As far as Champions League wins go, AC Milan’s victory over Barcelona was of the highest standard. The Rossoneri set out with a gameplan over their Spanish counterparts and stuck to it superbly in the 2-0 victory over the Blaugrana as goals from Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari ensured the Serie A side will take an advantage to the Camp Nou next month.
It’s a far cry from a few months ago when Milan were struggling for consistency domestically and languishing in the lower half of the table, while head coach Massimiliano Allegri was reportedly on the verge of being shown the San Siro exit door.
The arrival of Mario Balotelli appears to have rejuvenated the side and while he was unavailable on Wednesday night as a result of being cup tied, the attacking threat of Stephan El Shaarawy, Gianpaolo Pazzini and Boateng ensured that he wasn’t missed, to an extent.
But can it see Milan return to their best in the business end of the campaign and earn their first taste of European glory since 2007? They certainly possess the quality in the aforementioned trio, while Riccardo Montolivo, Antonio Nocerino and Nigel De Jong highlights the strength running through their team.
It’ll be tough to overcome Barcelona in the second leg of the encounter in Spain, but if Milan can churn out a similar performance to that of the 2-0 win, there is no reason why progression to the final at Wembley can be attained with the confidence that would be drawn from a possible victory likely to soar.