Forza!

THE POWER OF THREE

Milan made their debut in the 2005 World Series of Football in front of a passionate American crowd. The first friendly against Chelsea in Boston did not end as expected for the Rossoneri who were edged out by Jose Mourinho’s Blues thanks to Arjen Robben’s strike on 13 minutes. The game, however, offered plenty of emotion for the 25,000 fans gathered in the Gillette Stadium and also gave Carlo Ancelotti the occasion to test the three-man defence in the second half, which gave positive signs for the future. There were an array of stars on show, with Hernan Crespo coming up against Bobo Vieri - Milan’s attacking past against the present. Kakhaber Kaladze played from the first minute, while the playmaking pairing of Manuel Rui Costa and Serginho were called up to support Vieri. The first half produced the most spectacular and open football although tiredness from the early pre-season camp took over in the final stages. Coach Ancelotti was satisfied with his men's display despite the outcome, and said: 'I'm happy, we are testing new solutions and I saw an excellent organisation on the flanks in the first half.' Manuel Rui Costa was on the same wavelength: 'The opponents were ahead of us in the preparation, bue we were able to do what the coach claimed from us, as long as our legs stood. We did well with ball possession and just lacked in speeding up the tempo.' The next game is at Chicago Fire on Wednesday, July 27.

Four-star attack

Andriy Shevchenko, Pippo Inzaghi, Christian Vieri, Alberto Gilardino. This is the sweet reality of the Milan attack, the dream come true. The Golden Ball winner, the 252-goalscorer chasing Alfredo di Stefano's record in Europe, the left-footed striker so-much missed after Mark Hateley, the promising young talent. This is the new Milan attack: complete and totally prestigious. Even Carlo Ancelotti admitted: 'Yes, on paper it is stronger than last season.'