Wow, there have been some mammoth posts in this thread... it's as much as I can do to read them, let alone find time to contribute!
First off, congrats to Milan for winning the CL. This isn't a
great Milan team. Compared to the '88-'89 team, the '94 team, or the 2004 team (that were knocked out by Deportivo), they're dangerously close to being a one-man band. Because, for all the endeavour of Gattuso, Nesta and co., the overriding impression is: "Stop Kaka, and the job is practically done". But Milan decided way back that they'd concentrate on the CL (as indeed did Liverpool), and results have proved them right.
And it's not yet a civil offence: in fact, I think we're going to see it more and more from now on. I'd compare it to a versatile athlete at the Olympics who, instead of entering for the 100m, 200m, 4x100 relay and the long jump, opts to do just the latter in order to make sure of that prized gold medal. The likes of Man Utd and Inter have played stunning football for 90% of this season, but if you still haven't made sure of the league by April (as was United's case... and full credit to Chelsea for pushing them to the end) and you're also in the running for the Cups, then something has to give (and I don't just mean Rio Ferdinand's groin). Milan's performance against United at San Siro was breathtaking (at least for the first hour). But if you look at it in the light of United's struggles during the same period against Portsmouth, Sheff. Utd, Middlesboro, Everton and even Watford (for a substantial part of that F.A. Cup semi), then it becomes clear that Milan were dealing with a patched up, thoroughly knackered (mentally and physically) version of the real thing. Not that Milan care... and right they are: you can only beat who's in front of you, and they did that all right.
And if push comes to shove, few would deny that Liverpool were the better team on Wednesday. Because like Milan, Benitez's team had also been wrapped in cotton wool for most of the winter/spring, setting their sights on this one competition. In fact, Liverpool were first to every ball, dominated possession (and territorial advantage), forced more corners, and had more shots on goal, albeit without ever really setting the world alight. But of course, there was that little matter of Istanbul 2005: a spectacular game that had just about everything (Wednesday night wasn't even a distant cousin... and indeed Benitez had promised it wouldn't be!). And Milan really were dealt a cruel blow there. Wednesday night redressed the balance: one cup each, and that's what the record books will show. Of course, it's not very fair on players like Crespo and Shevchenko on the one hand, and Mascherano and Pennant on the other. Maybe I'm of the old school, but I'm not too enamoured with the fact that football so often rewards the "wrong" team. Contrast with rugby: it's almost a given that the better team WILL win. You can have the world's greatest goalkicker, but if your pack doesn't win ball and force errors, the guy won't even get his boots dirty. I've no problem when a team proves themselves to be the better side
on the day, but I can't take on board this idea that the scoreboard is the ultimate indicator of who deserves to win.
Enough woffling... the thread is about Italian football (and Milan), right? Well, I thought the performance the other night was mediocre to say the least. Maldini and Jankulovski were comical at times, and the eagerness of Ambrosini and Gattuso to belt the ball into row F suggests that things were certainly not going according to plan. Canny? Cranky would be closer to the mark. But I was very impressed by Oddo, Nesta, Dida (dealt competently with the shots that came his way), and even Inzaghi (an arrogant knob on and off the field, but you can't argue with a goalscoring record like that). Maldini? It should have been his finest hour, but I couldn't believe how many times he gave the ball away. That said, the guy IS a legend. I saw one of his first matches at San Siro, a 2-1 home defeat against Naples (featuring a certain Diego Maradona at the height of his powers), and it seems like a century ago. Maybe it's time for UEFA to award a "career prize", a bit like the Oscar ad honoris given to Paul Newman. The fact that Cannavaro, who really couldn't hold a candle to Maldini as a footballer, was recognised as the world's best last year makes this issue all the more pressing.
To sum up (and not before time, I hear you say!), I don't think Milan are currently the best team in Europe, Italy or even Milan (sorry, Forza!). But it's hard to begrudge them Wednesday night, given what happened two years ago. Hmm, I'll rephrase that: it's hard to begrudge it to Ancellotti and the players. I'd wish a thousand Istanbuls on Berlusconi and Galliani, but that's another story
P.S: What was that about mammoth posts?
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