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"Milan" club captain Paolo Maldini firmly states that his team's defensive quartet does not create any special plans to stop the young star of the "Man Utd" team, Cristiano Ronaldo, in the Champions League semifinal match on Tuesday. The 38-year-old veteran fully understands the threat posed by the Portuguese, as he could see in the Serie A neighbor "Roma" team in the quarterfinal match. Although P. Maldini acknowledges C. Ronaldo as one of the best players in the match, he still claims that their game will not revolve around plans to neutralize the Portuguese, who was recognized as the best player of the season and the best young player of the season in the Premier League on Sunday. "I totally agree that C. Ronaldo is one of the five best players in the world," said P. Maldini, evaluating his opponent's talent. "But matches of this level are a good test to see how good a player really is, and only the best can determine the result of the match." "We cannot just focus on Ronaldo because that is not how we play. Whoever is close to him will mark him, so in this way he will determine who is guarding him. But if he ends up next to me, he will realize that I am still fast enough," Maldini challenged Ronaldo's security. The Italian agrees that the "Man Utd" club is superior to the club in which he plays. Two years ago, "AC Milan" lost both games - it was the last meeting of the teams. However, the player dismissed the rumors that the team led by Carlo Ancelotti has been declining since then and assured that the convincing victory of the English club over "Roma" did not faze them. "They are a better team than they were two years ago, as young players have matured and grown, especially Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney," the defender compared the former and current composition of the "Man Utd" club. "We respect them and their performance against 'Roma' was superb. But that was in the previous round, now entirely different matches await." C. Ancelotti can strengthen his team's defense with experienced players, while the defense of his opponent, led by Sir Alex Ferguson, is plagued by an injury crisis, as they cannot play three out of four main defensive pillars. "Milan" strategist added that these problems of the "Man Utd" club could help in the fight. "They will have to cope without some good players," the strategist said. "But we need to focus on our own game to impose ourselves on them - only by doing that did we win last time."
