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AC Milan Vs. Man. Utd
Stadio San Siro, Milano - ITALIA
---RD-16 - Second Leg ---
--- First Leg --- Man. Utd. V Milan -> 0-1 [Crespo 78']
-> Tuesday (March 8, 2005)
-> Kick-off -> 19:45 (UK Time): ITV 2
PREVIEW
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And so the time has come. This is where it all starts to unfold now as the pieces are put together. Usually, I consider the 2nd leg of the QF ties as the reference point where heroes start to raise their game to a totally different level and shine as the pressure builds up and the tie reaches nerve-wracking levels! However for this year's edition of the UCL ... pressure point arrives a round earlier due to the magnitude of the RD-16 ties that are as high profile as it can get! It is all about concentration, focus, mental fortitude and the desire to be the hero of the day.
Manchester United for the first time in the 18 year reign of Alex Ferguson travel to the famed Stadio San Siro aka Devil's Den to face the ultimate challenge in Ferguson's career! I said so before the tie that this would be Ferguson and Utd.'s toughest test ever and now Ferguson himself has called it that today. He knows quite well what his side is up against. The opposition, the compact & covered acoustic arena, the 80,000 tifosi and the deafening noise. It is not easy to describe the pressure that both teams will be facing in a game of such magnitude. Both teams have been in these type of situations before. However I can tell you this that when the Utd. players step out on Matchday and set foot on the hallowed turf of the San Siro they will get a spine-tingling sensation of awe. It remains to be seen whether it inspires them or affects them.
Ferguson's Red Devil's are on a mission to be the first side since October 2004 to score 2 goals in the Den. Ferguson received Knighthood in '99 for his achievement of that famed treble! His Red Devils come face to face with The Devil on Tuesday night to receive Devilhood. Milan is not in a mood to give anything more than that.
M I L A N
Late goals and Milan is synonymous nowadays! The current Comeback Kings have developed a knack for stealing the show with late goals! Who better than the Utd. clan to co-relate with! Ancelotti's Grande Milan III just doesn't give up and has got unbelievable late wins that are stupendously unbelievable yet thoroughly entertaining!
Patience, perseverence and application has resulted in this pattern. Plus there is a hint of the SupeRNatural in all this. After all ... The SupeRNaturaL is something that isn't supposed to happen ... but it does happen.
Milan's clean sheet streak came to an end with Atalanta equalizing to Ambrosini's opener. That is an encouraging sign for Utd. who themselves are in search for goals that the Milan defence is penetrable.
Milan has been strong at home this season in the UCL and most of the goals have arrived in the second half against CL opposition. It is a trend of Ancelotti's side as well that we tend to put in stronger performances in the second half.
The performance at OT was regular as clockwork. Milan lacked the goals as did Utd. but the gameplay was simple based on small triangles of passes with nothing much flashy involved. Not too many ambitious or wasted passes. Simple football. Beautiful football (by both sides).
M A N. U T D
Ferguson will revert to the 4-4-2 that has been traditional with Utd. over the years. He did start to play the 4-5-1 on the away trips to not lose the away encounters after his 4-4-2 suffered on the travels. There are no second chances on offer so he has to play it now. It is more like a 4-4-1-1 with Rooney floating btw the midfield quad and the goal-scorer extraordinaire that is RvN. Ferguson should've started him in OT. That is just my opinion.
The only risk for Utd. will be to not get over-ambitious and get caught out by conceding too many. I personally think that this encounter will have more goals in it than the first leg and both Milan and Utd. are likely to concede and score. RvN not scoring as yet is a good thing for Utd. A player like him will not remain scoreless forever.
Utd.'s senior trio of Keane, Giggs and Scholes didn't perform to par in the first leg and in these kind of games the junior players always look up to their seniors for guidance. Keane was phenomenal in Turin and that helped his side to eliminate Juve that night. An even stronger performance is required IMO if Utd. are to make a match of it.
Ferguson as expected has been bringing back visions of Turin time and again and has said that if his Utd. side eliminate Milan then the performance would be the greatest under his reign toppling the one in Turin. He is right in the achievement bit but comparing the situations is a fatal mistake. In Europe ..... Milan is The Game and I showed why in my first preview.
Probable Starting Line-Up(s)
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---------------
---> Milan <---
---------------
-> 4-3-2-1 formation
--------------------Dida---------------------
--
--Cafu-------Nesta------Maldini-------Kaladze-
--
-------------------Pirlo----------------------
-----Gattuso-----------------Seedorf--------
--
--------------Rui------Kaka-----------------
--
-----------------Crespo---------------------
1. The above team performed very well in the first game. Normally I would've preferred the 4-1-2-1-2 with two strikers (Crespo, Inzaghi) to start placing Rui on the bench since it is a home game. But the situation is different as Milan has a slender lead so controlling the match is very important and we do normally control the games with the X-Mas tree. Inter is the only side who dominated us (in the San Siro) against that formation but the result was the same. Serginho & Inzaghi must be played at some point. Cafu as well if he doesn't start. Milan will harm themselves if the team thinks that they have a 1-0 lead. The thinking should be of 0-0 tie and then build from that to get the result and qualification.
2. Kaladze who is apparently as delicate as a candle got re-injured! Whenever he is playing well this happens. He may or may not start. If he doesn't start then Cafu has to start on the right. Cafu had a decent game in Manchester and his presence will restrict Heinze moving forward frequently. I hope Kaladze can make it as Nesta-Maldini seems to be the first choice pairing for us and for a good reason as well.
3. Stam could well start as Ferguson is aware of Utd.'s threat from the wings. He was due to start in the first leg but pulled out due to a minor injury. Stam's presence brings in more defensive solidity but the punch up front is diminished. I wouldn't prefer Stam & Pancaro as the fullbacks. Stam and Kaladze would be fine though although my preference is the team that lined up in Manchester with the possible change being Inzaghi starting instead of Crespo.
4. Milan has to go into the game with an attitude to win and win clearly. Utd. are not the strongest of rivals on the travels (especially in the knock-out) and they play open style football which is good for our style of play. The opportunity is there to score freely against them whilst the flip-side is that they will come out strong.
Rooney, Scholes and RvN are the ones to watch out for in this game. Ronaldo had a decent game in the first leg. The above three are the most likely avenues for goals. There are others but the most likely ones are the three mentioned IMO. If they are under check then Utd. will struggle.
-------------------
---> Man. Utd <---
-------------------
-> 4-4-1-1 formation
-----------------------Howard ----------------------
--
--Neville------Ferdinand------Brown-------Heinze--
--
--Ronaldo-----Scholes--------Keane-------Giggs-----
--
---------------------------Rooney------------------
--------------------RvN-----------------------------
1. Ferguson axed Carroll for Howard. He is giving Howard a big chance in probably the biggest game of the season for Utd. Howard is not a big step up in improvement over Carroll but that is the choice Ferguson has right now.
2. Brown may start. He has his days and as a rival my reaction to his starting is Ferdinand is so important in that backline. Under no circumstances can he have an off-night. If he has an off-night then it is good night.
3. Ancelotti said that he will tell his players to take long range shots so there is a likelihood that the Milan team will practice the long range shots. This is where Keane's importance comes in. He didn't shut down Seedorf's missile and the result was that Carroll handled the ball like Jelly. Ferguson was more critical of Seedorf not being closed down rather than a defensive flaw that led to the goal.
4. It is important for Utd. to settle in early. The focus is so much important in games like these. A focused player blanks out the surroundings and is totally into the game itself. Lesser concentration and you can hear the whistles, cries, calls and comments behind you and that effects the performance. Utd. got away with it in Turin when after 18 mins they were losing the game 2-0. They won't get away with it if the same thing happened here.
Tactics
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---------------------------
--- Ancelotti [M I L A N] ---
---------------------------
Ancelotti made history for his Milan yet again. His side became the first Rossonero side to get a win on English soil against English opposition. Utd. hasn't defeated Milan on the previous two occasions on Italian soil. They'll hope for a third time lucky thing as it happened for Milan a fortnight ago. Ancelotti himself has distanced himself from comparisons of '99 as he knows true well the difference of the scenario and variables.
He has stated once again that his side will go out to play possession football and try to control the game. It is imperative that Milan gets off to a comfortable first 15 mins or so as that will set the tone for the game. A difficult start for either side can be overcome but it will need a superhuman effort to overcome a wave.
A) Get off to a good start (first 15 mins) and send clear signals of intent at the start instead of playing too cautious.
Keep an eye on Rooney as he won't be the lone striker this time. When he has a shot at goal ... he will take it no matter what. Young blood. A dangerous breed ... always.
C) Go for the win. Simple as that. The game has to be played to get a proper and solid win.
D) Good finishing is required and not too many set-pieces to give away near the edge of the box. Small mistakes can be very harmful.
-------------------------------
--- Ferguson [M A N. U T D] ---
-------------------------------
It went all wrong in Manchester for Ferguson even before kick-off. His players were intimidated by the opposition. Keane of all people didn't look calm while his opposite number was smiling and relaxed like the definitive Iceman. These little things are so important in games of this magnitude.
Even though the scoreline was at 0-0 but the reaction of both coaches said it all. Ancelotti wasn't smoking Ferguson was chewing his gum faster and talking to Queiroz a lot.
A) Utd. has never gone on to win a two leg tie when they have lost the first leg at home. Damning statistic! History is against them.
Go for the jugular from kick-off. If Milan gets into rhythm then the task will become tougher. Remember that an early goal for either side doesn't change things at all. Very early goals (first 5 mins or so) usually result in an equalizer so they are not the be all and end all.
C) Utd. have to score at least 2 to qualify. Conceding two is not part of the plan. So while attacking should be priority but blunders at the back should be avoided. It comes down to concentration and focus again.
D) Utd. have to do their job with precision and then hope they get the rub of the green.
KEY BATTLES
==========
Seedorf Vs. Giggs
Pirlo Vs. Scholes
Nesta Vs. Rooney
Maldini Vs. RvN
Crespo Vs. Ferdinand
Gattuso Vs. Giggs
Kaka Vs. Keane
Slightly different set-up this time for Utd. If Milan plays a 5 man midfield then Utd. will need to adjust to it with their 4 men in the midfield. It could result in Rooney being forced back or one of the fullbacks (probably Heinze) being more offensive.
KEY MEN
=======
Nesta
------
Incredible game in the first leg. Nesta has come a long way. He was a class act even in his Lazio days but he has learnt so much more playing alongside the talismanic Maldini and Billy 'The Kid' Costacurta. There are many more aspects to defending than just blocking an opponent. He has acquired those skills (mental + physical) from the masters. He is the finished article now. Alexander the Great
We have to turn to him to show who's boss in The Den.
RvN
----
He is the main card Ferguson has to play. The avenue for goals! And goals are what Utd. need. He has not returned to his usual best but now comes the ultimate test! The world's most asphyxiating defence stands in front of him. RvN has never come up against the Four Horsemen in their own Pond. They'll ride him and ride him like no tomorrow.
Hero Watch
=========
Milan: Nesta, Pirlo, Gattuso & Seedorf
Utd.: Ronaldo & Ferdinand
Prediction
This was composed by Tony Britten. He was commissioned to write and arrange the music in a Handelian style. It is performed by the internationally acclaimed Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields Chorus in the three official UEFA languages: English, French and German. The anthem is played at the start of all UEFA Champions League matches to accompany the centre circle ceremony and accompanies the opening and closing sequences of all UEFA Champions League broadcasts.
A little tidbit on the UCL anthem. When it plays on Tuesday night as it is does on every matchday ... you will get goosebumps unless you're an Arsenal fan.
Ferguson wants the best Utd. show during his reign. The papers were subdued today regarding Utd.'s chances so much so that Venables has thrown in the towel for this one. It is not impossible though. Anything can happen in football and the re-assuring thing for us is that our team is focused and fully prepared.
I wasn't surprised at Milan's win in OT as it was up for grabs surely. I tend to believe that we may get a scoring draw in this one with Utd. making Milan sweat but Milan getting the job done. Real visited us after '89 and they were flustered that night. This Utd. team is visiting for the first time. It is not an easy place. It is not an easy team. It is not an easy situation. Saying that nothing is impossible for a rampant Utd. side.
However.... I think Milan will finish the Italian Job we started a fortnight ago in Manchester.
Forza Milan
