Giggs hails unstoppable Milan

Manchester United FC may be out of the competition, but uefa.com diarist Ryan Giggs has been keeping tabs on the UEFA Champions League on his evenings off.

By Ryan Giggs

Chelsea FC's game against Arsenal FC in the Champions League will be a reminder of what we are missing out on. Despite our disappointment at being out of Europe we cannot dwell on it too much. The FC Porto defeat is out of the way now, so there is no point in moping about what might have been. For the time being we have to concentrate on ourselves and what we can do to make our season a success.

Milan impress
I watched the AC Milan against RC Deportivo La Coruña game on television and was very impressed by the Italians. They were my tip to win the competition before this week and that 4-1 win has only backed up what I thought already. I cannot see them not reaching the final now.

New approach
But, I must admit that Milan were a different side to how I expected them to be. Last year they were defensively solid, but I saw a much more attacking side to them this time. They uncharacteristically gave Deportivo chances, but when you have the forward talent at their disposal they will always score plenty. I had seen Kaká play for Brazil a couple of times but did not know a lot about him. He looked a great player on Tuesday night. But it is not just him - Milan have goalscorers throughout their lineup, which is why I am sticking with them as my tip to win it.

Arsenal to come
I do not really mind who wins out of Arsenal and Chelsea in the all-Premiership quarter-final, but with us preparing to play Arsenal in the Premiership on Sunday it may help us if they suffer a demoralising defeat at Stamford Bridge. Winning is a habit and they have fantastic momentum at the moment but an off-night might knock their confidence before our big Premiership match at Highbury this weekend.

Renewed determination
Last weekend's 3-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur FC was a great result for United and just what we needed after the nightmare week that had just passed. I had taken quite a bit of stick in the aftermath of our derby defeat by Manchester City FC and I do not mind admitting that as a result of that criticism I was even more focused and determined than normal in training all week.

Very down
I was pleased with my own performance and I would like to think that it showed a few people that I still have plenty to offer at United. I was very down after the disastrous matches against Porto and City, and was extra determined to bounce back with a good display against Tottenham. I told myself that I had to be positive and do what I do best; running at defenders with pace.

Goal bonus
Scoring our first goal was the icing on the cake for me, and it was especially nice that it was a cheeky special! Ole Gunnar Solskjær put in a nice cross, but I had no choice but to back-flick it towards goal. It was pure instinct really, but when it hit the back of the net I think everybody could see how happy I was. Those types of goals do not come around too often!