There is no tougher pill to swallow than the pill of defeat. Wait, yes there is. Watching your team get absolutely obliterated by Barcelona 4-0 and be ousted from the Champions League is definitely tougher to swallow. A game I had such high hopes for ended in such disappointed. Barcelona threw the kitchen sink at Milan and they had no response. From start to finish Milan were rattled. They lacked confidence and their inexperience was vibrant throughout. Milan played poorly but Barca executed their plan to perfection and eliminated Milan with a combined 4-2 aggregate score. Time to break this one down.
Leo Messi. Well do I have to say anymore? The guy isn’t human I swear. Just when you think he’s down and out he’ll prove you wrong time and time again. He beat Milan twice today. First in the 5th minute and then again in the 41st minute. His first goal was a thing of beauty watching the ball sail into the top left corner left my grandfather and I speechless. Without a doubt, Messi was the man of the match.
I personally think Messi would be nothing with Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. Remember that’s MY OPINION. These two Barcelona veterans were stellar tonight. They won balls in the air, were making passes that had Milan scratching their heads, and were just working hard all over the pitch. In addition to Messi, the performances of these two cannot be overlooked.
Not to take anything away from Barcelona, but this was no doubt Milan’s worst performance of the season. Their passing was horrendous and they were all over the place defensively. This looked like the Milan defense from the beginning of the season. The same defense that saw them slip to 15th in the Serie A table.
I usually love analyzing players performances, but today’s will not be fun. I’ll start in net with Christian Abbiati. It’s really tough to call. He was pretty much helpless on all 4 goals. Made a few key saves but it wasn’t nearly enough. Overall: 4.5/10.
Left back Kevin Constant has been amazing for Milan this season, but my goodness did he stink up the place today. Countless giveaways, he was easily pushed off the ball, and constantly caught out of position. His effort to intercept the pass to David Villa that resulted in Barca’s 3rd goal, was the final nail in the coffin. Huge let down today. Overall: 3.5/10
Center backs Cristian Zapata and Philippe Mexes were equally awful today and they will get the same rating. Zapata is a liability and there is always a strong chance Mexes will pick up a red card. Mexes finished the game with 4 fouls and yellow card. Need I say more? Overall: 4.5/10
Right back Ignazio Abate actually had a decent game. He was one of the few brighter spots today. His speed and stamina is remarkable and it allows him to get up the pitch and send crosses into the box. Almost like Barcelona’s Dani Alves, except Alves can cross. Abate had a few solid crosses today but nothing came of it. He couldn’t get involved as much as he would have like because Barca were sure to keep the ball on Constant’s side of the field. Well played Barca, well played. Overall: 6/10
Il capitano Massimo Ambrosini was a close second for worst player today. With all his experience you would expect him to come out and play physically to try and inspire his team. Not only did that not happen but his passing was inaccurate and he was caught out of position on Barca’s second goal. Overall: 4/10
Former Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo was no where to be seen until the 75th minute. He had about 15 touches in the first half. Not nearly enough for someone who’s suppose to be a reggista in the midfield and distribute the ball. Overall: 5/10
Mathieu Flamini was a surprise choice to the starting 11 since Muntari was fit to play. I don’t understand Allegri’s reasoning for starting him in this one. Like many others, he under performed and like Montolivo was unseen for most of the match. Overall: 4.5/10.
Mbaye Niang had the chance to put Milan ahead in the 39th minute. After a Javier Mascherano misplay, he was through on goal and hit the post. Just 79 seconds later, Messi made it 2-0 Barcelona. Aside from this, Niang was average. His passing was just okay and his off the ball runs were nothing spectacular. One thing the 18 year old Frenchman did gain was a ton of experience. Overall: 5/10
Stephan El Shaarawy was disappointing. His passing was as bad as I’ve ever seen and the shots he took never really threatened Victor Valdes. Again the 20 year old gains experience but I would have liked to see him do better today. Overall: 4.5/10
Kevin-Prince Boateng aggravates me. He passes when he should shoot, and shoots when he should pass. Not to mention he was offsides twice in the last 15 minutes and it was simply because he was lazy and didn’t sprint back onside. One positive out of today was he held possession better than any other Milan player. Boateng was the hero in the first leg but disappointed this leg. Overall: 5/10.
Robinho, Bojan, and Sulley Muntari were substitutes today and their impact was seen right away. Robinho brought life to Milan and Bojan had something to prove against his former club. These three didn’t play enough and it’s unfair to give them a rating.
Today was a tough game to watch. Now Milan’s attention returns to Serie A where they will hope for a top 3 finish and secure a spot in next years Champions League. We will see if this dismantling by Barcelona helps or hurts Milan in the weeks to come.
Forza Milan!!!
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