AC Milan general spiel

[jawad]

[San Paolo]

[San Paolo]

good article here

[quote]Let’s not pull any punches here – things are looking really bleak for Milan as they head into the 2009-10 season. The Rossoneri lost all three of their World Challenge matches to Club America, Chelsea and Inter, having previously drawn 2-2 with Los Angeles Galaxy. Their only win of the summer so far was against little Varese.

While Milan have by no means been a disaster in any of the above tests, it has nevertheless been painfully obvious that the club are going to have a disappointing season unless they can sign at least two or three top class players – one in each outfield department. With the club’s financial problems all too public, this seems highly unlikely. So far this summer, only United States centre-back Oguchi Onyewu, Treviso teenager Gianmarco Zigoni, and loan returnees Ignazio Abate, Massimo Oddo and Davide Gennaro have arrived at the club – players who are unlikely to make too much difference this season.

Milan are stuck with a squad of whom 15 are over the age of 30, eight or nine of these being first-team starters. If the Diavoli were battling on just one front, this would be enough to worry a Milanista, but the thought of a bunch of 30-year-olds juggling Serie A and Champions League football twice-a-week for a hypothetical 50 games a season (plus Coppa Italia) is the stuff of nightmares.

Yesterday, owner Silvio Berlusconi reportedly stated that from now on, “We will be counting on players who are under 23. We will no longer buy players who are over 30.â€

[jawad]

[San Paolo]

[San Paolo]

[p_maldini_3]

[RobHood]

How many fucking games did the management book these guys to play? 3 in 5 days in America...a days rest and travel to Munich for another game and apparently another one tomorrow. This is getting ridiculous; can anyone really blame the players for being as tired as they appear?
Next month should see them getting enough rest between friendlies so we should probably reserve judgement till then.

[maro]

Rob, I think you'll find that Milan have almost always played a string of friendlies like this at this time of the season. It's just that 10 years ago they were against local scratch teams and teams from the Romanian third division who were on a pilgrimage to Ambrose's tomb. Now, though, the purely practical exercise of getting some miles into the players' legs is meshed with a desire to bring in some money by playing supposedly glamorous opposition and traipsing around the world to 'new' markets to do it. And so, of course, people pay to get tickets to watch these games which are quite literally at the level of the Romanian third division because half of the players are rusty and just back from a break and the other half are knackered because they've spent the previous ten days being run into the ground. The problem isn't really with the management's arranging these games nor with the players' not being in a condition to play them; it's in the mismatch of practical training exercise and supposedly glamorous, high-profile fixture. If you'd lost to a scratch side behind closed doors no-one would really care and that's actually how meaningful these games really are.

[RobHood]

I'm actually worried that someone might injure themselves in these stupid games especially since the opposition has always looked fresher than us. We seem to be running ourselves to the ground while the other team merely goes through the motions.
And I blame the management for this schedule; especially booking the Audi Cup right after the America football challenge or whatever.
I don't care about the results of friendlies one bit; just use them to see where the team's at tactically and their fitness levels. This little trip around the world did nothing but show that you get really, really tired if you play consecutive games against better rested opposition.
Anyway I hope Berlu and co. made enough money to get us a new midfielder and that we put out our youth team (or starting XI according to Berlusconi) tonight.

[jawad]

[RomaShield27]

LEONARDO EXCUSES PEN-PAL PATO
– By Ben Gladwell, Press Association Sport, Munich

AC Milan coach Leonardo refused to place any blame 19-year-old striker Alexandre Pato for his side's penalty shoot-out defeat to Boca Juniors. Not only did the Brazilian miss the decisive spot-kick, but he was guilty of missing the Rossoneri's best chances in a game they had largely controlled.

Ronaldinho created at least four gilt-edged chances for Pato to add to Thiago Silva's 27th-minute opener, but he was unable to convert any before Lucas Viatri grabbed a late equaliser to force penalties.

Pato then stepped up to see his, the 10th penalty of the shoot-out tipped wide, by Roberto Abbondanzieri as Milan crashed to their fifth consecutive defeat in pre-season. But Leonardo refused to make Pato the scapegoat.

"Pato has not been in training for very long and he's only had a few sessions with us," he said. He played almost a full game against Chelsea, but what he is lacking is training, also to understand the way we work in match situations. Therefore, he did not have the freshness that you need in front of goal."

Scoring has been a problem for Milan all summer with Filippo Inzaghi scoring three and defender Thiago Silva scoring two. Andrea Pirlo has scored one and Clarence Seedorf another, but Leonardo reaffirmed his desire to strengthen the squad further.

He has once again called for some of the money earned from the sale of Kaka to be reinvested in his squad.

"The squad is not very big and we just need players to help us sustain a challenge in Serie A and the Champions League," he added.

"The transfer market is open until August 31 so we will see what happens. We need more players and more strength in depth to be competitive."


Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZCsyeFbDmk

[RomaShield27]

Galliani to buyout Berlusconi?
– Friday 31 July, 2009

Reports suggest Adriano Galliani could be trying to buy Milan from Silvio Berlusconi in a bid to alleviate the club's financial problems. The Rossoneri have come under a lot of stick this summer for making just one signing despite selling Kaka to Real Madrid for £56m. Fans have staged protests expressing their view that Berlusconi can no longer be seen to invest in the team, as he is Italy's Prime Minister.

According to Tuttosport, Galliani is prepared to head an Israeli group of investors who are ready to inject a lot of money into the team. Galliani has been Berlusconi's right-hand man at Milan since 1986. He is now the club's Vice-President, though it is widely accepted that he runs the club, as Berlusconi can no longer be in charge because of conflict of interest laws.

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Pirlo says goodbye
– Friday 31 July, 2009

Andrea Pirlo has played his last game for Milan and will join Chelsea at the start of next week, according to Il Corriere dello Sport. A meeting has apparently been scheduled at Milan's headquarters in Via Turati where the deal will be ratified. It is as yet unclear how much Milan will receive for Pirlo, though initial reports suggest Chelsea will pay £21m over two years. Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro and England Under-21 defender Michael Mancienne are also likely to form part of the deal, the latter arriving on a one-year loan.

The deal is said to suit Milan Coach Leonardo who has been desperately looking for a striker all summer. Pizarro appears to be the answer to his problems. Pirlo is expected to sign a three-year contract worth £2.1m a year. If the transfer goes through, Pirlo will be reunited with his former mentor Carlo Ancelotti, who made him one of his first signings for Milan in 2001.

[Amedio]

Why are icons so cheap in Belusconi's eyes? First Kaka then Pirlo!

If Milan sell Pirlo, they won't just lose the most creative midfielder they have, they also will painfully struggle for at least a couple of years to form a decent squad because there will be no backbone to build on.

[San Paolo]

The thing is Ahmed we have no strength or depth, instead of buying Hernanes or Sneijder to replace Pirlo, we should have bought them to compete with Pirlo for his place, instead of buying Dzeko to replace Kaka we should have bought Dzeko and Huntalaare to give us options upfront, where as we operate a 1 in 1 out policy

[Amedio]

With some insight, Milan could have asked Real Madrid to include Sneijder in Kaka's deal. Sneijder would have been a huge addition to the current squad. And if Dzeko had opted to remain in the Bundesliga, why didn't Galliani make an offer to get Adebayor. £25m is affordable, isn't it? But seriously, selling Pirlo will be the last nail in the coffin of this Rossonero generation. It seems that Berlusconi is no longer interested in Milan; his trophy cabinet is full. This is absolutely sad if you ask me.

[The MAN]

holy fuck i cracked up when i read this crazy rumour about BF taking over, this shit is too funny to be true, though if it was, it may not necessarily be a bad thing....with the right money anything can happen

No chance of the BF lof abandoning his queer relationship with Silvio, none

[SuperPippo9]

[RobHood]

[RomaShield27]

Ancelotti finally makes bid for Milan veteran Pirlo
– By Sam Wallace, Saturday August 01 2009

Chelsea finally made their move for AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo yesterday which means that Carlo Ancelotti has won his first major battle as manager. The deal is expected to include striker Claudio Pizarro moving in the opposite direction with a cash addition of around £6m.

Pirlo was one of Ancelotti's most trusted players at Milan and Roman Abramovich has backed his new manager despite great reservations at the club about the age of the midfielder who will be joining a squad already top heavy with central players.

The 21-year-old defender Michael Mancienne will not be moving in the opposite direction on a loan. The club feel that he will have little chance of playing at Milan and there is no point him going to Italy to spend time on the bench. It will be accommodating Pirlo within his new-look diamond formation in the midfield that will be Ancelotti's biggest challenge.

There was initially great scepticism in the Chelsea hierarchy that they should commit to a player who is 30-years-old when there is already an excess of elder statesman in that position including Frank Lampard (31), Michael Ballack (32) and Deco (31).

Peter Kenyon, the Chelsea chief executive, came back early from the club's tour of America last week to begin working on the deal and there now appears a willingness from Milan to part with a player they have had for eight years. Pizarro (30) was on loan at Werder Bremen last season having failed to make any impression at Chelsea since joining on a free transfer two years ago.

Pirlo's arrival is likely to effect Ballack above all. Lampard and John Obi Mikel have been picked ahead of him in the central positions in the club's pre-season friendlies with the Englishman playing at the point of the diamond. Ballack has never really settled into a definitive role at Chelsea and Pirlo's strong relationship with Ancelotti means that the Italian is certain to figure prominently.

The Italian World Cup winner is Milan's playmaker, a man who picks passes and sets the rhythm for his side. That role has never really existed at Chelsea with Claude Makelele and then Mikel working as defensive midfielders and Lampard playing an exceptionally attacking role.

It will be curious to see how Ancelotti makes the team work. Traditionally Pirlo has played at Milan alongside Gennaro Gattuso, a ball-winning midfielder.

The move to sign Pirlo does demonstrate that Abramovich is prepared to give his new manager some backing in the transfer market. Previous signings this summer Yuri Zhirkov, Daniel Sturridge and Ross Turnbull have clearly been selected by the club's sporting director, Frank Arnesen, whose influence at the club only seems to grow.