After putting Leonardo in charge of AC Milan, owner Silvio Berlusconi has been trying to help the novice coach get to grips with the job with advice on how to tease the best from Ronaldinho.

The Italian premier, who has again denied he is considering selling a stake in the club, thinks Ronaldinho can be Milan’s “Usain Bolt” and fill the gap left by his Brazilian compatriot Kaka if he is used as a second striker rather than an playmaker.

Although Berlusconi has been careful with his transfer spending, and Milan could struggle again this term judging by the 4-0 derby hammering by Inter, he knows a thing or two about soccer and might have a point about Ronaldinho.

Leonardo is using his fellow Brazilian in the hole behind two strikers, probably his best position if he were in peak condition as it exploits his ability to conjure up chances for others and gives him room for his individual charges towards goal.

But he has not looked 100 percent fit for some time, so those wonderful runs are thin on the ground and the midfielders are having to do overtime because he does not chase back.

Using Ronaldinho as a striker might restore the team’s balance and lower the physical demands on him, simply because he would be nearer to goal and have less galloping to do. Being closer to the danger zone could lead to more goals too, which would bolster his fragile confidence.

Leonardo could pair him with powerful centre forward Marco Borriello or a goal poacher such as Filippo Inzaghi or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Alternatively he could make up a front line with in-form Alexandre Pato — a partnership that would be potentially unmarkable.

The advice might be good but if Leonardo takes it, he risks looking like the owner’s puppet. So next time Berlusconi has some tips, he might be better whispering into his coach’s ear instead of yelling them via the media.

PHOTO: AC Milan’s coach Leonardo (R) walks with Ronaldinho at a practice session before their World Football Challenge match against Inter Milan on Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts July 25, 2009. REUTERS/Adam Hunger

“Ronaldo and Messi could miss the World Cup!” screamed the headlines after Portugal drew 1-1 in Denmark and Argentina were humiliated 3-1 at home to Brazil.

It sounds awful, doesn’t it? How will we ever manage without Cristiano and Leo, two of the poster boys for the elite, Masters of the Universe level of footballer we’ve come to know and love?

Leaving aside for a minute the fact that Argentina almost certainly will qualify, and Portugal are by no means out if it either, let’s get one thing clear: the World Cup will get along fine without them or any other individual players, should their countries get left behind.

Comparatively minor tournaments, such as soccer at the Olympics and regional championships outside Europe and South America, need glamour players from the big leagues to attract worldwide interest from media and sponsors. Domestic leagues need them to do overseas rights deals, the Champions League needs them to keep the money flowing but the World Cup is in a different category altogether.

The World Cup has always been bigger than any one player, or indeed any combination of them. It has consistently been a tournament that has created new stars rather than one that has simply allowed established ones to shine.

It’s striking, in fact, how many players have come into recent tournaments lavished with praise, and adorning the advertising posters of the boot manufacturers, only to find themselves upstaged.

Take France in 1998. I don’t remember anyone going to that tournament with the express intention of seeing Zinedine Zidane. He was certainly much admired, but he was not in the same league as Ronaldo, the FIFA World Player of the Year for 1997, and we all remember how the tournament turned out.

Four years later, Ronaldo staged that remarkable comeback from his career-threatening knee problems, at a time when many had written him off. The players expected to light up that tournament were Luis Figo of Portugal, Raul of Spain, Zidane again and England’s David Beckham yet their contributions were minimal, and were overshadowed completely by the remarkable feats of co-hosts South Korea.

As for 2006, that was supposed to be the tournament of Ronaldinho and Kaka, but an overhyped Brazil side made a premature exit, to no one’s great regret. And what did Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard or Zlatan Ibrahimovic do to justify their reputations?

If Messi, Ronaldo or any other member of the football royal family misses the World Cup, it will generate a lot of wailing and teeth-gnashing in the build-up — heck, I’ll be sorry myself — but I bet any absences will swiftly be forgotten once the tournament is underway.

Perhaps it will be another established star who takes South Africa by storm — Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema, Fernando Torres or David Villa, maybe — but we may also see someone quite unexpected come from nowhere to make an indelible mark on world football.

Jermain Defoe to score the winning goal in the final, anyone?  

PHOTO: Argentina’s Lionel Messi (R) falls down next to Brazil’s Luisao during their World Cup qualifier in Rosario, September 5, 2009. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci

Ronaldinho has returned to form since joining AC Milan from Barcelona, producing some nice assists and seven goals in Serie A.

According to Kaka though, the close-season arrival of his Brazil team mate has also mucked up the tactical balance of the seven-times European champions.

“Ronnie has settled in very well and he’s giving us a big hand but before we were used to playing with automatic moves consolidated over the years,” the playmaker said last week.

“Me and Clarence (Seedorf) behind a forward, usually (Filippo) Inzaghi. With Ronaldinho the team has had to change set-up and we have to get used to having the same automatic moves with him. We play together in the national team but it’s not the same. It’s a question of understanding, which is lacking a little.”

So Kaka is having to play in a deeper position and track back more with Ronaldinho in the side, which may be the reason he has been less impressive than usual in attack this season.

He said he is willing to “sacrifice himself” for the team in this way and that he and Ronaldinho are compatible, but not without adding that he prefers to play further forward and feels more useful there.

He seemed to prove the point when, with Ronaldinho injured, he gave a man-of-the-match performance in his old position in Sunday’s 1-0 home victory over Catania, scoring the goal that ended a four-match winless run.

Seedorf had already said Ronaldinho was not the sort of player Milan needed before his transfer from Barca.

What’s the point of bringing in a former FIFA World Player of the Year if it just makes the one you have already less effective?

Next month, Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti will also have to find a way to fit in David Beckham, another offensive player, although he is confident this will not muddle things more.

“It (Beckham’s arrival) won’t upset anything at the tactical level. He’s a midfielder and so there won’t be a problem of coexistence with Kaka and Ronaldinho,” he said.

Kaka may have a point, but it also has to be said that the “automatic moves” he mentioned did not cover Milan in glory last season, when they were knocked out of the Champions League by Arsenal in the last 16 and finished fifth in Serie A.

With Ronaldinho now in town, how long is Kaka willing to resist the lure of the Premier League to continue ’sacrificing himself’ at Milan?

PHOTO: AC Milan’s Ronaldinho (R) celebrates with his team mate Kaka after scoring against Inter Milan during their Serie A match, Sept. 28, 2008. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

The above question came up in Mark’s blog about Del Piero (see below) and it stuck in my mind after my colleague Andre Assier interviewed Juninho this week.

Here’s an extract from Andre’s piece, which you can read in full here:

Olympique Lyon’s dead ball specialist Juninho scored his 40th free kick goal for the club against Steaua Bucharest in a Champions League game on Wednesday to make his mark on the French side’s scoring records.

The strike in a 2-0 home win meant the Brazilian midfielder joined compatriot Sonny Anderson as the club’s all-time top scorer in European competition with 16 by netting his 94th goal in all competitions for the French champions.

 ”I knew the goalkeeper would try and anticipate on one side so I just shot and wrongfooted him,” the 33-year-old told Reuters in an interview.

So, to get back to the question in hand, is Juninho the best free kick taker out there, or is Mark right in plumping for Del Piero?

It’s interesting that from January, AC Milan will have three of the best dead ball specialists, at least by repute. David Beckham, Ronaldinho and Andrea Pirlo will all be lining up for Milan in the New Year, meaning a lot of pushing and shoving when free kicks are awarded, I’d expect.

If the field is limited to the players already mentioned, I’d go for Juninho, but then again, I bet there are loads of other gifted free kick takers out there who just don’t get the credit that goes to that Famous Five.

So who deserves to be on the list? And is there anyone better than Juninho? Let us know in the comments.

PHOTO: Olympique Lyon’s Juninho (L) celebrates after scoring against Steaua Bucharest during their Champions League soccer match at the Gerland stadium in Lyon, Nov. 5, 2008. REUTERS/Robert Pratta

Believe it of not but the mighty AC Milan are clear at the top of Serie A for the first time since May 2004, when they last won the scudetto.

For a team which won the European Cup in 2007, that is an awful long time to go without leading the table on your own, not even for a week in September.

Sevens wins out of eight have propelled the Rossoneri to the summit this term and that was after losing their first two.

Most of those victories have been far from pretty, however. Sunday’s 1-0 home win over Napoli was courtesy of a late own goal while Kaka had a penalty saved.

Ronaldinho, although his cross caused the goal, was again generally poor and Carlo Ancelotti’s side laboured to break down Napoli’s defence despite Christian Maggio being sent off for the visitors just before halftime. 

Milan lead Udinese and Inter by a point after 10 games and with the little matter of David Beckham arriving in January, we are at least in for an intriguing title run-in.

One thing is for sure, Milan won’t stay top for the next four years. They are not that mighty at the moment.

“So we didn’t make a mistake after all,” quipped AC Milan owner and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi after Ronaldinho scored twice in the 3-0 win over Sampdoria on Sunday.

The Brazilian, who went badly off the boil in his final two seasons at Barcelona, has also had an inconsistent start to his San Siro career after a 21 million euro move.

The doubters (ie. Inter Milan fans) quickly asserted that the mercurial talent had lost his magical powers for good. (more…)

Ronaldinho’s great bullet header in AC Milan’s 1-0 win over derby rivals Inter on Sunday surprised the Brazilian as much as everybody else.

The former Barcelona player was so shocked at scoring such a goal that he ran around the San Siro pitch like a headless chicken before being hugged by his team mates and performing his customary dance. (more…)

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti was told his position was secure after the 2007 European champions finished fifth in Serie A last term and missed out on this season’s Champions League.

However, two defeats in their opening two league matches have put him under pressure again. The arrivals of Ronaldinho and Andriy Shevchenko were designed to help stop the rot but Milan’s main problem last season was a static midfield and the issue remains unresolved.

Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso and Massimo Ambrosini have a habit of standing together in a line near the centre circle and rarely does one of them break forward. This means the front three have to do all the running.

Ancelotti may have to reconsider his tactics if he wants to stay in a job, especially with a much-loved former Milan player looking freely available to take over.

Frank Rijkaard left Barcelona after things went sour at the Nou Camp but his 2006 Champions League-winning side played the sort of wonderfully attacking football the San Siro now craves.

The Dutchman would have to bury the hatchet with Ronaldinho and re-energise an ageing defence but Italian media see him as the ideal candidate.

Ancelotti needs to act fast, or hope Rijkaard is snapped up by another team.

PHOTO: Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti gives instructions to his players during the game at Genoa, Sept. 14 REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

As we all saw during Euro 2008, Xavi and Iniesta are two of the best ball-playing midfielders in Europe. Now it’s time they showed it for Barcelona.

Don’t get me wrong — the two little midfielders have been good enough for the Catalans over the past few seasons. But now that Ronaldinho has gone, along with Deco and possibly to be followed by Eto’o, this is the moment for the two gifted midfielders to show they can really carry the team.

They certainly have the skill but do they have the charisma?

Will we see them urging on their team mates, demanding the ball and getting forward into goalscoring positions? Will they take on more responsibility under new coach Pep Guardiola, who certainly led by example as a player.

I’m in Spain at the moment, taking a break between Euro 2008 and Beijing, and expectation is obviously growing about how Guardiola’s new-look Barcelona are going to cope without Ronaldinho and co.

The coach apparently still wants a new centre-forward — Adebayor, Drogba or Berbatov, by all accounts — but I wonder if the inspiration couldn’t come instead from those newly crowned champions of Europe in the midfield.

After all, they already have Henry, Messi, Bojan and conceivably Eto’o to play up front.

Kevin Fylan, taking advantage of the wifi at Bar Alcala, Cullera

PHOTO: Xavi and Iniesta celebrate a Barcelona goal against Levante during at Camp Nou, Feb 24, 2008. REUTERS/Albert Gea

Very few people believed the story that Samuel Eto’o was considering a move to Uzbekistan’s Kuruvchi.

All of sudden it turned out to be true with Barcelona’s Cameroon striker speaking at a news conference in the country’s capital. Despite mega money being thrown in his direction, Eto’o will probably not end up there but at least they got him to go out and talk. Even if it was just a publicity stunt, it worked.

San Marino champions Murata also tried to coax Romario out of retirement to play in their Champions League first qualifying round first leg. He turned them down but with former Brazil team mate Aldair already on Murata’s books, they almost managed to convince the striker to pull on the boots again.

Tales of unknown clubs bidding for household names make a refreshing change from what has been a turgid transfer window.

It took AC Milan three months to sign Ronaldinho while Inter Milan are still chasing Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and Liverpool seem to be no closer to taking Gareth Barry from Aston Villa. I haven’t even mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo…

Every day the papers have said there will be crucial developments in the next 48 hours and yet we are still left waiting. Why do close season transfers drag on so much? Should a cut off point of ‘three bids and you’re out’ be introduced?

More radically, should soccer take on America’s draft system? Then Eto’o and Romario really could end up in Uzbekistan and San Marino.