Chapter 54: Between Holding the Line and Breaking Down, There's Only One Li Ang
To ensure the team would have maximum fitness and the best possible condition heading into the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, Allegri made the decision to rotate a number of starters in the February 13th Serie A match.
Pirlo, Gattuso, and Seedorf were dropped from the matchday squad altogether, granted an extended rest.
Ibrahimović and Pato were named to the bench, while Filippo Inzaghi made a rare start, leading the line alongside Robinho and Cassano.
In midfield, Li Ang partnered van Bommel for the first time in a double-pivot setup, with Kevin-Prince Boateng in the advanced role. Without the soft orchestration of Pirlo, Milan leaned fully into their "three-man wrecking crew," maintaining top-tier defensive toughness and explosive forward runs from midfield.
At the back, Daniele Bonera once again started next to Thiago Silva in central defense, with Antonini and Oddo manning the flanks. Abbiati kept his place between the posts.
Even with the rotation, the on-paper strength of this Milan side was nothing to sneeze at.
Inzaghi, Cassano, Robinho, van Bommel, Thiago Silva...
Ignore the age factor, and just reading those names was enough to scare off most opponents.
But even the biggest names can't beat time forever.
Seeing that Milan would be without Ibrahimović, many Parma fans started to feel a little bold.
With no Zlatan leading the line, Milan's frontline was reduced to a veteran poacher, a flashy but erratic dribbler, and a mercurial talent with attitude issues. Parma fans began to believe that at the very least, they could grind out a draw.
After all, Milan's recent wins had all followed a familiar pattern: Ibrahimović scores or creates the opener, then Milan locks things down.
Without him, their most reliable sledgehammer was missing.
With home advantage and a full-strength squad, Parma supporters began to dream of an upset.
But was Allegri really content with a conservative draw?
February 13, 3:00 PM.
Under the mild winter sun, the opening whistle echoed at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.
Milan kicked off and immediately spread wide, launching a probing attack down the flanks.
Robinho, facing pressure from Parma's Valiani, uncharacteristically opted not to recycle the ball. Instead, he tried to dribble past two defenders—Valiani and fullback Massimo Gobbi—before finally shielding the ball and laying it off.
This aggressive opening puzzled Francesco Guidolin, Parma's head coach, often referred to as the "Little Zhuge" of Serie A for his tactical acumen.
In previous league games, Milan rarely started so aggressively.
Was Allegri trying to draw him into a wide-open, free-flowing battle?
Guidolin had doubts.
But just three minutes later, Milan launched another swift attack.
Cassano got a shot on target—albeit straight at the keeper.
"Coincidence. Has to be a coincidence," Guidolin muttered to himself, pacing the touchline, brows furrowed.
And then, in the sixth minute, Boateng surged forward and launched a long-range strike of his own.
At that point, Guidolin dropped the pretense. This wasn't a coincidence. This was a storm.
Flustered, he issued orders to his players to fall back, tighten lines, and maintain shape.
But there was a problem.
Parma had lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, perhaps hoping to snatch a goal.
With just three midfielders, trying to hold firm against Milan's midfield press was wishful thinking.
By contrast, Allegri was crystal clear in his approach: he was going to break Parma down, early and often.
Van Bommel sat deep as the anchor. Li Ang and Boateng both pushed forward in turn, pressuring the opposition relentlessly.
Milan's offensive pressure reached a peak.
The real fuel behind this tactical aggression?
Not Robinho.
Not even Boateng.
It was the resurgent form of Inzaghi and Cassano—the two players Allegri had gambled on.
In the 18th minute, Cassano worked a slick one-two with Li Ang on the left, then burst into the box with speed.
Zaccardo scrambled to cover the gap, but Cassano sold him a feint and drove to the byline.
Then came the cutback.
Like clockwork, Inzaghi popped up at the near post.
One touch. One finish.
Antonio Mirante, Parma's keeper, had no chance.
1–0, Milan. A dream start.
Now trailing, Parma had no choice but to come out and attack.
They had Amauri, Crespo, Giovinco—names that could still bite.
They hoped for a counterpunch.
But for the next fifteen minutes, Li Ang and van Bommel smothered them.
Van Bommel held the line. Li Ang swept across the pitch like a storm.
Perfect positioning. Tireless energy.
He ran like two men, tackled like three.
First challenge failed? He tracked back and did it again.
Relentless.
By the 43rd minute, Milan had made it 2–0.
This time, Robinho shook free down the wing and whipped in a low cross.
Inzaghi was there again.
Half a step ahead of Paolo Paci. Another clinical finish.
Even at his age, even with diminished speed and stamina...
Pippo still knew where the goal was.
And how to get the ball into it.
It was like he'd stored up all his frustration from warming the bench, then unleashed it in one half.
Two goals before halftime.
Game, set, match.
Countless Milan fans watched that familiar figure celebrating a goal and, for a moment, felt a surreal sense of time slipping.
For a brief instant, they wondered—What year is it again?
Perhaps only the strands of silver in Inzaghi's temples and the fine lines on his forehead reminded Milan faithful of reality.
Their beloved Super Pippo was already 37 years old.
Li Ang was genuinely happy for Inzaghi.
For a legendary veteran like him to still shine in the twilight of his career was truly rare and precious.
Of course, what he didn't know was that if not for the "butterfly effect" he had brought with him, Inzaghi would've already suffered a season-ending injury by this point.
Perhaps this, too, was time showing mercy.
In this alternate 2011, diverged from the original timeline, AC Milan's No.9 wasn't on the operating table.
He was still running on the pitch, still scoring goals, still contributing to the club he loved on their title-chasing journey.
Free from the inevitable regrets of fate, Inzaghi could still smile radiantly on the pitch.
"Little Lion, the Parma attackers looked like they wanted to eat you alive today. You locked them down way too hard," Boateng joked while celebrating.
With Li Ang and van Bommel covering for him at the back, Boateng had enjoyed a very comfortable game and was in high spirits.
Li Ang raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the Parma players, many of whom were still standing with hands on hips, frustration clear on their faces.
"Kevin, you better step up your defensive work too. Coach told you to balance offense and defense, but let's just say your effort tracking back…"
With a mischievous grin, Li Ang patted Boateng's backside and jogged back toward Milan's half.
Boateng's face changed instantly. No longer in the mood to celebrate, he scratched his head sheepishly and hurried to fall into position.
Thankfully for him, Allegri, satisfied with the 2-0 halftime lead, had loosened his tactical grip a bit.
In the dressing room, he only gave Boateng a light reminder, no need for the hairdryer treatment.
Once the second half resumed, Boateng also began diligently helping in defense, clearly not wanting to end up on the coach's naughty list.
Parma tried to seize the initiative early in the second half and pull one back, but against a Milan side with a tightened formation, their hopes were quickly dashed.
By halftime, Li Ang had already run close to eight kilometers—far above average—and his presence was once again a wall on defense.
Why could Milan be so aggressive in attack and still hold strong in defense?
Anyone paying attention could see the key—Li Ang.
He was putting in enough work for 1.5 defenders, giving Milan's back line a rock-solid foundation.
And he didn't slow down after the break.
Without having to worry about Champions League rotation, he knew this would be his last game before getting a few days' rest.
Just in time for a fresh system energy-restoring potion from his skill menu—one gulp, and he'd be back to full power.
Freed from such burdens, Li Ang gave it everything. With Boateng and van Bommel helping in support, he once again shattered Parma's attacking rhythm.
Candreva in particular found himself completely smothered. It felt like Li Ang had him marked all match, robbing him of space, time, and ideas.
With their offense broken and disjointed, it was Parma's defense that fell next.
Cassano, the troublemaker, this time didn't pass.
Cutting through Parma's right channel, with everyone expecting a layoff to Antonini overlapping wide, he pulled the trigger from outside the box.
The shot wasn't even clean—it hit the back of poor Zaccardo, deflecting cruelly.
Parma's keeper Mirante had committed the other way, and the ball spun past him into the far corner.
3–0.
In the 62nd minute, Milan had put the game to bed.
"This is fortune rewarding Milan's courage! Allegri wins again—with his bold attacking tactics!
And let's not forget the sacrifice and unity shown by the Milan players—they earned this victory!
I don't know Li Ang's exact running distance so far, but I guarantee you it's over 10 kilometers—and it's only the 62nd minute!
Applause for this young man, still not even 20 years old!
And for Inzaghi, Boateng, van Bommel, Cassano...
Look at this team—mature, united, and relentless. They deserve to top Serie A!"
The Sky Italia commentator could barely contain his excitement.
In truth, Milan's maturity and tactical execution in this match had won over countless viewers.
Just before they headed into Champions League play, Milan had made a statement with this 3–0 thrashing:
This is why they sit atop the Serie A table.
Li Ang was subbed off in the 77th minute for Flamini.
At that point, he had already logged a staggering 13.2 kilometers of running.
The Milan fans in the away end showered him with cheers and applause, their affection growing with every game.
Allegri met him with a big hug on the sideline.
When the final whistle blew, Inzaghi was unsurprisingly named Man of the Match.
But in his post-match interview, Pippo made it clear—he wanted to share the award with Li Ang.
And in the flood of media reports afterward, journalists didn't hold back in praising the Chinese midfielder.
Though at this point they recognized his importance in Milan's defensive structure, few truly understood just how crucial he had become.
Two days later.
At the San Siro.
After 90 minutes of grueling battle, only one sound filled the air—a deafening roar of celebration from the visitors.
The scoreline on the giant stadium screen read:
0–2.
Milan had lost.
The pre-match favorites, the leaders of Serie A, had just been humbled at home—by the fifth-place team in England.
No one had expected this.
Two goals conceded. Zero scored. And with two away goals in the bag, Tottenham had essentially one foot in the quarterfinals.
The crowd was stunned.
Ibrahimović clenched his fists, then let them fall limp.
He was furious with himself—for missing a golden chance to break the deadlock.
Milan had never settled into their rhythm. And worse, their normally solid defense had cracked.
"If only Li Ang were here…"
he muttered under his breath.
And that, really, was the sentiment echoing in the hearts of Milan fans everywhere.
When they had Li Ang, they could hold the line.
They never panicked.
They knew they'd have time, space, and security to go forward.
But now, without him, they'd been overrun.
Outfought.
Outclassed.
That was the difference.
Just one player.
Just one Li Ang.
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