Milan 1 – Bologna 2: The not so friendly San Siro…

By: Gianfranco | August 31st, 2008

It seemed that not being able to find a live stream for the second half was a blessing in disguise as the defense once again failed a squad that dominated possession, created chances, but was unable to finish when the ball was in front of the net. I can not talk all that much about the second half, having not seen it in it’s entirety, but after sitting in the hotel room in front of my laptop and reading countless articles and match recaps I am have begun to get the idea.

Possession and offensive play was not an issue today with the play flowing from Pirlo, Flamini, Dinho, and even Seedorf. It was a variable three headed monster that kept Bologna on their heels and forcing them to crowd their penalty area in an effort to keep Milan from scoring. The problem with all the chances, close to 15 in the first half, Milan was unable to capitalize except for a great link up with Ronaldinho and Ambrosini. As I watched, I wondered how nice it would have been to have a game tested striker blasting in all those chances, I just hope Borriello can be that guy, because Pippo and Sheva proved today that they are not the ones at this point and time.

Speaking of Ronaldinho, I have to say that my expectations of him today were little to none. I was planning on him pulling up a seat on the right or flank and standing their much like I saw in the Olympics, instead much to my surprise I saw him move to the center of the pitch, the end line, and even the penalty area, truly a spectacle in itself. But he did enough and showed progression today, even though there were times when the simple pass today would have been more beneficial than the shot at the magical one, but I am learning the way he plays, and what to expect from him, but today was by no means as poor as expected.

The real issue today was Milan’s weakness on the counter attack. A kryptonite last season as well, specifically when we dropped points to the likes of Atalanta, today exposed Milan’s ability to track back when on the attack, and their penchant for becoming extremely disorganized in front of the box. Bologna was able to succeed on two well orchestrated plays that left the Rossoneri with their heads up their asses; the sad fact of the matter is that the defense played well the rest of the match. On a tactical note, there seems to be a lack of communication between CB’s and their duties specifically when a wingback is in the attack. But a DM, says Flamini or Ambro, should also be able and be responsible to fall back and fill gaps. The bright side is that this is a very fixable issue, and hopefully with some consistency in personnel it will be resolved sooner than later.

There really isn’t much more I want to say at this time, once I watch the game in its entirety I will post again. I will say however that though that if Juve and Viola draw, than this loss is far less of a travesty than it needs to be. Remember last season in the EPL Man U had only three points after three matches and what happened to them?