Tuesday 16th February, 19.30 p.m. Away dressing room, San Siro, Milan.
UEFA Champions League – First Leg of the Round of 16.
AC Milan vs. West Bromwich Albion.
The honeymoon period in the group stages was officially over and the Champions League knockout rounds were a completely different and infinitely more ruthless thing.
The San Siro stands as a monument to the elite of Italian football. With its brutalist, spiralling concrete towers and extremely steep stands, the pitch has the atmosphere of the floor of a gladiator arena. For many years it was a fortress in which English teams had their European aspirations gradually and systematically suffocated by Italian tactical skill.
Ethan Matthews was sitting in the large away dressing room, looking at the famous gold Champions League badge on the sleeve of his white away shirt. Although the physical strain of the winter programme was still evident in his legs, the adrenaline from a European knockout night had a strong effect.
He took out his phone.
Group Chat: The Eastfield Boys
Callum: I've seen their most recent five Serie A games, Eth. They have a pretty tight midfield formation, blocking up the central area of the pitch. In the middle you and Keller will be outnumbered six to four. Don't attempt to play through the centre of that defensive shape since it's a trap—when you win the ball you'll be able to launch a quick counter-attack. Instead, get Hayes and Kalu to pull the full-backs as far out as possible and then take advantage of the spaces left by them.
Mason: That's true football sense, Cal. I really like it. Now listen, General. The Italian defenders have all written up the shady tricks. They'll bump you on corners, step on your toes, and pull at your shirt whenever the referee is looking the other way. Don't respond to it. Crestwood secured a huge 2-0 victory on Saturday. Carry that momentum on for the Eastfield boys. Break the diamond.
Mia: The pub is completely full! We've had the pizzas ordered in since it's the Italian theme! Take home an away goal, Eth!
Ethan: Expand the diamond as much as you can and leave the dark arts alone. All right, lads. Mia, have some pizza. We'll demonstrate to them how the Black Country plays in Europe.
Ethan locked his phone. Callum's scouting was keen, precisely suited, and completely free from the academic digressions which had once been part of his advice. It was exactly like the kind of plan drawn up by a skilled tactician and expressed in simple, ordinary football terms.
Julian Vance went to the middle of the dressing room; he didn't raise his voice since he didn't need to.
"The Italians are experts at this cat-and-mouse game," Vance remarked, his dark eyes moving around the room. "They wish for you to become frustrated and make you force the passes through the middle so that they can intercept them and attack you on the counter. They think that they are tactically superior to all the teams on this continent."
In front of Ethan, Vance came to a stop.
We are expected to play naive, fast-moving English football and to run straight into their tricks; tonight we won't do that, we'll take the initiative. Make the pitch as wide as possible and when their diamond breaks down, you will break their hearts.
8:00 PM. Kickoff.
To step out into San Siro was to be subjected to a overwhelming sensory experience. There were eighty thousand Italian fans waving huge red and black flags, producing a loud and resonant wall of noise which bounced off the large concrete roof.
From the very first time the referee blew his whistle, AC Milan carried out their strategy with perfect and suffocating accuracy.
18th Minute.
Callum was completely correct in saying that the midfield diamond was a tactical nightmare. Each time Ethan received the ball in the centre circle he was at once surrounded by four players in red and black. Instead of charging in to tackle them simply formed a cage which cut off all the possible forward passing routes and dared him to make an error.
Liam Thorne attempted to get round the cage by stepping outside the defensive line in order to pass directly to Armando.
The famous and experienced centre-back from Milan anticipated it exactly. He moved in front of Armando, intercepted the pass and at once started the counter-attack.
The ball was played to their stylish Number 10, who was positioned at the end of the diamond. He made one smooth pass and fed a powerful through-ball through the defending West Brom players as they were getting back into position.
The striker from Milan caught the ball, used a shoulder push to get past the goalkeeper, and then struck it into the empty net.
GOAL.
AC Milan 1, West Bromwich Albion 0.
There was a tremendous outburst at San Siro, a dreadful roar full of pure and well-earned arrogance. The players from Milan celebrated in a calm manner, being completely confident in their system.
Ethan removed the ball from the net and looked at Lukas Keller, who was shouting angrily in German. They had fallen for the trick.
35th Minute.
There was a charged atmosphere in the stadium, and Milan were completely at ease, taking in West Brom's possession and waiting for another error.
Ethan knew that he had to break the cage and so began to drift entirely out of his central position, going down and across deeply, until he was almost standing on the touchline beside the West Brom full-backs.
The midfield players in Milan, who had been very strictly trained to maintain their diamond formation, would not follow him outside.
"Hayes, move forward! Hold the full-back!" Ethan yelled as he caught the ball with plenty of space on the left flank.
The situation changed since Ethan had gone right past the main area of congestion. He looked up and saw that Jaden Kalu was making a swift run on the other side, thus cutting off the Milan left-back entirely.
Ethan put the ball around his right foot and threw a spectacular sixty-yard diagonal pass which cleared the whole of the midfield area.
Kalu struck the ball beautifully against his chest, drove towards the lone defender, lowered his shoulder and produced a fierce, low cross into the six-yard box.
Armando launched his large frame into the air, managed to push the experienced Italian centre-back aside, and scored a powerful header past the goalkeeper.
GOAL.
AC Milan 1, West Bromwich Albion 1.
The small pocket of Baggies that were travelling and located high up in the third tier became completely uncontrollable.
Ethan didn't celebrate; instead he jogged back to the centre circle and pointed a finger at his own temple, thus breaking the diamond.
Halftime.
AC Milan 1, West Bromwich Albion 1.
There was a surge of renewed confidence in the visitors' changing room since they had withstood the first Italian attack and managed to secure a valuable away goal.
Vance told the squad that they were furious because you had worked out the wide overload; in the second half their wide midfielders are going to break the diamond in an attempt to cut you down, Ethan, and when they step out the centre will open up, that is when Keller and Vega make their runs.
The Second Half.
62nd Minute.
Vance's performance was perfect. In an attempt to prevent Ethan from making diagonal passes from the flanks, Milan's manager instructed his midfield players to occupy a wider position.
The cage had officially been broken and the area in the middle of the field, which had before been a crowded battle zone, now had some open spaces.
It turned into a harsh and physical struggle of wills, the Italians making full use of their dark arts by pulling at shirts, delivering quiet elbows when cornering the opponent, and committing cynical fouls in order to disrupt the action.
78th Minute.
Ethan caught the ball in the centre. As Vance had predicted, the midfield players from Milan advanced aggressively, leaving a huge gap behind them.
Ethan didn't have the ball; instead he made a quick one-touch wall pass to Lukas Keller, who had rushed into the empty space.
The German enforcer advanced the ball thirty yards along the pitch, completely avoiding the Milan midfield players. The Italian centre-backs, frightened by Armando's movements, retreated.
Keller passed the ball to Tyler Hayes on the left edge of the penalty area.
Hayes failed to fire and instead feigned a cross, cutting the ball sharply back to the edge of the defensive area.
Ethan didn't stop sprinting and he got there exactly on time with no marks against him.
Instead of attempting to break it, he applied pure and untouched technique. Ethan opened up his body and with the inside of his right boot produced a beautiful, curling first-time shot.
The ball missed the hurried save of the Milan goalkeeper, touching the inside of the post before settling neatly in the back of the net.
GOAL.
AC Milan 1, West Bromwich Albion 2.
Over San Siro there came complete and terrible silence.
Ethan sprinted towards the corner flag, sliding on his knees over the immaculate Italian grass, while Keller, Hayes, and Armando got on top of him. They had secured the lead in one of the most hostile stadiums in Europe.
88th Minute.
Milan pushed everything forward and totally gave up on their tactical discipline in a frantic and desperate attempt to secure a draw. The noise reached a deafening level as they kept sending cross after cross at the West Brom penalty area.
Yet Liam Thorne was a true giant, clearing each and every ball, while Keller gathered up the loose ones and Ethan took full control of the clock by attracting cynical fouls and bringing the game to a slow, frustrating halt.
90+4 Minutes.
Whistle. Whistle. Whistle.
Full Time.
AC Milan 1, West Bromwich Albion 2.
A masterly display of European knockout football; they entered San Siro, took in the tactical traps, made perfect adjustments, and left with two away goals and a big win.
Ethan exchanged shirts with the captain of Milan, gave him a nod of respect, and then went over to clap for the ecstatic away supporters.
At 11:30 p.m. Milan Team Hotel.
Ethan was sitting on the balcony of his hotel room, looking out at the sparkling lights of the Italian city. Although the first part was completed, the war was still only halfway finished.
He unlocked his phone.
Group Chat: The Eastfield Boys
Mason: What a way to finish it! Real class, General—you managed to go right past their midfield during the second half, and you didn't so much as react when their central defender knocked your heel in the 80th minute. You were absolutely ice cold.
Callum: The move to drift wide in the 35th minute was the decisive one; by leaving the central area vacant, you were forced to either stretch out and break your diamond formation or else let us have uninterrupted possession on the sides. That was a flawless tactical victory.
Mia: The pub got absolutely wild! That was the best Tuesday night ever! Eth, try to get some sleep!
You're right about the diamond, Cal, once we'd expanded them out they were completely at a loss. Ethan: Mase, my heel is absolutely killing me, but it was worth it.
Mason: You should have an ice bath, mate. We've got the next match at The Hawthorns in three weeks' time. Let's see that job through.
Ethan locked his phone and then leaned back in his chair; the Italians had attempted to put the Dictator in a cage, but they had overlooked one important point.
He was the ruler of that area.