I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 275: Chapter 17: The Title Race

On Milan’s side, with Kaka and Shevchenko injured, it falls to Pato to lead the front line, followed by Seedorf and Inzaghi, and in midfield Pirlo, Beckham, Ambrosini, or perhaps Chen Zhong.

All in all, compared to the energetic Inter Milan, Milan appears somewhat lackluster, with many aging veterans, the oldest being over 40.

The most discussed topic in the program is the position of Chen Zhong.

Should Chen Zhong continue to play in midfield?

Or should Chen Zhong be placed in the defense line...

One of Mourinho’s constant criticisms is his fondness for making ”bold statements” before matches, and as the game approaches, Mourinho once again makes a boastful remark.

”In theory, there’s still a long way to go in the league.”

”I can’t just declare or think that the Serie A title race is over.”

”But I do want to tell everyone that if we don’t win the league championship, it would surely be because we gave it up ourselves, and in fact, we are now at the top of the league standings.”

At this point, Mourinho smiled and said, ”Everyone has been talking about something recently, a record about my home games.”

”That is, I haven’t led a team to a home defeat for seven years.”

”If we win the match against Milan, I think the league title won’t be too far from us.”

Ancelotti still did not respond, but the journalists managed to catch a lone Chen Zhong, and when surrounded by enthusiastic reporters, they asked him what he thought of Mourinho’s remarks.

Chen Zhong paused and then spoke, ”I didn’t participate in the last Derby della Madonnina, but I remember Milan defeating Inter Milan.”

”Mourinho emphasizes that the team he leads hasn’t lost a home game in seven years. Although I haven’t been in Milan for long, I distinctly remember the two teams share one stadium.”

In Italy, there are very few teams with their ”own” home stadium. Inter Milan and Milan have never had a stadium exclusively for themselves, and now their home stadium.

The San Siro Stadium is actually the same stadium.

In Italy, it’s not uncommon for city teams to share the same stadium.

Strictly speaking, Mourinho’s record has already been broken by Milan, considering the last Milan vs. Inter Milan match, although officially Milan vs. Inter Milan, it was Milan’s home game.

But since the two teams share the same stadium, it’s also ”Inter Milan’s” home game.

Chen Zhong’s response was indeed clever.

Mourinho uses his seven years of unbeaten home games to assert that Milan cannot beat Inter Milan in the upcoming match, while Chen Zhong does not respond directly, instead pointing out that the undefeated home record is a thing of the past, so there’s no need to bring it up!

After reading Chen Zhong’s interview content, Ancelotti happily accepted media interviews, as he had been reluctant to engage in a war of words with Mourinho before.

On one hand, to avoid wasting energy, and on the other hand, Mourinho is quite formidable in verbal battles.

Not only is he strong in verbal exchanges, but he also has some real skills to match.

He didn’t want to experience double regret if things went wrong, but now that Chen Zhong has exposed this, he won’t miss the chance to ”kick a man when he’s down.”

Seeing Milan’s counterattack, Mourinho, instead of getting angry, simply responded with a sly smile, suggesting they have a real battle in the next game, and no one should back down!

This is Mourinho’s true objective.

Back when he was coaching at Chelsea, he loved to use words to ”provoke” opponents and then happily play defense and counterattack at his own ground, parking a big bus.

For Mourinho, his pre-match ”bold statements” are also part of his tactics.

The matchday quickly arrived, and fans of both teams poured into their beloved ”San Siro” or ”Meazza.”

The red-black and blue-black colors became the main theme of the night.

In the stadium, you could see the renowned stands of both teams engaging in a ”sing-off,” each hoping to outshine the other.

Even before the match officially began, the derby atmosphere was already at its peak.

”It is now 3:30 AM Beijing time on February 16.”

”The final match of the 24th round of the Serie A, the 270th Derby della Madonnina, is about to begin!”

”This is also the highlight of the round.”

”In this match, AC Milan is riddled with injuries, with key defender Nesta and core player Kaka absent, and defender Bonera suspended.”

”From the pre-match starting lineup, we can see coach Ancelotti has set up the classic Christmas tree 4-3-2-1 formation, with forward Pato, followed by Ronaldinho and Seedorf, and in midfield, Beckham, Pirlo, Ambrosini; defending are Jankulovsky, Maldini, Chen Zhong, Zambrotta, and goalkeeper Abbiati.”

”It’s clear Ancelotti is very wary of Inter Milan’s front line, as in this match he has positioned Chen Zhong in central defense.”

”It’s a pity, really, if Milan hadn’t used their non-European Union registration slots on Shevchenko and Chen Zhong, then Thiago Silva, the new defensive talent Milan secured over many big clubs in the winter, could have played in this match; but whether he could withstand Inter Milan’s front line would be uncertain.”

”Of course, from another perspective, this also shows trust in Chen Zhong, believing that Chen can hold off world-class stars Adriano and Ibrahimovic.”

”On Inter Milan’s side, Mourinho used a 4-3-1-2 formation, with forwards Adriano and Ibrahimovic paired, Stankovic behind, in midfield Muntari, Cambiasso, Zanetti, defenders Santon, Chiwo, Materazzi, Maicon, and goalkeeper Cesar.”

”Compared to Milan, Inter Milan’s squad is complete, and the previously predicted injured Maicon is also in the starting lineup.”

The commentators couldn’t help but let a strange tone enter their voice at this point.

It’s known that before the match, Milan had many injury reports, but some speculated there might be some smokescreens among them.

Such as Kaka’s injury.

Though it was stated Kaka sprained his ankle during the game against Regina, many felt the injury was real, but the unavailability for the derby was false, just a smokescreen Ancelotti and Milan released.

However...

Kaka truly couldn’t play.

Milan had no smokescreen; it was all real...

Compared to Milan, compared to Ancelotti, Mourinho was much more devious, with all his smokescreens being just smoke, without any truth.

Before the match, Mourinho and Ancelotti shook hands to show goodwill.

Mourinho was smiling confidently, while Ancelotti looked helpless.

Inter Milan’s forward line boasts an average height of around 190, and if Milan doesn’t let Chen Zhong go to the defense, then the team can only rely on the 40-year-old veteran captain Maldini as a starter at center-back, with the injury-prone Kalanze filling in, and the standard Bonera and aging Favalli as substitutes.

This might replay the tragedy of Drogba bulldozing the opposing defenders during Mourinho’s time at Chelsea!

For Ancelotti, against Inter Milan’s forward line, no one but Chen Zhong would suffice.

Not even Thiago Silva, the new addition to the team in the winter window, would do.

In fact, it was later proven right, as Thiago Silva struggled badly in matchups against strong forwards like Drogba, showing a ”pathetic” performance.

He couldn’t push back, couldn’t pull past, and couldn’t withstand.

The referee’s whistle brought Ancelotti back to reality, and the match officially began~