AC Milan general spiel 2.0

[vtec]

welcome, cassanata. we're actually mostly a group of professionals in different fields, though you'd never guess based on the banter that goes around here. it's all in good fun, though. the forum is becoming younger lately: new youngins joining, old members dying; it's good to have some renewed energy.

[San Paolo]

Welcome to the forum Cassanata, enjoy your stay here!

[Ibrahimović_11]

Welcome Cassanta

[San Paolo]

Cassano and his agent are set for talks with Galliani this week.

[San Paolo]

Jose Mourinho has asked Real Madrid to gift him Milan ace Zlatan Ibrahimovic ahead of the new campaign.

Mourinho wants his attack reinforced over the summer and the Swedish international is understood to be his top target.

The Special One knows all about Ibra, having bossed him for a season at Inter before Ibrahimovic’s 2009 move to Barcelona.

Ibra returned to the Stadio Meazza last summer though, this time with the Nerazzurri’s city rivals Milan.

The Rossoneri netted the former Juventus player on loan, with the option to buy him outright this summer for €24m.

However, his future is now again being brought into question just weeks after he won a domestic League title for the eighth season running.

Ibrahimovic is represented by Mino Raiola, an agent who yesterday was questioned about the 29-year-old.

“If an important offer was to arrive and Milan wanted to sell then it would be considered,” Raiola noted.

“We have already received a number of proposals, but Ibrahimovic has no intention of leaving Milan and he hasn’t given his permission to be sold.”

The Ibra to Real story has already got the transfer rumour mill in motion, with some media already speculating whom Milan could replace Ibra with.

The prime candidate at the moment seems to be Manchester City and Italy striker Mario Balotelli.

Although Raiola, who also represents Balotelli, has stated that the player will remain in Manchester, Milan Vice-President Adriano Galliani is a known fan of Super Mario.

[vtec]

i would not shed a tear if this were to happen. maybe make some money off the deal.

[maro]

There was a piece on calciomercato today speculating that both Ibra and Cassano might not be with the club next season. In fact, the piece was a load of shite, but I think the proposition is pretty plausible.

[San Paolo]

so if Ibra was to leave who would we like to replace him?

[maro]

Vucinic.

[San Paolo]

lol he would be okay at washing the kit and carrying the water.

[San Paolo]

Tevez to milan has been mentioned in a paper somewhere.

[vtec]

my only problems with ibra are that he's a dick and he disappears in games in which there's an iota of pressure. other than that, he did well for us. if we wanted a player just like him to replace him, the only one i can think of is adebayor. ibra to madrid for adebayor + cash?

we probably should have taken a risk on that dzeko kid before he went to man shitty.

anyway, if we're going to lose both cazzano and imahomobitch, messi wouldn't be bad.

[RomaShield27]

Don't you have to actually buy Ibra first before you think of trading him to Madrid? He's on loan, right, with an option to buy for €20m+?

[The MAN]

Ibra will not step it up in CL, in fact I have little faith in either Pato or Robinho shining for us in Europe too...there's some hope in Cassano and obviously Inzaghi is the only proven one there.

That said, unless there's a world-class replacement for Ibra (the likes of Adebayor or Benzema don't cut it for me) then I wouldn't make business with these fucks. We've ripped them off for Kaka so let's not make a deal that reverses the trend.

[The MAN]

[San Paolo]

its an obligation to buy, Ed. and forget Dzeko he would have been a case of Edin Hands.

if Madrid want Ibra we need to rip them a new one and say we want Ronaldo, Alonso, Ozil or Kaka + cash.

[The MAN]

I like Porto's forwards alot (Hulk and Falcao)...in my opnion, these would be the type of guys that can prove to be a hit at a big European league for a number of years both domestically and in Europe

[vtec]

[maro]

Ibra's an interesting case for you guys. I do think it's true what I said about your not needing midfield playmakers because you don't make plays from midfield (though clearly having Seedonk in there towards the end of the season has changed the balance there a little bit). You need players who are technically good enought to keep the ball, but from what I've seen of you this season (which is a fair bit), you don't actually make all that many decisive passes through your midfield three. And, indeed, not from your trequartista who isn't a technical, creative player at all when it's Boateng and even Robinho's hardly a playmaker. Instead, you get your playmaking from your forwards, which is why you'd think Ibra was an essential and why Cassano should have been a perfect fit. In fact, though, I think you're probably looking for players who will do more running in behind and into channels, so players who work harder without the ball and are a bit quicker. I think Allegri would quite like to have had Borriello in the mix this season and I think, more generally, if Ibra and Cassano were moved on it'd be for forwards who will create space by running away from the ball and splitting from inside-out. So Benzema would be more effective, even if he's less gifted, if you see what I mean.

[vtec]

yeah, those are solid points, and it's certainly why we're so willing to part ways with pirlo. our midfield, for the most part, has been dire creatively. what allegri is trying to do, it seems to me, is transition into a team that plays on the wing with the fullbacks doing most of the running with the ball. we will probably get some more wide players to add to this, and coentrao would be an ideal purchase.