Chapter 401: A New Tactic

AC Milan once again widened the gap in the scoreline, turning the goal that Totti and Roma had painstakingly clawed back into nothing but a fleeting memory.

On screen, Totti was seen shaking his head and sighing, his face full of exhaustion.

As the Wolf King of Roma, Totti had long been carrying the team to the top of Serie A single-handedly.

But now, facing the challenge from the younger generation, the aging king was clearly growing weary.

Zlatan Ibrahimović, Suker, Kaká... These young players had already become the most threatening and valuable in Serie A.

"Phew~~~"

Totti let out a long sigh.

He still yearned for the Golden Boot and the Serie A title. He wasn't willing to concede to age, but his tired body told him otherwise—he simply couldn't run anymore.

Roma made another substitution, this time taking Totti off.

Totti lowered his head and walked off the pitch, his back figure lonely and desolate.

From the bench, Ronaldo watched this scene and couldn't help but shake his head.

He had already experienced what Totti was feeling now.

That feeling... it was awful.

But there was no helping it.

No matter how brilliant a player may be, they are all powerless against the ravages of time.

Ronaldo, Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Rivaldo...

They had all gone through the same.

"With that, the match is about to end. Once again, Milan has delivered an impressive performance—they are about to defeat Roma at home!"

"This season, Milan feels completely different. They're no longer the defensively cautious side they once were. While defense remains important, with Suker and Kaká's offensive talents, they create more chances up front, often taking the lead and dominating matches!"

"We look forward to even better performances from them in the future!"

Whistle!

The final whistle blew.

The match ended.

AC Milan defeated Roma 3-1 at home.

Suker scored twice again in this match—29 goals in 29 rounds!

Only one goal away from breaking the 30-goal mark.

At this moment, all of Europe's attention was focused on Suker.

Scoring even once in Serie A is difficult, yet Suker had maintained a one-goal-per-match average.

Such a crazy scoring rate and efficiency truly shocked everyone.

So far, players who've scored over 30 goals in a single Serie A season are extremely rare.

Last season, Shevchenko managed it, but it was in the final rounds that he barely reached the mark—far less impactful than Suker's 29-in-29.

All cameras were now on Suker—he was undeniably the center of attention.

Flashbulbs exploded. Thunderous cheers echoed in his ears.

Standing on the pitch in his No. 10 Milan jersey, Suker looked around, filled with emotion.

What had once been a distant dream was now right before his eyes.

He had seized every opportunity along the way to reach his current achievements.

And in the future, he would only get better.

Night in Milan.

Every media outlet in the city was abuzz with news about Suker.

"Serie A's No. 1 Scorer!"

"Milan's New Generation Super Striker!"

"Milan's Most Complete Forward!"

And so on—reports about Suker were endless.

One could say that Suker had become terrifyingly good.

Even the top stars were wary of him.

Suker's form was simply too impressive—

Both in terms of scoring and tactical awareness, he was outstanding.

This gave Ancelotti more tactical flexibility.

In Germany, Suker's news was being widely reposted—after all, he was currently the most talked-about young player in Europe.

German sports magazine Kicker had this to say:

"In this era of transition between generations, the brightest star comes from Croatia!"

An incredibly high compliment.

This almost positioned Suker as the symbol of the new generation.

Elsewhere, Podolski saw the report and scoffed, tossing the paper aside.

He didn't buy into the Suker hype!Back when they were contending for the Golden Boy Award, Suker had outshone him.

Now the media wouldn't stop praising Suker as if he were some kind of god.

But wasn't he a genius too?

At this moment, Podolski was full of pride. He had joined Bayern Munich and secured a starting position. Naturally, he wanted more—especially to beat Suker.

And the upcoming Champions League quarter-final against AC Milan was the perfect stage.

He would defeat Suker there!

Podolski made a silent vow.

AC Milan Training Ground.

With the Champions League match approaching, Milan was preparing intensively.

This season, Bayern Munich had shown several clear traits.

Even though their German titan Ballack had left for Chelsea in pursuit of dreams, causing a shock to the team...

For Bayern, this marked a perfect time for a generational shift.

Young players like Lahm, Schweinsteiger, and Podolski were emerging.

Tactically, the team appeared strong in attack but weak in defense.

So AC Milan had to adapt accordingly.

Ancelotti was now designing a new tactical system.

"Suker!"

Pirlo suddenly shouted as he launched a long pass toward an open space in the final third.

Suker spun around and sprinted forward, charging the defense.

Nesta stuck to him tightly but just couldn't keep up.

The ball dropped, Suker flicked his foot, stopping it with a brilliant touch and nutmegging Nesta in the same move!

"OHHHH~~~~~!"

The Milan players all roared in excitement.

Nesta blushed in embarrassment. As he turned, Suker had already completed his shot.

The ball drilled into the bottom left corner of the net. Dida dove full stretch, but it was unstoppable.

Getting up, Dida looked at Nesta.

Nesta looked back.

They both shook their heads.

Now they understood just how brutal it was to go one-on-one with Suker.

That kind of seamless control and explosiveness in the final third was a nightmare for any defender.

Unless you use an all-in, sacrifice-a-man tactic, there's no stopping him.

"Told you we're perfect for this tactic! I throw the frisbee, Suker chases it!"

Pirlo shouted happily.

But before he could finish, he turned and bolted.

Suker had sprinted after him—and delivered a fierce slap on his backside.

That's right.

This was Real Madrid's infamous "dog-chasing-frisbee" tactic.

Ugly name, but extremely effective.

Especially with Suker and Kaká's talent, combined with Pirlo's long passes, it preserved defense while maximizing their attacking talents.

The only problem was... the name sounded awful.

Pirlo lay flat on the ground, Suker sat on him.

Pirlo complained, "I never said you were the dog!"

Sptt!

Suker spat on the ground, then shouted: "Ivan! Your turn for revenge!"

Hearing this, Pirlo desperately grabbed his shorts.

Gattuso came charging over with a wicked grin, grabbed Pirlo's shorts and yanked.

In an instant, Pirlo's boxer briefs became a thong.

Suker stood to the side snapping photos non-stop, even directing Gattuso's poses.

Everyone burst out laughing—these three were the jokers of the team.

"I'm really curious how many embarrassing pictures Suker has of us in that phone," Kaká said, shaking his head.

Suker's phone was basically a Milan meme album.

"I guarantee he has one of everyone!" said Nesta.

Then came Maldini:

"Just keep your composure, and he can't catch you doing anything—like me."

Kaká and Nesta turned to look at him.

"Boss, he has yours too."

Maldini: "!!!"

Kaká added:

"I saw your photo—picking your nose and scratching yourself. It's in Suker's phone!"

Maldini took a deep breath and lunged at Suker.

"Boss! What the hell are you doing?! Stop trying to grab my phone!"

As Maldini joined the chaos, the others swarmed in.

Suker got buried under the pile, and his phone was quickly snatched.

"Give it back! That's a year's worth of my collection!"

Suker shouted, but no one listened.

Maldini flipped through the photos—an entire album full of embarrassment—and grinned.

Delete All.

Then he tossed the phone back to Suker.

Suker took it back without fighting and turned to leave.

"It's no use," Kaká suddenly said. "He has it all backed up on his computer!"

Suker spun around and roared,

"Kaká! You bastard!"

Then sprinted off.