Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

Chapter 61: Rekindling Milan's Glory—Our Unshirkable Duty

Freed from the burden of the Champions League, AC Milan returned to the Serie A with a healthy and intact squad.

In the 29th round of the Serie A, Inter Milan edged out Brescia with a narrow 1-0 victory, while Milan also secured a 2-1 win over Bari. The points gap between the two teams remained unchanged.

But come the 30th round, Milan, having played ahead of schedule, delivered a resounding 3-0 triumph over Palermo.

That's when Inter Milan started to panic.

Just four days earlier, they had barely scraped through their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Bayern Munich—a match that had taken a massive toll on them.

Several veteran players were pushed to the edge of exhaustion, and midfield general Stanković even had to leave the match injured. Inter had no choice but to rotate their squad in the following league match.

Milan's relentless pressure was suffocating. If Inter couldn't clinch a win this round, their title hopes would take a serious hit, mentally more than anything else.

In fact, qualifying for the next round of the Champions League might not have been such good news for Inter after all.

Their focus was now split. As the season neared its climax, they found themselves stretched thin across three competitions, without a clear advantage in any of them.

In contrast, AC Milan stood a strong chance of clinching the Serie A title this season, while Inter couldn't point to a single competition where they held the upper hand.

To the outside world, however, Inter still looked impressive.

Yes, their league campaign had grown shaky, with a very real possibility of surrendering the title to their crosstown rivals. But they had also made it to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia and the quarterfinals of the Champions League—knocking out an in-form Bayern Munich along the way.

From the media's perspective, that one victory had cemented Inter's reputation as a top-tier powerhouse in Europe.

But those within the club knew the truth.

It wasn't until Leonardo took over as head coach that he realized Mourinho's iron-blooded squad had long passed its peak.

Last year's treble-winning run had pushed Inter's veterans to their absolute limits—but it had also drained every last drop of vitality from the team.

What Inter needed now was a complete rebuild, not another campaign relying on a group of aging warriors to battle across all fronts.

But the media wouldn't allow that. Inter's fans wouldn't allow that. And club owner Massimo Moratti no longer had the financial muscle to support a full-scale rebuild.

So Leonardo had no choice but to press forward, taking Inter into the fray on all three fronts.

It was like walking a tightrope.

One misstep, and it would all come crashing down.

Take March 20th, for example—the 30th round of Serie A against the feisty underdogs of Lecce.

When Inter finally scored in the 76th minute, it looked like they might escape with a win. But in the 87th minute, a handball in the box gifted Lecce a penalty and a chance to equalize.

Forget Leonardo—the 70,000-plus Inter fans at the San Siro were plunged into despair.

Had Lecce managed to claw back a draw, Milan's lead over Inter would have ballooned to fifteen points—that's a five-win gap!

At that point, it would've been more rational for Inter to simply concede the title and start preparing for next season.

Thankfully, just when things seemed darkest—when even some Inter players had given up—César made a miraculous save, denying Lecce from the spot!

It was like being pulled back from hell. Many Inter fans were so emotional, they were brought to tears.

"Saint César!!!"

The San Siro erupted in chants, and a reinvigorated Inter managed to hold off Lecce's final offensive in the dying moments of the game.

A hard-fought 1-0 victory.

Inter Milan was still alive!

With the points gap unchanged, they now stood face-to-face with AC Milan once more.

The two titans of Milan were set to clash in the next round of Serie A.

Having survived the scare, Inter's players thanked God and vowed in front of the cameras that they were determined to win the upcoming Derby della Madonnina.

Meanwhile, over at AC Milan, things were… suspiciously quiet.

Not a single Milan player or coach offered any comment to the press about the upcoming derby.

A day after defeating Palermo, Milan had already switched to vacation mode.

No international duty, no Coppa Italia matches. Following that round, Serie A was entering a nearly two-week "rest period."

So Milan's players simply went home to enjoy a brief spell of cozy family life.

Leon had also taken a break from his usually grueling training schedule. At Ibrahimović's insistence, the two of them headed up to Northern Europe together.

While all of Italy assumed the Rossoneri were tightening up and prepping for the epic clash ahead, just like their Inter counterparts…

Leon and Ibra were leisurely strolling through the Old Town of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.

For three full days, Leon explored Djurgården and Skeppsholmen, two of Stockholm's scenic island districts.

It wasn't until a call from "Uncle Max" reminded them of the schedule that Leon reluctantly packed up and returned to Milan with the big Swede.

The mental and physical relaxation did wonders. Reunited with the rest of the squad in Milan, Leon immediately noticed that the entire team seemed more energized than before.

Well, except for Robinho, whose dark eye circles had grown even more pronounced.

Still, Uncle Max's decision to give the squad a break had paid off handsomely.

In the recovery sessions that followed, the Milan players trained smoothly and light-heartedly, laughing and joking as they worked.

And during this time, the Milan camp continued to ignore all media inquiries.

"No refusal, no response, no engagement"—that was their consistent stance.

It was clear that Uncle Max was easing the players' psychological burden. Milan's top brass followed suit, ensuring everything stayed in sync.

With preparations for the Inter clash just around the corner, there was no way they would allow the outside noise to disturb their players' focus.

Thus, behind an invisible "wall," Milan calmly began fine-tuning their tactics for the derby.

For five days straight, Italian journalists stationed outside Milanello came up empty-handed—unable to extract a single piece of valuable information.

On March 31st, the journalists who had long been seeking a chance finally caught their break at the gates of Milanello. There, they managed to intercept Li Ang, who had just finished an extra training session and was the last one to leave by car.

To their surprise, Li Ang was unusually cooperative this time, directly accepting their request for an interview. The group of reporters, completely caught off guard, was overjoyed.

"Have your recent training sessions been tough? Are you preparing any special tactical setups for Inter?"

"Tough? It's more or less the same as always. Training is training. You all already know what kind of things our coach likes to drill—do I really need to explain that?"

"We've heard Robinho hasn't been in great form lately. Will he be benched in the Milan Derby two days from now?"

"You'll have to ask the coach about that. I don't know."

"Li Ang, how do you feel about being voted the most popular Milan player among fans in the first quarter of the year by La Gazzetta dello Sport?"

"It's an honor—if what you said is true. But honestly, I think Zlatan and Pato are probably more popular with the Rossoneri fans~"

"Do you have anything you'd like to say to the Milan fans before this major clash?"

Li Ang, who had been breezing through the earlier questions, paused at this one.

The reporter from La Gazzetta dello Sport looked at him with curiosity, eager to hear what Li Ang would say.

"Ahem—'Reforging Milan's Glory Is Our Unshirkable Duty!' Now if you'll excuse me, please move aside—I'm going home."

After leaving the reporters dumbfounded with that slogan-like statement, Li Ang drove off smoothly.

Of course, by the next morning, fans across all of Italy were already well aware of what he had said.

Milan supporters loved his slogan—absolutely loved it.

How fitting it was!

Six years after losing their grip on the Serie A title, no words could better serve as a rallying cry for Milan's championship ambitions than what Li Ang had uttered.

Even supporters of other Serie A clubs, after seeing the quote in the newspapers, paused to think for a moment, made some slight tweaks—and voilà, it worked just as well for their own teams!

In no time, Li Ang had gone viral once again in the Italian football world thanks to his catchphrase.

Milan fans printed it on signs and banners, waving them with high spirits across the city, launching a morale-boosting "face-to-face offensive" against Inter supporters.

Even Allegri was amused. He hadn't expected Li Ang to come up with such an inspiring motto to lift the fans' spirits.

He personally liked the slogan a lot—but Li Ang himself was bewildered.

"I really just said it off the cuff. If I'd known it would cause such a stir, I would've just shouted Forza Milan and left it at that..."

After that day's training, when Boateng and Pato came looking for a new catchphrase, Li Ang simply raised his hands in surrender. He genuinely didn't have any other ideas.

After finally managing to persuade the half-skeptical duo to let him off the hook, Li Ang quickly packed up. That day, he hadn't done any extra practice and blended in with the main group of teammates to leave Milanello early.

He was worried that if he lingered, the reporters might latch onto him again, potentially sparking more media drama. That was the last thing he wanted.

Fortunately, the preparations were complete. The match against Inter was tomorrow, and everything would soon be decided on the pitch. Li Ang let out a breath of relief.

If they could just get past Inter, the rest of Milan's league schedule would be smooth sailing.

Crunching the numbers, in the best-case scenario—if Milan managed to beat Inter and win the next two rounds—they could clinch the Serie A title five matches early!

That Serie A title was worth 500 reward points!

With Li Ang's current total already surpassing 500 points, he'd be able to draw a "Diamond-Level" Talent Fragment Card before the offseason even arrived!

Li Ang had asked the system before—any single talent stat drawn from a Diamond-Level card would be over 95.

He had been yearning for this opportunity for months.

Of course, the Diamond-Level pool also included many other useful items, and Li Ang still hadn't made up his mind whether he should go for another talent card or gamble on a utility item.

But there was still plenty of time until the offseason. He could think about it later.

The championship, however, couldn't wait any longer.

He and Allegri shared the same mindset going into the Inter clash:

No hesitation. No avoidance. Confront the challenge head-on.

One match to decide it all!

Victory in this battle—Milan must take it!

April 2nd, evening.

With no other Serie A matches scheduled at the time, the clash between the two Milanese giants drew the attention of football fans all around the world.

Back in an era when the Milan derby hadn't yet degenerated into a contest between two fallen giants, every matchup between the Nerazzurri and the Rossoneri was a rare visual feast for Serie A fans.

Commentators from around the world had done their homework in advance.

Five minutes before kickoff, they were already in front of their cameras, introducing their national audiences to the recent performance stats of both teams.

At 2:40 AM Chinese time, Liu Jianhong and Xu Yang greeted Chinese fans on the broadcast, right on schedule.

As the two commentators filled airtime with light banter, the players from Milan and Inter walked onto the field—immediately waking up the dozing Chinese fans.

Thanks to Xu Yang's rapid rundown, even those who hadn't checked forums or team news before the game quickly understood the lineups.

"Milan hasn't made many changes to their starting XI today. They're sticking with the diamond midfield in a 4-4-2 setup.

Abbiati is still the starting goalkeeper.

On defense, Zambrotta replaces Antonini at left-back. Thiago Silva and Nesta form the center-back duo, and Abate starts at right-back.

In midfield, Pirlo is playing in the holding role, with Li Ang and Van Bommel on either side. Seedorf replaces Boateng as the attacking midfielder.

Up front, Ibrahimović is unsurprisingly in the starting lineup again, and his partner today is Cassano."

"On Inter's side, they're also sticking to their preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.

César in goal.

In defense: Zanetti, Chivu, Ranocchia, and Maicon form the back line.

Motta and Cambiasso serve as the double pivot.

Sneijder plays centrally in the trio behind the striker, flanked by Eto'o on the left and Pandev on the right.

Pazzini continues as the starting striker. Milito has only recently recovered from injury, and Leonardo has chosen not to risk the Argentine just yet."

As Xu Yang finished introducing the starting lineups and players from both sides, the match countdown officially began.

At exactly 20:45 local time in Italy, the referee blew his whistle, and the battle commenced!

Milan kicked off and attacked from right to left. Pirlo received a return pass from Cassano and immediately launched the match's first long ball forward.

Ibrahimović held off Cambiasso in Inter's half before laying the ball off to Seedorf, who was charging up through the center.

Both teams got into the game quickly. As soon as Seedorf took possession, before he could even advance, he was double-teamed by Sneijder and Pandev pressing in from the flanks.

Seedorf quickly played the ball sideways, and Leon, who received it, decisively began surging up the sideline!

Milan's aggressive and proactive attacking intent from the outset caught Leonardo off guard.

And Leon had already proven against Napoli that he possessed the ability to deliver threatening through balls.

Whether or not it would work again, Leonardo wasn't willing to give him the chance to try.

He shouted for Maicon to push up and cut off Leon's run, and only then did he breathe a little easier.

Leon, seeing Maicon staring him down and closing in, didn't hesitate either. Shielding the ball, he quickly opted to pass it back.

Although Maicon had been exposed by Bale in the Champions League group stage this season, when it came to Leon, Maicon's one-on-one defending was still more than solid.

Knowing his own limits, Leon sensibly left those flashy one-on-one duels to his teammates.

At this stage, he didn't yet have the ability to dominate that kind of matchup, so why force it? Playing it safe wasn't shameful—it was smart.

After a few rounds of probing attacks and defenses, Inter's backline began to press more aggressively.

Facing his former teammate Ibrahimović, Cambiasso didn't pull any punches.

Working in tandem with Thiago Motta, he efficiently restricted Ibra's movement in Inter's half.

There was no way Milan would get easy possession and organized build-up through him. Leonardo and Cambiasso, well aware of Ibra's abilities, shut down what was clearly Milan's central attacking hub.

But that's when Cassano came alive.

Allegri, watching from the sideline as the game unfolded exactly as he'd expected, sat back calmly on the bench.

When Cassano was having an off day, he was a time bomb for any team.

But when he was in the right mindset, he was easily the best "number 9.5" in Serie A.

Dribbling, breaking lines, orchestrating attacks, threading passes, even solo efforts—these were all Cassano's specialties when his head was in the game.

And right now, he was locked in.

He took on the playmaking duties from Ibrahimović seamlessly and quickly became the axis of Milan's forward momentum.

Leonardo clearly hadn't expected Allegri to once again use Ibra as a decoy—or to put such faith in Cassano, who had only recently fallen out with Sampdoria.

The "bad boy" used his flair to reignite Milan's attacking rhythm, repeatedly breaking through down the right and forcing Inter to allocate more defensive resources to contain him.

With Inter's focus increasingly drawn toward Cassano, Ibrahimović finally found room to breathe.

He drifted toward the left, and under Leon's defensive protection, he began to receive the ball with more confidence, boldly testing Inter's backline.

With this dynamic dual-core attack in place, Milan were threatening from multiple angles.

Add in Seedorf, whose ability to pass and shoot allowed him to support both strikers, and Inter's defense suddenly found itself under mounting pressure.

With no need to fully commit defensively, Leon found himself with plenty of space to push up.

Thanks to Ibra's service and Seedorf's positioning, Leon now understood the joy of what it meant for Boateng to rampage freely in the attacking third.

Of course, Leon still didn't have the long-range shooting ability to fire off missiles like Boateng. Taking a crack from distance just wasn't realistic for him yet.

But he had his own ways to contribute.

His aerial presence created chances, and his superior vision and short passing gave Milan a different kind of threat up front.

With Ibrahimović and Cassano stretching Inter's defense wide on both flanks, their ability to connect through the middle was actually quite limited.

There was a missing "link" between them.

Seedorf, limited by his stamina, couldn't fully push up and still recover to defend.

He could support with passes, but he couldn't step up to act as a true link between Ibra and Cassano.

Leon, however, had no such constraints.

When he pushed forward and Seedorf rotated out to cover the flank, Leon became that missing link.

At a glance, it looked like he had swapped roles with Seedorf—playing as an attacking midfielder.

A unique kind of No. 10—high stamina, minimal individual offense, but excellent at short passing and aerial duels.

Leon didn't demand the ball; he played the perfect supporting role. He might not have taken many shots, but Ibra and Cassano were thriving.

Allegri watched from the touchline, clicking his tongue in admiration.

This wasn't a pre-planned attacking strategy.

But Leon's proactive and fluid performance was significantly increasing Milan's attacking threat.

It made Allegri feel like Leon still had layers of potential just waiting to be uncovered.

It was like being a treasure hunter, standing before a mountain of unknown riches.

Every time he dug a little deeper, he uncovered a new surprise.

"Maybe... I should give Leon more tactical freedom?"

The thought popped into Allegri's mind.

But he quickly chuckled and dismissed it.

Maybe someday—but not yet.

With someone like Ibrahimović already granted so much freedom on the pitch, one was enough.

Surprises were nice—but nothing beat the certainty of having victory firmly in your grasp.

Allegri's train of thought was abruptly interrupted by a sudden explosion of cheers from the crowd.

Startled, he looked up toward the pitch, only to catch sight of Leon, ball at his feet, charging straight toward Inter Milan's penalty area!

"What happened?" Allegri blurted out instinctively.

Meanwhile, the Sky Italia commentators were already raising their voices in excitement.

"Leon intercepts Pandev's backpass to Cambiasso!!! He had no idea Leon was coming from behind! Leon skips past Motta—he's heading straight for Chivu!"

Before the words had fully left the commentator's mouth, Leon had already broken through Inter's midfield line, surging right to the edge of the backline.

But just like when he had faced Maicon ten minutes earlier, Leon's head was remarkably clear.

Did he have a real chance of getting past Chivu?

Yes—but so slim it was nearly nonexistent.

So, in the very next second, Leon made a move that left the entire stadium stunned.

Just before he collided with Chivu, Leon suddenly turned his back to goal, bent low, spread his arms wide, and shielded the ball tightly under him!

Chivu was taken aback. He had played in Serie A for years and faced all kinds of opponents, but never once had he seen someone flip their body mid-breakaway and brace for contact like this.

Leon, however, paid no attention to the crowd's gasps and confused murmurs.

In his awkward, crouched stance, he held off Chivu's pressure—and just as Cassano sped past Zanetti on the outside, Leon spun and sent the ball out wide!

Only then did Inter's defenders realize what Leon had set up.

He had deliberately slowed Milan's counterattack to use himself as a pivot, allowing Cassano to receive the ball in perfect rhythm on the wing!

And the "bad boy," having shaken off the aging Zanetti completely, looked up for just a split second before making his choice.

It wasn't a back-post cross to Ibrahimović.

Instead, he played a low, driven cutback—a reverse triangle ball—aimed at none other than Seedorf, who had ghosted into the edge of the penalty arc.

Leon had done everything he could in this attacking sequence. As Seedorf brought the ball down with a perfect touch and adjusted his footing for the shot, Leon couldn't help but breathe a quiet sigh of relief.

Wearing the fabled number 10, Seedorf opened up his stance and, with minimal backlift, curled a shot that was both fast and wickedly placed.

It soared across the Inter penalty area like a rainbow, forming a brief and beautiful arc in the air before slicing just over César's fingertips and nestling into the top right corner of the net.

Leonardo was frozen on the sideline. He stood in place for a moment before waving in frustration, motioning for his assistant to bring over the tactics board.

César was furious. He sprang up from the ground and immediately began yelling at the defenders in front of him.

Letting Seedorf get a clean shot from that range was inexcusable—a catastrophic defensive lapse.

And that single mistake might be what sends Inter Milan into free fall.

It was still only the 18th minute of the first half—far too early to concede. The timing made the blow twice as devastating for Inter and gave AC Milan a massive psychological boost.

The broadcast camera, after briefly focusing on Seedorf and Cassano celebrating, quickly cut to Leon—the man who had initiated the interception and set the whole play in motion.

Leon, grinning from ear to ear, was sliding on his knees with Seedorf and Cassano near the corner flag.

Compared to the others, Leon's slide was a little clunky, lacking that smooth finesse—it looked awkward, even a bit stiff.

And he'd clearly made sure to slide in the middle, not wanting to be in the center of any highlight reel. The guy obviously didn't crave the spotlight.

But Inter fans in the stands were glaring daggers at him.

Because without Leon's interception and his brilliant shielding pass, Milan's goal never would have happened.

Inter fans knew exactly who to blame for their team going behind.

Unfortunately for them, this was AC Milan's home match. The jeers from fewer than 10,000 Inter supporters were quickly drowned out by the deafening cheers of the Rossoneri faithful.

Allegri, overcome with emotion, celebrated in his trademark "shirt-tearing" fashion—his contorted expression almost too much to watch.

Still, it sent Milan fans into a frenzy.

All around San Siro, signs and banners were raised high by excited, screaming supporters.

Leon, just finishing the celebration, took a moment to look around and soak in the scene. Smiling, he patted his chest and gave a big thumbs-up to the south stand.

And printed boldly on the signs held by the fans, in bright, defiant letters, was the very slogan he had casually thrown at reporters just days ago:

"To rekindle Milan's glory is a duty we cannot shirk!"

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