The entire AC Milan coaching staff stared at the large monitor displaying footage and data on Shane Carter. Their expressions grew increasingly serious.
"Looking at the raw numbers… this guy is a freak of nature."
"The stats don't even do justice to how dangerous he actually is on the pitch."
The Milan staff exchanged worried glances as they built their threat assessment. The first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 was just four days away. At the San Siro, AC Milan would face Atlético Madrid.
Atlético were currently sitting at the top of La Liga. Milan, meanwhile, were struggling in fourth place in Serie A. But the gap between the two teams this season was even bigger than the table suggested.
Atlético had racked up 64 points from 23 matches — 21 wins, one draw, and just one loss. Milan had only 40 points from the same number of games — 12 wins, 4 draws, and 7 defeats.
Even comparing squad values, Atlético's starting eleven was valued at around €370 million, while Milan's came in at €240 million. There was no escaping the reality.
After the retirement of legends like Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, and Filippo Inzaghi, and Andrea Pirlo's departure to Juventus, Milan had gone through a painful generational shift. The golden era built by Carlo Ancelotti was gone. This current version of the club was often called "The Most Mediocre Milan."
Looking at the squad, aside from veteran Massimo Ambrosini, the only player with real global star power was Mario Balotelli. They had tried to make it work with Alexandre Pato and Robinho earlier in the season, but both Brazilians had wasted their talent on Milan's nightlife. Their performances had dropped far below the level required for a club of Milan's stature, so letting them go in the winter window had been a necessary decision.
The current Milan side still carried the club's legendary branding, but their actual quality on the pitch couldn't compare to their past.
During the group stage, they had lost both matches against Málaga. Now they had to face a much stronger La Liga side.
This created huge pressure on the Milan fans. Local media tried to boost morale, with La Gazzetta dello Sport running headlines like: "AC Milan's DNA is built for Champions League knockouts — a club with seven European titles."
But the coaching staff knew better. History and past glory meant nothing once the referee blew the whistle.
How many players in the current squad had actually won the Champions League? Balotelli had a winner's medal, but he earned it with Inter. Ambrosini had experience too, but at 36 years old, he was better suited for substitute cameos rather than playing full 90-minute matches at this intensity.
Relying on "Champions League experience" was meaningless for this team.
If they wanted any chance of getting past Atlético, they would need perfect tactics, maximum effort, and aggressive pressing.
"Our pressing, speed, and physicality are clearly inferior to Atlético's," assistant manager Marco Landucci said as he stood up. "For the first leg at home, we need to slow the game down as much as possible. We can do that. If I were Simeone, I would play cautiously away from home and save energy for the second leg in Madrid."
The rest of the coaching staff nodded in agreement.
They predicted Simeone would approach the away leg conservatively. "If we can stop them from scoring an away goal, we'll be in a strong position for the return leg in Spain. Then we can hit them hard on the counter while they're pushing forward."
...
While Milan's coaches were planning their defensive setup, Atlético Madrid were preparing their own strategy for the knockout tie.
The Champions League used to be a competition only for domestic champions. After it expanded, more teams from smaller leagues joined, which made the group stage less competitive but turned the knockout rounds into the real spectacle.
For most clubs, reaching the knockout stage was already a victory. Advancing further meant more matches, more TV money, more ticket sales, and more prize money. Every time a team progressed in the knockouts, they earned at least €15 million extra. Completing a full run to the final could bring in nearly €100 million.
Atlético were thinking the same way, but their ambitions went far beyond just surviving. They saw AC Milan as beatable.
"Have you finished reviewing their tactical footage?" Simeone asked in the team's main meeting room, turning to Shane Carter.
"Finished," Shane replied.
"What's your assessment?"
"The main thing I noticed is how slow they play. Their passing lacks speed, their movement is sluggish, and their mentality feels outdated too."
Simeone raised an eyebrow. "So how should we approach the first leg away?"
"We should play at maximum intensity right from the start," Shane said firmly. "Force them into a high tempo they can't handle. Their slow style won't survive our pressing. We have a real chance to kill the tie in the first leg itself."
Ending the tie in the first leg.
It was an extremely tempting idea.
But this was still AC Milan.
Simeone nodded slowly, deep in thought. "I'll factor your input into the main tactical plan."
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