AC Milan general spiel 2.0

[DCGweez]

Yeesh...

[red]

Milan were far from terrible, but that was never going to be enough. The big difference from the first game was that Barca were miles better.

With Alves and Pedro playing high and wide, Milan's back four were stretched much wider than they had been in the first game. Add to that Milan's defence actually having to play against a CF, too, and it was far, far harder for them to deny Barca space this time around.

Actually, I thought Milan's defence did okay. By my reckoning, they restricted Barca to three shots from outside the box (they scored two of them) and one clear chance (the third goal). I'm not including the fourth goal, because that was irrelevant.

Barca, for periods at least, also pressed with greater intensity than I've seen from them in quite a while. That made it far harder for Milan to have any control over the tempo or to at least hold the ball long enough to give the defence a rest.

The real failing on Milan's part, to my mind, was how wasteful their forwards were. Poor decisions, poor passes and poor finishing meant they wasted opportunities and dangerous situations that had to result in one goal (Niang's chance) and should probably have resulted in at least one more.

There was never any real prospect of Milan progressing tonight without scoring.

Still, I thought Allegri could have changed things once it was apparent Barca were playing with a back three and two wingers.

Leaving the back four to play Alves, Pedro and Villa and get stretched out seemed odd to me. I'd have had a midfielder or a winger marking Alves so that Constant could play narrow and keep things more compact. That would also have made it easier for Milan to close down the space between defence and midfield, because they couldn't really get the CBs sqeezing up when they had to deal with Villa. A third defender in that area would have allowed them to be more aggressive.

In retrospect, one would also have to say it was a mistake for Milan to start with Niang. Not so much because of the missed chance, but because his complete failure to hold on to the ball at any stage to allow Milan to get up the pitch a big rather than being pinned back.

Can't help but feel Milan were somewhat unfortunate the way the fixtures fell and results went. If Barca hadn't taken two beatings off Real between the two legs, Milan may well have got to face the same static, lethargic Barca they played at San Siro. Instead, Barca were fired up and had corrected a lot of the faults that had been apparent in them losing those big games recently.

[red]

Also, why did Flamini start instead of Muntari?

Doing the unfair thing of picking a team after a game's been played, I think I'd have gone for something like this to stop that Barca system:

[Bagg10]

Wtf were Mexes and Zapata thinking? You can't let Messi play the ball to his left. On both his goals (Zapata on the first and Mexes on the second) they misstepped and gave Messi the advantage. You have to force him to his right.

[San Paolo]

[red]

[p_maldini_3]

just 2 things from me:

1) we didn't even show up to play, that goes on allegri (but it's also the price of inexperience and the fact that choking is in our DNA)

2) only one player in the world could've scored the first two goals, and he happened to be on the other team. especially the first goal, no backlift in the kick, a half-volley no less, it was messi.

[vtec]

choking is what happens when you suck on a giant horsecock as we did last night

[RomaShield27]

I agree with Red, I didn't think Milan were too bad last night, it was just that Barca were so much better than they had been all season. It was the Barca of old. You were unfortunate in that you conceded so early in the game. Barca came out like a steam train but if you had of held of the initial onslaught, even got to half-time only the one down, it could have been different. Likewise if Niang had of finished that chance it would have been completely different.

The defence done ok, except for Constant, De Sciglio probably should have started. Milan were lacking the same intensity in closing down and pressing that it showed in the first leg, though. Its hard to be too critical of Niang, he is only a kid and not much more could have been expected of him. I think Red is onto something that maybe you should have played an extra midfielder like Muntari and only the two up top. Especially as Pazzini was out, who would have a lot more experience to play that centre-forward role and hold up the ball better.

[p_maldini_3]

we obviously missed pazzini.

but that first goal was an absolute gem. as soon as messi invented that, i knew that it knocked the wind out of our sails.

[RomaShield27]

First you said you didn't show up to play, then you say that first Messi goal, as good as it was, knocked the wind out of your sails. So if you didnt concede that early goal, do you think you would have went on to produce a better performance and win the tie?

[RomaShield27]

Five Things to Cheer You Up After Milan's Defeat
http://www.notevenanoriundo.com/2013/03 ... after.html / Tuesday, 12 March 2013

So, Milan lost 4-0 to Barcelona and crashed out of the Champions League. That's the bad news. Here are some reasons to be optimistic:

1) The Future

Thirteen players departed Milan this past summer. Thirteen. They included Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. If someone were to tell you that a fledgling team containing Stephan El Sharaawy and M'Baye Niang would boss one of the best club sides ever assembled at the San Siro, you would have guffawed. Well, it did. That 2-0 win will be a cherished memory because it was achieved by youngsters who survived the crucible of the first leg remarkably well. Riccardo Montolivo (not so young at 28, but still), El Sharaawy and Niang are all going to be critical for Milan in the future.

2) The Money

Milan CEO Adriano Galliani recently said that playing Barcelona "was great for business" because of their commercial might. Milan will earn a huge amount in TV money by having played one of the strongest sides on the pitch and off the pitch in the world. And for a team that is building and is striving to boost revenue, that is heartening news.

3) It Could Have Been Worse...

Let's face it: losing to the preternatural Lionel Messi is no shame. We are witnessing a player who will do this time and time again, and who has done this time and time again. Well done, Messi, and, of course, well done, Barcelona.

4) Focus On Serie A

Milan absolutely have to make the Champions League, and though they are only two points off of Napoli, Fiorentina, Lazio and Inter are grunting, hot in pursuit. Galliani admitted that the contract renewals of many players (not the 'big ones') depended on making the Champions League, so there are prosaic but crucial fiscal issues at stake. Also, even if Milan were to wriggle through this phase, they had no real chance of winning the Champions League.

5) Mario Balotelli

He will be eligible for Europe next year. You have all been warned.

[forzaitalia]

[p_maldini_3]

[vtec]

pazzini was missed greatly and deprived us of that long-ball threat that would have kept them more honest. mostly, though, they just overran our midfield.

[San Paolo]

i wonder if the upcoming International break will hurt our momentum? it would be typical Milan to go off the boil in Serie A because of a break.

[p_maldini_3]

i don't think it will, but i hope it helps.

solid win yesterday against an impotent palermo team. we were lucky to get that gift of a penalty from that notorious dumbass aronica, couldn't ask for a better start. but we struggled afterwards.

we would've found it really hard to break down palermo with the energy they were showing in the first half. they kept it tight, and like always,there was a huge disconnect between the midfield and the attack. i don't think we registered any proper chances in the first half.

balotelli was great, you could tell that he's enjoying his football. when he put his foot down on the ball, he always made the right decision. but when he tried for a first time pass, it usually resulted in a loss of possession, so he'll have to work on that. otherwise, he was beating defenders, holding the ball and had a great nutmeg to boot.

second goal was a a result of niang's first play on the ball. he attacked his defender on the outside and sent in a great cross, he did a few more times and asked good questions of the palermo defenders. he's an interesting player, always trying to make something happen, he's very raw. i'm sure he'll settle down and play with more game intelligence, but he was dominant yesterday.

it was a solid win, nothing spectacular. but in the past few seasons we've always lost after getting knocked out of the CL, so we'll take it. hopefully the momentum continues.

[red]

I thought Milan were pretty bad.

Palermo gifted Milan two goals, with Milan not really looking capable of creating anything themselves.

Milan also allowed Palermo a couple of decent chances.

Always good to get a win after a CL game, but don't think you could take much more than the result as a positive from the game.

[RomaShield27]

Laying doubts over Allegri's future to rest
http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/acmilan/id/1303?&cc=5739 / Posted by Sumeet Paul

Over the past week, Milan vice president Adriano Galliani has publicly backed coach Massimiliano Allegri multiple times, as speculation continues to suggest his future lies elsewhere. Despite leading Milan to third place in Serie A and going unbeaten in the league since the turn of the year, why are there still doubts over the Rossoneri coach?

Over the past week, Milan vice president Adriano Galliani has publicly backed coach Massimiliano Allegri multiple times, as speculation continues to suggest his future lies elsewhere. Despite leading Milan to third place in Serie A and going unbeaten in the league since the turn of the year, why are there still doubts over the Rossoneri coach?

Massimiliano Allegri's future at Milan seems secure for the moment after getting the club back on track after a tough start.
Admittedly, talk is no longer centred round Allegri being sacked, but instead of other clubs being interested in his services. At the forefront of the rumours are Roma, who have been linked with a move for the former Cagliari tactician.

However, Allegri himself has described the rumours as "boring" and has spoken openly of the faith and confidence he believes the club have in him. Galliani appeared to reciprocate when suggesting that Allegri was "welded to the Milan bench with a blowtorch".

Yet that was insufficient for some of the media, perhaps starved of notable news during the international break, as Galliani was again forced to rebut talk of the Rossoneri searching for a new coach in the summer.

"The possibility that Allegri will leave does not exist. Allegri is happy to remain at Milan and he’ll stay," Galliani told reporters.

The Livorno native has led Milan through a turbulent period of its history and has shown an ability to successfully oversee the new strategy employed by the club.

Helping to develop Stephen El Shaarawy and Mattia De Sciglio into first-team regulars, Milan will require a similar approach in the months and years ahead with the addition of the likes of Bryan Cristante and Riccardo Saponara.

Having been successful thus far, it is imperative that he continues his good work after being so deeply invested in the project. With his contract not expiring until the end of next season, his first thoughts will be to lead the club to what appeared at one time to be an improbable place in next year's Champions League.

Despite the club's ambitions retracting during his tenure, both Milan and Allegri should be commended for what they have achieved this season. While it would have been tempting to restart this new era with a new coach amid their early-season struggles, the club showed patience in him and a belief that he could successfully turn things around.

He hasn't disappointed. Although his failures in Europe continue to be a source of great frustration, his domestic achievements have been impressive. Having won the Scudetto in his first season with the club, he narrowly missed out on back-to-back titles and has more recently responded well to squad upheaval.

The strategy is clear -- acquire youngsters and build for the long term. With Allegri at the head of the table implementing a 4-3-3 system, the club have followed suit by adopting it at all levels of the youth system. To have to change now could perhaps disrupt the good work currently being done.

The Rossoneri are just two points behind Napoli with nine games remaining, and hope to continue their excellent form. While it is refreshing that Allegri's future is no longer being questioned for the wrong reasons, the fact his future is being questioned at all is still a little worrying.

How important do you feel Allegri is to Milan now? Are there still doubts over his management?

[RomaShield27]

Well worth a read: Ferdinando Valletti, Milan player during Mussolini's reign:

http://spielmagazine.com/blog/valletti- ... o-to-gusen