Last night’s 4-0 hammering by Manchester United in the Champions League shows that AC Milan are simply not good enough to compete with Europe’s elite anymore. The 7-2 aggregate defeat was an embarrassment for the Italian giants.
Class
The different in class between the teams was evident. It looked as though the two teams didn’t even belong on the same pitch.
This game illustrates the drop in standards of one of the great European names. AC Milan are regarded as one of the biggest clubs in the world, yet they were torn apart by the English champions.
Work
The difference between the two teams was work rate. They played with similar formations, yet it worked for United and not Milan. The reason behind this was that Manchester United’s forward players tracked back and helped the players behind them.
However the AC Milan forward line of Ronaldinho, Marco Borriello and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar didn’t want to chase back and win the ball back. Instead they just turned their backs on play or sulked at losing the ball.
Changes
This performance showed that Milan are in need of a dramatic squad overhaul. Their players are not good enough to represent the Rossoneri. The fall in quality has been coming for a long time. Their squad is full of aging players, who in previous years would have been moved on by now.
In every position their squad is very weak. The goalkeeping position is the perfect example. The first choice goalkeeper is currently Christian Abbiati, who in previous seasons wasn’t judged good enough for AC and shipped out on loan to various clubs.
Then there is the Brazilian keeper Dida, who quite frankly I think is a clown. He is far too prone to a crucial error. How he held his position as Milan number one for so many years is beyond me, but maybe that’s why they find themselves in this current predicament, by having players who are clearly not of the of the best standard.
AC Milan also has two other keepers in the shape of Flavio Roma and Zeljko Kalac, who are 35 and 37 respectively. The presence of these sorts of players is a clear sign that rot and complacency has set in at the once great club.
You also look at some of the strikers at the club the likes of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Marco Borriello and they are just not good enough to play amongst Europe’s elite. The AC Milan squad needs a major revamp and quickly.
League
In recent weeks AC Milan has gained a glimmer of hope in the race for the Scudetto. This glimmer of hope has been supplied by their neighbours and league leaders Inter suffering a poor run of results. Inter are still four points ahead but the gap is smaller than it has been this season.
However Inter are bound to come out of their slumber soon and storm away from their city rivals. It seems that in recent years the Rossoneri fans have become accustomed to playing second fiddle to Inter and it’s almost as if they have accepted it for now.
For a club who have won the European cup seven times and the Scudetto 17 times it’s a sad state of affairs. The club famous for the footballing legends such as Marco Van Basten, Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini it seems strange that as a club they are now happy being mediocre.
Famous
The name of AC Milan is famous around the world right up there with Real Madrid, Manchester United and Barcelona. The difference between the three other clubs is that during the last few years they have progressed and moved with the times.
They have strengthened their squad through youth development and spending big on players. However AC Milan has been happy to crawl along with a side that no top European side would dare to field. If something isn’t done at AC quickly then the clubs famous name will be consigned to the annuals of history.
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