Game in a sentence:
Magnificent Spurs keep cool in ill-tempered affair and show further signs of maturation in Europe’s elite competition.
Observations:
- Tottenham were absolutely brilliant and came away with a famous victory thanks to the combination of a Peter Crouch goal in the 80th minute and their first clean sheet of the season away from home in the Champions League.
- Crouch’s goal, which came from a lightning-quick counter-attack led by Aaron Lennon, actually came at a time when AC Milan were having their best spell of the match.
- Make no mistake, however, this was more than a fair result. Tottenham returned to the stadium that humbled them less than four months ago and gave a clinic on how to play an away match in the Champions League.
- It was fitting that Crouch got the game’s only goal as he caused AC’s defence troubles throughout the game. In the opening ten minutes he won aerial battles against both centre backs, Mario Yepes and Alessandro Nesta.
- The home side’s gameplan against Crouch early was clearly to get goalkeeper Christian Abbiati to come out and fight for the ball knowing full well he will always get the calls against the tall striker. Such a plan worked for a while until Abbiati clattered to the ground after one challenge and banged his head. Soon after he fell to the floor once again when punching away a Lennon cross, and immediately pointed to his head and was substituted.
- Harry Redknapp had clearly done his homework on the predictable AC Milan attack. Milan have shown an incredible lack of width this season going forward and by placing Sandro and Wilson Palacios in front of the back four he shut down anything the midfield could conjure for the front men.
- With the game being much slower than a normal Premier League match it was no surprise to see Sandro play his best game in a Tottenham shirt.
- Palacios though, in particular, was absolutely magnificent and never gave Clarence Seedorf – picked as the 1 in a 4-3-1-2 – no room at all in the first half. Massimiliano Allegri withdrew Seedorf at half-time for Alexandre Pato, pushing Robinho deeper and although Robinho was better at targeting Tottenham’s weak leftside defensively, in truth, it made little difference.
- It was no coincidence that AC Milan only had two legitimate chances and they both came from short corners as Yepes saw his headers denied by the alert Heurelho Gomes.
- For Milan it was yet another disastrous display in the Champions League. At this stage last season they got destroyed 7-2 over two legs against Manchester United and a year later they were once again embarrassed on the game’s biggest stage.
- Their captain Gennaro Gattuso was a disgrace. I don’t know what he had for breakfast or what happened to him at home before he left for the stadium but he ran around like a man possessed and in the second half, in particular, looked like he wanted to fight the world. His feud with Tottenham coach Joe Jordan started during the game when they squared up to each other on the touchline and the two met again after the final whistle and Gattuso was seen headbutting the 59-year-old Scot. Gattuso, who picked up a yellow card during the second half, will miss the second leg through suspension and will likely now await a further charge for his disgusting antics at the end of the match.
- According to Opta it was his 17th yellow card in the history of the Champions League, more than any other player.
- Milan lacked leadership, maturity and discipline. It was a game in which they missed Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini badly.
- Once again Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a poor game on the big occasion. Admittedly it wasn’t an easy game for him to play in, as very few balls came his way, but when he did get the ball he was wasteful in holding it up and distributing. He also had no time for the physical aspect of the match until the final whistle came and he decided to get in the corner of ’Camp Gattuso’.
- I actually thought that referee Stephane Lannoy had an excellent game up until the 55th minute. The Frenchman let the game flow and got most things right up until Matthieu Flamini used both feet in a horrendous challenge on Vedran Corluka. Flamini should have seen a straight red and was very, very lucky to get just a yellow card. Corluka was taken off immediately, replaced by Jonathan Woodgate, pushing William Gallas to right back. The Croatian returned to the bench soon after, on crutches with his foot in a protective boot, to watch Woodgate and Gallas join the brilliant Michael Dawson in a resolute back four.
- On an absolute nightmare night for Milan and Allegri the only positive thing they can take away from the match was that they didn’t lose by more goals. Everything went wrong for them and they were severely outplayed, meaning no one will give them a chance in the second leg at White Hart Lane. Allegri, however, will tell his players that a win by a single goal will at least give them extra time and if they win 2-1 then they will progress.
- For Tottenham the dream of a Champions League quarter final spot is now more than just a distinct possibility. Missing Gareth Bale, having Rafael van der Vaart (and his substitute) Luka Modric not fully fit, and still coming away with a victory is a massive bonus for Redknapp and his staff.
- For a team, with just one clean sheet in their last 12 EPL away matches, to stop Milan scoring says a lot about their improvements but, perhaps, ultimately may say more about Milan who were simply too narrow in attack.
Three Stars
- Wilson Palacios
- Peter Crouch
- Michael Dawson
Click here for your Match Stats.
Don’t forget to leave your thoughts below.
Cheers
Unbelievable result. Sandro looks to be a real player for the future. I thought that if Bale was playing it would have been at least 1 or 2 nil at ht. Should be fully fit for the return at WHL as well
I agree with everything you have said, but i would like to also add that Gattuso should have been sent off during the game because there were many instances where he could’ve had a yellow card. Other than that, Spurs are looking very good right now!
Napoli for the Serie A title.
Hey Kristian,
Milan was very poor. Tottenham fully deserved the victory. Cue the numerous press articles stating that Tottenham can go on and win the CL.
I suspect that the criticism of Flamini’s tackle has an English bias to it. While it was a two footed tackle and deserved the yellow card at a minimum, had the agressor been an English player, I’m confident that you and many other English, would have felt that the yellow card was a “harsh” decision and most certainly not a red because “he had contact with the ball”.
I look forward to seeing a post game report posted on this blog a whole 90 minutes after next week’s Inter vs Bayer and Lyon vs Real Madrid games. I doubt that’s going to happen because those games don’t involve English clubs.
i didn’t see the first half of the game, but milan OWNED the ball in the second half and played the game at their pace. they got caught committing both fullbacks and their two defensive midfielders forward. what sums up this game for milan is that their elligible substitutions consisted of 4 defenders, 1 keeper, 1 striker and a midfield. this was nowhere near the same side that is first place in the serie a with 8 players not able to play tonight.
also i think the commentators did a terrible job (i was watching on tsn). why in the hell can’t they get someone neutral or from north america? these english goofs couldn’t get tottenham’s ballsack out of their mouths the entire game and showed no knowledge of milan or calcio. when pato came on they said “we’ll see how this shakes out in the second half” in reference as to how the front three will organize themselves. have they not seen milan play once this year with those 3?after being dominated for 35 minutes in that second half when they score on the counter attack the commentators were clearly ECSTATIC talking like it was inevitable milan were going to concede and tottenham were dominating. insanity.
Lusitano – no one in the right mind would try and justify Flamini’s tackle as just a yellow card offense. Also I am sure you are delighted to hear that there will indeed be blogs on those games next week. Let me also draw your attention to the blog on this site about Valencia-Schalke that didn’t involve any English teams.
http://blogs.thescore.com/footyblog/2011/02/15/valencia-vs-schalke-04-recap/
Cheers.
Its very interesting his common theme about the commentators. I will admit that the TV I watched on had major audio issues which meant I couldn’t hear them well at all. (I actually like that as I can make my own opinions) but Peter you should be aware that the three of them actually have not played well together this season. Robinho is not ideal in the hole behind the front two and there remains a real lack of width. In fact, the three have started together this season in five Serie A matches and Milan have won one, conceding 8 goals.
Too bad people’s anti-English bias comes out. Totally unnecessary. Tottenham were the better side and that’s what was written. Why question that?
If more evidence is needed this was just posted and talked of similar things that KJ brought up: http://www.zonalmarking.net/2011/02/15/milan-0-1-tottenham-classic-away-european-performance-from-spurs/
KJ,
Unfortunately you have the same biased english goggles that the DISGUSTING commentary team had on. I understood that they are english, and will side with a club of their nation… but it was infuriating listening to them speak so poorly of Milan. You guys see the match entirely different than how it actually was.
Tottenham definitely dominated the first half… but Milan definitely outplayed them in the second. A draw would’ve been the fairest result. Did you even watch the second half? Apart from their goal, the ball was in the Spurs end for the entirety.
Anybody who calls this result and ‘upset’ is truly misinformed. Milan are the same average club they have been the past 2 years. The only difference is that Zlatan has arrived and single handedly won the majority of games domestically this season. For some reason or another, Zlatan always bottles it in the Champions League… so when they can’t rely on the big Swede to win the game, they have no chance. It’s also no coincidence that Milan are on top in a season when Inter and Roma have been very under par.
I still think Milan can progress… but ONLY if Boateng, Ambrosini and Pirlo are fit for the return leg. Otherwise Thiago Silva will have to cover in midfield again, and Bale/Lennon/Modric will rip Milan’s ancient backline to shreds.
Anybody else think today’s match was pretty much career ending for Seedorf and Nesta? Milan are a better side with Gattuso in the lineup, but although he appeared to be insane today, it did seem to spark his teammates in the second half
KJ,
i know they haven’t played well together this season but this isn’t my point. it is not a secret as to how ibra-pato-rob line-up when they are all on the pitch and who plays what role. if you’ve seen them play even once you would know this. those commentators were obviously ignorant to this and clearly did not bother to do their homework on the serie a, milan or calcio in general before stepping up to the mic earlier. rereading my earlier post i kind of regret some of my rhetoric, but my point remains: these commentators were blatantly biased and ignorant to all things AC. whatever broadcast we see i want neutral commentators who have done their homework on both squads and are disinterested in the match results.
still, tottenham get props for winning and holding milan at the san siro. however, beating the milans there doesn’t seem to be as rare as it once was at this point in the year.
also it’s disheartening that all the epl fans who don’t watch the serie a will take this win by tottenham and run with it to disparage calcio.
I am not sure I get the point about the English bias. The game was in Milan. In this format, as the home side in the first leg you need to win. The two teams have to hold themselves to account using different measuring sticks…. Milan went well below their mark, while Spurs went well above theirs.
Also, it is kinda ridiculous to suggest that KJ is similar to the stereotypical EPL-centric English commentator, that lacks knowledge of a top Italian club like AC Milan …..uh, Serie A soccer is kinda what they do on The Score this year.
The yellow card for Flamini’s tackle reflected the referee’s style because on many occasions Gattuso could have gotten yellows or reds but the referee just ignored it and continued play. He’s not quick to pull out those cards and it seems we need a balance between a ref who doesn’t give cards out too much and one that gives them out like free samples.
Gattuso was an embarrassment and always has been this kind of player, extremely unlikeable and dirty player. Hopefully he gets a long ban; but the powers that be will probably bottle the decision.
Also that Flamini tackle was terrible, should have been a straight red. I agree the ref was alright up to that point, he bottled that decision and lost control. I’m sure you also liked how the Milan players surrounded the ref to book a Spurs player on the basis that he booked Flamini.
In regards to Milan “dominating” the second half; well they may have had more possession but they were toothless in attack and Spurs played them very well and ran out deserved winners.
Sets up an interesting second leg that is for sure.
Why shouldn’t Premier League fans disparage calcio? It sucks right now. Both the Serie A and the Italian national team are in a bad patch at the moment. I’m sure that Serie A fans were just as dismissive of other leagues when they were on top all those years ago. Circumstances should change (these things are cyclical, after all), but Serie A teams have to get younger and more athletic. If you keep trotting out geriatrics like Del Piero, Totti, and Seedorf, what kind of result do you expect in European competitions? Bale is going to run rings around Milan.
I wouldn’t be surprised if all three Serie A teams lost in this leg of the Champions League. Bayern v Inter will be a fascinating matchup. Both teams are weaker than they were last year, but are now showing signs of returning to their accustomed good form.
BTW, the announcers were extremely biased. I kind of tuned them out. It doesn’t change the fact that Milan are a bad team
@ Truegooner
Who won last year’s Champions League? Oh yeah, a team from Serie A
it’s been what… 45 years since England won the world cup… and what, FOUR since Italy won?
@footy show crew
punch to the face who ever is in charge of broadcasting UEFA champions league in Canada. Barcelona/Arsenal is playing on Setanta!
@Mike
A team from the serie a who tore milan to shreds. and if your willing to go back to last year milan were torn apart by united at the san siro and old trafford by united. and Italy last place in the group in the world cup tied a bunch of semi pros from down under so dont bring up irrevelant facts especially when they are stupid
Great read as always kristian and totally agree about wilson palacios he had his best game this season and spurs impressed me with they way the conducted themselves. It was just a few months ago they looked like amateurs vs inter and fast forward till yesterdays game and wat a difference a little confendence can do. I too was absolutely disgusted with gatuso, not the way the captain of a famous club like milan should be behaving
I thought the same thing you did about Rino KJ, but after hearing this morning that Jordan allegedly used racist slurs against him, I don’t feel as if he was totally out of line anymore. He may have been rough during the game, but when hasn’t he been? That is Gattuso’s main role, to add grit to the midfield. And if I were Italian, and some retard started barking things like that at me, you best believe a headbutt wouldn’t be the only thing striking that bald dome of his. Jordan was a tough guy back in his day (which included two seasons AT MILAN, btw). He knew antagonizing Gattuso wouldn’t be something the beard would just let go, especially knowing he wouldn’t play the return leg.
For the posters claiming an english bias: you can argue all you want about how Milan played a better second half, deserved more, bla bla bla…at the end of the day, here’s the result: Tottenham went into the San Siro, kept a clean sheet, and snuck an away goal. End of story.
I think it’s interesting that people are compaining about an English bias from the commentators. I just watched the highlight package, I’m pretty sure the announcers were the same ones that have been talked about…(saying that they’d see how the addition of Pato would “pan out” – which, frankly, is nothing worth complaining about. Formations don’t stay the same all the time, they flow with the game as is necessary. Whether they have seen games with those 3 up front or not doesn’t matter, you still watch to see how it pans out over the rest of the game, how Tottenham deals with it, etc)
But the thing is…they’re ENGLISH announcers. If you listen to an Italian broadcast, I’d bet they’d be bias in Milan’s favour. That’s just logical, and how things are. Let’s also remember that an English broadcast is probably being done for the fans in England, not the fans in Italy or over here in North America. So the bias is completely to be expected.
It’s like how CBC is biased towards Toronto, and against Montreal, but then RDS is bias for Montreal…there’s nothing wrong with it, as long as you’re willing to criticise your team when they suck.
It’s like how CBC is biased towards Toronto, and against Montreal
HAHAHAHA Right.
Just asking if anyone thought that the audio and video wasn’t quite synced on the three-letter. It seemed as if the audio was a second delayed. Thoughts?
@Panos
Yeah, the crowd audio was a lagged behind the play.
@Kevin Smith
If CBC is biased towards the Leafs, then they should really fire Glenn Healy. He hasnt said a good thing about the Leafs all season
tottenham got extremely lucky on the counter attack and i do not believe ibra pushed off, no matter if tottenham won or not the EPL is still the third best league in Europe and the SERIE A is number one FORZA AZZURI
Peter, do you honestly want to see a European soccer game commentated by a North American announce team, with a 90% chance they’d be American? It’s like nails on a chalkboard. I’d rather watch it in a language I don’t understand.
@Epl Sucks
Yes, it is so good it is losing a Champions League place to the Bundesliga.
If you don’t think CBC is biased towards the Leafs, you’ve never watched Bob Cole do a game, and you’ve never watched Don Cherry.
Equally, if you don’t think CBC is biased against Montreal, you’ve never watched Don Cherry or Mike Milbury.