As the Rossoneri receive a barrage of criticism post Gattuso-gate, Stefano Federici asks whether some might have overstepped the line in their post match analysis.

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Serie A leaders Milan left the San Siro on Tuesday evening following their 1-0 Champions League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur under a barrage of criticism. A number of unsavoury incidents during the encounter drew the attention away from the more important events of the night.The North London outfit returned home with an impressive away victory but all eyes post game turned to Gennaro Gattuso’s headbutt on Joe Jordan. With Mathieu Flamini’s brainless challenge on Vedran Corluka providing fuel for the fire shortly before the hour mark, a number of critics were waiting with knives at the ready as they prepared to tear into the Diavolo.There is no denying that Ringhio’s behaviour was nothing short of crazy. His actions have no place in the modern game regardless of reports of alleged racism from the touchline. Whilst some searched for excuses to defend France legend Zinedine Zidane after his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final, there were no alibis either for Gattuso.In the same light, Flamini’s tackle on Corluka was nothing short of disgraceful – a red card offense. The Frenchman’s two footed challenge was certainly reckless but to claim it was deliberate serves as little if not to make a public enemy figure of the former Arsenal midfielder.The media onslaught shortly followed and The Daily Mail’s Martin Samuel called for Flamini to be awarded a ten game ban. Is the same measure of judgement used when analysing the far more common EPL leg breaking challenges? Such as Ryan Shawcross' on Aaron Ramsey last year, which was generally passed off as an "accident", "these things happen".As Graeme Souness went on to blast Gattuso labelling the 31-year-old ‘a dog’ on SkySports in the post match analysis, the former Liverpool midfielder then did his best to instigate further tensions by suggesting Gattuso and Jordan should ‘be left in a room together for ten minutes, with the Scot only needing five'. However tough Jordan was in his youth - and he was very very tough - are Souness and the media really that brainless to believe that a 60-year-old could 'beat up' another hardman half his age in his physical prime?The Daily Mail echoed Souness’ rather unsavoury tones on Wednesday with the typically stereotypical title ‘How the mafiosi of Milan have made Spurs fans of us all’. What the press failed to remember in their treatment of the Rossoneri is that Gattuso went on to publicly apologise after his gesture. Such an action has still not been made by Zidane five years on from his moment of madness, yet a similar lambasting was conveniently spared for the Frenchman in the tabloid press - many of whom (including The Daily Mail) were then successfully sued by Materazzi after they defamed the Inter man by claiming he had been racist.What must be underlined is that Milan have a very clean track record when it comes to such incidents over the last 20 years. An exception being the Marseille floodlight scandal in 1991. During the era of Silvio Berlusconi as patron of the club, the Rossoneri have rarely been marred in any public outrages or dressing room bust-ups. Despite their nickname, the Diavolo has been exceptionally behaved. Terms such as ‘Milanimals’ and ‘mafiosi’ demonstrated a huge lack of knowledge, and respect for a player who has done great things for those less privileged than him with his ‘Fondazione Forza Ragazzi’.Similar treatment was served, this time by the Italian media, for Lazio's Libor Kozak in the wake of the Aquile’s 0-0 draw at the San Siro a fortnight ago. As the giant Czech hitman left two Milan defenders requiring treatment in hospital following a physical on-field battle, the 21-year-old unfairly came under the fire of what coach Edy Reja described as a ‘media lynching’.As the local press preferred a similarly exaggerated approach in dealing with the Lazio forward, it seems there is a growing trend to make such incidents the talking point long after the game. Whilst Nicola Legrottaglie had openly accepted apologies from Kozak for his clumsy challenge, the critics continued to label the youngster ‘an assassin’.Coach Massimiliano Allegri will now go back to the drawing board in order to present a more decisive and disciplined Milan outfit in the return leg at White Hart Lane in a fortnight’s time. With the critics having already feasted on the unsavoury incidents of the opening clash, it would be nice to see the sporting media have a similar re-think as to how they perform in the return leg.