So, Liverpool and Juventus may have been amongst the big casualties in the group stage, but AC Milan’s capitulation at Old Trafford in the UEFA Champions League last night highlighted their serious decline in the world game.
A great European giant is suffering massively; it hasn’t developed its academy, or bought in replacements for ageing players and now it is severely paying the penalty. Last night, United must have felt like playing Wigan, Hull or Bolton, because one of those teams will have probably given them a harder game. When you go down the Milan side nowadays, the likes of Alessandro Nesta, Clarence Seedorf, Marco Ambrosini, Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo, all seriously passed their self-by-date and they lack the in-depth quality to mount a serious worldwide challenge.
True, the boss Leonardo is part of the Milan furniture, so technically speaking, he shouldn’t be under any severe pressure, but this result would increase tensions even further between him and the President Silvio Berlusconi, who is also the Italian prime minister. It is reported that Leonardo offered his resignation after the first-leg defeat to Manchester United, but that was rejected by Berlusconi.
I felt very sorry for David Beckham, who came on at the hour mark, and showed he still has England quality. By far, he was the best Milan player on the park, because he came on and gave his usual 100% commitment, probably even deserved a goal for his efforts. The amount of times that AC Milan showed their lack of ineptitude in getting back to defend was horrific. Ronaldinho clearly has never heard the word ‘defending,’ whilst Marco Borriello is the laziest striker I’ve ever seen in my life and as for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, well I’ve ran out of words to describe his performance.
Heads must roll at AC Milan and changes must be made if this European giant, the second most successful club in European Cup history to have a return to its glory old days. Depressing times lay ahead for this prestigious Italian club.
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