After signing with AC Milan, I will be the king of football!-Chapter 1678 - 459: Mourinho’s Sacrifice

Referee Pedro Proenza looked at Huang Kaiwen.

"Ladies first."

Huang Kaiwen said with a smile.

Casillas’ face stiffened, and he snorted, saying: "Heads!"

Proenza tossed the coin, caught it with his left hand and immediately covered it with his right hand. He slowly revealed it and said: "AC Milan chooses first."

"Sorry, Igor, we’ll choose the field."

Huang Kaiwen said with a smile.

It doesn’t get dark until almost 9 pm in Spain in September.

When the sun sets, the sunlight is glaring, so having the field advantage first is significant.

By the time they exchange sides, the sun has already disappeared.

"Huang Kaiwen won the coin toss. Although he wears the captain’s armband, it still feels somewhat unreal."

"It’s probably because Huang Kaiwen looks too young, haha. Although Huang Kaiwen is already 27 years old, Asians generally look younger than Europeans. Huang Kaiwen also belongs to the type that doesn’t seem to age. Combining both aspects, it feels like he hasn’t changed much since he joined AC Milan."

"Yes, Kaka’s face shows obvious signs of aging. Initially, Kaka looked very youthful, but now he has matured a lot, and he seems several years older than Huang Kaiwen."

"Right, but let’s take a look at today’s starting lineup."

Real Madrid 4-3-3 with two defensive midfielders:

Goalkeeper: Casillas,

Defenders: Marcelo, Pepe, Carvalho, Abeloa,

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Lampard, Khedira,

Forwards: Ronaldo, Benzema, Di Maria.

AC Milan 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield:

Goalkeeper: Buffon,

Defenders: Antonini, Thiago Silva, Nesta, Ramos,

Midfielders: Huang Kaiwen, Toni Kroos, Pirlo, Gattuso,

Forwards: Ibrahimovic, Torres.

"Mourinho hasn’t made many changes in lineup, with Lampard still in the attacking midfield position. In this position, he also assists teammates with defense. Real Madrid’s three midfielders actually have good defensive strength."

"Yes, after reuniting with his mentor, Lampard returned to a familiar position. His playing style is still more like a versatile midfielder, not an attacking midfielder. It’s in this position that Lampard performs better."

"AC Milan’s starting lineup surprises us a bit, but Guardiola has no choice. Kaka and Zambrotta have minor injuries, and although they’re on the bench, Guardiola hasn’t chosen them as starters. Instead, previously injured Huang Kaiwen is in the starting lineup."

"Speaking of previous injuries, this is Huang Kaiwen’s 100th injury. Rumor has it many media outlets prepared gifts for Huang Kaiwen, waiting to give them when he returns to San Siro."

"Haha, that’s quite rare, but understandable. Huang Kaiwen’s frequent injuries provide the sports newspapers in Europe with a continuous reporting topic that interests fans. Preparing gifts for Huang Kaiwen on his hundredth recovery is appropriate."

The referee was already looking down at his watch, ready to blow the whistle for kick-off.

Faria bent down and walked to the sidelines, rubbing his hands as he asked: "Jose, can Khedira stop Kevin?"

Mourinho, with a stern look, almost lost his composure, quickly controlling his expression and suppressing his temper as he said: "Is such a question even necessary? It’s because he can’t stop him that I assigned Frank to assist in defending that area."

If it weren’t for Real Madrid lacking suitable full-backs, he wouldn’t have started Di Maria today.

He would directly let a full-back play winger against Huang Kaiwen.

Ah.

Didn’t expect Real Madrid’s defensive issues to be so many. Although Ashley Cole is unpopular, his defense is really good.

Marcelo is talented offensively, but his defense is much weaker than Ashley Cole’s. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

There’s hardly anyone reliable on the right side.

Ramos is a bit reckless defensively, but his passing is accurate!

Mourinho sighed, not satisfied at all with the summer signings.

If possible, he plans to bring in a few defensive players in winter to strengthen Real Madrid’s squad depth.

Guardiola kept staring at Real Madrid’s dugout.

Trying to figure things out.

But Mourinho made no moves, leaving him puzzled.

Guardiola couldn’t help but mutter to himself: "Jose, what exactly have you given?"

At 7:45 pm, main referee Proenza blew the whistle to start the match.

Benzema kicked off directly with a back pass.

Lampard took the ball and immediately passed it back.

Mourinho’s pursuit is counter-attack speed.

Reducing ball possession doesn’t mean handing over ball control to the opponent.

After Alonso took the ball, Real Madrid began to enter match mode.

In this system, the roles of three midfielders and two full-backs are crucial.

Ball possession and counter-pressing are the most important aspects.

After Torres charged forward, Alonso casually passed the ball to the right.

This one-player press doesn’t give him much pressure.

Abeloa took the ball and continued carrying forward. This former Castilla captain has no major weaknesses and can play multiple positions, but his advantages aren’t very prominent either.

Huang Kaiwen suddenly accelerated towards Abeloa, prompting Abeloa to quickly pivot and pass back.

Kroos was already marking Khedira. As soon as Khedira got the ball, Kroos charged up with his foot extended.

Khedira could only pivot and withstand a kick to distribute the ball.

"Yellow card, that’s a yellow card!!!"

Mourinho shouted on the field.

The referee had already inserted the whistle into his mouth, quickly spat it out.