Chapter 223: Croatia Changes Coach

"You seem to have grown taller again, huh?"Suker gestured to compare his height with Mandzukic.

At nearly 180cm, Suker still looked noticeably shorter standing next to Mandzukic.

Mandzukic laughed, "If you even surpass me in height, how am I supposed to compete with you?"

Suker rolled his eyes. Compete with me? Keep dreaming!

"I spoke to Srna a few days ago," Mandzukic grinned. "He said he's going to teach you a harsh lesson in Serie A.""You two will be facing off, and we'll all be watching."

Among this group of friends, whoever lost would lose a lot of face.And truth be told, most of them were siding with Srna.

Not because they were closer to him—They just wanted to see Suker make a fool of himself.

"Let him become a starter first," Suker said smugly. "A substitute dares to challenge me?"

Mandzukic couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Among their generation, Srna had one of the slower starts.After all, he joined a big club straight away and hadn't shown the brilliance of Suker or Modric, so he needed to build steadily.On the other hand, Mandzukic, Vukojevic, and Pranjic had already cemented starting roles.

"Duij's not doing great lately either," Mandzukic added with a grimace.

Suker sighed.

Duimovic had been absolutely torn apart by Lyon fans."Flop!""Cripple!""A midfield lighthouse," and so on.His performances in Lyon had been poor, far from his form at Dinamo Zagreb.

"He really relies on midfield rhythm. Back at Zagreb, Luka and I helped him control the tempo. Lyon is asking him to be the playmaker, and that just doesn't work!"

Lyon wanted Duimovic to organize their midfield. But he's single-minded and lacks creative ability.The truth is, Duimovic is more of a midfield workhorse.Expecting him to organize and dictate the game? That's just setting him up to fail.

"Let me introduce you—this is Sahin!"

Mandzukic pushed a young man forward.

Suker greeted him briefly.The "Yellow and Black Warrior" Sahin—he would go on to become a symbol of Borussia Dortmund, despite a brief departure before eventually returning.But right now, Sahin was just a boy who hadn't fully grown into his role.

At that moment, Maldini walked over and patted Suker on the shoulder, saying something in Italian.When Sahin and Mandzukic saw Maldini, their eyes lit up in awe.Maldini smiled at the two and waved a hand in greeting.

Suker pointed to the team bus. "I've got to go. Pass a message to Srna for me."

With one foot on the steps, he turned and clenched his fist."I'm going to destroy him!"

The AC Milan team bus drove off.

They didn't linger in Germany and chose to return straight away.After all, they still had to prepare for Serie A and the Champions League.

Especially since the 8th round would be one of their toughest challenges yet.Not only was it a two-match week,But they'd be facing Juventus in the league and PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

Both were formidable opponents.Fortunately, both matches were at home.That made things a bit easier to handle.

Back in Milan, Ancelotti didn't bother with any post-match reviews and directly gave the players time off.

Ancelotti wasn't the type of coach to dominate the team. Among top managers, he was one of the few who encouraged player individuality and favored a relaxed style.

After some time under him, Suker felt Ancelotti's charm.The "fat old man" liked to raise his eyebrows and rarely got overly emotional—he always seemed calm and composed.

In managing the squad, he enjoyed blending in with the players, cracking harmless jokes.He encouraged Gattuso to stay true to his style and supported Maldini's authority in the locker room.Ancelotti never put himself above others in the dressing room hierarchy. Aside from on-the-job moments, he was like a trusted friend to every player.

This allowed him to maintain excellent relationships with the squad.

"Suker, if I had you focus more on passing and organizing, how would you feel about that?"

Ancelotti asked Suker directly.

If it were any other coach, Suker would have to choose his words carefully—he didn't want to give up his shooting rights.But with Ancelotti, he gave his honest opinion.

"I don't think that would be a good fit."

Ancelotti nodded. "Got it. You just keep doing what you're doing—you've been excellent."

As Ancelotti walked away, Suker returned to training.Thanks to strong performances in both league and Champions League, AC Milan's morale remained sky-high.

The media buzz around "Istanbul" (referring to the traumatic 2005 UCL final loss) had also subsided a bit—largely due to Suker's standout form.

Now, the media's focus was shifting toward him.

Still, Suker had yet to face a true test in Serie A.He hadn't played against Inter Milan, Juventus, or Roma—none of the top teams yet.

So while he'd been excellent so far, proving himself against elite opposition was just as important.

There were plenty of players who could dominate weak teams but disappear in big matches.

Of course, AC Milan fans didn't believe Suker was one of them.To them, his Champions League performances had already proven his mettle.

October 6th – AC Milan hosted Reggina.

In this match, both Suker and Kaka started on the bench.

Ancelotti chose to rotate the squad.Partly to rest key players, and partly because the upcoming international break would give some fringe players a chance to regain form through game time.

So Ancelotti gave his bench a shot.

Even so, Milan comfortably won 2–1 at home.

With six rounds of Serie A complete, the top five European leagues paused for one week.

During this break, the 2006 World Cup European Qualifiers were set to continue.

It's worth noting that Croatia had already been eliminated.

After Baric failed to lead Croatia out of the Euro 2004 group stage, Kranjcar took over the national team with the goal of reaching the 2006 World Cup.

But reality was harsh.Blow after blow—injuries, squad issues, bad form—piled up.

Eventually, Croatia was knocked out of World Cup qualifying.No Germany 2006 for them.

And just like with Baric, the Croatian Football Federation made Kranjcar the scapegoat.

Coaches always take the fall for failure.But they are also responsible for results.

Now, without a ticket to the World Cup, the Croatian public was tearing Kranjcar apart.

At the same time, Golden Generation icons like Davor Suker and Zvonimir Boban spoke out.They endorsed Slaven Bilic, a former teammate and then-coach of the Croatia U21 team, to take over the senior squad.

With so many legends backing Bilic, the pressure on the FA was immense.

And truthfully, Bilic was a solid option.He'd done well with the U21s and had the respect to stabilize the situation.

Finally, on October 4, one week after Kranjcar stepped down, the Croatian FA officially announced Bilic as the new head coach.

On October 5, Bilic's appointment ceremony was held and broadcast nationwide.

"I'm very grateful for the trust shown by the Croatian FA and the public. The senior team is different from the youth ranks, but I will bring the same passion and discipline," Bilic declared, dressed sharply in a suit.

Then he dropped a bombshell.

"My vision for the team will be different from past coaches. That's not to discredit their ability—but I have my own ideas. After the 2006 World Cup, when Euro qualifying begins, I will rebuild this Croatian national team!"

"I will pass on our values, our style, and everything that makes us Croatian—to the next generation!"

His words stirred up a storm.

Bilic's statement made it clear—he planned to rebuild the team.

That meant many current national team players would likely be phased out.

And naturally, people's minds turned to last year's "Youth Storm" that had swept across Europe.

It was obvious who Bilic was referring to—the rising stars of that exciting young generation.

Still, Bilic refused to reveal any details.

Pressed by reporters, he kept tight-lipped.He didn't disclose his selection criteria or any names.

This left the media wondering—was Bilic all talk?