AC Milan vs Liverpool. Interesting Likenesses

Watching the Old Trafford leg of the Manchester United and AC Milan fixture and watching this Italian team get bundled up by United, I couldn't help but give a wry smile and think that there is one team which has had a similar fall in recent years as Liverpool has.

Now I'm no big Serie A fan or an AC Milan fan. In fact the last game involving AC Milan I saw entirely  was the 2007 Champions League final. I am THAT detached from AC Milan. So if the Milan fans on this website find this article inaccurate, you are thoroughly entitled to. Because the article is based on the evidence of the only two AC Milan matches I have seen over the past three years.

It was truly a terrible display of football by Milan on the night. And one can't help but wonder if this is the best roster of players a club as prestigious as AC Milan can muster to carry their legacy forward. Surely, they were short of their most exciting talent, Pato, but still it must have been a match that a Milan fan must have watched with much agony.

It is interesting to see the striking similarities between the finalists of the 2007 Champions League. Liverpool FC and Milan. Apart from the fact that both clubs have an illustrious history, passionate fans, and play in pretty much the same colors.

Both teams saw an extremely influential midfield player, Xabi Alonso and Kaka, leave their club for Madrid. Both lost an inspirational defender, Hyypia and Maldini, last season. Both have seen their most exciting player down, Torres and Pato, for much of the season. Now I haven't seen Ambrosini's performances over the season, but on the day he looked terribly uninspiring for a captain, much like Gerrard has. And while one player has tried to create opportunities, Benayoun and Pirlo, they have both seen their efforts put to vain by the ineptitude of the team around them.

Milan coach Leonardo made a few surprising selections for the United game, much as Benitez has all season. Seedorf on the bench surprised me particularly, as does Babel's continued exclusion until January. Both have infuriating owners, although in different ways.

But seeing the Rossoneri performance vs Manchester United, I couldn't help but get the feeling that Liverpool are certainly better off in the goalkeeper department. AC Milan have more money to spend and are doing better in the Italian league than we are the British one.