San Zero: where defence is an art

Champions' League: United and Arsenal must take rearguard action, warns Seedorf

Alex Hayes
Sunday 11 May 2003 00:00 BST
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Like Margaret Thatcher during her time as leader, neither Sir Alex Ferguson nor Arsène Wenger are ones for "turning". Once the country's top two managers are set on a course, they stick by it with a determination of iron. Judging by their domestic results – they have shared the last eight Premiership titles – few could blame them. However, if Manchester United and Arsenal want to dominate Europe as well, then the time has come for a change in strategy.

Attack may be the best form of defence in England, but not on the Continent. It says everything that three Italian teams have reached the last four of the Champions' League. Serie A clubs are back, and so is the art of defending. "Italian clubs have had a bit of a lean time in Europe of late, but now the back is back," says Ray Wilkins, whose three years in Milan taught him the meaning of great defending. "Don't get me wrong, Italians can play a bit, but it is no surprise that Juve and the two Milans have based their current campaigns around solid defences."

Last Tuesday, Juventus showed what a well-organised rearguard could do against the mighty Real Madrid. The Italian champions frustrated their flamboyant hosts, and came away from the Bernabeu with a creditable 2-1 defeat. However, it was in Wednesday's second semi-final at the San Siro that the Italian revival was confirmed. No matter that il derbyssimo di Milano ended in a goalless draw, this was a match of the highest quality. True, clear-cut chances were at a premium, but that owed more to the standard of defending than lack of attacking ability.

"In Italy, defending is an art form," Wilkins explains. "It is not a dirty word. It always amazes me that to be rated as a good full-back in England you have to get forward as often as possible, when your responsibilities should be as a defender first and foremost. I think we need to understand that good defending is not necessarily synonymous with being defensive-minded." The two Milan teams proved that at their home in midweek.

The fact that there were no goals was not because of a lack of attacking options: Carlo Ancelotti's Milan boast the likes of Rui Costa, Rivaldo, Andrei Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi; Hector Cuper's Internazionale can count on Alvaro Recoba or Hernan Crespo and, when they are not injured or cup-tied, Christian Vieri and Gabriel Batistuta. The reason for the stalemate was the quality of the defending. The stars of the show were Milan's back-four of Paolo Maldini, Kakha Kaladze and the two Alessandros, Costacurta and Nesta, as well as Inter's back-five of Fabio Cannavaro, Marco Materazzi, Ivan Cordoba, Francesco Coco and Javier Zanetti. "The one thing that stood out more than anything else," says Wilkins, who played alongside the city's greatest ever defender Franco Baresi between 1984 and 1987, "is that the guys at the back seemed to be enjoying themselves. In Italy, defending is not seen as a chore, but a privilege."

The same cannot be said of England's top two clubs, who continue to monopolise domestic honours but do not win so regularly on the Continent. Clarence Seedorf, who is on course to become the first player to win the Champions' League with three different clubs, believes that Manchester United and Arsenal need to review their European strategies. "It's all very well coming out to play great football," says the man who won the trophy with Ajax in 1995 and Real Madrid in 1998 and 2000, "but the truth is that defences win you tough tournaments. That is our policy at Milan, and that is why we do not over-commit for the sake of it. You simply cannot rely solely on your forward players to get you the results."

Ignoring the phenomenon that are Real, the only team who have secured Europe's top prize by playing open football in the last 15 years are Manchester United in their Treble-winning season of 1999. However, that was the exception to the rule. Those United fans who came away from last month's quarter-final against Real unhappy that they had missed out on a famous victory by the odd goal should think again. The final aggregate score may have been 6-5 to the Spanish champions but, had Ferguson's men found another goal, you can be sure their opponents would have pulled away again themselves.

No other team can go forward like the current Real. Play them at their own adventurous game, and defeat is almost inevitable. But approach the game with a sound defensive set-up, and you have a chance. Witness Juventus, who yesterday won the 27th Serie A title of their history, and who are now favourites for the return leg on Wednesday. "No matter how good Real are," Wilkins says, "you can't escape the fact that they are vulnerable at the back. Juventus proved that a well-organised team can cause them problems, and I would not be surprised if they now went through to the final."

Should they do so, it would be an all-Italian affair at Old Trafford. Such a prospect seems a long way off for English teams. "Man U need a goalie and another really experienced centre-back," Wilkins says. "Arsenal, though, probably need a keeper plus two defenders to be at the right sort of level. It wasn't so long ago that the Gunners had the best back four or five in the business, so there is no reason why they can't be successful again. The only difference is they might have to buy big for their defence this time."

Apart from United's purchase of Rio Ferdinand last summer, and to a lesser extent Arsenal's signing of Sol Campbell on a Bosman free in 2001, the buying emphasis has been on attacking players. "Both sides have no trouble scoring goals," Wilkins says, "but can't keep them out. If either of them want to be crowned kings of Europe, they will have to find a new way to complete the job." Could be just the job for an Italian.

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