Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

Chapter 53: The Champions League Rekindles

"Whoa! Li Ang wins the challenge again! Sculli is really struggling to get a clean shot under Li Ang's man-marking. The direct, no-nonsense defensive style is making life hell for Lazio's forwards!"

"Even tall striker Kozák can't handle Nesta's marking. Especially with such limited possession, Lazio's strike duo simply can't generate the kind of attack Edy Reja wants. Maybe it's time to rethink the game plan?"

Watching the game unfold, with the tempo clearly favoring Milan, Sky Italia's commentators began questioning Reja's tactics. Milan had been consistently regaining control in midfield and stifling Lazio's double-striker setup. Given how often they'd lost the ball, it made little sense not to reinforce the midfield.

But Reja had his reasons.

Sure, he could swap in more midfielders—Lazio's bench was full of them—but who would he sub out?

Take off Kozák? Then they'd have no target man to receive long balls upfield. Sculli was only 1.77m tall and already being locked down by Li Ang. He wasn't going to hold the line in the penalty area.

And dropping Sculli? Out of the question.

Kozák wasn't a prolific scorer, but he could function as a battering ram up front. Sculli was the one they counted on to actually finish.

If Reja pulled him, Allegri might just pop a champagne cork on the sidelines.

Reja's face was grim. The clock kept ticking. Finally, he made a bold decision: pull a defender, send in a midfielder.

Allegri raised an eyebrow. So, Reja was going all-in, huh?

With Pato running on fumes, Lazio's rear line looking increasingly porous, Allegri didn't hesitate. He made a switch of his own.

"Robinho's coming on! Looks like Milan isn't content to park the bus. They're still hunting that second goal!"

With both sides making changes, the game finally reached the moment fans had been waiting for.

Lazio went full throttle in attack. They had no choice.

Milan, meanwhile, began looking for cracks to exploit on the counter.

It wasn't exactly a full-blown end-to-end battle, but the tempo picked up. After a slow-burning first half, the match finally started to feel exciting.

But for Li Ang and Milan's trio of midfield enforcers, Lazio's "all-out assault" was more bark than bite.

In fact, you could say Milan caught a break in this fixture.

Lazio's usual starting strikers, Floccari and Zarate, were both out injured.

Sculli and Kozák were just stand-ins—not on the same level.

Their creativity and finishing? Average at best.

Without their top two threats, Lazio's attack was all bluster. It looked intense, but in reality, it posed little danger to Milan's back line.

The only letdown for Milan was Robinho. His dribbling was as flashy as ever, but his finishing... not so much.

Especially in the 78th minute.

After breaking Lazio's final line with a clever through-ball from Ibrahimović, Robinho fired well over the bar.

"Dogsh*t!"

Allegri cursed loudly, red in the face.

Fortunately, Ibra remained clinical. Despite limited touches, every shot he took was on target, forcing Lazio's back line to hesitate just enough.

By the 85th minute, it was clear a second goal wasn't coming.

So Allegri issued the order: full retreat, defend the lead at all costs.

And in front of 70,000 roaring fans at San Siro, Milan ground out the win.

When the final whistle blew, Allegri raced down the touchline to celebrate with his players.

One more major rival vanquished.

With Lazio beaten, only Napoli and Inter remained as serious threats in the title race.

And now? Milan was on a six-game win streak and flying high.

Morale was sky-high. Confidence overflowing.

But San Siro's roar wasn't over yet.

Just minutes after the match, a cheer even louder erupted from the crowd.

On the pitch, Milan players paused, blinking in confusion. Seconds later, a jubilant assistant coach ran over to deliver the news:

"Napoli lost again! Chievo beat them 2–0 at home. Inter's up to second, but they're still ten points behind us!"

Napoli had slipped again.

Inter was still ten points behind.

The path to the title grew clearer.

Allegri grinned. The players exchanged high fives.

Their form was solid. Their lead was growing. Their rivals were slipping.

And Napoli? With their spirit broken, one more loss might see them fade entirely.

As for Inter?

Matchday 31. Let's settle it then.

With the momentum of six straight wins behind them, Milan rolled into February full of fire.

Mark van Bommel's smooth integration shored up the defense.

Ibrahimović, in prime form, gave them a safety net on offense.

No matter how ugly the matches looked, Milan always found a way to land the first punch. Once they led, they just dragged the opponent into their rhythm.

Case in point: their February 6th fixture against Genoa.

This season, Genoa had been surprisingly solid—especially defensively. Despite scoring woes, they'd climbed into 10th place.

Only Milan had conceded fewer goals.

But in this match?

Ibra and Inzaghi both scored.

2–0. Job done.

The first goal came early through aggressive pressing. The second? A classic Inzaghi strike during a counterattack.

"It's not pretty—but in Serie A, it works."

As long as Zlatan kept his form, there were few defenses that could contain him.

And once the final whistle blew, Milan's coaching staff didn't waste a second.

Not to plan for their next league opponent.

No—their next challenge was from England.

Tottenham Hotspur.

Fifth in the Premier League. A team that could bite.

The Champions League knockout rounds were coming.

The real test was about to begin.

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10