roma 2 milan 3, viva ibra

AS Roma: Maarten Stekelenburg; Marco Cassetti, Nicolas Burdisso, Juan (Gabriel Heinze 71'), Jose Angel; David Pizarro, Daniele De Rossi, Fernando Gago (Erik Lamela 63'); Miralem Pjanic; Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, Fabio Borini (Bojan Krkic 38')

AC Milan: Christian Abbiati; Ignazio Abate, Alessandro Nesta, Thiago Silva, Gianluca Zambrotta; Alberto Aquilani, Mark Van Bommel, Antonio Nocerino (Massimo Ambrosini 88'); Kevin-Prince Boateng ( Urby Emanuelson 66'); Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho (Antonio Cassano 73')


In-form AC Milan inflicted a home defeat on Roma today to move to the top of the Serie A standings - at least for a few hours.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic put the visitors ahead in the 17th minute before Nicolas Burdisso equalised shortly after.

Alessandro Nesta restored AC Milan's lead at the half-hour mark.

Ibrahimovic gave Milan a two-goal cushion with his second goal of the game in the 78th minute.

Roma substitute Bojan reduced the arrears three minutes from time but Milan held on for their fourth straight league victory.

The result saw Milan go one point clear of Juventus, who were playing at Inter later.

Roma, meanwhile, have gone down to their third loss in four games.

The visitors went ahead in what was their first chance of the contest.

Ibrahimovic got behind Alberto Aquilani's cross from the right and his powerful header beat Roma goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

Roma struggled to break Milan's defence until the 28th minute when Burdisso scored his first goal of the season. He ran into the six-yard box to meet Miralem Pjanic's cross with his head and beat AC Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.

Roma's joy was short-lived as Milan went back in front two minutes later.

Robinho's cross following a corner was met by Nesta, who nodded past Stekelenburg.

Bojan missed a chance to restore parity in first-half stoppage time when he fired wide from a good angle.

Roma continued to push forward after the break and Nesta made a brilliant tackle to deny Bojan, who was one-on-one with Abbiati to beat.

Before the hour mark, Pjanic's well-struck free-kick was palmed over the bar spectacularly by Abbiati before the keeper

produced another great save to deny Osvaldo.

Roma could not get back on terms during that spell however, and Milan were soon back on the attack and celebrating their third goal as Ibrahimovic showed excellent precision to head Aquilani's cross into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal.

The game was not over, though, as Bojan reduced the deficit three minutes from time.

Bojan struck the ball into the back of the net after Abbiati was unable to hold on to substitute Erik Lamela's bullet strike.

Roma pushed men forward in search of a late equaliser, but the Milan defence held firm to preserve the three points.

INDONESIA

AC Milan berhasil meraih tiga angka dari lawatannya ke Olimpico. Zlatan Ibrahimovic mencetak dua gol dan membawa Rossoneri meraih kemenangan 2-3 atas AS Roma di Olimpico, Sabtu (29/10/2011) malam.

Kemenangan ini mebawa Milan naik ke puncak klasemen sementara Seri A dengan 17 poin. Sedangkan bagi Roma, kekalahan ini membuat mereka tertahan di peringkat 10 dengan 11 angka.

Jalannya Pertandingan

Roma membuka peluang lewat Marco Cassetti di menit keempat. Namun tembakannya masih masih melayang di atas gawang Christian Abbiati.

Berselang tiga menit, Fabio Borini kembali menciptakan peluang untuk tim tuan rumah. Tendangan kaki kananya dari dalam kotak penalti masih bisa diselamatkan Abbiati.

Ibrahimovic akhirnya membawa Milan unggul di menit 17. Menyambut umpan Alberto Aquilani, sundulan bomber Swedia itu tak mampu dihalau oleh kiper Maarten Stekelenburg.

Roma menyamakan kedudukan di menit 28 lewat sundulan Nicolas Burdisso. Berawal dari sepakan pojok Miralem Pjanic, bek asal Argentina itu menyundul bola ke pojok kanan gawang.

Skor 1-1 hanya bertahan kurang dua menit. Milan kembali unggul melalui sundulan Alessandro Nesta, yang juga memanfaatkan sepak pojok yang dilakukan Robinho.

Babak pertama berakhir 1-2 untuk keunggulan Milan.

Dua menit babak kedua berjalan, Ibrahimovic membuka peluang untuk Milan. Namun upayanya masih berhasil digagalkan oleh Burdisso.

Roma memperoleh peluang di menit 55. Memanfaatkan umpan terobosan Daniel Osvaldo, Bojan Krkic melepaskan tendangan ke arah gawang yang masih bisa dihalau Nesta.

Miralem Pjanic nyaris membawa Roma menyamakan kedudukan di menit 57. Namun tendangan bebasnya masih berhasil ditepis oleh Abbiati.

Di menit 78 Milan memperbesar keunggulannya menjadi 3-1, lagi-lagi lewat sundulan Ibrahimovic. Roma cuma berhasil menambah satu gol lagi via Bojan di menit 87, dan mereka harus mengakhiri pertandingan sebagai pihak yang kalah.

Napoli 1 Milan 2 , Binho and Ibra scores

Napoli: De Sanctis; Campagnaro, Grava, Aronica; Maggio (Yebda 23), Gargano (Dumitru 84), Pazienza, Dossena; Hamsik (Sosa 68), Lavezzi, Cavani

Milan: Abbiati; Bonera, Nesta, Papastathopoulos, Antonini (Oddo 12); Boateng, Pirlo, Gattuso (Flamini 87); Robinho; Pato, Ibrahimovic (Seedorf 75)





AC Milan climbed into sole possession of second place in Serie A after a 2-1 victory at 10-man Napoli.

Man of the Match: amazingly… Oddo!

Robinho opened the scoring for the visitors midway through the first half before Napoli's Michele Pazienza was handed his marching orders on the stroke of half-time after picking up a second yellow card.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic doubled Milan's lead in the 71st minute before Ezequiel Lavezzi reduced the arrears seven minutes later.

However, the Rossoneri held on for their fourth-straight league victory.

The result leaves Milan two points behind league leaders Lazio and two points clear of defending champions Inter, who were held to a 1-1 draw against Sampdoria on Sunday.

Milan went into the game on the back of last week's 2-0 Champions League defeat at Real Madrid.

The Rossoneri had a lively start and Robinho was first to test Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis with a left-footed strike from outside the area which the keeper saved.

Midway through the first half, Robinho put the visitors in front.

The Brazilian played a one-two with Massimo Oddo before firing past De Sanctis from the centre of the area.

Napoli replied with Edison Cavani's shot from the six-yard box going just wide before Lavezzi's cross found Marek Hamsik and his effort went over the bar.

But their cause was dealt a major blow when Pazienza was given his second yellow card after a foolish handball.

On the stroke of half-time Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati made a great save, palming Lavezzi's powerful header over the bar.

Napoli kept the pressure on after the restart and should have restored parity when Lavezzi got on the end of Andrea Dossena's cross but he struck the ball wide of the target.

On the hour mark Abbiati did well to save Hamsik's right-footed strike from seven yards but, just when Napoli looked at their most dangerous, Milan doubled their lead.

Oddo provided the cross from the right and Ibrahimovic headed past De Sanctis.

Napoli continued to push forward and were rewarded when Lavezzi struck from the right side of the six-yard box to beat Abbiati.

With seven minutes remaining, Walter Gargano missed a great chance to pull his team level by firing wide.

Milan almost grabbed a third but De Sanctis did well to deny Robinho and substitute Mathieu Flamini in the dying seconds of the game.



INDONESIA VERSION
AC Milan membawa tiga poin dari lawatannya ke Napoli. Masing-masing satu gol yang dilesakkan Robinho dan Zlatan Ibrahimovic memberi Rossoneri kemenangan 2-1 dan naik ke posisi dua klasemen.

Inilah kemenangan pertama Milan di kandang Napoli setelah yang terakhir mereka dapat tahun 1998 silam. Lebih penting dari itu, hasil laga di Stadio San Paolo, Selasa (26/10/2010) dinihari ini membawa Andrea Pirlo cs menggusur Inter Milan di posisi dua dengan poin 17, tertinggal dua poin dari Lazio di posisi teratas.

Milan membuka keunggulan melalui sepakan Robinho di 22 sebelum diperbesar oleh Zlatan dengan tandukan kepalanya di menit 71. Napoli, yang sejak akhir babak pertama harus bermain dengan 10 orang, memperkecil ketinggalan di menit 78 melalui gol cantik Ezequiel Lavezzi.

Jalannya Pertandingan

Milan tampil percaya diri dan mengusai jalannya pertandingan di menit-menit awal laga. Menurunkan Robinho dan Kevin Prince Boateng untuk menggantikan Ronaldinho dan Clarence Seedorf, Rossoneri terus menekan pertahanan tuan rumah.

Upaya Rossoneri membuka keunggulan dimulai dengan sepakan Genarro Gattuso di menit tujuh dan Robinho delapan menit berselang yang belum mampu merepotkan kiper Morgan De Sanctis. Bencana malah datang buat tim tamu menyusul cedera yang dialami Luca Antonini, bertabrakan dengan pemain lawan dia harus keluar lapangan sambil ditandu dan menggunakan penyangga leher.

Tekanan demi tekanan Milan baru membuahkan hasil di menit 22 melalui Robinho. Melakukan kerjasama satu-dua dengan Oddo, yang masuk menggantikan Antonini, Robinho melepaskan sepakan terarah yang sama sekali tak bisa dibaca De Sanctis. 1-0 Milan unggul.

Gol tersebut membangkitkan Napoli untuk tampil berani menyerang. Pergerakan cepat Edison Cavani, Marek Hamsik dan Ezeguiel Lavezzi membuat lini belakang Milan pontang-panting.

Di menit 26 Hamsik membuang peluang saat upayanya mengarahkan bola umpan terobosan dari sisi kanan tidak mengarah ke gawang, padahal aksinya menjatuhkan diri tersebut cuma berjarak sekitar lima meter dari Cristian Abbiati.

Jelang turun minum Napoli malah harus kehilangan seorang pemainnya setelah wasit memberi kartu kuning kedua untuk Pazienza.

Di masa injury time peluang emas lain tuan rumah datang dari tandukan Cavani saat menyongsong umpan diagonal dari Hamsik. Bola sepertinya akan masuk ke gawang karena mengarah ke sudut atas, namun Abbiati membuat penyelamatan gemilang dengan menepis si kulit bundar.

Sebuah sepakan Robinho yang lemah dan mengarah tepat ke De Sanctis membuka jalannya babak kedua. Setelah itu gantian Lavezzi yang memporak-porandakan barisan belakang Milan dengan aksi individunya dan terpaksa harus dijatuhkan oleh Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

Milan punya peluang memperbesar keunggulan di menit 56 saat Pato gagal mengirim bola pada Robinho dan Ibra. Bola yang coa dikirim Pato pada dua rekannya yang berdiri bebas itu dipotong De Sanctis.

Meski bermain dengan 10 orang, Napoli tetap tampil dengan gagah berani dalam laga babak kedua. Mereka malah berhasil memaksa Milan lebih banyak bertahan dan hanyan mengandalkan Pato di lini depan. Salah satu peluang lain yang berhasil didapat adalah saat sepakan keras Hamsik masih bisa dihadang Abbiati.

Memasuki menit 71 Milan mampu menambah keunggulannya menjadi 2-0. Bermula dari umpan Oddo di sisi kanan, bola mengarah tepat pada Ibra yang berdiri tanpa kawalan di muka gawang. Tandukan bertenaga striker Swedia itu tak bisa ditepis De Sanctis dan mengubah kedudukan.

Kembali Napoli seperti tak terpengaruh dengan ketertinggalan dua gol. Setelah beberapa peluang yang dimiliki, mereka akhirnya mampu memperkecil ketinggalan lewat gol indah yang dibuat Lavezzi.

Menusuk ke kotak penalti, Lavezzi terjatuh saat dijepit Alessandro Nesta dan Sokratis. Saat mencoba bangkit, bola ternyata tak beranjak jauh dari Lavezzi yang membuat striker asal Argentina itu bisa langsung menyungkilnya meski dalam posisi tubuh sambil terjatuh. Si kulit bundar melambung tinggi melewati Abbiati yang mencoba mempersempit ruang gerak dan masuk ke dalam gawang. 2-1 masih buat Milan.

Setelah kerusuhan kecil yang melibatkan banyak pemain di menit 83, Milan kembali punya peluang menambah keunggulannya. Namun Mathieu Flamini gagal menceploskan bola melewati De Sanctis saat dia berdiri sendiri di sisi kanan kotak penalti usai dapat umpan dari Ibra.

Skor 2-1 untuk keunggulan Milan bertahan hingga laga usai.

Susunan Pemain

Napoli: De Sanctis; Campagnaro, Grava, Aronica; Maggio (Yebda 23), Gargano (Dumitru 84), Pazienza, Dossena; Hamsik (Sosa 68), Lavezzi, Cavani

Milan: Abbiati; Bonera, Nesta, Papastathopoulos, Antonini (Oddo 12); Boateng, Pirlo, Gattuso (Flamini 87); Robinho; Pato, Ibrahimovic (Seedorf 75)

Milan 1 Catania 1

MILAN: Abbiati, Bonera, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini; Boateng, Pirlo, Seedorf; Ronaldinho, Inzaghi, Ibrahimovic.
CATANIA: Andujar; Potenza, Silvestre, Spolli, Capuano; Carboni; Mascara, Izco, Biagianti, Ricchiuti; Lopez.

Milan failed to keep their 100 percent record at San Siro after being held by a determined Catania outfit during Saturday evening's posticipo.

The Rossoneri started brightly but were stunned on 27 minutes when Ciro Capuano made the most of a poor clearance to rifle home a volleyed finish from long range. Filippo Inzaghi levelled proceedings on the stroke of half time as he stabbed home in the six yard box in trademark fashion.

Milan threw everything at the visitors after the break but they lacked the luck in the final third needed to find the winning goal.

Both sides were forced to settle for a draw which moves them up to four points apiece in the standings. Despite an improved all round performance, the Diavolo left the field discontent after failing to win at San Siro for the first time this term.

A slow start to the encounter favoured Milan who took an early hold of possession looking to work from the back. Inzaghi was served with a golden chance on 13 minutes, but the usually razor sharp hitman snuffed his effort just yards from goal.

The Rossoneri looked far more convincing than their midweek showing in the Champions League and Massimiliano Allegri’s men dictated proceedings as they worked the ball around rapidly in attack.

Capuano stunned the home crowd on 26 minutes when he buried a shot into the back of the net from 25 yards. The Diavolo were stunned but there was little Christian Abbiati could do to block a stunning effort. The goal put the wind in Catania’s sails and Marco Giampaolo’s outfit were a different side, boosted by the lead.

Milan got themselves back into the game, however, on the stroke of half time when Inzaghi stabbed home following a rifled assist from Ronaldinho. The goal had been coming for the Rossoneri and they merited the equaliser for their insistent approach.


The Diavolo came out firing after the break and were unlucky not to take the lead when Mariano Andujar beat away Clarance Seedorf’s well taken strike.

Milan continued to get men forward in numbers but Catania were well organised at the back and made life difficult as they paid extra attention to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Giuseppe Mascara attempted a speculative drive on 65 minutes, but the Elefanti marksman could not find the bottom corner as Abbiati read the effort attentively.

Despite a late push the Rossoneri were unable to find the match-winning goal. Allegri’s men left the field with a point and the coach was left happy with the improved performance despite failure to secure victory.

The result leaves Milan two points off leaders Chievo after having played a game more than the Gialloblu. After holding the Rossoneri in the same fixture last year, Catania returned from the San Siro with another point, a feat which the Elefanti had never completed twice in a row before this evening.

Milan 1 Napoli 1

AC Milan failed to take full advantage of Inter Milan's draw against Palermo last night as they were held to a draw at home to Napoli and missed the opportunity to leapfrog their city rivals to the top of the Serie A table.

Hugo Campagnaro put a lively Napoli ahead in the 13th minute, but Filippo Inzaghi equalised 12 minutes later.

Napoli enjoyed the better of the first half while Milan improved in the second 45 minutes, but neither side did enough to deserve more than a point, which takes the Rossoneri back to within a single point of Inter.

Inter Milan's draw at Palermo last night meant Milan had the chance to move to the top of the table with a win, but Napoli had other ideas.

They started the brighter and deservedly went ahead in the 13th minute.

Lavezzi drew everybody to the near post where Christian Abbiati and Massimo Oddo got in each other's way and ended up in a heap as the Argentinian forward pulled the ball back to his compatriot Campagnaro, who side-footed the it into the completely empty goal.

Napoli were showing no fear at all with Lavezzi and Fabio Quagliarella combining well.

A second goal seemed more likely than an equaliser, but when you have Ronaldinho on the field, anything can happen.

And the Brazilian weaved his magic in the 25th minute, lifting a cross to Inzaghi, who was glued in his usual position underneath the crossbar to head in the equaliser.

Napoli did not lose belief, though, and both Lavezzi and Quagliarella had chances to restore their advantage before Leandro Rinaudo's header needed a goalline clearance from Andrea Pirlo to prevent the Rossoneri from going in at the interval behind.

Quagliarella fired a volley straight against Abbiati midway through the second half as the visitors continued to set the tone.

However, Amantino Mancini should have put the home side ahead moments later when he was sent through on goal by Clarence Seedorf, but the former Inter forward shot straight at Morgan De Sanctis.

As the clock ticked down, Milan finally began to show the urgency of a side who scented the chance of moving to the top of the league.

The crowd tried to play their part too while Milan coach Leonardo sent Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on as a fourth striker in place of Seedorf.

But they were still unable to find a way through while Napoli regularly threatened to hit them on the counterattack, finding plenty of room as Milan committed men forward.

In the end, though, a draw was the fair result, even if it means Milan remain second while Napoli join Genoa in seventh place.

AC Milan	Napoli
12 Christian Abbiati	26 Morgan De Sanctis
19 Giuseppe Favalli	77 Leandro Rinaudo
33 Thiaguinho	28 Paolo Cannavaro
15 Gianluca Zambrotta	14 Hugo Armando Campagnaro
44 Massimo Oddo	2 Gianluca Grava
21 Andrea Pirlo	23 Walter Gargano
16 Mathieu Flamini	5 Michele Pazienza
9 Filippo Inzaghi	7 Ezequiel Lavezzi
10 Clarence Seedorf	17 Marek Hamsik
80 Ronaldinho	27 Fabio Quagliarella
7 Pato	11 Cristian Maggio

Bologna 0- Milan 0

AC Milan fell 10 points behind city rivals Inter this afternoon after another uninspiring display at Bologna.

With Inter cruising past Cagliari 3-0 at the San Siro, a win for Leonardo's men was key to their hopes of keeping the pressure on their great rivals in the race for the Scudetto.

But a failure to find the back of the net - although they came mighty close, twice hitting the woodwork - maintained their poor recent run.

Having manoeuvred themselves into second place in Serie A behind Inter, things started to go wrong for the Rossoneri when they were outplayed in the Milan derby.

Since then they have crashed out of the Coppa Italia at the hands of Udinese and were held to a draw by relegation-threatened Livorno in a half-empty San Siro.

And there were signs of unrest in the Milan camp this week when Brazil star Ronaldinho was forced to deny he had held a three-night party in the lead-up to the Inter game.

On top of that, owner Silvio Berlusconi expressed his surprise at the signing of Mancini on loan from the Nerazzurri, saying he disagreed with the move.

It was hardly ideal preparation for a difficult clash against a side battling to preserve their top flight status.

And, although they started well - Andrea Pirlo hammering in a fifth-minute free-kick which produced a fine save from home goalkeeper Roberto Colombo - the hosts will argue they deserved a share of the spoils for their defensive resistance.

Bologna offered little going forward with their only first-half effort falling to former Italy striker Marco Di Vaio but his effort was comfortable for Dida.

Milan dominated possession but could find no way through a stubborn Bologna rearguard. The crowded penalty area forced Milan to try their luck from long range with Pirlo thrashing another shot over the bar with six minutes to go in what was a turgid first half.

Bologna had the first chance after the break, Di Vaio dispossessing Pirlo and setting off on a mazy run towards goal which was halted by a fine challenge from Luca Antonini.

Milan almost broke the deadlock after 57 minutes but luck came to the home side's rescue.

Bologna failed to clear their lines from a corner and the loose ball was turned towards goal by Ronaldinho but his shot cannoned back off the bar.

Colombo then saved well from Marco Borriello as Milan upped the tempo.

The Bologna keeper excelled himself once more with 21 minutes to go, diving bravely at the feet of substitute Klaas Jan Huntelaar after the Holland striker had been played in by Pirlo.

Milan dominated the closing stages with some wayward finishing and a lack of luck hampering their efforts to snatch all three points.

Leonardo's side thought they had won an 84th-minute penalty when Salvatore Lanna appeared to handle Ignazio Abate's right-wing cross but the referee waved play on.

Then, with a minute left, substitute David Beckham played a one-two with Borriello but the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star could only fire his shot wide from the edge of the area.

Milan came agonisingly close again in injury time when Mancini wriggled clear and whipped in a cross for Massimo Ambrosini but his header struck the bar.

Juventus vs AC Milan 0-3 - Full Highlights and Goals

AC Milan kept up the pressure on table-toppers and city rivals Inter Milan with a 3-0 win away to Juventus - a result which turns the heat firmly on home coach Ciro Ferrara.

JUVENTUS: Manninger; Grygera, Cannavaro, Chiellini, Grosso; Salihamidzic, Felipe Melo, Poulsen, Marchisio; Diego; Amauri.
MILAN: Dida; Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini; Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Beckham, Borriello, Ronaldinho.



Alessandro Nesta put Milan ahead in the 29th minute with Ronaldinho adding a second in the 72nd minute as Juve struggled to produce a performance that would ease the calls for Ferrara's head.

Another goal from Ronaldinho two minutes from time came amid protests from the home fans, who shrouded the field with smoke by burning any item possible, and sealed the win for Milan, who move within eight points of Inter with a game in hand.

Juve started well with Diego looking lively and taking the game to Milan.

He had the first opportunity in the 13th minute when he cut in from the left and curled a shot just wide of the far post.

Milan, who played with the same players and formation that had defeated Genoa 5-2 in midweek, were struggling to find the same rhythm with loanee David Beckham struggling to make an impact.

But the Rossoneri still went ahead with their first chance of the game in the 29th minute, Nesta taking advantage of a defensive mix-up to pounce onto an Alessandro Pirlo corner.

Christian Poulsen and Felipe Melo both failed to clear the corner at the near post and the ball filtered through to the former Italy defender, who had the simplest of tap-ins to open the scoring.

A lucky break at the other end gave Giorgio Chiellini the chance to level for the Bianconeri, but his shot at full stretch was collected at the second attempt by Milan goalkeeper Dida, who was in for a quiet night at the Stadio Olimpico.

Alexander Manninger was the busier of the two goalkeepers at the other end and he was forced into a full-stretch save to turn Thiago Silva's rasping 35-yard effort wide.

From the resulting corner from Beckham, Ronaldinho's header deflected off his compatriot Amauri to go over the crossbar.

Juve's greatest threat came from their central defender Chiellini, who again came close at full stretch just a minute into the second half.

There seemed to be a bit more urgency about Juve at the start of the second half, but just like in the first 45 minutes, they conceded when they were looking at their strongest.

Another Pirlo set-piece was the source of the danger and the slightest of flicks from Ronaldinho, which took a greater, unintended deflection of Zdenek Grygera, diverted the ball past Manninger and into the back of the Juve goal.

The goal prompted protests from the already irate Juve fans, whose patience with their team - and in particular their coach - reached boiling point.

Playing in a fog created by the home fans' burning of fireworks, as well as a few burning seats behind Manninger's goal, Ronaldinho's second and Milan's third goal almost went unnoticed.

It was Beckham who provided the cross to the Brazilian, who was given all the time in the world at the far post to stroke the ball home and complete another resounding win for the Rossoneri.

Serie A 6 january 2010- Milan vs Genoa, David Beckham back to San siro

David Beckham has completed his loan move to AC Milan and said he was almost moved to tears when they were drawn against Manchester United FC in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round.

United reunion
Just as last year, the LA Galaxy midfielder has agreed to join Milan for the second half of the Italian season, and has now officially completed his move following a medical. The Rossoneri will take on United on 16 February and 10 March, the second leg at Old Trafford – Beckham's home until his 2003 switch to Real Madrid CF – and England's most-capped outfield player was taken aback when the teams were paired on 18 December.

'Special place'
"I almost started to cry after the draw," the 34-year-old said. "Old Trafford is a special place for me and I haven't played there for almost seven years. I have many friends in Manchester and I have a special relationship with the fans there, it will be a great night for me. However we have to take it extremely seriously and try to win."

New faces
Since Beckham left Milan in the summer, Leonardo has succeeded Carlo Ancelotti as coach and there have been playing changes too. However, Beckham said: "Carlo Ancelotti, Paolo Maldini and Kaká are not here any more but Milan is like United, things don't change so drastically from one year to another. The atmosphere in the locker room is always great, after a difficult start things are going well now and I'm sure I will have a good time here."

Ready to adapt
Milan's fortunes have been on the up since Leonardo switched to a 4-3-3 formation with only one holding midfielder, but Beckham expects to settle in quickly. "The playing system is different compared to last season but I'm sure I can adapt," he said. "I'm just glad to be back and it won't be a problem not to be in the starting XI . Playing here doesn't give me the security of a place in the national team either. I'm here only to win the Scudetto, and I believe we can do it if we work hard."


With all the trophies won by the most winning club in the world behind him, David Beckham talked about his passion for the Rossoneri to the journalists who came for his presentation press conference:

Welcome back David! Did you miss Milan in these months?
"I've missed it a lot! I missed the group, the club, the fans, the environment in general. My first six months here were wonderful, a unique experience which I haven't forgotten."

Since you left a lot has changed. Carlo Ancelotti, Ricky Kaká and Paolo Maldini have gone, what group have you found back?
"It's true that Milan have changed a lot, it's true, but the basis of great clubs like Milan and like Manchester United doesn't change. Milan remain Milan. It's true that an important guide like Paolo Maldini is no longer here, he was a charismatic captain with a lot of personality, the best footballer of the world is missing in Ricky Kaká and also the coach has changed, but the group remains a great group, motivated and full of enthusiasm. At the start of the season the team had some problems, but it has recovered and now it's playing very well. I'm proud to play with these great champions."

You named Manchester. What effect did it have knowing you would meet them in the Champions League?
"It will be a special evening! The day of the draw I cried of emotion, I'll have the chance of returning to Manchester and play against the club I always wanted to play with since childhood. I'll find many friends, all my fans who haven't forgotten me, it will be an evening of strong emotions. It's been seven years since I've been to Manchester and I will do so with Milan's shirt, with the shirt of a club as prestigious as United, all this fills me with pride!"

After these six months what will your future be?
"I don't know, we'll see. I'm very honored to be here again. I come here knowing I will stay at least six months, the first time we weren't so sure for many reasons. I only think about working hard and do well in a special club. Then we will see if Milan will still be in my future."

Have you thought about what position you might play in this new system of Leonardo?
"The system has changed, it's different. This is nevertheless a team full of talent, experience, it will take some time to understand this new system but not that much. In any case I don't pretend to be a first choice player. If I'm a reserve I'll still be proud to be a part of this group. I don't think about my position, I'd be truly happy to play in any role, also as a goalkeeper! I'm a versatile midfielder and this will help me in any position."

Have you talked to Leonardo?
"Yes, I've talked to him. He asked about my physical conditions, of how I reacted to the work of the past few days, we'll have time to talk about the system and my position on the pitch. As I said this is a great team which I think can win the Scudetto. There are dangerous rivals like Inter and Juventus, but if Milan work hard they can aim for the title."

Did you never think about going to a team that would guarantee you a place in the team?
"No, never! Milan were always my first choice, from the first moment we talked about a loan from Galaxy to another team. The possibility of playing at the World Cup is certainly an objective, but I didn't come to this club to go to the World Cup. I chose Milan for many reasons, because I like this club's philosophy and I arrived here without any pretenses. It's great to be here, even just to help the group win, even without being guaranteed a place in the team, this is Milan!"

Do you think you are ready to face Genoa already?
"It would certainly be nice, but as I've said I don't know if I'll be a first choice. I have to work on my athletic condition even though I'm already doing well. I am making myself available. Leonardo will know how and when to use me and I'm fine with that. I've already scored against Genoa and I'd like to repeat myself, I remember that goal with a lot of emotion. My job is to be useful to this team, even if only for five minutes."

What do you hope for the new year?
"My first hope is to win the Scudetto. Then I hope for health and serenity with my whole family, with whom I will celebrate New Year's in London."

Did you hear Fabio Capello's nice words for you?
"They pleased me very much! Even though I know I have no guarantee of a place at the World Cup I thank him. I'll do what I can to work hard, to help Milan win, then we'll see."

Milan against Manchester. Will you be happy regardless of the result?
"We want to go through in the cup! It will be a great emotion to face Manchester, but I'll do it with Milan's shirt, with the desire to win and go through."

Have you never worried about what your team mates might think about the fact you are coming here for just six months?
"I asked myself that only the first time. I met an exceptional group and I immediately understood that at Milan there is no jealousy. Everyone welcomed me well, they did all they could to make me feel at home. At Milan there is a common objective, which is to win, all the players do what they can to help each other, to make this team win!"

The year that has just passed was a positive one only towards the end for Marco Borriello. And now that 2010 arrived, the attacker is asking to feel fine and to be a protagonist. He has clear ideas which, exclusively for Milan Channel, revealed. These are his declarations: “First of all my wishes for a good year to everyone. 2009 started out badly for me and finished with some good performances, together with which arrived my first goals. As a team we have reached important objectives: we have passed the round of the Champions League and we have reached the second place in the league. I would say a good final part of the year from which to restart. “My nicest goal and best performance of 2009? The nicest goal I think it was the second goal at home against Parma: for an attacker to score an scissor kick in front of his own fans at San Siro is a dream. The match which I feel most mine was that against Cagliari, because we took home the win and I obtained a penalty, made an assist and scored a goal. It was a complete game. For the rest, I think that I played too little due to injuries, practically just two months, about 10 games. I hope that in this 2010 I play 5-6 months in a row and prove my worth. We start off from Genoa. From my experience with the Rossoblu I have very beautiful memories in my heart. The Genoa one was the most important season of my career. Surely I will meet a bit of emotion, but now two years have gone by. Now I defend the Rossoneri colours and I hope to bring home a win for my team. “The difference between our trident and the one of Gasperini? From an individual level in attack, without taking anything away from Genoa, we have players on the wings with an incredible talent. Maybe they have the team-play more than us: as a group they are more oiled because they play together and with the same coach for a long time. We are learning to move also from the team level and you will soon see a solid and aggressive side who knows how to defend and attack. “When you play with incredible talents, like Pato and Ronaldinho, you must follow their minds and their talent, you must also put in the intuition. In these games the things with them went very well For me to play with such champions is a great honour and I hope to play for a long time with them. I thank Seedorf and Ronaldinho for the nice words which they used towards and I thank them for highlighting my work. They also spoke about the national team: I dream of playing with the Azzurri’s shirt, but I don’t want to get my hopes too high. I think about giving my best until May. If then I obtain something, it will be all gained. If instead it will not be like this, I will go on holiday and I will side with Italy. “As objectives I want to win something important from the squad level. From the personal level I want to be protagonist in the win. I was part in the past of important wins in the Champions League or in the league, but even though I was in the group, I never felt that those wins were mine. I hope that this year I obtain some success and to be a protagonist.”