Music to Milan's ears

Tuesday, 22 September 09, 06:27 PM · Comments(0)

If Samson's strength lay in his hair, AC Milan seem to draw their force from the UEFA Champions League anthem. The competition brings the best out of the Rossoneri, so much so that they have taken to playing its theme tune ahead of Serie A games.

Motivation
"We listened to that music in the dressing room before the match," Rossoneri coach Leonardo revealed after Sunday's 1-0 victory against Bologna FC. As a motivational tool it certainly did the trick. After losing 4-0 at home to rivals FC Internazionale Milano at the end of last month a shell-shocked Rossoneri certainly needed lifting. One win from three Serie A games had fans fearing the worst about life after Carlo Ancelotti, Kaká and Paolo Maldini, but since the return of the UEFA Champions League and a 2-1 win at Olympique de Marseille, the storm clouds are clearing.

Winning feeling
"I don't know what happens to us when we hear the Champions League music, we'll have to ask a psychologist to find it out," vice-president Adriano Galliano joked after the win in Marseille. Even when they were struggling in Serie A in 2007, Milan still managed to win the UEFA Champions League and Leonardo admits the competition is part of the club's fabric. "It's something we have within us, we can't start off a season without thinking about winning it," Leonardo told uefa.com. "The Champions League is part of Milan's DNA. The fans expect it, and it's impossible for us to go on to the pitch without thinking about winning."

Ambition unchanged
Milan have always been Italy's standard bearers in Europe. They were the country's first European Cup winners in 1963, have won the trophy more times, seven, than their domestic rivals, and are the only Serie A side to have kicked off their UEFA Champions League campaign this season with victory. But of course, their upturn in fortunes this week is not down to the music alone.

Seedorf drive
Leonardo's decision to play Clarence Seedorf in behind the strikers in place of Ronaldinho provided a creative spark the Rossoneri had been lacking, while former Italy Under-21 international Ignazio Abate's inclusion at right-back has given the side pace down the wing. Seedorf set up both Milan goals against Marseille and scored the winner against Bologna. The transition post-Ancelotti, Maldini and Kaká was always going to take time, but Leonardo's side remain competitive and the ambition is unchanged.

'Prudent'
"If you think about winning every match you play in, of course you think of winning the final as well, that's normal," the Brazilian coach explained. "I think this year we've gone through a few changes so it makes sense to be a bit prudent, but the matches will determine what we can do. We've got to take it one game at a time, keeping calm, then we will see what we can achieve this year." Leonardo may not yet know how far his team will go, but he is sure they are in the right groove, especially now they have found the soundtrack to their season.

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Tags: A.C. Milan

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