Coppa Wrap Up, Weekend Preview

Was I a bit brash in my into, maybe a little, but confidence in football is a good thing and Milan has a lot right now. Can't speak for team doom and gloom in these recent winning streak, in fact even they haven't been speaking and that's a welcome bit of relief. So here are some talking points following a 3-0 win in the Coppa and hoping for another 3 star victory on Sunday.

- Allegri made it clear that the Coppa would not be taken lightly, and even though the team was comprised of a few fringe players (Urby, Flamini, Bojan) the win was still solid. The typical rust from lack of chemistry and cohesion was evident in the first half, but in the second half Yepe opening the scoring and things got a bit easier. Urby and Bojan continue to play puzzling over complicated football, but can you blame them? One's Dutch, one's Barca, I mean Spanish, just pass the ball already and run forward!? The Star of the show for me was Mr. Niang and the similiarities to Mario Balotelli are their for all to see. He has a lot of growing up to do, but the differences from what the Pato hype to what I saw yesterday are clear as day. Niang is a smart runner, tactically efficient and physically imposing...it appears for the time being Pato will now be referred to as Pato-who?

-Strasser was a bit of a revelation as well, and while he kept it painfully simple for the good of the squad, and his range of passing was limited, his performance was solid. I fully believe it will be Muntari in the role, who conveniently was left out of the African Cup Nations following an injury to DeJong. It begs the question, maybe Silvio does remember how to write checks? A solid development though and the DM role is a crucial one for this team and it's good to have options as the schedule gets congested early next year.

-Sunday Milan take on newly promoted Pescara, a joy to watch last season in Serie B led by talented youngsters Immbolie, Verrati, and Insigne. They have all moved on since last season and Pescara is in the struggle that is recent promotion. They do have promising youth in the form of former Milan prospect Simone Romagnoli, six appearances on the year, and often compared to Costacurta in his early stages. Also, Mattia Perin, and if anyone has seen Gabriel in action, this he makes Perin look like Buffon! Finally pay attention to 23 year old Milan target Vladimir Weiss, a solid midfielder who has progressed over the season, can play the left or right side and operates as box to box midfielder. Always fun to watch targets in action.

-Speaking of action, Allegri has some choices to make and rolling out the same team from last weekend might not be a bad bet. Sure DeJong is out, but can replaced with Ambro alongside Monthy and Nocerino. Throw in three at the top of Pazzo, Binho, and El Sharaaway with Niang on the ready and you have an exciting team with the ability to lock down this win.