Bayern Munich boss and one of the most successful coaches in world football right now, Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that AC Milan in 2007 wanted Liverpool in the finals of the Champions League to seek revenge for the loss they suffered at the hands of the Reds in 2005.
The final of the 2005 Champions League final saw Liverpool mount an extraordinary comeback to seal a win at Istanbul, which left AC Milan faithful heartbroken. However, a reverse fixture in 2007 saw Milan take on Liverpool once again in the finals of the Champions League and gained revenge by beating the Reds 2-1 at Athens, Greece as football odds today suggested.
It was a final filled with controversies where there were issues with the fans not being able to enter the stadium. People with genuine tickets were not allowed to enter the stadium as the Greek Police officials stopped the Liverpool fans from entering the stadium saying that it was already full. Eventually, the fans tried to break into the stadium, only to be stopped by the Greek Police, who used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd.
Now, Ancelotti has revealed what Milan were going through before the 2007 final. Carlo wrote on Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia),
“I wanted Liverpool. I wanted them and the lads wanted them. It was too beautiful to be able to take revenge for Istanbul two years before. It was good to get to the end in the Champions League given that no-one at the start of the season bet so much as a Euro on us. The truth is that the win on the pitch came from a group of men. Real men, people who help each other on the pitch and off, fighting for a common goal. We weren’t favourites, maybe we weren’t even the strongest, but we lifted the trophy and that means we were a team.”
He also claims that they were confident about today’s football tips coming into the game as they had beaten Manchester United in the semi-finals.
“We went to Athens in the group against AEK and I let myself say something which might have appeared presumptuous: ‘We came here to get a measure of the pitch for the final’. And I believed it. Because everyone’s objective, from the President to the warehouse workers, was that: another Champions League. The 3-0 against Manchester United in the semi-finals was magnificent, the perfect game. I knew that win would give us more security for Athens.”
The Italian also gave an insight into what he was thinking before the game and says that he was in a fix when picking the striker to start against the Reds. He says he chose Filippo Inzaghi for his sheer ability to poach goals in tight situations. Eventually, the Italian striker scored twice!
“I had the starting XI in my head for some time, but there was just one doubt facing me. Inzaghi was in bits, he wasn’t even scoring in training matches. Gilardino, on the other hand, was flying and had scored against Manchester United. I thought for a while and then I decided: Inzaghi. Why? Quite simply I bet on Pippo’s ability to sniff out a goal and be decisive in a game like this. Luckily I didn’t get it wrong.”
It was a painful night for the Liverpool faithful who were hoping to win the game after the team’s earlier success in 2005. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful game and though it gives painful memories to recall that night, this is football and it is a beautiful game after all!
