Better Late Than Never

By: Gianfranco | December 16th, 2008

Struggled with this post for quite a few days partly because I couldn’t find the words and partly because I was having some technical difficulties with my new laptop, regardless both problems are gone and I want to recap what was one of the single hardest games to watch as a Milan fan for more reasons than just the loss.

I am not really go deep into the match here because there is not all that much to talk about. No one had a good game, Maldini made some stellar defensive plays, but those don’t really mean much considering the end result. The team showed a flash or two here or there of knowing how to play, but never really did anything all that special. Without naming names a certain bunch of players flat out sucked, Pirlo, Pato, Seedorf, Kaladze, Dinho, and Emerson, sorry I let that slip, but I think I have made my point.

The reason I don’t want to go into the match is because the problems with this squad far outweigh the problems that were shown in this game. Not to mention the repercussions of this loss are far deeper than a few of us wanted to mention in the comments. For me this loss is the one that kisses the scudetto goodbye, I will not be optimistic here, it will take a small miracle for Milan to play through these injuries and push the top of the table. It will also take a bit of falling off from Juventus and Inter, only their play deep into the CL could possibly save us. Ol’Sil may have beaten me to it, but the objective of the 08 mission is now to qualify for the CL and quite possibly win the UEFA Cup.

As I do with most tough Milan losses, I call my cousin in the boot to discuss, and both of us came up with the same end result following our discussion. It is time to rebuild this club. Burn me at the stake if you want, but selling Kaka, Dinho, or even Pirlo will make way for a new crop of young blood and talent that this team can be built around. While the fire sale happens you may as well interview some new coaches with a short list including Van Basten, The Don, Frankie Rijkaard, and Arsene Wenger. It is time for a change…

It may seem like I am throwing in the towel , but my optimism has long since gone. Watching Juventus flaunt a team of youngsters all capable of ball control, attacks, and speed left me jealous. Watching Amauri do the Dinho dance only compounded my desire for a beast of a striker capable of that “kick the other team in the mouth” mentality. Ranieri has the embarrassment of riches that Milan can only one day hope to have.

As I finish ranting I want to leave you with two quotes from the comments that have stuck with me for the past few days the first being from Shingi:

“You can’t be mad at an old racehorse after he gets beat by a stud.”

With the second being from BigDawg:

“Maybe they (Milan) just aren’t as good as we thought they were.”

My apologies if they are not exact, but either way they ring true in this circumstance and should give food for thought as this season continues. Tomorrow Milan plays Wolfsburg in an absolutely meaningless game, but for morales sake, and the confidence of many fans, a win would go a long way in making us remember if in fact this team is capable of it. Or they will just hang onto mediocrity with every last shred of strength. Tomorrow should be a run out for a fair share of youngsters such as Antonini, Vuidez, and others. It will show Carletto does in fact have have the ability to pick youngsters and see who is capable in the Serie A as well. If Carletto however goes with Favalli, Emerson, and Seedorf than my white flag is in fact right on time.