At the halfway stage in the Champions League semifinals, we’re no closer to knowing who will meet in the final in Istanbul late in May. The first-leg games between AC Milan and PSV Eindhoven and Liverpool and Chelsea were entertaining affairs, and highlighted how important tactics are in European competition.
A key factor in these semifinals is the roles that each of the managers plays. All four managers — Carlo Ancelotti, Guus Hiddink, Jose Mourinho and Rafael BenÃÂtez — are masters of the tactical game.
A meeting between any of them is a battle between their original game plans. The contest is, therefore, decided firstly by which game plan is better and, more importantly, which set of players better executes this plan.
On Tuesday night PSV manager Hiddink seemed to have a better tactical game than Milan manager Ancelotti. In the second half especially, his team enjoyed the majority of the possession and territory and created numerous chances.
Yet, when it came down to the players executing their leader’s instructions, PSV were somewhat lacking, especially up front. Milan, on the other hand, showed discipline and did just enough to come away with a healthy 2-0 advantage going into the second leg.
Both teams spent most of the first half feeling each other out, with PSV playing as the away side is expected to: on the back foot. Then, just before half-time, Milan showed a touch of class and Andriy Shevchenko, too pacey for PSV defender Wilfred Bouma, broke through onto a scything ball from Kaka to give the hosts the lead.
To their credit, PSV came out in the second half with an adventurous game plan and an attacking 3-4-3 formation. They played with confidence and created a number of chances against a Milan team that seemed to be sitting back on their 1-0 lead.
But PSV were disappointing in the final third of the field, wasting most of their chances with either wayward or weak shooting. Milan keeper Dida saw a lot of the ball during the game but wasn’t troubled into making any great saves.
Against the run of play, just minutes before the end, second-half substitute Jon Dahl Tomasson wrapped things up for Milan with their second goal.
PSV must be really disappointed about not getting at least an away goal from Tuesday night’s game. Their poor finishing highlights the fact that they don’t really have any superstar match-winners on hand. They lack the individual brilliance of a Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho or, for that matter, Shevchenko — and at this stage of the competition, that could prove vital.
But take nothing away from Milan’s defence either. Jaap Stam, in particular, was unbeatable at the back and Milan have now gone seven successive Champions League games without conceding a goal — a new record for the competition.
Although this record-breaking defense was not breached by PSV, the way the strikers ran at Milan will cause concern for Carlo Ancelotti. In the first-leg tie, the Milan defenders showed a distinct lack of pace in comparison with PSV’s busy strikers. The average age across Milan’s back four is 35 and fleet-footed frontmen like DeMarcus Beasley and Jefferson Farfan should try to take advantage of this. In fact, it may be their only way to get back into this tie.
It was an unconvincing victory for Milan, bordering on undeserved, such was PSV’s commitment in the second half. But the newly crowned Dutch champions have only themselves to blame for getting nothing out of this game. If they can make the same number of chances in the second leg in Eindhoven on Wednesday night — but this time, crucially, convert them — then maybe, just maybe, they can claw their way back.
Without much fuss, the favourites did what they had to in their home leg and take what one would think is an almost unassailable 2-0 lead into the second leg.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez both play great tactical games too and, moreover, are accomplished in recent European competitions. Two years ago Mourinho won the Uefa Cup with Porto and famously took the Portuguese underdogs to Champions League glory last season.
Benitez also tasted European glory last season with victory in the Uefa Cup with Valencia. The head-to-head battle between these two in the second semifinal on Wednesday night was, therefore, a mouth-watering proposition.
And, indeed, it was tactics that came to the fore: Chelsea plugged away trying to get a first leg lead and Liverpool played a game plan built on frustrating the Blues. At this halfway stage in the tie, one would have to assume that Benitez is the happier of the two managers with the game petering out into a 0-0 draw.
Chelsea were certainly the better team in the first half, creating numerous opportunities, including what should have been an absolute sitter, for the usually-reliable Frank Lampard.
But Liverpool’s tactics of frustrating their London opposition took their toll on Chelsea and not even the introduction of the inspirational Arjen Robben, just before the hour mark, could help Chelsea’s cause. The match played out as a relatively mediocre affair for much of the second half with neither team going for the killer blow.
A standout feature of the game was Liverpool’s defensive capabilities and, in particular, the commitment and skill shown by Jamie Carragher and Djimi Traore in dealing with Chelsea’s front men.
Liverpool will be worried about their attacking game with Milan Baros, in particular, once again disappointing. Although he makes good runs off the ball, Baros has lost all confidence with the ball at his feet, and especially with his first touch.
Djibril Cisse replaced the Czech striker midway through the second half and immediately Liverpool benefited from the way he held up and distributed the ball, giving the Reds a lot more possession up front. Benitez should be thinking about starting with the French striker up front for the second leg.
Chelsea also played well at the back. As expected, Glen Johnson was caught short on occasion against John Arne Riise, but Ricardo Carvalho stepped in to help when necessary.
There was also an underrated performance at left back from William Gallas, who was given the unenviable task of reigning in Luis Garcia. Gallas is usually not as comfortable on the left as he is in the middle of defence but he did an effective enough job keeping the in-form Garcia quiet.
Both teams played a cagey, tactical game and, although they did well defensively, Chelsea would have wanted more from the game than they got. Liverpool will probably be the happier of the two sides with a 0-0 draw.
Unlike the Milan-PSV game, the result of this semifinal tie is still anyone’s guess. Expect fireworks when the two meet at Anfield in the second leg on Tuesday night.