I scoff at this. From the end of the draw, I thought that in theory, it would be a showdown without suspense. Manchester United's strength has indeed dropped a lot compared with last year, but AC Milan has dropped even more. Based on my understanding of the current personnel structure and tactical system of both sides, I think Manchester United is likely to succeed in this revenge. Of course, there are many unexpected factors in the football match, and it is not enough to determine anything simply in theory. At that time, I dare not say that Manchester United will definitely eliminate Milan. After all, there are still more than two months before the game, and anything can happen. I can only say that in theory, Manchester United has a good chance of winning. I found that the officials, players and fans of AC Milan were generally satisfied with meeting Manchester United and thought that they would definitely pass the test, which surprised me.
Even after the first round home defeat (which is often the decisive factor in the strong dialogue), many Milan fans still have a one-sided understanding of reality, and the phenomenon of self-deception is serious: Milan did make a comeback in the away game when it lost at home, but please find out who the opponent was at that time. Manchester United did lose to Besiktas at home in the group stage, but please pay attention to the situation of Manchester United at that time. After winning all the first three races in the group stage, substitutes and youth training were basically used in the next three games. There are many aspects to things. You can't just see what's good for you and deliberately turn a blind eye to the whole.
What is even more ridiculous is that I think Leonardo's mentality is the same as that of an ordinary fan. Judging from two rounds of interviews between Leonardo and many Milan players, I dare say that AC Milan is blind now. Indeed, Milan beat Manchester United by two10 in 2005. In 2007, it was 2-3 at home, but Leonardo didn't know why Milan could eliminate Manchester United. I don't know why Milan was eliminated by Manchester United this time, and I don't know the difference between Manchester United in 2005, Manchester United in 2007 and Manchester United in 0 10. The most speechless thing is that he doesn't even know the difference between AC Milan in 2005, 2007, 20 10. Leonardo, like many AC Milan players and fans, did not look at the problem from the technical fields such as strength comparison, personnel structure and tactical play. Obviously, the strength has declined seriously, and the tactical system is full of loopholes, but it still maintains such a high-profile posture. It is simply thought that with the fighting spirit and the four golden words "AC Milan", Manchester United can eat for a lifetime; It is believed that as long as "we are AC Milan", we can ignore the reality and laws and create miracles from scratch.
I must say that after 2007, many of them still live in the illusion of memory.
The following is my review of the three wars between Manchester United and Milan in ten years. Let's analyze the showdown between Manchester United and Milan from a technical point of view.
Champions League quarter-finals in 2004-05
AC Milan in 2005
In 2005, Milan was at the peak of Ancelotti's tactical system, won the Champions League in 2003 and the Serie A championship in 2004. AC Milan in 2005 is more mature than the previous two years. Ancelotti's 4-3-2- 1/4-3- 1-2 tactical system was based on the stability of defense at the beginning, and at its peak, it consisted of Dida, Nesta, Stam, Cafu and Maldini. Except Nesta, the others are a little old, but not so old that they are all in the player profession.
Secondly, at that time, AC Milan had strong midfield control ability. Pirlo, one of the three midfielders, was once the core figure of Milan's offensive organization, with excellent ball control and passing skills. Seedorf is also in the most mature stage of his career, with good skills, strong control and comprehensive and balanced ability. As Pirlo's assistant and catcher, he can strengthen Milan's midfield ball control, and his ability in vertical breakthrough can help Milan complete the series of midfield and frontcourt. Gattuso is also in his prime, and his defensive sweeping ability is extremely strong, which ensures the defensive ability of Milan midfield. The function distribution of Milan's midfield trio is similar to that of Barcelona last year: Gattuso's function is equivalent to Yaya Toure, Pirlo's function is equivalent to Harvey, and Seedorf's function is similar to Iniesta.
Third, Milan had different types of frontcourt players at that time, forming a good combination. The three attacking players in the frontcourt are Kaka, striker Shevchenko, center Crespo or Inzaghi. Among them, the young Kaka's main role is to defend the team's starting speed and turn to the moment of attack. At that time, Milan's defense line was composed of four defenders+65,438+0 backcourt, which was relatively stable and had Pirlo who could pass the ball accurately. After receiving Pirlo's transfer pass, Kaka with amazing speed could quickly take the ball to the other side's danger zone. It has two meeting points, Shevchenko and Crespo. Crespo is a center in the traditional restricted area, and his ability to seize opportunities and air superiority is quite good. At that time, Shevchenko had just won the Golden Globe Award, with comprehensive skills and a large amount of activities, so AC Milan's defensive counterattack was extremely threatening at that time.
When the team turned to attack, Milan midfielder's ball control ability kept the ball running under his feet, and the other side could not grab it easily, so he was accidentally infiltrated; If the other side also defends intensively and Milan needs a strong attack, then Ancelotti's choice will be the winger. Although the two full-backs are a little old, they are both famous and can defend and attack. In addition, Shevchenko and Kaka often take turns to pull the ball to help Maldini and Cafu get through the wingers, and there are absolute killer centers Inzaghi or Crespo in the penalty area. So at that time, AC Milan reached its peak in defense, attack and control. The team's tactical system is very balanced and there are no obvious loopholes. It is possible to retreat and counterattack, and it is also possible to control the offensive position. Players are experienced and can freely control and switch various rhythms. The most difficult thing for Milan at that time was the sudden change of two rhythms: fast and slow, attack and defense. As for why AC Milan lost to Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final, I think it is more luck and psychological factors. From all aspects, Liverpool at that time was far behind Milan, but it was a bit magical that night.
Manchester United in 2005
However, in the 2004-05 season, Manchester United was at a low point. Many fans should remember that it was a season in which Manchester United lost the Champions League for two consecutive years. Last year, it was supposed to be caused by the referee's misjudgment, but both rounds lost to Milan 0-/kloc-0, without any excuse. In other events, Manchester United was completely overwhelmed by Chelsea in the Premier League, Arsenal was eliminated in the FA Cup final, and Chelsea beat them in the Carling Cup semi-final in two rounds.
Because Queiroz defected to Real Madrid at that time and Veron was purged from the team, Manchester United basically continued the classic 4-4-2 tactics in 2004-05. In terms of personnel, at that time, the Manchester United defence was led by Ferdinand, with Brown or Sylvester as partners. They had cultivated the psychological quality of Manchester United fans to a calm level. On the right, he joined the team at the peak, and on the left, he is desperate Saburo Heinze. Maybe at first glance, it's ok, but if I tell you again, in 2005, Manchester United's own weakness is very obvious: the first thing is that Manchester United failed to cure the goalkeeper's ills for several seasons. If Ferdinand's Manchester United defence is passable, the goalkeeper is really hopeless. After Schmeichel, so many goalkeepers have been tried and failed, from Bosnick, Van der Hu, Taibi, butters, Howard, and now Carol.
The midfield continued the four-man attack system from 65438 to 0999, but the young Cristiano Ronaldo replaced Beckham who left Real Madrid. At that time, Manchester United's second problem, which was also the most fatal problem, was that the control ability and offensive ability of the midfield were seriously reduced compared with that of that year. Over the years, the golden midfield combination of 1999 triple crown has been dragging this team forward. In the case of defensive problems of this team, it still maintains the operation of this team with high control and high attack, but the problem is: time is up. No one can be young forever. These past "children" are finally getting old. Watching David Beckham play central defender in Real Madrid, and watching the remaining three people in this Manchester United team, you will find that no one can escape the erosion of time.
Beckham was born in1May 2, 975. He celebrated his 30th birthday this season. Triple crown season, he is 24 years old.
Giggs was born in 1973,165438+1October 29th. This season, he spent 3 1 birthday. Triple crown season, he is 25 years old.
Scholes was born in1974 165438+1October16, and he celebrated his 30th birthday this season. Triple crown season, he is 24 years old.
Keane was born on 197 1 August 10, and he is 33 years old this season. Triple crown season, he is 27 years old.
Everyone has grown six years old, from young people who are full of energy at the peak of their bodies to veterans whose physical functions have declined sharply. The passage of these years is like the loss of their standards, and no one can avoid it; Maybe in some competitions, they can regain their former glory, but they can't stick to such a high level all season. Scholes has been the best since the 2004-05 season, and the shadow striker remains the same, but he can't maintain his athletic ability as before. Ryan Giggs has lost his speed, explosiveness and confrontational ability, but he has not found a suitable way to play (Ryan Giggs' transformation should have started in the second half of the 2005-06 season), and he has continued the style of running wildly on the side, with poor results. And the old captain Keane has completely shown his old age; Although Ferguson replaced Beckham with Cristiano Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo was still a child at that time, and his self-care style could not be integrated into Manchester United's midfield system, which continued from 1999 to the present, making the midfielder even more blind. The decline of Manchester United's midfield ability leads to the weakening of the ability to control the game, which further aggravates the exposure of defensive problems.
1999 The midfield quartet in the Triple Crown was famous for its rich offensive means and aggressive style. However, when Keane, Scholes, Beckham and Giggs, aged 27, 24 and 25, originally performed the midfield tactical routine, they were replaced by Keane, aged 33, Scholes, aged 3/KLOC-0 and Cristiano Ronaldo, aged 20. When 20-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo appeared in Beckham's position, Ruud van Nistelrooy was the most depressed. Center Ruud van Nistelrooy relies heavily on the support of the midfield, especially the support of the two wings. However, at that time, Cristiano Ronaldo insisted on playing by himself, and the cross on the side was like arthritis, which made the king of the restricted area basically unable to grab the point. If Ruud van Nistelrooy can't get to the point, I think there should be few people in the world.
At that time, Manchester United's third problem was the star-studded striker line: Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rooney, alan smith and Louis Saha, also four strikers. In 1999, York, Cole, Sheringham and Solskjaer were used in rotation, but they all performed well and made their own contributions. Sacchi, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Louis Saha and Alan Smith in the 2004-05 season may be much better than the four strikers in 1999, but there is no scene of alternating and harmonious flashes in 1999. It can be seen that the accumulation of multi-forwards should not only consider their personal strength, but also consider the complementarity of their technical and tactical styles, the hierarchy of age and the particularity of their personal personality. This season, Manchester United's four strikers can be said to be the three terminators in their prime, plus a second center who is too young, which makes people feel a little wasteful of resources.
2005 Manchester United 0: 1 AC Milan -AC Milan 1: 0 Manchester United.
At this time, Manchester United met Milan at this time, and the result can be imagined. The decline of Manchester United's midfield control organization ability makes Milan's midfield control the game from beginning to end. Although the final score was not big, in terms of content, Manchester United was in Milan's hands from beginning to end, while Milan, who seemed to be playing Tai Chi Chuan, skillfully grasped the rhythm of the game. The sudden change in rhythm exposed the problems behind Manchester United. From Carroll to Brown to Sylvester, there are too many time bombs in Manchester United's defense. Carol's mistake made Milan win at Old Trafford 1-0, which also laid the final outcome of this series.
The two wars between Milan and Manchester United in 2005 were completely overwhelming in typical tactics and strength. Manchester United's loopholes are too obvious, while Milan's loopholes are few. At that time, Milan focused on mastering the rhythm of the game, looking down at Manchester United, waiting for the problems of Manchester United's defense line to be gradually exposed, and suddenly changing the rhythm to attack their own weaknesses, they could knock Manchester United down. However, Manchester United's control ability is far less than that of Milan at that time. It has no ability to bring the game back to its own rhythm, occasionally find its own rhythm, and is also limited by its own lack of offensive means, which simply cannot pose too much threat to Milan. So although both games were 0: 1 and the score was not big, Manchester United could not see the hope of winning. "Lack of ability" is the best summary of Manchester United's performance in this series. I think everyone can see that Milan was better than Manchester United in 2005. Milan is a complete master in understanding, implementing and executing tactics, while Manchester United is completely ignorant.
In 2005, Manchester United lost in personnel strength and tactical system.