AC Milan Showed 2 Obvious Signs of Trouble in Their 1-1 Draw with Catania

Don't read too much into AC Milan's 1-1 draw with Catania on Saturday night. The Rossoneri will still give Barcelona all they can handle in their Champions League quarterfinal second leg match Tuesday. 

Yes, the Milanese club wasn't at their best for the full 90 minutes in Sicily. However, Catania is one of the surprise packages in Serie A this term. Led by first-year manager Vincenzo Montella, Catania is a club transformed, playing a high pressure-attacking style of football.

Milan showed two very obvious signs of trouble straight from kick off at the Stadio Massimino. First, the squad looked tired. Manager Massimiliano Allegri chose to rest certain players over others, and Milan's starting 11 had three changes to the lineup that faced Barcelona last week.

The surprise in Allegri's player selection was he didn't make more changes. However, the club had 11 players on the injured list prior to kick off, which may have forced his hand in starting certain squad members.

Kevin-Prince Boateng was the biggest omission—left out of the starting lineup most likely to prevent him from getting hurt again—meanwhile, Clarence Seedorf was nursing a slight knock. 

Alberto Aquilani and Ignazio Abate were both included following their injury woes, and their inclusion was down to a need for match fitness. Aquilani will most likely start on the bench in the club's midweek showdown with the Catalans. Though Allegri may choose to start the Italian to prevent Barcelona from facing the same side as in the first leg.

Abate should return to right-back for the second leg, and his loss in the first leg wasn't as problematic as first believed; Daniele Bonera and Luca Antonini were fantastic in his place on the right.

Milan's best defender—and Barcelona transfer target—Thiago Silva is still out, and will miss the second leg. His loss for the first leg was considered critical, but Milan's central defence of Alessandro Nesta and Philippe Mexes combined to stifle Barcelona's attack for the most part. Massimo Ambrosini rolled back the years, and protected the two centre-backs from his defensive midfield position.

The three shut down Lionel Messi for the most part in the second half, though the first half was a little dicey. The three will need to conjure up the same magic for the second leg, and with an average age of 33, they will need to rely on their experience to stop the Catalan attack. 

The second sign of trouble from Milan, was their minds were already at Camp Nou and not at the Stadio Massimino. The seven-time European Cup winners, second only to Real Madrid, are three matches away from the final in Munich.

It's understandable the club may have had a difficulty "getting up" for a match against a mid-table club following their pulsating 0-0 draw with the Champions League's reigning cup holders.

Following the Rossoneri's demolition of Arsenal at the San Siro, they followed it up by nearly losing the tie at the Emirates. On that night the club came into the match already feeling they'd completed the job.

Perhaps, they felt Saturday's match at Catania was down and dusted before kickoff. Milan had handled Catania with relative ease earlier this season defeating them 4-0 at San Siro. 

Milan is currently in a similar position to their 1994 squad. That season saw the Rossoneri topple Barcelona, a team many considered to be the best of their day, in the European Cup Final. Today's Milan club draws numerous comparisons to that team 18 years ago. The biggest comparison is no one outside of their supporters are giving them a chance. 

A score draw will be enough to see Milan through to the next round, and they showed in the first leg they can create chances. Tuesday night, they have to put those chances away or they will live to regret it.