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> Finito? – Reflections On A Classic Final

 
m1ke
post Jul 5 2005, 12:33 PM
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Over the years, Milan have been the team of success. Just recently a new era was emerging and was deemed by the critics unstoppable. This year Milan were a very competitive team and were built to win everything and devour anything in their path. Milan just recently lost the Scudetto battle to Juventus, but many believed that the organization wanted to make a mark in Europe, and their main focus was the Champions League. I too believed this, but little did people believe that Milan would self-destruct.

Dreams can come true and fairytales do exist. How Liverpool came back from a three goal deficit to tie in the span of six minutes and defeat Milan in a shootout, is the stuff of legends. However, as good as Milan are, I believed Liverpool could do it. Their fighting spirit is amazing and they seized the opportunity. When it came to penalty kicks I believed they could win for this squad always was good in a shootout. Remember Roma in 1984? Liverpool won at Rome in a shoot out. They are no strangers to adversity.

Now, I know there are people who will read this and ask why a Serie A writer is complementing an English side? Well, the answer is simple. What we saw on the 05/25/05 was nothing short of a classic game that will go down in history. It also proved that any team can win in a knockout competition. Secondly, we have to celebrate the return of a former giant. Liverpool were the Inter of England, suffering for years under the shadows of Arsenal and Manchester United. Now they are back. This gives hope to many Serie A teams that they too can rise from the flames of despair and become winners again. For: Inter, Parma, Lazio, Roma and Fiorentina, there is hope.

Moreover, the Milan fans can feel and now understand the pain that their significant other faces yearly: Inter Milan. Inter over the years have suffered humiliation and embarrassment. Now they are not alone. They have the rossoneri fans to keep them company. Inter fans can now also offer support and even aid in establishing a support network. Secondly, Inter always go down as the victims of history. Now Milan have entered that fold. They are the first team ever to squander a 3-0 lead in a European Cup final. That is inexcusable no matter how you look at it.

Look, I would have loved to write an article on Milan’s triumph and label my article Vieni; Vedi; Vincis using the words of Cesar that ‘I came; I saw; I conquered’. I would have loved to write Ancelotti’s entrance to the number two club of the CL snubbing the likes of Capello and Lippi. However, it did not happen. The worst occurred. Ancelotti is a good coach, but this game brought back memories of his coaching days at Juventus. Naïve, amateur mistakes that allowed for the other team to win. Ancelotti gave Liverpool the title and he knows it. Benitez was outwitted and he too knows it. But Liverpool won. Milan were too overconfident. Just because a team has been to the final 10 times does not mean success. Any team can win and Liverpool proved that. The players talked trash and Maldini was talking like he’d already won it. I would have loved to write about his goal but it was not to be. Milan made the fatal mistake of disrespecting their opponent.

Moreover, why substitute Crespo? He scored two goals. Sheva was playing poorly, he was just a spectator. Why bring in Tomasson when Rui Costa could have come in and could have worked to take control of midfield again? Kaka, was great in the first half, but he has the horrible habit of missing the net. Dida, was not at his best. Two out of three goals he could have saved. Gattuso’s rough style of play cost them the game. You do not pull down a player in the penalty area; period. Liverpool recovered and imposed their dominance. However, they faltered as they were kicking air balls and Milan could not capitalize. Milan started to play better, but they squandered their chances. In the end, Ancelotti’s men were humbled and Sheva buckled under the pressure by taking a poor penalty kick.

Now I want to congratulate Liverpool and their fans. This team showed how a squad should play and it is not the size of the dog, but it is the heart of the dog that determines victory. The same is true for human beings and in sport. Heart and tactics can win games. The fans showed up in droves compared to a trickle for Milan. The fans supported their team till the very end. Their years of suffering are now over and a fallen giant has awakened. Now we can enjoy again the songs that Liverpool fans are so famous for.

Alright. There are many Serie A fans that hate Liverpool due to many factors. However, they showed up, played and won. We must accept the result. There are two scenarios. Join the club or pray that your team wins. I feel sorry for Ancelotti for he will for sure be fired. Do not believe what Berlusconi says. He is no Moratti. He is not afraid to punch lockers and throw shoes at his players. The man wants victory and he is not afraid to show the door as he did to Zaccaroni and Terim. Oh well. Maybe a change of place is what Carlo needs. The man is not a horrible coach. He has won at Milan and has done wonders at Parma and coached Juve to two 2nd place finishes. There will be many suitors from Real to Roma. I believe he would fit right in at Roma. This squad needs a leader and he can be that man. Roma has a young squad and there is no pressure to win. Given the time he could make Roma into a contender again. Or, Silvio could keep him and give him a second chance. Milan could very well win next year and if they do three finals in four years or a Scudetto could very well appease the fans. In short, Milan is not dead yet.

Also the loss is good for Italian soccer. The critics are right in this case. Italian teams play to lose. That is we play like scared children afraid to touch the ball and move it, or the teams score and get lazy. Well, this must change. WC 06 is approaching and if the Azzurri play like this then Lippi will see the axe. This game was a learning experience. Yes one needs to score, but one needs to defend. Italian soccer never finds the balance. We have the players and tactics, but no balance. In short, losses like this can put things into perspective and change things for the better.

Well, it has not been a bad year for Serie A fans. I was wrong that an Italian team would win, but correct that one reached the final. It shows that Italian soccer is competitive and an Italian team in the final within the span of three years proves it. It could have been worse. God forbid! A Spanish team could have won.

In short, congratulations to Liverpool. You deserved it. I am a fan of football and games like this add to the greatness of the game. Unfortunately, we probably will not see Liverpool in the CL next year for they finished in fifth place; therefore, we will perhaps never know if this team was the real deal or a one hit wonder. Anyways, enjoy the spoils of victory. And to Milan fans. There is always next year and the mark of a great team is one that recovers from tragedy. Champions have character. Let’s see if your team has it. Remember 1993? Your team lost in a similar way (not so quite) to Olympique Marseille. They were eventually stripped of the title. Milan came back in 1994 and gave Barcelona a soccer clinic. That squad rose to the occasion. Can your Milan do it? I believe they can, but the choice is your squad’s along with other teams. If other teams show up and play that is. Barca, Chelsea, Juve want it just as badly, but Milan are no pushovers.

The 04/05 edition gave us memorable moments. The flight was fun. Now let’s look forward to next year and let us enjoy the summer break.

Bruno Cardile

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BoomAM
post Jul 12 2005, 11:00 PM
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Good Article.
From goal.com (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

Good read though.
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