High standards

Milan get crown back but still search for spectacle

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -- Milan's sixth European Cup win, over Juventus on Wednesday, restores their status at the top of the game but Carlo Ancelotti's side are still well short of the enthralling and entertaining play produced by earlier teams.

In fairness to Ancelotti it is not for want of trying to match Arrigo Sacchi's side, who were crowned champions in 1989 and 1990, and the Fabio Capello team that swept aside Barcelona 4-0 in 1994.

Ancelotti has built a Milan team that is positive and is committed to progressive passing and movement as they displayed in the opening 45 minutes against Juve.

The defending and distribution of captain Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta at Old Trafford was sublime at times and Andrea Pirlo in midfield kept Clarence Seedorf and Rui Costa well fed with possession.

In attack Andriy Shevchenko, who had an early effort ruled out but sealed the win with an ice-cool final penalty, and his partner Filippo Inzaghi were much more of a threat than the Juventus pairing of David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero.

However in their last three Champions League games, Milan failed to win in regular time and managed just a solitary goal in 300 minutes of play -- Shevchenko's strike in the 1-1 semi-final second leg against Inter.

All of those matches were against tight Italian defenses and in the earlier stages of the competition, when Milan sparkled in their 4-0 away win at Deportivo Coruna and also beat last year's champions Real Madrid, Ancelotti's team displayed real flair.

High standards

But Milan have high standards to live up to -- Sacchi's side were one of the best ever in European competition, combining the expert defending of Franco Baresi and a young Maldini with the imagination and enterprise of Dutchmen Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten in attack.

Later Capello remoulded the squad with the Yugoslav Dejan Savicevic and the Croatian Zvonimir Boban the main creative forces allied with the power of France's Marcel Desailly in the center of midfield.

While former captain Baresi would have appreciated the performances of Nesta, Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta in defense it is hard to imagine that Sacchi's side would have faded in the way that Milan did.

Ancelotti's approach relies heavily on Portugal international Rui Costa being able to open the opposition defense and the second half showed that when he or Seedorf are unable to do so the team lack a cutting edge.

Club president and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has given Ancelotti the task of rediscovering what he calls "the spectacle" and it will be interesting to see if, as so often in the past, he brings in players to liven up the attack.

Brazilian Rivaldo was signed after his World Cup success last year to deliver that but apart from sporadic moments he has been hugely disappointing and watched the semi-finals and the final from the bench.

It would not be a surprise if he has played his last game for the club and his departure would give Berlusconi the chance to reward Ancelotti with either a top class alternative or compliment to Rui Costa.

It could make the difference between Ancelotti's Milan being remembered for a rather flat win over Juventus on penalties or as a side that opened another glorious chapter in the club's rich history.

 

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