Reality bites. Having lost 1-0 in the first leg of their last-16 encounter to Tottenham Hotspur in painfully limp fashion, Milan might have expected to be on the receiving end of a ruthless evisceration from the Italian press. And yet rather than an air of recrimination, the mood is more one of resignation after a defeat that leaves Milan teetering on the brink of Champions League elimination. The headline on the front page of Gazzetta dello Sport reads "Cr-OUCH that hurt!"
Inside there is recognition of Milan's failings, acknowledgement of their reduced standing in the European game, and perhaps the realisation that Serie A is no longer the same league that was so dominant during the 90s. "The suspicion that this Milan built on holding midfielders could do well in the league but much less so in Europe, where quality of play matters, has taken body. Every time Milan won the ball it was as if they were trying to put a raft into the sea, only to see it carried back to shore by the waves," writes Luigi Garlando, the metaphors coming thick and fast, rather unlike Milan. Even as they pushed in the second half "there was the suspicion that the English cobra, trapped inside the chest, was preparing a fatal bite," he continues.
All is not lost, of course, with a second leg still to come, but Garlando points out that if Milan are to prosper at White Hart Lane, their star man, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, must perform much better than he managed last night. "Ibrahimovic will need to do more in London or else they shall continue to say that in Europe his brother plays instead," he says, 'they' perhaps referring to English journalists who have long doubted Ibrahimovic's ability to wreak havoc in the Champions League.
In Il Giornale, Franco Ordine offers a slightly disparaging view of Aaron Lennon's burst which set up Peter Crouch's winning goal, instead focusing on Milan's failings. "One half in which to suffer and one in which to hope before succumbing to a banal and elementary counterattack," he says. "It's true that [Milan] had a makeshift midfield but perhaps that is not enough to explain away the submission of the first half." Everywhere the outlook is resolutely bleak. "Two months on, the verdict seems to be the same as that which came out of the group stages: Milan are not at the level of the elite of European football," admits Gazzetta's Marco Pasotto.
On the website of La Repubblica, there was perhaps a hint of Milan's complacency, Fabrizio Bocca suggesting that a side of their calibre should not be losing to Tottenham. "If you want to suggest you can win the Champions League, you can't be frightened of Tottenham," he claims. "For years we have struggled against the English and we are maybe even beginning to develop a certain inferiority complex."
The elephant in the room was of course Gennaro Gattuso's altercation with Joe Jordan after the final whistle. Gattuso has not been pilloried nearly so severely in Italy this morning as in England, although Jordan, who played for Milan, was not apportioned any blame for the incident after the final whistle. Indeed in Gazzetta, Alessandra Bocci praises the battling qualities of Milan's assistant manager, while questioning the mental state of Gattuso and even his commitment. A picture developed: Jordan the fighter, Gattuso the ranter.
"[Joe Jordan] played for Milan during a period that was certainly a lot darker than that which Gattuso has lived through in red and black, and like the latter he was a battler," points out Bocci. "He lost two teeth battling. Rino has not lost any teeth, but he has lost his calm – and rather too often.
"That yesterday's game was one of fraught nerves for him was evident from the start. He was trying to be the boss, and got even more heated than usual – recovering possession for his team-mates and, as usual, never being afraid to stick a boot in. But it was the other stuff that was incomprehensible, impossible to explain if not through the frustration that must have soaked through to the bones of the Rossoneri just like the rain which made Milan just like London. And Rino Gattuso won't be in London [for the return leg]."
Whether his team-mates will turn up remains to be seen, but the worry for Milan is that Tottenham were so comfortable that they did not even miss "that demon" Gareth Bale, as Garlando labels him. Already lacking belief that Milan can overcome their first-leg deficit, the prospect of Bale's return for the second leg makes the task appear all but impossible. "Milan will need to attack with everything they have in London knowing that, if they lose the ball, that demon Gareth Bale will bring it straight back at them," said Garlando. "Tottenham deservedly conquered San Siro even without their young superstar."
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