But even the 34-year-old Dutchman was taken aback by the pace of Tottenham's Aaron Lennon - or "the man on the motorbike" as he calls him - when their teams fought out an electric first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

It was a typically rapid raid down the right by Lennon that led to Peter Crouch scoring the only goal of an intriguing encounter at the San Siro on 15 February, giving Spurs a crucial advantage in their quest for a quarter-final place.

"I told Lennon that the police would stop him for speeding," Seedorf said with a smile. "I told him he was not allowed to go this fast."

Lennon's pace was only one sub-plot of an absorbing match that demonstrated the tactical flexibility of Spurs boss Harry Redknapp and Rossoneri coach Massimiliano Allegri. But the England winger could again have a big role to play when the sides do battle in Wednesday's return leg at White Hart Lane.

When I spoke to him last week, Seedorf told me that Milan must take the game to Tottenham and play more like they did in the second half at the San Siro than the first, when a combination of their own cagey approach and their opponent's pressing game resulted in the Italian side being pinned back in their own half and struggling to impose themselves on the game.

 

"What we didn't expect at the start of the game was for Tottenham to be waiting for us on the halfway line and then coming at us so strongly," said Seedorf, who was operating in the hole behind Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic but was subdued by the constant attention he received from Spurs midfielder Wilson Palacios.

"But I think Spurs gave so much in the first half that in the second they could not do it with the same intensity. That's why I would say that if we can add more speed to our game on Wednesday, especially with how quickly we move the ball, then we can create the space we didn't manage to find early in the first game.

"The main thing, though, is that we are a little bit more attack-minded and have enough players looking to do some pressing up front like we did later in the game."

Milan retained their 4-3-1-2 formation for the entire 90 minutes of the first leg but the average position of their players before and after the break (when Seedorf was substituted) demonstrates how dramatic Allegri's change in initiative was when it became obvious his side were being outplayed. It had to be.

But Spurs are adaptable, too. Arguably, Milan's switch actually suited them. It meant Redknapp's men defended far deeper in the second half - as they will if they are under pressure at White Hart Lane. They continued to keep the Italian side's frontmen quiet, while using the speed of Lennon to counter-attack quickly down the right.

That might be a recurring problem for Milan on Wednesday, especially if Gareth Bale is fit enough to start on the opposite flank. The Welshman twice destroyed Inter Milan in the group stages of the competition.

Seedorf recognises the threat that Bale poses but says he has seen enough of him to know there are ways of keeping him quiet. That said, his own side have often struggled to deal with width and pace this season.

"Those were two excellent games from Bale against Inter," Seedorf said. "But I have also followed how he has been doing in the Premier League. In Europe, that type of player can give his side a big advantage against teams who don't really know how to defend. They find more space. Bale can make a great difference, not only with his speed but because he has great feet, too. However, we know how to defend."

Contrary to the approach that characterised their route to the last 16, Tottenham clearly know how to defend, too. Redknapp may like to encourage the belief his side are simply a gung-ho outfit but we saw at the San Siro that there is far more to his approach than that - even if, unlike Allegri, his instinct is to look for goals.

Going forward, even if Bale is not fit enough to start the game, we can expect Spurs to use their widemen as much as possible and try to find Crouch with high balls into the box from the wings, much as they did in the first leg.

But, whether they attempt to push Milan back or sit deep themselves, Redknapp will demand defensive discipline from Spurs, who will again attempt to starve Robinho and Ibrahimovic of possession and chances by working hard from the midfield backwards. And that includes the wingers, who must track back as well as attack.

I put it to Seedorf that he will not come across players like Crouch, Lennon and Bale too often in Serie A, where Milan are five points clear at the top of the table after wining at Juventus on Saturday. He disagreed, saying that it is not Tottenham's players that are different, only the way they are utilised.

To back up his view, Seedorf turned to MIlan right-back Ignazio Abate.

"In England, games are much more open, with teams going for the win and being less tactical," said Seedorf. "In Italy, you won't find that sort of space to do the damage. Abate has the same kind of speed as Lennon but he does more work defensively than offensively. It is down to a different way of thinking."

Wednesday's meeting offers us a teasing reversal of both those tactical stereotypes - the English manager's inclination to attack and the Italian's to defend. Much of the outcome will depend on how well each man operates outside his comfort zone. As for Seedorf, he will hope there are no more surprises in store for him or Milan.

You can read the second part of my interview with Seedorf - about how much European football has changed during his career - next week.

Follow me throughout the season on Twitter @chrisbevan_bbc

Following pre-match comments from coach Fabio Capello comparing him to, among other world stars, Claude Makelele, it was expected that the 19-year-old Arsenal star would be employed predominantly as a holding midfielder in Copenhagen.

Although Wilshere did have more defensive responsibilities than he is normally given by the Gunners, in many ways he operated as an orthodox midfielder during his 45 minutes on the pitch against the Danes.

And he did an extremely disciplined job. More than half of his 35 touches were in the Danish half - and he certainly did not function as an out-and-out anchorman.

After the game, Wilshere reflected on his display. "It was quite similar to my role at Arsenal but just not going forward as much," he said. "I spoke to the boss [Capello] before the game and he said he wants to play me there - and I'll play anywhere for my country."

It might have been a similar role for Wilshere but there were still several unfamiliar elements for him to deal with. For his club, in Arsene Wenger's preferred shape of a 4-2-3-1, Wilshere often sits deep. But the presence of Alex Song alongside him means he has the licence to roam further forward - where he links up so well with the likes of Cesc Fabregas on the edge of the opposition area.

For his country, Wilshere lined up alongside captain Frank Lampard in central midfield as part of a 4-4-2 formation at the Parken Stadium and accepted that his main job was to stifle opposition attacks, not support those of his own team.

Defensively, it was a far from flawless set-up, allowing Denmark's Christian Eriksen to exploit the space between England's back four and midfield in what was an extremely open first half. But, once we accept his job was not to nullify Eriksen by following him everywhere, we can see that Wilshere not only did what was asked of him in his new position, he did it extremely well.

He saw far less of the ball than he would expect to when playing for Arsenal and made most of his passes further up the pitch. But he was still as assured in possession, successful with 27 out of 29 passes on Wednesday, compared, for example, with 40 out of 49 in Saturday's 4-4 Premier League draw with Newcastle.

He also made three tackles, as many as any other England player. And although he was more conservative than Lampard when it came to taking his turn going forward, he also made a few of his trademark surges and demonstrated his vision by pinging precise passes out to the wings, the areas that were the source of most of England's attacks.

"I wouldn't say he was playing as a holding midfielder, more a normal midfielder," former England boss Graham Taylor told BBC Radio 5 live. "He defended when he had to and got forward when that was possible."

Wilshere did exactly that to play his part in England's first goal, showing off the defensive and offensive sides to his game, as well as his discipline and ability to work in tandem with Lampard.

After breaking up a Denmark attack on the edge of his own area, Wilshere followed play forward down the right before finding Ashley Cole on the left from the halfway line with a raking diagonal ball.

Cole, Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott combined to continue a move that switched back across to the opposite wing, before Darren Bent finished it off from close range. Notably, though, it was Lampard, who had covered Wilshere during the build-up, who burst into the six-yard box as Bent scored. Wilshere, suppressing the attacking instincts we know he has, had slotted back in behind Lampard and was patrolling the halfway line.

That is not the only reason Wilshire was rightly proud of his display. His precise distribution - his only two misplaced passes came on the edge of the Danish area - helped produce a much improved passing performance by England in comparison to their last outing, a friendly defeat by France in November. At Wembley on that night, England's central midfielders completed 93 out of 123 passes. In Copenhagen, the completion rate was a far-more pleasing 127 out of 142, albeit against inferior opposition.

"What Jack did very well was keep the ball moving," added Taylor. "He had such a good body shape when he went back to get the ball off the defenders - he was always in the right position and direction to move the ball on with only one or two touches.

"His sort of crisp passing was part of what made this a better England performance than against France. England were moving the ball around a lot quicker this time."

In fairness, it was a similar story after the break against Denmark, when Capello replaced Wilshere and Lampatrd with Scott Parker and Gareth Barry and switched from 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ashley Young, another substitute, brought zip to England's attacks behind Bent, although it should be taken into consideration that a series of changes by Denmark meant they were no longer offering the same threat.

So, what did we learn about Wilshere? Mostly that we now know he has the discipline and versatility to perform outside of Arsenal's formidable framework.

That means Wednesday was a worthwhile experiment by Capello even if, in the short-term, Steven Gerrard's probable return for England's next game, their Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales on 26 March, will mean yet more changes in the midfield area.

You can follow me through the season on Twitter at www.twitter.com/chrisbevan_bbc

]]>