Going away to a team deep in the relegation battle is never an easy prospect. I would consider this game very much a carbon copy of last week, except this time it is away from home which has proved to be a bit more friendly to the Rossoneri than we have come to expect. Regardless of where or when, this is again a must win for Milan as they continue to climb the ladder to the top four.
It is imperative that Milan and specifically Carletto feed off last weeks win and continue to play the xmas tree with Pippo as the star. With this fixture away from home I wouldn’t mind seeing Gila getting a fair shake, especially if Pato continues to battle the world’s most mysterious muscular injury. Ambro and Bonera are both back from suspension and I would not be all that upset to see them both back in the lineup. It is easy to forget that before the red card Bonera was playing at a very high level, and I am curious to see if he can rekindle that form. The rest of the lineup is pretty straightforward with very limited discussion on Maldini’s injury from next week. It is beginning to look more and more like he may return next year, and if in fact he does, shutting him down for this campaign to come back strong next year is not a bad idea.
MUSINGS…
-The Dinho debacle continues hot and heavy with the Milan camp here at the offside as well at San Siro seem to be torn. It is no secret that I am not in favor of the move, and it appears I have some big backing in the form of Little Berlusconi who also believes that the money can be better spent. The math is simple, 1 unneeded attacking midfielder = 1 GK, 1 FB, and 1 Striker (potentially), it’s a no-brainer, no?
-Cafu is looking to continue at Milan because he feels young and ready to roll. Cafu, your service has been appreciated and in fact it has been necessary at times. But alas all good things come to an end at your time at Milan is no different. Cafu there are days where I feel extremely good, but you don’t see me doing things that are really that feasible. It reminds of the guy who drinks 10 beers and says "Hey I am not all that drunk" and decides to drive home, not very bright. Last time I checked Fenerbache was also accepting applications for has-been Brazilians, heck they can have Emerson for free.
-I want to take a minute here to talk about Champions League, and as I Milan fan my desire final. For me it has to be Chelsea vs. Barca. For obvious reason L’Pool does not hold a special place in my heart and watching Riise unable to make a right footed clearance and score the pretties own goal I have ever seen was pure class. With that being said Chelsea has earned my respect over the years, despite their new manager being and idiotic moron. I also dislike ManU because quite frankly I am jealous of their depth, and they remind me of past Milan teams, and I would prefer the comparisons to stop here and Barca to advance. Could you imagine the fallout if former Milan man Frankie Rijkaard can win the CL trophy, or at least make the final, sans Ronaldinho. It takes balls to bench a former world player of the year, and it takes even more balls to succeed without him.
