22 players were on the pitch last night but the one who wore 22 on his back that took centre stage. The Brazilian, Kaka, inspired Milan to a convincing win over a lacklustre Man Utd side. Goals from Kaka, Seedorf and Gilardino gave Milan a 3-0 at San Siro to go through to the final with a 5-3 aggregate victory.
As expected and predicted, Man Utd started with a 4-5-1 formation while Milan played with a 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation as predicted in out preview. Both lineups predicted were accurate. Here was how the teams lined up.
Man Utd (4-5-1)
Van Der Sar
O Shea Vidic Brown Heinze
Ronaldo Fletcher Carrick Scholes Giggs
Rooney
Only one of the two first choice centre backs made it into the team. Sir Alex decided to pick Vidic ahead of Ferdinand as Man Utd set up to defend their lead form the first leg.
Milan (4-3-2-1)
Dida
Oddo Nesta Kaladze Jankulovski
Gattuso Pirlo Ambrosini
Kaka Seedorf
Inzaghi
The game started with a flurry of attacks by the Rossoneri. As early in the 1st minute, Kaka ghosted past Vidic to tease a low cross through Man Utd’s 6 yard box. 2 minutes later Seedorf tested Van Der Sar with a long range shot from outside the box. The custodian was called into action in the 7th minute when a cross from the right found Kaka unmarked but his attempt went straight at Van Der Sar. But it was fourth time lucky for Milan in the 11th minute when a chip forward found Seedorf who headed it back into the path of Kaka. The Brazilian hit it first time with his weaker left foot and planted the ball the ball into the bottom corner of Man Utd’s goal. Van Der Sar had no chance.
Milan continued with their control of the game after the goal and Man Utd never threatened Milan’s goal. On the 30th minute, Milan added a second. Heinze was the culprit in this occasion. He tried to be to0 clever and tried to play out of the defence. He was deep in his half and the better choice was to boot the ball up the field and get the team to reshape. Instead he passed it to an unexpected Vidic who then slipped on the wet pitch presenting the ball to Pirlo. Pirlo’s cross found Vidic who cleared the ball but only to Seedorf. Seedorf then shifted the ball to his right and over Vidic before placing the ball into the back of the net. 18YB felt that Vidic should not have lunged and missed the ball. It was better for him to stay on his feet and forced Seedorf to go around him.
After the goal, Sir Alex changed his formation by going back to his 4-4-2 formation. Ronaldo partnered Rooney upfront while Fletcher and Giggs occupy the wide positions. Man Utd began to get control of the match and threaten Dida’s goal on a few occasions. Man Utd ended the half on top. It seems then that Man Utd could get back into the game in the 2nd half.
That was not the case in the 2nd half as Man Utd went missing and never continued the way they ended in the first half. Milan continued to control the pace of the game throughout the half. Man Utd did have two chances. One fell to Flecther but his attempt was wayward. Another is a Rooney cross which did not find any Man Utd player in the six yard box as the ball traveled across an open Dida’s goal. Sir Alex then brought on Saha for O Shea and went for a 3-4-3 in search of the two goals needed. Unfortunately for Sir Alex, his plan backfired as his defence went walkabout. In the 78th minute, a pass by Ambrosini found Gilardino who replaced Inzaghi, totally unmarked in the middle of the defence. He had loads of space and time to bring the ball forward and calmly scored for Milan’s third goal. It seems that the centre backs have not settled with the change in formation and Heinze was found far upfield and out on the left hand side instead of tucking in closer to Vidic. A costly mistake once again by Heinze presented Milan with a goal.
The rest of the match saw Milan closing shop by the introduction of Cafu and Favalli to see out the rest of the game. Man Utd dissapointly, did not apply any real pressure and never controlled the game for the remainder of the match. It seems as though they had already accepted elimination. They remained 2nd best right up to the final whistle. A loud roar followed the final whistle as the Rossoneri faithful celebrated their team’s entry to the Champions League Final. It was a game that Milan never looked like losing. A truly professional and efficient performance by them.
Why AC Milan won?
1. The experience of Milan’s midfield totally dominated the central pairing of Scholes, Flectcher and Carrick. They were more composed on the ball and used the ball well. It shows when they seemed to have all the time in the world when in possession. Their movements were also superb and Man Utd struggled to track their movement.
2. Milan got an early goal. When that happened, Man Utd had to change their game plan. But honestly, MU did not recover from the early onslaught.
3. Kaka was allowed to exercise his influence on the game. Throughout the game, he was given space to work and often threatened MU defence. There were many occasions where Kaka simply ran past Vidic.
4. They neutralized the threat of Rooney and Ronaldo well. Rooney was constantly shadowed by the likes of Nesta and Kaladze. Being the only striker up front, the defenders’ jobs were made easier. Oddo and Gattuso kept Ronaldo quiet by doubling up on him down that right hand side. Both never gave Ronaldo time on the ball and did not let Ronaldo run at them. Instead they pressed him immediately.
5. Milan did a great job not allowing Man Utd to settle on the ball. They played a very pressing game not allowing MU to have time on the ball. On many occasions two Milan players would be pressing MU players in possession. This disrupted any game plan MU had in mind.
6. We should not ignore the well taken goals. Three goals that was finished off lethally and calmly. They were not easy chances but they made them looked easy.
7. MU played into Milan’s hands. By placing Rooney upfront alone, it allowed Ancelotti to send his fullbacks bomb forward and provide width and two extra men in attack. It was seen in many occasions where Oddo and Jankulovski pinned Giggs and Ronaldo behind by moving into forward positions.
8. Simply, Milan wanted it more. The prospect of seeking revenge against Liverpool must had been on their minds. On many occasions during the live broadcast, the camera took shots of Gattuso firing up his team mates. There was passion and determination in Milan’s play throughout the 90 minutes. They knew what they had to do and did just that.
Why MUFC lost?
1. The Red Devils looked lifeless and tired throughout the game. They didn’t turn up for the match. The exertions against Everton and the title race could well have taken a toll on the players mentally and physically.
2. There was lack of ideas and movement in United’s play. There was no clear approach to the game. They seemed not to have a game plan.
3. They lost the battle of midfield. Carrick and Fletcher looked lost against their experienced Milan counterparts. The only performer for MU in this tie was Paul Scholes. It was seen that he kept going at it trying to create an opening. Unfortunately for him, his attacking partners all had off-days.
4. No one really stepped up for Man Utd. A fellow Man Utd fan said they missed a ‘Keano’ to lift the team. That was kinda true. They were no leaders for Man Utd that took charge last night.
5. 18Yb felt that they respected the opposition too much. We refrain from using the word fear. They allowed Milan to play their game. There was very little aggression and pressing on the Milan players. They kept dropping off the Milan midfielders, allowing them time and space to dictate play.
6. There was no passion in the MU players that was evident in the Milan players.
7. Most costly were the mistakes done by Heinze. The first was for not clearing the ball when had the opportunity. The other mistake was his poor positioning which led to the killer third goal.
18YB are not trying to put down MU but these are what we saw and observe last night. We doubt MU fans will disagree with most of the points above. MU were outplayed and outclassed by a better team. A die-hard MU fan messaged 18YB saying that there was no fight. It was like a one sided boxing match. And indeed it was.
So, footballs fans wait in eager anticipation for a repeat of the 2005 Champions League final between Merseyside and Milan. Liverpool won it the last time after one of the best finals in the history of the competition. 23 rd May is the showdown date and it promises to produce another epic encounter. Milan will be looking to seek revenge while Rafa will look to prove that Istanbul was no fluke. Watch this space as Athens awaits the arrival of these two giants of football.
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