If all went well for Manchester United fans in the Champions League, David Beckham would
sit on the Milan bench in the second leg until
the visitors' elimination in the last 16 tie was certain. Then,
with the opposition tamed, the Old Trafford crowd could celebrate
their former player unreservedly. The occasion, however, may not be
so mellow as all that and a reunion elsewhere must also hold
complexities.
Inter, who will take on Chelsea, are bound to hold the
attention, for good or ill, when José Mourinho returns to Stamford
Bridge, but there may be a gathering strength in the Italian
representatives as a whole. Fiorentina, who should now present a
grave challenge to Bayern Munich, won five of their six group
matches and played their part in the ejection of Liverpool by
beating them home and away.
There has been a small but significant improvement at Milan,
whom Beckham will join next month in a second loan spell from LA
Galaxy. Having arrived for his first stint in good time to be part
of the elimination by Werder Bremen in the obscurity of the last 32
of Uefa Cup, he did help his side achieve automatic qualification
for the Champions League as they finished third in Serie A.
While there has been no transformation, Milan do feel more
encouraged nowadays. Despondency had initially appeared likely
after Leonardo switched from technical director to coach and so
replaced Carlo Ancelotti despite lacking the usual qualifications.
Early results, such as a 4-0 trouncing in the Milan derby, were
galling. On the Champions League front, they must have been
anguished after conceding a goal to FC Zürich in the 10th minute
and then failing to counter.
The following match in the tournament, however, resembled a
revolution when Alexandre Pato scored twice as Real were beaten 3-2
in the Bernabéu. It was a triumph, with a forthright team
selection, that seemed to epitomise the way in which Leonardo has
imposed himself. Difficulties remain, with Milan restricted to a
1–1 draw away to Zürich, but there is more vigour.
Beckham, indeed, faces a challenge to make the starting line-up.
Pato, Marco Borriello and Ronaldinho, whose fitness has improved
somewhat, make up a three-man attack that also has Clarence Seedorf
in close support. If the Englishman has his eye on an elder
statesman's post in front of the defence, he may have to pull off
the unlikely feat of deposing Andrea Pirlo. While Beckham could
expect to be preferred to Massimo Ambrosini in that same area of
the midfield, the Italian is more convincing at stopping
opponents.
It will be a further sign of Milan's progress if their defence,
too, is obstinate. That could be beyond their scope, however, if
Alessandro Nesta is unable to plug as many gaps as he does in Serie
A. On the other hand, United have work ahead to demonstrate that
they can still overwhelm opponents as they did so readily when
Cristiano Ronaldo was on the books. Sir Alex Ferguson should expect
to advance, but the tie might still be more redolent than he would
wish of gruelling encounters with Milan in the past.
In principle, Mourinho's Inter should be even more formidable
when it comes to putting Premier League adversaries in jeopardy. It
is certain that he will be welcomed with an unqualified ardour that
he cannot always enjoy at San Siro. The manager has always seemed
to have a low boredom threshold and when Sandro Mazzola aired the
possibility of Mourinho being sacked, the Portuguese spoke of his
critic as if he were a nobody whose fame as a great creative
midfielder of the 1960s had long since expired.
The origins of the dispute lay in the doubts that surrounded
Inter's prospects of qualifying from their group. Mourinho's side
only went through with the relatively undistinguished total of nine
points after beating Rubin Kazan in the last match. Mourinho's
squad is extensive but it can look stale. The arrival of Wesley
Sneijder has, however, addressed that to a degree and, when fit, he
can send the team into menacing attacks.
Last season, they were goalless against Manchester United at
this stage in the tournament and conceded two at Old Trafford. The
rivalry with Sir Alex Ferguson was, in effect, suspended because of
Mourinho's inadequate means. It remains to be seen if his resources
are significantly enhanced this time.
A tie with Chelsea does fascinate because of the emotional
tangle it may embody for the Inter manager, but a seemingly plain
encounter elsewhere has its dangers for a Premier League club.
Porto, who take on Arsenal, were second in their group purely
because of their two defeats to Chelsea, opponents who also looked
markedly better than Arsène Wenger's team in the recent Premier
League encounter.
The remaining group games were all won by Porto, with Atlético
Madrid overcome twice and the manager, Jesualdo Ferreira, has taken
the domestic title in each of his three seasons there. They may
simply be a sound team, yet that will test an Arsenal side still
under development.