13th September 2011. Hardly a week away. To the uninitiated, the day would probably be like any other day in the calendar. But 13th September, to a football fan, is anything but ordinary. Two giants of the footballing world will butt heads on the football field for the first time since the 2005/2006 Champions League.
Milan has been a powerhouse on the European front for a long time and their pedigree is renowned all over the world. On the other hand, Barcelona are the reigning champions and it goes without saying, that they are indeed the best team in the world today. Milan has lost some of their sheen by virtue of key-player retirements, injuries, transfers but those excuses will count for nothing when they come face-to-face with the Catalans.
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Barcelona has gone from strength to strength as the years have progressed. Barca’s journey to the summit has not been an easy one and it started when Joan Laporta and former Rossoneri, Frank Rijkaard came together. With an influx of stars and a certain legend called Ronaldinho, Barca slowly and steadily started to build a legacy, the fruits of which can be seen today. Once Josep Guardiola took over at the beginning of the 2008-09 season, there was no stopping the Barca juggernaut. In his very first season, Guardiola delivered “The Sextuple”, a feat so unique that no other team has ever done it. Ever.
While Barca have been ruling the European front all this while, Milan were having a tough and indifferent time. After a hugely successful 1993-94 season, Milan’s luck flew south as they struggled to gain any foothold either on the domestic front or on the European. In the period where Barca lifted three Champions League trophies, Milan managed to lift only two – the first by defeating Juventus at Old Trafford in 2003, and the second by defeating Liverpool, in a re-match of the 2005 Champions League final.
Recent times have proven to be tough for the Rossoneri, as they seemed to have developed a habit of losing to teams whom they would have trounced earlier. Last year, Tottenham Hotspurs, a Champions League newbie defeated Milan in two hotly contested matches at the San Siro and White Hart Lane. The year before that, Manchester United – the team which Milan had beaten so comprehensively in the past, defeated Milan at their home – San Siro. .
Milan’s repeated errors on the European front have caused grief among Rossoneri all over the world, but they have not lost faith yet. To the Rossoneri, it was of prime importance to shine on the European front, regardless of how terribly the team performed on the domestic stage. It remained so when Carlo Ancelotti took charge of Milan. In those years, Carlo’s focus was on capturing the Champions League and not on the Scudetto. But as the years progressed, other powers began to rise on the domestic front. While Juventus’ back was broken as a result of Calciopoli, Internazionale took that opportunity to climb to the summit of Serie A where they ruled until last season. Last year, Milan broke that vice-like grip by clinching the Serie A title, but still floundered unexpectedly on the European front.
Two different teams. Two different philosophies. On paper, the match on the 13th of September is one to pencil in your calendars, but to the Rossoneri, it serves as a reminder of how far the club have fallen. It goes without saying hardly anyone in Milan will relish taking on the champions. Milan does not even stand a chance against the current champions.
With a depleted midfield and an ever-growing injury-list, Milan will find it hard to convince its detractors it even belongs on the same pitch as Barcelona. Nothing is impossible in football, and for all you know, Barcelona could very well implode and unravel that night but for Milan to emerge champions over two legs would be akin to asking Robinho to score every time he is one-on-one with the keeper.
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With the current roster, the best result Allegri can hope for is a draw. But with Barca grabbing onto 70% of the possession, it would require great discipline to block out every attack that the Holy Trinity of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi come up with. Playing against Messi would be like tussling against the relentless tides of time. Milan needs to score fast and they need to score early, if they are to have any hopes of coming out unscathed.
This is not the first time Milan have had to cope with an Argentine wizard. Last time it was Maradona’s Napoli that stood between Milan and the Championship. This time, it is Messi. But unlike that time, Milan does not possess a visionary like Arrigo Sacchi. This time around, Milan will be led by Allegri, a coach whose affinity to choose veterans ahead of Primavera players have divided the Rossoneri. Last year, when he took over the coaching job, it was quite natural that he would look at the golden oldies to take Milan to glory; and that was achieved. But how long can a manager bank on experience and shut out youth? A sudden jolt from Barcelona might shake Allegri off this perch and throw him into the real world.
Will Allegri deploy a wing-back formation so that they can catch Barca on the break? Will Allegri deploy man-to-man marking in the midfield and zonal marking at the back? How important will Boateng’s role be in the setup and just how do Milan go about stopping the through-balls from Barca on the final third? Would Pep once again take a leaf out of Sacchi’s ideas and go with a radical 3-4-3 formation with only one dedicated defender?
These questions from the Rossoneri will only be answered on the fateful day of September 13th draws near. For Barcelona to win, all they would require is to proceed with business as usual. It’s Milan who will need to play out of their skins.
The fight between Milan’s faith and Barcelona’s skill will inevitable see one emerge triumphant over the other. You’d be hardpressed to deny Barcelona’s superiority this season. But in the context of eras – both gone and yet to come – perhaps who emerges triumphant in the eternal battle of the ages might not be so clear-cut after all.