AC Milan misses Shevchenko
AC Milan missed very much Andriy Shevchenko when they were held to a goals draw away to Lille in Champions League Group H on Tuesday.
The Ukraine striker was replaced by Brazilian Ricardo Oliveira, who has yet to make an impact.
In Lens the italian striker Alberto Gilardino was alone up front.
This was not enough for the six-times European champions, who created many chances but failed to make the telling breakthrough.
Gilardino fell centimetres short of scoring his first goal in 13 Champions League appearances when his 43rd-minute attempt shaved Tony Sylva’s right post.
Milan had also been held to 0-0 draw by unsung Livorno at the weekend in Serie A, where they have scored only five times in four matches.
“We have not scored in our last two games? Yes, but I do not think it is because of physical or psychological fatigue,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said after Tuesday’s match.
“I am satisfied with this single-striker system because our midfielders, such as Kaka and Seedorf, created a lot of chances.”
Ancelotti stressed that Clarence Seedorf’s goal, disallowed for a less than obvious offside position in the 52nd minute, should have given the Italian side a deserved advantage.
“Seedorf’s goal seemed perfectly valid,” he said.
However, he said Milan should have been more efficient against a team who had conceded seven goals in their last two Ligue 1 matches.
“I am satisfied, though we could have been more lucid in attacking phases,” said the AC Milan trainer, who replaced Gilardino with Filippo Inzaghi, a proven match winner, 13 minutes from time.
From: The Guardian