30/4: Latest News …
Alan Hansen - Telegraph: In all the time I have been involved in football - whether playing or commentating - I have never witnessed a turnaround quite like the one which swung the championship towards Manchester United on Saturday.
If you had said to me a quarter of an hour into the second half at Goodison Park that within 30 minutes Manchester United would be five points clear of Chelsea, I would simply have laughed.
People talk a lot about tiredness in April and May but the weariness tends to be more mental than physical and it bites when you have suffered a reverse. Manchester United were lucky in that the game turned when the Everton keeper, Iain Turner, dropped the ball at John O’Shea’s feet, but when you think that Turner was only playing because Ferguson refused permission for the on-loan Tim Howard to play, it merely adds to the drama of the most intense championship race in years.
After 55 minutes at Goodison, I could not see how Manchester United could win the title; everything turned on that mistake but United had to have the ability to exploit it. That they did so with a defence that had been wrecked by injury says plenty for their self-belief. All season we have been paying tribute to Chelsea’s resilience but that quality exists at Old Trafford, too.
If that was to be the moment when Manchester United won the title, then they have done it in style. Cristiano Ronaldo and, to a lesser extent, Wayne Rooney have provided dazzling entertainment. Ryan Giggs has been exceptional while Paul Scholes has shown movement of the highest order.
The feeling those players had as they walked off the pitch will carry them into the San Siro on Wednesday night. They have come through an enormous test and their sense of togetherness will be unbelievably strong in Milan.
If AC Milan’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, persists in playing Dida in goal United will have another advantage. I have no idea why a club like Milan should want or need to play someone like Dida. That they played him at Old Trafford when he was still recovering from injury is unbelievable. Dida is a bad keeper but he is even worse when he is not fit. Rooney’s winner was well worked but my granny could have saved his shot at the near post.
It will be a very close match and maybe Ancelotti would have settled for a narrow defeat and two away goals if you had offered it to him before the first leg. But the momentum is unquestionably with Manchester United.
…
Guardian: Milan beat Torino 1-0 at the weekend to move up to third in Serie A but most of the talk afterwards was of a 33-year-old striker who did not even make it on to the pitch. Filippo Inzaghi was rested on Saturday so he could continue his recovery from injury and be fit for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final return leg against Manchester United.
And how Milan need him. Alberto Gilardino has been poor in Europe, Ronaldo is cup-tied and Ricardo Oliveira has failed to settle in Italy. “Gilardino has scored only once in the Champions League so far,” said the Milan coach, Carlo Ancelotti. “There is more pressure in the Champions League than in the league and Gilardino is not experienced enough to manage it yet. Inzaghi is in good condition and there’s a good chance he could play on Wednesday.”
Inzaghi showed in the quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich that he is still a forward to fear. After the first game finished 2-2, he beat the German side’s offside trap to pick up Clarence Seedorf’s clever through ball and beat Oliver Kahn from close range. It was his fourth Champions League goal this season and set Milan on their way to a 2-0 win.
“I’m very happy to hear that everyone is counting on me for the game against Manchester,” Inzaghi said yesterday. “I love to feel the trust of the people around me. It helps me to perform better. We will give it our all in this game. We are perfectly aware of our strengths and we will play in front of our fans, who will give us a tremendous support.”
Gennaro Gattuso is expected to recover from the foot injury he sustained in the first leg, but Paolo Maldini is still a doubt. Inzaghi, meanwhile, have more incentive than most to eliminate United, having scored two early goals as Juventus lost 3-2 to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in that memorable 1999 second-leg semi-final in Turin. “We will have to play a great game, but we know we can beat them,” he said. “These are the games you always want to play.”
…
Sun: JOSE MOURINHO slammed Cristiano Ronaldo yet again, labelling the Manchester United star ill-educated.
Chelsea’s boss hit out after Satur-day’s 2-2 draw with Bolton left them five points behind United. He said: “A kid made some statements and was not showing maturity and respect.
“Maybe it’s about education, a difficult childhood, no education, it is a consequence of that. That was why I had to give an answer.”
Mourinho called Ronaldo a “liar” after the winger disputed his claim that Chelsea are not awarded penalties — and none are given against United.
Old Trafford boss Alex Ferguson said the Blues boss was “ranting”.
But Mourinho added: “Sir Alex felt he had to protect his boy. I have no problems with him and no problem with the boy.
“I like Sir Alex and if his digs against me are not offensive in relation to integrity or morals, then no problem.”
…
Telegraph: AC Milan midfielder Kaka looked forward to another head-to-head with Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo by revealing that he dreams of them playing in the same side.
The two shone in last Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg at Old Trafford, which United won 3-2, and face each other again at the San Siro in Wednesday’s second leg.
They are widely regarded as being two of the best players in the world and, despite Ronaldo having signed a new contract at United, rumours persist of a possible move to AC Milan - or moves for both players to Real Madrid.
Kaka said: “Manchester United are having a great season and have above-average talent, symbolised by Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s renewed his contract. He’s an excellent player with very big talent and has everything to succeed.
“It’s always good to be part of a team which has excellent players. If one day I had the opportunity to play with Cristiano Ronaldo it would be very good. For now, I don’t know if it will be at Real Madrid, if it will be at Milan or some other place. Today I’d like it to be at Milan.”
The Brazil international believes Milan are in a good position to beat United and reach the final. He said: “It will be an excellent match. We have a great chance to reach the final again.”
Kaka is the top scorer in the Champions League and scored both Milan’s goals at Old Trafford. He put it down to divine intervention, saying: “The goals have happened. I had chances to score and fortunately I took them. Being able to score so many goals is a present from God.”
Kaka’s fellow midfielder, Andrea Pirlo, is confident the side are peaking at the right time. Speaking after Saturday’s 1-0 win at Torino in Serie A, the Italian said: “Now, we are looking ahead to Wednesday with confidence. We are doing well.
“We have reached top condition at just the right moment. We will do well against Manchester United. We expended a lot of energy today, but there is time to recover.”
Carlo Ancelotti, the Milan coach, claimed that midfielder Gennaro Gattuso would be fit to face United but admitted doubts remained about the participation of veteran defender Paolo Maldini.
“The only player in doubt today is Maldini but it is not so bad because we still have four days to try to get him fit,” Ancelotti said. “Gattuso will definitely be available, however.”
…
Guardian: The French expression for magic wand is magique baguette, apparently. The chap sitting in front of me at Old Trafford on Tuesday was informing his readers that Kaka seemed to have one in each foot, and whereas my initial thought was that he was using them to make Manchester United’s defenders look like stale rolls in a baker’s window, a more capable translator explained he was suggesting the Brazilian’s sorcery was superior to Cristiano Ronaldo’s conjuring tricks.
He was right about that. Along with choosing too many wrong options Ronaldo chose the wrong team to be impressed by his footballer-of-the-year award, but maybe his time will come in the second leg in Milan. The first leg turned out not to be the story of Kaka v Ronaldo. It was not even the story of Kaka v Wayne Rooney, despite the French reporter having to make a late change to the effect that Rooney had dynamite in his boots. What the first match was all about was two defences, and Wednesday’s game is likely to be just the same.
United did not really have a defence on Tuesday, whereas Milan turned up with their usual capable one, only mildly inconvenienced by Dida’s vulnerability in goal. While Paolo Maldini and Gennaro Gattuso were on the pitch Milan were comfortable and in control and, though Sir Alex Ferguson says he always felt United could come back at them it was only after the visitors’ two enforced withdrawals that Rooney and Paul Scholes found the space to make a difference. Even that might have been too late had Kaka accepted his chance of a hat-trick.
With Patrice Evra suspended and Gary Neville still out, there is every chance United’s defence will be just as shambolic at the San Siro and Ferguson knows it. ‘We gave away two bad goals at home and if you lose goals like that what chance do you give yourself at this level in Europe?’ Ferguson asked rhetorically. ‘With the problems we have in defence I think there’s every chance we will concede again in Milan, but I think we’ll score as well. What we have to do is step up a gear, play really well and make sure we carry a goal threat, as we did against Juventus in 1999. This feels a bit like that situation. I wouldn’t say we are favourites, but we are in the lead and we’ve given ourselves a great chance. If you can go 2-1 down against AC Milan and still get the result we did on Tuesday you know you are on the right track, and I think we are. It could be any score in the second leg, the tie is that finely poised, but our ability to score could be the key.’
Conversely, Milan’s efforts to help Maldini and Gattuso recover fitness in time could be the key, though perhaps most important of all is the back line Ferguson announces. It says everything about the way his resources are stretched that he is considering rushing back not just Rio Ferdinand but Nemanja Vidic. At least if Ferdinand can shake off his groin strain he will not be short of match fitness. Vidic has not played since 31 March and is due for a scan on his broken collarbone tomorrow. Putting him straight into the defence at the San Siro would be a gamble, to say the least, but Ferguson is not ruling it out. ‘It depends on the scan,’ he said. ‘A good result and things could be looking up for us.’
Things are certainly looking up for Rooney, who took his goal tally for the season to 22 against Milan and, after adding to his total against Everton yesterday, has plenty of games left to win his bet with his manager by reaching 25. The goal drought appears to be over. ‘A few of the lads keep reminding me of that, but when I wasn’t scoring it never really bothered me because we were still winning games,’ Rooney said.
‘It doesn’t matter who scores in Milan as long as somebody does. Two years ago Milan away was a difficult game for young players like Darren Fletcher, Cristiano Ronaldo and myself. Players like Maldini and Nesta have all the experience and you can’t help being a little bit in awe. But I think we’ve grown up as individuals and matured as a team since then. We know each others’ game really well, we play to the end and I think we might be a bit more clinical now.’
Ferguson might be hoping for a repeat of Turin in the treble year, though deja vu is the last thing Scholes needs. Having missed one European Cup final through a booking in the semi-final second leg, the midfielder could still see it all happen again despite his careful tackling in the first leg. ‘Paul played the game in the right way on Tuesday, he stayed on his feet and made some good tackles, and he knows he’s got to do the same again,’ Ferguson said. ‘You can’t ask a midfielder not to make tackles, but if he avoids sliding in it shouldn’t be a problem.’
With the Liverpool v Chelsea tie just as delicately poised as the Milan v Manchester United one, it is impossible to predict whether the Premiership will be celebrating two teams in the final this week or wondering whether anyone will be good enough to topple Milan. Neither Chelsea nor Liverpool looked particularly scintillating at Stamford Bridge, though that is just the way they play against each other. Ferguson watched their game and found it ‘interesting, in a professional way’; fairly faint praise from a manager who described the game a day earlier as ‘a fantastic credit to European football’.
How does he think the other semi will go? ‘That’s a hard one, it’s a difficult game,’ he said. ‘One-nil is a good lead, with no away goal, but Liverpool’s home form has been fantastic. I think we are the only team that’s won there for a while.’
And which team would Ferguson fancy in the final? ‘If we reach the final I don’t mind who we play,’ he said. ‘I’d play anybody. The Glenbuck Cherrypickers if you like. A great final that would be. Who are the Glenbuck Cherrypickers? Bill Shankly’s old team. Know what a cherrypicker was? Cherrypickers used to stand at the top of the mine shaft to pick the stones out of the coal. We do education here as well you know.’
…
Sun: JOHN O’SHEA is loving every minute of being a Manchester United player — despite fearing he is being wound up by his team-mates.
The defender, who scored the first goal in the 4-2 win at Everton, is relishing Wednesday’s trip to Milan followed by the Manchester derby on Saturday.
O’Shea said: “You realise what the lads have gone through in the past. It’s a great time to be a United player.
“We are closer to the title but we will continue to look at it one game at a time.
“We have a massive derby coming up next week. City will be looking to turn us over and give Chelsea another lifeline.
“But we are confident going into the game now because of the way we are playing.”
As United made their comeback from 2-0 down at Goodison, O’Shea thought he was a victim of a Wes Brown wind-up when being told the score from Stamford Bridge.
He said: “When we got the fourth, Wes turned to me and said Chelsea were drawing with Bolton. I honestly thought he was joking.
“At the time, you are not concerned about it but when the result was confirmed in the dressing room it did give us a boost.
“We weren’t that concerned about Chelsea. We felt we had a more difficult game than they did but we are the ones who have come up trumps.”
Meanwhile, Italian World Cup-winning midfielder Gennaro Gattuso should be available for Milan.
Defender Paolo Maldini also missed the 1-0 weekend win over Torino with injury but coach Carlo Ancelotti said: “We still have four days to get him fit.”
Ancelotti has been impressed by the form of Alex Ferguson’s side.
He said: “They’ve extended their lead over Chelsea so they will have less pressure than they would have had with a bad result.
“But if we play like we did for an hour at Old Trafford we can do it.”
