Ancelotti had proposed a tactical shift and a possible new strategy.
AC Milan was already preparing around this idea.
Of course, the precondition was that Kaká had to recover from his injury.
As of now, Kaká was recovering well and actively participating in rehab training.
During this period, AC Milan had played three matches—
Four hard-fought narrow wins!
September 23: AC Milan 1–0 Parma
September 27: Palermo 1–2 AC Milan
September 30: AC Milan 2–0 Catania
October 7: Lazio 2–3 AC Milan
The most challenging match was against Lazio.
Without support from Kaká and Pirlo, Suker scored a hat-trick, almost single-handedly carrying Milan to victory.
Lazio gave Milan a lot of trouble in that game, but fortunately, they still came out on top.
After 7 rounds in Serie A, Milan had a record of 5 wins and 2 draws, putting them in second place on the league table.
This shocked many media outlets who had low expectations for Milan.
After all, Milan's early-season form was poor, and with both Kaká and Pirlo injured, things should've gone worse.
But they held firm.
It was a remarkable achievement.
The good news: after this round, Kaká and Pirlo returned from injury, and Milan finally got their key players back.
Suker no longer had to carry the team on his own.
At Milanello training ground—
As Suker walked off the field, Ambrosini handed him a bottle of energy drink.
"Ice-cold," Ambrosini said warmly.
Suker was surprised but gladly accepted it.
"Thanks, Captain!"
Although their relationship had eased a bit, there was still some tension between them.
They rarely interacted directly. This simple gesture helped ease the locker room atmosphere.
For Ambrosini, there was no point in being at odds with Suker.
Even if he wanted to suppress the influence of foreign cliques in the dressing room—Suker couldn't be suppressed.
Moreover, Suker's recent performances—carrying Milan to wins on his own—had genuinely impressed Ambrosini.
That's football. Even with off-field conflicts, many things can be settled on the pitch.
And with how Suker was playing, Ambrosini couldn't stay indifferent.
Especially during Milan's darkest moments.
Football is not a one-man sport.
Ancelotti always emphasized this: one great player can elevate the ceiling, but they can't define the floor.
When Milan was at rock bottom, Suker dragged them forward—that moved many teammates.
Most players in that situation would've thrown in the towel or complained endlessly.
But not Suker.
He gave it everything—always scoring with fiery passion and delivering victory time after time.
With Kaká and Pirlo returning, Milan's situation had eased considerably.
"Champions League again soon," Suker muttered while sitting on the sidelines.
Next up: they would face Stuttgart, champions of the Bundesliga.
Many dismissed Stuttgart's title as opportunistic—snatched while Bayern Munich was in a slump.
But Suker disagreed.
If you didn't have the strength, even opportunity wouldn't matter.
Stuttgart had performed well last season.
Of course, they were still far from a peak AC Milan.
But this version of Milan couldn't afford to underestimate them.
"Are we heading straight to France after the game?" Kaká came and sat beside Suker.
The 50-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or had been announced.
Both Suker and Kaká were nominated.
Especially Suker—the biggest favorite to win the award—was definitely attending the ceremony.
The Ballon d'Or gala would be held in Paris, France.
This would be Suker's first real step toward the crown—he wasn't about to miss it.
"Yeah, let's fly straight there," Suker scratched his head. "After the awards, back for league games, and then straight into Euro qualifiers again!"
Kaká nodded. "Same for me."
Suker added, "I'll ask Berlusconi to fly us over."
Kaká: "You're borrowing a plane?"
Suker shrugged. "He's going too, so might as well fly in comfort. But forget that—let's focus on this next game first."
Stuttgart, the capital club of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
There aren't many famous keywords associated with Stuttgart.
But make no mistake—they're a classic club with history.
They had their moments of glory.
Timo Hildebrand's "young tiger squad" once stormed to a Bundesliga runner-up spot and even beat Manchester United 2–1 in a Champions League group stage.
Back then, the Bundesliga wasn't as organized as it would later become.Bayern Munich didn't have the same terrifying monopoly they would later establish.
At that time, Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen were still real threats to Bayern.
But no one expected the title to be stolen by a team next door.
Stuttgart, who only held the top spot for three rounds, seized the title.
Ballack's departure left Bayern rudderless, and they slumped to fourth place—their worst finish in 12 years.
Bayern's downfall gave other teams hope.
That chaotic season was best described as a "war of the lords."
Schalke and Bremen traded the lead back and forth—but the last laugh went to Stuttgart.
Armin Veh's side created a miracle in Bundesliga history.
A "Summer Fairytale."
A memory etched forever in Stuttgart fans' hearts.
It was a fairytale written by youth.
They toppled Bayern's dominance, swept away Schalke and Bremen, and conquered the league.
At the start of the season, most thought Armin Veh's team only aimed for a European qualification spot.
But when they tore through the Bundesliga, the media finally realized—these young men had much bigger ambitions.
A youthful team.
A guard of energetic youth.
A "Tiger Squad"!
That's the most fitting nickname for Stuttgart.
But now, these Tigers would face a brutal challenge on their home turf.
Young and ambitious, they now had to take on the reigning Champions League winners—
The Milan Dynasty!
A dynasty past its prime, yes…
But still terrifying.
Even if they were struggling, even if their squad was aging—
This is AC Milan.
The club with eight Champions League titles.
Back-to-back European champions.
And home to none other than Suker.
The German media described AC Milan as:
"Crusaders on the Throne."
And Stuttgart's Tiger Cubs—could they defeat these warriors from Milan?
October 10th.The entire AC Milan squad arrived in Stuttgart, capital of Baden-Württemberg.
Milan's arrival—
Especially that of Ballon d'Or favorite Suker—lit the city on fire.
As for Stuttgart's Tigers—could they defeat this throne-sitting giant?
German media flooded the scene with articles.
Most of them imagined an upset—a miracle victory over the powerhouse.
After all, Stuttgart was a German team. Of course the media rooted for them.
Their articles radiated hope and confidence.
The Milan dynasty might be terrifying, but they were aging.
The young boys could seize this moment to defeat an old giant and become legends.
"They're treating us like a soft target?" Suker said angrily.
The reports were full of subtle jabs and hopeful boasts about how to take down AC Milan.
"Did these guys forget Milan has a nickname?"
"Stormbreaker of Youth!"
2004: Ajax's "youth storm"? Crushed.
2005: Dinamo Zagreb's young wolf? Eliminated.
In Suker's opinion, Stuttgart was nowhere near being a true "youth storm."