Kaká's superb form has been one of the highlights of a difficult season for AC Milan. The 24-year-old Brazil midfielder's five goals in the group stage ensured Milan qualified with two games to spare and he is confident the Rossoneri will be back to their best when the UEFA Champions League resumes in February. In the first of a series of diary entries for uefa.com, he reflects on the ups and downs of Milan's campaign and admits he is hoping to avoid FC Barcelona in Friday's last-16 draw.

So far, so good for AC Milan. We might have lost two games in the group stage, but I'd rather focus on the fact the team had already qualified with games to spare. It's not for me to underestimate the effort put in by AEK Athens [FC] and [LOSC] Lille [Métropole], but perhaps we unconsciously took our foot off the pedal a bit in those matches. Having said that, nobody liked being beaten. Especially when we are in a very unusual and unpleasant situation in Serie A. We are talking about a club used to winning. People are always going to be demanding results.

Tough at the top
Many journalists ask me why Milan are performing so differently in Serie A and in the Champions League. I think it is not just because of everything that has happened in Italian football recently [including a points deduction for Milan]. In Serie A, there are a lot of smaller sides that are well accustomed to coming up against the big boys. They get men behind the ball and make things really hard for the top clubs. It is very different in the Champions League. Although you might argue some clubs tend to play a supporting role, the tournament has the biggest teams in their respective countries. Lille and AEK, for example, are big in France and Greece and are used to actually giving it a go.

'Work to do'
Because of our difficult situation in Serie A, it's natural for us to have high hopes for the Champions League and every player would love to lift that trophy. But we cannot forget that it's in Serie A that we need to book our place in next year's competition. There is a lot of work to do. As for the next round, I don't really think we should be choosing our opponents, although I have to say nobody would be happy to be drawn against [FC] Barcelona. They have a wonderful squad and seem to have got themselves together after a very difficult first round. Nobody knows, however, how things will be in February. They are certainly not unbeatable and we might have to be the ones to prove it if Barça are drawn against us. I am pleased to see Ronaldinho playing well. He's an exceptional player.

'Thrilled'
Milan are getting better and we can still improve. I'm thrilled with the fact I'm one of the top scorers in the Champions League so far, even though topping that list is not an objective for me - I'd rather lift the trophy that we came so close to winning in 2005. It's the result of a lot of hard work. I sometimes think of my third goal against [RSC] Anderlecht [on Matchday 4], especially when people ask me to pick between that and the one I scored for Brazil against Argentina in a friendly in London three months ago. I treasure both of them, but the one against Argentina was something else. I had to run almost 70 metres being chased by Lionel Messi. Believe me, that's hard.

©uefa.com

QUOTE(mishale @ Dec 12 2006, 07:43 AM)
I had to run almost 70 metres being chased by Lionel Messi. Believe me, that's hard.

Kaka certainly is a very good orator