Chapter 810 - 146: Trading Blows! Flash Spirit Strike! Wang Shuo Dependency! San Siro’s Gate of Victory! Crazy North London Derby

At this critical moment, Nesta struck out his foot just in time. Even though Wang Shuo and the ball had already surged half a body length ahead, the defender hooked his foot directly around Wang Shuo’s waist, bringing both of them crashing to the ground together. Gasps from the AC Milan fans echoed throughout San Siro Stadium.

"That was just a hair away from a successful breakthrough!" the commentator exclaimed. "As we can see, Nesta gave it his all. The Milan center-back took a pretty heavy fall just now, but it’s undoubtedly a tactical foul. The referee from Hungary, Kosai, has blown his whistle for the foul. That’s definitely going to be a card!"

Wang Shuo and Nesta lay tangled on the pitch. Lying on the ground, Wang Shuo saw Nesta gritting his teeth, gasping for air, and looking like he was in immense pain.

"You’ve gotten old!" Wang Shuo chuckled at him.

To be fair, Nesta’s defensive tackle had been quite clean. Furthermore, he wasn’t the last line of defense; Thiago Silva was still lingering in the back. However, if Wang Shuo had managed to break through just now, he was confident he could have driven the ball into the right side of the penalty area for a guaranteed shooting opportunity. Because of this, Nesta’s defense had been highly successful.

Nesta grunted twice. "I didn’t hurt you, did I?"

"I’m fine. You should be careful yourself. If you’re carrying an injury, don’t make such huge lunges."

"Oh? Make smaller lunges so you can just break right past me?" Nesta grumbled.

He wondered if he would have needed to make such a drastic move had Wang Shuo not been playing so aggressively. But he had to admit, he really was getting a bit old.

Thiago Silva walked over, grabbing Wang Shuo with one hand and Nesta with the other, hoisting both of them to their feet at the same time. The referee ran over and issued a yellow card. Even though it was a tactical foul, both of their movements had been clean, leaving no room for dispute. There was nothing more to say; Nesta had been willing to trade a yellow card for a successful defensive stop.

However, Wang Shuo noticed that when Nesta got up and walked, there was something slightly off about his right foot. He had been playing through an injury all along.

It was a grueling match!

Playing at home, Allegri still fielded a 4-3-1-2 formation. The lineup consisted of goalkeeper Abbiati; a defensive line of Antonini, Nesta, Thiago Silva, and Abate; a three-man defensive midfield composed of Ambrosini, Van Bommel, and Nocerino, with Kevin Boateng sitting just ahead of them; and a forward duo of Ibrahimovic and Robinho.

AC Milan’s style of play had a very obvious characteristic: their midfield was incredibly tough. Not only did they run relentlessly, but they were also physically robust, boasting exceptional interception capabilities in the middle of the pitch. On the counterattack, Kevin Boateng brought a massive amount of penetrating power.

But their most important aspect was their defense. AC Milan’s defensive line was remarkably solid. Allegri employed a defensive strategy that appeared conservative but was highly effective in practice.

The moment they won the ball, their immediate reaction was to launch a long pass into the front court to find Eevee. The Swedish center-forward’s ability to hold up the ball in the final third truly shone in this tactical setup. On the other hand, if their attackers failed to win the ball or control it properly, the midfield and defense would immediately drop back into their own half, sometimes even retreating deep into their penalty area, to organize two banks of defense. The four defenders and three defensive midfielders firmly erected an impenetrable fortress just outside the box.

Simply put, Allegri’s strategy was extremely conservative. He was willing to sacrifice offense and counterattacks just to guarantee defensive stability. And the results were undeniably phenomenal.

Whenever the Gunners won possession and rapidly transitioned through the midfield, they would arrive in the final third only to find that AC Milan’s defensive formation had already locked down the areas in front of and alongside the penalty box. Milan’s players strictly cut off every single Arsenal passing lane. No matter how the Gunners passed or moved, they always found themselves spinning their wheels within the opponent’s defensive web.

Most importantly, the center-back pairing of Nesta and Thiago Silva, combined with their defensive midfield setup, effectively imprisoned Wang Shuo. No matter where Wang Shuo ran, someone was there to mark him instantly. If he hesitated for even a fraction of a second, the surrounding defenders would swarm him, boxing him in completely. Having retreated to their penalty box, AC Milan was a truly impenetrable wall!

What was even more remarkable was the sheer tactical execution of AC Milan’s midfielders. After winning the ball, they didn’t waste a single second; their sole intent was to launch a long pass forward. It was utterly ridiculous!

From Wang Shuo’s perspective, AC Milan’s brilliant execution was certainly a major factor, but Wenger’s questionable tactical lineup was another.

Arsenal had stuck to their 4-3-3 formation for this match. Perhaps because Arsenal had been consistently stuck in the Round of 16 over the past few years with lackluster results, their defense on the left flank had a massive glaring weakness. As a result, Wenger’s starting lineup tonight was a bit on the conservative side.

The lineup consisted of goalkeeper Szczeny; a defensive line of Vermaelen, Verthongen, Subotic, and Lichsteiner; a midfield with Alexandre Song sitting deep, flanked by Matuidi and Arteta in the center; and a forward trio of Hazard, Wang Shuo, and Rosicky.

It was evident from the tactical setup that Walcott had been benched in favor of Rosicky. This was because the midfielder from the Czech Republic had far more experience and possessed superior passing abilities to unlock tightly packed defenses. Wenger had anticipated that AC Milan would play on the counterattack, a scenario where Walcott’s impact would be severely limited.

In the midfield, De Bruyne and Aaron Ramsey were left out, replaced by three defensive-minded midfielders: Alexandre Song, Matuidi, and Arteta.

However, facts proved that under AC Milan’s intense high press, it was incredibly difficult for Arteta to shoulder the burden of orchestrating the play and distributing passes.