AC Milan Thread [2010/2011]

[Xifio]

what a crazy match ... and what shambolic defending (all Udinese had to do was counter, and they pretty much scored) ... terribly sorry for Thiago Silva to be playing with those incompetent morons ... Bonera (rhymes with cholera) is a f*cking disaster; he got turned soooo easily time and again ... and Antonini went to sleep and thus kept Di Natale on for the first goal ...

it took all 4 attacking options for Milan to escape with a point: Robinho[od]'s working hard, both Zlatan and the Duck produce something even when they haven't had the best of games, and the clutch Cassano has already become integral (3 assists already, and he's only played a total of about 40 odd minutes in Milan colours) ...

Galliani better be planning some defensive purchases in the winter ...

 

[Xifio]

mamma mia ibra! pazzesco!




not the first time either:






otherwise the performance was poor, especially the first half ...

well, Cassano played well as usual, especially as he and Ibra were constantly combining ... i thought one of them would surely find the other to score the winner ... almost happened on several occasions; almost ...

 

[Pogba4Now]

I don't follow Serie A but just wondering who got dropped to allow a spot for Cassano? Can someone give me their latest lineup? Milan is my favourite team in Serie A.

 

[ARIAGA II]

I don't think Cassano is in the starting XI yet, he seems to be channeling some qualities of the former owner of his jersey (i.e. appearance). Today he came on for Pato, but the real person who he's replaced is probably 50 Cent's buddy Ronaldinho.

 

[Xifio]

I don't think Cassano is in the starting XI yet, he seems to be channeling some qualities of the former owner of his jersey (i.e. appearance). Today he came on for Pato, but the real person who he's replaced is probably 50 Cent's buddy Ronaldinho.

both named Ronaldo, and both called "Ronaldinho" at some point ...

Cassano is not replacing Ronaldinho directly; they sold Ronnie this Jan so the club could slash the total wage bill AND get some transfer fees for him ...

however, Cassano was brought in because of the long-term injury to Inzaghi, coz Ronaldinho wasn't impressing enough to start, coz Pato was getting injured constantly, and coz Cassano was available for an otherwise impossibly low price ...

if Ronnie had stayed, he would have played just as much as he had done in the first half of the season ... but he wants to make the Brazil 2014 squad, and he's not going to do that by playing left-bench at Milan ... best he moved on, for all involved ... good luck to him ...

I don't follow Serie A but just wondering who got dropped to allow a spot for Cassano? Can someone give me their latest lineup? Milan is my favourite team in Serie A.

the team is plagued with injuries ... and Cassano isn't starting yet because a couple of months of staying locked up at home has left him severely lacking fitness, let alone match fitness ... but he's come off the bench 3 times to resounding effect, and has looked his menacing best right away ...

Allegri likes to play a 4-3-3 when he can, but the team is ravaged with injuries, and Cassano's still getting back to full fitness, so he's playing 4-3-1-2, and using Cassano as the supersub ... some of the primavera youngsters (Strasser, Merkel) are getting a good look in with the first team ...

the energy of Prince Boateng is tangibly missing ... add Pirlo's absence to that midfield, and there's serious lack of creativity in the middle of the park ... Seedorf is sucking major balls, though it is at such times he comes good ... the lineup is hardly settled due to all this stuff ...

oh, and the wingback situation is a joke ... but the management obviously recognize it and are working on it (Criscito is just one name amongst the various strong murmurs) ...

 

[VanTheMan]

MIlan have too many forwards..
i feel they can even squeeze in India's Baichung Bhutia who is a chutiya

 

[Stylus]

Pirlo gots injured yesterday and will probably jump the sunday's match against Cesena. It is quite difficult make a good midfield for sunday (also Merkel after the goals gots injured) but we shouldn't have problems for the forwards.

 

[Xifio]

MIlan have too many forwards.

replying just coz this is actually a popular opinion, but one that is quite stupid: Allegri likes to play 4-3-3, and he has 4 forwards at his disposal for the rest of the season; that's the minimum number for any rotation whatsoever ... too many forwards? hardly ...

Pirlo gots injured yesterday and will probably jump the sunday's match against Cesena. It is quite difficult make a good midfield for sunday

and in the pre-match warm-up, Ringhio got injured! so Thiago Silva had to play out of position ... that's why Galliani was working so hard to prepone Urby's signing from the summer to right away -- he won't be playing LB till the midfield injury crisis subsides ...


---


the match performance today was fairly comfortable, but far from convincing ... a lot of passes going astray, and the movement a little so-so ... defending was mostly crap, despite the cleansheet -- as per usual this season ...

still, a few positives to be taken ... haven't seen Robinho[od] work that hard ever! Cassano blew cold, mostly, but it still came as no surprise that he "assisted" Zlatan to force the goal ... there were plenty of other chances to make it a lot more than 1-0 ... Ibra kept playing one Milan player after another into the box with some sumptuous through balls over the top ... finally, in stoppage time, it was he who was played through, and he buried it, to buoy team spirits and truly make it feel like a win ...

 

[Arnau]

Wow Dídac Vilà its going to Milan, he is meant to be the "new Capdevila".

 

[Xifio]

Wow Dídac Vilà its going to Milan, he is meant to be the "new Capdevila".

Mino Raiola

 

[Xifio]

Merkel is showing how much he still has to learn about the defensive side of things ... he is lucky to have not gotten a second yellow for some late challenges, and he makes rudimentary mistakes when defending close to the D (clearing the ball, jockeying, etc.) ... usually he makes up for it by playing some great attacking passes, but that hasn't been the case today ... Allegri should definitely take him off for Urby at half-time, before it becomes an uphill XI v X affair ...

the attack hasn't really clicked in the first half ... that said, Cassano had a glorious chance when played in well by Zlatan, and he really should have buried it ... hopefully when Pato comes on, it is not because Milan are still searching for a goal ...

p.s. I'm watching this on FSC ... the English commentary for Serie A sucks, as usual ... e-Brimovitch? wtf is that?

 

[ARIAGA II]

van Bommel gets a red on his league debut and Ambrosini is injured...looks like the midfield crisis just got worse!

EDIT - but once again 'e-Brimovitch' comes through.

btw anyone know why the Japanese Ronaldo didn't get called up to Japan's Asian Cup squad?

 

[Xifio]

van Bommel gets a red on his league debut and Ambrosini is injured...looks like the midfield crisis just got worse!

how did I count out MvB when considering the uphill XI v X scenario?! but tbh, that was a crap decision, and was nowhere near deserving of a card ... at least I can be glad that my direct line to Allegri worked clearly clearly at halftime ...

as for Ambrosini, I don't mind him being out injured ... he has no passing ability, and he tackles well only when he doesn't have to catch a player ...

EDIT - but once again 'e-Brimovitch' comes through.

hah, indeed -- goal and 'assist' for him ... and the new and hardworking Robinho[od] gets a goal and assist too ...

btw anyone know why the Japanese Ronaldo didn't get called up to Japan's Asian Cup squad?

he is just returning from injury, and would have missed most of the competition (EDIT: article link) ... nearly had a goal today after coming on ... hopefully he can stay injury-free for a sustained period, and be able to convert his potential ...

 

[Keegan]

Is that really his happy face? What does he do when he is pissed off?

 

[Xifio]

that was some terrible finishing yesterday ... Urby played really well, but I can't believe he blazed over when set up perfectly by Zlatan, in open space just 10 yards from the goal ...

usually Ibra produces something out of nothing at such times, so that the story of the match can be masked -- and he nearly did, but his something-out-of-nothing effort hit both posts before rebounding away ...

no luck yesterday, but there's no way Napoli won't slip up till the end of the season, so there's plenty of time to set things right ...



EDIT:

Is that really his happy face? What does he do when he is pissed off?

1) yes ... 2) the same ...

 

[Xifio]

no luck yesterday, but there's no way Napoli won't slip up till the end of the season, so there's plenty of time to set things right ...

well that was quick ... 2 points dropped yesterday has become 1 point gained on the nearest challengers today ...

 

[Xifio]

the on-pitch chemistry between Cassano and Zlatan has been great since day 1, and has been progressively getting better ... and once Robinho[od] came on, the interplay between the front 3 was sumptuous ... long may it all continue ... I'd have had Milan as outside contenders if Cassano was eligible for the Champions League ...

 

[Javyol]

I'd have had Milan as outside contenders if Cassano was eligible for the Champions League ...

I thought he was?

 

[Mus]

“From next season, if a player's club is eliminated and he signs for a new club by the end of the summer transfer window on September 1, he can play for his new club in either competition,” UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino had said.

Since Sampdoria were eliminated in the Champions League preliminary round – Il Doria played Werder Bremen and lost 4 – 5 on aggregate – Cassano can now play Champions League with Milan.

Copy pasted but I think it's right

 

[Xifio]

I thought he was?

Copy pasted but I think it's right

this was discussed in the Inter thread regarding Pazzini ... just to reiterate, it looks like UEFA considers the "playoff" round to be part of the Champions League proper, and not part of the qualifying rounds ... makes no sense to me, but there we have it ...