ESPN Soccernet - Correspondents - AC MILAN

Posted by Matteo Bonetti on 10/31/2010

So, Milan fans haven't been this excited in years for the summer transfer window that went from being morbidly depressing, to an Italian revolution I claimed to be the Milacticos era. Unfortunately, I let my emotions cloud my judgment. Deep down inside my subconscious, all the doubts I had about our defence were temporarily forgone, as Ibrahimovic and Robinho made headlines.

What if one of our stellar, but frail central defenders went down with an injury? What if every single fullback we have is mediocre, or worse? What if it comes down to Daniele Bonera or Sokratis Papapfsdgfioegne having to defend Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League? All these what ifs have materialized, and now we're suffering the price for having an unbalanced team.

If the world class front three don't score two or more goals per game, there's a chance we're not winning the match. This goes back to the question: should the money that was spent on Robinho have gone for a quality right back instead?

Keep in mind that when healthy, Ronaldinho will be in the starting line-up alongside Ibrahimovic and Pato. Robinho has been steadily improving in every game, and has finally started scoring goals too, but our lack of talent at the full back position will cost us as wingers from opposing teams will be salivating at the mouth for a chance to go against the 49-year-old Oddo and company.

Can Allegri captain the Milan ship? ©AP

Allegri's tactics have been questioned by the Italian press. Substitutions too late in games when the team desperately needs a spark, questionable starting line-ups, etc. Personally, I preferred Leonardo. I would have liked to see what the young Brazilian would have done with this team, which is much more talented than last year’s squad. Also, why is Allegri so against Flamini? I realize the Frenchman is a red card threat every time he decides to go for a loose ball, but I still think he can be a consistent contributor to the squad. Anyways, here is the main question I pose:

Why was Seedorf in the starting line-up against Real Madrid?
- When playing a lightning fast team like Real Madrid, perhaps putting Pirlo & Seedorf together in the midfield is just asking for trouble. Was Gattuso really supposed to stop the onslaught of Ronaldo, Higuain, Di Maria, and Ozil from breaking through the midfield and in the centre of the defence composed of Bonera? On a side note: Electronic Arts, please update your FIFA 11 statistics and put "Barrier Awareness" for Seedorf to -10. Thanks.

Solution:
- Start Kevin Prince Boateng alongside Pirlo & Gattuso. The second Boateng entered the game in the second half, we started picking up more loose balls. Did you see how Boa shut down Hamsik in the Napoli game? He was also terrific against Juventus, frequently breaking up plays in the midfield, making his presence felt with bone crunching (and at times dangerous) tackles, and just being a force overall. Love him. Even did a mini-interview about him earlier in the season. Read it here.

Boateng has become a fan favourite with his ruthless style ©AP

Against Juventus, Milan lost 2-1, but deserved at least a tie. Pato had one of his signature head-scratching games, where he makes crucial mistakes, has a hard time stopping balls, can't get by his opponent. Juventus' backline was in such crisis that their back four consisted of: Motta, Bonucci, Leggrotaglie, and Simone Pepe. Yes, Simone Pepe, the same Simone Pepe that was a striker four years ago, and plays primarily as a winger. Bizarre. How did Milan not exploit those matchups better? The chemistry up front still needs time to work. Keep in mind Real Madrid's fabulous acquisitions were knocked out of the Champions League by Lyon last year. Our attackers still need time to gel, and get to know one another.

So, after our mixed bags of results, what are your expectations for this Milan side? If I had to guess right now, I'd say second in the Serie A, and Semi-Finals in the Champions League. There's always the Coppa Italia trophy, however.

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Comments

Posted by N. on 10/31/2010

Personally I would like to see Milan play a 3-4-1-2 with abate and antonini running up and down the lanes prince/flamini & pirlo in the middle and dinho/robinho playing behind the 2 strikers

Posted by Lorenzo on 11/01/2010

maybe im a pessimist, si come leopardi, but i would be happy with a quater final in champions league, however i do think second place in seria a this year is a realistic only because lazio dont have the depth to keep this up, juventus dont have health (if aquilani is a regular starter in an injury ridden team, then its about to get worse)
we could win the serie a really but it depends on whos a worse coach between rafa and max

Posted by SUCKYY on 11/01/2010

i wonder where is alex merkel .he is enormous talented.a pirlo-prince-merkel midfield is better.And where is yepes.allegri shoud give him a chance...........and in fullback position i think error prone abate is better than old zambrotta

Posted by Chris on 11/01/2010

I absolutely agree with the performances with Boateng. I think he's been fabulous. I'm not sure about keeping Gattuso in the lineup though. He's great on defense but when he gets the ball when the team is pushing forward, he usually makes a clumsy pass that either gets intercepted or just wasn't smart. I'd like to see Boateng, Pirlo, Flamini. At least experiment with it.
Secondly, I've noticed that this Milan team, at least the midfield and defense, seem to think Ibra is god. Many times they'll pass it to him in the midfield or just outside the box. Thats not Ibra's style. Do they think he can just create a goal with 4 guys around him in the midfield?? Just give it to Dinho (when he gets back) and let him set up Ibra like he's supposed to be set up.
Great work Matteo, your blogs never cease to impress me!

Posted by Will on 11/01/2010

I cannot agree totally more with you Matteo.

I think Allegri should reconsider his tactics. I would love to see him try 4-2-3-1 formation where you play pirlo alongside boateng / gattuso / flamini...

and the attacking trio robinho - dinho - pato

and ibra upfront..

I think that's a more balanced tactic rather than playing 4-3-3 flat..

My expectation for Milan this year is 2nd in serie A and quarter final champions league...

hopefully we get a quality fullback in summer and a quality centre back to partner thiago - hope they get David Luiz..

anyway those are my thoughts

Posted by shevatofan on 11/01/2010

nice one.
prince boa must always start.

i prefer yepes in the defense line than bonera. or maybe sokratis is good enough in his full confidence, when he's not as clumsy as he is now.

Posted by aaiceman on 11/01/2010

Semi final spot in CL ?, mate you are asking too much. I'll be satisfied with a R16 win and reaching QF's.

and we can still win Serie A , condition we win against every small and mediocre teams and yeah Rafa Benitez is there to help us. Lazio will surely fall down after the mid season (just remember Edi Reja's Napoli back in 2008-09).

talking about the starting line up if everyone is available then this should be the one till Dec, come Jan we get a new fullback

---------Ibra-----Pato--------
---------Robinho---------------
-----Boa----Pirlo---Ringhio
Zambrootta--Silva--Nesta---Abate
-------------Abbiati

Posted by Alvi(Pakistan) on 11/01/2010

I think that Leonardo was better than Allegri he is worth to coach a series B club lke messina but not milan.

Posted by Desilolla on 11/01/2010

I personally prefer Seedorf rather then Gattuso. Atleast Seedorf can pass and shoot. Gattuso is a maniac who is working against his team rather than with. Flamini is good and Milan should play 4-2-2-2 with Flamini and Seedirf as def.midfielders. Put Dinho on left, Boa on right, Pato and Zlatan as forward. Let Pippo get the last 25-20 minutes and he will score 1 or 2.

Posted by Pagliuca on 11/01/2010

Matteo:

I've been saying this for the outset. Let's look at this realisticly. Milan always had a steller defense! That is our signature and true DNA about this squad. Again, Silvio robs Peter to pay Paul. We could of invested in quality full backs and another CB and we didn't. Why isn't Allegri trying out Montelingo? What about De-vito? Teams like Madrid, Barca, and United try out thier primavera in regular games why can't we do the same? I know Milan likes veterns or experience but the current dose of veterns we had since 2002 is not working anymore. We either go into the mercato and buy players or these results will continue. Also, getting rid of Hunterlaar was a bad idea. Our strikers are good but to me it looks like we don't have a true punta. While Roni and co more are half-puntas, or playing Pato in that winger position is also not working. Why can't they play him up front and have him finish? He's to much in the MF and wings.

Posted by Srgt_Raptor on 11/01/2010

Matteo, as usual, brilliant article. The word "unbalanced" perfectly describes Milan's problems.

They need a RB and LB that run and create superior numbers up front to make space in the middle for Ronnie, Pirlo, Robinho or Seedorf. Antonini does but lacks defensive skills as we saw against Juve. Abate-Bonera never serves a decent ball in for Ibra and company. Oddo yes, but we can't compare Oddo to the likes of Ramos, Maicon or Alves.

There is no pace in the midfield since Kaka has left. Midfielders are statues and rarely help out the already rocky defense. Boateng and Gattuso do a good job but there is definitely an element of fluidity missing. These mechanics take more time than two months to incorporate though.

The Real Madrid match will be tough yet again. Maybe at the San Siro, Milan will be able to tie, but to counter the speed and technique of Ronaldo-Di Maria-Ozil and Higuain will be difficult. Milan can definitely compete for Serie A title, but doubtfully for Champions.

Posted by Jerrod on 11/01/2010

I agree with you matteo, Boateng is a great solution to the lack of young talent in the midfield and in regards to defense, we have talented young defenders but Allegri never plays them (I.E. Abate) so heres what i think our formation should look like

------Ibra-----Pato------

----Robinho----

Pirlo---Boateng---Rdinho

Zambrotta-Silva-Nesta-Abate

Posted by pablo on 11/02/2010

milan needs a better goal keeper.. is the only weaknees in the principal team.

Posted by Don on 11/02/2010

Decent article. But look, I know it's your job to predict some far stretch results. But, semi finals in the CL. Sorry Matteo, but our defense is not good enough to get us to the semis and if Allegri doesn't change our midfield tactics we may not see the quarterfinals.

Also, you never mentioned Antonini's poor run of form. He really hasn't played at all, during any match, like he played last campaign. His decisive runs up the left wing... no longer effective. Smart defensive containment... no longer there (see Juve match). Antonini combined well last campaign with R80, but he's been putting out substandard performances throughout the start of this season. I'm not suggesting replace him, because we really have no better option, but it's become big enough of an issue to mention.

That being said, you're spot on about the Seedorf - KPB switch.

I normally think you're right on with your articles. Maybe I'm wrong, but this one seemed a bit rushed.

Posted by Matteo Bonetti on 11/02/2010

Don:

Antonini has proven to be mediocre, as I stated in the first paragraph when I labeled every single full back we have, as just that. His lack of defensive skill has always been noticed, and I agree that last year he made up for that by combining well with Ronaldinho. The only way we can reach the semi's is by having Nesta & Thiago Silva in the lineup. Abate has all the physical characteristics to become a quality right back, but lacks the game experience. Antonini isn't even young (as many would assume) so left back has become a glaring need as well. I wonder if management would have used the money differently if they could go back in time. Even someone like Palermo's Balzaretti or Cassani would be a cheap upgrade.

Posted by RobStyles on 11/02/2010

I too agree that both KPB and Flamini should start, that Leo should have been given at least this season to prove himself, and that money should have been spent on defenders during the last transfer window, but hindsight is 20/20 and we must now deal with the present. Allegri has the players to succeed but appears to be hesitant to use them. While I agree that trying some primavera players would be nice, I'm talking about some of the vets. Sokratis was decent in the Napoli game, why didn't they give Gooch a shot in the Juve match? He played well in the last 2 US friendlies. With regard to Champions League, semis? Are you serious Matteo? I wish but I think we'd be lucky to get out of our group the way that we've been playing. If we don't earn a draw at the very least against Madrid on Wed our backs will be to the wall. Ajax has a nice young team and can certainly pull off another upset when we see them. I hope you're right. Max just needs to wake up and play his cards right.

Posted by Fadi Seikaly on 11/02/2010

I don't think Ronaldinho should start when healthy. Robinho puts a lot more effort running back to help out, and going forward.
Pato needs to be more clinical. His tricks are just not coming off. he needs to start using his pace to just brush past opponents instead of trying to dribble his way through defenders. (I am sure he will make me bite my tongue soon enough though with an awesome move).
Seedorf, Ronaldinho, Yepes (who hasn't played this season yet, but is getting paid)Jankulovski, and Oddo need to be offloaded. We will save millions on their salaries, and can buy a right and left back. Probably not world class, but definitely not mediocre (Cissokho, where art thou?).
Flamini needs to play more, there is no doubt about it. So Does Amelia. Doesn't Allegri see the mistakes Abbiati makes? (the first Juve goal came because he cleared the ball to the middle) and there was a cross he completely misjudged and was lucky that it bounced off Bonera into his arms.

Posted by Maithani on 11/02/2010

I don't know if this issue has been addressed before but we do have a towering central defender in the squad by the name of oguchi onyewu.

This guy had a very good world cup and im sure if given an oppurtunity can do better than sokratis at the CB position.
(BTW sokratis took a lot of stick for the game against Juve, where he did not play badly, and antonini who was the real culprit.)

So I dont know if its injury or what but I think we have a genuine Central defender;
also playing Gooch in center of defense whenever either nesta/silva is missing;
also we could give sokratis a chance to play at the much dreaded RB position.

Posted by Abdullahi Yahaya on 11/02/2010

I agree with almost everything u've written above except the part where u said u would guess that Milan would reach the champs lg semi finals where I believe u r in dreamland especially with allegri as the coach. C'mon, do u really believe that Milan can (on a normal day) beat the likes of Barcelona, real Madrid, Chelsea, inter Milan, Arsenal, Bayern Munich or Man Utd? The quarter finals should be a more realistic target to guess for (as far as this season is concerned).

Posted by JTex13 on 11/02/2010

the milacticos...what can one say about this monicker? it is interesting that you gave them this unofficial nickname because milan can be comopared to real madrid last year. not good, but not bad either and a whole lot of defensive problems to boot. the robinho situation should have never happened. to put it bluntly-he sucks! two faced-good for the Selecao, not for clubs. but u guys also have a problem with the coaching. allegri should have never subbed out Pato, who in my opinion, milan are lucky to have, and lucky that they have been able to keep him. Allegri, you are provincial, go back to coaching mid-table minnows. But i can't complain, Juventus it's about time...Forza Juve!

Posted by Omphile on 11/03/2010

There are days I wish that the Milan managment could read pages like these, then there would be no excuse for failure. Here are 3 my thoughts:
1. I think that it is obvious and all of you have spoken about the obvious problem in defence my solution in the summer would have been Salvatore Bocchetti, too bad he is in Russia.
2. Football should introduce something like forced retirement. This little idea of mine is that at the end of every season fans vote for which player over 32 should remain. By now Oddo would be gone and Milan would have been forced to buy a decent replacement. This will also make sure that when these old guys step foot on the pitch they work their butts off knowing that their jobs are on the line.
3. Leo should have stayed. Success is not like instant coffee it takes time, unless you are Mourinho. Leo got them into the Champions League and would have known who to buy in the summer because he knew the players and where they were short.

Posted by Jerrod on 11/03/2010

I agree with you Omphile. We should of been a little more wise in spending. It's not the budget necessarily but it's the quality and position. I like Robinho a lot but we should of invested in a young defender with potential or at the very least a young striker like Daniel Sturridge who is young and has so much potential to do well. Robinho is solid at striker, especially now that he is starting to adjust but we need more young talent on milan so they can develop together and in the near future create a extraordinary team. Pato is amazing and only 21, Abate is 23 and developing and certainly has potential to be phenomenal, especially with his pace. And last we Oduamadi... he hasn't got much playing time but he will develop and start and he looks to be promising. other than that though, we dont have much young talent. So long story short, we should of invested in a young, promising player (preferable a full-back) like Bale on Tottenham! and he's looking to move to the Serie A too!

Posted by Trinidad's son on 11/03/2010

Milan's backline when healthy is solid however when there are injuries we have major problems. However, we cannot escape the fact that injuries are part of the game so there is little we can do to solve that issue at this season other than hope the lads grow during the season. Where we can solve some issues is in the middle of the park. Flamini is a much better option than Rino and so is Prince rather than Seedorf.Flamini and Prince would give some much needed pace to the mid field and coverage for the back four. They both can also string passes together and can be a goal scoring threat (which will keep opposing defensive honest) because as it is, teams allow Rino to get the ball because they know he possesses limited technical ability,which causes them to either commit two men to Pirlo or Dinho, so Milan are playing 10 v 11 for most games. As far as our frontline goes, Dinho/Robinho, Pato/ Robinho, Ibra/Robinho

Posted by Don on 11/03/2010

Matteo:

Thanks for touching on some of the things I brought up. It shows your dedication to hearing people out and enjoyment in engaging in football discussion. I do however think that even with Nesta and Thiago Silva in the back line we will not reach the semis (but I'm hoping!) without changing the midfield tactics - as you duly pointed out in your article. Even then I think it will be very difficult as we haven't totally gelled yet.

Also, I don't think Antonini's age is the reason we need to look for a new LB, but rather his quality. He is 28 I believe, though not young, he is also not old and still has good years left in football. As for Abate, I haven't come to a conclusion about where he may land as he matures. I'm still not convinced that he has the defensive mind to play RB, and he would be much better suited with his physical qualities to be a workhorse RM. Yes, we should be shopping in the next coming windows. I would hope management now sees our defensive deficiencies.

Posted by Anonymous on 11/03/2010

Loved your Post Omphile.
I wish the Milan management could read it;

The way I see it Berlusconi bought Robinho and Ibra to appease the fans, after sacking the fan favorite Leonardo. Whereas every one knew that the main problem lied with our wingless wing-backs.However bringing in wing backs would not have grabbed the same sort of media as was the case with ibra and robinho.

However that is the past now. I seriously hope we purchase at least 1 decent wingback in the winter. I just don't want to face the same humiliation like last year where we were humbled by Manchester United.

Posted by daniel on 11/03/2010

If Ac milan had good Defenders like Lucio , maicon, D alves then they will win champions league

First of all pato needs to get out of ac milan because he is wasting his time there at a young age, if he wants to be like the brazil ronaldo then he would of been playing for a team like Barcelona , inter , madrid, by now

----------------------------------
Ronaldinho , Imbra, Robinho, Pato = Good
----------------------------------
the rest are shit.

Posted by Milan 1963 on 11/03/2010

ciao Matteo, agree with most of what you say except I don't think they will go so far in CL (although I predicted las year that they would win it to keep the 4 years average). In my opinion they will go down at the second round but this will help them fight for the scudetto which they can take.

@Omphile, I love your idea of forced retirement, you would see the likes of Seedorf, Zambro, Oddo and co runs their socks off like madmen LOL

Posted by Eddie lancaster on 11/03/2010

i sometimes wonder at the names i hear at milan these days,who is antonini,sokratis,oddo,bonera to a prestigious side like milan? fomations dont matter if you do not have the right mix of players in your team,if we bring back baresi maldini,boban, cafu and leonado i bet u they will perform better that most of these current players.must we keep this tradition of retainig old deathbeaths, if a player is not meeting up his past should not get him to the team. whats the value of experience when you do not have the strenght to execute it.boateng and flamini should be starters in milan while gatusso,seedof n their likes should be laid off. this is business not a home for the aged.milan needs atleast 4 young players of huge reputation in order to restore its lost glory because both the champ lge and serie a is far from their reach.

Posted by Calvin (RSA) on 11/03/2010

I reckon that Seedorf has passed his sell by date and new blood is needed.

Boateng is AC Milan's future, iressive during the World Cup and has never failed to impress ever since then.

Robinho should, if health allows, start every game especially today's return Champions League game with Real Madrid.

Today's game see defeat for Milan!

Posted by mohamady on 11/03/2010

great article, talking about the squad now is mostly old guys, we have a big problem in the midfield and defense positions. agree that the offense have been short coming too since last season didn't score that many goals. but that wasn't our main problem at all to make them buy Ibra and Robinho, boatang was a great buy. can anyone tell me why pirlo has been always a startup since last season. i think he owns a big share in the club stocks that may be explains it. god once he get a hold of this ball i just can't help it getting pissed off how he is slow and ends up giving it away to the opponents how many times he has done that. and pisses me off even more when he claims shots from right outside the box and not letting dinho does it. shots like those are 90% scoring chance with dinho shooting them. to many poeple Ibra is a great striker, but he is so spoiled and moody so i'm not sure about that. Pato is the best striker in the world sometime in the very near future so he needs to play

Posted by mohamady on 11/03/2010

Pato is a great striker but he needs to play all times all games i don't give a damn who is on the line waiting, may be substitute Ibra when is not productive but never Pato. Dinho is the best skillful player of all times and history but his problem is motivation and seriousness. if a good manager can plant these into him he will be a legend. but for now he needs more attention from his fellow team mates i have seen million times he's all free and asking for the ball but they always deny him. come on if you check the statistics of last season you will find he has scored some 11 goals and assisted some 20 goals, come on people you can never close your eyes on that. this guy needs some attention and more respect to get even more from him. not side line him and substitute him when ever possible and let a turtle like pirlo play all game long. so to me best line up is, silva, abate, sokratis, nesta, boatang (pirlo, gattuso), seedorf (robinho), rinho, pato, Ibra (inzaghi).

Posted by loli79 on 11/03/2010

I'm an inter fan but think Mateo is on to something.
The forwards look very lazy at times and defence is pathetic when either Nesta/Silva are missing. Midfield is a toss up. Sometimes they play good, and sometimes it seems they're taking a nap. KPB should be playing at all times. He is the force in the midfield that Milan HAD in Gatuso.
However, IMO the worst that happened to Milan is letting Leo go. He is a great coach.

The best thing that can happen to Milan? Get out at round of 16. There won't be no Europa league matches and the focus will be entirely on the League. Players will have more time to relax (god knows they need it).
Lets face it, every department on the field is suffering and the bench is virtually non existent. Team has no depth and the last thing needed is extra games that just tire the team even more.
I want Milan to do great, and why not even win the Champs (I hate it that Germans will have 4 spots on the Champs next year) but with the coach you have, ...

Posted by Duru Tochukwu on 11/03/2010

Robinho----Ibra-----Pato--------
---------Seedorf---------------
------Pirlo---Boeteng--------
Abate--Silva--Nesta---Zambrotta
-------------Abbiati

4-2-1-3 or 4-2-3-1 these are the most potent formations now in modern football or 4-4-2 with 2 giant strikers upfront. Milan can't continue playing straight-line 3 midfielders that allows Pirlo make 1/10 successful through balls to the front 3.

Posted by Jerrod on 11/03/2010

I completely agree Mohamady. Allegri always seems to take out Pato instead of Ibra, even when Pato is doing really well adn Ibra is doing bad. I can't understand why he would that. He runs this team with the understanding that Ibra is the key to win. I disagree, I think Ibra is a factor (along with Ronaldinho and Boateng and Pirlo) but Pato is the key to win. He is a 21 year old with untapped potential and he has already proven he's got what it takes to be the best, in my opinion. Everygame, you'll see milan get on a fastbreak and what's the first thing they do? they pass the ball to Ibra, even if he isn't open and that kind of thing kills. We can't revolve our team around him. Pato has played 5-6 games (21 shots total) in the Serie A and has 4 goals, while Ibra has played 9 games (34 shots total) and has 4 goals. So who should we be giving the ball to? Pato

Posted by Lembach Is Staying! on 11/03/2010

The biggest problem: Ibra and Robinho are both waste of money, because they don't answer Milan's biggest question, the transition from offense to defense and vice versa.

They are both front-runners, not in a calcio sense, but in the sense that when things are going well, they're involved, full of tricks and flicks. But it the game turns against them, they don't want to know, especially Robinho, whose disappearing act in tough situations is a feature of his career wherever he's been, even with Brazil.

Posted by Pagliuca on 11/04/2010

Matteo:

Yesterdays match againt Madrid was timeless. I thought in the first half begining Madrid was going to press and use their speed for another quick goal, but our defense and mid-field held through somehow. It was later on in the first-half, where we looked more composed and did something very un-like the first match. We ran! I'm safe to say that I think we kept up pace. Abate had a good game, and Zambro was decent. Roni was no-where but not his fault. At times who does he have to give the ball to him. Getting Pippo in was a good move and I think Allegri is starting to get a clue when to make the right subs.

Posted by Matteo Bonetti on 11/04/2010

Pagliuca:

What most surprised me was how Abate held his own against CR7, and didn't fall for his childish tactics of falling down as if shot by a sniper. Major upgrade at Midfield with Boateng running at people, as I had said numerous times.

But our front three are so off it's alarming. Ibra floats around, Pato didn't have the pace to get by Pepe. And Ronaldinho? He shouldn't have played from the start. Berlusconi pressured Allegri into doing so.

Posted by Pagliuca on 11/04/2010

Matteo:

I agree about Abate. If he continues like this instead of both full back sides having a problem we may have only one. He marked CR7 well,that hit to his throat but then he covered his face up? WTH? CR should GROW UP! As with our attacking? I agree, but Ibra was more comfortable when Pippo came on. Why? Pippo plays his position and he doesn't have to wonder where Pippo is unlike Pato and Roni, But in their defense, Pato is all over the place also. Allegri needs to tell him to stick to a spot and be there. I agree with Roni and Silvio, but then again Roni can only play well if there is good feeders to him from the wings. And that is an area where we have problems. Your thoughts?

Posted by Isaac on 11/05/2010

MILAN M AN MILAN
MILAN MI LAN MILAN
MILAN MILA ILA MILAN
MILAN ILAN MIL MILAN
MILAN LAN M N MI MILAN
MILAN AN MI AN M MILAN
MILAN N MIL LAN MILAN
MILAN MILA ILA MILAN
MILAN ILAN MIL MILAN
MILAN LAN MI MILAN

Posted by mikuz on 11/06/2010

i agree with lembach's comments on ibrahimovic. i am still of the opinion that his acquisition was not necessary.He is too selfish and he does not work for the team. Robinho tracks back to defend and gives the team the needed pace especially on the break. Ibrahimovic should go back after this season and the money which should have been invested in his purchase should be used to sign two young quality fullbacks and an extra midfielder.

Posted by Milan 1963 on 11/07/2010

I am not sure that buying Ibra and Robinho was the wrong move. Think of it, Ronaldinho may leave in June for the US and Pato may be attracted by the BPL or La Liga syrens like Kaka and Sheva. Now we bought two guys that will replace them and if we sell Pato it will be for the double of what we bought both Ibra and Bihno, so not a bad move at all. In addition Pato has not been very convincing in his latest performances, so maybe a bit of bench will make him use his brain and hopefuly bring a positive reaction. Pippo is not a bad alternative at the moment. Off course what we badly need now is to rejuvenate the midfield and the defense and find some quality players to replace some of the mummies. I have seen people wanting Pirlo or Seedorf in a defensive position and I must say this is pure suicide. Flamini, Gattuso, Boateng and Ambrosini should be chosen for the two defensive midfields roles. i

Posted by Milan 1963 on 11/07/2010

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For big games I would only play one of Pirlo Seedorf and Dinho and use Binho Ibra and Pato or Pippo. What is killing us is "le ripartenze" meaning when we lose the ball somewhere in opponents half we get slashed in half by any team in the planet because Pirlo, Seedorf and Dihno will never be able to get back and leaving only one defensive mid will expose us too much which is what happened at every game. If Flamini is not used then sell him and get someone who can run and have good feet like KPB, Rino and Ambro are near expiry date too and we need badly replacing them. Hopefuly Merkel an Strasser will make their debut soon.
Anyway Grande Pippo, it is incredible how this guy is still hungry for goals and success at his not so young age. If Pato was like that he would by probably the best player in the planet by now. Maybe Milan Lab should transfuse some of Pippo's blood to those amorphic players.

Posted by kiki on 11/07/2010

I think Milan just need a man who knows how to build a team from the scratch. a certain man called Frank Rijkard is known to be doing that, remmember he brought the Dutch National team back where it belong in 2000. when all was lost at Barcelona, he was the man that rekindled the sweet scented beautiful and winning football they play now. Pep is only continuing a good project done by Him. Milan needs his style. after all he is their former son

Posted by mohamady on 11/08/2010

hope everybody watched realmadrid and bari games, i really have no idea how we got through realmadrid's game with this crazy draw, i mean we didn't do a thing deserved this draw compared to the chances realmadrid created. but i guess we were lucky in that game. matter of fact i thought it was complete disaster when i saw dino coming out for inzaghi and after that substituted pato for someone else i don't remember and left Ibra on the field the whole time after wasting two great opportunities in the first half and did absolutely nothing in the second half, what's up with that ?? he finally listened to my whisper about starting with pirlo every single game and put him on the bench in bari's game. personally i saw a way better midfield defense without pirlo in it but again Ibra problem remains the same with no change only God knows until when. and he left Inzaghi on the bench as if the man did nothing in real madrid's game and same for dino. i really don't know if that guy (allegri)

Posted by mohamady on 11/08/2010

knows what his doing or have no idea what so ever how to manage this team with these huge names within it. i mean in every game now he is playing with different start up. is this the time to get to know your players and make variety of experiments and researches. i'm afraid it might be too late by the time you find out what the best combination. i wish you good luck anyway

Posted by punditguy on 11/08/2010

So Mr. Bonetti...now you can say i told you so! lol. I really like the way he plays. He only has room to improve and become much better and he is young. I have faith in him.

I do think given the chance Leonardo would have done a great a job. He did well with what he had a year ago so imagined what he would have done wit this team. He would have gotten the beat out of the brazilians. However its early yet and this is a new squad to Max. We need to give him some time. Yes he does take long when making substitutions but i do like the way in which he rotates the team and players and even change up his tactics. And remember...this is a squad which still has a lot of the old players from last season who has become 1 year older. So all in all so far, I think he has done a decent job.

Posted by wisco on 11/09/2010

After watching the last two games, one of the things that most concerns me is the inability to play an entire half. True Real Madrid, created a ton of chances and Milan is probably lucky to get out of there with a draw. Still to concede the two goals like they did in the final minute or so of each half, and then to follow it up with the late goal against Bari is not good.

The goal against Real hurt our pool standings badly, thank goodness Ajax also lost. We still got the win against Bari but the team needs to learn to play defense until the games end.

Posted by Milan 1963 on 11/09/2010

Fantastic Matteo, I am sure Allegri read this Blog before the game against Bari. 3 "mastini" in the middle of the park, only one from Dinho, Pirlo, Seedorf and a great result that could have been much bigger had we scored the 566 goal chances that we created. And Flamini not only scored but was even one of the best on the pitch, mannaggia I hope he will play more. Now we need to stop getting goals after the ninetieth minute, it is getting ridiculous.
Forza Milan!!!!

Posted by Matteo Bonetti on 11/09/2010

@Milan 1963

Also, is Ambrosini the most UNDERRATED player in the Serie A? How is he not a regular in the Italian NT? He is mr. serviceable for us in the midfield. His hard work needs to be noticed around Europe.

Next article coming after Palermo game/Preview of Inter-Milan derby. Stay tuned.

Posted by Milan 1963 on 11/10/2010

@Matteo,
I agree with you on Ambrosini. He had his chance with Donadoni, but when Lippi came back...well we all know what happened. Now he may be a bit old for the new generation of the NT but he would still be more useful than say Pepe Le pew???? Even though they don't play the same role.
The Derby I am already feeling it! After last year catastrophic games we need to square things back.

Posted by Chris-Smooth on 11/10/2010

@All MILAN FAMILIES & FANS ALL OVER D WORLD...
PLZZZ WE ALL SHULD NT ALLOW D BEST POACHER, STRIKER, SUPER-SUB, MOST RELIABLE,
MR FOX IN D BOX.. CAVALIERE UFFICIALE OMRI. FILIPPO 'PIPPO' INZAGHI.. Nt 2 leave Milan in Jan.He is an ICON & A LEGEND. IN ITALY, MILAN & WORLD OF FOOTBALL. IF HE LEAVES damn! i dnt knw if i cn cope wit Milan after 16yrs, b'cos if nt for him Milan wnt b 2nd on C-league table. he cam off d bench 2 score 2goals in 10mins even if 1 was offside,so wat! Sir Alex Feg 1ce said dat if u give Pippo 3chances @ offside @lst 1 if nt 2 will count as goal "That d lad must have been born offside"..Mr Jose Mourinho said b4 & aftr d 2nd leg dat Inzaghi is "the only player I fear",
also Ibrahimovic pleaded to Allegri to make him his regular partner up front, after the 2-2 draw.
@ 37yrs Mr F.Pippo Inzaghi has all d awards & honor 4rm world-football & still plays lik only GOD knws, 15yr old i guess? I biliv dat many of d Present New Stars adore & luv 2 play wit
Mr Pippo.

Posted by Sintechness on 11/14/2010

No borrielo, no huntalar, no dinho, no pato, and no pippo, is ibra really all that we were missing?

Posted by Sum93 on 11/15/2010

milan need someone like captain PUYOL in the middle and someone like dani alves and maxwell as right n left back xD

for those tht wud ask, i am a barcelona fan, but i follow ac milan games because of king ronaldinho :P

Milan's line up should be ( with the players they have )

-----------Ibrahimovic--Pato----------

--Ronaldinho--Pirlo---Gattuso--Robinho--

--Boateng---Ambrosini----Seedorf--Silva-----

such a beautiful attacking team, even the defence i have there can attack and defend also, trust me putting the line up like how i have considering the players they have, this wud be an amazing team :D

Posted by 1991 on 11/16/2010

that line up would be impressive on the counter attack...but i dont know if the could score more goals then then they would concede doing that...im still celebrating putting inter down in that game yesterday!!! but milan should sell pato keep ibra and robinho and hopefully ronaldinho and use the pato sale money to bring quality defenders in...

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