Seedorf left with massive Milan pineapple to peel

One phrase that AC Milan coach Clarence Seedorf may have learned during his recent stint playing in Brazil sums up the task he faces in Italy: He has an enormous pineapple to peel. The saying, based on the idea that pineapples are prickly and laborious to peel, is used when somebody is left to resolve a huge problem not of their own making. Seedorf, who is in his first coaching job, has found himself with an especially large and unwieldy pineapple following Tuesday’s drubbing by Atletico Madrid and consequent Champions League elimination at the first knockout stage. The Dutchman has inherited a muddled, confused team, created by two years of rudderless administration at the seven-time European champions, and there is no clear indication from the club leadership as to how it will sort out the mess. “We’ve played some big games in the last few weeks and we’ve nothing to show for it,” Seedorf told the club website after Tuesday’s 4-1 rout ended Italian interest in the competition. “That kills the ability to react. Milan, however, will need far more than just commitment to get itself back among Europe’s and even the Serie A elite. Seedorf’s side is tenth in Serie A, nine points adrift of a qualifying place for the much-maligned Europa League. The floundering giant has been left standing by domestic and international rivals which have better youth programs, sharper scouting and clearer philosophies of how to run their clubs. Milan’s difficulties began at the end of the 2011/12 season when it decided it was time to balance the books and sold talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and key defender Thiago Silva to Paris St. Germain. The club hailed a new philosophy based on finding and developing talented young players, but then did exactly the opposite as it splashed out on players who were either out of favor at other clubs, past their best, or both. From Mario Balotelli, to Alessandro Matri to Michael Essien, the list goes on and on. Milan promised to stick with coach Massimiliano Allegri until the end of the season, but lost patience with him in January and brought in Seedorf, who was finishing off his playing career in Brazil with Botafogo. The Dutchman had spent 10 years of his playing career at the club and his arrival had a galvanizing effect as they won four Serie A games out of six. But a 1-0 defeat at lowly Udinese, coupled with Tuesday’s embarrassing defeat, has sent them back into crisis mode. “From here until the end of the league and we’ll have to do the best we can. It’s over now and we have to react,” said Seedorf. “We have to play as well as we can for the remaining 11 matches in the league and then start thinking about next season.” Champions League holder Bayern Munich has been almost untouchable in the Bundesliga, but its edgy effort against Arsenal suggested that the lack of competition at domestic level could hinder its European ambitions. Bayern struggled to break down a surprisingly cautious Arsenal in the first half of Tuesday’s game and showed vulnerabilities on defense when the Gunners came at it in the final half hour. The last time Bayern failed to win a competitive game was also in the Champions League, last December, when it squandered a 2-0 lead and lost 3-2 at home to Manchester City. This year, Bayern, leading 2-0 from the first leg, went ahead 10 minutes into the second half with a Bastian Schweinsteiger goal but Lukas Podolski stunned the Allianz Arena when he leveled two minutes later. Pep Guardiola’s team immediately lost its swagger as the players’ confidence drained and Arsenal threatened a second. In the end, though Bayern came out with a 3-1 aggregate victory, the nature of the win left room for whispers about how Munich will fare in the quarterfinals and beyond. (Reuters)