Welcome to Purgatory

By: Gianfranco | May 19th, 2008

I just stomached Inter’s scudetto celebration on FSC. Why you ask would I do such a thing? As much as I love watching Paolo hoist ol big ears, there is something special about winning the scudetto, and I quite frankly I miss it. With that in mind I am going to put a positive spin on the goings on of this campaign. Sunday’s game was to little to late, and I have always joked that if Milan had saved a goal or two from their blow out wins they could have put them into the shutouts that they have suffered to the likes of Empoli earlier in the year. Udinese had absolutely nothing to play for and I will not look at that game any further than that, but I will say that Ambrosini is the man.

So where does that leave the club? Welcome to the UEFA Cup, or as one commenter called it “Purgatory” because we sure aren’t in heaven of CL and definetely not in hell in no Euro play hell, plus this cup is a piece of silverware that Milan have never hoisted. People think of this as a negative thing, but in fact it is truly a feat because they consistently played in the Champions League. What is even more important is that the door is now open for Milan to build a club capable of winning the Serie A which should be top priority. The last time Milan went on a downturn they came out strong and refound their form with a scudetto and there is no reason why the same can’t be done now.

The good news is they will begin a year of rebuilding with the services of Rino Gattuso who has confirmed that he will remain at the San Siro. I do not what was promised to Rino in his closed door meeting with Fester, but whatever it was it was sweetest enough to keep the snarling dog where he rightfully belongs. But the real question that is going to burn up the ACMilan Offside this off season is who to bring in and why?

The transfer season got off to a hot start with the addition of Flamini, but there is a talk that a young GK, Hugo Lloris, is en route well. It seems that Lloris is on the move to Serie A either way, but Palermo is also in the mix for the young French keeper. I think it is an intelligent signing but for me a goalie who could step into first team football is a much better idea. Lloris will be good for years to come but with a young goalie comes big game jitters and a fair amount of mistakes.

It is safe to say then that a GK is in the works but a defender and striker are still on the shopping list and Wednesday’s CL final will have a lot to do with that. Drogba is my favorite transfer rumor, but Tevez of ManU may also become available if he feels that he is not getting his fair shake for Sir Alex. Another striker who is been on and off the radar is David Villa who with Valencia finishing low in La Liga may make some noise to leave the club. San Siro is a great place for David even though Spanish players rarely leave the friendly confines of Spain, but if Torres can do it so can Villa.

I do expect to see a fair amount of the loan list of players, especially Darmian and Marzoretti being brought back home to solidify the back line and add depth to a team that desperately lacked it. Milan has a tradition of strong Italian based defenses, and there is no reason why that tradition can’t continue. Milan boasts a 51% Italian base and with whatever transfers over the season I would like to see that basic chemistry remain intact not only for Milan but the for the good of the Italian national team as well, but we will talk more about that as the off-season wears on.

I also want to take a minute to say thank you for all the birthday well wishes, and a bunch of praise for the Milan Offside. This family of Milan would be absolutely nothing without you guys and I hope this summer I can do a few things to give you guys some creative avenues.

On a final note, Hana reminded me that Milan’s offensive motor, Andrea Pirlo is celebrating a birthday. Happy Birthday to Pirlo!