Chapter 42 He didn't care about any pressure, he just...

On the evening of March 4th, the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 match between AC Milan and Arsenal kicked off at the San Siro.

With Seedorf sidelined due to injury, Ancelotti fielded a 4-3-1-2 formation with two strikers.

Kalac guarded the goal, Maldini returned to the left wing to replace the injured Jankulovski, Oddo played as the right-back, Nesta and Kaladze partnered at center-back, the midfield was still the trio of Gattuso, Pirlo and Ambrosini, and up front was Kaká who linked the midfield and the forward line, with Fino and Inzaghi as the two strikers.

Wenger used a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Almunia replacing veteran Lehmann as the starting goalkeeper, Sagna, Gallas, Senderos, and Clichy forming the back line, Eboue, Flamini, Fabregas, and Diaby anchoring the midfield, Hleb connecting the midfield and the front, and Adebayor leading the attack.

With Eduardo, Rosicky, and Toure absent, Arsenal lost one key player each in the attack, midfield, and defense, while Van Persie, having recovered from injury, sat on the bench.

This match has been generating buzz online for days, with Italian and English media outlets each trying to boost their own fans' confidence by listing statistics, comparing lineups, and endlessly amplifying their team's advantages while glossing over their disadvantages. Win! We're going to win!

Italian media outlets, led by Gazzetta dello Sport, stated:

In terms of statistics, AC Milan has maintained an 11-game unbeaten record against English teams at home in European competitions, with 7 wins and 4 draws. Furthermore, in this season's Champions League group stage, Milan won all 3 of their home games at the San Siro.

In terms of lineup, Arsenal's key players Rosicky, Toure, and Eduardo are all out due to injury, while Milan will see Kaká and Nesta make a strong comeback.

In terms of heritage, AC Milan are the reigning Champions League champions from last season, holding 7 Champions League titles and 2 European Cup Winners' Cup titles, while Arsenal have only won one European Cup Winners' Cup title in the distant 1993/94 season.

How could I lose when destiny is on my side?

English media, led by The Daily Telegraph, stated:

Arsenal have advanced from all four of their previous European knockout stage matches against Italian teams, earning them the reputation of being a Serie A team killer.

In the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, Milan showed clear signs of decline, struggling against Arsenal's attacks. The draw was largely due to luck. Milan's aging defense is as flimsy as paper, and goalkeeper Kalac is a sieve; they may not have that same luck in this match.

Moreover, unless it ends in a 0-0 draw and goes to extra time and a penalty shootout, if Arsenal gets an away goal, Milan will need to score one more goal to advance.

The younger generation will surely sweep the older generation off the beach!

Fueled by the media, the emotions of both sets of fans grew increasingly intense, brimming with confidence and exchanging harsh words online.

Milan doesn't actually have as much confidence as the media and fans do.

In the first leg, Milan had already witnessed Arsenal's impact. Under the onslaught of youth, the aging Milan were exhausted, and their ability to hold on and secure a draw was entirely due to the tacit understanding and willpower of the veterans.

Another point that is not known to the outside world is that Nesta and Kaka were actually barely able to make their comebacks. Their injuries had not fully healed, and they risked aggravating their injuries by playing on the field.

Ancelotti sighed. Even though he stubbornly claimed in the pre-match press conference that Milan would repeat last season's elimination of Manchester United, he knew in his heart that it was truly time for Milan to rebuild.

After the match started, Arsenal ran very actively and attacked at a very fast pace. Everyone knows the principle of "strike while the iron is hot" and against an aging Milan, the key is to use speed to suppress them.

Wenger pushed the defense forward to increase the numerical advantage when contesting midfield control. The pressing in the attacking third was also fierce. After losing the ball, they immediately counter-pressed, pinning Milan's defense firmly in front of the goal, and the two full-backs dared not easily push forward.

Ancelotti had reviewed the first leg and was prepared for this. Milan used Pirlo's precise long passes to bypass Arsenal's advancing defense and attack directly behind their defense. Fino and Inzaghi would have opportunities as long as they were careful to avoid offside traps.

At the beginning, Fino and Inzaghi did get a few shooting opportunities because of the surprise attack, but Arsenal quickly strengthened their defense under Wenger's command, the back line dropped back in time and increased the layers of defense, and Milan's strategy of attacking behind the defense gradually became ineffective.

After their strategy of attacking behind the defense failed, Milan tried advancing through midfield, but this strategy also faced significant resistance.

Milan's midfield was completely dominated by Arsenal.

Gattuso is very active, but he struggles against technical midfielders like Fabregas, finding it difficult to keep them in place without committing fouls.

With Gattuso focusing more on interceptions, Pirlo, without Gattuso's protection, struggled to hold onto the ball. Ambrosini didn't offer much help in ball control, and Milan's usually fluid midfield play became difficult under Arsenal's restrictions.

Kaká, positioned in the attacking midfield position, was marked one-on-one by Flamini, who kept him close the entire time. Combined with Sagna's tackles, Kaká was practically frozen out.

Milan's midfield couldn't get the ball out.

Fino gestured to Ancelotti, indicating that he wanted to drop back and test Seedorf's position, adding a support point during midfield passing combinations and relieving pressure on Kaká during the attack.

Ancelotti considered it for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

What Fino could see, he, as the coach who stood on the sidelines and oversaw the entire situation, would see even more clearly.

The current situation is very unfavorable for Milan. The longer the stalemate lasts, the more Milan's physical disadvantage will be exposed. Dropping a striker back is the right choice.

Inzaghi is not capable of this job, either in terms of physical fitness or technical skills, so Fino has to give it a try.

This match was crucial; for Milan, it meant more than just a Champions League knockout stage game. If Milan lost, it would be the first time in six seasons that the reigning Champions League champions had failed to reach the quarterfinals, and this match would be interpreted as the beginning of the collapse of the Milan dynasty.

To bolster their squad on paper, he had to field Kaká and Nesta, both still recovering from injuries, but even so, Milan's chances of winning were slim.

As a head coach, it's inevitable to become the target of criticism. Ancelotti is already used to being blamed by the club and "judged" by the world. He can't escape the label of "tactical arrangement failure".

The more this is the case, the more carefully he needs to consider whether to have Fino retreat, because once the formation is changed, the changed position will immediately become the focus of the entire field, and Fino will bear enormous pressure.

After the loss, many irrational fans may blame Fino, believing that his lack of ability led to the defeat.

It is irresponsible to subject a young person who is not yet 20 years old to a barrage of attacks. Ancelotti should also consider the young man's perspective.

Now, Fino has stepped forward.

Fino was unaware that the shrewd and calculating Ancelotti had shown a rare tenderness. He didn't care about the pressure; all he wanted was to win!

He didn't want the veteran players to fade away in obscurity. He couldn't control the club's decisions or stop the veteran players from losing their time, but he could burn his own energy and try his best to increase Milan's chances of winning.

After retreating, Fino realized that Milan's midfield was struggling under Arsenal's pressure, so he took on defensive duties before assisting in the attack.

Arsenal's frontal attacks are very lethal. Through continuous short lateral passes, they advance layer by layer towards the edge of Milan's penalty area. Milan's defensive area is relatively narrow, and Pirlo's defensive ability is relatively weak, so they struggled to compete with Arsenal in midfield.

With Fino dropping back, the pressure on Milan's midfield was greatly reduced.

Fino's arrival broadened Milan's defensive horizons, and his speed was a powerful tool to disrupt Arsenal's cross-passing tactics, immediately elevating Milan's defensive strength to a new level.

Under Arsenal's relentless pressure, Milan's two defensive lines were pushed back to the vicinity of the penalty area, and Fino also dropped back into the penalty area to cover for his senior teammates.

In the limited counter-attack opportunities, he also had to link up and support in the midfield and forward areas. His figure was running back and forth all over the field, like a tireless sheepdog.

In the 35th minute, Arsenal's full-back Clichy started from the left flank, advancing the ball towards Milan's half. Before Gattuso could intercept, he passed the ball across to Fabregas. Gattuso then cut between Clichy and Fabregas to prevent Fabregas from passing back.

Pirlo stood in front of Fabregas, but Fabregas didn't care much. Pirlo's defensive ability was negligible in his eyes. Even though his own dribbling ability was average, it was a bit presumptuous for Pirlo to come up and defend him one-on-one.

Pirlo was well aware of his poor defense. His goal wasn't to steal the ball; he simply wanted to block the pass and prevent Fabregas from easily passing it.

Fabregas looked around. Eboue's position was blocked by Ambrosini, and the midfield cross was blocked. Hleb and Adebayor were pulling and tugging at Milan's penalty area and Milan's defense. Diaby was closely marked by Nesta and could not create space to receive the ball for the time being.

Fino was approaching him, seemingly intending to join Pirlo in double-teaming him, while Gala followed behind Fino.

Fabregas didn't find an opportunity to pass the ball, so he made a quick decision to break past Pirlo first and then look for another chance.

By tilting his upper body and flicking the ball with his foot, he tricked Pirlo into shifting his center of gravity, then caught the ball and flicked it back, breaking past Pirlo on the other side, and then dribbled towards Milan's penalty area.

Maldini immediately stepped forward to press, and Fino also chased after Fabregas from behind.

At this moment, Adebayor broke free of Kaladze's marking and ran into space to receive the ball, and Fabregas immediately passed the ball.

Adebayor, after drawing three defenders on the left side of Milan's penalty area, quickly passed the ball back to Hleb, who immediately took a shot, sending the ball flying towards the bottom right corner of the goal.

Maldini's low sliding tackle to clear the ball failed, and Kalac made a diving save, sending the ball flying back into the penalty area.

Diaby got to the ball first, raised his foot to shoot, and the ball flew towards the top right corner of the goal.

At this moment, Nesta, Kaladze, and Oddo were all clustered on the left side of the penalty area, and even Oddo, who was closest, was helpless against the rebound shot.

Fortunately, Fino had already returned to the Milan penalty area when Hleb took the shot. Facing Diaby's follow-up shot, he jumped high and headed the ball away. The ball was controlled by Gattuso, who had also just returned, and they immediately launched a counter-attack.

Fino also ran towards Arsenal's half.

Milan escaped unscathed.