Somehow, a draw is good for AC Milan

Massimiliano Allegri said seven-time champion AC Milan was lucky to escape with a share of the points from a scoreless draw at the San Siro against Champions League minnow Anderlecht.

The Belgian side is considered the whipping boy in a Group C that also includes Zenith Saint Petersburg and Malaga, which beat the Russians 3-0 to go top of the group on Tuesday.

However, John Van den Brom's men were solid throughout the match and dominated a first half in which they came close to claiming a shock opener.

"They surprised me, they were good in the first half but perhaps they paid for the energy they had spent once we were into the second," Allegri said.

AC Milan lost the spine of its squad when several key players were either sold or retired in the summer.

With Brazilians Pato and Robinho still sidelined, Allegri's current team is unrecognizable from the side that made it to the quarterfinals last season before finishing runner-up to Juventus in the domestic league.

Allegri's job of replicating the exciting Milan squads of the past is no easy task.

The fact Milan has failed to win at the San Siro this season, losing twice in the league either side of a 3-1 away win at Bologna, is a statistic that club CEO Adriano Galliani will not welcome.

In the end, however, Allegri was happy with a draw.

"We didn't concede a goal, and I saw improvements from several players," he said.

That is unlikely, however, to relieve the pressure.

Against such a comparatively small team as Anderlecht, the 80,000 capacity San Siro was never going to be full.

But the fact it was less than half full is perhaps a reflection of the Rossoneri fans' growing frustration.

After being dominated in the first half, Milan came fighting back in the second period, but Allegri's side was ultimately left frustrated after failing to convert a string of chances.

Milan has twice been crowned European champion after playing Anderlecht early in the competition, but going on this performance few neutral observers will believe in a similar outcome.

Allegri said: "The fact we've had a mediocre start to the season has perhaps affected our morale."

(China Daily 09/20/2012 page23)