Paolo Maldini unimpressed by Real Madrid's defence
Former AC Milan player Paolo Maldini has said he is unimpressed by Real Madrid's defence ahead of the giants' Champions League encounter on Tuesday, 19 October.
The AC Milan captain, who made 647 appearances for his team before ending his glorious career in 2009, formed a legendary defensive line alongside Franco Baresi, Mauro Tassotti and Alessandro Costacurta
during his years as a Milan player.
Ahead of Tuesday's clash at Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Maldini told Spanish daily
AS that the defensive formation Jose Mourinho has inherited from former manager Manuel Pellegrini is prone to elementary mistakes.
"What I saw in the defense of Madrid is that they do not play together. The central defender is not looking what the side is doing and things like that," the 42-year-old said, adding that the problems
were particularly evident last season. "With Mourinho, it was a bit improved, but the errors that I saw last year were incredible. In our time, Tassotti, Baresi, Costacurta and I kept the spaces without thinking. It was automatic, because we were working.
It was a philosophy."
Today's Real missing Zidane
Maldini, who turned down a coaching role at Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea after retiring as a player, also offered his opinion on Real's attacking lineup.
As he listed the best strikers he played against during his career, one of the names belonged to a Real player—one who quit the club four years ago.
"[Diego] Maradona and Ronaldo's first year in Italy [were the toughest to play against]. And Zidane was a delight, but he left for Spain. This is what Real Madrid are missing, a Zidane."
Mourinho's team have won both of their fixtures in the Champions League this season, while Milan go into the fixture as runners-up in Group G, with one win and a draw so far.
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