Gilberto Respects Milan But Believes Arsenal Can Beat Them

voldemort · 01-18-2008, 07:14 PM

Milan
The Gunners were drawn with the reigning European Champions in what many people believe to be the best tie of the last 16.
“We have done our part in the group stage and now have a tremendous challenge against AC Milan in the knockout stage,” Gilberto told uefa.com.
“But you can't change opponents in a competition like the Champions League, which is why I don't really think it was a huge issue for us to have qualified in second place.
“The same happened when we played Juventus in the quarter-finals a couple of seasons ago and we managed to win. Milan have a great squad but I also trust in Arsenal's potential.”
No Easy Teams In Champions League
Arsenal finished second in their group behind Sevilla, and many people believe that their failure to finish top could come back to haunt them.
Gilberto disagrees however and says that every team in the Champions League are tough, citing some less fashionable squads who have done well in recent years.
“The Champions League is tough for everybody,” the Brazilian continued.
“That has been shown many times in games where so-called stronger sides had to work their socks off to overcome the opposition, not always successfully.
“Villarreal made it to the semi-finals at their first attempt in 2006. The 2004 final was contested by Porto and Monaco, two sides nobody imagined going that far.
“You have to respect a team like Milan, who are the defending champions and have so many talents onboard, but not fear them.”
Steven Gerrard
Finally Gilberto was asked who he believed to be the best English midfielder currently playing in the Premiership.
“Steven Gerrard, not only because of his ability and presence but also due to the fact he is an amazing team player. Liverpool and England are lucky to have him,” concluded the 31-year-old.

source:goal.com

01-18-2008, 07:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
voldemort Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 8,202	Gilberto Respects Milan But Believes Arsenal Can Beat Them Milan The Gunners were drawn with the reigning European Champions in what many people believe to be the best tie of the last 16. “We have done our part in the group stage and now have a tremendous challenge against AC Milan in the knockout stage,” Gilberto told uefa.com. “But you can't change opponents in a competition like the Champions League, which is why I don't really think it was a huge issue for us to have qualified in second place. “The same happened when we played Juventus in the quarter-finals a couple of seasons ago and we managed to win. Milan have a great squad but I also trust in Arsenal's potential.” No Easy Teams In Champions League Arsenal finished second in their group behind Sevilla, and many people believe that their failure to finish top could come back to haunt them. Gilberto disagrees however and says that every team in the Champions League are tough, citing some less fashionable squads who have done well in recent years. “The Champions League is tough for everybody,” the Brazilian continued. “That has been shown many times in games where so-called stronger sides had to work their socks off to overcome the opposition, not always successfully. “Villarreal made it to the semi-finals at their first attempt in 2006. The 2004 final was contested by Porto and Monaco, two sides nobody imagined going that far. “You have to respect a team like Milan, who are the defending champions and have so many talents onboard, but not fear them.” Steven Gerrard Finally Gilberto was asked who he believed to be the best English midfielder currently playing in the Premiership. “Steven Gerrard, not only because of his ability and presence but also due to the fact he is an amazing team player. Liverpool and England are lucky to have him,” concluded the 31-year-old. source:goal.com