Milan’s season began with a bold proclamation. Owner Silvio Berlusconi told Ronaldinho that, with Kaka gone, it was up to him to lead the team and reclaim his status as best player in the world. While he isn’t quite there yet, the Brazilian has reversed two years of decline to become an integral part of the Rossoneri.
Much of the credit must go to the man who replaced Carlo Ancelotti at the helm of the club: Leonardo. Many were sceptical when Milan opted for a ‘boot-room’ appointment – the ex-Milan midfielder had served as a scout and executive, but had no experience as a coach.
After a bumpy start to the season – three wins from their first eight outings – they picked up, but they've not won in the last three, including a 2-0 defeat to rivals Internazionale. Milan are subsequently third in Serie A, 11 points behind leaders Inter and two adrift of second-placed Roma, but with a game in hand on both teams.
As an ‘insider’, Leonardo has tried to maintain the continuity of the Ancelotti regime while providing some much-needed tweaks. The result is a veteran side that looks familiar in many ways but which, due to Kaka’s departure, is no longer as reliant on one superstar. Like his predecessor, Leonardo is open to changing formations, but his preferred option is 4-3-3: a formation made possible by the fact that, in Marco Borriello, the club now have a genuine target-man leading the line – something they haven’t had since the days of Oliver Bierhoff a decade ago.
Borriello would be the first to tell you he’s not a superstar. But he is, nevertheless, very important to Milan. After a career marred by injury, he's finally seized his opportunity. Borriello is usually flanked by Ronaldinho and Pato. The former has lost a bit of pace and, while he can still beat defenders, usually lacks the acceleration
to get away from them. Yet he’s still a threat at set-pieces and his ability to conjure something out of nothing makes him a constant threat – he’s the top assist maker in Serie A, and has weighed in with his share of goals too. As for Pato, he’s having a relatively quiet season after a phenomenal 2008/09 campaign that prompted many to name him among the top five strikers in the world. That said, he’s still just 20 and his rare blend of pace, creativity and aerial ability suggest that it’s just a blip and he could be back to his best at any moment.
The only certainty in midfield is the elegant playmaker, Andrea Pirlo. He’s still the team’s brain – though, compared to recent seasons, not quite everything goes through him, largely because Milan now have the option of going direct to Borriello. Pirlo will be joined by some combination of Massimo Ambrosini, Rino Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf and, of course, David Beckham.
Now that Paolo Maldini has retired, Ambrosini – in his 11th season – is Milan’s longest-serving player and club captain. He’s a steady, defensive-minded midfielder, much like the ferocious Gattuso, who has only recently returned to the side after an injury lay-off. Seedorf – the only man to have won the Champions League at three different clubs – is another familiar face. In his seventh season at the San Siro, he’s well schooled in the Milan way and offers creativity and technique.
As for that Beckham guy, well you probably already know what to expect: workrate, set-piece magic and a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
At the back, Milan effectively have a brand new partnership: Thiago Silva and Alessandro Nesta. Brazilian international Thiago has been an instant hit, while injury-hit Nesta is back to his old, pacy, uncompromising self. The two have been Milan’s
defensive bedrock, playing alongside a rotating cast of unremarkable full-backs, young (Luca Antonini, Ignazio Abate) and old (Massimo Oddo, Marek Jankulovski, Gianluca Zambrotta).
When keeper Christian Abbiati went down to injury last summer, many feared the worst, but, Nelson Dida has recovered to make the no.1 jersey his own. While he’s not back to the level he was at five or six years ago, when he was among the world’s best, neither has he reverted to the awful form of two seasons back, when he was dropped.
In that sense, Dida epitomizes the ‘Leonardo effect’: the ability to regenerate players deemed burned out (Ronaldinho), permanently injured (Nesta) or simply not good enough (Dida, Borriello). He has done it on the cheap (Thiago Silva was actually bought in January 2009, Beckham is on loan) and found a way to make it work.
Milan are far from impregnable. Pato aside, there is little pace in midfield or attack, there isn’t much depth in defence and, well, you always wonder whether Dida is going to have ‘one of those nights’. Yet at the same time their brand of entertaining, creative football is a welcome change, and there’s a certain carefree and – dare we say it? – fun aura surrounding this team. The glory days may be over, but Milan believe they have the quality to trip up anybody in Europe.
Four European Cup ties, four exits... three of those in semi-finals. Ouch.
That doesn’t tell the full story, though – in 1958 we had a post-Munich team, in 1969 we had a vital goal infamously disallowed. We’ve also won three of our four home games – it’s at the San Siro where we've historically come unstuck. So with all eyes on the first leg, we tell the story so far of the Reds-Rossoneri rivalry...
United 2-1 AC Milan
08.05.1958, semi-final first leg
United’s first encounter with Milan came three months after the fateful win over Red Star Belgrade and subsequent disaster in Munich. The patched-up line-up, including the recovered Harry Gregg, Bill Foulkes, Kenny Morgans and Dennis Viollet but missing Bobby Charlton who was on England duty, gave a spirited display. Milan took the lead after a clever finish from Juan Schiaffino, but Viollet equalised five minutes before the break, seizing on a misplaced pass from Cesare Maldini, father of Paolo. United tore into their opponents in the second half following Jimmy Murphy's rousing team-talk. Maldini felled Viollet 11 minutes from time and Ernie Taylor sealed the win from the spot.
AC Milan 4-0 United
14.05.1958, semi-final second leg
United’s second-leg preparations were not ideal, travelling by boat and train, then having the team coach turned around at the ground after being unable to find the right entrance. The Reds arrived 25 minutes before kick-off – to a hostile reception. “The crowd didn’t show us much sympathy,” recalled Harry Gregg. “As we walked out we were bombarded with vegetables,” Foulkes remembered. The Daily Express described the game as ‘the dirtiest match ever seen’. Gregg admitted, though, that ‘Milan were a class above us’. Nils Liedholm, Schiaffino (two) and Giancarlo
Danova did the damage for Il Diavolo. “It was a sad end to a horrific season, but inevitable,” said Foulkes. “Emotion and spirit had kept us going, but after a while it was not enough.”
AC Milan 2-0 United
23.04.1969, semi-final first leg
United’s route to a second consecutive European final was blocked by a familiar foe. The Reds had hoped to play the other semi-finalists, Ajax or Czech champions Spartak Trnava, but instead met Milan - solid in defence, lethal on the break. Some 23,000 fans watched the game on giant screens at OT. Angelo Sormani’s goal gave Milan the lead and United’s cause wasn’t helped when Nobby Stiles limped off. United's John Fitzpatrick was sent off for allegedly kicking Swedish winger Kurt Hamrin. With the Reds down to 10 men, Hamrin scored a in a classic counter-attacking move. “Fitzpatrick was the one who was fouled,” claimed Paddy Crerand. “The decisions were absolutely disgraceful.”
United 1-0 AC Milan
15.05.1969, semi-final second leg
Sir Matt revealed before the game that he was to step down as manager. Sir Bobby Charlton later stated in his autobiography that a desire to give 'the old man’ the perfect parting present was the ultimate motivation. Unfortunately, the visitors’ rearguard was every bit as resilient as it had been in the Giuseppe Meazza. Charlton scored but the Reds couldn’t find the precious equaliser – despite a clear Denis Law goal being disallowed. “We'd tried everything, but they were very hard to break down,” said George Best. “Denis forced the ball at least a yard over the line and the ref didn’t give it. We were going crazy!”
United 0-1 AC Milan
23.02.2005, second round first leg
United waited 36 years to avenge 1969's defeat
but Milan held firm. Having lost just twice in the previous 27 matches, the Reds were optimistic upon Jaap Stam’s OT return – even more so when the big Dutchman was injured in the warm-up and Andriy Shevchenko already out. Yet the Italians still edged an open game for their first win on English soil. Gennaro Gattusso and Andrea Pirlo dominated, as United were restricted to counter-attacks. Then 12 minutes from time Roy Carroll spilt a 20-yard pass from Clarence Seedorf and Hernan Crespo thumped the ball into the empty net. “The opportunities we had in the first half were rushed and we failed to take advantage," reflected Sir Alex.
AC Milan 1-0 United
08.03.2005, second round second leg
No English team had won in Milan's back yard in nine attempts, and United couldn't break that run. Ruud van Nistelrooy partnered Wayne Rooney for the first time in six months, but the Rossoneri gave the perfect lesson in how to defend a one-goal advantage. Ryan Giggs struck a post, while at the other end Crespo – on loan from Chelsea – proved lethal when he cleverly looped a header over Tim Howard to seal it. “If you look at the two games we had six good chances and didn’t take any of them. That is what has decided the tie overall,” said a disappointed Sir Alex.
United 3-2 AC Milan
24.04.2007, semi-final first leg
After a scintillating 7-1 win over Roma in the quarters, United hit the ground running in the semis. Cristiano Ronaldo scored six minutes in from a Giggs’ corner, but Kaka dampened the mood. The Brazilian’s explosive diagonal run enabled him to finish a clinical pass from Clarence Seedorf on 22 minutes, and he added a second away goal soon after. The Reds regrouped at the break and Rooney converted a sumptuous pass from Paul Scholes, before lashing a dramatic winner past Dida in injury time. Pulsating game,
great victory, advantage United... just.
AC Milan 3-0 United
02.05.2007, semi-final second leg
Milan were the first side to overturn a first-leg deficit against United in Europe’s main event in 1958, and 49 years later did it again on a rain-soaked night at the San Siro. The result was emphatic. United sorely missed Rio Ferdinand, but despite Nemanja Vidic’s return and the Reds needing only a draw, Carlo Ancelotti’s side were too strong. Seedorf and Kaka linked again to enable the Brazilian to volley the first before Seedorf turned goalscorer. As United chased the game, substitute Pippo Inzaghi broke free and slid the ball under van der Sar for three. “They were better prepared physically, they’ve been resting players and that makes a difference,” said Sir Alex. “They were sharper and quicker and have been good winners.”