Sir Alex Ferguson does not understand why it has taken Manchester United's FA Cup exit to have proper preparation for the clash with AC Milan.
While Ryan Giggs' broken arm deprives Ferguson of a valuable option, the United boss can at least tailor the build-up to Tuesday's Champions League visit to the San Siro exactly as he wants.
Although Ferguson would have preferred his team not to lose to League One opposition on home soil last month, defeat to old rivals Leeds has provided an unexpected free weekend ahead of the reunion with David Beckham.
It is the kind of situation Ferguson feels United's continental counterparts find themselves in all the time, whereas English teams have to plough on through an arduous fixture list regardless.
"In terms of preparing for a European tie we are pleased to have a free weekend," said Ferguson.
"AC Milan are playing on Friday night. That is the kind of help European teams get from their countries. We don't get that here.
"By fortune we don't have a game on Saturday because we are out of the FA Cup and we are going to take full advantage of it.
"The players will have a couple of days off because they have worked hard and we will start again on Saturday."
Although Nani is available because the three-match ban he collected for his foul on Stiliyan Petrov on Wednesday evening only covers domestic games, the loss of Giggs is still a major blow.
While Giggs no longer features in every Red Devils game, the 36-year-old's importance cannot be underestimated.
Arguably, the veteran Welshman is playing to a more consistent level than in his entire career and with 11 league titles in his trophy collection, his experience at key points in the season is invaluable.
The only good news to come from an x-ray he underwent following his second-half collision with Steve Sidwell is that a four-week absence suggests the damage is relatively minor.
Giggs should therefore be back before the crunch encounter with Liverpool at Old Trafford on March 31, plus the Champions League quarter-finals the following month, if United make it that far.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes AC Milan are a different proposition in the Champions League since the departure of Kaka.
Ferguson is in buoyant mood as his United side prepare to travel to the San Siro for Tuesday's round-of-16 first-leg tie.
Kaka moved to Real Madrid last summer, joining former United forward Cristiano Ronaldo at the Bernabeu.
United lost 3-0 in their last contest with the Rossoneri at the San Siro as Kaka inspired the hosts to a semi-final win in 2007 and Ferguson is happy not to be facing the Brazil playmaker.
"It's a good time for us to be going to Milan," said Ferguson.
"They played this weekend (beating Udinese 3-2 on Friday night), they've lost Kaka and have a few injuries, whereas we aren't playing this weekend and we have had a good rest."
Tactically, Leonardo's side have been forced to adapt since Kaka's move to Spain, according to Ferguson.
He added: "They have changed since they lost Kaka.
"They used Kaka at the head of a diamond and two front players but they have changed that and gone 4-3-3 with two wide players and three centre-midfield players.
"You have to recognise they are not short of skill and experience.
"Ronaldinho, Pato all these players, but equally we have players who can win the match too.
"After the experience in the San Siro three years ago, where they dominated the game, I know that won't happen again."
Pato is outlined by Ferguson as the biggest threat to United in the first-leg contest, which may see David Beckham face his former club.
"It's Pato they are desperate to get back in," added Ferguson.
"If he's not back they'll play David wide right.
"We know all about David, he's a great crosser of the ball so we will have to be alive to that."
Ferguson, whose side have won four of their last five games, scoring 16 goals, is confident United can cope in the absence of Ryan Giggs, who suffered a broken arm against Aston Villa last Wednesday.
"My players are used to big occasions and I think the good thing for us now is that we have hit form at just the right time," said the United boss.
"We will miss Giggsy, but we have players in great form and working really well.
"The improvement you see in players like (Wayne) Rooney, Nani and (Antonio) Valencia, who has done a great job for us since coming here, is fantastic and we have (Darren) Fletcher and (Michael) Carrick playing out of their skins.
"(Paul) Scholes is playing well too. I have players who are playing well at the right time."
As a general rule, I prefer to make my predictions after the event - I find it does wonders for their accuracy. But if you're going to put yourself on the line and make a forecast, there's one situation where getting it wrong is a pleasure - when someone turns out to be better than you expected.
For me, Leonardo's performance as Milan coach is in that category. He might be under pressure and it could be that losing to Manchester United in the Champions League might cost him his job. But the Brazilian has made a better, and certainly a bolder, fist of it than I imagined.
Leonardo was never a great player. He was a good one, but was probably more impressive as a man than as a footballer. In the dressing room, he was seen as the wise head who could find the right thing to say.
He came from a relatively wealthy background, but whereas some in Brazil use privilege as a safety net, for him it served as a springboard to self-improvement. Always concerned with those less fortunate then himself, he set up the Gol de Letra institution to aid the educational formation of poor kids in Rio and Sao Paulo, in collaboration with former team-mate Rai.
But could he call the shots at a big club like Milan? I had my doubts.
I recall an upmarket radio show in Brazil a few years ago with Leonardo as the guest, talking for an hour about the challenges facing Brazilian football. I was sure this would be fascinating as, with all his European experience, Leonardo would have plenty of pertinent things to say.
I sat by the radio with pen and paper, but by the end of the hour I hadn't written anything. He'd talked without content - "we need new paradigms" was the phrase of the night, repeated several times with no concrete elaboration of what had to change.
The problem, I felt, was that although he had proposals to make, but that he seemed afraid to do so, perhaps scared of upsetting the power structure. So when nice, well-brought-up Leonardo took over at Milan, I didn't think he would be tough enough to take the hard decisions.
He did have one thing going for him. After Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked by Chelsea, I commented that the breakthrough by Brazilian coaches in Europe would probably be made by those with some history of playing in the continent .
They would have benefited from time away from the paternalistic relationship between coach and players in their native land, and the cosmopolitan dressing room of a European squad would not come as a shock. They would be cured of the unfortunate habit of dividing the world into Brazilians and 'gringos.'
Leonardo certainly fits into this category. He is a thoroughly international figure. One of his players, Alexandre Pato, recently praised the ability of his coach to communicate with his squad in so many different languages.
But communication is only ever as good as its content and the pleasant surprise was that Leonardo did not intend to play safe - as perhaps might have been understandable with a squad that had just lost its star player, Kaka, whisked away to Real Madrid.
Instead he bravely opted for a 4-3-3 formation, clearly influenced by Barcelona and obviously intended to get as much as possible out of Ronaldinho, who was so effective in the wide left role in his mid-decade heyday with the Catalan club.
This was a daring step in Italian football, especially early season, when Ronaldinho was still waddling around like a former player who has turned up for a charity match. But after a dodgy start the team started to put some wins together.
It is perhaps no surprise that a recent indifferent spell has coincided with the absence through injury of Alexandro Pato, whose pace from the right flank makes him such a good target for Ronaldinho's diagonal passes.
Leonardo will be relieved that Pato is available once more. And if the stakes are high for the coach against Manchester United, they are probably higher still for Ronaldinho, who was left out of Brazil's squad for the forthcoming friendly against the Republic of Ireland.
It does not necessarily mean that Ronaldinho will not be going to the World Cup - it is undeniable that he has responded better to the stick than the carrot.
Being carried in the national squad for almost three years did not seem to do him much good, but since he was left out his form and fitness have improved. Maybe coach Dunga has come to the conclusion that keeping him out of the squad is the best way to maintain his motivation.
A recall would create problems as Brazil have played better, and found their identity, in Ronaldinho's absence - they don't use the 4-3-3 system which seems to suit him so well -and bringing him back would mean no place for one of Dunga's trusty foot soldiers.
Ronaldinho has never really clicked alongside Kaka, the undisputed king of the Brazilian attack but even so, most World Cup coaches would be drooling at the prospect of taking him to the World Cup in South Africa - even as a one-man Plan B, to be unleashed from the bench in times of trouble.
Making making a decisive contribution in the big games, such as the two legs against United, would make calls for his return impossible to ignore.
If Ronaldinho can repay the faith Leonardo has shown in him, he can take a giant step towards regaining the faith of Dunga.