David Beckham prepared to start on the bench against Manchester United

13 February 2010 17:56
Each day has brought more microscopic attention to his emotions about facing Manchester United, about facing up to a complex mixture of associated memories. It is a wonder, in the scrum of paparazzi drawn to his Italian Valentine's weekend with Victoria and the children, let alone to a reacquaintance with his former club in the last 16 of the Champions League, that he can project himself as a normal human being.[LNB]By virtue of a disarming understatement, he can and does. Beckham has just made a brief, if energetic, substitute's appearance in Milan's 3-2 home league win over Udinese and his sons, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz, are all shuffling around him, eager that he shirks the wearisome task of divulging his thoughts to the English press. "C'mon, dad," they grumble. "Sshhh", he replies, finger to his lips, grinning indulgently.[LNB] Related ArticlesSport on televisionBeckham suffers intimate ambushBeckham: I won't quit football after World CupSeedorf backs Beckham celebrationWayne Rooney branded 'antithesis' of David BeckhamBeckham ready to face Man UnitedBeckham, for all the smiles, would like to be offering more for Milan than cameo roles. The sole object of his uprooting from Los Angeles to Lombardy a year ago was to rekindle his competitive fire through regular starts at the San Siro, thus engaging the eye of Fabio Capello as the England head coach prepared to make his World Cup selection. Capello was here for the start of the adventure's second chapter, as his tireless midfielder showed great subtlety of touch in helping to beat Genoa last month, but since then the momentum has slackened.[LNB]Criticisms have resurfaced among Italian commentators that Beckham lacks pace and Leonardo, the Milan manager, has been swift to demote him from the starting line-up to accommodate Pato, the 20-year-old Brazilian striker known by the local tifosi as "the duck". You can see the headlines already: Out for a duck. While this hardly augurs well for his chances of playing a starring part against United on Tuesday night, Beckham seems unruffled.[LNB]"I always said when I came to the club that I never expected to start any games here," he explains. "I'm not frustrated. My form and fitness, being back in Milan and working hard with the regime they have here, have been really good. I said that, to be part of an England squad, you have to be playing at the top level and at the top of your fitness. With Pato coming back in, it's important, because we have some big games coming up. United is one of the biggest for me personally."[LNB]Beckham is pragmatic, too, about separating his feelings from his responsibilities. "I've never had to do it before like this but I don't think it will be a problem. I've played in many games. This tie's not just about me playing against United it's about Milan qualifying for the next round of the Champions League and that's the most important thing." [LNB]It is a ruthlessness Beckham intends to apply in the return leg on March 10, even though every blade of grass at Old Trafford is likely to remind him of his halcyon days. "There has been so much talk about me going back to Manchester United and obviously there will still be, because it's my first time in seven years. But the objective is to win the game and win the tie."[LNB]Do not be fooled into thinking that Beckham is underestimating this United team. He admits that he regrets the loss of a potential duel with Ryan Giggs, a fellow alumnus of the title-winning class of 1999 but ruled out of Tuesday's hostilities with a broken arm. The absence, happily, is compensated for by Wayne Rooney, the United player whom he esteems above any other. Ronaldinho is the most illustrious team-mate of his at Milan, having garnered a hatful of honours as the world's best player and yet Rooney, in Beckham's estimation, is every bit as talented.[LNB]"I've always said Wayne is one of the best goalscorers in football. He's proving that. He's at a great club and he's doing what he does best: scoring goals. United are on fire." There was little evidence, given Milan's flaky defending in scraping past Udinese, that they have the resources to douse that fire, but Leonardo remained bullish both about his team's chances and Beckham's potential contribution.[LNB]"I think it's in our DNA," the 40-year-old World Cup-winner said. "We try always to win. Always we start a match thinking only of victory. David knows what it means for him and what it means for us. He's a very experienced player to manage the situation. We know it will be a very special match for him. But he has done very well this year. He arrived in December and knew everything: the atmosphere, the team, how we play. [LNB]"He can play everywhere. He is very smart, intelligent. He's perfect. That's why there's no problem to choose a system or position for him he can adapt himself very easily." That much is true. Whether he is containing the wiles of Rooney or graciously fending off overzealous photographers, Beckham is nothing if not adaptable. [LNB]

Source: Telegraph