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Old loyalties sway Desailly
Friday, 27 April 2007

by Michael Harrold & Kevin Ashbyfrom Manchester

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The week's two UEFA Champions League semi-finals provided contrasting spectacles. In Manchester, a thrilling free-flowing match lived up to its billing; in London Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC picked up from where they left off two years ago as caution proved the defining feature of a tight first leg at Stamford Bridge. The prospect of an all-English semi-final may have raised the stakes in west London and on Merseyside, but for the neutral the main attraction was at Old Trafford.

'Fear'
After smashing seven past AS Roma attention focused on how AC Milan would react to the expected early onslaught on Dida's goal. Cristiano Ronaldo's fifth-minute header provided the answer. "After five minutes there is obviously the fear United can go goal crazy," the Rossoneri's Brazilian playmaker Kaká said. "Our thoughts went back to Roma." It is unusual to hear a Milan player speaking of fear, but it indicates just how revered United's attacking threat has become. Whether prising open a defence as Paul Scholes's deft pass did to create space for Wayne Rooney's equaliser or bursting forward on the break for the winner, former Milan midfielder Marcel Desailly believes there are no better proponents of attacking football in Europe today.

"They can play collectively, each of them can play individually, but most of all they can all make the difference"

'The best'
"Not only counterattacking, for me they're the best team in Europe, especially if they stay in their classic 4-4-2 formation," Desailly, a UEFA Champions League winner with Olympique de Marseille and Milan, told uefa.com. "They manage to keep a good shape. They can make the difference at any time – [Ryan] Giggs on the left, Cristiano Ronaldo, Scholes, Wayne Rooney and [Louis] Saha if he is fit. It is the best team. They can play collectively, each of them can play individually, but most of all they can all make the difference." Belief in their ability kept United in the tie even after two quick Kaká goals had turned the match on its head. "We thought it was going to be Manchester's game from beginning to end, but the Italians managed to establish control before they lost a lot of energy in the second half. Manchester scored the second to come back, and the third one in the last minute. Against an Italian team with so much experience they took advantage of the mistakes of Milan."

Attacking philosophy
It was telling in the build up that manager Sir Alex Ferguson, after having it pointed out to him that virtually his full first-choice defence was unavailable, responded by saying that at least his "big players" were fit. Attack is the key to defence at Old Trafford, in contrast to the philosophies expounded by rivals José Mourinho and Rafael Benítez. Mourinho's decision to settle for a 1-0 victory rather than press home his advantage at Stamford Bridge says everything about his belief in the immense trio of John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and Petr Čech keeping Liverpool at bay at Anfield. Benítez, meanwhile, will be looking for the sort of inspiration Ancelotti has come to rely on.

'Tricky'
"They are lucky they have Kaká," Desailly said of the Brazilian whose two goals put his side 2-1 up on the night. "The rest of the team is a kind of group behind Kaká. United have plenty of players who at any moment can make the difference. That's why Milan should have been more focused on the advantage they had, knowing it's going to be hard in the return. How do Milan approach that game now? They are going to attack knowing that Manchester have the capacity at any minute to make the difference. It's a real tricky situation for AC Milan now."

'Rhythm'
The same could be said for Liverpool. "It's two teams who know each other well and it will be the side who gets a bit down physically who loses, as that will lead to mistakes and the other team will take advantage," said Desailly, who reached the last four with Chelsea in 2004 a decade after lifting the trophy with Milan. As Chelsea fight for trophies on three fronts the physical demands are rising, but Desailly believes they have hit their stride. "You're either at the top or you're not. They [Chelsea] have the squad to handle that. As a player you want frequent games instead of long periods out, it keeps you in the rhythm of the game. You know it's the end of the season and you're trying to reach your objective so you want to play." With Athens in sight, loyalty ensures Desailly can only see one outcome: "I expect to see Chelsea and Milan, my last two clubs, in the final."