Recap, Better Late than Never

By: Gianfranco | March 17th, 2009

I have never seen a team win two games so easily, yet play so erratically, and basically find a way to get out of their own way enough to score five goals. This Milan team is in fact a real enigma in the truest sense. One match we have the supposed firepower of Kaka and Ronaldinho and we can’t score, while in another we have absolutely no creative players and we win by three goals. As a fan I shake my head and say by all rights and reservations these last two games should have been one goal draws or even worse, losses, considering the circumstances, but when you look at the last two games and you see a brace by Pato, a goal by Pirlo, and five by Pippo you start to think that maybe this shipping is righting itself after all. I mean these were guys were in a funk, Pato’s being a few weeks with no goals, Pippo’s a few more, and Pirlo’s a few months. Either way the team found a way to get it done and earns the three points yet again.

The three points on this occasion were the most costly of the season as it appears we have lost Abbiati . For all it is worth I do believe Abbiati’s return was the best move we made all summer. He has provided timely saves, sensible play, and a calming presence in the back. This was a far cry from last season were Dida had to be replace by Kalac who did just enough to remind us that we did need a real GK. With the defense the way it is staying in the top four is going to be a challenge.

The midfield was a mystery on Sunday which makes the five goals even more of a surprise. Ambrosini was nonexistent and Flamini was not that far off either. Both players did well getting to the ball but both won very few and their passes, much like Becks and Pirlo were miserable. Pirlo however found a bit of match sense but Becks easily played his worst game in the Rossoneri. Centrally Becks lacks comfort and familiarity and his lack of a left foot which is not so apparent on the right is painfully obvious in the middle of the pitch.

The shining spot that helped Milan push the issue against Siena was the duo of P&P. Pato and Pippo who very oddly enough rarely seem to play and feed off each other like Pato and Borriello did, have found an odd couple dynamic that has yielded 7 goals of Milan’s 8 in the past two weeks. Pippo continues to defy all odds, by all rights he should be spent by the 75th minute, but he manages to use his experience, his guile, and constantly puts himself in the best position to score. It certainly happens to have a young dynamic striker partner that can create and open space for you on all areas of the box while opposing defenders give chase.

Speaking of opposing defenders it is safe to say that Siena were not as a solid as Atalanta last week. Maccarone plays well, but the rest of the club seems to lack a real organizational sense that is the cornerstone of relegation surviving clubs. Usually you hate to play a bottom three team in this stage of the season, but Siena seems to have begun the slide that demises many teams. Milan did well to capitalize on the situation, but the schedule is never forgiving in Serie A and many of the teams won’t be pushovers.

The important thing to take from this match is the fact that Dida, who looked at times a bit unkeen on being in there. Hopefully he gained some confidence and continues to build on that. More than ever we need him to be a success…