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.

-A number of players have seemingly come out of the woodwork to claim their fandom of AC Milan! I don’t buy it, and the reason being is a simple analogy to real life. If I am working for a small company who pays well, and earns well, but a larger more prestigious company has mentioned bringing me on board, it is only natural that I will claim interest of said company so that I can move onto more money and more prestige. Wouldn’t any normal person do the same thing? Footballers are great, they are entertaining, and sometimes admirable, but in the end they are politicians looking for the next payday.

-Speaking of Milan fan transfer targets, Dzeko, like Adebayor before pledge his love for AC Milan. The problem is his love has a 30M price tag, and frankly that is far too much. For me the max payable for Dzeko is 20M, and that is still a bit high, the Bundesliga is notoriously soft for goal scorers, and scoring in Germany is not necessarily a sign of value or skill. The same people who oogled at KJH’s Dutch scoring prowess now have evidence of soft leagues and need to realize that Serie A is different and Dzeko is not guaranteed success, and not worth that big money. Doesn’t anyone else think it is fishy that Obafemi Martins is knocking goals in at Wolfsburg, while he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn in the EPL?

-Milan are unbeaten since the previous International break, and if you can all recall it was around that time that many were calling for the sale of the team by Silvio Berlusconi. Amazing how quickly that discussion died after a couple of wins I am curious to find out if anyone is still in favor of a sale?

-Abbiati is poised to return the net this weekend. I love the AC Milan goalkeeper discussion because there are still a handful of people who prefer Dida, and even some who believe Abbiati is a not a good keeper. I find this humorous because many would agree to the statement that Gigi Buffon is the World’s best, and when Buffon was injured Milan sent Abbiati to Juve to replace him, and kept Nelson Dida. Yes Dida proved his worth, but that ship has sailed and Abbiati is a valuable asset. Keepers get better with age and he is primed to make his return to first team football, and playing for a trip to South Africa as Gigi’s backup. Expect Abbiati to win his spot back and for Storari to be the number two.

A handful of veterans are nearing the end of road on this Club with contracts expiring in May. Dida, Pirlo, Rino, Nesta, Ambro, Kaladze and Favalli are in the final months of their Contracts while Oddo, Zambro, Dinho and Seedorf are close to a year out as well. Sending all these loyal soldiers on their way seems like a team chemistry implosion and losing the veteran presence at the club may be suicide, but there are certainly some moves that can be made to set this team up for the future. I want your thoughts as well, but my ideas are as follows:

The first group is a list of untouchables that MUST remain with the club, and frankly it is far shorter than even I anticipated. There really is no equal for a healthy Nesta and the value he brings to the table on defense extends beyond what he does on the pitch. His partnership with Silva has been excellent and playing two youthful and exuberant CB’s comes with negatives, and therefore a veteran is a welcome addition to teach, but also to provide grit. The only other player on the list is Ambrosini. Why Ambrosini you may ask? Because his fight for the cause has never wavered, he has never demanded first team football, and has always had his head on square for the team and team alone. There was a time when those accolades would be heaped on Rino, but at this point it is plainly evident that he does not get on with Leonardo, and when he is on the pitch he doesn’t have the rounded skills that Ambro brings to the table. It pains me to say it, but for me Rino’s heart and soul left the Club when he flirted with Bayern, and though he arguably had the best season of any player pre-knee injury last term, his attitude towards the Club is no longer what it once was.

Pirlo is also short of the list, Leo likes the 4-3-3, and frankly if done right I doas well. Pirlo is no longer the type of mid needed to make this system work. I love his contribution and his history with the Club, but at this point we need a box to box beast at CM in the mold of Micheal Essien. My vote is for Asamoah of Udinese, Mikel of Chelsea, or Mariga of Parma, who in the end lends more to making Leo’s system a success. Pirlo and Rino to Chelsea for Mikel is starting to look like more and more attractive by the minute, and the least Carletto can do to satisfy everyone at the table.

Sadly the rest of the list can go. There are rumors that Dida and Favalli will part ways with the club come January, good riddance. These two moves can open the door for the potential arrival of players like Ranocchia or Bonucci from Bari, and for a new GK to be groomed behind Abbiati, who will return to first team football shortly, such as Marchetti or Castelazzi, and yes I am being optimistic with these names, but the financial windfall of cut wages should be enough to make Milan a force in the transfer market with the pursuit of quality young players.

It still leaves a bit to be desired at the outside backs position, but frankly the talent in this position is a bit shallower than people are willing to notice. If you stop for a moment to consider the best players at the position: Ramos, Cole, Maicon, Evra, and Alves; these are all players that would cost a heap of money, and frankly would be like luring Maldini away from Milan. The best bet here is to push the issue with Abate and Antonini and promote from within the Club. I am not familiar with many of the names from the youth squad, but if you consider the wealth of wingback talent historically nurtured at AC Milan: Maldini, Panucci, Costacurta, and Tassotti, it cannot be without reason to think that this player SHOULD exist. If not, then versatility is the next big thing. A LM or RM with a penchant for defense can be easily pulled back alla Janks, or more recently Abate. No matter how you look at it, this position is and will be continue to be the biggest challenge for Milan and many of the other clubs looking to bolster this position.

Now it is your turn…

-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.

Not to mention the infant stages of my Milan fandom began at a time where Diego Armando Maradona was ruling Serie A, and their greatest rivals was our very own “soon to be” invincibles. The games were epic and to this day I still feel that electricity when we meet Napoli either at the San Siro or the dreaded San Paolo…For a very thorough and complete preview Neil at the Napoli blog has come up big, check it out here.

I will be back around Friday to recap, explore the 4-3-3 and prepare for the weekend fixture against Parma…wow what a busy week to be a Milan tifosi…

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!?