With the current crop of players, Milan were unlikely to win the Champions League as the Rossoneri have no depth, are short on alternatives in key positions and have an inexperienced Coach in Leonardo. The Brazilian Coach has been decent overall working to his best with the players available at his disposal. Against Manchester United he made a number of mistakes in terms of his selection and starting lineup as well as his substitutions.

Without taking anything away from Wayne Rooney who has been phenomenal this season, Milan could have easily put this match away if a few elements went there way beginning with the choice of starters. There is no point dwelling on whether the outcome would have been different if the necessary adjustments were made, but this could serve as a lesson which will help Leonardo and the Rossoneri in the future. In recent weeks, there have been rumours concerning Leonardo’s future with reports claiming he will be ousted at the end of the season if Milan have fail to overcome the English champions.

Below are some of the key points for reference following the  loss to Manchester United:

- Dida: The Brazilian goalkeeper is unworthy of playing on a team of Milan’s stature. The custodian has proven time and again he is prone to committing errors and his performances over the last several years have left a lot to be desired. Besides his customary blunders, Dida has become an obvious weak link in the Milan defense which other teams often target. With Christian Abbiati back, why did Leonardo pick Dida ahead of him? Abbiati is not flashy but certainly more reliable than Dida.

- Starting Lineup: All season long Leonardo has been reluctant to start Klaas-Jan Huntelaar except in emergency situations and he did score twice against Udinese but why start him now? Leonardo could have used Alexandre Pato as the striker upfront with support from Ronaldinho and with Clarence Seedorf starting as well. Seedorf is a seasoned veteran and has won the Champions League on three different teams (Ajax, Real Madrid and Milan) so surely he would be more worthy to start than Huntelaar even if it meant isolating Pato upfront. Still, Ronaldinho could have been pushed further upfront while Seedorf played on the left side of the midfield.

While Daniele Bonera was not a disaster but the decision to not start Ignazio Abate who has played many more games this season is quite surprising. Abate might not be the best equipped for the right-back position given it it not his natural position but his pace could have troubled Manchester United more.

One thing critics must grant Leonardo is the fact he has been consistent all season long in terms of his selections, faith in certain players and his rotation. David Beckham started on the bench the previous two games and while Beckham is a decent player, the pressure of the occasion might have gotten to him. Beckham is not exactly the player to seek in times of intense pressure as seen with England on a couple of occasions during the World Cup. No one is doubting Beckham’s experience, his work-rate or his desire to do well but he could have contributed more coming off the bench. At this point starting with either Mathieu Flamini or Gennaro Gattuso instead of Beckham would have been better.

If Leonardo wanted to have two strikers upfront why did he not use Filippo Inzaghi who is a goal poacher and nuisance for teams. Inzaghi can easily irritate defenders with his approach to the game and is a lethal finisher as his European scoring record can attest to. In certain games experience can trumpet age and current form. Huntelaar has not really impressed so starting Inzaghi would not have been a major risk.

- Substitutions: Those were quite critical as on one hand Seedorf scored a goal after coming off the bench while Inzaghi did miss a chance to score but he added another dimension to Milan’s attacks. The change which definitely hurt Milan was the introduction of Giuseppe Favalli for the injured Luca Antonini. At 38, Favalli is too old to be playing at left-back and while he was a decent player over his career, the former Lazio defender cannot be compared to the great Paolo Maldini. The legendary Maldini was used as a centre-back in the last few years of his career since the left-back position is more demanding in terms of speed and stamina. How can Leonardo use Favalli and why did he not opt for Frenchman Flamini who has placed in that position on a few occasions in the past? At least Flamini has the legs top cope with the physical demands of the position.

- Age Factor: Of the 11 starters and the 3 substitutes who featured against Manchester, 8 players were over the age of 30 and in such a competitive sport having too many older players can easily backfire, in particular when there are few capable alternatives on the bench.

Considering all the factors above and the 3-2 final score, can Milan overcome the deficit and turn the tie around by winning at Old Trafford to secure a spot in the next round? Keep in mind a 1-0 win will not suffice as the away-goal rule will stand to benefit the Red Devils. Milan must score at least twice and win.

The next couple of weeks will witness two clashes between Italian and English clubs in the Champions League. In perhaps the most anticipated clash of the Round of 16, Inter will take on Chelsea in a battle between the league leaders of their respective leagues. Inter’s lead in Serie A is much more comfortable than Chelsea’s after the London club suffered a 2-1 defeat to Everton. For a more detailed breakdown of the clash which pits outspoken Coach Jose Mourinho against his former club Chelsea please refer to the following article: http://www.championsleaguetalk.com/inter-chelsea-sub-plots-make-tie-one-to-watch/675

The second European tie between English and Italian clubs will feature Milan and Manchester United in an encounter between two of the most dominant forces in recent European history. The Rossoneri have won the European Cup in 2003 and 2007 while The Red Devils took the trophy home in 1999 and 2008 with both clubs making another appearance  in the final during the 2000s. Only other clubs to have a similarly impressive record are Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid who have two titles each since 2000.

In 2007 Milan and Manchester United met in the semi-finals of the Champions League with the English side taking a 3-2 lead to Italy only for the Rossoneri to turn the tables on Manchester and comfortably beat them 3-0. Then the Rossoneri went on to lift the trophy against Liverpool to avenge the historic collapse in the 2005 Champions League final. The two clubs currently share three things in common having each lost their star player from the 2007 tie with both Manchester’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Milan’s Kaka departing the club this summer. Ironically both icons signed for Real Madrid to signal the beginning of the second Los Galacticos era.

In the other striking similarity, the two clubs share the nickname with il Diavolo standing for the Devil in Italian while Manchester go by The Red Devils. The tie between those two prestigious clubs will depend on the form of a couple of stars in each squad. For the Rossoneri, Alessandro Nesta and Alexandre Pato must be healthy while Brazilian Ronaldinho needs to perform at his best.

On the other hand, Wayne Rooney will be expected to shoulder much of the responsibility in terms of scoring and creating goals since Ronaldo has moved and the remaining forwards have failed to compensate for his departure. Michael Owen was signed this season but he is no longer the same player with age and injuries beginning to take their toll on the striker. The Red Devils will be hoping to have Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic ready for the European clash with Ferdinand serving a domestic suspension while the Serbian Vidic has been sidelined due to injury.

The lack of playing time may affect the performance of both defenders but they will be needed against Milan as they create a very solid partnership which was key to Manchester United’s triumph in the Premiership last season. Ferdinand received a morale boost recently after being named as England captain by Fabio Capello instead of the troubled John Terry. The first leg in Milan will be key in deciding how the tie will end given the Rossoneri’s recent struggles. Milan have not won in their last four matches in all competitions and are finding it difficult to score goals.

While Inter are doing well in Serie A, Milan are renowned for their expertise in European football so it would be wrong to simply dismiss their chances. As for Chelsea, they have never won the coveted Champions League and will be aiming to go all the way under former Milan Coach Carlo Ancelotti who has won the trophy twice during his stint at Milanello. Manchester have reached the last two finals but will be looking to make up for last year’s defeat to Barcelona as Sir Alex Ferguson would relish adding another major trophy to his illustrious career.

Will Ferguson be able to outsmart Leonardo using his vast experience to nullify the threat posed by Milan and its rookie Coach? The next couple of weeks ought to feature some delightful football when the two sides take to the pitch in Milan in the first-leg. While Inter-Chelsea might be the encounter capturing most of the public’s attention, the two clubs tend to be more efficient as opposed to being a joy to watch.

Milan-Manchester will feature two sides who tend to put on a spectacle when performing at their best with Ronaldinho and Rooney expected to shine. One player who must not be overlooked is David Beckham with the England midfielder making his return to Old Trafford as an opponent of The Red Devils. This tie will carry great emotional significance for Beckham and it will be interesting to see whether he will start and how he will perform.