Memories of the legendary Christmas tree formation at AC Milan

The club, which has just celebrated its 117th birthday, is the big sister of Italian football in the European sky. They are loved all over the world, and had a great decade in the early 21st century with the magical playing system of Carlo Ancelotti.

AC Milan was founded on December 16, 1899, just a week before Christmas, where twinkling pine trees heralded the arrival of the season. 102 years after its founding, AC Milan called Carlo Ancelotti, the great Milan midfielder of the Sacchi empire, to San Siro to take charge. The man from Reggiolo created the team's third successful cycle with a Christmas tree formation (4-3-2-1). That formation is a great reference to the day AC Milan was founded, when Jingle Bells rang through the streets.

With Ancelotti, Pirlo and the "Christmas tree" formation, Milan has lived a bustling and exciting life in its 117-year history.

To create this forward-thinking tactic, Ancelotti embarked on a journey that began with the most important person in Carlo Ancelotti's empire. That character was the fulcrum of AC Milan's tactics in the first 10 years of the 21st century, but was too quiet underneath to let the spotlight shine on him - Andrea Pirlo.

At the 2000 European Under-21 Championship, Pirlo appeared, playing just behind a striker as a classic No. 10. He joined Inter Milan in their doldrums, and was loaned out to Brescia. At the small club, he was pulled back 15 metres by a master, coach Carlo Mazzone. That historic turn of events provided a major clue to the tactical system that would later make Milan the dominant force: a deep-lying playmaker would be the “gateway” to the so-called “pine tree” formation.

At that time, Ancelotti had just been called to replace Turkish coach Fatih Terim at the beginning of the 2001-2002 season. With the instinct of a player who had played in the holding midfielder position, he saw that Pirlo possessed a quality that could create a new dynasty that he was about to build, that is the quality of a director of the ball development right above the defense line, and Pirlo was the foundation of that project. Thanks to his perfect long-range passing ability, in addition to his talented reading of the game, Pirlo could organize an attack right after a pass. Everything therefore became much more favorable for Milan, because up front, Andrey Shevchenko and Pippo Inzaghi did a great job of receiving those passes.

The formation that Milan used to win the 2002-03 Champions League was a 4-3-1-2 with the back four Kaladze, Maldini, Nesta and Costarcurta. Pirlo, Gatusso and Seedorf formed the midfield, and above them, Rui Costa played as an attacking midfielder behind Pippo and Sheva. Ancelotti brought on three playmakers at the same time: Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Rui Costa: two high up and one low down. Therefore, for this artistic midfield to work, Ancelotti needed the second most important player of the "Christmas tree" - Gennaro Gatusso.

Not simply protecting the space for Pirlo to direct, Gatusso is also the one who "pumps blood" for the entire midfield to operate. Gatusso's competitive energy also helps Seedorf to freely coordinate with Rui Costa. Thus, a great Milan was born with a midfield like a chain with gears that fit together perfectly.

Rui Costa, Seedorf, Pirlo and Gattuso were the foundation stones for Ancelotti to build and maintain the Christmas tree diagram throughout his eight years leading Milan.

In the 2003-2004 season, Milan brought a young Brazilian to San Siro to gradually replace Rui Costa who was on the decline of his career, and what they got was more than that - a genius. Kaka - that young man's name - three years later led Milan's exhausted train straight to the 2006-2007 Champions League title.

With Kaka, the Christmas tree formation became 4-3-2-1, the defense was greatly disrupted when Stam and Cafu were brought in next to Nesta and Maldini, and Kaka stood a little further ahead of Rui Costa, playing just below Sheva. Before the Gerrard - Torres pair took England by storm, Kaka - Sheva had done the same thing five years earlier in Italy. With their high form, Ancelotti won the only scudetto of his career in the 2003-2004 season.

In 2006, Calciopoli broke out, Shevchenko went to England, Rui Costa also returned to Portugal. On the pitch, everything started to go against Ancelotti's scheme when Pirlo began to be noticed and blocked. To overcome this, Massimo Ambrosini - a highly combative midfielder was brought into the main squad. The Christmas tree scheme was now changed to 4-3-2-1 but Seedorf played lower than Kaka, because the Brazilian midfielder was not as simple as Rui Costa.

After the brilliant period with the Christmas tree of Ancelotti, Kaka, Ambrosini, Pirlo, Milan gradually lost its sparkle and sank into the current darkness.

Kaka, with his intelligent, technical but very effective playing style, possessing the ability to shoot from afar, create and score goals, played a role that was more than just a normal midfielder. The 10 goals of the Brazilian angel in the journey to win the 2006-2007 Champions League were the embodiment of the best things that Milan - Ancelotti did in the last days of the empire.

Then winter knocked on the door and Christmas stopped playing. The red and black empire built by Ancelotti gradually collapsed with the footsteps of Kaka, Maldini, Ancelotti (2009) and Pirlo (2011). Closing behind a beautiful “Christmas tree” with glorious achievements, and heroic names, indelible in the memories of football lovers.

According to VNE