As long as the Milan Machine kept rotating around the "Dutch Axis", there was no way Capello could succeed implementing his concept of tactical austerity. He needed to get rid of the Dutchmen who embodied his predecessor`s style of relentless pressing and attacking. The 1st player to fall victim to the purge was Ruud Gullit whose arrival at Milan in the summer of 1987 had heralded the beginning of a new era. Those with a liking for conspiracy theories will argue as to whether or not Olympique de Marseille defender Basile Boli was paid by Capello for effectively ending Van Basten`s career through inflcting a devastating injury to his ankle. In the summer of 1992, Capello had signed Frenchman Jean-Pierre Papin from Marseille and Yugoslav Dejan Savicevic from Red Star Belgrade, but for the time being, neither of the two proved a match for the Dutchman who, along with Juve forward Roberto Baggio, was most likely the world`s greatest football player in what turned out to be his last season.. Van Basten was untouchable.
