ALotofSportsTalk.com’s Serie A pundit Samantha Savarino takes an in-depth look at Group C of the Champions league, which features seven-time Champions League winners AC Milan, Zenit St. Petersburg, Málaga and Anderlecht.
This group may be determined more by psyche and morale than anything else. Milan should advance easily and without too much of a challenge. But I say that only if Milan take care of business right out of the gate vs. Anderlecht. A loss, and I can easily see this turn into a last-minute job for their qualification into the knockout round.
Milan are going through transition personnel-wise, almost necessary due to the Italian economic downturn. They have had to sell two of their most important players in the process in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. Losses at the San Siro this season to Sampdoria and Atalanta to begin Serie A were pathetic – especially when they did not score a single goal in either game. They must win to give off the vibe to everyone else in the group that they are the team to beat, and they have to do it convincingly. The psychological advantage gained will be so important for them as they progress through the group games. That positive belief obviously has been a trademark of Milan for seemingly generations, and it can easily happen again.
A loss, though, and it will really open the door for both Zenit and Málaga. Both teams have had significant personnel moves this summer, affecting team morale in different ways.
Behind big spending from Qatari royal Sheikh Abdullah- who bought the team in 2010- Málaga had a season to remember in 2011-12, qualifying for Europe. But the royal’s sudden apathy and lack of investment this summer resulted in the sale of creative midfielder Santi Cazorla, among other integral players. Others at the club complained about unpaid wages. An official statement from Málaga said the cost cutting is to adhere to UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules (which they already have been found in violation of), but it may be much deeper than that. Despite their good start to this season’s La Liga campaign, their competition have been mostly relative lightweights, and their reliance on younger talent and the miasmic atmosphere around the team may be too much to overcome. Spanish teams are usually hard to beat at home in Europe, so that can, and probably will, be a saving grace when playing at La Rosaleda.
Zenit, on the other hand, pulled off one of the surprise moves of the summer transfer season, plucking Brazilian striker Hulk from Porto. Widely believed to be going to one of the big clubs in England, Hulk’s arrival proves that Zenit are playing for keeps in this competition. Currently in fourth place in the Russian Premier League, Zenit have already beaten established Russian powers CSKA Moscow and fellow Champions League participant Spartak Moscow, the latter being a 5-0 thrashing- and that was before Hulk arrived. Confidence should be high with the Russians going into Matchday 1 on Tuesday. Also, being coached by longtime Serie A manager Luciano Spalletti might be an advantage for Zenit during their two games with Milan.
Anderlecht should go into the group with a chip on its shoulder, having had to qualify for the Champions League group stage after Chelsea stole its automatic place in the event by winning last year’s title. They might have been a power in Europe at one time in the 1980s, but they seem destined to finish at the foot of the table.
Again, this group is Milan’s to lose. The overall talent of the team is not like the teams of yesteryear, or even last year. Even without Ibra and Thiago Silva, this team has enough experience- with their older players and some younger guys who have Champions League experience- to navigate their way though this group.
Predictions:
1. AC Milan
2. Zenit
3. Málaga
4. Anderlecht
Bio:
Samantha Savarino was born in Sicily, and fell in love with the Rossoneri of AC Milan as a young girl after seeing them win the 1989 European Cup and falling in love at the first sight of Paolo Maldini. She also works in the medical field, having worked/works as a registered nurse at Englewood Hospital in Englewood, New Jersey. She has also spent time as ranking member of the Milan Club of New Jersey in Totowa.
