After defeating Roma, AC Milan's "False Double Core" continued their winning streak by beating Sampdoria, Torino, and Atalanta.
After a long wait, they achieved a four-game winning streak!
This greatly boosted AC Milan's morale.
In these four matches, their lethal counterattacks troubled their opponents greatly.
Four matches, ten goals scored, averaging 2.5 goals per game.
At the same time, they conceded only 2 goals.
Their performance in both attack and defense was outstanding.
Many people said that AC Milan was showing formidable competitive strength again near the season's end.
But only AC Milan themselves knew that this was all fake! They were relying on opponents' unfamiliarity with their new tactic and the confusion caused by the "False Double Core."
Simply put, Suker and Kaká still couldn't truly coexist.
At most, the core was shifting back and forth between one or the other.
Ancelotti's clever design gave the illusion of a double core, but in essence it was still a single core.
Yet this highlighted the swinging nature between Suker and Kaká!
Thanks to the four consecutive wins, AC Milan currently stood third in the league table.
Although Roma lost to AC Milan and the points gap narrowed, Inter Milan also lost to Juventus, so the rankings remained unchanged.
AC Milan was only three points behind the top spot—just one win away.
However, AC Milan no longer had the chance to play Roma directly and could only hope Roma lost their upcoming matches.
Inter Milan seemed stunned by Barcelona.
Since being eliminated from the Champions League, their overall form had slumped badly, seriously affecting their league performance.
Currently, they were only one point behind AC Milan.
This made Inter very anxious.
If they couldn't pull away in points, this season's league title might slip away again.
Roma had the same thought.
But AC Milan no longer cared about the league; all their attention was on the Champions League.
Quarter-finals of the 2007/2008 Champions League, first leg:
AC Milan hosted Barcelona!
The last match between these two teams was two years ago.
Ronaldinho led Barcelona and gave Milan a huge headache.
At that time, AC Milan was at their peak. Even Ronaldinho's strength couldn't beat a fully charged Milan.
That season, many predicted Milan would overcome their opponents.
But now, it was different.
Barcelona's Champions League performance was widely recognized.
Since entering the knockout stage, many said Barcelona had the world's best attack.
But could AC Milan still maintain their best defense?
Because of this, the media mostly favored Barcelona to win and few supported Milan.
AC Milan fans had seen Barcelona's performance.
Though they hoped Milan would win, they knew the match would be extremely difficult.
On April 1st, Barcelona's entire squad arrived in Milan under coach Guardiola.
The camera showed Henry, Eto'o, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Valdés, and Yaya Touré.
Barcelona came out in full force.
Though AC Milan had declined,
they were the dynasty who achieved back-to-back Champions League titles.
Barcelona, a rising team, naturally showed due respect.
"AC Milan is a historically glorious club. This match will be a very tough battle for us, and we are mentally prepared!"
In the interview, Guardiola spoke confidently.
"I hope this will be a wonderful contest—tactical battles between coaches, player performances, tactical choices, and on-the-fly decisions will all be key factors!"
At this time, Guardiola was not yet the mature, composed figure he would become.
Just recently promoted to Barcelona's first-team coach, he had already led the team to brilliant results.
Though no major trophies yet,
he trailed Real Madrid by 7 points in the league, including the Copa del Rey.
This season, Guardiola had huge ambitions.
His ambition showed clearly on his bright face.
"Leo, the next match is your chance to prove yourself. You are destined for greatness. You need confidence. I will prepare everything for you. Just follow me, and I will make you the best!"
In a hotel room, Guardiola enthusiastically painted grand visions to Messi.
Messi stood silently across from him.
In fact, Messi was already used to this.
Shortly after Guardiola took over, he explicitly told Messi to replace Ronaldinho as the team's core.
Messi was truly shocked by this proposal!
He was confident in his skills,
but had not yet nurtured ambitions to be the team's core.
He was more used to following Ronaldinho around.
That was his mindset at the time.
But Guardiola overturned everything and accelerated his growth.
Messi withstood the pressure!
His performances at Barcelona became phenomenal!
He did not disappoint Guardiola's expectations.
"Tomorrow, I will perform well."
Messi said seriously.
AC Milan was a strong opponent.
Suker was also a tough competitor.
Messi and Suker had some contact, though not often; they occasionally chatted.
They had a good relationship but were still rivals.
Last time, Suker won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player awards.
Next time, Messi would push to achieve the same.
Moreover, this was their first direct confrontation.
This was not just a match between Barcelona and AC Milan,
but also a competition between Messi and Suker!
After Messi left, Bojan stood opposite Guardiola.
"I have high expectations for you. Try to play like Leo. Your talent can make you a top player. I will prepare everything for you."
Unlike Messi's calm reaction, Bojan hung his head and twisted his hands nervously.
If you looked carefully, his chest rose and fell intensely.
Bojan felt immense pressure!
Everyone seemed to expect him to become the next Messi.
They wanted him to dribble like Messi, score like Messi, and become like Messi.
But no one told him he was Bojan.
Surrounded by such words and with Messi's brilliant performance as a precedent, Bojan gradually developed anxiety.
He hadn't told anyone yet but sometimes felt dizzy, nauseous, and numb.
Luckily, not during matches.
But his condition was worsening, and he feared he might collapse during a game someday.
This made him even more anxious.
"Come on, Bojan!"
Guardiola's voice carried a tempting tone.
"If you perform better, I'll give you more chances, even things you never dreamed of."
Guardiola patted Bojan's shoulder, but did not notice Bojan's flushed face and labored breathing.
Soon, Bojan stormed out of Guardiola's room and rushed to the terrace.
Gag!
He crouched and retched violently, supporting himself with one hand.
His body trembled continuously, and his hands were numb.
"I don't want to be Messi's successor..."
Bojan whispered, his voice full of suppressed pain.
Bang!
At Milanello training base locker room,
Suker suddenly slammed open the door and threw a newspaper at Pato, yelling:
"I told you—you're not my successor! Why the hell are you using that identity to challenge others?"
The front page of the Milan team newspaper had a bold headline:
"Pato: This match is a duel between me and Bojan—a face-to-face battle between two successors!"
Pato blinked and said, "I never said I'm your successor!"
Suker gritted his teeth.
This "country dog" had gotten smart!
Suker sighed, "How about you be Kaká's successor?"
"No!"
Before Pato could answer, Kaká strongly objected.
He turned the focus: "Pato, I admit you're Suker's successor!"
"Get lost!"
Suker exploded with anger.