Milan show attack is best defence against Real

The producers of soccer coaching videos could save themselves some time and money by simply offering young players a 90 minute cassette of the Champions League match between AC Milan and Real Madrid, won 1-0 by the Italian side on Tuesday.

The result may mean the match will rest longer in the memory of Milan supporters but the fact that the highly partisan San Siro crowd were applauding the attacking moves of their Spanish opponents should be enough of an indicator of the quality of football that was displayed by both teams at one of the game's great venues.

Everything that is great about the game was on display for the 75,000 lucky enough to witness it -- crisp passing, expert control, powerful, well-directed shooting, outstanding goalkeeping, expertly-timed tackles and all played without rancour in a spirit of relaxed, yet highly competitive, sportsmanship.

There was not a sign of the fear that has restricted so many Italian sides in recent years as the textbook of defensive 'catenaccio' was cast aside by Milan.

That positive approach was exemplified when in the 80th minute of a high-speed encounter, with the Italian side just a goal up, Milan's veteran centre-half Alessandro Costacurta set off on a long overlap down the right flank hoping to benefit from a counter-attack.

The credit for that attacking spirit must be given to Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, who after the game, said what some in Serie A would consider blasphemy -- attack is the best form of defence.

"I think playing defensively, sitting back against Real is always risky. You could see that in the spell before we scored when they were playing in front of our defence. We looked to attack and to impose our game on them and we could do that for the greater part of the game," said Ancelotti.

There is of course a risk in leaving yourself open to counter-attack in such an approach and Vicente Del Bosque's side are masters of the swift, piercing break from deep in their own half to the heart of their opponent's defence.

French midfielder Zinedine Zidane is not the kind of player you want to allow space to run at your backline and twice he forced Milan's Brazilian keeper Dida into saves with goalbound shots at the end of classy counter-attacks.

BELOW-PAR FIGO

Perhaps had a below-par Luis Figo been able to prompt some more of those breaks the result might have been different -- but he was well-marked throughout and when, once, he did manage to get round the back of the Italian defence he was outpaced and then robbed by Paolo Maldini.

Maldini's performance confirmed his return to his very best -- how Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni must be hoping the defender reconsiders his retirement from the national side.

The best proof that Ancelotti's philosophy is the right way to play against the European champions was the way in which Real's full-backs, Michel Salgado and Roberto Carlos, so devastating when allowed to advance, were pinned back into their own half for most of the second period of the game.

Of course the tactics alone are not enough to beat a side of the undoubted quality of Real -- you need to have the players capable of taking the game to them and exploiting their undoubted frailties in the centre of their defence.

Brazilian World Cup winner Rivaldo has been something of a let-down since arriving at Milan but perhaps he has been saving himself for the moments when his magic is most needed.

Twice he managed to turn a high clearance from defence into an attacking move by excellent use of his chest -- swivelling to angle the ball into the path of breaking team-mates.

CLASS APART

Portuguese midfielder Rui Costa and Real's Zidane both showed the lightness of touch and ability to create space for themselves out of tight areas that distinguishes top class players from the rest.

It certainly helped Milan that Real were without their tough-tackling French midfielder Claude Makele -- the Spanish side were unable to win enough of the rare loose balls in midfield to really ever take control of the game.

The absence of Ronaldo, whose flu bug robbed him of a chance to return to the stadium he called home before his move to Real from Inter Milan, must surely also be added into the equation as Fernando Morientes rarely caused much trouble for Maldini and Costacurta.

But there will be more than a few coaches in Europe who will have taken note of Ancelotti's way of beating Real and few fans would complain if they also try such an adventurous approach.