Just a few Thursday odds and ends to lead us into the weekend…
-We have embarked on a rousing for and against Carletto conversation in the past few days, but most of us have either conceded that a change is needed. With names like Rijkaard and Leonardo being tossed around it is hard to really pinpoint the perfect replacement. There are swirl of rumors surrounding everyone’s favorite Frenchmen, Arsene Wenger, and his imminent departure at Arsenal. With those rumors came Cesc Fabergas saying that he would follow Wenger wherever he may roam, anyone see good move here. Just imagine for a second what Wenger could do with a bit more of a substantial war chest, and imagine how nice Cesc would look alongside Ricky! I will come out say I am not Wenger’s biggest fan, but man I respect the guy, and if he was an option it is very hard to turn it down. Personally though I think Lyon is a Wenger away from a serious CL run, but then again anything can happen.
-Milanello has always been touted as the single greatest training ground for players of all ages. Why else can Maldini play into his forties, the Milanello magic of course? But lately this magic is looking more and more like curse with injuries making this team virtually useless come game time. Yes this is the time of the season where injuries are prominent, lots of games, coming off a holiday break, but with Borriello on the never coming back list, Nesta out still, and Kaka with a sore foot won’t go away you have to wonder what on Earth is going on here. Not to mention the mysterious unavailability of Ronaldinho, Ambrosini and Shevchenko. Last I read Sheva was having neck pains, no offense, but for a guy wants to regain his form, shouldn’t he shake off a sore neck and at least try to contribute at a time when he is needed most.
-Francesco on the main page posted an article from Goal.com and it is worth a read. To summarize, if referees didn’t make errors Milan would be in first place, surprise surprise, right? But I will say refereeing errors are part of the game, these people are making split decisions with really no room for error. Do I appreciate the mistakes, of course not, but it is what it is and muck raking like this only makes the problem seem worse than it really is. Yes Adriano scored with his arm a few weeks back, and sure Balotelli sure goes down easy for being a tank of a teenager, but if you let players get away with this in the EPL, CL, and Serie A it will only continue. For the time being this is part of the game, and unless there is a way to it solve without ruining the simplicity of this truly beautiful game, we are stuck with it. So we suck it up and move on…we never complain when things go our way, and in the same vain we shouldn’t make a mountain out of a molehill when they do not.
-Uncle Fester is claiming pride in our friendly win, great! But in the same sentence he is calling for thriftiness at the club. That is fine, and just because you are going to spend less on overage superstars doesn’t mean this team still can’t be successful. We are all hoping for a revolution and rebirth of players, but it is hard to make that happen in a time where clubs, not just Milan, are trying to make the right choices monetarily. As I pour over the roster, I can see certain removals, but I can only see a glimmer of hope in squad that with the right additions could still make some noise.
Logistically speaking agree or not, if we can sign Eto on a free transfer we have won half the battle. If we could somehow swing a big time CB, and possibly swoop for GRossi this team is looking more and more like it is salvageable. Problem lies with where on Earth do you get that CB, do you move for Gamberini? Someone like Vidic? What about young wingbacks? This problem can be addressed in a multitude of ways without truly breaking the bank. Do you sell Dinho and chalk it up as a loss or do we continue this should he play or does he fit BS? Do you dump Clarence and bring Abate home, why not? Consider Gourcuff a goner, how do you reinvest the 15M? We have done a lot of pissing and moaning in the last few weeks, rightfully so, but in what feel likes a downward spiral, there is still the promise of a player like Pato, the return of healthy Borriello, and the emergence of a Tiago Silva. This team has seen it all, hell even Serie B, and has always manage to claw back, no reason why it cannot be done again…