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Telegraph: When it ain’t broke, they say, don’t fix it. That will be what Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will have in mind as he sets about securing a foothold in his second Champions League final.
Of course, Sir Alex will make sure his team respect AC Milan but his focus will be very much on coaxing his players to reproduce the blistering form that has turned United into Europe’s most potent attacking force.
Ahead of the home leg, he will say something along the lines of “let’s do it again”. His emphasis will be very much on how he wants his own team to perform rather than worrying about Milan.
When United are on song, you almost feel sorry for opposition defenders because they must be left wondering whether they are coming or going.
That is down to the attacking tactics adopted by Sir Alex at Old Trafford. They are all about giving attacking players a freedom of movement which translates into a licence to hurt the opposition.
Sir Alex and his assistant, Carlos Queiroz, will instruct Wayne Rooney and Alan Smith to rotate, taking it in turns to drop off into deeper areas, while wingers Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo will be regularly swapping flanks.
They will be under orders to go wherever they think they can do the Italians damage. If they’re tied down they’ll know it’s time for a change. It’s no wonder Ronaldo plays with a smile on his face.
That constant state of flux is bad news for defenders because they really don’t know what’s going to hit them next; different faces are coming at them all the time.
In central midfield, Paul Scholes will be asked to do what he does best, dart forward into the box, while Michael Carrick will be encouraged to take up advanced positions.
There are obviously worries about United’s defence, and plenty of talking and vigilance will be needed to ensure no costly slip-ups against Italian counter-attacks.
PREVIOUSLY
1969 - European Cup semi-final, 1st leg
AC Milan 2 Manchester United 0
Milan won comfortably but United’s players thought Sermani handled while scoring and were convinced their other scorer, Hamrin, got John Fitzpatrick dismissed.
1969 - Semi-final, 2nd leg
Manchester United 1 AC Milan 0
Milan held out for 77 minutes until Bobby Charlton scored and then Denis Law saw a shot that bounced “perhaps two feet over the line”, in his words, disallowed.
2005 - Champions League 1st knockout stage
Manchester United 0 AC Milan 1
Outplayed by Pirlo and Gattuso, United might have forced a draw had Roy Carroll been able to hold Clarence Seedorf’s shot that rebounded invitingly to Hernan Crespo.
2005 - 1st stage
AC Milan 1 Manchester United 0
Once more Crespo stole in to score but the margin of victory should have been much greater against a United side in deep decline.
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Sun: CRISTIANO RONALDO insists Manchester United are destined for the Treble.
United face Italian giants AC Milan in the Champions League semi-final first leg at Old Trafford tonight.
And Ronaldo believes nothing can stop them repeating their 1999 triumphs by claiming the crown in the Athens final next month and landing the Premiership title and FA Cup.
The newly-crowned players’ Player of the Year said: “Maybe it’s destiny to win them all because we are playing so well.
“I think the best things are still to come from me. We have three competitions to play for. We have everything to win and we have a great chance.”
Manager Alex Ferguson is also confident of beating Milan. He said: “I do not have any fears about it. I look at the mood in the camp and it pleases me. The spirit is good.
“At this stage you are always looking for signs of nerves but they’re not there.
“In our draw against Middlesbrough on Saturday there was some anxiety and bad decision-making.
“But what pleased me most is that nobody was hiding, everyone wanted the ball and that’s a good sign.”
United thrashed Roma 8-3 on aggregate in the previous round and despite United’s injury crisis in defence, Ferguson remains confident he has a team to do the job.
He said: “I look at the team available and I do not see any problems.
“The only problem we might have is an inadequate bench. It is difficult to think we can get the same sort of result as we did against Roma.
“But I think that sort of performance gives the players confidence so I still expect a good performance.
“The desire of the players to reach a high level of performance against quality opponents is there.
“They have not done much wrong this season.”
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Guardian: In different circumstances the man known as Ringhio - “Growl” or “Snarler” - could have been lining up for Manchester United in tonight’s Champions League semi-final. Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign Gennaro Gattuso last summer to fill what is known at Old Trafford as “the Roy Keane role” but Milan were understandably reluctant to break up their Michelin-star midfield.
Ferguson has subsequently turned to Owen Hargreaves and has reported to colleagues a deal is all but guaranteed, provided a fee can be agreed with Bayern Munich at the end of the season. In which case United fans should look closely at the double act in the centre of Milan’s midfield this evening because Ferguson, a huge admirer of the rossoneri and a frequent visitor to the San Siro, has made it the model for his own team’s future. For Gattuso, read Hargreaves; for Andrea Pirlo, read Michael Carrick.
Ferguson spoke yesterday about his long-held admiration for Gattuso - “he is a player we have always admired,” said the United manager - and he eulogised about Pirlo’s range of passing, describing the Milan playmaker as “a fantastic footballer”. His aim is for Carrick and Hargreaves to exert the same influence at Old Trafford once United are no longer able to rely on Paul Scholes, who is 33 in November. Hargreaves will be expected to patrol the area between defence and midfield, breaking up opposition attacks and laying the foundations for United’s attacks, whereas Ferguson intends to place greater emphasis on Carrick, making him the focal point of the team à la Pirlo
Whether the two 25-year-olds can combine as successfully as Gattuso and Pirlo can be judged only in time and, to use one of Ferguson’s phrases, it is a “big ask”. Hargreaves is a similar player to Gattuso, strong in the tackle and quick to the ball, with a perceptive mind. Carrick, however, will need to continue his already significant improvement if Ferguson’s planning is to bear fruit.
Pirlo, who will be 28 next month, plays the role for Milan that Juan Sebastián Verón once enjoyed with the Argentina national team, whereby the strategy is focused entirely on his ability to dictate play and control the game’s tempo, and Carrick is still a long way behind in terms of stature and development. Kaka, the brilliant Brazilian seen by many as Cristiano Ronaldo’s main rival to be the best player in the world, may be the headline grabber but the coach, Carlo Ancelotti, places more responsibility on Pirlo’s shoulders.
He takes almost every corner and every free-kick. His passing is forward, both in terms of geography and thinking, and he has become as influential for his national team as his club side. When Pirlo was named man of the match in last year’s World Cup final it was his third such award of the tournament. He returned from Germany with the Bronze Ball after being voted the third best player of the tournament behind Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane.
Carrick demonstrated in the 7-1 rout of Roma in the quarter-finals that he is now authoritative enough to take a match by the scruff of its neck and it is that level of performance that will be needed on a night when Ferguson is missing so many players through injury. Carrick, says Ferguson, has “come into his own” since the turn of the year, displaying some exquisite passing, an appreciation of space and an eye for goal that seemed beyond him at his previous clubs.
However, Milan’s spies inside Old Trafford on Saturday, when United put in their least impressive Premiership performance of the season in the 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough, will have noted Carrick’s poor delivery from set pieces and the way his standards dropped just at the point of the game when Ferguson needed him to rise to the occasion. Twice in the second half United won a corner in front of the section where the Middlesbrough fans were seated. Twice Carrick failed to clear the first defender. As for whether he can match a player of Pirlo’s gifts, the judging begins this evening.
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Sun: ALEX FERGUSON insists his Manchester United team will put the skids under AC Milan’s European dream tonight.
Fergie is convinced his Brown Van will stop the flying Kaka Ferrari at Old Trafford.
The United boss is placing his confidence in Wes Brown and Edwin van der Sar to give them a vital Champions League clean sheet.
And he believes they will be good enough to stop Brazilian ace Kaka, who carries the hopes of one half of the Italian city where the famous red cars are a fashion accessory.
Ferguson said: “Kaka is a very talented player. He has good movement that brings him into different positions on the field.
“While we recognise his talents we hope we can deal with them. Wes is a natural defender and the big-game occasions always help him.
“Since he took over from Nemanja Vidic, when he got injured, Wes has been very good.”
While Milan hope Kaka can put them in the driving seat following tonight’s Champions League semi-final, first leg, United have their own mean machine in Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Red Devils are undoubtedly stretched in defence with mounting injuries leaving Brown, 27, as the only available recognised centre-back. But playing behind him, Ferguson has a man in who he also places the utmost trust.
Van der Sar, 36, has been there and done it in the Champions League having won it with Ajax in 1995.
The keeper’s form and experience are something Fergie believes he can count on.
Ferguson said: “Edwin is vital to us. Since he joined us, he has brought a great personality and experience to the side.
“He has been particularly important with us having to change the team so much. Edwin has won the Champions League so he has been in this position before which is important.
“He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.”
This is the big opportunity Brown has been waiting for with the likes of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Mikael Silvestre and Vidic injured.
Brown said: “It’s great for me to be back involved. It’s not good when other players in the squad get injured. But you have to make sure you are fit and ready to step up.
“I know if Gary and Nemanja were still fit they’d be playing because they’ve had tremendous seasons.
“But now it’s our job, the ones who are in the squad to fill in, and at the moment everything’s going fine.
“We’re on our last legs in defence, people are filling in from midfield but they are doing excellent and you have to say ‘well done’ to them.”
As United proved in their 7-1 demolition of Roma in the last eight, they have the firepower to score against an ageing Milan.
But Ryan Giggs warned his team-mates to be prepared to face up to the Italians on the break.
Giggs said: “Milan have the players to counter-attack well with Kaka and Seedorf. They float around looking to exploit gaps.
“With the experience they have at the back they can sit back and defend comfortably and hit teams fast on the break. That is their main strength.”
History is on the side of six-time winners Milan.
They have reached the semi-finals of the competition — in the straight knockout and Champions League format — 11 times and only failed to progress twice.
Two-time champs United have reached this stage on eight occasions and gone through just twice.
The most recent of their disappointments came five years ago when they went out on away goals to German outfit Bayer Leverkusen.
Having said that, United have lost just once in 29 home games in the Champions League. They also have a decent record against Italian opposition at Old Trafford with eight wins and just two defeats from 12 matches.
One of those defeats came against Milan two seasons ago when they lost 1-0 in both legs of their first knockout round match-up.
Milan have another reason to like United’s HQ — that is where they beat Italian rivals Juventus 3-2 on penalties following a goalless draw to lift the European Cup in 2003.
They will have six players from that starting line-up in their team tonight.
The average age of the Milan line-up is 32 and 38-year-old skipper and centre-back Paolo Maldini is someone United chief Ferguson admires in particular.
Fergie said: “He is one of my favourite players of the last 15 years.
“I watched him in the quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich and he managed to get through 90 minutes without tackling, that is an art.
“Sometimes I think we could have more experience in our team but I’m encouraged by the hope for the future the young players provide.”
Tonight, those youngsters need to deliver — here and now.
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Guardian: In the eyes of most managers the disappearance of an entire back four would be as valid a reason for postponement as an outbreak of the Black Death. Sir Alex Ferguson faces just such a crisis now, but still sounded contented in the build-up to the first leg of Manchester United’s Champions League semi-final with Milan.
While regrets were expressed over the loss of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and perhaps Patrice Evra, the manager also said: “The important players are available.” Even if that is not wholly logical, it expressed a truth about United and Ferguson. This club is programmed with a conviction that adventurousness is the secret of success.
The philosophy, to put it mildly, has long been in dispute and United would not have been restricted to two European Cup triumphs had they mustered a little more pragmatism at key moments. Ferguson himself is no naif and there has been a focus in recent years on improving the defence, but the enterprising attitude inspires affection or, where rivals are concerned, plain fear.
Thanks to their attack the three-point lead over Chelsea in the Premiership is topped up with an advantage of 14 in goal difference. It is inconceivable that United could go to St James’ Park for a critical game and, as Jose Mourinho’s team did on Sunday, fail to put the Newcastle goalkeeper to the inconvenience of pulling off even one save.
There is a lot to admire about Chelsea, who were in their best form of the season until they reached Tyneside, and it is a wilful blindness that stops some people from recognising the quality of their football. But Mourinho is, by disposition, a pragmatist. Self-expression is not particularly admired and Roman Abramovich was rash enough to think of sacking a superb manager because of the absence of romance at Chelsea.
Mourinho responds with most warmth to character and dependability. His anguish swelled to fill the protracted absences of Petr Cech and John Terry. A lament of that duration would be more likely to be inspired in Ferguson’s case by, say, the removal of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Ferdinand, in the nicest possible way, he can live without. In this he may, of course, be showing that he is a manager out of his time.
Perhaps the future belongs to those brilliant planners Mourinho and Rafael Benítez. With a pair of Premiership titles for one and a Champions League for the other, they have outdone the United manager since hitting England in 2004, but it would raise the spirits most this week if an ad hoc defence proved resilient enough to assist in delivering victory at Old Trafford tonight.
Milan’s right to participate in the competition at all this year is questionable. Those sympathetic to their cause argue that the evidence was much too thin ever to have convinced a true court of law, but it remains a fact that a sporting tribunal did find them guilty in the match-rigging scandal and an eight-point deduction was imposed in Serie A.
While that more or less barred them from taking the Italian title, Milan have still been allowed to compete for the honour they crave most, the Champions League. Uefa probably calculated that any attempt to exclude them would be met by an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with potential disruption of the entire tournament ensuing.
Milan have not been reviled as other clubs would have been in such circumstances because of their wonderful heritage. It has been like that for quite a while. People who rail against football magnates and their commercialism of the game normally oppose right-wing demagoguery as well, but in the case of Silvio Berlusconi they bite their tongues because of an enchantment that runs, in the modern era, from Ruud Gullit to Kaka.
So a fondness for Milan endures despite the corruption in Serie A, despite the fact that their owner set the course that was to be followed by the Glazers, Abramovich and the rest. In the long term there are no grounds for sentimentality about United as an institution either, but a side that could trounce Roma 7-1 warms the heart.
That is Ferguson’s doing. Two years ago, a worldlier Milan dealt with his men expertly en route to a final that would be lost so astoundingly to Liverpool. Hernán Crespo scored in each leg of the last-16 tie for a pair of 1-0 victories, but the Argentinian is at Internazionale now and Carlo Ancelotti, with Ronaldo ineligible, has no one to compare in Milan’s attack.
Ferguson may reckon that the menace will stem from Kaka’s breaks and it would therefore lie with the United midfield to provide security. As ever, too, the manager will emphasise that the best method of quelling visitors to Old Trafford is to score against them.
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Sun: SOCCER ace Wayne Rooney is set to face a legal row over a sensational new book promising to blow the lid on his seedy past of “rough sex” with vice girls.
His advisers have alerted lawyers, claiming Roo Unzipped could damage Wayne’s reputation.
The Sun understands author John Sweeney has quizzed hookers about Wayne, 21, who slept with a 48-year-old known as the Auld Slapper at a brothel in 2005. The book, which also examines Man United striker Wayne’s relationship with fiancee Coleen McLoughlin, is due out next August.
A source close to Wayne said: “It could be their worst nightmare. He thought the stuff about prostitutes was long forgotten.”
His spokesman Ian Monk said: “We’ve not co-operated with any book.” Wayne’s boss at Everton, David Moyes, is suing him for £300,000 over comments in his autobiography My Story So Far.
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Gary Neville’s new pad causes a fuss…
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Guardian: There is something in Manchester United’s DNA that means they never do things the easy way, and tonight’s Champions League semi-final against Milan promises to test their powers of endurance to the limit. Never before has Sir Alex Ferguson’s team gone into such a big match so handicapped by the loss of key players, with confirmation last night that the Premiership leaders will be missing their entire first-choice defence.
Ferguson’s admission that Patrice Evra will be fit enough only to be a substitute, at best, means that United will go into their first semi-final for five years with a completely reconfigured defence already missing Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand. Uefa’s statistics show Milan have had more shots on goal in this season’s competition than any other side, and Old Trafford will be filled with apprehension to learn a fringe midfielder, Darren Fletcher, will play at right-back.
“Thanks for reminding me,” Ferguson observed ruefully when asked whether he was concerned that Wes Brown, so outplayed by Middlesbrough’s Mark Viduka on Saturday, was the only recognised centre-half available. Ferguson has no time for self-pity and he stubbornly insisted he was “happy with the squad”. Yet United, in his own words, are “down to the bare bones” and in the midst of “an injury crisis of major proportions”.
John O’Shea, now regarded at Old Trafford as a midfielder, shared Brown’s discomfort in the centre of defence against Middlesbrough, and a visit to United’s training ground yesterday inspired only foreboding given that there were only 10 senior outfield players going through the drills. Evra was restricted to light jogging alongside Vidic, Kieran Richardson and Louis Saha. Mikaël Silvestre and the back-up defender Craig Cathcart are out for the season. Ferdinand and Park Ji-Sung await specialist reports and Neville, out since March 17, was not even kitted out.
The first question for Ferguson at his press conference was whether he had enough players to name a complete squad. “Of course we have,” he responded testily. Later, however, he admitted it would be a struggle to name “an adequate bench”. While Milan’s substitutes will include the likes of Cafu, Alessandro Costacurta and Filippo Inzhagi, United’s back-up options incorporate Dong Fangzhou, Chris Eagles, Kieran Lee and David Gray.
If United get past this richly experienced Milan side over two legs it will be a feat to rank alongside any of Ferguson’s achievements, not least the 7-1 humiliation of Roma in the last round. Milan, are in their fourth semi-final in five years and have eight players who have at least one Champions League winner’s medal and, in Clarence Seedorf’s case, three.
Much of the build-up has concentrated on whether Milan’s defence - derided as “dinosaurs” on the sports pages of La Repubblica - can cope with the pace and penetration of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. It is an overly simplistic theory, however, and Ferguson does not believe the average age of Carlo Ancelotti’s back four (32.2 years) to be a major disadvantage to a club that prides itself on parsimonious defending. United’s manager recalled Paolo Maldini’s man-of-the-match display in Milan’s 2-0 win at Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. “He played the entire 90 minutes without making a tackle,” he enthused about a 38-year-old he regards as the most intelligent defender in world football. “It’s an art.”
Ferguson’s defensive resources are so sparse he was not in any position to start picking out possible Milan weaknesses, but he was as upbeat as he possibly could be. “I don’t have any fears about it,” he said. “I see the mood in the camp and it pleases me. I’m always looking for signs at this time of the year about nerves. But I see none. Yes, we have concerns about one or two injuries and you do miss players such as Ferdinand and Neville and Saha. But we also have important players playing. On Saturday we saw some anxiety and some bad decision-making in the last third. But no one was hiding. Everyone wanted the ball, which is a good sign.”
He reflected that Fletcher and O’Shea - two players frequently maligned by United’s fans - were outstanding against Roma, although he quickly pointed out that was a “once-in-a-lifetime” result. Nothing so spectacular can be expected tonight when, despite United’s natural tendency to attack, the trick will be not to concede an away goal before the return at San Siro a week tomorrow.
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Sun: ALEX FERGUSON has rubbished Jose Mourinho’s claims Manchester United get special treatment over penalties.
The Chelsea boss said on Sunday the FA must have changed the rules so that United never have spot-kicks given against them . . . and the Blues are never awarded one.
But Ferguson said: “I have looked at Saturday’s incident and John O’Shea definitely got the ball.”
The incident came in the final minute of United’s 1-1 home draw with Middlesbrough when O’Shea felled Lee Dong Gook.
After seeing his own side held 0-0 at Newcastle on Sunday, Mourinho said: “With the new football rules, we are doing well.
“It is not possible for penalties against Man United. It is not possible for penalties in favour of Chelsea.”
He says he should not face an FA charge for the outburst as it would represent “the end of democracy”.
But an FA spokesman said: “It is under consideration and a decision will be made tomorrow (Tuesday).”
Mourinho was also angry Stephen Carr got away with a handball for Newcastle in Sunday’s draw.
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Independent: The Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has ordered Cristiano Ronaldo to cut back on his practice to prevent the newly crowned Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year burning himself out.
With so many defenders injured, and both Park Ji-Sung and Louis Saha missing, there will be even more pressure on the 22-year-old to deliver tonight - and over the final weeks of the campaign. But Ferguson is anxious the winger does not extend himself too much on the training ground.
“You have to drag Cristiano off the training pitch sometimes because he likes practice so much,” said Ferguson. “Maybe he overdid it a little last week. We are trying to preserve his energy for the important games, so we are going to have to cut back on his practice. We are down on players now so there is a big onus on the boy.”
Although Ronaldo has been below par in United’s last two games by his own high standards, his confidence should be boosted by the two goals he scored in the seven-goal rout of Roma in the last round. His performance on that night drew comparisons with legends such as Pele and Diego Maradona from his team-mate Patrice Evra.
At the time, Ferguson did little to dissuade anyone from the view he could reach that standard, although the Scot now admits it was slightly exaggerated.
“Cristiano has this new publicity comparing him with Pele and Maradona. Of course it is ridiculous because he is only 22,” said Ferguson. “He has a lot to go before he can be considered at that level. He has to play consistently in European games and also World Cup games before you can judge how great he is. But that is all in front of him. At this moment he is the best player in the world and I don’t say that lightly.”
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Mail: Manchester United legend Eric Cantona believes Roy Keane has the credentials to become a long-term contender for the Old Trafford manager’s job.
Cantona, who played alongside Keane, now Sunderland manager, at United, pinpointed the similarities between Sir Alex Ferguson and his former captain.
“It is important that [Ferguson’s eventual succesor] is somebody who knows how the club works, he needs to be very strong mentally and a strong person and Roy Keane is one of those,” Cantona told Sky Sports.
Cantona, now 40, won four Premiership titles at Old Trafford and is widely seen as playing a talismanic role in the revival of a club, where he still holds iconic status.
However, the Frenchman does not see Ferguson bowing out just yet.
“Ferguson keeps himself young and needs football to stay young and football needs him,” he added.
