Britain's Got Talent

Clarence Seedorf - Goodbye Europe?

Tottenham Hotspur 0 AC Milan 0

There is something about English teams and the omen they are to AC Milan. Maybe it’s the accent, maybe it’s the weather. Maybe it’s not. 3 successive defeats to English oppositions in Europe cry out for a reason. Is it the mentality, is it the pace or is it the physicality of the Poms? I am afraid the answer is yet to be completely revealed.

Spurs are a talented side but definitely not talented enough to oust Milan purely on merit. Unfortunately, they did just that. English clubs’ thunder and lightening style of play often undermines their solidity and organizational ability that isn't often witnessed in the Barclays Premier League. Harry Redknapp showed the world that a team built to attack can defend for 90 minutes against one of the most formidable front lines in Europe and better still get away with a clean sheet. True, Redknapp had lady luck sitting beside him at the Lane. But it wasn’t purely luck.

Of all the players in the Spurs squad, Peter Crouch wouldn’t be the player fancied to trouble Milan’s defense. The big man proved to be a thorn over both legs and won the aerial battle consistently. The second leg proved to be an improvement for Alesandro Nesta and Thiago Silva. The home defeat taught both of them that contending for the lofted ball with Crouch is futile. The alternative would be to back into him and play ‘dirty’ in typical Italian fashion while also winning the free kick. The pair did just that to near perfection in the return leg. Milan’s forwards were very closely marked by William Gallas and Michael Dawson. The latter overshadowed Zlatan Ibrahimovic throughout the game without putting a foot wrong. AC Milan’s front three weren’t given any breathing space and Sandro hounded the visiting midfield ceaselessly. He enjoyed a blinder of a game catching the attention of the Milan scouts. To make matters worse, Milan’s build up play was pedestrian providing Spurs sufficient time to organize themselves and close down spaces. Robinho added another game to his now long list of woeful performances in a Rossoneri jersey. His passing and movement were the highlights of his game in the first half the season but these facets have dramatically disappeared post the winter break. The hefty price tag appears to be the only reason that justifies his place on the first team.

The impotency of Milan’s forwards continued in the second half of the match. Mathieu Flamini didn’t make matters any better for him or the club. His brainless tackles always threatened the visitors to go a man down making him a constant liability. Redknapp unleashed Gareth Bale on the 66’ by bringing off Van Der Vaart. The Welshman didn’t run riot but he definitely reduced Ignazio Abate’s forward runs. Abate stayed back to keep an eye and a foot on Bale thereby eliminating the much needed width he provided in the first half. Max Allegri introduced Luca Antonini on the 69’ which effectively killed the width factor. Alex Merkel and Rodney Strasser were two players thrown into the mix, possibly to acquire some European experience and taste club football at its highest level. When players like Antonini, Merkel and Strasser come on for a club, you just know that club isn’t ready to play in the quarter finals of Europe’s premier club competition. One man played with his heart on his sleeve. He goes by the name of Clarence Seedorf. Many think he played his last game for AC Milan at White Hart Lane on that day. Probably the sight of him crying added fuel to the speculative rumour but that isn’t a farfetched idea. Sitting in front of the defense, he put his soul into every challenge and ran down opponents who are a little more than half his age. Allegri’s men lacked the level of determination and drive that Seedorf played with. Had it been truly present in the hearts of those who came to the Lane needing a win, Milan would be facing Real Madrid in the quarter finals.

Dirty Milan

Aaron Lennon - flying winger

Milan 0 Tottenham 1

Milan weren't the inferior team. Allegri was the inferior manager. His obvious lack of experience at the European level has sometimes reduced Milan to appear like a fish out of water in a competition which over the last few years has symbolically become Milan's to keep. Losing to Spurs isn't embarrassing, the manner of loss is.

Redknapp lined up a 4-4-1-1 on the night, many expected a 4-5-1 in which he would clog up the midfield preventing Milan any room to play their free flowing football. Nesta handled the ball on the very first minute which sent jitters through the Meazza, the referee however chose to overlook the incident. Antonini had the responsibility of keeping Lennon quiet. In Bale absence, Lennon's was the main threat going forward and Allegri opted for Antonini's intervention to keep the flying winger dormant; one among many of Allegri's tactical gaffes that night. Abbiati suffered an injury on the 18' with Amelia arriving as his replacement. The first half would have made any Milan fan squirm in disgust. The team operated from fear, sitting back, trying to soak in the pressure. The reluctance of the players to move forward when the opportunity presented itself was shocking to witness. And whenever they did, the attack was through the middle. Sandro and Palacios handed Silva his biggest test in midfield which convinced me that he is best suited in defense. Milan were sluggish in their build up giving Spurs sufficient time to arrange their defensive shape.

Allegri had started Seedorf, a choice no journalist/fan could understand. The veteran couldn't stamp his authority and Pato marched in as his replacement at the break. A marked difference was noticed in Milan's performance then on. Yepes became Milan's biggest goal threat which brings me to Ibrahimovic. I have constantly shaken off doubts over his big game presence but this season has led me to believe that he is a big game choker. A defense such as Tottenham's should be mince meat to a player of his caliber and talent. He simply refused to get into the game taking lethargy to a new level. Flamini's had a poor outing, his luck was at it's brightest that night. His rash challenges were conveniently ignored by the referee. Modric replaced Van Der Vaart on the 62' which reflects on Harry's intentions. He wanted to go for the kill and rightly so. Ibrahimovic's horrific night turned worse when he gave the ball away in the middle of the park which was optimally utilized by the opposition who scored on a classic counter. Lennon's raw pace exposed the shocking lack of the same in Milan's defense. Crouch's finish was cool and level headed. The timing of the goal would have knocked the stuffing out of Milan who couldn't conjure an attack for the remaining 10 minutes. A historic win for the Londoners.

Defeat aside, Gattuso and Flamini's behavior lacked class. Gattuso's bust up with Jordon and Flamini's aggressive tackles on Corluka should be heavily punished. Yes they are hard men but they should know the difference between professional challenges and personal assaults. This isn't the Milan we have come to know in Europe and Allegri must crack the whip to keep things in check. The return leg isn't going to be easy and will need Tassoti's experience to cover for Allegri's naivety. If Allegri goes all out attacking, he is sure to be brutalized by the lightening feet of the wide men. A more conservative, yet assertive approach is recommended.

Milan - /
Spurs - Crouch 80'

Pathetic Powerhouse

Siem De Jong

Milan 0 Ajax 2

Being a dead rubber, this game promised no enthusiasm or will from Milan's perspective. A formality it would be and the attitude didn't change even after going down by two goals. An important feeling called shame has not been taught at the Milanello, it seems.

It has been characteristic of Milan's style of play to dominate possession and dictate the early stages of the game through energetic bursts into the opposition's third. This has bottled up several teams resulting in them becoming very intimidated by the Milan juggernaut. Ajax however, thought of giving Milan a taste of their own medicine. Using pace to run at Milan's aging legs and adopting a physical approach against the creative midfielders put the home side on the back foot from the word go. Not only were the men in red and black struggling to hold up the fort at the back, they failed to conjure anything in attack. To make matters worse, Flamini injured his ligaments in the first half and with his substitution we lost bundles of energy in the middle of the park. Ajax were playing with immense passion and pride allowing Milan to take their first shot on the thirty eight minute. The Dutch giants had taken five shots by then. Seedorf is known to be a highly decisive player but against quick oppositions, his brain works at pace much slower than the legs of the opponents. He gets caught in possession and doesn't care a dime to track back to defend because he is already bending over, giving his thirty four year old lungs some rest. We had two second strikers in attack and we don't seem to have the understanding of passing the ball on the ground after being accustomed to years of direct football. Direct football was never going to adhere to the strengths of Ronaldinho or Robinho which rendered both of them ineffective. Ronaldinho was working extra hard on the pitch by flinging himself into tackles. All this, presumably, to impress the gaffer.

Going into the break, we were very fortunate to be on level terms. The players took it for granted and were justly embarrassed in the second half. Pirlo was reintroduced into the starting line up in this game. He was quite content in loosing possession and cooling his heels when he did so. He was making no effort to create because De Jong had him shackled nor was he defensively solid. He made the midfield less combative and more cumbersome. Ajax continued to knock the ball around before De Zeeuw scored the opener. Allegri quickly brought on his 'go-to-guy', Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Milan shifted to a 4-3-3 with Robinho moving on to the right and Ronaldinho to the left. The change in formation didn't change the attitude of the midfield, who collectively were miserable. The three midfielders were busy chasing shadows for ninety odd minutes. And soon enough, the second goal arrived. Game. Set. Match. When Merkel was brought on for Robinho in the seventy sixth minute, it was a sign of acceptance of defeat from Allegri. To make matters worse, Silva was played in this game and ended up being substituted with injury. Reports are now suggesting that he could be out till January. Legs won over craft on this night, which has become the story of modern day football.

Milan might be running away with the league at home but are utterly rubbish in Europe. The change in 'DNA' has been radical and sudden. The two wins that Milan picked up in the group were against Auxerre, the weakest team in the group. Even those wins were not convincing and required Ibrahimovic's genius to settle them. A host of top clubs are awaiting the draws. I am strongly insulted that many teams would be hoping to be drawn against us.

Milan -
Ajax - De Zeeuw 60', Alderweireld 67'

Mourinho's fear

Howard Webb

Milan 2 Madrid 2

Ronaldo would run down the left and it was necessary that someone with more than adequate pace kept him quiet. Abate was thankfully assigned the role of doing so. Ronaldo could rarely cut in from the left with Abate proving him with very little room to run riot. He closed down the winger superbly at the risk of getting sent off. Also, the former World Player of the Year couldn't penetrate through the heart of the Milan defense. He therefore chose to dance at the sideline and catch his face when contacted on his throat. Allegri's selection of Ronaldinho made sense however he was positioned out wide on the left where Ramos would shackle him for the rest of the game. Madrid played a high line of defense which caught Pato and Ibrahimovic offside a number of times to the frustration of the forwards and the onlookers. The home defense started revealing the cracks in the fort when Pepe was left unmarked on a free header. That should have been 1-0. Almost instantly, Pirlo clears the ball of the line not once but twice! Should have been 3-0. After these close calls, I stopped counting. Madrid began to control the tempo and the San Siro effect was neutralized. Those in white passed freely around the park with the Milan front three cooling their heels up front. Gattuso had to work his socks off to cover for Pato and Ronaldinho's indifference, which he did rather admirably. Ronaldinho had a couple of flicks in the game. That aside, he had no answers to Ramos' marking. Inevitably, Madrid took the lead. Higuain was left free in the box by Nesta who stepped out to close down Di Maria. The winger found the forward quite comfortably. Unfortunately, this time, Higuain made no mistake with his finish. For the rest of the half, Pato and Ibrahimovic contributed by conceding several offsides. Enough perhaps, to strain the lungs of the linesman.

Madrid continued to win the midfield battle. They toyed with Milan by passing around inviting the midfield onto them. However, the midfield of 3 were so stretched that they didn't know which direction to move in. Madrid seemed content to keep the ball and slow the pace of the game. Ronaldinho was later axed for Inzaghi. This move was going to be the turning point for the home side. A lapse of concentration from Madrid and a surge of the same from Inzaghi saw Milan claw one back due to Ibrahimovic's endeavorer. Ibrahimovic was getting more involved in the game by dropping deep and creating from a trequartista position. Madrid were rattled by the equalizer and Allegri decided to bring Ambrosini on for Pato! The logic of this move is beyond me. Adding Robinho to the fray would have brought some width and skill upfront which was hugely lacking with Pato on the pitch. 10 minutes later, Inzaghi scores again! However, the goal was clearly offside. Mourinho hooked Carvalho and gave Leon a run-in. This move was soaked in intent. With 12 minutes to go, Milan use theatrics and corner flag possession to kill time. This, against a supremely talented Madrid side. Madrid answered the taunt with a goal at the death. Pedro Leon left Zambrotta for dead as he turned and blasted the ball through Abbiati's legs.

Inzaghi cemented Mourinho's fears with a brace. Jose wasn't taking a jibe at Milan with that comment some weeks ago. Inzaghi instilled the fear in the Special One and taught the younger lads what it means to score. Howard Webb was my man of the match. A superb performance from the Englishman who produced the cards only when necessary. He kept his composure and bullied the bullies showcasing why he is the finest referee in the world. Pato has shown time and again this season that he is unreliable and his performances in the big games has been nothing short of awful. Ronaldinho has most likely booked his tickets to LA Galaxy and Milan might have booked their tickets to the Europa League. Auxerre away are a nasty opponent and Ajax are massively unpredictable. The Dutch side will be sniffing qualification which would make them a lot harder to beat. The next two ties are must win for Milan if they have a genuine interest to qualify for the knockout rounds. However, such a feat requires top quality football, which is currently lacking in great proportions in this over-rated Milan side.

Milan - Inzaghi 68', 78'

Madrid - Higuain 45', Leon 94'

'Whitewashed' at the Bernebau

Massimilano Allegri

Real Madrid 2 AC Milan 0

It's always tough to go up against Mourinho. It's tougher, perhaps much tougher when you are in your first season in the Champions League and you are facing the 'Special One'. This might result in tactical errors and a few lapses in judgment . But to get your game-plan wrong from the start to the finish would be counted as plain dumb. Allegri is likely to face this allegation.

He started with the same team that appeared against Chievo at the weekend. The same midfield which accounts for a whopping 97 years in the middle of the park. And these fossils are only 3 in number in the middle of the park unlike the traditional 4 man midfield. When facing a team as slick and quick as Madrid, one requires legs in the midfield. Allegri opted for crutches. Seedorf started the game and astonishingly clocked 90 minutes! Also, Mr. Allegri opted for Bonera to partner the ailing Nesta. I reckon he has forgotten that Sokritis was purchased in the summer to cover for first team injuries. To compound his erroneous ways, he chose to go with Zambrotta at right back. This is the side from which Ronaldo would attack. A 34 year old against a pacy 24 year old who is in blistering form at the moment. Allegri probably asked the defense to hold a deep line in order to deal with the pace of the attackers. This made sense initially but invites too many attackers into the penalty box and increases the space between the midfield and the defense since Milan didn't have an anchor man. Both of Madrid's goals were a result of defending deep and not closing the front 4 effectively. Zambrotta chose to run away from the ball rather than attack it. This helped Ronaldo to attack Milan's goal a lot more and provided him with a number of options as he got closer to the goal. He could then choose from Ozil, Di Maria and Higuain, all of whom he found throughout the game with relative ease. Gattuso and Zambrotta were assigned the task of keeping him quiet but he was simply too hot to handle. At times, he toyed with both these players showing a clear lack of respect for their seniority. This compelled Pato to backtrack and suddenly all three players on the right hand side of Milan's line-up were attempting to close down Ronaldo. This still proved to be ineffective. AC Milan didn't have too many shooting opportunities because Carvalho and Co. kept the defense very well organized. This is a hallmark of a Mourinho side. Pirlo did work Casillas from a set-piece though. Ronaldo turned Nesta inside out countless times making the legend resemble an amateur. Amelia kept the scoreline respectable by pulling out some spectacular saves and by charging at the right times. He made a solid debut and was clearly the best player for the away side.

Even after being 2 goals down, Milan showed no urgency in their game. They relaxed when Madrid had the ball, allowing the home side to pass and move without applying any pressure. So disappointing was the attitude that the players in the red and black looked lethargic and disinterested. Allegri introduced Boatang and Robinho in the second half which changed the complexion of the game and also impacted Milan's attitude considerably. Both these players added mobility and guile into the attack causing Madrid a few concerns. Robinho also worked Casillas after coming on, something Ronaldinho couldn't manage to do. Madrid put in a professional performance and shut out Milan adequately for the rest of the match.

Allegri was tactically outclassed but in his defense, he didn't even try to be tactical. There could be very little reason to explain why Seedorf played the whole game when he was responsible for the first goal and was also guilty of ruining Milan's best chance in attack. Also how could one explain Zambrotta's inclusion at right back when Sokritis can be employed in that position and could have shut out Ronaldo competently thereby nullifying Madrid's biggest threat? In the substitutions front, Pato was sacrificed for Inzaghi. It's been fairly obvious for sometime now that Inzaghi and Ibrahimovic can't play together and still Allegri opts for that combination. Antonini was playing as a left midfielder leaving plenty of space for Di Maria and Ozil to exploit on the right. Therefore, Nesta had to cover a lot more ground which evidently he couldn't do. Why was Antonini given the license to attack? Also, why did Allegri wait till the 58th minute to bring on Boatang when the entire footballing fraternity thinks that the Ghanaian should have started? Allegri asked for perfection before the game. He should be perfecting his plans before asking anything off his players. Allegri either didn't do his homework or he was too afraid to implement his plans and chose to be safe by fielding Milan's most experienced players. Whatever be the reason, this is Allegri's worst performance of the season so far. He has a few stern tests coming up and it will be interesting to note how he changes his tactical approach after this experience.

Madrid - Ronaldo 13', Ozil 14'
Milan - /

'the hole'

Thiago Silva

Ajax 1 Milan 1

I love 'the hole'. Always have. From the days of Rui Costa till Kaka inherited that position behind Crespo and Shevchenko. And beyond. Even in the day when Gourcuff played behind Chamakh and Cavenaghi at Bordeaux. Its a position that is fancy, creative, intriguing. Players often lose their character in that position. Kaka did, often being misunderstood for a second striker. Allegri has brought the 'hole' back to Milan. This time, Seedorf was being employed in that role. Allegri started with a 4-3-1-2 with Ibrahimovic and Robinho playing as outright forwards. Gattuso was handed a start and he did justice by constantly snarling at the heels of the Dutch. Jol started with 3 midfielders too. Those three were not only combative, but also creative.

During the course of the game, one question constantly bothered me. Why did Milan's full-backs play centrally? What was the logic behind that tactic? Or was it a result of deteriorating/average defenders being repeatedly caught out of position? Ajax grew in confidence by shooting from distance as Milan's defenders refused to close them down adequately. Milan's fullbacks were probably ordered to sit back in the first period as they soaked in the pressure and attempted to neutralize Suarez's influence. But the Uruguyan wasn't going to let a pretentious defense shackle him. He amazed the onlookers as he completed a nutmeg on Nesta before assisting the scorer - El Hamdoui. Flamini was completely lost on this goal and didn't offer enough protection to break down this attack. The naked eye might have missed it, but Allegri wouldn't have. Not much longer, Robinho was gifted with a one-one chance with Stekelenberg but his atrocious finishing let him down. His confidence sank a 1000 feet with that miss. Flamini perhaps rightly substituted at that halfway mark; his presence on the pitch made us look like we were playing with 10 men. Allegri had started with 2 of Milan's most defensive minded players in midfield. This backed with fullbacks not given the permission to move up in attack makes it obvious that he approached this game with unnecessary caution. Ibrahimovic began to fade in the game and I would understand that this is the case of fatigue setting in. However his class was simply too much for the young and inexperienced Dutch defense to handle. His goal was a combination of the experience of the striker and the lack of it in the defenders. Silva was clearly our best player that night as he exhibited pace and strength in abundance. He worked overtime to make up for Nesta's frailties. He played last man in order to leverage his pace against Ajax's speedy attack. After the equalizer, Ajax kept the ball, knocking it around to find an opening, but Milan shut shop and opted to defend instead.

Allegri's mentality in Europe is questionable. He entered this match with a defensive mindset when his team had more than enough quality in attack to return home with 3 points. His match-up with Mourinho should be tasty. Even though, on evidence, its fairly clear that the winner will be the Portuguese genius, it's still worth watching the class of the titans.

Ajax - El Hamadoui 23'
Milan - Ibrahimovic 37'

rebuilding the fortress

Kevin Prince Boatang

Milan 2 Auxerre 0

Call me unconventional. Because I am. Most people would look at the game between Milan and Auxerre and credit Ronaldinho or Ibrahimovic. I am going to think differently and credit a certain Kevin Prince Boatang. This player is the 'dynamic midfielder' Allegri had asked for. It took an injury to Massimo Ambrosini for the introduction of Boatang. For the first time since December 2007, the stars in the sky had constructed a favorable constellation above the Meazza to appease the titans of Milan.

AC Milan were still surfacing from the Cesena hangover of the weekend. They were rusty with their passing, casual in possession and coolly gifted the French side chance after chance to break the deadlock in the first 15 minutes. The combined age of the Milan midfield prior to Boatang's introduction was 98 years. It sounds like a fossil was crumbling in the fashion capital of Italy. Rightly so, the midfield was static and easily being over-ridden by the visitors. Nesta isn't quite the defender he used to be and I don't value him as a lifeline anymore. He defends just as bad and this is his second torrid outing of the season already. He was used as a springboard on one occasion by an opposition defender, during a set piece to get the header on target. Fortunately for Nesta, the header hit the crossbar. AC Milan were taking the whole half to get started. The wingers were being stifled for space and they were often drifting in to find room. Ronaldinho was remarkably poor in the first half. His passing and set pieces were average at best. Someway through the half, Auxerre had a superb chance to open the deadlock but the fullback went for glory instead of simply squaring the ball to an open player. Milan were lacking legs in midfield. By this time Boatang was already introduced into the game and was beginning to show flashes of quality. The first half ended with the front three putting in very indifferent performances. The team were sloppy and looked lost on the pitch. Allegri had to stir the dressing room. Going by Seedorf's praises, I reckon he did.

Clarence Seedorf was one of the few players who played poorly in the second half as well. His delivery into the box was alarmingly poor, with the ball tender running towards the crowd to collect the ball that was intended to be a cross. Nearly 20 minutes into the first half, Milan opened the scoring. Ronaldinho's cross into the box, a smart flick by Boatang and Ibrahimovic scores his first goal in the 'most beautiful shirt he has ever worn'. Ambrosini would never have found himself in the position that Boatang did. He has a footballing brain, Kevin. And we definitely need more of that given Allegri starts Ambrosini and Gattuso. Not much later, on the counter now, Milan and Ibra score their second. A peach of a finish by the big Swede, his goal greeted with a roar I haven't heard in years. The fortress is being rebuilt. Milan seemed content to pass the ball at the back. Its not surprising that Milan's best passers were the back 4, who kept knocking the ball around. This statistically speaking, by the way. Even though Bonera and Nesta were nowhere close to their best individually, they collectively held the line of defense beautifully, often deceiving the Auxerre attackers into an offside trap. One player who showed a marked improvement in the 2nd half was Ronaldinho. His passing and movement was top-drawer and he had a hand in both the goals. He could have secured more assists but wasteful finishing in front of goal kept his tally at a believable number.

Boatang for me was the man of the match. He ran his heart out. He is the box-box player Milan have been craving about. He is fast, physical, tireless, strong and gets into scoring positions in the box, in the absence of the striker. He did that a couple of times when Ibrahimovic was caught out wide. Ambrosini has been ruled out for the next 3 weeks. Kevin has the perfect opportunity to make that role his, and deservedly so. His opponents aren't particularly challenging, therefore its in his hands. The coach likes him. The question is, will he repay the faith?

Milan - Ibrahimovic 63', 66'

Auxerre - /