I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 263: Chapter 11: Starting Lineup! San Siro! (Part 2)

”We are on the right path, we have the strength to win everything.”

”I have no issues with the club.”

Soon, Galliani also gave a speech on the televised broadcast that night.

He announced that Beckham, Nesta, and Chen Zhong would appear on the UEFA Cup roster and answered everyone’s concern about Gattuso.

He stated in the broadcast that although Gattuso will only recover in May, he would still appear on this list.

Galliani explained in front of the camera: ”Without Gattuso, there is no AC Milan.”

”We cannot let a meritorious player miss the team’s championship moment.”

”Yes, although Ambrosini was injured in the last match, we still have Chen, we still have Beckham.”

”I asked the team’s head coach, Ancelotti, and he told me the team has the strength to compete for the championship. In fact, I have always trusted Ancelotti.”

Meanwhile, Galliani also recalled Milan’s previous Champions League victory in front of the camera and expressed that Nesta’s injury has improved significantly and he will be able to play soon.

Galliani’s speech excited Milan fans, and Ancelotti also stated in front of the camera: ”The players are in a good state now.”

”Beckham and Chen have integrated well into the team.”

”They will play a key role like Pirlo, Pato, and Kaka.”

”We will defeat Genoa, and we will also defeat Lazio, marching towards the top of the league standings. Milan’s goal has never changed, and that is to win every championship we can.”

Time quickly reached matchday, and this was also Chen Zhong’s second match for Milan. In the announced starting lineup, Chen Zhong prominently appeared.

Italy, Milan

San Siro Stadium

Outside the stadium, Milan fans wearing red and black jerseys gathered from all directions, while Genoa fans arrived at the stadium dressed all in white.

”We are now broadcasting the 21st round of the Serie A League.”

”The match between Milan and Genoa.”

”Milan has achieved 9 consecutive home victories this season; whether they can achieve their 10th win is what all fans are looking forward to.”

”Genoa is undefeated at home this season, and their performance in away games has also shown a significant rise recently.”

”The last time they won at San Siro dates back to 1958.”

”From the pre-match situation, they are eager to rewrite the record today.”

”In this match, Genoa’s center-back Ferrari cannot play due to a red card, and Milito, who returned in the last round, is not yet fully recovered but still forms the front line with Scuri.”

”In this match, Ambrosia is sitting on the bench due to an injury from the last match, while Chen Zhong replaces Ambrosia and forms a three-midfield lineup with Pirlo and Beckham.”

”Chen Zhong might play more of Gattuso’s role, rather than Ambrosia’s role.”

”Noteworthy is that England Team’s head coach Capello is present at the scene.”

”He is probably here to observe Beckham’s performance.”

Beckham was originally playing in Major League Soccer, but he chose to join Milan on loan to maintain his form and attract the attention of national team head coach Capello because he wanted to continue playing for his country.

The two had worked together at Real Madrid before and although there were some unpleasant experiences, they later reconciled.

In this match, Genoa lined up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, while Milan stuck to a 4-3-2-1 formation. Beckham seemed a bit excited when in the players’ tunnel.

Apparently, before the match, he had already learned through other channels that Capello would be watching the match live.

”With the referee’s whistle, the match officially begins.”

”Milan launched a positive attack.”

”In just a few touches, the ball was brought to the front.”

”Kaka passes the ball back.”

”Beckham!”

The tuft of hair Becks sports hops with his movement as he runs. Less than a minute into the game, Beckham strikes the ball directly with a powerful long shot.

The ball arcs directly towards the goal.

It’s all about taking the opponent by surprise.

However, Genoa’s goalkeeper was very alert and managed to make a difficult save.

”Beckham seems very excited.”

”He hopes to prove himself in front of the national team’s head coach.”

”Shortly after the game started, he attempted to strike Genoa’s goal with a precise long shot!”

Beckham’s shot also somewhat intimidated Genoa.

Genoa’s strength is not to be underestimated, with Argentine forward Diego Milito at the front, who has even caught the eye of Inter Milan head coach Mourinho.

On June 2, 2008, Mourinho was appointed as the head coach of Inter Milan’s first team, bringing along many backroom staff who had worked with him at Chelsea and Porto.

During the summer window, Mourinho signed forward Mancini, midfielder Sulley Muntari, and Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma.

At the start of the 2008-09 season, Mourinho led Inter Milan to the Italian Super Cup final, winning the Italian Super Cup after a penalty shootout against Rome.

In the Serie A League, the team achieved an 8-game winning streak from the 10th round to the 17th round.

From the 11th round, Mourinho led the team to regain the league top spot.

After 17 rounds, Inter Milan had already extended its lead to 6 points.

As the most popular head coach in football now, the players Mourinho has his sights on are considered high-quality.

In addition to Milito, there are also Motta, Christo, and other skilled players, which is also the reason why Genoa is positioned third in the league.

Genoa’s defense is very tight; the Italian league is known for its defensive skills.

And although Milan is dominating Genoa, the display feels a bit lackluster.

This made many Chinese fans watching the live broadcast feel uncomfortable.

”Previously, when watching Chen Zhong at Real Madrid, the matches looked much more entertaining!”

”So, when will Chen Zhong return to La Liga? The Serie A league feels really dull!”

”The pace has slowed down quite a bit; doesn’t it seem like Chen Zhong looks a bit unadapted when playing?”

...

The previous match might have had a faster pace because Milan was in a losing position, but in this match, even Milan’s tempo seemed somewhat slow.

Other teammates’ positioning also seemed a bit ”lazy,” meaning they didn’t run much.

An average of five or six minutes, or even ten minutes, might only slightly have some exciting highlights, with everyone cautiously searching for the opponent’s weaknesses.

”Milan’s interception.”

”Chen Zhong has the ball.”

”Not too many passing lanes.”

”Juric attempts an interception.”

”Ancelotti’s tactics in this match are quite interesting.”

Many speculated that Chen Zhong would play Gattuso’s role in this match, but Ancelotti felt Chen Zhong wouldn’t become Gattuso. In his setup, he actually gave Chen Zhong a space and task to move forward.

Chen Zhong on the left, Beckham on the right, Pirlo in the middle.

Pirlo hardly has any interception abilities, and Beckham used to play as a winger; Chen Zhong had also shown forward-inserting characteristics at Real Madrid.

So in this match, any of the two midfielders could dribble the ball forward.

This is a significant change for Milan.

Upon receiving the ball, Chen Zhong noticed that the opponent’s positioning was rather conservative, so he hesitated no more.

Seeing the narrow path ahead, he decisively moved the ball forward, simultaneously noticing Kaka’s dribbling posture and movements in front of him.