http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/ en Copyright 2012 Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:44:14 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss all bad things must never end, but that's neither here nor there). When ESPN Soccernet gave me the opportunity to run this blog three years ago, my first thought was: how do I avoid getting fired after my first article, and: how much time before an Interista places a bounty over my head? As many of my regular readers know, I haven't shied away from one controversial topic, and I certainly have tried to carry my own personality into the 'blogosphere' as much as possible. Doing this certainly leapfrogged me into the social media scene, got me an added bragging card with the girls, and gave me a speckle of credibility at parties when football conversations became so intense, I was actually worried about receiving a beating so brutal that it would give me a permanent Inter face. But most importantly - I received credits at the University, and it opened the door for many more possibilites. Thank you ESPN Soccernet. ]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/06/a_final_farewell.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/06/a_final_farewell.php General Team News Inter Milan Serie A Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:44:14 +0000 A Sandro Nesta is born once in a blue moon (or once in an Inter Champions League victory if you need a secondary comparison). A class defender who embodied the Milan franchise to perfection, and was an integral figure in the teams laundry list of trophies acquired in the past decade. The 36 year old Nesta leaves Milan having played well over 300 matches for the club. A Laziale by birth, Sandro moved to the rossonero outfit a decade ago, and became a key clog in the center of defense. http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/05/saluting_a_legend.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/05/saluting_a_legend.php Player Specific Milan MLS Nesta New York Red Bulls Sandro Serie A Thu, 10 May 2012 21:03:22 +0000 zero titoli is zero titles, the dubious distinction Milan can claim starting today. Gutted out of the Champions League by the band of magical elves, trumpeted out of the Coppa Italia by a relentless Juventus side, and falling behind in the Scudetto race for a multitude of errors, injuries, and gaffes by the venerable Allegri. Individually however, let's give recognition to the only award that will be handed out to a rossonero this season. With 24 goals on the year, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is sure to take home the Capocannoniere title. The title honors the Italian leagues top scorer, which ironically is half the amount of this years La Liga's pichichi. Well done Zlatan. ]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/04/zero_titoli.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/04/zero_titoli.php General Team News Ibrahimovic Juventus Milan Scudetto Serie A Zlatan Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:29:00 +0000 Let me first get the most important sentiment off my chest: Barcelona did not steal this game in the sense that they didn't deserve it, rather had an inept referee gift them an opportunity that they clearly did not need. They are the best team in the world, had many more chances than Milan, and generally are about as unstoppable as an asteroid the size of one of Bobo Vieri's boobs shooting towards the earth at a high rate of speed. The last thing I want to debate is who deserved what, which penalties should or shouldn't have been awarded, and most importantly - does the controversial call against Nesta cancel out the penalty Barcelona should've had in the first game. I couldn't care less about that garbage now as it's banal talk. Milan are going back home to focus on winning the Scudetto, and may Barcelona meet Real Madrid in the final so casual bandwagon fans all over the world can rejoice with their collective erections for Clasico Fever. http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/04/uefalona.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/04/uefalona.php Game Analysis AC Milan Barcelona Champions League Ibrahimovic Messi Pato Serie A Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:46:27 +0000 At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the main surgeon at the MilanLab looked like an extra from Freddy Kruger and changed tendons with a rusty scalpel in a dimly lit operating room. How can you explain the current situation at Milan without feeling some sort of betrayal from the heads up top. Is it simply a sheer coincidence, or are we witnessing one of the most infamous health botches of all time. The questions circling the mind of many people (and players) around the club is: who's responsible for the mayhem? Well, let's take a quick look at the possibilities while discounting the naive myths. http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/03/milanlab_of_horrors.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/03/milanlab_of_horrors.php General Team News Allegri Barcelona Ibrahimovic Injury Inter Milan Pato Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:17:29 +0000 I had to wait a few days to write this article. Simply put, it was the most agonizing ninety minutes of my life. If there was a video crew on hand to tape my sheer range of emotions I would've probably won an Oscar. Now, as I wrote in my last article, our passion for football is what drives us to behave like uncontrollable idiots - pumping fists and gleeing in delight. However, a quick look towards the darker end of the spectrum and results vary. One moment can turn a passionate fan into a violent, raging lunatic, yelling obscenities and turning any simple household item in the room into a high speed projectile. http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/02/whats_really_on_my_mind.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/02/whats_really_on_my_mind.php Player Specific AC Milan Juventus Pato Wed, 29 Feb 2012 23:30:51 +0000 Sometimes you take a step back and wonder why you've wasted so many countless hours. Countless time engaged in incessant arguing, fighting, nagging, bragging, and shouting all in the honor of the team you've chosen to align yourself with from an early age.. However, you don't really mean anything to the squad itself. You're merely one of the numbers, feeding the millionaire players/owners simply by purchasing one piece of memorabilia. You wonder why something taking place (in some cases) on the other side of the world, could have such a profound effect on your well being. You ponder why you'd skip school, or call in sick to work, to watch a game that in the end, is nothing more than a pixelated image on a screen, or often time an atrocious stream with a foreign language as commentary. Most of you have never been to the San Siro, or even Milan - but yet you bleed the colors of a team you've (mostly) never even seen in real life. Then it hits you. All these minutes spent following them, all the money spent supporting them - it all pays dividends on days like this. Days when a collective sports orgasm is reached. A simple pass or shot on goal gives you a burst of pure euphoria that really, is unmatched by any other event (except perhaps on a night out trying new substances with Moris Carrozzieri and Mark Iuliano). Now it all makes sense. Why we spend countless hours discussing, probing, arguing. Now, we feel a sense of sheer jubilance unlike anything else. What else could possibly make you jump out of your seat so violently as if Poseidon struck you in the heart with an electrical trident? No other feeling compares to this, except seeing Luca Antonini being subbed off. http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/02/cloud_9.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/02/cloud_9.php Game Analysis Arsenal Champions League Ibrahimovic Milan Prince Boateng Robinho Serie A Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:46:11 +0000 We'll go with the Eclipse Up until the entrance of the now immortal balon d'or candidate Maxi Lopez in the second half, everything was going astray for the rossonero outfit. A slow, lumbering midfield lacking ideas, a seemingly incoherent attack, whose lack of chemistry was alarming. And finally, the venerable coach Allegri, once again with that befuddled look on the sidelines that drives us to make these following assumptions/questions: Is he even breathing? Is he in a coma? Why hasn't he blinked in 15 minutes. Does he know the game ends in five minutes and we need a new striker on? ]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/02/after_further_review.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/02/after_further_review.php Game Analysis Allegri Boateng Champions League Ibrahimovic Milan Serie A Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:05:30 +0000 Imagine this: You're a teenager from an extremely wealthy family. One day, your father calls you to his work room and unexpectedly proposes the following scenario: "Son, I've thought long and hard about this, and have come to a decision about your first car, I will either purchase you a brand new Porsche 911, or lease a used Mitsubishi Eclipse." Mouth agape and puzzled at the bizarre variety of options thrown your way, you proceed to question -- but he stops you mid sentence and utters, "That is all, no questions asked. Go back to your room." A week later, you arrive home from school in the bus, and see a yellow Mitsubishi Eclipse parked in your driveway. That is Maxi Lopez. Maxi Lopez is a Mitsubishi Eclipse. And a Mitsubishi Eclipse looks a bit out of place parked in the driveway of a multi million dollar mansion. Sure, it might look sleek from the outside, but inside, the smell of cloth runs rampant, and one of the cupholders is broken, and certainly being parked next to a Ferrari & a Range Rover doesn't help its overall image.. And Wanda Nara.. I'm getting off track, this literally makes no sense anymore... Anyway.. http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/01/well_go_with_the_eclipse.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/01/well_go_with_the_eclipse.php General Team News Maxi Lopez Milan Pato Serie A Tevez Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:37:30 +0000 The derby della madonnina. A name synonymous with hyperventilation, uncontrollable anxiety, and palpitations furious enough to disintegrate an elderly heart. These are just some of the feelings associated with the annual match between the two Milan sides. And I use the term 'Milan sides' loosely, considering one of the teams is based out of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bragging rights are given to the victor for the next few months, where the person will ridicule/mock/physically assault the fan of the other team upon every encounter. It has caused friendships to split, marriages to end, and Cristiano Doni to place his wager. Moving on.. http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/01/derby_of_broken_dreams.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/01/derby_of_broken_dreams.php Game Analysis Berlusconi Derby della madonnina Ibrahimovic Inter Milan Pato Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:34:52 +0000 There is a rather eerie sense of change approaching the club. Players we once thought were indispensable are suddenly being shopped around to the highest bidder. Unexpected superstars being linked with the Rossoneri, and all this taking place a few days before the most important match in Italy. It is almost enough to drive a sane man into a spiralling state of lunacy. It is the day a city becomes divided by two fervent, rival sides. Black bleeds with either red or blue this weekend. Palpitations grow rapid before the match, and you better believe a few seemingly ordinary household objects will be turned into high speed projectiles, obliterating anything in their wake throughout the course of the match. Needless to say, I lose a few years of life every derby. It is a brutal exercise for my heart, which is ill-equipped to handle such a potentially traumatic event. The derby is not even an enjoyable experience for me - there is too much anxiety involved, even if we're up by a handful of goals. Too much at stake. http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/01/a_changing_tide.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2012/01/a_changing_tide.php General Team News Cassano Champions League Ibrahimovic Inter Milan Pato Serie A Tevez Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:59:57 +0000 capolista despite having seen a run of poor form throughout half of their games. Intergentina has sneakily crawled up the table with an unfortunate slew of positive results that has caused me to mutter the now infamous phrase WHY..IS..INTER..SO.... you know the rest. Surprises have been abundant. From the overachieving Atalanta, to the domestically challenged Napoli, who haven't been able to replicate their sparkling Champions League form in the Serie A. So, with all this being said, it's time to move on to the mid-season awards!]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2011/12/the_mid_season_awards.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2011/12/the_mid_season_awards.php General Team News awards Ibrahimovic inter midseason Milan pato Serie A Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:14:02 +0000 Milan Insider Podcast]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2011/12/el_apache.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2011/12/el_apache.php Player Specific AC Milan Carlos Tevez Cassano Champions League Ibrahimovic Robinho Serie A Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:26:39 +0000 Love him or hate him, one thing is for sure: everyone in Italy has an opinion about Milan's owner, Silvio Berlusconi. The Italian businessman who has served three terms as the Italian Prime Minister has one unique, albeit odd trait - being the owner of one of the most important football teams in the world. Rarely have we seen a man with such an important political connotation also try and lead a team to European glory. It makes for an interesting story line, many intertwined subplots, and plenty of headlines in newspapers around the world. http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2011/11/a_polarizing_figure.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2011/11/a_polarizing_figure.php General Team News AC Milan Berlusconi Pato Serie A Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:30:59 +0000 The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions for Milanisti throughout the world. We endured Antonio Cassano's heart wrenching (literally) sickness, we've witnessed Silvio Berlusconi's tumultuous time as the Italian Prime Minister come to an expected end, and we've been entertained by Milan's impressive five-match winning streak in Serie A, capitalized by a flurry of goals in each game. Every positive piece of news is weighed down by a negative one. Milan have now qualified in the Champions League group stage, and the game against Barcelona at the San Siro will be decisive to see which of the two sides comes out in first place. http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2011/11/a_heart_of_goal_lascivious_beh.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/milan/archives/2011/11/a_heart_of_goal_lascivious_beh.php General Team News Berlusconi Cassano Milan Serie A Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:34:27 +0000