Evening of February 16th
A month slipped by quietly.
During this period, AC Milan played five league matches —against Udinese, Genoa, Sampdoria, Siena, and Parma.
Their record: 2 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss.
Genoa and Siena held Milan to draws.
Sampdoria, surprisingly, deployed a park-the-bus tactic, aiming for a draw —but a stunning goal gave them the win.
No one expected traditionally attacking Sampdoria to bunker down —not even AC Milan.
Despite Milan's tactical adjustments,Sampdoria held off their offense and snatched the goal.
After these five matches, Milan slipped from 2nd to 3rd in the standings.Fortunately, the gap wasn't too wide.
Roma took the top spot,
Inter Milan trailed by 1 point,
AC Milan was 6 points behind Roma.
Inside the manager's office,Ancelotti rubbed his temples, staring at the fixture chart.
Eventually, he set it aside and pulled up player stats —specifically, Pato's numbers.
"Since his debut — 6 league games, 3 goals, 2 assists."
Ancelotti allowed himself a small smile.
The assistant coach added with a grin:
"Impressive stats.For a newcomer, his debut impact in Serie A has surpassed even Suker's."
Ancelotti waved that off:
"Not the same.When Suker joined, our squad was still stacked —he didn't get many tactical resources and had to focus on linking and assisting.His numbers weren't flashy."
"Pato joined at the perfect time.With Kaká dropping deeper and Suker shouldering the frontline,Pato helped relieve pressure on Suker — and got plenty of attacking chances too."
"Plus, he's a newcomer.Teams don't know how to deal with him yet —that's why these stats are possible.Sustainability is the real test.The rookie wall isn't a joke."
Sooner or later, Serie A clubs would analyze and counter Pato.When that happened, his stats might drop sharply.
Unless he could pull off a Suker-style breakthrough.
But that was a long shot.
Suker only exploded after Shevchenko left and space opened up.
Now, both Suker and Kaká were still here —Pato wouldn't become the tactical core.
Still, he was performing very well.
"With these numbers, it's time to give him his Champions League chance."
Ancelotti stated.
The assistant coach was surprised:
"You want him to go straight into the Round of 16?"
Ancelotti nodded:
"He's the best option.Ronaldo can't hold up physically.Inzaghi is more of a surprise card.Gilardino… sigh."
He sighed deeply.
Ancelotti had once pinned hopes on Gilardino.But Suker's breakout season buried him.
And now, Gilardino's form was in free fall.
"Gilardino's agent even pressured the club recently."the assistant coach added, troubled.
Ancelotti nodded:
"I understand.I'll give him chances in the Coppa Italia to keep him steady.If he stays patient, he'll get his opportunity."
"What kind of opportunity?"
Ancelotti fell silent.
How could he say it?
That Suker might leave?
He couldn't say that out loud.
"Let's talk about our Champions League opponents."
"Real Madrid's form isn't great.They couldn't handle the pressure in the group stage —finished second due to goal difference behind Olympiacos.And now they're matched with us in the Round of 16!"
Real Madrid's bad luck in Europe was becoming a meme.
The phrase "Round of 16 Losers" was gaining traction.
Both Lyon and AC Milan contributed to that label.
This would be the third straight season that Real faced Milan in the knockout stage.
First a quarterfinal, then a Round of 16 — both times eliminated by Milan.
And now? Another Round of 16.
Sure, Milan wasn't in great shape either —but they had their superstar weapons.
"How are they doing in the league?"Ancelotti asked.
The assistant coach grinned:
"They're 9 points behind Barcelona,and 3 behind Villarreal."
"Nine?!"Ancelotti was shocked."That much?"
During Capello's reign and before,even if Real weren't dominant, they could hold pace with Barça.
They'd at least stay near the top.
But this season, Real seemed to be collapsing.
They were already well into the second half of the season —and still 9 points behind.
In La Liga, not the Premier League —with only two major contenders, a 9-point gap was almost impossible to recover.
"You should keep an eye on Barcelona…and their coach — Pep Guardiola."
Hearing that, Ancelotti fell silent.
He had been paying attention.
He'd watched the Barca match tapes —that suffocating tiki-taka passing style was breathtaking.
Ancelotti waved it off:
"Let's talk about it later.Let's just hope we don't draw Barcelona anytime soon."
The assistant nodded.Avoiding Barça was probably for the best — for now.
"Welcome! Come in, come in —I just moved in, there's not much furniture,but sit wherever you like!"
Pato excitedly welcomed his teammates to his new place.
Thanks to his great performances,he'd received a new contract and a sponsorship deal.
Barely half a year after joining,he was already living the high life.
The first thing he did with his earnings?Buy a huge new house.
There wasn't even a sofa yet —Suker sat cross-legged on the floor and asked:
"Why'd you move in next door to me?"
Pato's new villa was right beside Suker's.
Even Kaká lived one house away,but this kid just rented the villa right next to Suker.
"Cheap rent,"Pato said awkwardly.
Suker squinted:
"Be honest — or I'll beat you up."
Pato lowered his head:
"Kaká said I could freeload off your meals…"
"Kaká! That bastard — get out here!"
"He's not here!"Pato waved.
Gattuso, done inspecting the place, looked around.
"Just us two?"
Pato scratched his head:
"I invited a lot of people…but only you two came."
Suker and Gattuso exchanged glances.
Does he really have that few friends?
"What about Cafu, Dida?They're Brazilian — shouldn't they show up?"Suker asked.
"They came yesterday."Pato replied.
Suker nodded.Ah, a Brazilian mini-gathering.
"Alright, bring the food over."
The three sat around a makeshift table and ate.
Gattuso said:
"I didn't expect your housewarming to be this empty.When Suker joined, the whole squad showed up."
"Really?" Pato asked, envious.
"Well, not the entire squad —Inzaghi was off chasing women,"Suker added casually.
Gattuso chuckled:
"You even remember that?"
Suker:
"It was because the captain led the way that everyone came.If not for him, would they have bothered?"
Gattuso didn't respond, just smiled.
If Maldini still commanded the locker room,Pato's invite wouldn't have been so sad.
But with Ambrosini now leading,he was clearly suppressing other cliques.
Suker sighed.
No fun anymore.
"Let's eat.Once you've made a name for yourself,throw another party."Suker glanced at his Rolex."And don't forget our agreement."
Pato nodded seriously.
"Hey Suker, did you buy your house?"Pato asked.
Gattuso chimed in:
"He rented it—"
"Bought it."Suker suddenly said.
Gattuso blinked:
"You… bought that place?"
Suker nodded:
"Yeah.There's not much value increase,but it's the first place I lived in when I came to Milan."
"I won my first Ballon d'Or and FIFA Best Player living there.It's got meaning.And since Boban was looking to sell —I just bought it."
Gattuso:
"So… does that mean—"
"Don't overthink it." Suker cut him off.
"It's just a house."