Winning At The Bernabeu Is Too Easy For Italian Clubs (Real Madrid v Milan)

Cast your minds back almost exactly a year. Juventus were in crisis having gone five games without a win – this including successive defeats to Palermo and Napoli, and a humiliating comeback draw against Belarusian minnows BATE Borisov. Coach Claudio Ranieri was on the brink of the sack, and the visit of Spanish giants Real Madrid was supposed to be the final nail in his coffin.

Alessandro Del Piero had other ideas, as his wonder-goal within five minutes led the Bianconeri to a 2-1 win in Turin. The Golden Boy would repeat the trick a fortnight later at the Santiago Bernabeu with a superb double, receiving a standing ovation in the process. These victories secured Ranieri his job for another six months, and ensured Juve finished a trophyless season with at least some special memories.

The circumstances from a year ago were eerily similar to that of Milan and Leonardo prior to last night’s trip to the Spanish capital. Despite the somewhat fortuitous win over Roma at the weekend, there was no doubt that the Rossoneri travelled to Spain still in crisis and as massive underdogs.

Very few people gave Milan a prayer of emerging from the Bernabeu with anything more than a walloping. Indeed, just 26.41% forecast a victory for the Rossoneri in our Goal.com poll. The wish among many tifosi was merely to avoid a humiliation, while others hoped – just like Juventini last year – that a thrashing could be a blessing in disguise as it may lead to the sacking of an unpopular coach.

Milan’s subsequent 3-2 triumph, following 90 minutes of breathtaking football, has since been painted by the media as either a huge surprise or one of Italian football’s great successes.

But aren’t both descriptions rather ridiculous?

Granted, it is a fine achievement and some would say a victory for football that an ageing team who spent virtually nothing in the summer could beat a Galacticos squad assembled via hundreds of millions of euros worth of bank loans.

But Italian successes over Real Madrid are becoming all too common now, and – to be brutally honest – all too easy. In 2007-08 Roma won home and away against the Blancos in the last 16, completely outplaying their opponents in the second leg in Spain. Last year, there was the aforementioned double for Juventus in the group stages where once again the Italians played Madrid off the park on their own turf. During that game the Merengues didn’t register a shot on goal until two minutes into injury time. A win for Milan at San Siro in a fortnight’s time will spell six consecutive defeats for Real Madrid against Italian opposition.

The Blancos have become something of a dream adversary for Serie A teams in recent years. Juventus eliminated the Spaniards in the last 16 of the Champions League in 2005 and the semi-finals two years earlier. Italy quite clearly has the number of Spanish opposition. The often gung-ho attacking style that La Liga champions plays right into the hands of the tactically superior Serie A outfits. Spanish teams realise this, but they won’t betray who they are. Fabio Cannavaro, when asked prior to last year’s second round draw as to which club he would like Real Madrid to face, replied: “Anyone but an Italian team. We are not suited to playing against Italian opposition.”

Without taking anything away from the Rossoneri – hopefully this will give them the confidence to move up the Serie A table and make a mark in Europe, as Calcio needs a strong Milan – history has taught us that we shouldn’t read too much into Italian victories over Real Madrid.

Well done to Milan, but let’s wait and see how the next three league games against Napoli, Parma and Lazio play out before concluding whether this was a great win over a great Real Madrid team or just a routine victory against a team that always loses to Italian opposition.

Popularity: 1%