Milan's Maldini demands more

By Alex O'Henley

AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini is warning his team-mates that there is no room for complacency as they prepare for next week's UEFA Champions League first knockout round second-leg match against Manchester United FC at the San Siro.

Attacking impetus
The Rossoneri are in pole position to progress to the quarter-finals thanks to Hernán Crespo's solitary goal at Old Trafford last Wednesday, but Maldini maintains the same level of commitment will be required if the Italian champions are to progress to the last eight of the competition. "We can't just sit back and try to defend a 1-0 advantage," he told uefa.com. "We will play the same kind of game we played at Old Trafford and that means we will attack and try to get the goals to take us through."

Rooney neutralised
As befits a man who has four Champions League winner's medals and 126 international caps to his name, Maldini eased his way through last week's encounter even though he was playing against one of the most promising young players in world football. Wayne Rooney had not even been born when Maldini made his debut for Milan at the age of 16, but the 36-year-old defender used all that experience to ensure that the England forward had one of his quieter nights in a United shirt.

Dangerous pairing
Nevertheless, the veteran defender feels the 19-year-old will pose a major threat to the Milan defence in the return leg along with Ruud van Nistelrooij, who made his comeback in the first game following a three-month lay-off with an achilles injury. "We knew it was important to prevent United from scoring and that meant we had to keep a close eye on Rooney," Maldini said. "He's a fantastic young player with a lot of energy and movement, so you have to watch him at all times. He will be dangerous in the second game along with Van Nistelrooij who will be a bit sharper after his injury."

Happy trip
For Maldini, last week's game rekindled fond memories of his last visit to Manchester two years ago when Milan won the European Champion Clubs' Cup for the sixth time after a penalty shoot-out victory against Italian rivals Juventus FC. It was another special moment in Maldini's glittering career but even though he recently celebrated 20 years as a Milan player, he is still hungry for more success and wants to add a fifth Champions League medal to his collection on 25 May in Istanbul.

Fond memories
"When we arrived at the stadium one of the first things the players did was to go to the dressing rooms and seek out the places where we changed for the final [in 2003]," Maldini said. "It was a pity we didn't have [the injured] Andriy Shevchenko, who scored the winning penalty in that final, but we showed we have other players like Crespo who can come in and do the same job.

Good momentum
"Of course, it would be fantastic to win the Champions League for the fifth time as a player, but first we have to take care of United and then we will see. At the moment I am feeling good and playing well, so I don't see why I can't continue playing for a few more years. The momentum is good in the team, we are getting good results and now it is up to us to make sure we can keep it going."