AC Milan » Game Recap

ACM 1 OM 1, and a Happy Thanksgiving

Gianfranco — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:00:27 +0000

I want to start by wishing everyone, if you celebrate it or not, a Happy Thanksgiving. Personally it is my favorite Holiday as it has somehow managed to remain a true day of thanks and family while not being commercially basterized like religious holidays, ironic isn’t it? So where ever you take a moment to give to thanks for family, for friends, and that the Rossoneri are far better off than many of us anticipated, despite the performance yesterday evening.

Let’s be honest here…OM deserved this game far more than we did, and while both teams were guilty of poor finishing, the post and upright were the only things to save a draw over a 3-1 loss. I don’t personally think the attack was poor, or really even the defense, save an error from Oddo, for me it was a matter of simple exhaustion. OM dominated the midfield and possession, they were rarely closed down anywhere in the middle of the park, and there was zero link from the defense to the attack. Bottom line OM put their foot on the gas and shoved the ball down the throat of the Rossoneri and they were not up to the task.

Part of the blame, in fact most of the blame, should be shouldered by Leonardo. There is absolutely no excuse for leaving two subs on the bench during such a hotly contested match. If you do not trust the players on the bench, then you are the only one to blame for putting them there. Flamini should have been a must in the 65th minute when it appeared that both Pirlo and Ambro were about to drop dead. Leonardo can also be blamed for not pinching in the midfield and retracting Zambro into defense sooner. OM saw the weakness at the outside back position and exploited it, Abate provided some help but even he seemed a bit nervous, in the end our weaknesses are continuously exploited time and time again.

Ronaldinho and Borriello were once again bright spots linking well, but lacking that final bite or touch. The Bori goal was top class, and he won countless balls in the attacking third but in the end he needed to be more of a force in the second half. Pato showed flashes but they were rare and never dangerous, he seemed poised to test the defense but it never materialized, and in the end neither did the Rossoneri. Strikers need to score and bag chances and that goes for all of them, on both teams in this case. In the end I am actually rather frustrated by the whole thing, maybe it was exhaustion, maybe it was lack of preparation? In the end the lack of adjustment to counter the opponent is really what bothers me most.

As I do with most poor Milan performances I immediately call my cousin in the boot to discuss and get his take. This call was rather funny we both mused about the luck, and how we managed to stay alive in the CL, and fail to make anything easy as a Club. As we got to talking we realized that Milan has not won a home game in the CL since losing to Arsenal in the winter of 08, that is an alarming run for what was once a CL fortress, and a place where no team wanted to travel to. Home field advantage is rather important in tournaments such as this, and it stinks to not be able to count on the points at home. The problem is there is no real remedy for this strange new ailment…

So the squad sits second in the group, with a win being away to Zurich the only sure bet for qualification. If not the Europe League looms, and what was looking to be a brighter season may be back into the doldrums sooner than you think. There was a time when AC Milan with their backs to the wall were second to none, that time seems to have passed and Leo will do well to rest his big guns before the trip to Zurich. Nothing is ever easy is it…see you on the weekend…

Milan 4 Cagliari 3

Gianfranco — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:00:29 +0000

The attack truly deserves praise today, and that includes Pato, Seedorf, Dinho, and MOTM of Marco Borriello. It was just a few days ago that I read comments about Borriello’s value to the team, and if you were not convinced today then you may be a lost cause. Ronaldinho was stellar and Pato showed amazing flashes, but it was Marco who was the glue to make it work, and his lateral movement and danger in the 6 yd box was top class. I just hope Leo was taking him off to rest him before Marseille on Wednesday, and not drop him in favor of a slower than normal Pippo and inept KJH.

So enough about Marco; for all the value and delivery provided by the offense, the defense was abysmal. Kaladze was terrible, but considering that he was the only true CB option off the bench with Onyewu and Bonera shelved with injuries, there is not much else Leo could have done. It has to be said that if Leo started a youngster like Darmian or moved Zambro central and played Antonini on the flank we could at least blame the poor performance on growing pains or playing out of position, with Kaladze we could do neither. Zambrotta also deserves some blame, he lost the ball high on the pitch and put pressure on the defense by not getting back with pace, he has not looked comfortable at the LB spot all season, and I no longer believe he is a first team option. Dida was not as much to blame on the goals, but he did make things interesting on a few bobbled balls. He is superb going to his left, in fact I can even say impressive, but to his right he is a accident waiting to happen.

From a midfield standpoint Ambro and Seedorf did well, but Pirlo continues to be unimpressive. I no longer blame Pirlo though because he looks completely lost in the 4-3-3, and his slow run with Ronaldinho and his muffed fast break with Ambro exposed Pirlo’s age yet again. I don’t by any means blame Leo, and not even Pirlo, but in the end both these guys are intelligent enough to adapt and make the system work for both of them, which has not happened yet to this point. Simply redefining roles may help, but Pirlo will struggle royally without a change.

Speaking of Leo I can be critical with him on a few things today, which after five straight wins has been hard to do! His subs were puzzling and late. Pippo for Borriello was an unnecessary sub at that stage of the game, instead a defensive presence should have came immediately. His later Pato for Stasser move was even worse, for all the grief Carletto got for not “bleeding” youngsters, he put them in positions to succeed, not to be thrown to the wolves, and Strasser was close to being the goat today with an early mistake. That will not help or instill confidence for anyone. In the end instead of resting his three horses of the day: Seedorf, Bori, and Dinho. He pulled Pato who could have used the rest of the game to work out some possession issues, left Dinho who had to work very hard late and may affect him on Wednesday. Not good on his part.

It was a great win against a stout opponent in Cagliari, the goal outburst was very nice and the team continues to grow. In the end it will be interesting to see how this team stands up on the way to the holiday break and how long their stay near the top of the table will last.

Lazio 1 Milan 2

Gianfranco — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:00:45 +0000

Following the draw against Napoli I have to admit that it is hard to feel a rush of optimism with a two goal lead. The most unnerving part of the game is the patches of sloppy play that follow segments of dominance in passing and possession. It is almost like a sudden case of footballing amnesia afflicts the team and they are incapable of doing anything properly; frustrating for a fan and probably mind boggling for Leonardo, but in the end the lead held and another three points in the bag.

It has to be said that Lazio is a team that looks a bit lost on the pitch, frankly the player choices and tactial system of Ballardini are puzzling and if he is relieved of his duties following this match it would not be surprising. Baronio instead of Foggia is foolish enough, but the occasional disappearance of Zarate, who proved infinitely dangerous, has to come down tactics. Yes they worked hard in the second half and pressured Milan late, but there was rarely ever a feeling of Lazio being truly in control or able to create dangerous chances.
From the Milan side of the ball it has to be said that this match belonged to the Brazilians. Sliva, despite the freakish own goal, was once again a rock in the back and even more impressive scoring his first goal for AC Milan. His compatriots Pato and Dinho also linked up on the second goal, and found each other often to create chances on with Dinho further embracing his distribution role and Pato enjoying his goal scoring responsibilities, twice forcing stellar saves from Muslera late in the second half. As always there is room to become more dangerous and even more clinical but on this night it was enough and rather enjoyable to watch.

Have to also raise the issue that Leo played many of lineup stalwarts for the third game in a row in a span of eight nights. Yes an International break is coming shortly, but leaning so heavily on the likes of Seedorf, Zambro, and Pirlo may prove costly come the knockout stages of the CL and the home stretch of Serie A. Abate, Flamini, and Pippo all made cameos but these players should be rotated into the starting lineup and assure the fresh legs of the squad for the long season.

Milan 1 Madrid 1, Recap

Gianfranco — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:00:15 +0000

Not going to go deep into this recap, frankly because the match was draining and nervy for me and maybe for some of you as well. Feel free to recall the previous post if you missed the match as I touch on few different points here.

As a fan of the Rocky films, more the first few than the last two, I couldn’t help but feel as though Leo had instilled the Rocky III mentality in the Rossoneri.

Absorb pressure early, stretch and tire Madrid, and attack swiftly on the counter. There is a danger to this game plan because if you get hit early and often you may very well be knocked out, but Milan seemed to be fortunate on this night with Kaka and Higuian missing early. Milan did manage to counter but unlike Stallone in Rocky III were unable to really knock Madrid off of their game.

The 4-3-3 has certainly shown it’s positives in the past few weeks, but in this match it made me nervous. Milan did not get as compact as I would like and allowed a lot of space to Madrid in the middle third of the pitch to pick up speed and attack the defense before the players were closed down. For all the space Madrid was afforded, the defense, specifically Nesta and Silva stood very strong, and Ambrosini did well to get into tackles and effectively slow down Kaka.

Kaka was actually much more dangerous in this match than the previous and often needed both Ambro and Oddo to bottle him up, his shot that led to the goal was vintage Kaka as he slalomed into a shooting line and drove it hard at Dida who couldn’t claim it as it fell for Benzema.

All and all there are few complaints with the Milan performance on the night, with many again expecting our boys to be outplayed. Credit has to be given to Madrid for their intense marking of Borrielo and Pato all match long with Pato being played physically and Borriello be squeezed by defenders rendering them far less effective than we saw on the weekend. It was not the cleanest of defensive jobs, but is surely was effective especially with the Ref consistently allowing the physical play. Personally I would expect Pato to improve in games such as this, and be more physical himself, but at 20 years old and probably weighing 130 pounds you can see his frustration. Even more impressive out of Madrid was Lassana Diarra. The man was truly everywhere and is really rekindling the magic of Claude Makele that made Galacticos 1.0 so special. He mixed it up with everyone and got the best of many of the challenges.

As I fast forward and watch bits and pieces of the match again, I do wish that the dodgy PK was not called and the Pato goal was allowed. I still cannot put my finger on the reason for the goal being disallowed and if anyone can shed some light on that I would be more than happy to read about it. I also want to satisfy the Dinho fanboys who have made their return to the site as of late, this was in fact Dinho’s best performance in the Red and Black, I personally am still hoping for more, considering all I hear about is his “magic” but consistency and performances like these will be welcome! He also deserves heaps of praise for his tackling on the evening, and here I thought he didn’t know how to defend!?

So to take some positives from the match, the team stood toe to toe with a powerhouse yet again and though a win would have been the ultimate, the draw was well deserved. Now figuring out how we can draw with Madrid and lose to FC Zurich is the real question. I do believe that if CRON was healthy this match would have been far more challenging, but the recent run of play is promising as Milan now sit fourth In Serie A and atop their CL group…I have to say I am pleasantly surprised at our current status and was expecting to be far worse off at this stage of the season.

Milan 1 Madrid 1

Gianfranco — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:48:09 +0000

A philosophical question for you…So I have done everything in my power to isolate myself from the score line today. I buried myself in work, I didn’t answer my phone or even look at it when texts arrived, and have successfully made it all the way to 7PM Eastern Time without a clue of the result. So as I begin to watch the match, as I ramble on about what I see could it be considered a live blog or at least live commentary?

-I am initially pleased with the winning eleven. Stick with what has worked and be ready for Flamini, Pippo, or even Abate at the earliest sign of a sub.

-12 minutes in and Madrid dominating possession and doing all the work around the goal with acres of space to play and no one closing down. Kaka looking far more game than two weeks ago.

-15 minutes and Pato looking like a ragdoll, doesn’t seem to want to be challenged at all. In fact all three strikers seem afraid to be hit or tackled.

-18th minute Milan look game to counter and nothing else, not really what you what you want to see from your team at home…Dida gets it though and playing some very nice long balls.

-23 minutes a great counter by Seedorf with an even better pass to Pato…save Casillas…great save really…

-27th minute Kaka slaloming through the middle following a Seedorf muff, he rifles a shot, Dida parries but not far enough, this is problems…Benzema with the goal. No defenders to be found Benzema with a top class finish but Dida and defenders should have done better.

-28th minute I can’t help but feel bad that this team has conceded the first goal to Madrid at the San Siro in 53 years…53 long years….this team has caught many a dubious honor in the past few years starting in Istanbul, losing to Arsenal at home, and now stopping a 53 year clean sheet…I hate statistics in football.

-32nd minute Borriello making poor decisions, in fact many of his teammates are as well…to forward with too many long balls, not good for a team who likes to posses.

-33rd minute Zambro goes charging in, missed cross but Pepe with a handball…
Ref calls it immediately with no hestitiation…who strikes it!?

-34th minute DInho BURIES IT, excellent PK…1-1…wow what a strike…

-36th minute Pato makes magic out of nothing, absolutely nothing…what a finish…OFFSIDE, no can’t be what is thecall, WHAT IS THE CALL!? Wow, my heart is racing out of my chest, a handball? Push? Has to be a push I see NOTHING else…

-Milan buzzing here in the 38th but need to relax a bit as Madrid is always dangerous on the attack.

-40th minute and I still can’t look at Xavi Alonso without a festering hatred for the scouser that he was…

-41st minute Milan with a horrific display of tackling through the center of the pitch with Dinho, Seedorf, and Ambro all missing wildly, Kaka strikes but wide…not good…Madrid can counter just as quick…

-42nd minute class tackle from Dinho in the midfield, the 4-3-3 really looks bad when Madrid attack with numbers, resembling something of a hockey power play. Dinho did very well to recognize and retreat. Soon thereafter tries to take on Diarra 1 v 1 but seems like a battle he will never win against Lass who looks more and more like Makele on and off the pitch.

-Dinho continuing to be a focal point as he crushes Pepe on a clumsy lunge/tackle. Frankly I like it, he looks MAD, and that is a good thing.

-Can someone tell me why Marcelo plays Madrid, I just don’t see it. I know he is a LB and is playing up in place of CRON, but the guy is not all that good…speaking of CRON, Milan has really lucked out without him on the pitch.

-45th Borriello getting chippy as well, finally these guys are sticking up for themselves up front…

-46th Pato with a HUGE tackle and Pepe seemingly takes out Borriello, this game is getting chippy with the halftime whistle coming at good time.

Clearly fortunate to go in with a draw here at half, the PK was suspect but the Pato goal disallowed was probably worse!? As I always say these things work out in the end, and clearly this is the case here. Milan seem happy to counter but that cannot continue because Madrid will eventually capitalize on these chances, a little more attack would be welcome.

-Looks like Leo missed the memo as Madrid comes out swinging.

-47th minute is Lass the best DM in the world? I mean Essien will have something say about it, but this guy is unreal. He is EVERYWHERE, but corner for Milan. Nothing.

-Oddo’s first move forward in what seems like the whole game is a wash in the 50th minute, he was far more attacking in the last match, maybe Kaka has made him fearful.

-Oddo again forward in the 52nd with a horrible cross…that’s more like it…

-53rd minute Ramos turns Zambro inside out, but a poor cross, he can be very dangerous but seems to have a hint of Oddo disease at the moment.

-55th what a ball by Dinho to Pato, but Pato controls the ball with his hand, gets a card for his trouble.

-56th announcer says Dinho has more tackles tonight than his whole career, I have to agree!

-Ambrosini reminds Kaka whose house this is with a great tackle in the 57th minute, Kaka falls as though he has been shot. Ambro has done well on the tackle but has done little else. Fast break follows for Milan and a yellow for Marcelo, Dinho really bossing that wing and forcing Marcelo to work very hard all over the pitch.

-59th Ambro unmarked, and misses the header. Our best header misses a chance…

-61st minute Benzema has two touches all game one of them a goal, the second a quality snap shot. For all the talk of the Frenchmen’s talent, I have to say he is not as dangerous as expected and seems to be lost at times. Kaka continues to be challenged, no love lost here…

-65th Pato going hard, but a bit too far from goal to be dangerous for Pato, a good free kick by Pirlo forces a corner. Nothing from the corner again…

-70th minute and Milan having some good possession but doing little in the final third.

-Kaka still with a lot of space if Ambro is not around, he is far too dangerous to not close immediately.

-74th minute Raul coming on, I don’t like him all that much because he is a Madrid’s version of Pippo and is too dangerous for my liking late on.

-76th minute Seedorf breaks nicely but Pato again fouled off the ball, Madrid has shown that they are willing to slow down Pato with fouls often and until the ref starts to hand out some yellows for it they will continue with their game plan.

-80th Leo counters Raul with Pippo, which CL legend has it in him tonight…man I hope it is Pippo.

-Madrid bringing on Ruud, hopefully Leo doesn’t want to counter this move with our own Dutch striking stiff.

-83rd Pippo so nearly, couldn’t get his feet right.

-Pato continues to get hacked, Arbeloa already on yellow.

-87th the game has grown cautious, both teams seemingly starting to look OK with a draw, and no one really wants to stretch themselves forward to be open for a counter. Madrid manages a quick shot Dida to save, but again not away, defense clears.

-89th Dida huge save on Raul, excellent reaction, WOW what a save.

-92nd minute Dinho can’t turn Ramos, but Milan earns a corner, and probably the final chance of the match…but a draw it is…wow, it ended a bit slower than it started, but a good match all around and a well deserved point on both sides.

I hope you enjoyed my pseudo live blog, it actually was a big help to me to keep my sanity during the match and if you already watched the match maybe you can re-live a bit of it, and if you didn’t see it maybe it will help. Should be back tomorrow with a recap.

Milan 2 Parma 0

Gianfranco — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:40:50 +0000

Just some quick observations I noted as I watched the match today. I will be back tomorrow with a player breakdown after a second viewing, and I will also discuss the possible Ghanian arrival as I watch the U20 World Cup final between Ghana and Brazil that I was able to get my hands on today after some calls and digging.

-Pirlo’s bread and butter is passing, so if that goes what is really left? Frankly nothing, he continuously found his targets who were under immense pressure who went on to lose the ball more often than not. He also turned into defenders with almost every opportunity on the ball. Is it fatigue, is it lack of interest, I don’t really know but the saga will continue without a real replacement for the man in the middle.

-Parma plays some very nice football. Slick passing, great movement, and tenacious in the midfield! I was so intrigued I found myself googling players like Galloppa and Morrone early in the match. Sadly Morrone is on the wrong side of thirty, but how nice would he look at the RM spot if he was south of 30? Credit Parma’s coach and players for implementing a quality system and making it work against fierce competition up to this point in Serie A, it is nice to see a team getting it right after coming up from Serie B. On a side note, there was a time where loaned and co-owned players didn’t play against their parent club, apparently those times are long gone, at least he didn’t make us pay.

-WTF is going on with Nelson “no hands” Dida? He really has turned back the clock to 03-04 here or is he just seeing a blip in form in the absence of the first choice guys? Either way I will not complain and sadly have even found some confidence in the quick reflexes Brazilian, this of course under the circumstances that he doesn’t have to catch an easy ball or deal with a fan running on the pitch!?

-Ronaldinho’s yellow in the 42nd minute was completely foolish. He threw the second ball on the pitch after Antonini had thrown the ball in. What was worse is that he seemed cognizant of the whole thing, not to mention the referee was watching the entirety of the play!? It is not so much the card that bugged, but his attitude in situations with the referee, if you kept a tally of how many times he is left with his arms aloft waiting for a whistle that will not come, you would easily be in the double digits before the half. He was having a solid game to that point and I can’t help but think his mental state is part of his dip in form.

-The injury to Antonini is extremely frustrating. He was questionable for the match, but passed fitness to start and have an excellent first half. He was strong on defense and seemed to be a bit more unleashed on the attacking front; with great runs into the box and even finding a shot on goal, albeit horribly weak. He is a big piece of the Milan depth chart and if he can come through with success will allow transfers to be used on the midfield, shame really. What is a bit more puzzling is the inclusion of Zambro with Real midweek? Why not use Favalli to assure Zambro full rest??

-Borriello looking game and fiery through most of the match. Put his nose into a lot of good places and even got a shout onto his teammates to move and work forward. Frankly I like it, strikers need to be hungry and aggressive and that works for me. On the flipside Pato looked “checked out” he was marked heavily and rarely received his passes with some space, but he needs to stay focus and learn from challenging games such as this. The near penalty was surely arguable, but it wasn’t called so move on and get on with business.

-Silva is unflappable. He made countless 1 v 1 tackles and if you were a casual fan you may have mistaken his skill and movements for his backline mate Alessandro Nesta. Yes he was guilty of a mistake midweek that led to a goal, but he seems to have no memory of the error and his confidence continues to boom. A great addition, and credit to Leo for making this move a reality and getting his find game time.

Little Tactics, Little Recap

Gianfranco — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:56:16 +0000

Sadly I wish I hadn’t waited to post this tactics piece, but I will be brutally honest I knew Milan’s 4-3-3 was suicidal and the Napoli match case in point.

I am going to start with a quick discussion of the 4-3-3 and then I will tie it to the last two matches and how it CAN work but usually doesn’t. First and foremost the 4-3-3 is the quintessential footballing formation, it is easily the most widely recognized and easily understood of all the formations and the most turned to by youth coaches across the globe. The immediate quesion is why? It is quite simple, if you are teaching the game what better way to do it than to cover as much of the field with clearly delineated lines and positions. Three lines, easy to explain and easy to understand, but the youth coach quickly gets left behind when you apply a strong tactical perspective to the formation.

The 4-3-3 is really poetry in motion, dynamic, fluid and capable of reshaping almost immediately. The most widely recognized version of this was the Dutch system of “Total Football” and their on-pitch general Johann Cruyff. What made the Dutch system special and ultimately the 4-3-3 special is the way the formation seems to envelope the pitch and the opponents, allowing for defensive and offensive pressure on every turn of possession, but what makes this work is not truly the alignment, but the players in that lineup which is the biggest negative in the Rossoneri employment.

Ideally when employing the 4-3-3 you want players with versatility and a skill set in which they are able to defend and attack with the ball in their vicinity. These players must be fast, tactically aware, and have an excellent spatial sense to cover their designated area, be it centrally or wide. The ideal players in this formation would be akin to Michael Essien, maybe Lassana Diarra, or even Carlos Tevez, players that can play in every direction and not just North and South or East and West. Milan’s lineup is almost the polar opposite of versatility, stop for a moment and consider our wingbacks on track North and South, Dinho on a track North and slightly East if he moves and at all, while Pirlo only moves East and West, with my point being that the versatility required in the 4-3-3 to immediately be a defender or an attacker does not exist in the Rossoneri roster.

This lack of versatility did not seem to get exposed Sunday against Chievo, yes Milan took a fair amount of time to figure out spacing and get balls into attacking zones, but ultimately Milan had the lion’s share of chances Sunday and Sorrentino was really the difference maker and score keeper. Napoli however was a different story, physically the 4-3-3 is extremely demanding and with a such a short turnaround from game to game it really didn’t seem like an issue in the first 20 minutes or so. But as the game wore on and Napoli began to press it was only Dida, much to our surprise, that kept the two goal lead, which ultimately was lost in the dying minutes of injury time. The problem was not the draw, or when the goals were scored, for me it was Leo’s stubbornness to stick to the formation and not adjust to preserve the win.
As the game wore on exhaustion set in and Milan played deeper on the pitch, and while the Nesta injury may have been a problem sub, the inclusion of Flamini came too late and the striker swap was ultimately mind boggling. In the end if you want to defend for close to 85 minutes than reposition the squad to do so! Evolve the 4-3-3 into the 4-3-2-1 and get men behind the ball. Maybe it is Leo’s naivety or lack of experience but in the end we lived and died by the 4-3-3 and saw the good and bad in a three day span.

So it leaves us with Parma on Saturday and Real Madrid soon thereafter. Does Leo stick with the demanding 4-3-3 or does he shift? If he sticks with it, he will surely need to rotate a squad that is being overworked with Pirlo, Seedorf, and even Dinho seeing extensive minutes nearing the possibility of playing 360 minutes in two weeks. Not really what should be going on for players on the wrong side of 30!! Problem is there are little to no options otherwise and Leo will have to start to get creative and work with youngsters like Strasser, Zigoni, and Di Gennaro (when fit) into the lineup to take some work load off of the old men.

Chievo 1 Milan 2

Gianfranco — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:43 +0000

The 4-3-3 is in an interesting beast in it’s own right, and I want to devote a full blow post to it on Tactics Tuesday. In the meantime I want to do a player review:

But first as a whole Chievo was exactly as expected, get guys behind the ball, clog the center of the pitch and counter with venom. In essence the recipe for success against Milan…it sure helped that Sorrentino was playing OUT OF HIS MIND.

Dida: shaky at best, test early and often and was lucky to only give up one. Defense settled, possession increased and his work slowly tailed off, his stop on the 90th was vintage but he has lost almost all the confidence he once possessed, still counting down the days to Abbiati’s return.

Oddo: erratic, his passes were either to the feet with precision or horribly off, there was really no in between. What bothered me most was his lack of recognition, he seemed confused coming forward and even more confused on the overlap or inside run, in essence it seemed he had memorized a plan and forgotten it more often than not.

Nesta: game saving tackle on Pellissier in the 62nd minute or so. Was very strong on the tackle and for playing in all of Milan’s matches is showing few signs of fatigue. His header was a monster and well deserved, but his second goal was even more amazing!! MOTM hands down and really the only Milan player who had Sorrentino’s number, Frey will certainly have nightmares of Alessandro this evening.

Silva: what a breath of fresh air this player has been. Super strong on the tackle, intelligent and quick, was left hung out to dry on the goal as no midfielder was filling the space of front of him. Made a forward run from the CB spot in the first half that reminded me of Maldini in the last few games of his career; Silva is easily the best addition of the transfer season to this point.

Antonini: tentative and lacking in confidence, his one two with Seedorf early was sublime and his one on one defending in the box on Luciano was excellent. My biggest gripe was much like Oddo he appeared confused going forward. It was almost as thought the wingbacks were told to play more reserved, it is hard to tell without knowing the tactical plan, but his lack of confidence in himself showed in his passing and his general communication with his teammates. He has the skills to play in this team, he just has to show them!

Flamini: went whole periods without even being in the play, if you were a casual fan watching the match you would lose him instantly. Did well early but as the game wore on he wore out and disappeared. Just not good enough has regressed from last season and looks like a shadow of his former Arsenal self.

Pirlo: his service on both Nesta goals was excellent, but his play was lax and rather sluggish. He constantly overshadows his errors with quality passes in all directions but this tactical setups may ask for to much from Pirlo defensively.

Seedorf: like last season Seedorf played one good game and one bad and this was again the case. Maybe it is fatigue, maybe it is the opponent, but he just was not good enough with the pass or the finish. His one two with Antonini should have been a sure goal instead Milan continued behind.

Pato: momentum from the midweek tie was in his favor and he looked very dangerous. Chievo clearly knew he was the danger man and did little to disguise the double and triple marking. He was most dangerous when he was interchanging and his markers could not keep of track him. He needs to learn that even if he doesn’t score his movement is VERY dangerous and as he progresses and learns these facts he will become even more complete as a striker.

KJH: Horrendous is the only word that comes to mind, if anyone can find a way to defend him I would be more than happy to hear it. On three separate occasions he received the ball with his back to goal had an errant touch and passed the ball back with little or no chance of even turning or playing square. He looked stiff, slow, and really poor. Sure he scored goals in Holland, but that is clearly not what it used to be.

Borriello: he was on the pitch for both goals, and was partly responsible for the first one. Showed more grit than KJH, really stuck his nose in the places it needed to be. Between this match and Wednesday he now has to be the first choice man for Milan in the middle.

Dinho: let’ be honest he no longer can take a player one on one, that part of his game which was so spectacular early in his career is all but gone, these defenders were not World Class but they stood him up time and time again. His game needs to evolve and if it does he will be dangerous once again in more of passing fashion. I do not believe he should have been subbed for Pippo, who did very little, instead it should have been Seedorf or Flamini to give way, but if Leo wants to use the 4-3-3, than Dinho is pivotal wide left. Play simple and he will be an asset, trying to do to much his play will be exposed.

Let’s not get carried away here with this win. Chievo certainly deserved more from this match, a draw was far more deserved, but Milan did well to grind it out, stay on the ball, and pressure the goal. Grinding out a win though is a huge plus and should not be underestimated, tied for fourth place is really not all that bad now is it!?

Coming off the High…

Gianfranco — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:11:28 +0000

What was looking like a season of more downs than ups, took a pretty surprising upward turn on Wednesday evening. Beating the Galacticos 2.0 at the Santiago Bernabeau is no small feat especially in a game where few Milan tifosi, let alone the footballing World even gave us a chance. Optimism though was high on the blog, as always, and Giovanni called the 3-2 thriller before the match had even started, and here I was hoping for a 1-1 draw. The game as thrilling as it was, was not without negatives, and though I do not want to rain on this parade after two days of celebration we can start to take a more critical look at the squad that worked what some are calling a “miracle” on Wednesday evening.

First and foremost there was a point in time where this game would have been considered a win instead of a miracle, it just goes to show you how far Milan really have fallen in the eyes of many. While many of us are not blind to the decline of our Club, it really puts into perspective the poor portrayal of the Club this season, a portrayal that hopefully in time will go back to CL dominant World beaters as we once were, but the repair process is still a long way off and this notion of “writing off AC Milan” will have to be tolerated until then.

The first half of Wednesday evening was abysmal. I won’t go too far into Dida’s catastrophic error that led to the first goal but it is unacceptable and in fact is far worse than any mistake he has ever made, Storari and Abbiati cannot return soon enough! What I found most frustrated with the first half was the terrible hoofing of the ball forward which caused an already offside prone Pippo to be caught time and time again, and led to no real chances or efforts on or towards goal for forty five minutes. I will give credit to Leo, whom I will discuss more later, for employing a 4-3-3 against a team that likes to attack in Real, but that 4-3-3 looked a lot like an XMAS tree for most of that first half and the application of his tactics looked like an utter failure.

The second half was a different story, immediately Milan looked reborn. Not sure if Leo just asked the forward line to stay forward, or if the squad just woke up, but the game certainly changed. Pirlo’s goal was a cracker, really have not seen a shot like that out of him, or any other player, since Zambro’s cracker last year . While many say Casillas could have saved it, he didn’t get a clear look at that ball until it was behind him. What followed were two more cracking Milan goals with Pato showing a flash of what will hopefully make him so special. I have been hard on the Pato lately because I expect a heck of a lot of him, and frankly the team needs his A-game to succeed, but when he brings it, as he has against Napoli, Roma, and now Madrid the kid is a force. A friend asked me who I would liken Pato to as a player, and really I was speechless, it was a question I couldn’t answer because he really combines various play styles, in the end I said a cross between Fernando Torres and David Villa, and if that one day is true, than we truly have a special player on our hands.

Speaking of special players, Pirlo and Dinho were once those guys; but lately they have not shown their old class. This night was again a bit different. Dinho didn’t show it all that much with his play, but he showed some fire and drive which frankly I have not seen in him once in a Milan jersey. He looked to take on, ran with a purpose (again I will take the running), and worked hard on the ball. He also bitch slapped Raul and that has to count for something, but in the end he seemed determined to make a difference and though he didn’t score or make big plays he did draw defenders and open space for his teammates. As for Pirlo, the shoot was pure class, he also did well moving the ball and his passes save a few long balls early were on target and effective.

Now for the negatives, Oddo and Zambro were atrocious both offensively and defensively. It took Kaka a few minutes in the second half to realize he can carve Oddo open and when he did he had quality shots on goal that proved dangerous. Lost as well in the madness of the match was a clear PK on Zambro early when he fouled Benzema, which would have easily changed the complexion of the match, these players though both effective in their time are now liabilities more than ever. With the weekend fixture against Chievo if Abate is healthy he should be the RB and either Janks or Antonini should be given the start on the left. I know Antonini has been up and down in many eyes, but he can’t possibly be as much of a liability as Zambro has become, Lippi take notice, your WC10 left back may be moved to left bench.

Finally my last negative is the employment of the 4-3-3. In this circumstance it worked nicely possibly by chance, and I will delve deeper into it next week in a tactics post, but if the opponent employs a packed box and counter mentality as many of them do against Milan, this formation will leave us shattered. Can you imagine Pirlo and Seedorf huffing and puffing to get back to stop a counter!? What about Dinho having to hold up a wingback in the attacking third for the midfielders to reshape, a pivotal requirement of the strikers in the 4-3-3…scary thoughts!

Which leads me to Leo, I have to admit that following the weekend and now this match I have renewed faith in him as a Coach. Yes he is lacking tactically, and doesn’t seem to know how to control a match, but what he lacks in tactics he has made up for in adventuress squad and formation selection. One could also argue that the players are more receptive to him now than they were 2 months ago and that is helping as well. Either way I can’t say I wish him gone as much as I did even a few weeks ago, and yes I would still prefer him in charge of scouting, but if he stays on the bench I don’t feel all that bad. So when someone said this win would only prolong Leo’s Milan career and best of luck to us who have to endure it, I say if he needs to win every game from now until December to keep his job then so be it, we could use the points!!

I hope to preview the upcoming Chievo game tomorrow, but forgive me if it doesn’t happen; I have a full slate of coaching duties scheduled both tonight and tomorrow!

A Draw Worse than a Loss??

Gianfranco — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:47:31 +0000

I really can’t get all amped up or even remotely happy about this draw. This draw is bittersweet in the fact that this draw probably only prolonged the inevitable, like going away for the weekend with your soon to be ex-girlfriend to try and rekindle the magic, only to break up on the way home. At least in my scenario someone scores more than once…

It is clearly evident that Leo does not have the depth of squad to make this work, nor does he really have the knowledge to squeeze whatever potential or ability is left to this team. The fact that I have little left to say shouldn’t really surprise anyone at this point. I barely know what to think, let alone what to say or type or write or discuss. Really the only thing I can conjure up from yesterday is the fact that I couldn’t help but think Atalanta deserved the three points, or that our squad couldn’t beat the current worse team in Serie A down to ten men…do you feel terrible or desperate yet…I do.

Before I fizzle out here and go back to staring at videos and pictures of previous Milan teams to forget the current state of affairs, I want to say that for the first time as a fan of this Club I truly feel hopeless. I actually listened to Dinho fans try and portray this goal, this draw as a positive, well he saved us they said…we are beyond saving. Maybe I have dug myself such a hole I can’t even find a shred of positive light, but I do know that a game like this against Atalanta can only spell problems for the upcoming match against Roma, and worse Napoli whose backs are truly against the wall.

All and all this international break is hot and cold. Time for this team to train and hear more of Leo’s infamous discussion or further sink in the hole it has dug for itself. The nice thing is the usual swarm of Rossoneri players on International duty has slowly declined recently so while good teams best players are away, our players will be training together…think positive right…