Chapter 382: Sluggish Rhythm

Real Madrid was under immense pressure.

This was evident from the stifling atmosphere in the locker room.

For instance, players like Van Nistelrooy had already started refusing to communicate.

They were extremely frustrated with the midfield's inability to distribute the ball and were also questioning Capello's tactical decisions.

After all, they still had Beckham on the team, and the squad could obviously perform better. But due to the so-called restructuring and generational shift, Beckham had been abandoned and completely frozen out.

This move affected the entire season.

It was one thing to struggle in the league, but must they also be passive in the Champions League?

AC Milan was a formidable team. They knew this, so why couldn't they compromise just a little?There were many ways to marginalize Beckham—why did it have to be this extreme?

All in the name of rebuilding?

Van Nistelrooy had left Manchester United precisely because he couldn't wait through their long rebuilding and adjustment period.

Now, after transferring to Real Madrid, the situation was the same—if not worse.

"In the second half, we need to make some adjustments."

Capello knew exactly what the players were thinking.

But he also knew what he had to stick to.

If he thawed Beckham out now, he would become a joke as a manager.

Even if Beckham were to return, there needed to be a justifiable reason.

For now, he had no intention of reinstating Beckham.

Capello's adjustments were all focused on the defense; he made no changes to the forward or midfield lines.

Clearly, he believed the front and middle were merely not in sync with the match tempo and needed more time.

Capello also understood that this was Real Madrid's most explosive attacking setup.

Swapping in other players wouldn't make much difference.

Truth be told, facing AC Milan's compact structure, both Capello and Real Madrid were under immense pressure.

On the other side, AC Milan made no personnel changes, only opted for a more defensive approach.

Inzaghi sat on the bench, staring longingly at Ancelotti.

Ever since Suker's breakout performances, Inzaghi had been benched.

Giardino shared the same sentiment.

Both men watched Ancelotti with eager eyes.

They saw him giving tactical instructions while reaching over to grab a banana from the table. He peeled it and handed it directly to Suker.

Suker took it without hesitation and started eating.

Inzaghi and Giardino were stunned.

What kind of treatment was this?The coach personally peeling a banana for a player?

They couldn't recall Ancelotti ever treating them that way.

It's true what they say—comparison only leads to frustration.

"In the second half, focus on controlling the midfield and defending. There's no need to rush the tempo!" Ancelotti instructed.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

They understood exactly what Ancelotti meant.

They also knew the pace AC Milan needed to play at.

"Suker, drop deeper in the second half. Help reinforce midfield control."

Suker swallowed his last bite of banana and nodded, "Got it, boss!"

Halftime ended, and both teams returned to the pitch.

"Real Madrid has made some adjustments in defense. Capello has substituted Roberto Carlos for Cicinho!"

"Since the beginning of the season, Carlos has been gradually losing his starting spot, while Cicinho has started featuring more often. This is part of Capello's rebuilding strategy."

"We'll see how Cicinho performs tonight."

The Spanish commentator said this, though a note of concern was evident in his tone.

From the first-half performance, it wasn't the defense that was the biggest issue—it was the midfield's inability to distribute the ball. That bottleneck in transitioning from defense to attack left the backline exposed.

But Real Madrid truly had few options in midfield.

Guti, the "Golden Wolf," was the only reliable outlet. Since Beckham had been frozen out, the overall strength of the team had undeniably declined—this was an indisputable fact.

Real Madrid fans were becoming increasingly frustrated.

During the first Galáctico era, Real Madrid was top-heavy: explosive on offense, but frail in defense.

Now, it was the opposite. Capello had built a solid defense, but the attack was stifled.

Capello stood on the sidelines, wearing his square-framed glasses and a suit. Through the lenses, a faint trace of worry was visible in his eyes.

Even though he had made adjustments, he knew this wasn't the ideal solution.

But he had no choice—the limitations of the squad gave him little tactical flexibility.

Most crucially, AC Milan's performance was simply too good.

This rendered many of Real Madrid's tactical plans ineffective.

Now, all Capello could do was hope that his players—particularly Raúl—could deliver a critical goal.

Capello was an ambitious manager.

But at this moment, he would settle for a draw.

Even that was going to be very hard to achieve.

The second half kicked off quickly.

Real Madrid, having taken the kickoff, immediately went on the attack.

They were clearly in a rush—trailing by two goals with only 45 minutes left on the clock.

They needed to keep attacking to restore their pride at home.

AC Milan, meanwhile, adopted a defensive shape. They calmly cut off passing lanes and applied tight pressure.

Under AC Milan's suffocating defense, Real Madrid struggled to string together effective attacking moves—let alone attempt shots.

After several broken attacks, Raúl was forced to drop deep and try a long-range shot.

Bang!

The ball flew toward AC Milan's goal, but Dida leapt and securely caught it with both hands as he hit the ground.

"Damn it!"

Raúl stomped the ground in frustration.

After so many failed attacks, he resorted to a long shot, but Dida handled it expertly.

Dida then lay on the ground for a while with the ball, further wasting time.

Only when the referee urged him did he slowly toss the ball to a full-back.

Jankulovski carried the ball up the sideline, passed to Seedorf, who then slanted it over to Suker.

Suker took two touches—stopping and then redirecting the ball.

He didn't push forward, instead staying in a space between defenders to keep the ball circulating.

Kaká then passed backward, opting not to press forward either.

Suker also dropped deep again.

AC Milan's mission was clear: hold possession and run down the clock.

Time ticked away.

At the 65th minute, AC Milan made substitutions.

Cafu and Maldini came off.

Simic and Costacurta came on.

With fresh legs and Costacurta's wealth of experience, Milan's defense became even more solid.

They were steady and composed, fully controlling the tempo.

At the stadium, Real Madrid fans were now furious.

Their wrath was directed at Capello.

"Bullshit! Disgusting Italian! Take your ugly tactics and get out of Madrid!"

"Still defending?! You think we're the ones with the lead?!"

"Attack! Bring David on!"

"Damn it! Compared to Beckham, you're nothing but a pile of crap!"

"Get out! You Italian bastard!"

The Real Madrid fans hurled insults at Capello.

He remained composed on the surface, as if the words weren't meant for him.

But inside his pocket, his fists were clenched tightly—it was clear he wasn't as calm as he seemed.

Capello was also getting desperate.

It was almost the 75th minute, and Real Madrid had yet to produce a threatening shot.

Meanwhile, AC Milan was defending calmly, maintaining the rhythm, and playing beautifully.

Costacurta's entry further thwarted Madrid's offense.

Despite his age, he was tenacious and well-positioned. He cleared nearly every cross that came his way.

Real Madrid was out of ideas.

They could only resort to hopeful long balls, praying Raúl or someone else would latch on.

Van Nistelrooy, the king of the six-yard box, was almost invisible.

Without service, he was utterly ineffective.

"If this continues, AC Milan will completely kill the game off. Come on, attack! Dribble! Shoot!"

The Spanish commentator couldn't help but shout out in frustration.

His sentiment mirrored that of every Real Madrid fan.

Why were the players still so sluggish at this point in the match?

Was this really how it would end?

That was something no Madridista could accept.