Gareth Bale returns from injury, but it’s not enough to say he’ll be picked. Oh no, Bale will be ‘unleashed’. Aside from Lionel Messi there isn’t a player in the world at this moment in time that terrifies defenders as much as Bale does. With an aging defence and little protection from a threadbare midfield the prospect of him and Aaron Lennon running at pace and those magicians Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart pulling the creative strings in the middle of the park is mouthwatering. Whether it’s Sandro or Wilson Palacios holding things down in Tom Huddlestone’s usual spot (he has an ankle injury that’s dragging on and on) is of little concern as both were excellent in the first leg. Another combative, composed performance is required.
Three weeks ago Milan were stifled by a Spurs team that pressed relentlessly spearheaded by an unmanageable Peter Crouch and uncharacteristically organised at the back. In the face of adversity – injuries, a difficult draw, Rino Gattuso – we thrived coming away with an unprecedented 1-0 win. The Rossoneri were completely devoid of ideas and if they are banking on the return of Kevin Prince-Boateng to turn the tie they’ve got another think coming.
When Arsenal beat Barcelona last week I got a phone call before the final whistle had even gone, a friend saying it had taken the shine off our win in the San Siro the night before. That’s not true because a) we should be concerned about our club not the one up the road and b) Barcelona are still favourites to go through, whereas Spurs are in the driving seat.
We’ve conceded six goals in our last two league games, both against teams in the bottom five. The defence lacks a leader and Heurelho Gomes has reverted to the error-prone form of his first season at the club, but in the first leg he was superb and the defence kept Milan’s attack at bay. The strikers’ goal drought appears to be over too with Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko finding the net in style on Saturday against Wolves.
A victory against Milan looks very achievable, even inevitable. Hopefully the win and the return of key players will boost our league form and successfully secure consecutive top four finishes.
Jack McInroy
You’ll Win Nothing With Yids
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