AC Milan Blog

Ronaldinho is determined to play against Napoli.
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Ronaldinho has shrugged off a muscular problem, but he is unlikely to feature at Napoli.
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Former Milan coach Leonardo claims he will not coach Roma or return to Italy.
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Ariedo Braida expects a reaction from Milan against Napoli.
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Juventus looking to swap Fabio Grosso for Milan's Daniele Bonera.
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Inter, Milan and Juventus have lined up for Tottenham ace Gareth Bale.
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I can’t help but feel the déjà vu of this post title. The first time I felt this way was when Milan lost to Arsenal in the 2008 CL, soundly beaten at home and no answer to the pace of Fabergas and Adebayor. What did management do to remedy this problem? Nothing. That stinging feel came back last season against Man United and Inter, embarrassed in these fixtures, and again management did nothing. Now for the third time in three seasons I am stuck with that same frustrating feeling of helplessness.

So from a tactical standpoint something needs to change. Last season and most of this one, both Leo and Max have been stuck rolling out a formation for a team that has no business playing it. The 4-3-3 is a formation dependent upon players willing to work on both sides of the ball and be tactically discipline to maintain possession and fill in the space needed to be successful. In the same sense the 4-3-1-2 requires the same sort of discipline and work rate to assure the team has enough balance to meet the attacking demands of the opposition.

The problem, however; is a with a roster of “one-trick” players who are not versatile enough to do the needed work on both sides of the ball, the options for Allegri are limited for him to be successful. If he wanted to play a five man midfield it would be virtually impossible because he really only has seven midfielders on the roster and the majority are of the defensive variety. To make matters worse the fullback position is just as thin, but a position imperative to finding team balance and allowing a team to dynamically get forward from different positions on the field. The only place we really have depth is in the striker position which is ironic because any team that fancy’s actually winning a match usually only plays one striker, sometimes two, and this team has five to choose from, and out of those five not a single one has any gritty track back mentality.

Now with that said, your hopes and optimism should probably be thrown out the window, how can any team be successful with this striker overload and lack of work rate? Frankly, I no longer think they can be. But I haven’t abandoned all hope quite yet because my expectations this season were low enough to advocate for a rebuild and restructuring of a team that is literally three seasons to late. From a realistic standpoint we can’t play eleven primavera players, but from the players available Allegri can achieve some sort of solid formation and pace, while maintaining a level of competitiveness to keep the team challenging in Serie A, and leaving the CL for teams that actually know how to buy players.

For once in a few seasons the GK position is solid and either Amelia or Abbiati are a viable option and can’t argue against either one at the moment. The defense is a different story, and with Nesta in the twilight of his career, it is imperative that Davide Astori is brought home in the January transfer window. His return would begin a partnership with Silva that can last close to ten years, in the meantime Sokratis and Onyewu should be considered as a viable third and fourth option, otherwise it is not worth keeping them on the roster. Fullbacks is almost just as bad with no real left back considering that Antonini is an actual right footed player who should be playing RB, one side or the other needs to be addressed, and then Antonini can man the otherside with Abate as the understudy RB. In the meantime Abate should be playing on the right and Antonini on the left for lack of any better options. If you can stomach another match with Zambro at RB, or worse playing Janks and Oddo, then you are just as hopeless as management.

The midfield should be a four man line, with Ambro on the left Gattuso and Pirlo in the center and Boateng on the right. Flamini can fill in as needed and Seedorf should be used exclusively to rest Pirlo as his skills have declined dramatically. Abate can work in the midfield as well, but adding an extra player (Lazzari) would be beneficial. So if you have been following we are now playing a four man defense, a four man midfield, which leaves a spot for only two attackers. I am not going to call Zlatan a failure quite yet, but partnering Robinho and Pato for the future is the most viable option, so in the meantime one or the other should play alongside Zlatan, with Pippo working in as well. Finally leading to Ronaldinho…

His use wide left makes us one dimensional, his play as a CAM has been inconsistent at best, so with that said it is time he plays as a striker and only in matches in which he can be successful, which are few and far between considering his current form. We need to be rid of this passage of play where Pirlo collects the ball and plays it to Ronaldinho who loses possession and leaves the team exposed for a counter. Play him closer to goal, force him to work 1 v 1 with a CB and see if he can reinvent his game to be a viable striking option until the end of year, but once January comes, hang a for sale around his neck and let’s chalk this up to another failure of management alongside the signing of Rivaldo and Ronaldo.

I will be back on the weekend with a Napoli preview, but in the meantime consider this formation for Monday’s match…

Abbiati/Amelia; Abate, Nesta, Sokratis/Onyewu, Antonini; Boateng, Rino, Pirlo, Ambro/Flamini; Robinho, Pato/Zlatan

I don’t see any other options, and hopefully management recognizes this sooner rather than later and begins to fix the problem come January.

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Gento hails Jose Mourinho and believes that Real Madrid are a genuine force this season…
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Adriano Galliani played down Milan's defeat to Real Madrid, and gave his view on transfer links.
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Milan were running to stand still against Real Madrid, admits coach Massimiliano Allegri.
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Football giants both require strengthening on the left flank...
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I am still in a state of disbelief, before the match I simply called for some balance. I even suggested that maybe, just maybe, Allegri played with 8 or 9 men behind the ball that this team may have a fighting chance or lose two nothing, and here we are. Uncle Fester wants to remind us so often that Milan is inferior to know one with the attacking prowess of “great champions” like Ronaldinho, Robinho, Zlatan and Pato; the problem is, it has become increasingly evident that playing all those champions is nearly impossible, and playing three of them in matches like this one is virtually suicide.

It is rather befuddling to me that Allegri would not swallow his pride and put out a team capable of defending, but unless Robinho or Zlatan were willing to play RB and CB there was little to nothing he can do to solidify the back. Sokratis? Yepes? Gooch? Janks? Oddo? Thanks but no thanks, two out of the five have never even seen a CL match, let alone one at the Bernabeu, while the other two make Zambrotta look like a God. All and all, the lack of defensive depth is evident. I have to admit his choice to play both Dinho and Seedorf, when it should have been one or the other is just as bad, especially with a Boateng on the bench, but even then you are fighting an uphill battle trying to defend an attacking team with only seven players behind the ball. This match called for five midfielders and limiting Madrid possession, instead it was the same old spread out awful deployment that has become a characteristic of AC Milan this season and last.

As if the lineup was not foolish enough, the execution of the players was just as bad. As soon as I saw the wall open in fear of a CRON blast, it was evident that the players on this team are not playing for the team or willing to do what it takes to win and if that is not a sure fire sign that it is time to rebuild, than I don’t know what is…

With that said, the individual performances were all lacking, in 2007 Rino Gattuso made CRON look like a child, on this day CRON returned the favor and with the help of his teammates gave Milan a sound beating on par with the defeats to Arsenal in 2008 and Manchester United last season. Madrid dominated possession and had close to 25 shots on goal, while Milan chased the ball, rarely pressured high up the pitch, and couldn’t string together more than five possession passes at any given point. Credit has to be given to the opponent on this day but more importantly to Jose Mourinho for proving that even a team with an attacking presence can be balanced and capable of winning possession and keeping it, granted Milan did little to prevent this domination in the 1 v 1 battles of the match, but take note Allegri and the three attacking players who seem completely unwilling to pressure the ball even a few feet away from them.

As I watched the match, listened to the commentary, and paid close attention to Real Madrid, it is starting to look like Mourinho’s self declared “work in progress” is going to be his third successful team, if not this season, but very soon thereafter. As a fan of the game I would get used to seeing images like this in Europe, and hope that the rest of the World takes notice as well because it will only be a matter of time before these two flaunt their skills at the World Cup.

I want to end with another image, and this one says a lot. I want to share a tweet from the folks at BeyondthePitch and ESPN analyst Janusz Michallik:

“It ‘s over for Dinho in Europe. Can’t compete any longer and if you watched TSOs (The Special One: Jose Mourinho’s) classy move when he was subbed, said it all. Grazie Ronnie.”

The question is will Allegri be able to see what Jose Mourinho and much of the footballing World has already seen…but not just for Ronaldinho but for the rest of this squad? Allegri can’t do it alone, a lot of this has to come from management as well, but I fear that our summer of strikers will set us back a few more years to come…unless a fundamental mentality change is made by each and every player, this team will be inconsistent…play within their means both physically and tactically and hope that something breaks through as a bright spot for the future.

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Alexandre Pato has swept aside concerns after Milan's defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
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Goal.com picks the bones from last night's action...
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The Rossoneri were deservedly beaten in Madrid last night, and they must learn at least one crucial lesson from the 2-0 loss believes Carlo Garganese…
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Another man of the match performance from the world's most expensive footballer.
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Clarence Seedorf insists Milan must move forwards, not backwards after losing at Real Madrid.
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Former Rossoneri hero Kaka paid a visit to the Milan dressing room after defeat to Real Madrid.
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Inter chief Massimo Moratti hails Real Madrid after they beat Milan.
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic reckons that Real Madrid are stronger with Mourinho but Milan will be better with Thiago Silva back.
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Amelia is disappointed the Rossoneri were unable to snatch a positive result in Madrid...
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Jose Mourinho masterminds an impressive win over the Rossoneri, who were never at the races...
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Albertini believes the fans will spur on attacking performances from both Milan and Real Madrid...
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Real Madrid general director Jorge Valdano considers Milan match in Champions League to be useful in gauging level of the team.
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Our blogger JD is here with some potential money spinners to snap up...
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Ahead of tonight’s big match at the Santiago Bernabeu, Goal.com light-heartedly looks at 10 things to expect before, during and after the game…
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Some additional markets to consider...
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Arrigo Sacchi believes Milan have something more than tonight's Champions League rivals Real Madrid.
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I want to thank Tanuj over at the Real Madrid Fan.com for letting me in on his match preview, we did a little Q & A so you can check it out here. Let’s just hope this game lives up to the billing, and we don’t have to come home hanging our heads…FORZA MILAN…

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Goal.com's Subhankar Mondal wonders whether the Spanish giants can emerge victorious in their first major test of the season...
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