starsoccer

These are strange times for Milan in Europe. A rare failure in Serie A leaves the Rossoneri operating in the UEFA Cup rather than the elite Champions League. As a result Carlo Ancelotti’s stars find themselves in places like Portsmouth.

Portsmouth are one of English football’s enduting provincial sides who had their hey day in the late 1940s when they were twice champions. Since then Pompey have had a sporadic life in the top flight interspersed with periods in the second tier.

Their recent revival brought them the FA Cup and a first ever place in Europe. When this tie came out, the cliches abounded about how Milan wouldn’t like Portsmouth’s cramped ground, the noisy spectators, the poor weather and the like.

When Portsmouth led last night’s match 2-0 andwith less then 10 minutes to go, the Milan critics were busy sharpening their laptops. Except that the script didn’t play out because a side with Milan’s pedigree don’t roll over for anyone.

A bunch of players- many of them veterans- who are among the most decorated ever to play the game, haven’t reached that pinnacle by picking and choosing when to perform. This sort of excellence has been honed in many infavourable scenarios.

For every giant San Siro stadium, Italy also has its cramped provincial grounds, complete with fans desperate to put one over the big boys from the metropolis. Milan’s multiple Serie A titles are won as much in visits to plces like Chievo and Catania as in clashes with the likes of Inter, Juventus and Roma.

And it helps to have Ronaldinho to come off the bench. The former World Player of the Year stepped up to plant free kick home and then poacher extraordinaire Pippo Inzhaghi came up with the leveller.

As usual Inzaghi had spent the whole game chasing every lost cause, playing on the edge of offside, always pestering defenders  and got his goal after several near misses earlier in the game. His industry and commitment stands for the whole Milan side.

The characterisation of Milan as vulnerable in the unfamiliar setting was disrespectful to the Rossoneri and equally patronising to their hosts who can play and have a fistful of internationals on their books to prove it. The Pompey fans were able to see why Milan are such a great club and take heart from an excellent display by their team- and a few journalists had their easy story ruined.

In these times of economic woe and bad news the human tendency is to cling to the familiar and the comforting. The Brazilian football team hammering quality opposition does it for me and many other soccer fans.

No offence intended to Portugal - who have a very entertaining squad- but the news that the ’selecao’ put 6 goals on them last week provided a much needed feel-good factor for a host of fans outside the Iberian Peninsula.

For several generations of soccer fans Brazil have been the by-word for sublime skill. It’s a reputation that can be over-stated - Brazil haven’t won World Cups without engaging in a little physical play and the odd piece of gamesmanship- but for consistent ambition to elevate the game to artistry, the South Americans have no equals.

Reading about the 6-2 scoreline recalled many other occasions when competent national teams emerged from a game at the giant Maracana Stadium, wondering just how they were meant to compete with such supermen. At times even the defeated sides felt almost honoured to be involved.

The mass media age has eroded a great deal of the mystique of the ’samba’ stars and with hundreds of Brazilians plying their trade in Europe, almost every match at a decent level has a representative from that country - and yet still there’s frisson when the national squad take to the park.

In difficult times we look even more to sport (and literature music etc) to provide distraction from the daily struggle. We want some romance from our sporting heroes; an ability to rise above the mundane and create moments of grace, beauty and athleticism.

The best thing about watching the modern Brazil trounce the opposition is the trigger to memories of all the greats from the past. We might be watching Adriano and Kaka now but really it’s an excuse to roll out the mental images of Pele, Garrincha, Gerson, Zico, Ronaldo et al - the ultimate, football comfort food for this period of recession.

For a man expected to be named World Player of the Year soon, Christiano Ronaldo doesn’t look happy. The Manchester United and Portugal star has had three trying matches recently though.

Last week Brazil took apart the Portuguese national team 6-2 and engaged in some of the showboating that Ronaldo is guilty of at times. His reaction was to commit a vicious tackle on an opponent.

At the weekend Ronaldo appeared for his club side against Aston Villa and hobbled off after what he thought of as rough treatment from the Villa defenders. For some time the player and his manager have complained that Premiership sides target the winger with violent play.

Over the summer Ronaldo agitated for a move to Spain, partly to get into a league where he felt the tackiling would be less aggressive. Ironic then that in Champions League game with Villarreal, international full back Capdevilla earned a red card for his dangerously reckless tackle on the United star man.

At the moment Christiano Ronaldo looks like a man who feels hunted down. The freedom and zest of last season has gone and unless he rediscovers his appetite, more and more opponents will try to rile him and unsettle his game. Time for him to prove his stature.