AC Milan will miss out on next season's UEFA Champions League, after finishing 5th in Serie A, two points behind 4th place Fiorentina. The Italian giants will not be deprived of European football altogether, as they will be like Bayern Munich this year and compete in the UEFA Cup as a small consolation. But what a travesty for the club with the second most European triumphs only to Real Madrid, and a club who won the trophy last season! While they watch their city and stadium cotenants Inter hoist the league trophy for a 3rd consecutive year, Milan are now forced to look inward, and to reevaluate their direction. Will Ancelotti be shown the door? Do they need to take a similar cue as Barcelona, and build around their youth and dismiss some of the aging, though legendary names? Kaka and Pato are clearly the future, and who knows if Ronaldinho will be arriving? Getting Flamini from Arsenal was a boon for Milan and a blow to Arsenal, to be sure, but what of the other, older players? Milan will be an incredibly interesting team to follow next season, and I half-suspect they will do what Bayern Munich did this year, and take out their European frustrations on the rest of their league, and Milan could wrest the scudetto back from Inter next season.
One thing is certain: the '08/'09 Champions League just won't feel the same without AC Milan. Kudos to Fiorentina though, for breaking through.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment