Chapter 199: Derby eve
The photo of Wang Feng kneeling on the field of Balaidos Stadium made it to the front page cover of the Milan Sports Newspaper, with the headline boldly stating, "Wang Feng Shines in Spain, Hat-trick in Fifteen Minutes!"
"Faced with the upcoming Milan Derby, coach Mancini adopted a substitute lineup, which was understandable, but the performance of these players was disappointing. Not only did they fail to threaten the bottom-ranked team in La Liga, but they were also caught off guard."
"Once again, it was Wang Feng who played a decisive role at a crucial moment, and what's even more surprising is that he scored a hat-trick in just fifteen minutes. This is Wang Feng's first hat-trick of the season, and it came unexpectedly soon."
"Two consecutive wins in the group stage are undoubtedly crucial for Inter Milan. Establishing a lead earlier allows them to focus more on the league."
"It can be seen that Inter Milan's bench depth is problematic. As the league progresses, can they continue to juggle multiple fronts? This will be a significant test for Mancini's tactics."
"Chinese superstar shines in the Champions League," the Turin Sports Newspaper also extensively covered this match, focusing on Wang Feng's hat-trick. This is the first hat-trick in the Champions League so far, and Wang Feng tops the scorer's list with four goals.
"Wang Feng seems unstoppable. He is gradually becoming the most terrifying striker in Serie A history. I believe he will appear in the nightmares of all defenders."
In the small town of Carnago in northwest Milan, at AC Milan's luxurious training base Milanello, Ancelotti sat in the head coach's office, flipping through the latest newspapers with a melancholy expression.
"Wang Feng's strength and form are still outstanding. What should we do?" Several assistant coaches looked at each other, shook their heads with bitter smiles, evidently lacking good ideas.
Last season, Inter Milan and AC Milan had numerous decisive encounters, with two league meetings costing them the Serie A title, two Champions League matches ending their journey to the final, and two Italian Cup matches resulting in them conceding the cup to each other.
Even before the start of this season, they once again lost to Inter Milan, only to watch their city rivals lift the Italian Super Cup once more.
Inter Milan has become a nightmare for AC Milan and Ancelotti. Club president Berlusconi is very dissatisfied with this situation, and the team is restless. If they cannot change this situation soon, Ancelotti will be swept out like Terim.
"Our defense seems luxurious, but still can't stop Wang Feng. Maldini and Costacurta are a year older, and Nesta hasn't been very effective."
"This season's acquisition, Kaka, has great talent, but he's not Wang Feng. Inter Milan's defense has also become more solid. Can Zaccardo and Shevchenko break through?"
No one can answer this question, and Ancelotti can only rub his brow, pondering for a long time before saying, "I plan to use a 4-3-2-1 formation, with Shevchenko up front, Rui Costa and Kaka dropping back a bit, and Zaccardo on the bench."
"Don't retreat too deep in defense, adopt effective lateral interception to limit Inter Milan's attack."
The technical coach nodded, "This way, we can greatly weaken Inter Milan's counterattack and prevent Wang Feng from exploiting the space in the frontcourt."
"Then, in defense, we'll have Maldini, Nesta, Stam, and Cafu in the back, with Seedorf, Pirlo, and Gattuso in midfield, Rui Costa and Kaka in the attacking midfield, and Shevchenko up front."
Ancelotti nodded. This is the perfect formation and lineup in his mind. In attack, there's no need to rely on high-winger penetration but rather sharp breakthroughs in the middle.
Pirlo is the key in this lineup. In attack, he needs to use his ability to read the game and excellent footwork in the defensive midfield position to accurately find defensive weaknesses, while Kaka can use his speed and clear positioning judgment in the attacking midfield to quickly gain possession and organize the attack.
In defense, the 4-3-2-1 can also be turned into a 2-4-1-2-1 at the right moment. Pirlo will have Seedorf and Gattuso for defensive support, while Maldini and Cafu can provide cover through their excellent individual abilities.
The defensive line formed by the midfield and defense will definitely be able to block Wang Feng!
In fact, this formation has been formed in Ancelotti's mind for a long time, but it has never been implemented. There are two most important reasons for this. One is that Shevchenko and Zaccardo are both world-class forwards. If a 4-3-2-1 is adopted, one of them will inevitably be relegated to the bench, which the club's higher-ups do not want to see.
The second reason is that Rivaldo is not a striker with breakthrough passing ability, but more of an organizing midfielder, so he cannot play a good tactical role.
Now AC Milan is in a crisis and must seek change. Kaka's arrival fills the vacancy of the striker, but Shevchenko and Zaccardo also have to make some sacrifices. Ancelotti plans to have a good talk with the higher-ups.
As a heavyweight dialogue of this season, the Milan Derby between Inter Milan and AC Milan has attracted the attention of media and fans worldwide, but both teams appeared unusually low-key before the match.
On the eve of the game, both sides held press conferences and announced the squads for the match. They appeared very modest when facing the reporters. Ancelotti praised Inter Milan's defense this season and Wang Feng's outstanding performance, while Mancini stated that AC Milan's lineup is strong and the newcomer Kaka has unlimited potential.
Unlike the cordiality between the two teams, there was a smell of gunpowder in the city of Milan. Everyone knew that this game would affect the course of the championship, and AC Milan's suppression over the past two years had made many old Milan fans very dissatisfied. They hoped that the Rossoneri could rise again.
Inter Milan's fans naturally hope that the club can continue to excel and achieve glory again this season. So far this season, their performance has been very pleasing.
Just turning 20 years old, Wang Feng has already shown his unparalleled dominance and strong endurance, so everyone is very optimistic about how far Inter Milan will go. The "Great Inter Milan" dynasty is not just a dream.
On the night before the match, the Inter Milan team rested as usual in the Pinetina, having experienced two seasons of glory. Club president Moratti has personally promised the players that he will invest heavily in renovating this run-down training base.
As for the standards, they will follow Milan's Milanello. First, expand the area, in addition to regular training grounds and office buildings, dormitories, and other areas, they will also open up a forest and an artificial lake to make it more suitable for player training and rest.
The number of indoor and outdoor football fields also needs to be expanded to meet the training tasks of different teams, and various professional venues will be established so that players can do some physical therapy and non-ball movements.
Of course, the most important thing is to renovate the dormitory building, which is almost equivalent to demolition and reconstruction. Each room will be turned into a luxurious single room, with greatly improved lighting, which is believed to satisfy everyone.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺