Off the pitch however, is a different story between the EPL and the Serie A, and the biggest different is revenue. The EPL is not the biggest money making league in the world, but their ability to generate revenue not only in the packed stadiums but through TV deals and marketing of clubs is second to none. The FA/EPL is a well oiled money making machine and their ability to put a palatable product in a ton of homes is very helpful in terms of making money.

The most prominent thing was mentioned by JP, and that is the English language, which is readily spoken making the EPL an attractive game. For me the EPL is also a plus for many fans across the world because their players are well represented in this league from Africa and so on, making them fan friendly across the globe. Those TV deals that also work their way into so many homes, is supplemented by a live product which in England generates far more revenue for clubs than it does in Italy. In fact the TV deals even entice viewers to go to a live match by making it harder to watch your team at your home if you are in the area of the stadium with blackouts and so on, almost forcing you to the pitch.

With variables like these it is hard to argue that the EPL is in the business of making money and their clubs are benefiting from it. We are embarking on an era where the EPL big four are dictating the transfer market and that makes things harder for every other league. Serie A had their day in that regard and did well selling and buying players for large sums such as Henry, Zidane, Ronaldo, and Veron. When Man U can stave off an 60M bid for CRon and retain his skills and marketability it just shows that right now they are at the top when it comes to clout and power.

I respect Chelsea and have always enjoyed rooting for them in the EPL but their reckless purchases of whoever they see fit is not all that good for the game. If they do buy both Robinho and Arshavin they will have roster containing almost two teams of superstars meaning that these players are not available to other teams, and their values are overinflated if they ever want to actually leave Chelsea for some formidable playing time.

This whole EPL holding the cards theory really scares me because unless something changes, and I have no idea what that can be, then EPL will continue to dictate the market and other leagues will only fight for players that were not gobbled up, or worse fight to hang onto their talent and bankrupt their accounts to pay wages similar to the EPL. It really becomes a vicious cycle because if you have a player, X, and Chelsea wants him, you can value him as high as 40M and they will pay it. Sure you will make a buck to sell him, but you have just totally ruined the entire transfer market system by overvaluing a player that may have been worth 20M, but because Chelsea can pay the value doubled.

I don’t really see a quick fix for this, unless EPL teams do terribly in the all competitions. This would help show them that money and players does not equal success and force them into a more legitimate system of growth and transfer to make competitive teams, and not mercenaries. But this is hard pressed to happen and only time can dictate how all this shakes out. Serie A/FIGC can start things off though and increase the competitive nature of Serie A and making a more attractive product for fans in the country and out. We all love Milan and in turn enjoy Serie A, but ask yourself why, and then figure out how to get that reason into the minds of many others.

I don’t think Serie A is shot or lost, they just need to get back into a place to compete as strong product against the other leagues in the world, and believe it will come, it always does these things are cyclical, but until then teams like Milan need to find a way to compete. This may mean running some debt, or keeping players that are younger, or that help stabilize the team instead of promising superstars to bolster the squad.

Had Milan kept Gila many of use may have been a bit confused, but ultimately they would not have had a striker crisis this season and may actually had a semblance of team unity. Instead we are being embarrassed by the likes of Arsenal and Barca who are out of our league in the Adebayor race, and getting led on and on by a overweight, out of form, former world player of the year. THIS IS MILAN, it’s not some shitty ass club and Fester needs to remember that he can still throw his weight around and discover some talent like he has done in the past. This is not impossible and if it means taking a chance on player X, than so be it, I would much rather support a team that is trying, than a team that remains complacent in their unsuccessful ways.

Since my first day posting it is no secret that I have been highly critical of Milan’s pursuit and courtship of Ronaldinho. I almost feel linked with Milan’s pursuit of the newest portly Brazilian. Many of you have defended (Shehan did so quite well a few posts back) the once and former King, but I still can’t justify this pursuit. I am a positive and negative type of person and the positives just don’t outweigh the negatives. I know he was once on top of the world but haven’t we been burned by past Brazilians enough in the past. Haven’t we as fans learned our lesson, and the Milan brass heard the old adage, “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on Milan!” Didn’t Rivaldo and Ronaldo leave us worse than we started, can we really go through this again?

Speaking of positives and negatives, Mr. Adebayor is slowly starting to make himself unwanted in my book as well. His constant back forth I love Milan, I love Arsenal, maybe I love Barcelona has absolutely driven me mad. I was all in favor of Adebayor a week ago, but now I am left with a sinking feeling that may see him off to the Catalan giants, do we have to lose another striker to Barcelona!!!!

The one good thing that would come from Adebayor to Barcelona is that Eto may once again be a legitimate target for Milan and depending on how much Barca has to pay for Adebayor, may make Eto even more expendable, and keep Dinho at the Camp Nou. I am not all that keen on Eto because there has been a lot of talk that he was one of the guys in the Barcelona locker room who was making things very hard for Rijkaard in the final season. But he is talented, and at this point may be one of the last options that Milan has to upgrade the attack.

Let us digress a bit about the attack, and why I feel it is still an important spot for Fester to address. We are putting a lot of faith in Pato who had a great first year, but if we want Pato to reach the heights of Kaka, it is important that he progresses as cautiously as Ricky did in his early days. With that said he could really use another striker to help take the pressure off him and Borriello who will most certainly be the center pieces of the attack, with Pippo on the bench. (I am not even going to address Ronaldo as a potential option here.) The other point I want to add is that Pato maybe the perfect partner for Kaka behind the lone striker because of his creativity, comfort on the ball, and versatility. He showed his ability to come back and receive the ball, and I can only see good things coming from a quality point like Adebayor, Eto, or the man that has fallen under the radar Didier Drogba.

DDrogs, is still on my radar, and I can only hope he is still on Fester’s as well. It is becoming apparent that if things need to change up front that Fester is going to have show he is capable of bringing the big signing home to the San Siro, because he clearly isn’t scouring the youth lists for the next best thing now is he?

As for bolstering the defense, it would be nice, but seeing the self imposed Milan budget the way it is the attack needs it first. Can you remember all the close games that left us wanting or needing a goal, and no one there to score it? If Janks and Oddo come back healthy, and Zambro able to play either flank, I think we can make it one more year.

A little more Azzurri banter, I promise it is almost over. But DiNatale was very complimentary of The Don and gracious for his chance to play, and I thought it was finally a refreshing view for a guy who has not gotten much praise in the past few days. He was also very complimentary,

“You can’t judge a Coach on a game that was lost on penalties. Donadoni did a good job, but these decisions are made by other people.

“I am not a player who stays in contact with Coaches, even though I had a great relationship with Donadoni, as I did with Marcello Lippi,” he said.

*One last thing, thanks to Tito for the link, but the folks at Reuters Soccer blog seemed to have wandered by the Milan offside. A quote about my “most favorite” DM who was named to the flop team of Euro 08:

“Daniele De Rossi was supposed to be the purring engine at the heart of the Italian midfield but instead operated like a Vespa on the wrong fuel and walks in.”

It is not the age but the form of the player that matters most, and 40 year old Maldini is still better than a fair amount of 20 year old defenders. World’s Greatest.

My favorite video ever, I hope Il Capitano listens to it everyday because it is so true!

Player of the Tournament: Xavi
This guy dictated the pace in a very impressive midfield, and did exactly what a great midfield leader is supposed to do. Great stuff from Xavi all around. Now you can see why he is compared to Pirlo.

Team of the Tournament: Turkey
If you watched any of their games, you should know why. The cardiac kids made a game of every single time they were on the pitch, and with players injured, and suspended they still gave every last ounce for the cause.

Most Underrated Player: Senna
The Spanish defensive mid was a beast, and he made the difference today and against Italy. He did the dirty work and took pressure off Xavi, and the suspect Spanish defense. He looked like Rino in 06, no fatigue, no quit, and only intensity. I will take that kind of effort any day of the week.

Most Overrated Player: Arshavin
A great game against the Dutch, but when his team needed him against Spain he went MIA. CRon can easily be considered here but as well, because the Ze Germans gave him fits, but a guy like Arshavin was being anointed the second coming, after 1.5 good games.

Coach of the Tournament: Hiddink
It is hard to not pick Aragones, whose subs were spot on. Or Terim who really made something out of nothing, but it was Guus for me. The man smoked his country of birth, and got this team firing on all cylinders into the knockouts stages.

Most Disappointing Player of the Tournament: Toni
Not going to say anything more here.

Most Surprising Player: Podolski
Kid barely played all season long and came out swinging in this tournament. Have to admire him for really playing with passion for his country, when it seemed that many other players seemed to lack that desire this tournament. He deserves first team football, and I hope he finds it.

Just a few more thoughts that I want to share from this tourney…

-Have to feel bad for Ballack in just 60 days I have seen a class guy like Ballack on the wrong end of the podium twice.

-Cesc Fabergas is a special player, and the rest of the youth on this Spanish team have a very bright and interesting future ahead of them.

-Lot of potential didn’t come out in this tournament, Gomez for example, but a lot of other guys were able to shine through, like David Villa.

OK, onto some Milan Musings…

-Adebayor continues to be fickle, and I am beginning to wonder how much is coming from him and how much is coming from agents, press, and speculation. This team needs a striker, and the fact that Galliani is not seeking alternative options, and is willing to stand fast yet again, is to much for me to handle right now.

-I am also growing increasingly frustrated about the lack of desire for defensive help; I just hope that the youth system has some gems waiting in the wings. There is talk that Antonini will play left back, instead of left midfield. Which means Abate may factor in more than I had anticipated which I am very OK with. I guess it is time to wait and see on this front…

I will wrap up Euro on Sunday but now we need to get back to what really matters, and that is AC Milan.

-My first order of business is to make sense of the Adebayor deal. I am in favor of Adebayor moving to the San Siro, and here is why. In the xmas tree formation Adebayor would be on the tip top receiving service from the likes of Kaka, Seedorf, and Pirlo. He can also play along side the likes of Borriello, Pato, or Pippo depending on the circumstances. The key here with Adebayor is his versatility, size, and pace, three things that make a whole lot of sense in Serie A. The one thing that is frustrating me is the price, but with the media pestering Fester, you can see why he is willing to break the bank for a striker. I wish Wenger would accept ownership of Gourcuff and knock ten mil of the price tag, but who knows. The next few days should iron out this deal, with Adebayor leaning 80% towards Milan.

-The next thing I want to discuss is the potential of Bastian Schweinstieger, and so I don’t have to type that again, we will call him Schweiny. Something bothers about this guy, and I can’t figure out what it is, but when I get past this I do realize that he is a great player. The likely hood of him coming to Milan is probably slim to none, and the likelihood of him leaving Bayern for less than 20mil is even more unlikely. Also, as I have mentioned in the past with Klinnsman taking over that squad the only people I can forsee leaving are non-Germans. So Podolski, Shweiny, and Lahm are staying with their old coach.

-Arshavin is another highly unlikely transfer, and not because of price as someone graciously pointed but because of his desire to play in Spain, specifically at Barcelona. Barcelona would probably love to have him while they rebuild the club, and I can’t help but think how well he would fit at Milan alongside Kaka, but a may as well forget it before I get to much into it.

-I had a great discussion a few nights ago with Adam about GK’s, and Milan’s inability to add anyone further than Abbiatti. I don’t mind handing the reins over to Abbiatti or even Kalac as long as both are in form as Kalac was at the end of the season. Someone else brought up a very valid point that I didn’t even consider, and that was that with Milan in the UEFA Cup it was a great time to get a young GK a ton of play in Jr. Euro nights of UEFA play. But GK’s can play for awhile and young GK’s can be had, it is just a scary position to make a big investment in, see Nelson Dida.

-The last thing I want to discuss is the defense and the potential plans of the Rossoneri going forward this season. There has been very little done on the defensive front other than Zambrotta, but it seems Milan is willing to work and inject some youth into the defense with the likes of Darmian and some of the other youngsters who are potentially being registered in the coming weeks leading up to summer training. I will try to keep tabs on these as the offseason wears on.

A while back I asked if anyone wanted to pick a topic and write about it, and then I would post it. The offer is still out their and I would be happy to be get you all involved. I have a post ready regarding the Legacy of Arrigo Sacchi, but anything along the lines is great. For example, who is the best foreigner to wear Red and Black, who is Milan’s best GK ever, and so on. Let me know if anyone wants to get involved.

I have been fairly uncritical of Donadoni in his tenure as Azzurri coach because the expectations put on him with a fairly old squad, following a glorious 06 run are/were extremely unreasonable. I did not think this group of 23 is all that strong, in fact with the form of many of these players coming into this tournament, the actual performance of these players was not all that far off, especially with the likes of Rino, Pirlo, DiNatale, and Borriello cooling off at the end of the Serie A campaign. I will say that his brash honesty, playing his system during qualifications, and choosing whoever was in form was all lost after the Dutch disaster, and his lack of intestinal fortitude to stick to his guns really made upset. I would have benched Toni in minute 46 of game one, and part of me wants me to believe he would have too, but his lambasting would have been longer and harder than anything he is going to face in the coming days. That team was built to work around “Europe’s Best Point Man” no idea who anointed Toni with that title but the ESPN folks were using quite liberally, little did the team and coach know that Toni would go non-existent when his team needed him most.

Another painfully apparent thing that I saw yesterday was Cassano seems to have no connection with Toni or anyone else really. This team lacked that gel that was so successful in 06. Lippi got a lot of credit for 06 but the squad was in sync, motivated, and on the top of their game. You could have put Roberto Mancini in charge of that bunch and they would have won the World Cup, they had something that no Italian team I have ever watched in my young life had, and that was hunger, those guys looked like world beaters and no matter who was on the pitch they made the pass and picked each other up time and time again. It is this fact alone that makes me think Lippi is not the answer to take over again because this team needs young blood and new look, and the fact that Lippi has been “lurking” in the shadows added even more unneeded pressure to an already impossible job. Best thing for the Azzurri is if Lippi gets job elsewhere, be it club or country, and someone like Casiraghi, Spalletti or Carletto are brought in. I am not opposed to sticking with Donadoni, but the real man for the job for me is and always has been Fabio Cappello. To bad that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

I want to get into player performances’ a bit here, and would like to first thank Buffon for keeping this team in these games and playing at his usually high level of play. For me the stud of this tournament was Chiellini. He may have hurt Canna, but he did make Canna proud and saved many a ball and tackle yesterday and the games prior. Never have I seen a player with the perfect blend of Canna and Nesta until I watched Chiellini as closely as I have at this tournament. I have told Alessio many times that I am envious of Juve’s young Italian talent and Chiellini for me takes the cake. The potential thought of him in Red and Black probably makes Juve fans cringe, but for me it would be a superb signing. No other player really stuck out for me, but I will say that Grosso and Camo’s hard work was greatly appreciated in a mix of players who at times didn’t seem all that willing to work or get themselves open for anyone.

Can it be said that yesterday’s game lacked the creativity of Pirlo? Sure it can. Can it be said that yesterday’s game lacked the intensity of Rino? Sure it can. But last time I checked this is a roster of 23 players who are supposed to be Italy’s best and brightest and should be capable of a victory regardless of who is playing. But yesterday this was not the case. I would like to start first and foremost with Perotta who for me yesterday was abysmal and non existent, the Don folded under the pressure of the media and played the Roman trio, and the end result was the same as the Milan trio, a loss. A loss is loss if it is 3-0, 10-0, 1-0, or PK’s.

Slightly behind Perotta was Aquilani, whose future may very well be bright, but his magic trick of disappearing should earn him Houdini status in no time. There were times yesterday that it looked like Italy were two players down with no one in the tre-quartista space to help Cassano and Toni, wasn’t that why Aquilani and Perotta were included, isn’t that the reason that DDR is so special, he attacks as well as he defends?

I want to take a minute here to bash DDR, and disagree if you like, but I want to make this nice and clear. He may be very talented and he may enjoy a great career, but to think that his play can save this team or any team for that matter is arrogant. He is a role player, and his distinction as a number ten is incorrect. A lot of young players get tagged as special, full of potential and talent, but these are the players that pick up their games and lead their teams regardless of their age or the stage. Maybe the Azzurri were so far gone that they were beyond leading, but one does not need to look all that far to see the difference between potential talent, and actual talent with Cesc Fabergas vs. DDR. When Cesc came in yesterday Spain was alive and attacking and giving Italy fits in the back, again thank god for Chiellini the only answer to Cesc.

In ’98 the Azzurri had another Roman defensive midfielder who was 27 and full of potential. That same player missed a PK then and repeated his mistake in 2000 against the Dutch, but it was not as costly. That man is Luigi Di Biaggo, and we all know what happened with his career. All I am trying to say is that titles, honors, and praise are earned, not granted. Until a player like DDR, Cassano, or Aquilani earn it and lead their team to victories on the biggest stage, they are just talented, not superstars. For anyone who believes I am being biased here, any of the Milan fans will attest to the fact that I am just as critical of Pato and any other youngster in the Red and Black.

Two years is a long way away, and the potential of this squad is still strong, but a change will need to be made. The majority of the roster will be long gone save Pirlo, DeRossi, Chiellini and possible select few. One can only hope that veterans like Rino and Zambro are replaced effectively and the likes of Giovinco, Nocerino, and Osvaldo can usher Italy into a new era.

This pretty much sums it up for me…

Onto to the task at hand, in 1994 I watched Roberto Baggio down Spain in the quarterfinals of the World Cup and proceeded to dance my eleven year old self around the parking lot of the now defunct Foxboro stadium singing Ale, Ale, Ale, Ale with my family, friends, and tifosi. That was my single happiest memory of any Spanish game in my 25 years and I can only hope that memory is repeated on Sunday.

It is important to say that as a team I have the utmost respect for Spain and its players, but could not be happier with this draw for the Azzurri. Spain is the perfect compliment to Italy’s style of play, and the best match up for a team that looks, just barely, like it is starting to find its form on the pitch. Each game has looked a bit stronger, and a bit more together than the last, but a few important things are still going to need to happen to ensure a result against Spain.

Luca Toni: If you want my honest opinion, he sucks right now. It is that simple, he has had around 12 chances on goal (not counting the offside goals) and many of these chances haven’t even been between the pipes, either over, or wide. A striker is supposed to be brimming with confidence and always a danger to score, but Toni looks nervous, anxious, and bit slow compared to his striker counterparts in this tournament. All is not lost and I am sure a goal will get the touch going in ToniGol yet again, but for me he needs a partner up top because he has already proved that this can’t be done alone. If Toni scores on Sunday, I am pretty confident that it will lead to an Azzurri win.

Chiellini: The dark horse for me. He is the man that can stop Torres, or at least keep him under wraps. Villa on the other hand is a little bit harder to plug up because he is on fire but much of his success has come from his partner up front so if you stop one, one has to be hope you stop the other?

Pirlo: There were games last year when Milan played without Pirlo and they looked lost and completely unable to link the ball from back to front. I am hoping this isn’t the case with the Azzurri, and one has to believe it will not be depending on the midfield setup, but more on that later when I propose two potential lineups.

Tempo: For me Spain’s midfield build ups compliment Italy perfectly. The Azzurri have no qualms of knocking the ball around the midfield and with the likes of Ambro and DDR (no Rino here) the idea is that those passes don’t happen and the ball is advanced into the attacking third. One has to believe that was the plan against the Dutch but as everything self destructed so did any semblance of plan or shape. Possession will not be the key in this game, because Spain can dominate it and lose; the real key will be to counter with menace and finish those chances.

My preferred lineup:

Zambro-Pan-Giorgio-Fabio “I need a haircut” Grosso
Camo-DDR-Ambro
Cassano
(this guy has to play centrally, where he can roam, his play last game felt like he was restricted to that side)
Toni-Toto/Fab Quags

More likely setup:

Zambro-Pan-Giorgio-Grosso
Camo-DDR-Ambro
Aquilani
Toni-Cassano

I don’t have an issue either way really, but putting Aquilani in a game like this is asking a lot of a young player. Good season or not, nerves are big thing no matter who you are.

FORZA MILAN but above all FORZA AZZURRI
Take note of the Don’s fantastic play as well…

Boruc: The Polish GK was a beast against Austria, but Milan has already deemed him out of their price range. A new GK will come but probably not this transfer season, Boruc is still young though and will certainly remain on Fester’s radar for sometime to come.

Gomez: For me, forget Gomez, and focus on Podolski. Gomez was a complete failure in the first round in my book. If anyone is going to leave Germany to come AC Milan that man should be Podolski. I find this move a bit of a stretch because Klinsmann loves his Germans and I expect Podolski to get a fair shake in Bayern with the man that made him a star in WC06.

Ibra: I still have a nagging feeling that Ibra and “The Special One” will not get along on the dark side of town meaning there is no reason why a legit bid can’t be placed for the giant Swede. I know he is a bit of a controversial character at times but his hybrid abilites make him a perfect partner alongside Kaka and behind the star striker in the Xmas tree formation.

Veloso: Young and not typically considered in Scolari’s winning eleven he would make a nice addition to Milan for depth in the destroying midfield role. Already had CL experience and it will only be a matter time before he is fighting Fernando Meira for a place in the Portuguese eleven. Reminds a bit of Ambro with a bit more touch and offensive ability and if Milan is looking for youth this a great place to start.

Villa: I have talked about this guy in the past, and many of you have as well. His time at Valencia is coming to a close and he is probably craving big club football. This tournament has proved as showcase and testament to his ability and one can imagine that each goal he nets is raising his transfer fee. Much like Ibra his hybrid abilities make him very versatile and attractive as a striker, or in a more retreated role. His age is a perfect fit for Milan blending experience with exuberance. I would gladly welcome him over any other striker in the sights of Fester, even my main my DDrogs, yes I SAID IT.