September 4th — AC Milan vs. Fiorentina (Home Match)
Still reeling from their draw with Juventus and without any proper defensive adjustments, AC Milan had to jump right back into the fight.
Fiorentina — the "Viola" — came into the match in great form and high confidence.
Of course, Milan's own defensive collapse didn't help either.
During the 90 minutes:
Šuker was relentlessly targeted by Fiorentina — triple-marked for most of the game, with frequent tactical fouls ("take the player, not the ball") to break his rhythm.
Šuker was fouled and brought down countless times. Fiorentina even racked up three yellow cards for it…
But they still couldn't stop him from scoring.
Minute 51 — Šuker received a pass from Kaká and volleyed it in with ruthless precision.
Minute 87 — Kaká carried the ball from his own half into the final third, then assisted Seedorf for a second Milan goal.
Milan scored two.
But their porous defense had already let in two before that.
So, despite two brilliant goals, AC Milan could only manage a 2-2 draw at home.
Two matches. Two draws. Two points.
Compared to Milan's traditionally strong early-season starts, this was a disaster — they were now 8th in the league table.
Many in the media called it one of Milan's worst openings in recent years.
Once again, their defense came under fire.
Šimunić, Oddo, and Šimić — new faces — were especially criticized. Even veterans like Nesta weren't spared.
Truthfully, they had played badly.
Ancelotti was frustrated.
Thanks to the Italian Super Cup earnings, the club had a modest €5–10 million boost in their transfer budget.
But with the summer window closed, they could only look ahead to the winter transfer window.
Still, Ancelotti had to plan ahead.
After round two of the league, European club competitions paused for international fixtures.
Milan's players left to join their national teams for the Euro qualifiers.
Šuker, however, didn't have to go. The upcoming matches (vs. Estonia and Andorra) were low-stakes.
The Croatian national team coaches had already agreed to let Šuker and Modrić rest — saving them for bigger matches against Macedonia, Israel, and England.
Grateful for the break, Šuker accepted and turned his attention back to…
"Project: Mutt Transformation."
At Milan's empty training ground, Šuker trained with Pato.
Right now, Pato was in his golden development phase — his playstyle resembled a young Kaká.
Lightning-fast sprints, clean technique, ambidextrous shooting, explosive finishing — "fast, accurate, deadly."
He'd outrun defenders with sheer speed, unleash a clinical strike with sharp footwork, and bury the shot.
Young Pato was a nightmare for defenders.
Just look at that iconic 24-second goal against Barcelona — a perfect showcase of his traits.
But Šuker knew he still needed polishing.
"Head up!" Šuker yelled. "Stop staring at the ground. Serie A is slower, but in the Champions League, some English brute will knock your head off while you're looking down."
"Check your surroundings before you receive the ball. Just once is enough — know where to stop it, where to break through."
He passed the ball toward Pato.
Pato — looking down.
Whoosh!
The ball whizzed right past his head.
Startled, Pato froze.
"Next time," Šuker warned, "it won't be the ball — it'll be your head. Eyes up!"
Pato had talent.
But he was stubborn.
Really, really stubborn.
No matter how many times Šuker corrected him — even kicked his butt — the kid wouldn't change.
A stubborn mule.
"If you keep looking down, I swear I'll rip your head off!"
Šuker was furious.
He didn't have time to babysit. If he didn't feel guilty about taking Kaká with him, he wouldn't bother coaching Pato at all.
Pato kept silent.
Too scared to talk back — Šuker was not someone to mess with — but deep down, he was not convinced.
He'd always played this way and believed in it.
Just then, a voice came from the training field entrance.
"Šuker!"
He turned.
Ancelotti was standing there.
"Boss?" Šuker blinked in surprise.
Ancelotti waved. "Come, let's talk."
Šuker turned to Pato:
"If I catch you looking down again — Luna's chasing you tomorrow. Keep training. Don't slack."
Then he walked over to Ancelotti.
They moved to the far side of the field.
"What's up, boss?" Šuker asked.
It was rare for Ancelotti to reach out, especially during breaks. If he did, it must be serious.
Ancelotti took a breath.
"I need your help."
"Help?" Šuker frowned.
Ancelotti nodded.
"To fix Milan's defensive issues."
Šuker scratched his head:
"You're not asking me to play center-back, are you?"
"Of course not!" Ancelotti laughed, shaking his head.
"The issue isn't just the back line. It's the midfield."
"I've seen Šimunić play for Croatia — he's solid there, not like here. The key difference is midfield support. With Vukojević and Modrić in front of him, he's protected — they cover a huge range, and that lets Šimunić shine while hiding his weaknesses."
Šuker nodded.
It made sense.
Like Harry Maguire at Manchester United.
Is Maguire weak? Not really.
When he first joined, he was brilliant — the world's most expensive center-back.
But his fatal flaw is slow turning speed. If the midfield fails to shield him, he gets exposed and humiliated.
Šimunić's case was similar.
"So what can I do?" Šuker asked.
Ancelotti hesitated.
"Can you reach out to Vukojević for me? If we pair him with Gattuso in midfield, our defense might finally stabilize."
Šuker smirked.
So that was the play.
"Why not just submit a bid?" he asked.
Ancelotti looked awkward.
"We don't have the budget. And we can't offer a salary raise either. So I was hoping you could persuade him. Milan has better chances at trophies than Lyon. We've won back-to-back Champions Leagues, after all."
Ancelotti was laying it on thick.
Šuker rolled his eyes.
He wasn't buying the sales pitch — maybe others would, but not him.
He was about to leave Milan anyway. And now Ancelotti wanted him to drag Vukojević into this mess?
That'd be like selling out a friend.
If Milan were still competitive…
If the budget were healthy…
If Vukojević could at least earn good money…
Maybe then it'd be worth it.
But right now? He'd end up with neither trophies nor cash.
Šuker wasn't doing that.
Still, out loud, he said:
"We're not that close, but I can ask. See if he's interested."
Ancelotti smiled.
That was enough — all he wanted was to get a feel for Vukojević's mindset via backchannels.
Satisfied, Ancelotti patted Šuker on the shoulder, then pointed at Pato on the pitch.
"When coaching, don't always scold. That'll just make him resist more. Try positive reinforcement — it's more effective."
Šuker rubbed his chin.
"You mean… bribe him?"
"Something like that," Ancelotti chuckled. "Don't forget our deal. I'll be off now."
As Ancelotti left, Šuker turned back to look at Pato.
His eyes lit up with mischief.
"Pato! Want to see the Big Wings?"
Pato's eyes went wide.
"Yes!"