AC Milan: Can the Rossoneri Win the Champions League?

On May 23, 2007, Filippo Inzaghi scored in the 45th and 82nd minutes to earn AC Milan a 2-1 victory over English giants Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League Final. It was the seventh time Milan won the world's most coveted club football award.

To earn the title "Kings of Europe" is the goal of every European club and only one team, Real Madrid, has done it more then Milan.

Since winning in 2007, Milan have failed to escape the Last 16 of the competition. They fell to Arsenal 2-0 on aggregate in 2008, to Manchester United 7-2 in 2010, and to Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in 2011. They failed to even make the Champions League in 2008-09.

These results had the media and fans talking over the past two months. After finishing second to Barcelona in Group H of the Group Stage, Milan were drawn against Arsenal in a rematch of 2008. Milan were of course faced with an English side for the fourth time in a row in the Last 16.

However, breaking from what seemingly had become tradition, Milan turned on the style in the first leg of the match-up on Wednesday night, defeating the Gunners 4-0 and all but ensuring their return to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2007.

Many projected Milan to win, but not like that. The Rossoneri were dominant from start to finish, moving the ball incredibly, using brilliant movement away from the ball and refusing to give Arsenal a chance in front of net.

Even Milan fans have realized in recent years that their team was usually just a team never in contention to win the Champions League, but the eyes of the world opened on Wednesday with Milan's dazzling performance and led to the question, "can it be done?"

Given the way Milan played on Wednesday, the depth of the squad and their remaining Serie A schedule, AC Milan should be considered one of the favorites to knock Barcelona off their pedestal.

Problems recently for Milan—especially at this time in a season—have been age, injuries and a demanding schedule.

Milan no longer have the age issue to deal with. Massimo Ambrosini, Mark Van Bommel and Clarence Seedorf  have all seen better days, but Kevin-Prince Boateng and Antonio Nocerino have become vital members of the midfield. With their energy and pace, age has become a forgotten issue and Milan are competitive once more.

Fate has to be playing into Milan's favor, as several players were ruled healthy and able to play leading into the Arsenal game. Alexandre Pato, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Alessandro Nesta, Alberto Aquilani and Christian Abbiati were all cleared. Only Boateng and Abbiati started and Pato came on when the match was already 4-0, but it is vital to have five such reliable players available at a time when the Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia are all in full swing.

Milan have depth up top and in the midfield, and one could even say with Marco Amelia backing up Abbiati, Milan are loaded—but defense lacks a little depth. Despite this, Milan do have some flexibility, as the weak Serie A schedule coming up can allow them to give player like Thiago Silva, Ignazio Abate, and Phillipe Mexes a rest. With all the matches coming up, a youngster like Mattia De Sciglio can get some chances with the first team.

As mentioned, Milan have a schedule that allows them to put equal effort into winning all three competitions. The club have already put three of the bigger sides, Lazio, Udinese and Napoli behind them, as well as feisty Cagliari.

Their toughest remaining stretch appears to start with Coppa Italia against Juventus (which Milan trail 2-1 after the home leg) and includes Roma, Catania and Fiorentina in about two weeks. These matches surround the Quarterfinals of the Champions League, so there could be some flexibility if (and realistically when) Milan reach that stage of the competition.

What's most important is the quality on the field. Milan have improved immensely since the start of the season, they are far better now than when they drew and then barely lost against Barcelona. They enjoyed their football during the first leg and if they can continue to play like that, they could be incredibly hard to stop.

Things are lining up for Milan and this looks like it could be one of the best years the club has seen in a while.

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