Recently, European media have been dominated by three main topics:
First:"AC Milan Shockingly Held to a Draw by Glasgow Rangers!"
As the two-time reigning Champions League winners and builders of the Milan dynasty, the media eagerly awaited bad news about AC Milan.
This shocking home draw against a Scottish team was the hottest topic.
The once-proud Milan getting held at home was naturally a headline-grabbing upset.
Media analysts concluded, "Milan is sinking."
Though it was partly true, their relentless piling-on was irritating.
They cheered Milan's glory days, but now ganged up on their decline.
Well, such is football — no one is immune from losing at home.
Even giants lose at home, especially when Milan is on the decline.
Second:"Little Ronaldo Scores Four — Manchester United Thrash Dynamo Kyiv 6-1!"
C. Ronaldo, who missed out on the Ballon d'Or, fired up and exploded in the Champions League third group match with four goals in a single game — a sensational form.
Manchester United's overall strength was also astonishing.
Many declared that Ferguson's Red Devils were set to dominate Europe again.
At the same time, Barcelona from La Liga also stunned many.
Guardiola, a rookie coach, immediately implemented major reforms upon taking charge.
First, Ronaldinho — once the core — was benched, with many expecting a sale in the upcoming winter or summer transfer windows.
Meanwhile, young Messi was given a huge tactical role.
In the last Champions League match, Messi dribbled past five players and scored a goal reminiscent of Maradona's legendary runs.
Messi instantly became a major focus.
Barcelona's tiki-taka style became the talk of Europe:
Extreme possession!
Smooth passing and attacking buildup!
Watching Barcelona play gave opponents a feeling of despair:
"Can't get the ball! Just can't!"
At Suker's villa, Kaka watched the news, sighing: "Man United and Barcelona are so strong!"
Kaka specifically watched those two matches.
The power of Man United and Barcelona really scared him.
Especially Barcelona's quick, short passing — the famed tiki-taka style shocked him.
If you can't win the ball back, how do you even play?
Winning becomes impossible.
Kaka roughly calculated — if it was peak Milan, maybe they could compete with these teams, but now it's almost impossible.
Suker rubbed his forehead.
He was doing his best to improve, but these two monsters kept growing faster.
C. Ronaldo's current form was stronger than expected.
At his best, Ronaldo was excellent at dribbling, buildup, and scoring, but now he was on another level.
Messi was even more terrifying — he had burst out a year early.
Guardiola's arrival boosted him further.
Suker, fresh off his Ballon d'Or win, watched Messi dribble past five players and thought:
"Is this the power of love since Antonella started dating him?"
Better not say that aloud!
"Just chill," he muttered.
These next two seasons would definitely be dominated by Barcelona and Manchester United.
With Milan's current form, beating these two was a long shot.
For Suker, winning the Champions League in the past two seasons already exceeded expectations.
When he joined Milan, his main goal was the 2006/07 Champions League.
As Milan declined, Suker shifted focus to the national team and the domestic league.
He planned to avoid direct clashes with these two in the Champions League.
Once he transferred to Real Madrid with full support, then he'd deal with them.
In 2010, the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player awards would merge.
With the award's merge, competition between Suker, Ronaldo, and Messi would become fiercer.
By then, individual talent alone wouldn't be enough.
Team support would be crucial!
Messi had Barcelona's backing.
Ronaldo had Manchester United's support!
Suker would need Real Madrid's backing to stay competitive both athletically and commercially.
Wearing his training kit, he looked at Kaka: "Let's train!"
Kaka's eyes widened: "I haven't finished eating yet, and today's a rest day!"
"Can you only eat?"
Suker glared.
Modrić was already firmly stepping toward midfield maestro status.
Xavi and Iniesta were building a throne for Messi.
If Kaka didn't work hard to adapt, who would he have to assist?
Suker roughly dragged Kaka away, and as they left, Kaka stuffed a big mouthful of food into his mouth.
At Milan's training base, Suker and Kaka trained hard.
After being held to a draw, Ancelotti gave the team a day off to recover.
With the schedule packed with league, Champions League, and European qualifiers, the Milan players were exhausted.
Their form hadn't fully recovered and the pressure was intense.
"Your shot speed is fast, but you need to improve physical confrontations.
As a winger, you must defend as well as attack, and stamina is key."
Suker shared his winger experience with Kaka, who was still in a learning phase, studying others and developing his style.
"You don't have to pass every time, but at the right moments.
You can dribble forward, and when I drop back to receive, you make forward runs behind me!"
Suker explained his understanding.
He stressed defensive duties too.
In future football, the classic attacking midfielder role would be out of fashion.
Tactical evolution meant defense was spread across all 11 players.
If one slacks off, the whole team suffers.
The classic attacking midfielder only attacks and doesn't track back to defend.
But in future tactics, with the entire team pressing, relying solely on defenders isn't enough.
Kaka absorbed Suker's teachings.
Suker's ideas differed from many current tactics.
Modern football is about zonal cooperation.
Forwards attack.
Midfielders organize and distribute.
Defenders defend.
But Suker's philosophy blurred these roles.
Even as a striker, he constantly tracked back to press and defend.
When a striker defends, midfielders naturally help too.
Milan's current style was an incomplete version of this future tactic.
It sometimes looked awkward.
But Suker believed if Kaka learned this well, it would greatly improve his future adaptability and market value.
"Let's train! I'll work on your defense—"
Before he finished, noisy voices interrupted.
"Add me! Add me!"
Pato bounced over excitedly.
"One-on-one training? I want in!"
"You? Get lost!"
Suker snapped, "Go train on the side!"
Pato looked disappointed.
Kaka suddenly said, "Let him join. After the winter window, he'll play matches anyway."
Suker paused, then asked Pato, "How's your fitness?"
Pato scratched his head: "Not bad!"
"Twenty sets of full-speed shuttle runs, then join us!"
Pato complained: "Can I still run after that?!"
Suker turned serious: "If you can't, you'll be eliminated!"
In the future, everyone's an athletic monster.
If you can't run, you're out.
Suker ignored Pato and resumed one-on-one offense-defense training with Kaka.
Pato scratched his head and jogged to the sideline to start shuttle runs.