"There are still five rounds before the Champions League resumes. We can't afford to slack off during this stretch,"Maldini emphasized.
"Relax, we're in decent form right now," Inzaghi shrugged, looking casual.
"You're the biggest problem!" Suker couldn't help but complain.
If Inzaghi performed even just a bit better, AC Milan wouldn't have needed to buy Ronaldo.
But there was no helping it—Inzaghi was simply inconsistent, brilliant one moment, off-form the next. No one could pin him down.
Suker could help Inzaghi.
But just like Ancelotti believed, Suker needed rest. He couldn't sacrifice his own downtime just to cover for Inzaghi.
Previously, Suker had suggested that Ancelotti be bolder in using him.
But Ancelotti had strongly opposed that idea.
Right now, AC Milan was practically relying on Suker alone. Even though Suker had repeatedly assured Ancelotti that he could push himself harder, the cautious coach wasn't willing to take the risk.
After every five matches, Suker had to rest for a week.
Of course, a "week off" didn't mean skipping an entire match—it meant avoiding dual competition (league + cup) weeks.
During the recent Coppa Italia matches, Suker had barely featured. Twice, he hadn't even made the squad list.
If not for pressure from the club's top brass, Ancelotti had even considered dropping the cup entirely.
"Catching up in the league is hard!" Pirlo suddenly sighed.
Having been docked eight points in Serie A left AC Milan at a constant disadvantage.
They had been playing brilliantly, yet were still behind Inter Milan.
And Inter just wouldn't lose!
"Round 23 is our chance. Let's see if Roma can beat Inter away," Suker said.
"Which team pressures you more—Roma or Inter?" Maldini suddenly asked.
"They're about the same," Suker shrugged. "Honestly, neither gives me much pressure."
It wasn't arrogance—it was simply true.
Currently, no team could effectively mark Suker out of the game.
His versatility was too great.
Unless the entire Milan team collapsed, Suker could always find ways to impact the match, as long as he had a few solid teammates.
Though Milan's lineup appeared old on paper, their veterans were aging like fine wine.
So, the team wasn't as washed up as the media claimed.
At least, Suker understood just how strong Milan's Champions League form was this season.
Thinking of this, Suker glanced at Kaka.
Kaka was silently devouring his food, not chatting or saying a word.
He wasn't yet in his "god-slaying" form.
Suker even suspected that his own presence might've made Kaka too relaxed.
But in fairness, Suker was demanding a lot.
The tactical setup had shifted completely in his favor.
Back when Kaka broke out, Milan had focused their entire tactical engine on him.
Now that the setup was centered on Suker, it was unrealistic to expect Kaka to still dominate.
Before long, the team had eaten and were mostly just chatting.
Kaka, full at last, sat beside Nesta and began running his fingers through Nesta's hair, again and again.
Suker glanced at Nesta's increasingly receding hairline. Over the past year or so, he had watched that line retreat—Kaka definitely played a role in it.
They chatted for a while longer, and by around 9 PM, the teammates gradually began to leave.
Once everyone was gone, Suker held Kaka back to help with the dishes.
In the kitchen, Kaka wore rubber gloves, washing the plates, while Suker sat off to the side.
"Have you ever thought about defending the Champions League title?" Suker asked, turning to him.
Kaka paused mid-scrub, looked over and replied, "Isn't it a bit early to be talking about that?"
Suker nodded. "Sure, it's a bit early. But it's not impossible—if we give up on the league and the Coppa Italia, let all the starters rest and focus everything on the Champions League."
Suker only really cared about the Champions League.
"But the club won't agree," Kaka replied. "The team still needs to make money. If none of the stars play in the league, fans will lose interest. That means no income."
"From what I've heard, we're still running at a loss."
"Yeah, I heard that too. They even had to overdraw some funds to buy Ronaldo."
"That's why we have to win a trophy this season—to get something in return!"
"That's on you," Kaka said, smiling.
Suker rolled his eyes.
The pressure on him wasn't small either.
The present was one thing, but he had to think about the future too.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi were still developing, but from next season onward, they'd explode.
Ronaldo would evolve into "Golden Edge Ronaldo."
Messi would rise with Guardiola, kicking off the legendary Barcelona "Dream Team III" era.
The key thing was: Messi had Xavi and Iniesta behind him, paving his path.
Ronaldo used to be a solo act—but now he had Modrić. That would make him even more terrifying.
Suker wanted a similar elite support cast.
Luring Modrić away?
A fantasy.
Whether Modrić wanted to leave was one thing—but even if he did, would Ferguson let him go?
And more importantly, with Milan's finances, they couldn't afford him anyway.
So, Suker could only look around at what he already had.
He had Kaka!
Kaka's decline later on was due to groin injuries and a failed position switch, which led to his exit from elite football.
Suker knew this.
He believed he could reduce injury risk and help Kaka with a smoother positional transformation.
He planned to create his own superstar ally!
"Have you ever thought about changing your role?" Suker asked.
"Change roles? Why?" Kaka looked puzzled.
Suker sighed.
Just as he thought—Kaka hadn't even considered it.
Right now, traditional attacking midfielders were still hot.
But soon, with the rise of tiki-taka and the dominance of Barcelona, possession football would become the new standard.
The role of a pure attacking midfielder would slowly fade, and eventually disappear from top-tier tactics.
Future fans would label traditional playmakers as "classic No. 10s."
Which sounded elegant, but really just meant obsolete.
Suker had already shifted to a center forward role—for that exact reason.
With the wave of tactical change incoming, he had to become a "finisher," piling up stats and goals.
So what would happen to Kaka during that phase?
Kaka was one of the poster boys for those ousted by the tactical revolution.
Suker had to warn him.
"Have you ever thought about playing more like Pirlo?" Suker asked.
A deep-lying playmaker—that was another solid career direction.
And it would benefit Suker greatly, too.
Kaka fell silent for a moment before replying, "I want to be closer to the goal."
Suker sighed again.
This wasn't going to be easy.
"Keep washing, then," he said, waving his hand.
The road ahead would be long and tough.
In the near future, in pursuit of better stats, Suker would develop as a poacher-type center forward.
Eventually, he'd evolve into a complete forward.
But it would take time.
Being fed goals was one part—being the feeder was another.
How to make Kaka willingly become his feeder? That was the real challenge.
Still, there was time.
No rush.
For now, Suker needed to keep drawing high-tier and diamond cards.
After all, those two monsters were about to explode.
First came Ronaldo!
Then Messi!
One was a physical freak, the other a natural genius.
If not for the system he possessed, Suker wouldn't stand a chance against them.
Keep drawing cards!
Keep crushing the freaks!
Meanwhile, European leagues continued to blaze with competition.
And along with the matches came a wave of juicy tabloid gossip.
The hottest of them all?
Beckham's prostitute scandal.
In late February, just a week after Valentine's Day, a high-end escort named Emma Neesi exposed Beckham, claiming he had frequently hired her services—and even posted records of the payments.
At that time, Beckham was already facing a media freeze, and this scandal only worsened his situation.
Surprisingly, Victoria Beckham stood by him, taking the public heat on his behalf and offering full support for David's appeal, defending their family.
But after all that noise, none of the three parties showed up in court, and the issue fizzled out.
Still, Beckham's status at Real Madrid took another hit—Capello announced the continued benching of Beckham.
At this point, the two were completely at odds.