CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

All white on the night Milan’s preparations for the Champions League Final were as methodical as ever. As Antonio Labbate explains, nothing was left to chance...

Superstitious Milan chief Adriano Galliani did all he could before kick off to ensure a Rossoneri victory

After still struggling to come to terms with their 2005 Champions League Final loss, Milan chief Adriano Galliani was taking no chances with the club’s build-up to the Athens showdown this time around. Keen to avoid a Greek tragedy, the superstitious Galliani made sure that the omens were in their favour before the Liverpool showdown. Firstly, the club rejected the chance to have an extra day of rest for the tie. The Lega Calcio would have allowed them to play their Week 37 game on a Friday evening, but the Rossoneri were taking no chances and opted to take on Udinese 24 hours later instead. “To exorcise the ghost of Istanbul we won’t be playing on a Friday like we did two years ago,” Galliani had revealed. “I’ve noticed that we’ve lost two Finals when bringing our games forward to the end of a week so we haven’t gone down that road this time.”

The San Siro giants also rejected the opportunity to step on to the Athens turf in their recognisable red and black shirts. Despite being drawn by UEFA as the home side for the Final, the Milanese hierarchy chose to use their white away strip as they did in Turkey two years ago. “That is our shirt when it comes to European Cup Finals,” added the Vice-President. “We wore it in our first triumph at Wembley in 1963 and we will therefore go forward with it, whether we win or lose.” “I will also wear my ‘lucky’ tie as usual,” smiled the former Lega Calcio chief. “I certainly won’t be going to Greece without a yellow tie in my suitcase...” The white jersey was considered as a lucky charm for the club before the penalty shoot-out loss in 2005. Prior to that they had worn it in the victorious finales of 1963 and 1990 against Benfica, versus Steaua Bucharest in 1989, Barcelona in 1994 – in Athens – and Juventus in 2003. Now Liverpool in 2007 can join the list.

Milan netted the Champions League with a professional rather than scintillating display. Antonio Labbate gives you his run down of the Rossoneri’s individual Greek contributions

Nelson Dida: 6.5 A solid display to end a problematic season characterised by some costly errors. Alert and authoritative throughout, he convinced with decisive saves from Jermaine Pennant and Steven Gerrard. Blameless for the goal conceded. Massimo Oddo: 6.5 Decent display on the right where he got forward as much as possible and surprised the odd onlooker with some fine tackles. His January capture was more than justified at the end of the 90 minutes. Alessandro Nesta: 7.5 Milan’s best player at the back without a shadow of a doubt. The Italian illustrated his full repertoire of skills when it comes to positional sense and tackling ability. He can’t pass that well, but boy can he block. Paolo Maldini: 6.5 Unable to stop the sands of time, the veteran used his vast experience to control the Liverpool front line. The odd dodgy moment and misplaced pass made sure it wasn’t his greatest Final display but he was still vital. Marek Jankulovski: 5.5 Decent going forward, but was Milan’s weakest link at the back and Liverpool knew it. He was forced into numerous errors and looked insecure in the tackle. He’s simply not a defender. Gennaro Gattuso: 5.5 More bark than bite. Gave it his all even if he struggled to make the sort of midfield impact that he was hoping for. Liverpool’s pressing game highlighted his lack of technique.

Reds double losers

12 Calcio Italia June 2007