AC Milan Blog

News on the Milan front has been painfully slow during this International break so there is little of importance to address so I will jump right into the Chievo preview, and more importantly address the fact that the team, heavy emphasis on the team as a whole, has improved over the course of the past three matches and it is imperative this improvement continues and peaks in and around the Derby in November. While the Derby is always the utmost importance the play and performances leading up to it are even more important in earning the points needed to mount a legitimate title challenge.
Historically Chievo has provided little resistance to AC Milan, and granted while all the matches have not exactly been pretty or surefire victories, Milan has almost always come out on top. But playing teams like Chievo who defend deep and counter with pace has proved a kryptonite for Allegri’s Milan and there is no time like to present to break this cycle and do what a good team of “champions” should do and break a defense team with goals early forcing them out of their shell.

Goals may be an issue as Zlatan has been nursing an injury and playing two games for Sweden may not give him the needed to time to get healthy and play at the highest level. With a congested fixture list in the next few weeks Allegri may use this opportunity to try a different formation and get the big Swede a rest if possible, but at the same time both Pato and Robinho are coming off International matches as well, albeit friendlies of less importance.

In the past three matches Allegri has deployed a more balanced formation resembling a hybrid 4-3-1-2/4-3-2-1. It has been effective and mostly because Ronaldinho is doing what is needed of him in the center of pitch and playing some defense with Robinho dropping back and in as well to clog space and stop counters. In these recent games, in which Milan has been successful, it has been mostly an issue a balance and Allegri would be keen to keep that in place. On paper this may be a match where he can tinker and as mention earlier find players a match to rest, but if he does go to the bench he needs to do so in a manner effective to the player chosen and the team as whole. For example, throwing Onyewu alongside Silva or Nesta for a match like this should be considered, maybe Strasser in the mid alongside Pirlo and Rino? I am not advocating for a squad of youngsters, but mixing in a bench player here and there to rest starters in a match like this should be considered. By doing this Allegri sends a message to everyone involved by integrating new players while still expecting a result, two trends that have become lost at AC Milan.

Your guess is as good as mine on the lineup, but if I were picking things it would go as follows:

Amelia for the injured Abbiati with Abate, Onyewu, Nesta, Antonini, a three man midfield of Pirlo, Strasser or Merkel, and one out of the three in KPB, Rino, and Flamini. Ronaldinho or Seedorf can play CAM and a striker partnership of Robinho and Pato with Pippo ready for second half cameo.

This lineup maintains balance and chemistry in the right areas, while giving an opportunity to rest Zlatan and integrate new players in different spots. By mixing in some pacey youth it will also help defend against Chievo’s quick counters and give us some pace to help breakdown the potential defensive presence. All and all this is a good spot to take three points, beat a team that defends deep, and get chances for some new players in a match that is important but not impossible to be successful in. If those keys are met then this fixture will be a success on more than just the pitch…wishful thinking I know! We can all have a laugh when Allegri rolls out Zambro, Nesta, Silva, Antonini, Pirlo, Rino, Seedorf, Dinho, Zlatan and Pato…

For those still interested, the team I coach is now ranked seventh in the nation, we won again on Tuesday and have match Friday as well, hoping to break the top five next week, if any of the boys are reading keep up the good work and train hard, nothing is going to stop you if you keep playing hard and as a team!

I planned on staying away all weekend, but my coaching life has put me on a personal high as the High School boys team that I coach is officially National Ranked ninth in the NSCAA Adidas National Rankings!! We won an overtime game on Friday evening to capture the ranking and push our record to 10-1. If you are reading boys, keep up the good work and let’s crack the top 5!! With that said, I can’t seem to stay away from the beautiful game or AC Milan, International breaks or not, so it is time we talk a bit about Kaka.

A few years ago when Ronaldinho was brought into the fold purely for the sake of Old Silvio I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that it meant the end of Kaka at AC Milan. While I can’t say it was explicitly true anyone who watched the 2006 World Cup with any sort of critical eye walked away asking the question can these guys possibly play together? Results for Brazil tend to point to no, but it gave management the push it needed to sell Kaka to Real Madrid letting a player who was more than just a player walk out of the Red and Black forever, unless…


Jose Mourinho always has a penchant for freezing someone out of his teams, he did it with Sheva, Balotelli, and now Kaka, and it usually is not long before these players are sent packing. Now I can’t quite tell what Mourinho is doing exactly, maybe making a statement that no player is safe, or that no player is larger than the Club, but doing this to a player like Kaka is puzzling. Yes he has not played well at Real, nor been able to stay healthy, but any Milan fan will tell you how good he can be, and more importantly how utterly humble he can be at the same time.

Enter Uncle Fester, who even saved Sheva from his Mourinho induced purgatory at Chelsea, now looking to do the same thing for Kaka. Let’s first be clear on a few things before we go getting all weepy eyed. Selling Kaka was a very intelligent piece of business; mind you I said business, and nothing having to do with the product on the pitch, which has been average since he left. But Milan sold Kaka in true Arsenal style getting the most for a player at his peak only seeing him decline the minute he left the team, like a new car leaving the lot, Kaka’s value has plummeted since the day he left. Not to mention whoever conducted his medical at Madrid should be fired! So if in the outside chance Kaka does return to Milan, it will certainly be cheaper than the sale price and most likely merely be Real Madrid saving on future payments to AC Milan, but I can’t help but feel this is a continuing step backward for a team stuck in neutral for the past 3 seasons.

I like Kaka, can’t thank him enough for everything he did for this team and these colors, but getting him back will only continue this aging player mentality on a team that can’t seem to shake free of the old ghosts in favor of injecting some new young players. Any money spent on the deal could easily go to reshape the team and add depth to desperately thin positions. Not to mention that even if Ronaldinho skips town, it doesn’t help the constant dilemma of a lack of balance and finding a place for three one trick Brazilians and a giant Swede! In essence it only compounds the problem of no real attacking midfielder and no real depth on the defensive flanks, all and all a bad piece of business. Even if he comes in on loan for next to nothing, it just prolongs the agony of getting the reinforcements so desperately needed for this Club to move forward.

Simply put, I vote NO to Kaka coming back. Even if his choice was to stay in spite of the management wanting to cash in, his time at Milan is finished. The memories, the trophies, the matches, and everything else good coming from his time at Milan will always be there and never forgotten. Who knows maybe Carletto gives him a try in the EPL and the XMAS tree lives to play another game? Now to indulge in one last trip down memory lane…we kept the wrong Brazilian…

With an International break on the horizon I have decided to take the weekend off from posting, but will resume in earnest next week. In the meantime if you need your AC Milan Offside fix you can now follow the blog on Twitter, why I have done such a thing I don’t know, the normal person would have gone the Facebook route but the whole idea of people tagging me on their wall gives me the creeps, so Twitter won the battle of the lesser of the two evils. In the meantime here is your musings…

-Thank goodness the International break is upon us because both Luca Antonini and Cristian Abbiati suffered injuries against Parma. Amelia should stand in fine for Abbiati who currently leads Serie A with the best goal against average, while Luca Antonini should be back in action with one of those fancy masks, to bad his won’t say Pazzo.

-Surprise surprise, Rino Gattuso did not get along with Leo! Rino comes across as the type of guy who either loves you; therefore fighting everyone or anything for you, or he just plain doesn’t like you. Hopefully if I ever come across him I fall into the like category, I wouldn’t want to cross that guy…

-Gianluca Zambrotta has been recalled by Cesare Prandelli, this is when I simply ask why? The guy has clearly lost a step and why the National Team can’t move on with guys like Cassani and Balzaretti is completely beyond me. Borriello has earned a call back, rightfully so with his goals for Roma, Gila Part II anyone?? But his tirade toward Ranieri doesn’t fly on any team, keep your mouth shout when you get subbed, the Coach always knows better than you.

-The Atomic Ant, Sebastian Giovinco, has joined the list of players who supported AC Milan as a child. Considering now that Guiseppe Rossi, Mario Balotelli, and now Giovinco have all confessed their past love and none of them actually play for Milan it is safe to say the loving the Club is probably a kiss of death. Especially when the Club doesn’t seem to be a fan of you!? Hmm, maybe if they were from a certain Country in South America we would be ogling them like Berlu ogles teenagers!? Stop for a minute an imagine a 4-2-3-1 with those three behind Zlatan, it would be the most dynamic, youthful, and exuberant attack Milan has seen in ages, forget I even mentioned it because it will NEVER HAPPEN.

-Robinho, Pato, and Silva have all been called up for National team duty, Ronaldinho is still waiting patiently by the phone. If it wasn’t for weight limits on suitcases he may have snuck on with one of his mates…

-Milan are after right winger Pedro Leon…a winger?? Really?? Are we trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice with a winger into a FB?? Not willing to chance it, in the words of Mourinho Pedro Leon is not Maradona, Pele, and he sure as hell is not Serginho. Let me make this clear Fester, we don’t need any more attackers…

-Following the International break the schedule is going to get really hectic with Serie A, CL matches, and even the Coppa Italia on the horizon. Allegri will need all hands on deck and hopefully the players not called up are being worked to fitness.

For the first time all season it appeared as though Massimo Allegri got his tactics right, but if you take a good look at the course of the season, it was not so much Allegri getting it “right” but the opponents getting wrong. For the third time this season Milan went out against an opponent who were willing to attack instead of defend with ten men and therefore allowing Milan to employ one of their crucial keys to victory: time in the midfield.

If you look at the matches against Lecce, Genoa, and Parma each team came out with the tactical plan of attacking Milan, committing players into the attack and forcing Milan to defend. With that game plan each team paid as Milan’s midfield, and specifically Andrea Pirlo, were given time and space to operate and in turn dictate both the tempo and the attack at a measured pace that allowed Milan to be in control. In Milan’s three matches in which they essentially dropped points, their opponents: Lazio, Cesena, and Catania; committed less players to the attack and decided to defend and counter which proved divesting to the Milan midfield unable to cope with the pace of the attack.

Against Parma Allegri chose to deploy Ronaldinho in a CAM role, much akin to his role against Lecce, in the attacking stages of the match, but it was in the defensive stages that Allegri proved wise in his tactical drilling. When Parma was in possession of the ball Robinho dropped a bit deeper alongside Ronaldinho into a pseudo 4-3-2-1, and the fullbacks stayed pinned back in line with the center backs. This allowed nine out of the ten outfield players to get behind the ball and keep Parma’s in front of them instead of chasing into a race a goal to that they could never win. When possession was regained Milan instantly morphed getting Robinho forward and even a fullback on the opposite allowing Pirlo to play a disruptive and difficult to deal with ball which was perfectly represented in a chance on goal from Pirlo to Antonini to Robinho, but ultimately did not find the back of the net.

While neither Robinho nor Ronaldinho had any sort of tackling presence, their shear willingness to drop back clogged up passing lanes for Parma’s two deep lying midfielders making it difficult for them to retain possession and find passes forward. Milan were fortunate on this day that Giovinco was injured and Bojinov played minor roles as the Atomic Ants quick feet and smart passing may have helped Parma break down the defensive setup. Candreva was admirable but often times he lacked the support needed as Crespo was not up to the challenge of dealing with both Nesta and Silva on his own.

It is a promising step forward for a team that seemed to lack any real direction in the past few weeks and it would appear that Allegri is finally beginning to put his stamp on this team but there is still room for improvement. His substitutions could have easily been more intelligent by removing an attacker and introducing both Boateng and Flamini to further clog the midfield, but his introduction seemingly showed his lack of confidence in holding a lead which was an Achilles heel for the team last season; all and all a better performance and continuing step in the right direction.

The AC Milan Offside Blog is still not on Facebook, maybe someday, but you can follow the blog on Twitter so check it out!

First and foremost this is a win I am proud to hang my hat on. Now I know we only won one nil and were wasteful in front of goal, but this team got three points away from home, dominated possesion, stood strong on defense, and made good on a lineup that was less than balanced. Funny that the little issue of finishing is still hanging around? Regardless, it is this type of win that when stacked up leads to titles, and while Milan is still far from a title hopeful, this day at least starts with AC Milan right where they belong, top of the Serie A table.

Allegri went ahead and deployed a 4-3-3, but the tactics seemed to changed early and for the better as both Ronaldinho and Robinho tucked inside into a pseudo XMAS tree when Parma was in possession of ball. While neither was a tactical dynamo, the mere fact that they were able to pester and close down the two DM’s in Parma’s 4-2-3-1 kept Parma from breaking super fast counters leaving the back like exposed. The dynamic tactics didn’t end there, in stages of Milan’s possession the team switch into a 4-3-1-2 with Ronaldinho in the middle and while much like the tackling he didn’t really wow with his CAM performance, he did enough to play simple when he could and move the ball off his feet. Was it a stellar performance, not by any stretch of the word, but it was the time of adaptation and evolution of his play style that this team desperately needs.

I don’t want to spend to much time on the tactics side of the match as I hope to sum it up next Tuesday or Thursday with a proper tactics piece, but as someone mentioned in the comments it was the first time that this team actually seemed cognizant and aware of positioning, roles, and responsibilities. The way they changed on the fly, took advantage of weaknesses and vacated spaces in the Parma defense actually showed what a team with experience and guile should look like, all I can say is FINALLY.
Have to admit there was some frustration in the play of Zlatan and Robinho who were consistently in good positions but seemed disjointed time and time again as to who was willing to shoot, their runs of each other were also not in sync. It certainly didn’t help that Mirante had an epic formation, which is par for the course against Milan, but either one of them scores on this day and this game is a statement and a solid victory. I was also disappointed in the play of the wingbacks but at times it seemed like they were almost forced to stay home. It also didn’t help that Parma was keen to expliot the flanks early as they had little resistance until the fullbacks pressured, but once Allegri shifted Dinho and Binho in the problem was solved.

The day however belonged to a one Andrea Pirlo, who merely a week or two ago was being slandered on this blog as though he was on par with the worst footballer in the World. For those who have yet to understand the value of this player to this team, today was a prime example, he was in the middle of almost every pass from defense to attack and his shot was pure class. I don’t even think he needs to be the man to score goals, but the high percentage passes into feet of our “danger”players kick started almost all of Milan’s chances on Parma goals. It is unfortunate the excellent ball to Antonini was not finished by him or Robinho across the goal mouth.

It is becoming increasingly evident that if Milan’s opponent on the day do not hassle Pirlo then he will be able to do what he does best and Milan will be successful. Parma came out with the intention to attack and Milan was more than able to handle it, but if the opponent decides to pack the box Milan have yet to find an answer to successfully attacking the ten man defense. Allegri now has a bit more options at his disposal as the past few weeks have given him flexibility in personnel and formation and as Pato and Ambro become match fit the team should continue to improve and hit its stride.

Ladies and Gentleman, say goodbye to my crappy match post pictures and welcome back the AC Milan photo shop prodigy! Finally a Ro masterpiece graces our match post!

Allegri decided it was finally time to switch out of the 4-3-3 but instead of shifting rather nicely into his preferred 4-3-1-2, he seemingly opted for a diamond midfield. The differences between the diamond midfield versus the 3 man midfield with a CAM are in fact rather subtle, but against Ajax it was easy to see the differences, and for a brief period late on in the second half there was even a cameo of the most polarizing formation AC Milan has ever seen, the XMAS TREE!

The four man diamond midfield is actually my personal favorite, it allows for the outside midfielders to act as wingers giving the team width, or playing more narrow depending on the opponent. It also gives you consistent overlaps with the fullbacks and if deployed properly can wreak havoc on the flanks. The problem with Milan is that the outside midfielders (Rino and Flamini) are not exactly winger types and the width and overlap is kind of lacking. So Allegri’s choice of a diamond midfield was puzzling and it allowed Ajax to operate in the space in the center of the diamond forcing one of the wide DM’s to check in and then vacate space on the flanks.

The three midfielders, plus one CAM, happened on occasion when Pirlo was able to step up in line with Rino and Flamini and the team got more narrow in the midfield. This allowed Milan some leeway to attack with numbers and actually was part of the run of play that led to the goal, allowing Pirlo to get into a more advanced position, pushing Seedorf even farther for a great combination, but sadly this 4-3-1-2 deployment was the exception not the norm. Not sure why really as Allegri should have the confidence and ability to make these types of decisions and recommendations on the fly.

Even more interesting about the match was the shifting of Robinho alongside Seedorf on the left making Milan almost appear in the old standby XMAS tree. This posed a unique problem for Ajax in a 4-3-3 with only a CM midfielder who is not known for his defensive prowess to deal with two AMs and forcing a shift in their lines. This shift actually allowed Robinho a bit of freedom and space to operate in front of the defense as opposed to being man marked by the RB or CB. This is actually an intriguing side plot to this match because of the potential of an XMAS tree with Pato and Robinho behind Zlatan, a variation that they will most likely be playing for the Selecao and there is no reason Allegri can not exploit this to his and the team’s advantage. The caveat is that Zlatan will have to be much more dynamic moving laterally along the defensive line creating space for Pato and Robinho to run at the defense and be lethal, as much as we don’t need to relive the Carletto years, but the XMAS tree may be the answer…

So the burning question, what happens with Parma?? The last time these two teams met Parma was victorious and robbed Milan of three very important points so this match is not to be taken lightly. Allegri now has a plethora of options, 4-3-3, 4-3-2-1, 4-4-2 (diamond mid/sometimes called 4-1-2-1-2), or 4-3-2-1, with neither of them being all that surefire or instilling comfort. So the questions start first with personnel. If Pato is available I think there is no time like the present to try the 4-3-2-1 with Robinho alongside him behind Zlatan. The 3 man midfield should include Pirlo, KPB, and Flamini, with Abate and on the right flank to provide some width. This shift may be just the what Milan needs to shock a team like Parma, and as long the players are tactically training for new formations no reason to not try this now, while no one is comfortable!

The goal against really bugged me and I will touch on that shortly, but if you have not seen the match and missed Robinho’s sitter in the 29th minute then you don’t understand anger! Back to the goal for a moment, it was a well worked goal by Ajax, with Suarez being the danger man as expected, but a positional breakdown and lack of cover out of Milan was the most alarming. Nesta was nutmegged in a spot that should have been occupied by Zambro, Silva was beat behind in a spot that should have been occupied by Nesta, and the goal scorer was open instead of being marked by Silva. To make matters worse both Rino and Antonini were in a position to make a play and neither reacted. All and all a comedy of defensive errors, all of them correctable, and all of them terrible, but the rest of the game was not as bad as the comments lead me to believe. Let’s be clear here a draw away from home in the CL is a ticket to the knockout stages, and while no single player was exquisite, this is a team game after all, but the formation shift and performance looked like a good building block.

The talk for the past few days has been the formation shift of AC Milan from the counter-prone 4-3-3 into a more balanced midfield friendly 4-3-1-2. The problem with the 4-3-1-2 is at times during the match it resembled a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield which actually helped Ajax more than it helped Milan. With the midfield moving into a diamond it gave room for Ajax to operate in the center of that diamond and then exploit the wings when Rino or Flamini had to come inside, instead of Pirlo stepping up or Seedorf helping back, in fact it was this type of play that led to the Ajax goal. On the Milan front the formation did help with passing in the midfield as Seedorf was showing for the ball closer to the making the formation more compact and allowing Milan to make shorter higher percentage passes, but possession was still wasted too often in the attacking third. The space in the attacking third was an added bonus with both Zlatan and Robinho moving into different spaces to pressure the defense, but to often that space was not exploited with any sort of pace.

All and all, the formation was better and while it didn’t provide three points, it provided a bit more in terms of possession, balance, and dynamic attackers challenging the defense. Not bad for the first 90 minutes it was used, away from home and at a stadium that is historically hostile to AC Milan as some of us recalled in the comments of the match post. Allegri still has some work to do, but this is not a bad step in shaping the team into a more solid formation that works to the strengths of ALL the player’s available, and not just one or two. It will be even more interesting to see how it works with Pato and Zlatan up top, as the pace and strength of the two may prove lethal. If only the summer had brought a proper CAM…

As for the some of the other performances, Flamini saw his first start and was his same pestilent self. Fortunate not to see red on his 40th minute challenge, and Allegri had seen enough by the 51st minute, anyone still harboring a belief that this guy can play every match and make a difference?? I am not. Robinho in his second start was wasteful on more than one occasion, which is ironic considering how “starved” we were for goals that management spent the whole wallet on strikers. Zlatan however scored yet again, and while it is infuriating to see him do relatively nothing otherwise, he has finished as advertised. Zambro was often burned by Suarez, and I was hoping Allegri would counter pace with pace by starting Abate but that was also not the case. Rino continues to look like a man with new legs, but even has to be getting gassed with this crowded fixture list. Seedorf was average on this day, but he and Pirlo were both responsible for the goal on a great link up. My biggest gripe with Seedorf in the CAM role on this day was to many one touch passes, he just to predictable. I like his passing, or that he sometimes change the pace of the game, or that he likes to take a snap shot, but he did none of that today. It was almost all to simple out of him, which is usually a very good thing, but when he had time or chance to shoot he just didn’t read the game properly.

As I said earlier, a draw away from home in a CL match, is usually a good way to go. In fact if you win your home games and draw all your away games you have a pretty good chance of playing in the next stage, so we are well on our way in that sense. But there is still little to be optimistic about on a player to player basis with each and every match, the team as a whole is finally improving, but the players still look disjointed and lacking any real chemistry. Hopefully Allegri has the balls to stick to the formation and gets a solid rotation going so that players have both the confidence and comfort to succeed. Saturday against Parma should help prove that, or we just go right back to the 4-3-3 and get ready for a countering loss!?

Nearly fifteen years ago and but I remember it like yesterday, now give me something to forget it…

Well first things first, it is great to get three points, but better is the fact that Milan showed some resolve and won a match in which they were out played and out possessed for long stretches. It took a sublime pass from Pirlo and an even better finish from Zlatan to get the win, but they hung with it and showed that they can in fact win, even if they don’t score 5 goals or play this so called “champagne football” that has yet to come to fruition despite the talent on the pitch. I think the commentator Shaka Hislop said best, “For all the talent on the field there was a real lack of quality.”

The first and most important issue to address is the shape of the team in the 4-3-3 vs the 4-4-2. The difference was almost night and day, the team was more suited to absorb the Genoa runs forward as they chased the goal, but the attack was more dynamic with Zlatan and Robinho popping up in various spots of the attacking third forcing Genoa’s defenders to actually follow and mark as opposed to wait for the ball to be played into a static section of the 3 man front line. It also allowed the midfielders to support the play of the strikers and create dangerous late runs that forced Genoa to track back. Too bad it was Flamini on the end of some of those great combination’s, no one will mistake him for a goal scorer on this day, and hopefully all those anointing him as the midfield savior will see his value as a DM and not necessarily as an attacking threat.

The real surprise today was the play of the much maligned Rino and Pirlo who were very strong in the midfield; working in tandem as needed for this team to be successful. Was it a byproduct of Genoa’s willingness to attack or the work rate of Boateng on the other side? It is tough to tell but it is a welcoming sign as Flamini gains match fitness and Ambro returns from injury, this team will need all midfield hands on deck to be successful. Had Allegri played his cards a little better he would have subbed Flamini for Dinho instead of Rino, and then got Rino or Pirlo some rest with the introduction of Seedorf. The way the team changed they may have even created a second goal as Genoa pressed men forward and we could have countered more effectively with the two strikers as evidenced late on.

On a more sour note, the play of Ronaldinho and Robinho in the wide positions was horrendous. Often times Genoa needed not commit more than one defender to either player making things challenging for the fullbacks as they were not given space to operate because Genoa didn’t have to commit extra players to the ineffective Brazilians. Credit to both Abate and Antonini for getting forward and making good on a few good passes and crosses when given the option while still covering back, this was actually possible with Boateng covering intelligently in front of the defense. For those fanboys still hell bent on the need for these two guys to play, and play together, I want to see your thoughts on a performance that at times made Milan appear to be down to eight men? If anything today showed that a 4-4-2/-4-3-1-2 variation is the way forward, if Allegri doesn’t see that then he can join Leo in the unemployment line, but more importantly if Silvio doesn’t see it, he should stop wasting his money on Coaches and just phone in the 4-3-3 lineup…

Defensively Milan showed much more organization and skill against a team willing to attack. Abate proved effective and the wing play of Genoa was for the most part neutralized; when they did succeed Abbiati answered the call making some fine saves late in the first half and had little left to do in the second half. I was impressed by Genoa and their possession, with credit going to Veloso who would have made a great addition to Milan, and pulled the strings for Genoa. Toni’s lack of mobility and pace did hurt Genoa but Nesta and Silva seemed up to stopping the majority of forward runs.

On Tuesday Milan make a trip to Holland to play Ajax, a place that still haunts my youth as they beat AC Milan in 1995 en route to a CL final. It should be a very interesting match where Allegri can potentially play more conservatively away from home and build on the steel in today’s performance. Initial reaction would warrant a 4-3-1-2 lineup with Seedorf behind a two striker duo any of the available strikers. Rino, Pirlo, and Boateng cane play in the mid with Flamini on deck to sub for Seedorf or the midfielders, giving Allegri flexibility depending on the circumstances. I also feel Abate has earned another chance and may prove helpful to match the pace of Suarez who likes to drift to that side of the pitch. Being a CL group stage match a draw is sufficient, but a three points would put Milan in good shape as they ready themselves for the test of Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid. The road is still long, but FINALLY a shift out of reverse and into drive for this team.

In case you missed the preview it’s here, the rest is up to you…

Saturday Milan welcomes Genoa and their fans to the San Siro after a 15 year hiatus stemming from a travel ban in 1995 for the stabbing of a Genoa supporter. The atmosphere for the game should be electric and both teams have failed to meet expectations after their heavily intertwined transfer market. This summer saw Kaladze and Zigoni go to Genoa from Milan for Sokratis and Prince Boateng, with a host of other co-ownership deals taking place as well. Both teams were active in their mercatos outside of the partnership as well, we all know Milan’s striker heavy exploits, but it was the moves Genoa made that should make Milan’s fans jealous with Rafinha and Veloso joining the squad, two positions in desperate need of depth at AC Milan. So as both teams limp into the fixture it will be interesting to see which team has found more chemistry and success with both of them desperately needing points.

Gasperini’s men have always been formidable opponents in Serie A, with their formation wreaking havoc with opponents defenses. This may not be the case as Gasperini looks for a more conservative 4-4-2 akin to the one used in Parma midweek. Genoa may actually look to attack early as the team is not built to sit back and defend. Luca Toni will spearhead the attack with Criscito and Palacio flying down the wings and Veloso anchoring the mid. Allegri will have to be worried about the wide play because if the wide strikers don’t track back there could be potential acres of space for Criscito and Palacio to exploit and create crosses for Luca Toni to finish. A wide midfield 4-4-2 could cause problems for the wide open 4-3-3 so it will be up to Allegri to set up Milan accordingly.

Up to now I have been lenient with Allegri because frankly looking at his roster chock full of forwards and lacking any real core players in the midfield this team was setup to fail. But there is no excuse for him to not go down without a fight and prove that he is capable of making tactical decisions that make a difference. The first one has to be benching Ronaldinho, and while you can all whine and I cry about how hard I am on Ronaldinho, if he plays the only viable formation is a 4-3-3, and if he doesn’t Allegri can FINALLY put a formation on the field that makes sense! So with Ronaldinho on the bench he can start Zlatan and Robinho up top, with Clarence behind and a midfield line of Flamini, Pirlo, and KPB. Defenders and keepers are whatever mix are healthy (and under 30) so they can run actually for 90 minutes in this crowded fixture period! If Allegri needs more steel he can play Rino in a flat four man midfield, giving Pirlo a bit of freedom to get forward in lieu of Clarence. This formation will balance the team in desperate need of a win, and will allow Allegri the ability to show some tactical know-how and flexibility in his system. Who knows maybe we thrash them in a 4-4-2/4-3-1-2 and even the Dinho fanboys become believers, but I won’t hold my breath.

Simply put, this team and this Coach need to make a change because the same floundering course of action is not going to get us anywhere. The team is playing like an open book that all of Serie A has read twice and until that changes the same simple man marking tactics that have worked, will continue to do so. Leaving Milan hopelessly hoofing balls into the box with absolutely zero answers on the counter. If Allegri wants to keep his job, and this team actually wants to win a game, the game plan needs to be defend first attack later. If the so called “clinical finishers” are as good as advertised they will make good on their few chances and the team will be strong and balanced at the back. I know it may not be the prettiest football on Earth, but frankly I don’t care a win is a win, not to mention the past three weeks of “champagne football” with Ronaldinho, Robinho and Zlatan have not exactly been easy on the eyes have they?

During the matches I often keep a running log of notes, so in lieu of a full review (I have to run to a training session and have a match tomorrow evening) I figured I would just share my notes. They are sequential and have not been edited to any great degree, so forgive their seemingly sporadic nature, they are after all notes!

-Milan has not lost to Lazio since 1998

-Lazio’s Angolese RB Cavanda is playing in only his second game, by all rights Ronaldinho should school him, the inconvenient truth, kid probably has pace, and that is all you need to beat the Brazilian.

-My initial reaction on seeing Milan’s lineup was a 4-3-1-2 with Seedorf in the hole and Boateng at LM, but instead it is just a 4-3-3…so much for trying something new. Hopefully he makes that shift…

-Zambro at LB means width on that side won’t probably happen, and Foggia should have room to run at Zambro.

-Zlatan goes through early, but his he apparently left his finishing boots at home, funny…I could have sworn he was brought in to finish!?

-The formation at times appears like an XMAS tree with Boateng pinching back and in, even marking a man, not sure what Ronaldinho is doing though?

-It frustrates me that everyone on this team looks to Prince to make runs, why can’t anyone else move their feet!

-Rino gets a yellow for pulling Mauri’s hair basically, but Abate was the one who did not get back and neither player was capable of getting into a proper covering position.

-Milan’s 3 man midfield is struggling with possession against Lazio’s 5 man midfield, not a good sign this early in the match, Lazio closing down quickly and often winning possession.

-Great combo passing by Lazio forcing a third good save from Abbiati, but they have space in the midfield and are using it well.

-Zlatan being triple marked but refuses to play quickly and get the ball off his feet, no one but Boateng looking to do anything with any sense of urgency.

-Couldn’t be more impressed with Cavanda at this point, he looks to be unmoved by our “champions.’’It infuriates seeing everyone grooming RBs/LBs and we are still paying Oddo…

-First half over, Milan lost the midfield and chances were few and far between by both teams with Abbiati be forced to work more than Muslera.

-Floccari shows some great skill but Abbiati with an easy save, too much space afforded to a striker who has made Milan pay in the past.

-Both teams playing far more compact this half, Milan absolutely needed it.

-Lazio has done very well to close off all passing lanes in and around the 18, they are holding their channels and doing a great job defending without the customary ten-man defense.

-Milan has made far too many hopeful chips into the 18, making the defenders job very easy.

-Finally a moment of magic, Seedorf plays a great through ball and Zlatan finds the back of the net slipping through Muslera and two defenders. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a GOAL! Milan need to galvanize here and not concede.

-Zlatan scores and suddenly finds legs to run and tackle!

-Flamini on for Gattuso, first appearance for the Frenchman and needs to show some worth here.

-Reja brought on Rocchi and now Zarate, really looking to equalize, should create space in the midfield to possess the ball and kill the game.

-Since Zarate has come on it is Milan defending with ten men.

-Hernanes gets by Nesta and Price with Abate down, plays a perfect ball to Floccari on the top of the six and Milan are back level with work to do, I can’t fault Lazio for pushing the issue, and now they look very dangerous, silly excuses when the ball could have been tackled by two players.

-Antonini on for Abate, swaps sides with Zambro.

-Floccari burns Zambro, plays Rocchi, and Milan very lucky, Milan
playing on their heels now with Lazio flying down the pitch, wouldn’t be surprised to see another goal for Lazio here.

-Robinho in for Clarence, Boateng should drop and a 4-3-3 should be in order with Robinho wide right.

-ZAMBRO WITH A LEFT FOOTED LASER OFF THE BAR, WHAT A SHOT ON THE VOLLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Hernanes with another great shot, no one closes down and Abbiati looking bothered.

-Last minute of regular time and Milan can’t complete a pass around the 18, five minutes of injury time nail-biting.

-Zlatan to nonchalant on a through ball dispossessed and Lazio break, Zambro to the rescue.

-Robinho dispossessed just the same, can’t fathom the lack of urgency or caring.

-BOATENG BLOCKED ON A VOLLEY! Oh he certainly deserved the goal for all his effort.

All and all another supremely frustrating performance, disjointed attack, no real link through the midfield and the passing was still poor. If you dissect portions of the game there was really little to be pleased, work rate was poor accept for Abate and Prince and the rest of the squad continues to look listless and disinterested. At this point a full five points behind Inter and you can take your patience a stick it because we are not making even making strides towards improvement. Thankfully another game is on the horizon and things can be fixed, but will they…

For the past three matches Milan has been presented with the same tactical deployment from their opponents. The dreaded kryptonite of AC Milan, the ten man defend and counter. How can such a simple game plan give a team of “champions” such trouble? Conventional wisdom says a team with such good players, all capable of possession and passing, should be able to overcome such a simple defensive setup. The problem is not so much the ten-man defense for AC Milan, as it is the venomous counters sprung with pace into empty spaces vacated by slowish players making runs into the attacking third in an attempt break down the defense while exposing their own.

Before I talk about the best way to defend the counter, I want to discuss the way to attack a ten-man defense. Both patience and possession are key to breaking down this defense. It is imperative for the attacking team to maintain possession with the forwards, in our case the three man line, at the edge of the attacking third forcing the opposing team to pressure high and create a bit of space for runners. Once the ball is being moved left to right effectively, and the defense begins to shift their pressure to the ball; runners can now move into the newly made channels for through balls to feet or lofted balls to space. The ideal attacking scenario for Milan would be a pass to Zlatan’s feet, whose back is most likely to goal, a switch from right to left or vice-versa and then a quick cross to an on running RB/LB or RM/LM. Now that is the simple recipe for creating space in such a compact defense, and while I am aware that it will never work so simply or easily, it is the foundation of the of pattern of play needed to find success.

The problem with this pattern of play is it requires quick, precise and razor sharp movements from deep positions forcing the defense to scramble and mark the runners; creating space for the attacking players in the process. For the current AC Milan roster these runs are being made by players that are not known for their ball skills or goal scoring prowess. There is little danger for a team to give Rino, Ambro, Flamini, Bonera, or even Antonini the space to make these runs because they will probably not make the killer finish. Now Boateng may be a different story, but until then we are stuck with three defensive minded midfielders and only one Prince. Instead the current problem is the by-product of these attacking runs works in favor of the opponent time and time again…

The moment Milan commit these deep runs into the attacking third, is the same moment the opponent recognizes the opportunity to counter with success. We have seen it time and time again, and done supremely well by Cesena only a week ago. But as teams like Bari, Parma, and Udinese come up on the fixture list it won’t be the last time the team is dismantled on the counter. Sadly, with the current roster there is little to do to solve this problem, but it doesn’t mean Milan has to keep doing the same thing over and over again looking for the same result. The XMAS tree is actually an effective formation in this sense because the team was more compact and stronger through the middle, the polar opposite of the current 4-3-3. Any system that gives numbers back, a compact midfield, and Milan’s own system of counter would be great, but to counter you need pace, and to counter you need a sense of direct play, and neither of those traits represent AC Milan.

As Allegri brings Milan out against Lazio he can most likely continue with the 4-3-3 and the result will continue to be a crapshoot, or he can make the hard change and present Lazio with a more compact countering team, how he does that with the current roster is beyond me, but maybe a 4-3-1-2/4-3-2-1? Or even more intriguing a potential 4-5-1 with Abate? and Boateng? on the wings, allowing Milan to run at the defense and not play so conventionally into the hands of the opponent.

It is only the third game of the season and my hopes have all almost all been replaced by frustrations. I know people love to say the season is long and the team needs time to gel, among other silly excuses, but 4 points out of possible 9 in three nearly must win games, I just can’t help but feel we really lack the swagger and personnel to be a contender. Considering our new high powered, high priced attack has yielded zero goals in 180 minutes of Serie A action, and needed Pippo, who was offside 100% of the time (even on the goal) to draw level, says a lot about the team as a whole.


This is a good game for thrashing the team because absolutely no one was without fault. From Allegri to Abbiati this game was a mess. There was absolutely no secret to what Catania set out to do on this day, and it won’t be the first or last time a team deploys this tactic because, frankly, Milan has absolutely no answer. To break a ten man defense a team needs dynamic movement, strong passing angles, and a player who can make the pinpoint pass. The Milan brass claim we have all those attributes, but the result says painfully otherwise. Example, the ball is played to Ronaldinho who is swarmed by four players early in the match, or until the opponent realizes they only need one, then things continue to go downhill. He then tries to find Zlatan with a hopeful lofted ball to space, not even to feet, and possession is lost. In fact based on the way this team played yesterday it is a miracle that Ronaldinho got the ball at all considering we were basically a 4-0-1-5 with absolutely no midfield presence. If you look at Catania’s first goal and forget for a moment the shambolic defensive clearance that sent to ball to Capuano, if we had a midfield or even a forward with the presence of mind to read the game, a good player would have seen the defender join the attack and they would have marked him instead of standing by idle, Milan’s team of “Champions” did not…

Allegri was smart to play Boateng who has all the makings of a future star, but the intelligence stopped there. The Ghanaian seemed to have zero instruction and was like a jack in the box popping all over the field allowing Catania possession in areas he was not, was this by design or shear exuberance? I don’t know, but I fear if he and Flamini play together the opponents will play keep away until they are fouled. Back to Allegri, instead of planning to defend the counter we decided to continue on in the 4-3-3, because there is no other formation to get Ronaldinho on the field, when maybe a 4-3-1-2 with Seedorf behind strikers was the better option for this match! To make matters worse, some were calling for substitutions but a look at the bench would have shown that options were limited and the whole issue of depth I have been harping on becomes a problem yet again. I really thought Allegri would make the tough choices, be less static in his formation and the way players were used, but instead this is Leo part II, and the end result will probably be worse. With a midweek game against Lazio on Wednesday and Robinho potentially unfit, it is time Allegri makes the smart move with the players available or he will be job hunting at Christmas like he was last season.

More frustrating than the draw today was that in the last three games, and to some extent even the first game, Milan continue to lack any real identity. If someone asked what AC Milan was this season you would struggle to find anything other than the word bad! Is this team balanced? Attacking? Gritty? Not a single one of those fits the bill and as I look at the players and even the coach I can’t help but feel the Milan I know, check that knew, is lost and soon forgotten. Not sure what to make of this “new look” Milan, but it certainly doesn’t feel like mine…

The first and most important thing to be said is that in a sense the Auxerre match was mission accomplished. The goal in the CL group stages is to win at home, and regardless of the way the match was played, which was by no means pretty or decisive, they found a way to win. There really is little else to be excited about. The team still looks a bit disjointed and cohesion looks to be weeks away, but to find one positive it would have to be the three points.

The win, however; didn’t come without a cost and while it was funny to see people pleased with Ambrosini and Pato’s injuries, it is those same people who will have some explaining to do if this team, desperately lacking midfield depth, suffers any further injuries. Robinho can cover the attacking flanks, but if he or Ronaldinho goes down, things will have to change. Boateng did in fact provide a spark, and his hard running and tireless work ethic was refreshing. There is no doubt he can become a member of the winning eleven, but with a crowded fixture list it is best to have 4 or 5 capable midfielders to slot into the lineup, instead of 2 and 3.

Reports today are claiming that both Ambro and Pato will be out for a month and the house of cards that is our depth chart is now missing a few key cards from the bottom. Past Milan teams have leaned heavily on older players like Inzaghi, Favalli, and Seedorf during injury problems, and while Seedorf appears to be going nowhere, we may finally see Allegri mix in some new blood. Forced or not, it is hard to believe a guy like Merkel or Strasser won’t find some minutes with Flamini and Ambro injured, and Rino lacking real semblance of form, only time will tell, but Saturday is much closer.

With Catania making the trip North, Allegri will hope to continue to build off the CL win. With injuries to starters in each line (Silva, Ambro, and Pato) Allegri will most likely continue to rely on Bonera at CB and Robinho at RF. Boateng has almost certainly earned a place in Saturday’s starting lineup but the question becomes his fitness, after a long season with Portsmouth, a World Cup, and his first real match minutes since coming to Milan and no real summer break. I wouldn’t be surprised if Catania tries to steal a play from Cesena’s playbook and counter with Mascara and Lopez, who have proved problematic to Milan in the past. Last season’s match with Catania saw Borriello bag a late brace to net one point in draw, this year it will be up to Zlatan, Robinho, and Ronaldinho to deliver all three points.

When looking at Milan’s performance this weekend versus the last match you need not look any further than the opponent and how they played, to see the clinical difference a well drilled and organized team makes. Allegri made almost no tactical changes from the opening weekend against Lecce, as he still looked to play with tempo and pace, and compact the field. As his players failed to provide the spark from week one, it was the tactics of Ficcadenti and his very good upstart, Cesena that went on display.

The cornerstone of the success Milan had in week one was pressure. Milan was able to apply pressure to Lecce in the attacking third, winning possession and moving the ball with ease. It certainly helped that Lecce almost appeared willing to attack Milan, instead of the standard ten men behind the ball. Cesena on the other hand took the ten men approach and Ficcadenti deployed a 4-3-3 morphing into a pseudo 4-5-1 that rendered Milan’s own 4-3-3 relatively useless due to the congestion and pressure on the wings. The Cesena midfielders dropped back to mark and pressure Pato and Ronaldinho and the strikers then fell back into the midfield to close down passing lanes but more importantly provide wide passing options to spring board Cesena’s vicious counter attacks. These widepassing options were often open because Cesena seemed perfectly willing to let Rino Gattuso and Massimo Ambrosini venture into the attack, most likely figuring that if Gattuso or Ambro were able to score and beat them then they deserved to lose. By giving Gattuso and even Ambro space to go forward it played directly to Cesena’s strength opening space for them to play into and exposing Milan’s back line and lack of pace to get back and defend.

By effectively suffocating Pato and Ronaldinho and forcing the ball into the middle of the field Stephen Appiah and two CB’s were waiting for Zlatan. This left the new signing with limited options and Milan forcing passes, chips, and through balls into the defenders path time and time again. More impressive from Cesena was the play of their outside forward Giaccherini, whose finish and runs were top class, but his willingness to drop back and act as pseudo midfielder was fantastic. He often collected the ball deep turned faced the play and created danger time and time again, easily earning man of the match honors and a few admirers across Serie A.

With a CL game tomorrow against Auxerre, who may be more than happy to employ Cesena’s playbook to thrash Milan, it is imperative Allegri and Milan make some changes tactically to make the 4-3-3 effective yet again. With Ronaldinho coming off a sulking and lazy performance he should lose place to Robinho, but the two real questions become is KPB ready for his first CL match and will we have to watch Sokratis fumble around in the absence of Silva?? This is assuming Nesta will be fit to start…here we go…maybe Zlatan can play CB?

I hate hype, I always have, and I should have stuck to my guns about the hype surrounding AC Milan. Instead I was duped into believing that maybe, just maybe, this team was turning the corner with a flashy new attack, good young coach, and up-tempo play style that would yield results. No such luck, in fact I am even more frustrated now because the two positions that actually needed reinforcements who could step in and make big difference were not addressed and were seemingly the ones that cost us the match. But hey, we got some new strikers!

I will cover Cesena’s well drilled and superb tactical game plan with a tactics piece tomorrow, but in the meantime it is safe to say the fault was with Milan. Looking at available players for Allegri, his midfield options were in fact limited, and the fact that Cesena was more than happy to let Rino join the attack and then counter directly into the space vacated by his foray’s forward exposed both Rino’s lack of pace as well as Bonera’s ability to cover. When Cesena was tired of exposing our right flank, they shredded the left make Ambro and Antonini look just as inept. To make matter worse Milan tried to compact the field as they did against Lecce but both Silva and Sokratis couldn’t make a tackle or mark a man to save their lives and it was an absolute disaster.

The attack was certainly not any better. A far cry from last week’s pace and high pressure, instead it was disjointed, forced, and lacking any real flow around goal. In fact had it not been for Pato we would most likely have had zero chances of any value following Ronaldinho volley early in the first half. Zlatan struggled mightily to find time and space, but at times he was attempting the spectacular when a simple combination would have made all the more sense. Was trying hard to make sure he didn’t spoil his debut without a goal, yes it would appear so, but that fault rests solely with him as he had his chance and missed a PK. Robinho was brought in for an ill-tempered sluggish Ronaldinho but even he struggled to make any sort of difference in the attack. In fact when your most dangerous impact player off the bench was an ancient striker named Pippo, making me wonder what all the hype was about in the first place!?

I am not going to a beat a dead horse here or am I throwing away all the hope of silverware on one game. But when the team needed defensive cover today or a midfielders to add a bit pace and steel we had neither nor. Sokratis was plain awful, and to blame on both goals and with Zambro rested for the CL match Bonera was all Allegri had at RB. Rino and Ambro were out of gas by the 60th minute and clearly Allegri didn’t trust KPB and with Flamini and Seedorf injured he had nowhere to turn. Sure you can “slap” him for his choices, but what other options did he have? To put it plainly I hate dropping points to newly promoted teams because it forces you to get points from teams that maybe will pose more of a challenge later in the season. Winning every game is never easy, but getting points when you should is the mark of a contender, and with this lose that title is not as solid as it was two weeks ago.

We got the answer to a handful of questions today, now we can all ponder them while I mill over my recap.

Could Ronaldinho sustain last week’s pace, aggresiveness, and tempo?…NO

Is Sokratis a “worthy” backup?…NO

Do we have proper defensive depth?…NO

Do high priced strikers guarantee results?…NO

Did Zlatan deliver, did Zlatan appear fit, did Zlatan finish, did Zlatan exceed all expectations?…NO

Does a well organized high tempo TEAM beat a team of individually talented mercenaries?…ALWAYS

Chew on that until tomorrow, quite the mess we have gotten ourselves into…I can see the headlines now, money poorly spent…

On Saturday the big focus on everyone’s mind will be the starting lineup for AC Milan. Will it or won’t it include all four attacking players in the winning eleven? Cesena is probably relishing the distraction, and to be rather matter of fact we should be less concerned about who plays and more concerned about finding a way to beat a team that could potentially pose a big problem for AC Milan. Last week against Roma, Cesena proved a rather tough nut to crack. Roman fans will blame their lack of finishing for the nil-nil draw, but Cesena’s organization, solid play in the midfield, and the ability to counter with pace are all issues that have plagued Milan in the past and again must cope with in order to get three points out of the trip to Emilia Romagna.

These three points are far more important than just the table. These three points actually prove Milan’s match against Lecce was in fact a true representation of AC Milan 2010-2011, instead of a good game against a mediocre opponent. Three points also justify the purchases of Zlatan and Robinho! Imagine for a moment if Milan goes impotent on the attack and don’t score while KJH and Borriello bury goals for their respective teams!? Not exactly a good omen. To make matters worse Milan’s record against newly promoted teams last season was poor, out of a possible 18 points against Parma, Bari, and Livorno; Milan were only able to earn 9! A loss to Parma and two draws with Livorno are to blame, but the fact that 9 points were dropped in matches in which good efficient teams should win, says a lot. Yes it is a new season, new coach, and new players, but again, not exactly a good omen!

Allegri has not bowed down the pressure of the Milan brass, fans or the media and seems to be keen on starting Robinho on the bench. This is smart for balance in the match at hand, but also intelligent because of the upcoming CL match against Auxerre. Both matches are win-able, but planning for both and making sure the team is fresh and ready to perform is a must. Alessandro Nesta will be rested as a precautionary measure and Sokratis looks to have earned his first start for the Rossoneri. With that said the lineup appears close to last week’s with Zlatan filling at CF and Ambrosini being partnered in the midfield by either KPB or Rino due to the fact that both Seedorf and Flamini are nursing minor injuries. It would probably be prudent for Allegri to rest Zambro as well for the CL match, but the current lineup will most likely look like this:

Abbiati, Antonini, Silva, Sokratis, Zambro, KPB, Pirlo, Ambro, Dinho, Zlatan, Pato

By choosing this lineup it gives him an opportunity to rest Dinho or Pato in favor of Robinho, and even potentially throw Abate into the mix at RB or midfield to get players a breather for Wednesday. The hype surrounding the team has been ridiculous and it is actually shaping up as a good test for Allegri and how he handles all aspects of his first “busy” week as the manager of AC Milan. In fact all the hype even got former manager Arrigo Sacchi to comment on the current state of Milan, and his feelings towards the new signings. While his view was not exactly favorable and he feels as though success is not as sure as we all hope it will be, it will be interesting if the legend is proven wrong. His claim is that Milan will struggle to be a cohesive unit; I wonder what Mr. Sacchi will say about Milan’s pursuit of Balotelli…

Either way this season is shaping up to be more excitement and entertaining than any of us could have ever imagined, now let’s just hope we have some success to match. Let’s get the three points and keep the good times rolling, every win now is chance to make sure we are not crying about dropped points later.

I have to admit when I woke up this morning and saw this, I almost passed out:

MILANO, 8 settebre – «Kakà all’Inter? E’ una bella idea». Così il presidente dell’Inter, Massimo Moratti, sull’indiscrezione del Corriere dello Sport – Stadio relativa all’ipotesi dell’acquisto dell’ex milanista Kakà da parte dei nerazzurri a gennaio. «L’ho letto questa mattina sui giornali -ha detto Moratti-, è una bella idea, ma non è venuta a noi».

If you can’t read Italian it basically says Moratti doesn’t mind the idea of having Kaka come to Inter…then came Fester’s response…

Galliani non si ferma più “Vorrei Balotelli rossonero” L’a.d. del Milan: “Abbiamo fatto ottimi affari con Raiola, di Mario non abbiamo parlato ma non nascondo che un giorno mi piacerebbe vederlo in maglia rossonera. La risposta dei tifosi dimostra che è tornato l’entusiasmo, ora sarà Allegri a decidere se giocare con due, tre, quattro punte”

Again sorry if you can’t read Italian, but it seems like Fester has gotten rather chummy with Zlatan’s agent, Raiola, a guy who actually is considered a fool and an idiot in footballing circles, and because of this we have an inside track to Mario Balotelli. More alarming is the last sentence claiming Allegri needs to decides if you he plays two three of four strikers…here we go…

OK, so if you are like me at this point you are scratching your head. If you tend to err on the side of fanboyism then you are giddy with excitement, but please, hold your excitment. Not but 8 weeks ago the idea being preached at Milanello was fiscal responsbility and the goal of positioning Milan for a bright and self sufficient future. Where did that all go and what have we done in the process!?

Getting in bed with Raiola was not really the best move in the business, yes his stable of two players, Balotelli and Zlatan, is impressive, but his negotiation tactics and loud mouth make him more of an nuissance than an asset. He also has a way of making sure his players are paid exorbitant wages, which I will discuss further in a second. It is all well and good if Milan have a fast track to Balotelli but do we really want to add the terrible tantrum throwing Italian to the mix of already emotionally challenged egos on this team?? As it stands we are already on a slippery slope of making sure players have ample playing time and “feel wanted.” Isn’t that precarious chemistry dangerous enough as it is?

Now to delve into the utter lack of fiscal responsibility at Milan this summer. Yes it is an election year, and it is actually far more prudent for Silvio to spend money on Milan and lock in the tifosi votes, then to spend it on campaign advertising. Typical campaign advertising costs in Italy are upwards of 100-200 Million Euros, buying Zlatan and Robinho cost far less. So most tifosi are convinced, and old Silvio gets a few million votes in return, smart business. But what happens long term? With the purchase of Zlatan and Robinho, Milan now have the highest wages in Serie A, a dubious honor, especially if you don’t win anything. Not to mention that Zlatan, Ronaldinho, Pirlo, Pato, Flamini and Robinho make up some of Serie A’s highest paid players. How can this be sustained, and why suddenly the turn in spending if only a few months ago we were dead broke!? If you haven’t noticed I don’t like being lied to…

As Milan take the field on Saturday against Cessena, consider this. Zlatan makes more money himself, around 9M Euros (Net), then the entire payroll of Cessena. Steven Appiah, former Ghana Captain and International player, will line up opposite Milan Saturday earning a paltry 150K Euros!! How is that for some perspective? Now I can’t fault a player for exorbitant wages, the foolishness rests with the Club that pays them, but now that Milan is top of the spending list, it means this winning some this season becomes all the more important, or breaking the bank and our future will be all for naught.

Since Berlusconi delivered Allegri two shiny new toys at the close of the transfer window, the hot topic across Milan tifosi has simply been, can Max play them all? So far this has generally divided the tifosi into two camps, the first being of course he has to play them all, and the second being much more rational and logical stating that it would be impossible. We haven’t even factored in old senile Berlusconi’s choice, which will most certainly be something to the effect of, “Allegri is a great tactical mastermind, and while he knows only a bit less than I do, any great tactician, such as myself, can see that playing all four of our great champions is the only way for Milan to move forward!” Senile…CHECK.

All in favor…

Initial reaction of any fan should be that playing all four of those offensive minded player is suicide. To provide balance you would require not one, but two Rino Gattuso’s circa 2005-2007. Now if you consider a 4-2-3-1 as the viable formation this may actually work, but having Dinho and Robino in the wide positions of the offensive line would almost require that the LB and RB stay pinned back and render Pirlo a man without a place because Allegri would have to turn to two solely defensive minded midfielders to play in front of the defense.

Now before you say, oh that would work. Let’s take a closer look. If Allegri chooses Ambrosini and Flamini/KPB, it would require either of those two players to provide consistent high percentage passes to the attacking group of four. Because neither is an elite passer of the ball it would actually force our attackers to drop a bit deeper to receive and give our opponents a bit of breathing room in their defensive third. So much of the success against Lecce in week one was predicated on Milan’s ability to keep the field compact in the opponents half, so losing that would be foolish. It also leaves the team highly exposed against a team that likes to play a horizontal possession game. Can you imagine Ambro and Flamini chasing pass and after pass in the midfield against Barcelona!? It would be like watching men against boys, while we had four players waiting statically for our team to win possession, it is not conducive to the high pressure high tempo game Allegri proved this team was organized and capable of in their first match.

All against…

The key to a successful team is depth. With a crowded fixture list and potential for injury it is imperative that the team has players capable to step in and fill key roles while others are hurt or rested Last season the team struggled when Pato was injured, and even more so with the loss of Nesta, losing close games and being embarrassed in others. This season while midfield depth has not been addressed, there seems to a bit a bit more strength on the bench with Sokratis, Yepes in the back and now Robinho in the attack. The versatility of a guy like Robinho means he can play on either flank in the pseudo 4-3-3, with Pippo able to spell Zlatan in games where the big man may need a be rest. With a smart rotation of those five players up top there is no excuse for a drop in pace or tempo of any player. Ronaldinho/Pato is struggling or dogging it in a match, have a seat, Robinho in, it is that simple and now the same goes for everyone in the attack!

Historically strong Milan teams have always had strong benches and while this is not the strongest, it is better than it was just a few weeks ago. With the additions we can now seriously consider compete on two fronts, scudetto and the CL, if not three with our youngsters in the Coppa Italia. The added depth also pushes players to their limits in training, stay motivated, and allows Allegri to have the choice of who is the strongest man for the match. This is very good, in fact, much better than forcing a mix of players that may not prove the most efficient route to a result.

So while it may not be the best option to play all four players, it certainly doesn’t mean it will be impossible to get them all on the pitch. If the 75th minute comes and we are down in a match, there is no reason we can’t chase a goal with all four attackers flying at the opponents’ defense. Maybe Pirlo gets injured or needs a break and Seedorf is not effective deep, so Allegri morphs into a 4-2-3-1. These are all versatile options that make a team both dynamic and difficult to plan against because they have the ability to evolve with a simple substitution.

As a coach, I have a strong admiration for Jose Mourinho, simply because of his tactical awareness and ability to plan for his opponents. There is no better manager on the planet for putting his players in a position to earn a result, with that said I think he may actually be scared of our very own AC Milan. How does a master mind like Jose prepare Real Madrid for AC Milan now? Does he prepare for a 4-3-3, if so Allegri can mix it up and change the shape or tactic, something Leo didn’t have the luxury to do with a lack of players or even the tactical know-how as a rookie coach. Leo’s idea of solving a problem, throw more attackers at it! Things just a got bit more interesting for us and in the process a bit more challenging for our opponents! So let’s not go crazy, especially Mr. Berlusconi, by throwing caution to the wind an attacking like mad men, when keeping “a card up our sleeves” may actually be the ticket to some silverware this season.

Thank god for Thursdays, I didn’t have a chance to polish this tactics piece for Tuesday so another day of the week that starts with a T is OK by me. Really didn’t mean to rhyme there, maybe the win on the weekend has made me delirious, who knows…

My focus here is to hash out what made Allegri’s 4-3-3 from Sunday so different than Leo’s last season, which was often times porous, slow, and ineffective.

I want to start by mapping out Leo’s 4-3-3, as you can see in the diagram the ten outfield players cover a lot of space but the deployment of the formation leaves gaping holes in very attractive attacking channels for opponents. There is by no means nothing wrong with this formation, but its success depends solely on the players ability to keep their shape and to be individually talented enough, both offensively and defensively, to cover their space and quickly join into the attack.

When Leo relied on Seedorf to play the LM or RM role, he often times ended up in advance of Pirlo, forcing his opposite midfielder to cover ground behind Pirlo. So our midfield line of three, which was supposed to cover the entire field horizontally now looked like a vertical line of three creating acres of space for opponents to attack into. Throw in some marauding fullbacks and you have classic recipe for disaster. Players caught high up in the attack and opponents countering with pace and numbers leaving CB’s of any caliber at a disadvantage.

Fast forward to Allegri’s 4-3-3, the deployment of the attack was more compact centrally, but the actual playing shape of the team was more compact up the pitch as well. In classic Arrigo Sacchi fashion, Allegri wanted to make the field smaller for both his team and the opponents. This was the cornerstone of Sacchi’s Milan and appears to be the foundation that Allegri is choosing to build his Milan on. Yes, this system also requires a certain amount of tactical know-how and the ability to play quickly and more directly to maximize the number of players in the attack, but Allegri proved that this Milan is in fact capable of all those keys to success. Yes, the opponent was Lecce and often times their central midfielder players dropped so far deep that Pirlo was left wide open with acres of space, but with Milan’s new look attack, team’s will be forced to respect Ronaldinho, Pato and Ibra making that kind of space available more often than not.

The idea of a compact formation is nothing new, but if done properly can be devastating to an opponent’s tactical game plan. By moving the defense further up the pitch the moment Milan loses possession it puts every player in close proximity to the opponent allowing them to pressure the ball easily; but more importantly gives the opponent little to no space to operate or move the ball forward. Of course a good play-maker and a pacy forward can break this lack of space with a well placed killer long ball, but asking a team to make a bit of magic is far better than giving up acres of space on the defensive side of the ball! Opponents will then be forced to result to short, quick, lateral passes in which our midfielders can pounce and keep the ball well away from our goal and more often than not in the attacking third. A simple yet effective game plan that when deployed properly can have excellent results as seen here!

Simply put Allegri just added a bit of tactical know how to a classic formation to get this team firing on all cylinders. Will the desire and intensity last the entire season? I can’t quite say, but considering the fact that on the bench we have Robinho to cover Pato and Ronaldinho. Flamini, Rino and Boateng to cover in the midfield finding fresh legs and ball winners should not be a problem. If you don’t want to pressure the ball and fight for the cause, there is someone else waiting to take your place young or old! Add in the fact that Milan is playing with a new found directness towards goal and a speed I have not seen them play with since I was a child, the future looks a bit brighter than first thought.

FYI: There won’t be any updates until Monday or Tuesday. I am traveling to Cape Cod for a preseason soccer tournament which will make it very hard to post and the lack of news with the International break will make it all the worse. So I will leave you to your own devices, God help us all! If I can get something together before I leave it will post on the weekend.

Before I get my tactics piece up tomorrow, I need to rant. This is not necessarily a positive or negative, but more a meandering strand of thoughts and mixed emotions from easily the craziest week I have endured as a fan of this Club.

A few weeks ago, we were effectively left for dead, our only notable transfers were Sokratis and Boateng, neither World beaters, and our team looked out of sorts. New coach, new system, and players coming to training out of shape and mentally under prepared. But as preseason went on things started to change, a sense of pace was instilled in the tactics and as the first game drew near even our transfer news started to get “faster.” In the span of around 72 hours Milan had pulled of two of the most amazing transfer market coups this decade basically getting Zlatan and Robinho for a steal, but more importantly far less than they are actually worth! We may have doubted Berlu and Fester, and while I am still not sold on their shiny presents for the fans, the moves must be applauded.

Let’s be frank here though, at least for myself I need to be honest; I don’t like these players, neither of them. When I look at guy like Kaka, the humility, the demeanor, and the mentality on and off the pitch are all the things you look for in a footballer. When I see Robinho and Zlatan, I see, in a sense, the anti-Kaka, and while I don’t think this is terrible, I fear a bit the cohesion and chemistry of a team with so many egos. The one thing that always cures a problem such as this one is winning, and going from mid table flounders to very real contenders in less than a week should help. It needs to be said that both Robinho and Zlatan will most likely feast on the Serie A minnows, but the true test will come in the CL group stage and see if Allegri and his shiny new toys can get the job done.

Was a bit sad to see Borriello go, but this helped alleviate the sadness. So now we move on with a new look Milan, an attacking Milan, not really my cup of tea, but who knows maybe in a few months we will have Inter in our wake and even a defensive minded guy like myself will be a believer…but only time will tell.

On a side note, I am still learning and struggling with the new comments system. This is a change for a lot of sites here on the Offside so we are all getting used to it. My comments will no longer show my name but my profile ID/USERNAME gb383, until I can find way to change it! If you are having problems let me know I will try and make sure all comments are approved from regular readers and that we can avoid a lot of spam going forward.

A few months back without seeing the Serie A fixture list I made a commitment to cycle 100 miles for a Multiple Scelorisis Charity event, well that day had to unfortunately be the same day as Milan’s opener so forgive me if I am a little behind. Couple the ride with the start of the High School soccer season and my weekend got a little more hectic than I anticipated, but I watched the game last night, and got another fast forward viewing in to see if I had not in fact gone crazy from what I saw!

Before we go absolutely bonkers and anoint ourselves Serie A and CL champions, we need to put our feet back on the ground. Lecce is fresh up from Serie B, and following the second goal they looked completely demoralized. Take nothing away from the shear speed and intensity in which Milan played the first half, but I don’t think we will play another team all season who affords Pirlo or Ronaldinho so much space and in turn do not exploit the space left from shifting midfielders. However, with all that said, what Milan did in the first forty-five yesterday was absolutely fantastic.

Much of last year I complained about balance and how when Seedorf was in the midfield it made us weaker on the defensive side of the ball. For Seedorf to work in that role Ronaldinho would have to track back and hold up attacks, and what did he do? Absolutely that! Ronaldinho won more balls yesterday in forty-five minutes than he did all last season. He dropped back, he harassed players in possession and he no longer looked like a player on a foosball rod, HE MOVED. His extra effort proved exactly what Milan can do when that guy is on his game. Again, granted it was Lecce, and so much time and space will probably not be a weekly occurence, but he took his chances, made his runs, and gave a minute of reprieve and consolation to the fan boys fighting so hard for his honor. Simply put, if Dinho can show that much effort game in and game out this team will in fact be extremely dangerous.

The same can actually be said for Pirlo yesterday who also looked like a man possessed. It appeared that tactically Lecce was OK leaving him with acres of space making his job easier, but also the work of Ambrosini, who could float more forward than having to stand ten to twelve yards from Pirlo. Milan absolutely dominated the midfield, and because of that Pirlo was able to make his bread and butter long raking passes wide and inside on more than one occasion. Again, as I said with Ronaldinho, I don’t expect so much time and space every week, but his touch, his vision, and movement were absolutely vintage. Sadly, I don’t have the same heaping amount of praise for Seedorf who despite working very hard seemed lost time and time again, and out of position for the rest. His movement centrally seemed to visually confuse Ronaldinho and Antonini on more than one occasion and forced Antonini to “stay home” on defense more often than not, leaving our streaking LB out of the attack, which makes you wonder what will happen when he can occupy that flank leaving Ronaldinho even more freedom to go inside?! Borriello was also dissapointing playing with the weight of the Zlatan transfer on his shoulders, and unable to score despite provided his help on the first two goals. That weight is no longer an issue as it appears Aaron of the Juve Offside will get his wish with Borriello going to Juventus on a pseudo loan deal with interest from Napoli and Liverpool as well. Why not stay and fight for a place in a crowded fixture list is beyond me!? I also don’t get why we want to help out Juventus so much!?

The MOTM for me had to be Pato. I think we forgot how dangerous and special the kid can really be when he has a bit of freedom and is fully healthy. He popped up both right and center yesterday and his movement off the ball was top class forcing a wide eyed Lecce defense to bow down to his superiority. Yes he still couldn’t pass the ball if you were five yards away from him, but his running and finishing earned him high honors yesterday.

I want to talk a bit about Allegri but will save my discussion for a tactics piece on Thurdsay comparing this 4-3-3 to the one saw with Leo last season. But he needs to be commended for making this team play faster than I have ever seen them play, and play with a directness that resembled an EPL team squeezing the life out of their opponent. At first glance I wasn’t pleased with Seedorf or Bonera, but as soon as the whistle blew and everyone was flying towards the ball even Lecce looked surprised at this new pacey Milan. Not sure if that kind of intensity will last the season, but it lasted the better part of the match yesterday breaking not only Lecce’s will to play, but their resolve as well. It is a physically demanding style of play so the subs bench needs to be on notice as Boateng, Pippo, and Rino all saw time yesterday and will most likely deployed often as to make sure the team is firing on all cylinders and able to maintain such a torrid pace.

All and all, a statement game to start the season with both Juventus and Roma dropping points and Inter still to play. With a week off already it will give Allegri to fine tune his masterpiece and more importantly give Zlatan a chance to get re-acclimated with the Serie A. Word around the rumor-mill even has us linked to Robinho, but I think Zlatan is enough considering our glut of strikers and KJH still NOT on his way to Germany. Not to mention adding a tempermental Brazilian to our already tempermental Brazilian, Ronaldinho, may prove a bit of a chemistry issue seeing that Dunga used Robinho in place of Ronaldinho this World Cup. If we do in fact consider ourselves contenders following yesterday’s performance, I think a versatile back would go a long way in the depth department or even a midfielder that would prevent Allegri from having to turn to Seedorf in more defensive minded midfield matches. I will try and elaborate more on this, this week but back for sure on Thursday with a tactics piece.

I have to admit it is virtually impossible to write a proper preview for the Lecce match with an 800lb gorilla named Zlatan sitting in the room. This doesn’t bode well for me, and it doesn’t bode well for Milan either. The first match of the season should never be taken lightly as it sets the tone for the season ahead, and while a long season does in fact follow, if the scudetto is decided by a point or two, a loss early can be a deciding factor.


I will gladly admit I was all for Zlatan early in the transfer window, the idea back then was that Ronaldinho would be sent to the MLS, KJH sold for a sack of nickels, and Allegri moving this team forward into a new era. Instead we stand here now, with Zambrotta as our starting RB, Ronaldinho to sign an extension, and the only real significant first team purchase as Kevin Prince Boateng, who once acclimated will most likely replace Flamini in the starting lineup. We didn’t do enough to the rest of the squad to justify Zlatan, and we certainly won’t be doing ourselves any favors by spending two years worth of penny pinching on one single player with questions still on the table such as: What happens if Antonini is injured, suspended, or rested? Who plays when Zambro runs out of gas? Do we have anyone who can actually replace Pato in the starting eleven, and provide that kind of pace? Can Seedorf still go a full 90 in a CL match? If Nesta doesn’t make the full season can Sokratis be counted on?

These are not simple questions, these are questions that make or break a team competing on two fronts, and spending a big chunk of change that could have bought 3 or 4 players to solidify the squad just makes far more sense to me. If you have been following the blog at all yesterday, there was some top class discussion about the merit and value of striker if the team behind can’t win possession. Not to mention how does the inclusion of Zlatan affect the balance on the pitch? Can Milan really play with Ronaldinho, Pato, Pirlo, and Zlatan on the pitch and expect to defend a counter? Frankly, I don’t believe so, and should the deal go through, we will certainly find out…

Now onto more pressing matters, until Zlatan shows up here, for more than twenty four hours, he is not a Milan player. If past history has taught us anything (Suazo, Zlatan!?, and Cissokho) a deal is not a deal until that fella is on the pitch! There is a match on Sunday against Lecce, coached by a shrewd and wily Gigi Di Canio, who is not afraid to put his boys out on the pitch to gain a result. Lecce proved capable of scoring last season in Serie B, sometimes in bunches, and newly promoted teams always come out firing on the first day, this is not a match that should be taken lightly.

I find it rather ironic that Leo started last season with a 4-3-1-2 to disappointing results, and now Allegri may do the same. I do however feel it is far more likely that he uses Leo’s 4-3-3, an ironic fact as well. Outside of the GK, which is still up in the air for me at least, the squad will most likely be Zambro, Nesta, Silva, Ants, Ambro, Pirlo, Flamini, Dinho, Borri, Pato. We have discussed and analyzed the merits and short comings of this formation time and time again and I hope that Allegri chooses a more compact deployment than the acres of space left by Leo’s design. It will certainly be interesting to see, but more importantly will go a long way in proving Allegri’s merit and worth for such a high profile coaching position. With a new season always come excitement, apprehension and the hope for success, but Sunday will go a long way in proving or disproving all of that!

If you missed any of the week long season preview, check it out here…