theredandblackdevil

"Albus Dumbedore is the greatest wizard that ever lived" Harry Potter defiantly proclaimed to Lord Voldemort in the chamber of secrets. For that show of loyalty, Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, flew into the chamber and helped Harry escape yet another near-death experience. After this harrowing episode, you can imagine Harry's surprise when Fawkes burst into flames, literally right before his eyes; when they were alone in Dumbledore's office

Harry was dumbfounded and feared being blamed for the calamity so he was ready with protestations of his innocence immediately Dumbledore entered. The old professor only smiled at the naive little boy, WHY?: because he had been expecting that to happen. So he set about calming the boy whilst they both watched a new phoenix emerge from the ashes of the dead one. Which is really the only point of my two paragraph digression: when too ol to continue with life, a phoenix bursts into flames and from the ashes emerges a new one. A.C Milan is one of the greatest cubs in the world, officially recognised by FIFA as the most successful cub in the world with 18 officially recognised FIFA/UEFA club titles.

. Yet the past 4 years hasn't been kind to us; from the giddying heights of the Champions league in in 2007, the team just blew apart. Like the phoenix, the team's malaise continued, culminating in a humiliating 7-2 aggregate defeat at Old Trafford in 2009, signifying the end of an era, the phoenix bursting into flames. The team couldn't sink an lower from then on, honestly;so it was just a matter of whether the new phoenix emerging from the ashes could rise to the lofty heights preceding its predecessor's demise. Luckily for us, the powers that be at Via Turati realised this and set about reforming the side. Letting go of Leonardo was the first step: though he wasn't giving the materials required to effectively deliver, it was obvious he wasn't cut for the big stage; at east as a manager. He also couldn't get his team to defend if it was to save his life. A young, shrewd, and pragmatic tactician in Allegri was brought in and the new phoenix took its first, tottering steps. Last season was a relative success: the team won the Scuddetto, made the Coppa Italia semis and has since added the SuperCoppa. The only blip was the Champions league elimination at the hands of Tottenham, but even that occurred under extenuating circumstances. The team has been strengthened over the summer with the arrivals of Taiwo, Mexes, El Shaawary, Aquilani, and Nocerino. The squad is somewhat complete and ready to build on last term's success. The new phoenix is matured enough now: it has grown wings strong enough to support the body and the only thing left is for it to take flight. It could take to the air and soar to amazing new heights, or it could all come crashing down, never to reach those heights again. The perfect test awaits, a trip to the Camp Nou. The Catalans are by far the best team in the world, decimating almost all those who crossed their paths last season and doing it with minimum fuss. Now we are to go head-to-head with them; and there can be no excuses this time. The team has had time to take on it's identity; he 4-3-1-2 is the modus operandi perfected by Allegri. A legitimate argument can be made that the game comes too early for us, with only one game under our belt; but if we are to mingle with Europe's elite once again, we need to prove it on Tuesday. It's been a long, hard road back to the top since that night in Manchester almost three years ago, and a lot has been done to ensure that night's debacle do not occur again. Whilst Tuesday's result cannot be used to pre-judge the entire season, it would give us a very clear indication of where our efforts have taken us. Are we going to take off and soar high into the clouds?; or is it all going to come crashing down?. Either way, one thing is certain... The Phoenix is ready to fly again!!!