Club Focus - Milan - Rossoneri must start winning to build confidence and save Leonardo

Milan can no longer afford to drop points as they try to overcome Udinese for the first time this season. A loss would cause them to lose touch with Roma who are currently making a strong run for second place. Udinese defeated Milan twice this season including the 1-0 win in the Coppa Italia.

With il Diavolo winless in four games the pressure is intensifying on Coach Leonardo as he faces another period of uncertainty similar to the one at the beginning of the season. Milan’s players were able to overcome their earlier difficulty by sticking to Leonardo’s plans and rewarding the Coach’s faith in them. He has confirmed this is the most important month of the campaign, a win against Manchester United over the two legs is a must or else he risks losing his job at the end of the season. In the past few days there were reports about potential Coaches taking over if Leonardo fails with Rafael Benítez one of those candidates named.

Victory against Udinese will raise morale at Milanello after weeks of gloom and uncertainty. The match has been given additional impetus considering it will serve as a preparatory clash ahead of the encounter with the Red Devils. Two familiar faces in the shape of legends Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini were reportedly at Milanello to show their solidarity with the team. Maldini retired at the end of last season so he is familiar with most of the current players. According to Adriano Galliani both Alessandro Nesta and Alexandre Pato should be fit to face the English team, so it will be interesting to see whether Leonardo will give them a cameo run off the bench or perhaps even start them. Nesta has only been missing as of late but Pato might be in need of some minutes on the pitch to get back into playing routine.

One player likely to be dropped for the Champions League will be Clarence Seedorf. The Dutch midfielder did not impress against Livorno and Bologna so he might feature on the bench while Gennaro Gattuso or Mathieu Flamini will start giving Andrea Pirlo more freedom to roam further up the pitch. Leonardo might be concerned with the physical nature of the Premier League champions and may opt for muscle as opposed to Seedorf’s skills, particularly with the Dutchman struggling for form. The Red Devils have suffered a blow prior to the first-leg with Ryan Giggs expected to miss both ties against the Rossoneri. The Welshman has a fractured forearm and his leadership will be sorely missed. Nevertheless, they have experienced players who have won the European trophy but Milan’s core is superior experience wise with a number of players having won the Champions League and the World Cup. This is precisely why the absence of Giggs will be hard felt on and off the pitch given his experience on the European scene.

The Rossoneri were rather passive during the January market but they have stepped up their activity in terms of confirming personnel. Full-backs Ignazio Abate and Luca Antonini have extended their contracts to keep them at Milanello until 2014. Abate has been deputising as a right-back with Massimo Oddo and Gianluca Zambrotta out injured while Antonini has impressed on the left flank. Both were nurtured in Milan’s academy before getting farmed out on loan or co-ownership deals to other clubs in order to gain experience. While the two Italians are set to remain with the Rossoneri, one of the old faces is likely experiencing his last days in Milan. Georgian Kakha Kaladze is apparently on the verge of moving to either Rubin Kazan or Zenit St. Petersburg. We recently reported the unlikelihood of seeing the Georgian on the pitch in Milan colours again. Leonardo chose to stick with the older Giuseppe Favalli when Nesta was injured and then opted for Daniele Bonera the moment he was fit again. His departure will signal the end of an era for the back-line as Nesta will become the oldest serving defender on the roster.

Lost in the midst of all this is the status of Marco Borriello who is suffering from an injury which could explain the slight dip in form in the last couple of games. Borriello’s presence is critical given Leonardo’s reluctance to use veteran Filippo Inzaghi and the lack of playing time afforded to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Inzaghi is no stranger to European ties and if Borriello misses then the goal poacher will likely step-in ahead of Huntelaar. Again the game against the Zebrette will give clues as to which players are available for selection and who will likely miss out due to injury or lack of form.