Champions League: Thank You, Stevie and Rino

Imagine how boring the lead-up to the Champions League final would be if we couldn’t count on players and/or managers to act like complete asses during those few weeks. Why, whatever would we talk about, the match? Pshaw! That’d be silly. I’d much rather discuss how Gennaro Gattuso called Liverpool a “long-ball team” who are “very different to Manchester … a real footballing team,” and Steven Gerrard responded by calling him a “kitten,” while Rino shouted back that he’s “a pitbull.” Take that!

Of course, this isn’t exactly the shouting match it seems — the Gerrard quotes are taken from the section of his new autobiography (Because you know everyone wants to read the life stories of footballers, especially when they’re 26 years old.) that addresses the Istanbul final, and have little to do with the upcoming match. That said, however, there’s a lot in there to get wor Rino a little fired up. For example: “I wasn’t worried about Gennaro Gattuso before the game, during the game or after. To me, he’s all mouth. He looks aggressive, but in fact he’s as scary as a kitten. I swear I wouldn’t mind playing against Gattuso every week. He doesn’t hurt you. I have never seen Gattuso play a killer ball. He won’t nick a goal, either.” Um, damn, Stevie — that’s cold.

Were this about two year’s ago, I’d say the Scouser was in for the kicking of his life. Now, though, Rino’s smart enough to focus on the game rather than a feud, and will prove his point by playing brilliantly and winning. Right? RIGHT?

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Category: AC Milan, Champions League, Rumors & News, Serie A