AC Milan general spiel

[p_maldini_3]

ok time for a breakdown.

a classic ancelotti lineup this one. but it seems the team has forgotten how to play this formation, especially seedorf.

we were getting killed on both flanks, napoli were raining crosses into our box, but because they lack a big target man, and we have big defenders, we were able to deal comfortably with the crosses.

but as ive said before, the flanks are our weakest point, napoli's first goal came when we were spread thin and they crossed over and lavezzi was able to send in a cross for their first goal.

it wasnt helped by the fact that seedorf was always too far up when we didnt have possession, i understand that his best role is as trequartista, but he should be playing LM and that means he has to track back.

in essence, we were playing a very narrow 4-2-2-2, ambrosini and pirlo doing their best to control the midfield vs. napoli's 5-man-midfield.

it was a very risky gamble by carlo which worked out in the end, but a team stronger than napoli can seriously cripple us if the midfield players dont do whats required of them (yes seedorf, im pointing to you).

but regardless of seedorf's dereliction of his defensive duties, he was probably my man of the match. offensively, he was unbeatable. controlled the tempo, controlled the passing, and didnt make one wrong pass; and the back heel towards favalli leading upto kaka's goal was a masterstroke to cap a virtuoso performance by the pimp.

i just hope that he doesnt ignore his D-duties next game, carlo must lecture him on that.

we played very risky today, almost a gung-ho approach, but hey, this is football; you win as long as you outscore your opponent, and that we did.

my ratings:
dida - 6, couldve attacked the ball on the first goal, but had a good game with a save here and there, came out for a few crosses too
bonera - 7.5 one of his finest performances for the red and black, was all over the place, strong in the back and explosive up front, he nearly had a perfect game
kaladze 5.5 - not one to remember for him, he started strong but was constantly exposed, and giving up a loose penalty didnt help his case, and caught up front during the first goal when he committed to a tackle that didnt work
nesta 8 - not much more to say, he didnt put one step wrong, commanding performance. probably our most consistent player all season.
Maldini - 7 he did well, but he didnt attack the napoli widemen too much, allowing them to cross too much, alot was asked of him, but he was lethal pushing up, vintage Maldini
ambrosini - 7.5 did his job, and the fact that him and pirlo patrolled in front of the D-line the whole game because of seedorfs negligence, he had tougher responsibilities containing napolis men
pirlo - 7 - not a good game by his high standards, but he was there when needed and was involved in lots of the attacks, never really got flowing though
seedorf - 8.5 - id give him 10, but he has to realize hes playing as LM, so that includes defensive responsibilities as well, but he was royal as ever
kaka - 7.5 wasnt in the game until mid-1st half, he should drop back sometimes to get the ball, sometimes he plays too far up and is isolated from the ball
ronaldo - 9 scored 2, setup another and was involved in many attacks
pato - 8 - he scored yes, but he shouldve put some of those shots away, especially the 2 the gk saved right before seedorfs goal. but he has shown his ability, his strength on the ball and incredible agility in small spaces which will help us.

subs
favalli 7.5 - perhaps a little high, did his job well but also got the assist for pato's goal
emerson 6.5 - nothing special, did his job
gourcuff 7.5 - in pato's shadow emerges gourcuff, he impressed carlo over the break, expect to see him alot more of and from him in matches to come.

my man of the match is a toss up between seedorf and nesta.

very flamboyant performance by the boys today, and we finally see a vintage kaka' goal from outside the box; but it begs the question of whether we should try the all-out attack approach at the risk of exposing our defense time and time again. i dont know, its carlo's to figure out. i just want to see some damn good results like todays.

[vtec]

good breakdown shinpin. one thing i don't understand, though, is how you can give ronaldo a 9 and not have him as your man of the match.

incidentally, he wasn't my man of the match, but i wouldn't give him a 9. seedorf was indeed a beast offensively. i won't blame him for not doing his defensive work, because carlo went with two defensive-minded fullbacks to give the mids more freedom to roam. bonera was a little awkard defensively. our attack was actually spectacular today, and that was mainly thanks to pato. yes, he could have buried one or two more chances, but he had a number of great shots that forced the keeper to make even better saves. most of his shots were on target, too, which was very encouraging.

[SuperPippo9]

I think the introduction of Pato has breathed in some life into some players to do better in boring old serie a matches and not only in crucial champions league games. you can see an air of confidence that was not there before.

and ronaldo did alright, i was impressed with his passing, not bad but its obvious the guy is horribly out of shape i saw him walk more than half the time he was on the field. and maldini for some reason was getting into the attack a lot which was cool but he can only last a half goin the way he did today and i dont find favalli(even though he had a sick pass to pato) a suitable sub for maldini now, hopefully we'll change it.

and lets hope pippo comes back as soon asap, u gotta miss that guy. lol

[p_maldini_3]

oh shit, i didnt notice the 9. i meant 8, my bad.

but still, for his first game back, and after all the frustrations we've let out over his injury-prone ass, he has started on the right foot for earning a new contract. he did have a great performance.

superpippo also said it, his passing was superb. and you can tell he was happy as hell after his goals, ive never seen a player with such a big grin on his face after scoring a goal.

but tec, while pirlo and ambro were stationed deep, we were still getting stretched out thin; most of napoli's crosses were coming from areas that were closer to the middle third of the pitch (if that makes sense). they didnt run to the byline for their crosses much.

and its a problem that has cost us many goals and games before, if you look at most of the goals scored against us, id reckon that 70% plus have been from crosses out wide.

im not sure if you guys noticed, but pato shed a few tears when the team celebrated his goal; what can you say, the kids got heart. and he also kissed the badge of the shirt!! not many players do that, especially on their debut (except the traitor ofcourse, who revolutionized the definition of a 'traitor').

superpippo, i bet you are missing inzaghi, if the samba boys continue like this, pippo will have plenty of time to fix his kidney stones!

and did you guys notice ronaldos second goal, when he belly flopped on the pitch after his diving header. it was like watching a beached whale..

[RobHood]

[SuperPippo9]

i saw the tears and i think his hand gesture of a heart towards the fans is the beginning of a beautiful relastionship. now lets buy someone for some defense

[vtec]

yeah, pato was visibly moved, and it was a very emotional moment for all the milan society. i had pato as my man of the match, by the way, mostly because he lived up to the hype and had a scintillating game despite making several errors and looking very nervous early on.

agreed on the need to buy someone in defense. i would go for a fullback, and, of course, a keeper.


Milan in thrall to 'Ka-Pa-Ro' strike force
Monday 14 January 2008
by Roberta Radaelli from Milan


AC Milan had Brazilians Kaká, Pato and Ronaldo to thank as they finally ended their search for a first Serie A home win of the season against SSC Napoli on Sunday.

'Ka-Pa-Ro'
The Brazilians shared four of the five goals, with Pato registering on his debut as Milan triumphed 5-2. The Italian press and Rossoneri fans are already discussing the 'Ka-Pa-Ro' trio in the same hushed tones as the 'Gre-No-Li' attack of the 1950s, comprising Swedes Nils Liedholm, Gunnar Nordahl and Gunnar Gren. Memories are also being aroused of the all-Dutch forward line of Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten who shone under Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello in the 1980s and 1990s.

'Just one sensation'
The 18-year-old Pato came to Italy with a huge reputation and no one was disappointed after his debut. "I want to dedicate the goal to my family and my girlfriend, I'm so happy," said the Brazilian forward. "We played a good game and I'm happy about the compliments I have received but there was just one sensation on the pitch, and it was Ronaldo."

Ronaldo resurgent
Two-time European Footballer of the Year Ronaldo has played only two league games this term, but silenced his critics by scoring twice against Napoli. "Every player did well, especially Ronaldo," said coach Carlo Ancelotti. "Ronnie was something else. He's only been training for ten days. He showed great ability despite not being at his best." The 31-year-old former FC Internazionale Milano player added: "I want to forget my [calf]injury and do the best I can. I really enjoyed the match."

'We needed it'
While Pato and Ronaldo both made the headlines, it was Kaká's eighth league goal of the season – a 68th-minute shot from the edge of the area – which killed the match off at 4-2. "I'm happy because the winter break has been very useful – we needed it," said the 25-year-old. "We have Ronaldo back and now we can count on Pato too. We are ready for the rest of the season." Twelfth in Serie A, albeit with three games in hand on most of the sides above them, Milan face Arsenal FC in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.


©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

[vtec]

ANCELOTTI: 'Pato is mature and carefree'
1/14/2008
MILAN - Carlo Ancelotti returned this morning to talk about Pato with Radio Rai: "Pato is a very mature lad for his age, he's very cool and carefree. He had a lot of desire to play, because not playing for six months weighed on him a bit, but he lived this desire with great tranquillity. I gave him security that once the transfer problems would have been solved, he would have played. He waited with patience, he had the time to get to know his new team-mates and before the game I didn't tell him anything, as he didn't need any request from this point of view. He has great speed, great coordination and very quick in preparing the shot."(Agr)


i find it kind of funny that someone can be both mature and care-free.

[SuperPippo9]

im so excited with pato i wanna see him play in coppa italia, i see something in him that i think will lead to be a great player, one of the best, a true great...

[p_maldini_3]

[vtec]

[vtec]

[SuperPippo9]

[p_maldini_3]

[vtec]

[vtec]

Berlusconi Approaches Spalletti About Mexes

Milan President Silvio Berlusconi cheekily told Roma Coach Luciano Spalletti that he would love to sign French defender Philippe Mexes.



Spalletti was a guest on RAI television’s La Domenica Sportiva show after Milan’s 5-2 victory over Napoli on Sunday night.

After the show Spalletti went for dinner with another guest on the long-running show, super-agent Ernesto Bronzetti.

Berlusconi and Milan Vice-President Adriano Galliani just happened to be dining in the same restaurant, and invited Spalletti and Bronzetti over to their table.

While their Berlusconi told Spalletti: "I do admire your blonde defender [Mexes]."

To this, Spalletti replied: "Yes, but he also admires us, Silvio."

Milan have long been admirers of Mexes, and were rumoured to have made a bid for the star a couple of years ago.

The 25-year-old is widely expected to develop into one of Europe’s best defenders in the near future, although he has not been in the best of form this campaign, and made a number of errors again on Sunday during Roma’s 2-1 win at Atalanta.

Roberto Rossi

[p_maldini_3]

[SuperPippo9]

[The MAN]

A big hi to all of you. I apologize in advance if my post below is too short for you

I left Milan yesterday. The city, particularly the Duomo, an incredible sight right at the heart of the city and I had a beautiful time over those couple of days, only setback was the constant raining. Ironically, the only day where it didn't rain was on Sunday, the matchday. But it was cloudy nontheless. The game was at 8:30 in the evening, but I arrived at the San Siro area around 4 pm The San Siro area is relatively distant from the city centre. Once you get off the metro station (Lotto), roughly 10 mins away from the city centre by subway, then you can reach the stadium by either taking the bus or walk for about 20-30 mins. I opted for the latter to explore the city even more, obviously without a map I'd be completely lost. So as I was walking towards the San Siro, the walls of the street I was in were filled with anti-Juve slogans, which is always nice to see:D By 4 I was outside the stadium, what an imposing figure the San Siro is. Gates won't opne to public unti
2 1/2 hours abefore the game so that was 6pm. I toured the outside of the stadiums, took pictures, still I had a good hour to kill as we await the gates to be open. As you would expect on matchday, various caravans and small kiosks would camp on the outside selling loads of Milan products and also foods and drinks. One of them had a big TV showing the afternoon games and I caught the last part of the Siena-Inter game there and unfortuately Siena scored their second goal too late. Saw the scores and highlights of other games and all the big teams seem to have won, apart from Juve who drew the dat before. So I decided to check out what to buy. I've already bought a Milan scarf on my way to the stadium, it would also come in handy considering it was pretty cold out there and we'd have to stay there for a good few hours yes it was a bit cold even for a Toronto resident;) I did not buy any jerseys believe it or not as I have so many of them already and they are easy to obtain anyways. Got a cap, a hat, medal, banner, and some other stuff. I was also almost tempted to buy one of the "Fuck Inter" or "Fuck Juve" scarves

So anyways, as we were lining up there at the gate, which didn't open until 6:30, we were hearing the Milan anthem and "We are the Champions" song rocking the stadium. I was worried that, considering that the gates to the season ticket holders, were opened a couple of hours ago, that the Cups ceremony is only for them and not to the rest of the public. Fortunalte I was mistaken. By the ceremony I mean putting all 18 internbational titles, the most for any club in the world, on display as this was our 1st home game since winning the WCW and thus becoming the most successfull club in the world.

The ceremony itself started at around 7. When I entered the stadium, I was absolutely mesermized. Even an empty San Siro is quite daunting. Maybe because this was first time I see it, but it was incredible. My seat was at the bottom of the 2nd red ring, this is also the default TV angle, or rather slightly below it. In other words, I was sitting in the same side of the benche, not bad at all. Even better would've been the 1st red ring, but these are the most expensive seats in the stadium. I've bought my tickets online long time ago and I honsetly did not where they will put me. Tickets don't arrive until the day before the games due to the new regulations. Even though I got ripped off by paying more than double the actual prioce is(deafult price for these seats as it shows on the ticket is 31 euros), but I simply could not run the risk of paying for everything and going to the stadium with no ticket and hope to get it on the outside kiosks where tickets are sold. Judging on the near-capacity crowd and that most tickets sold outside where for cheap 3rd ring seats, I probably made the right choice. At any case, my seat was very close to the centre of the pitch, slightly towards the Curva Sud, so it was a good fucking seat.

Took pictures and then started the Cups ceremony. 18 glass podiums (or whatever word applies to it) circled around the centre of the pitch with three of these things put forward towards on their own forming a triangle (would correctly assume they are the 2007 titles). Also, these, on the outside perimeter of the podiums, 18 stars on the pitch forming 2 arcs with 9 in each. Then the musics started, and on the electronic board which was directly to the opposite direction of mine would show the clips of our 18 triumphs, finals only. First there were the 2 Cup Winners cup, then the 5 Super Cups, the 7 CLs and the 4 World Cups. Once each title was shown, a kid with large rossonero banner, with the picture of the cup and the number of the cup written inside it, would step forward and stand near one of the star. The the title itseld would be placed on the glass podium. The first 15 were done, and then there was a wait for a good 10-15 mins to build up the suspense for the last 3 titles. All titles clips were shown again, and some of the greatest moments in Berlusconi's history, including the epic Milan-Napoli rivalry in the late 80s. Then came, much to the applause of what is now a nearly full house, the CL # 7, held by the greatest defender of all time, the heart amd symbol of this club, Paolo Maldini. Then came the European Super Cup, held by our dear Carlo Ancelotti. Then last, but not least, came the WCW, holding the trophy was non other than Silvio Berlusconi himself, who would stand with Maldini on his left and Ancelotti on his right.Spoke passionaltely for a good 5 mins vowing to continue the success of the past 20 years. The man is immensely popular there, specially with the Curva Sud, I've always had a great respect for him, he's a legend. The Bald Fuck was nowhere to be seen, at least from my angle, and I suspect he was kept away as he's unpopular, or so the general feeling I got from others. Behind the three of them was the entire team standing, and every time a shot of Pato was shown on the electonic board, would be met by massive cheering from the fans. I'm telling you, I do not ever recall a kid welcomed so warmly by the Milan faithful so quickly. No even Kaka himself, and as I would find out later, his debut was much better than Kaka's at Ancona.

At any case, the team, then retreated back to the dressing room as they had a game to prepare for. There was a sizeale contingent of Napoli fucks in the 3rd ring of the Curva Nord and even some in the area where I was seated in. They would jeer every time a Milan triumph is shown and loudly jeered when Berlusconi came on the pitch. However, the rest of the stadium, and specially the Curva Sud, would quickly shut them up. By now it was 7:45 or so. About 10 mins later the players would come to the pitch fpr warm up. I noticed only 10 outfield players were there so I knew this our starting lineup. I though Pato and Gila would start upfront but R99 got the nod ahead of the latter. Rino was absent so Seedorf took his spot, or rather Seedorf's old position. I was unpleasently surprised to See Bonera at RB ahead of Oddo, and I thought he did poorly in the game afterwards contrary to the popular opinion. Dida and Kalac were also there in the warm up, and even though there was some talk that Kalac mnight start this one given Dida's shit form even in Dubai, it was quickly clear that Dida will start this one judging from the shots he was taking in net whereas Kalac was doing more casual work with another trainer. Dida was actually saving tricky shots in the warm up, particualr focus was on low shots that would take a bounce right before it reaches him and he was not even spilling the ball for a rebound like he does in the games. I was like WTF cant he do the same in games? Pato was there doing some passing and ball control with Seedorf. Was wearing classy golden boots but as we found later, he's probably better off changing them as he was slipping alot in the game, or maybe cos he wasnt used to the San Siro yet.

Anyways, by 8:30 the game got underway, and as we all saw from the events of the match as it unfolded that we were clearly superior. Some things you cannot see on TV, like what players do off the ball and the difference true greats like Maldini and Nesta, and players like Kaladze and Bonera has alot to do with their reading of the game and positioning. Kaladze we know he can play much better, he was clumsy and rusty but he is the kind of player that will gradually get into his stride. Bonera, as I've always thought, blows at RB and I find it illogical to prefer him over Oddo. Even defensively, I would say he's hardly btter than Oddo. Bonera was caught out of position alot of times and he was positioned way too centrally. He got better in the second half, but he doesn't possess pace so he's easily beaten by a quick player. Dont get me wrong, he's very decent and good to have as a 3rd CB who can sart there once in a while, but using him as a 1st RB is something I cannot understand. I bought Gazzetta the next day and I dont really get how they praised him. Anyways, our 'KaPaRo'was incredible. Pato is something special. I was so impressed with his ball control, skill, shooting accuracy, pace and positioning in his debut game. Even if he hadnt scored I would've been very delighted with his debut, but the goal was the icing on the cake. He missed a couple of chances in the beginning that he probably should've put away but it was understandable considering his over-anxiety to find the back of the net in his debit. He was superb overall and was pfficially named as M.o.M. What a kid, this guy can be like Kaka if not better. R99 scored 2 goals and he was not even in good shape. However, that what makes him such a legend in the game. Having said that, I saw that he did not move his ass at all when we were defending. kaka and Pato do, but not R99. Anyways, the attack was stunning but defensively we were not that impressive. I would say that we will defeinetly not retain CL if we play such defence. Gattuso, who was suspended, was defintely missed. But this formation is very good for Serie A. Obviosuly Oddo and Janku are vital players to us, and so is Rino, so we basically had 3 players who started in Athens missing, pretty fucking scary then. The good thing, both Pato and R99 can play in CL so that a big boost. I would say KaPaRo should be our default attacking line. When Rino,Pirlo, and Ambro are fit they should be the midfield trio. Thats the perfect line for balance and Seedorf, along with Gila, will be the ones most affected by the Pato & R99 presence and should accept it as they would still ge time. I dont agree with the notion that Seedorf should start ahead of Ambro or Rino when all are healthy. Anyways, back to the game, Kaka was his usual gerat self, as was Seedorf. Dida was not at fault for the 2 goals and did OK when tested, a new GK in January would very nice though. Berlusconi declared that we dont need R10 while zambro is on his way and I compltely agree. He also mentioned that defensively we'll invest in the summer so I see the correct strategy being formulated. The Napoli fans completely shut up after the 4th goal which killed the game, as up until then it was a close game. The ref was OK though he pissed alto of people of by not giving us that corner at the end of the 1st half but thats OK. The PK was correct, but Napli are such a bunch of divers. Overall, I got to see a beatiful game and defeinitely go my money's worth and swa Pato's debut and the Cups on display and most importantly a stylish win, couldnt ask for more really. I would also like to point that I humbly consider myself the main reason the home jinx is over:D Now if Milan recognize that and invite me to every home game, I would defintely consider the offer:D

So all in all, it was probably THE most amazing night in my life, so far at least. I sincerely hope you guys get the chance to experience it as well. Give me a day or two and I will share pics. And if u plan to go there oneday, always let me know and i'll have plenty of tips to give....and it also looks i'll have to keep my avatar for a while, maybe update it with a rossonero jersey

Talk to you later

[p_maldini_3]