experienced four teams: Udinese, Mantua, Naples and Juve, but Maldini has only one name in his 20 years: AC Milan.

However, 1:2 defeat turned the anniversary into a black day. With Piero's second mark, Juventus defeated Ascoli 2-1 at home and topped the list with three consecutive wins. The day before, Inter Milan also won 3-0 and neatly won Lecce, equaling Milan's points.

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

However, AC Milan will eventually lose Maldini. Maldini hopes that he can break the mark, but it turns out that in the case of a three-day game, Maldini's physical condition will indeed have some changes. For example, despite his hard work in some cases, it is still obviously overwhelming. Heart. Although he still maintains a high fighting spirit and 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 that AC Milan's defense needs new leaders.

Perhaps the only thing to be happy about this defeat is that Gilardino finally scored, but the goal scorer Gilardino was obviously a little frustrated by the loss: "I scored, but it's a pity that this goal can't be exchanged for the team's victory. We lost two goals. In fact, we should have won the game earlier. Milan controlled the situation in this game, we created a lot of opportunities, and our performance was not useless. Now we must cheer up. I am full of confidence that we are the most united group, and we all know what we should do.

This defeat also left a series of questions for AC Milan. Are they losing to Sampdoria's home advantage?

The fans of Ferraris Stadium are indeed enthusiastic enough, and coach Novelino also shouted on the sidelines for 90 minutes, but their technical disadvantage is obvious, and they have been defending desperately for 90 minutes.

Losing in weak attack?

AC Milan's attack was too focused on the middle, but Gilardino's goal in the 18th minute was completed on the central axis. Seedorf may be a problem. As a left-back, he always runs to the middle. Only Carlaze attacks and defends on the left side of Milan, which has become the source of Sampdoria's continuous counterattack.

Losing to the defensive line that you were proud of in the past?

AC Milan has lost goals in four official games this season, especially fear of high-altitude balls. Both conceded goals in this game failed at the top of the first point and lacked protection at the second point, and were scored by an unguarded player. Although Nesta is off, Stam and Maldini are not vegetarian.

Losing in Ancelotti?

In the case of lagging behind, Ancelotti's on-the-spot command is really debatable. He replaced Gattuso with Serginho and changed his formation to 352 to strengthen the side attack. However, when he was replaced by Vieri, he actually replaced Cafu. Even Vieri, who was in the best condition, needed the support of shells from both sides, but Without Cafu, AC Milan's right attack was almost paralyzed.

In the last fifteen minutes, the three killers Shevchenko, Gilardino and Vieri charged together. How spectacular it is! What a piece of cloth!

The metaphor of the famous "tailor and cloth" of the boss Berlusconi hangs above Ancelotti's head. In case the ship capsizes against Lazio again, the tailor may really be fired.

After this game, the team has been widely criticized and questioned, but club president Galliani still has his own views on this unexpected failure.

"We were very calm after the game. I have talked to Prime Minister Berlusconi after the game, and he is also very relaxed. We created many opportunities today, and we wasted two good opportunities to break the door due to insufficient attention. However, it is normal for the forward line to miss some opportunities. Maybe we are too generous now, but we must see the positive side of this defeat. We need to start thinking about the next game. We need to look forward in the league and the Champions League.

Finally, 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 the matter is not as serious as he thought.

However, no one will take all the lies of Galliani's words. As he said every time, the team's summer transfer is over, but every time the day before the transfer window is closed, he can perform amazing things.

In fact, from the first round of the league, when he played so hard against Ascoli, Ancelotti's position has begun to be unstable. Will he be fired by AC Milan?

It seems that not yet. Galliani made a public speech on the position of Ancelotti: "Ancelotti's position has not wavered, and we have not considered changing the coach. As long as we think of our achievements in the past three years, we have been at a high level and have often won, we will not be too burdened. Worry. After three rounds of this season, we scored three more points than last season, and we also won the first game of the Champions League like last season. Think about it a year ago, until the end, we all had the possibility of winning two championships. Now, we only need two things, the first is calm, and the second is still flat. Quiet."

Since Galliani said that his coaching position was still stable, Ancelotti was relieved and immediately said: "Gallani visited the players in the locker room after the game, and also encouraged the players. He was very calm, because we played not bad against Sampdoria. Galliani He was satisfied with the scene of the game, and he calmly told the team his point of view.

However, Galliani's next words are very thought-provoking: "Coach Ancelotti will have his own considerations for the arrangement of the lineup, but the mistakes cannot be repeated. We hope this is the last time. I will discuss it with Ancelotti and will find and solve the problem."

So what is the root cause of this problem mentioned by Galliani?