Due to it being a friendly match, the overall atmosphere was very relaxed.
The fans were also very tolerant, especially many Milan fans, who purely came to see Suker.
Amidst cheers, the exhibition match began.
"The match has begun! Croatia is not playing with their full main lineup in this match. Due to the Premier League not having a winter break, Modrić, their midfield core, is absent for this half. However, Croatia has still fielded their strongest possible lineup!"
"However, without Modrić, Croatia's rhythm might rely more on the young Brozović to control!"
These Italian fans were not unfamiliar with Brozović.
After all, he had already been playing in Serie A for some time, gradually growing from a young talent to a key player for his team.
But to call him a core player, there was still some distance.
Therefore, they were also very curious how Croatia would control the rhythm from the back.
After all, Rakitić's positioning was more forward, belonging to an attacking organizer rather than a deep-lying playmaker.
But very quickly, they realized something was off.
After the match started, Rakitić's position was very advanced, with almost no intention of dropping back to receive the ball.
Conversely, Suker did not push forward, but instead moved centrally, even occasionally dropping back to receive the ball in his own half.
This change by Croatia surprised the Italian fans.
"Has Suker ever played like this?"
A Milan fan asked, puzzled.
Even when Suker first joined Milan, he mostly played a supporting role, assisting Shevchenko.
But even then, Suker wouldn't drop back to receive the ball in his own half.
He had watched Suker enter the professional arena from the very beginning and gradually followed him, now being a die-hard fan.
He clearly knew Suker's positional changes and style shifts at every period.
But honestly, Suker had never controlled the midfield rhythm like this before.
"Isn't that a wide midfielder? He used to play that!"
"It's different! His previous wide midfielder period involved operating in the half-spaces, and while there was some passing and receiving, it wasn't as frequent as now!"
"Are they going to make Suker play in midfield?"
"His movement is also very strange!"
"Not just him, the entire Croatia team's movement is very strange!"
The Italian fans tilted their heads, their minds full of questions. What tactic was Croatia trying?
On the field, Suker constantly moved, effortlessly orchestrating the rhythm.
To be honest, this wasn't very difficult; anyone who understood the flow of the game and had a certain overall vision could do it.
Moreover, Suker's footwork was top-notch, so he wouldn't lose possession.
Even if a teammate was surrounded, he could quickly follow up and provide support.
"Pass it here!"
Suker saw Rakitić intending to break through towards the half-space and directly called out.
As soon as Rakitić heard Suker's call, he didn't hesitate and immediately passed the ball.
Suker, however, passed it back to Rakitić again.
Rakitić was momentarily stunned, but he quickly understood what Suker wanted to do.
The two maintained a relatively safe distance, constantly passing and receiving the ball.
They formed two central transfer hubs, creating an elliptical forward pressure for Croatia's attack.
Italy's defense, simply put, was a linear defense, with two lines in the midfield and defense.
These two lines supported each other, ready to push up or drop back at any time.
What Croatia needed to do was occupy the two central half-spaces, like two nails driven in, penetrating Italy's midfield line while simultaneously applying pressure to both sides, causing this linear defense to gradually bend and deform.
This was also Modrić's most common tactic when playing against Italy, and Suker was learning on the fly.
Anyway, he felt that playing like this was always effective.
On Italy's side, Pirlo also quickly reacted.
He had suffered from this against Modrić, and then some other teams had also used this approach when playing against them, attempting to break through their defense.
However, the opponent's attacking intensity simply couldn't compare to Croatia's, so the effect was greatly reduced.
In fact, with Suker now responsible for organizing and coordinating, Croatia's attacking intensity had also dropped considerably.
Suker also noticed this, he frowned slightly, turned his head and shouted: "Brozović, come up!"
After speaking, he shouted to Rakitić again; "You go up and attack their defense!"
Someone had to make penetrating runs and breakthroughs.
Although there was enough pressure on both sides, it wasn't enough to completely break Italy's iron defense.
At this point, a breakthrough point in the middle was needed.
Like a bent ruler, with force applied to both sides, the middle becomes incredibly fragile.
Only a certain amount of pressure is needed to break through this defensive line.
"Playing smart!"
Pirlo was very annoyed.
Suker was good in every way, but his incisive understanding of the game made his opponents very uncomfortable.
He had also cheered for Suker's cleverness in matches, but when he became the victim, he couldn't be happy.
"Hold steady!"
Pirlo shouted loudly. Behind him was the defensive line, the penalty area, and Croatia could not be allowed to break through easily.
Conversely, Croatia played with relative ease.
They controlled possession, constantly trying various penetrating runs.
These runs looked chaotic, but the Italian players dared not be careless, yet what they didn't know was... even the Croatian players themselves got a bit confused as they ran.
"Left! You need to go left!"
"That side's open! Who's covering?!"
"Don't come here, you're in the same position!"
The Croatian players were also shouting and complaining.
Van Stoyak's tactics were too detailed, so detailed that they couldn't quickly understand them, leading to this slightly chaotic situation.
But fortunately, it didn't matter if they were disorganized, as long as Suker wasn't.
Suker was indeed not that disorganized; his thinking was still very clear.
He wouldn't be superficial, looking at his teammates' chaotic runs, he only needed to focus on Rakitić and Perisic, the two penetrating points.
And then there were Srna and Strinić, who were always ready to push forward from behind.
These two full-backs also played a very important role in this tactical system.
It could be said that apart from these few key tactical players, everyone else was fake!
They were all meant to deceive!
Sure enough, Italy's defense began to fall into disarray; they didn't know who to mark.
Croatia ran around chaotically, and Italy followed suit.
The scene was chaotic!
But what Croatia wanted was this chaos.
Perisic charged into the middle, overlapping with Mandžukić.
At the same time, both players tried to draw their respective defenders, creating a gap in the right half-space.
Italy's defenders also looked at each other.
When Abate turned to look, preparing to cover, it was already too late.
Suker threaded a through ball.
The ball speed wasn't fast, but the angle was tricky.
The ball almost slipped past the supporting leg of the center-back, preventing the opponent from blocking it.
At the same time, Rakitić quickly sprinted to chase the ball, sending it into the dangerous area for the first time.
"Rakitić!! Buffon is in danger, stop him!"
The Italian commentator shouted nervously.
Just then, Rakitić did not make a lateral pass, but instead faked a shot and stopped the ball, then passed it to the inverted triangle.
At the ball's landing spot, Srna arrived, striking the ball hard with his right foot, hitting a diagonal shot.
However, the shooting angle wasn't very well controlled; the ball hit the opponent's lower leg and flew out of bounds.
"What a useless shot to the far post, shoot to the near post!"
Suker immediately turned and complained.
Srna also grinned, turning to Suker and spreading his hands, indicating that he had done his best.
However, he was used to it; Suker complaining about his shooting was not a one or two time occurrence.
Srna was still very confident in his own shooting, but it depended on who he was comparing himself to; compared to Suker, it was pure self-abuse.
In the entire Croatia team, only Suker probably dared to shout at him like that!
Although they didn't score, they successfully completed an attack.
After Croatia's corner kick was taken, they entered the pressing phase again.
Of course, Italy would also launch counterattacks from time to time, utilizing Pirlo's game insight and passing ability to support the forwards upfront.
But Italy's luck was a bit worse; they had a few chances but couldn't convert them.
As for Croatia, after Suker left, it seemed they didn't quite know how to shoot anymore.
Suker was watching from behind as these guys kept passing and passing, but just wouldn't shoot.
He was so anxious watching from the back!
"Did you anticipate this situation?"
Bešić also shook his head helplessly and asked.
Van Stoyak, standing nearby, scratched his head and also shook his head.
He had thought of many problems, but never this one.
Croatia is a strong team, and their overall configuration is very good.
But sometimes, due to system issues, some small habits can emerge.
This habit is called 'Suker'.
When Croatia attacks, they often rely on Suker.
It's not that they can't play without Suker.
It's just that when Suker is on the field, they subconsciously look for him.
Just like these few passing opportunities, they were clearly waiting for Suker to get into position.
But on the field, Suker was still some distance from the penalty area.
Moreover, he was not positioned as a primary attacker in this match.
When Suker wasn't on the field, these guys actually played more freely.
Of course, the emergence of this problem isn't a bad thing; at least they identified the issue and just need to improve upon it.
But on the field, Suker couldn't stand it anymore.
After several consecutive missed shooting opportunities, Suker directly pulled Rakitić back from the front.
"Go organize from the back!"
Rakitić didn't dare say much; he also knew he hadn't played well.
To be honest, it wasn't as enjoyable as he had imagined.
He had thought he could fully unleash his attacking abilities and put on an excellent performance.
But in reality, Italy's targeting of him was too strong, making it impossible to shake off the defenders.
It was only then that he realized his previous excellent performances, especially his unstoppable breakthroughs in dribbling, were largely thanks to Suker attracting attention for him.
And once he was separated from Suker, with the attention that should have been on Suker shifted to himself, Rakitić didn't play as happily.
Mandžukić was in the same situation.
He is a false nine!
He can pass or shoot!
But when he couldn't grasp the shooting opportunity, he thought about passing.
Yet, when he passed, his teammates were all hesitant and just wouldn't shoot.
At this moment, he lamented how decisive Suker was; Suker never hesitated, shooting directly when he had the ball.
And his shooting technique was superb!
Suker began to push forward actively; even though it was an exhibition match, he didn't want to lose.
Moreover, if they scored first, it would relieve psychological pressure, and they might play even better.
Once Suker pushed forward, Italy's pressure suddenly increased.
"Suker is coming!"
Buffon roared.
Italy's defense immediately became alert as if facing a formidable enemy.
They quickly moved towards the left, trying to stop Suker's advance.
And when Suker ran to a forward position on the flank, Croatia suddenly became normal again.
Srna directly launched a long pass; the landing point of this diagonal long pass was excellent.
As Suker pushed forward, he also observed De Sciglio.
The young De Sciglio was clearly a bit intimidated; he looked at the landing spot, wondering if he should start moving.
But it was this hesitation that made him miss a good opportunity; when he decided to push forward, Suker also quickly arrived, and preemptively used the outside of his foot to press down and flick the ball, changing its direction towards the ribs, while he himself passed De Sciglio from the other side, twisting his waist to rush towards the ball again.
"Oh~~~ Suker!!"
The Italian commentator subconsciously cheered, just as he used to be thrilled by Suker's performances.
But by the time he came to his senses, Suker had already entered the penalty area.
"Oh no! Someone block his shot!" The commentator realized belatedly, breaking out in a cold sweat.
But just then, Suker suddenly flicked the ball to create an angle, then fiercely struck it with his right foot.
This movement was very deceptive; Buffon subconsciously shifted his weight towards the far post, but Suker suddenly hooked the ball with his instep, shooting it into the near post.
Swish!
The ball hit the net.
The match had dragged on for 20 minutes, but Suker's sudden surge forward broke the dull atmosphere of the game.
After scoring the goal, Suker also ran to the corner flag to celebrate.
In the stands, many Milan fans shook their heads helplessly but also gave applause.
Of course, most of them were Suker's Milan fans.
Seeing Suker's still brilliant performance instantly brought them back to memories of that hot summer, that passionate summer!
At that time, Maldini was still the captain!
At that time, Nesta and Stam made Milan's defense impenetrable.
At that time, Pirlo and Suker teamed up to bully Gattuso.
At that time, Suker and Kaka were known as the Milan Twins!
Time has passed, and things are no longer the same.
Today's Milan can no longer find any trace of its former self.
They could only send applause to this player who once made them proud, with a hint of nostalgia!
"So indecisive! Shooting should be decisive, why so much observation? By the time you've observed and prepared, it'll be too late!"
Suker was still lecturing his teammates.
Mainly because he was too frustrated; he had sent pass after pass, delivering one cannonball after another, but they just couldn't seize any opportunity, which would make anyone explode with frustration.
He was still doing well!
If it were Modrić, he would have already started swearing.
The first goal completely ignited the passion.
For the rest of the time, the entanglement between the two sides became more intense.
Due to it being an exhibition match, in addition to competitiveness, there was also an element of performance.
If the play wasn't exciting, the fans wouldn't be satisfied.
Therefore, it had to be more exciting, and Suker, Rakitić, and others started dribbling past opponents more.
Italy was also not to be outdone.
In the 31st minute, they equalized using Pirlo's free-kick.
But in the 43rd minute, Rakitić weaved left and right, broke through to the byline, and delivered a cross.
Mandžukić successfully got to the ball in front of the goal, scoring the second goal!
In the second half, the match became even more intense and more exciting.
In addition to individual player performances, there were also many team passes.
Croatia also stopped trying new tactics; before the first problem was solved, nothing else could be developed.
Therefore, they also returned to their previous style of play.
Today's Croatia is stronger than Italy in terms of hard power!
Therefore, they held more initiative and were in the lead.
In the second half, both sides scored two goals each.
For Croatia, Rakitić and Suker scored again.
Suker scored his second goal of the match.
As for Italy, a substitute young player completed a goal, and the other goal came from Balotelli.
When this guy acts foolishly, he indeed has problems.
But when he plays seriously, he is still very difficult to deal with!
Finally, the exhibition match ended, with Croatia defeating Italy 3:2, securing the victory in this exhibition match, and the intense competition and exciting performances also made the fans feel they got their money's worth.
As for the issue of winning or losing, no one takes an exhibition match seriously!
And for the Croatia and Italy National Teams, they still had an internal match to play.
This match was an exhibition match, and due to its public nature, it wouldn't reveal too many tactical systems.
But in the internal match, they would play more rigorously, and there wouldn't be the intense dribbling and somewhat performative style of play seen in this match.
Van Stoyak also understood through this match that there were problems in the tactics he had implemented.
He was also thinking about how to solve these problems, but it was more of a psychological habit, and he had to guide the players to get used to such sudden occurrences.
Of course, this is not the mainstream tactic, but merely a smokescreen, so not too much effort will be put into it.
Their main focus is still on Bešić's system!
This is Croatia's strongest weapon in the 2014 Brazil World Cup!
It can be said that whether they can reach the pinnacle of the world and lift the World Cup trophy.
Besides player health, the degree of integration and coordination of this tactical system is a key factor.
Exhibition matches won't reveal too much real stuff, but internal matches will reveal a bit, as they also need to practice.