Milan v Barcelona Thread

[Forza]

How I'd like us to line-up:

Pato - Ibra
Robinho
Boateng - v. Bommel - Aquilani
Zambrotta - Nesta - Silva - Abate
Abbiati

In fact, Allegri will almost definitely put Boateng at CAM and make all 3 subs at '85

[Dim123]

We need Boateng at CAM for this game, he will work hard and provide some cover too.

Ibra-Pato
Boateng
Aquilani - MvB - Nocerino
Zambrotta - Nesilva - Abate
Abbiati

As much as I would love Milan to go all out attack, I see us requiring a tight defensive setup. Seedorf and Robinho should come on as subs when Barcelona start to get tired. Without Iniesta there midfield is quick slow, we need to take advantage of this.


Forza Milan!!!!!!

[Cotes]

Easy win For Milan!
Inter could crush them in 2009...Milan should do it easily!
If not...oh well

[dostoevsky]

With Pique and Puyol, Barcelona are going to be a far more difficult prospect for Pato, whilst we shall see how Ibrahimovic fares. Like Forza, I don't want to see Boateng in the attacking midfield slot as we'll simply force Ibrahimovic to drop deep in order to direct the play and leave Pato isolated. Without genuine width, Barcelona's improved defensive structure this time around either requires far greater pressure to be applied, especially in pinning back their fullbacks, something that Pato and Robinho can do if both employed.

I still think Boateng's positioning is too suspect to place him in a three man midfield, particularly given a fairly petulant nature. Boateng as a substitute for the least successful of the attacking three in the second half, with Seedorf being brought on for Nocerino at the end or possibly Emanuelson, who was useful in holding onto possession when used as a substitute in Spain.

Effectively I'm simply proposing Nocerino for Boateng in the opening post, however I'm still waiting for Barcelona's likely formation, so I might change my mind. No Alves, No Iniesta = Hopefully No Party.

[Giovanni10]

With Pique and Puyol, Barcelona are going to be a far more difficult prospect for Pato, whilst we shall see how Ibrahimovic fares. Like Forza, I don't want to see Boateng in the attacking midfield slot as we'll simply force Ibrahimovic to drop deep in order to direct the play and leave Pato isolated. Without genuine width, Barcelona's improved defensive structure this time around either requires far greater pressure to be applied, especially in pinning back their fullbacks, something that Pato and Robinho can do if both employed.

I still think Boateng's positioning is too suspect to place him in a three man midfield, particularly given a fairly petulant nature. Boateng as a substitute for the least successful of the attacking three in the second half, with Seedorf being brought on for Nocerino at the end or possibly Emanuelson, who was useful in holding onto possession when used as a substitute in Spain.

Effectively I'm simply proposing Nocerino for Boateng in the opening post, however I'm still waiting for Barcelona's likely formation, so I might change my mind. No Alves, No Iniesta = Hopefully No Party.

I don't want to sound too negative but for me there is no place for Boateng in the AM slot against Barca. He needs to be placed further back to hustle and close spaces in the defensive midfield areas. The best bet is to even place someone with some defending capabilities in the AM slot. So for me DM: Nocerino, CM's Boateng and Aquilani, AM Seedorf // or for fear of Seedorf's lack of pace DM: Ambrosini CM's Boateng and Nocerino AM Aquilani.

If the midfield has Robinho or Boateng at AM, the formation is going to be too attacking and you're going to get roasted. With the second of my proposed midfields, you can sit back and suck 'em in and then snatch goals with swift counter-attacks.

I know Milan are the home side, but still they should not play like the home side.

P.S. soak the pitch in water, they don't like that either

[Keyzar]

Forza Milan! now is one of the times that i passionately root for Milan, come on Rossoneri, thrash those wannabes from Spain!.


Forza Rossoneri

[dostoevsky]

I don't want to sound too negative but for me there is no place for Boateng in the AM slot against Barca. He needs to be placed further back to hustle and close spaces in the defensive midfield areas. The best bet is to even place someone with some defending capabilities in the AM slot. So for me DM: Nocerino, CM's Boateng and Aquilani, AM Seedorf // or for fear of Seedorf's lack of pace DM: Ambrosini CM's Boateng and Nocerino AM Aquilani.

If the midfield has Robinho or Boateng at AM, the formation is going to be too attacking and you're going to get roasted. With the second of my proposed midfields, you can sit back and suck 'em in and then snatch goals with swift counter-attacks.

I know Milan are the home side, but still they should not play like the home side.

P.S. soak the pitch in water, they don't like that either

Boateng's positioning is very naive and whilst he may not be a silky attacking midfielder, he's definitely most at home in this position. I do agree that he's not the attacking midfielder to play against Barcelona, when I wish to relegate him to the bench altogether, however he's a very worthy substitute I feel to shake up our game in the last half an hour. Seedorf requires the greater space and time afforded to him in central midfield, especially if he has to enter the game half way through. Whilst I do not like playing all of our cards at once, Robinho's work rate is admirable and I still maintain that even though it is not an admirable position, playing all three will alleviate the pressure that usually rests on Robinho's shoulders and give him greater freedom of expression with both Pato and Ibrahimovic ahead of him. As long as Allegri prepares the team well, we should be able to maintain a compact structure whilst absorbing pressure, however one idea you mentioned does potentially appeal to me, in using Aquilani as an attacking midfielder.

Nocerino---Van Bommel---Seedorf
Aquilani

This could work, however I would be more inclined to use this as a second half option if we have something to protect and simply want more balance or if the game is tied but we are progressing nowhere.

Also I like the water-logging idea.

[Ganso]

I have a good feeling about this game(or maybe I'm just too excited)

[Ik7]

Pato - Ibra
Gattuso- v. Bommel -boateng
Zambrotta - Nesta - Mexes-Silva - Abate
Abbiati

To win against Barcelona Milan will need to have strenghth and agressivity in the midfield. With v.Bommel, Baoteng and Gattuso they are having just that. Also Ibra and Pato should be enough to score goals upfront.

i don't know why but I have a the feeling that Milan will win.

[IrasMaldinista]

(Oh, feels good to post after more than half a month, I hope my post won't be panned as it's a bit controversial!!!)

Alright boys, I ask you in all honesty to let me remind you of something: We are playing against Barcelona, not some Cesena or whatnot. We will get 40% of the possession at very best, so we're gonna need some special tricks.

If you remember well, last time around Cassano partnered Pato in attack and he screwed up, because he's not an explosive dynamo and needs too much space to be effective.

Then we had Aquilani in the 'hole', whose lack of sharpness was on show and he managed to only send one or maybe two decent long balls for Pato, who was easily out-muscled between Barca defenders.

Our mid-line and back-line did a fantastic job nonetheless, anyway.


So, a master-plan for tomorrow?


1. We need immaculate defensive performance down the middle to stop their central raids.

2. We need some guys who can hold the ball in the first and second one-third of the pitch and for long, so as to halt Barca's phenomenally high tempo.

3. We need counter-attacking weapons, as simply attacking Barcelona is like drinking motor oil to get drunk, absolutely useless and far too dangerous.

4. We need movement up front, we can't fool Mascherano and Pique that easily with intelligent passes, so we need endless running by Robinho and Pato in random directions.

5. We need our right-sided men on top of their game, because Puyol isn't much of an attacker and Villa has a tendency to cut in to the center, so the wing duties will fall on the shoulders of their left-sided players i.e. Maxwell and Alexis/Pedro.


So, my suggested line-up will sound weird, but it's practical, because I've carefully taken into account every player's attributes:

Abbiati

Nesta--Thiago
----Abate------------------------Emanuelson

Seedorf
Boateng------Nocerino

Robinho-------------Pato----
Ibrahimovic

Of course the biggest question revolves around Seedorf's deployment right ahead of the back-line, but if you happened to watch Milan-Tottenham last year, that was Seedorf's most accomplished display of the whole season in the anchorman role, he simply bossed the centrocampo and blocked every ball that came his way and had the most number of touches on the ball, a real leader as the spine of an otherwise toothless Milan.

So Seedorf there to protect the back line and maintain possession, while Boateng and Nocerino will contribute in hassling Xavi and his crew, in addition to seldom covering for Seedorf if he joins the attack at the right moment.
When Abate is adventuring on the byline, Nocerino has to also cover for him, likewise for our left flank with Boateng and Emanuelson (or Taiwo).

As for attack, I agree it's a real dilemma but once again, let's not forget that it's Barca we are gonna face, we can't afford to leave even a slightly-superior option warming the bench.

In my formation, when Pep's players have the ball, we will play a 4-5-1, relying on Ibra's unique hold-it-until-others-arrive ability.

And when Barca, in everyone's surprise lose the ball, in addition to our regular attackers, Boateng, Nocerino and Abate can help out, in the hope of flooding their box and somehow shove the ball in.

If worse came to way worse, we can send in Aquilani and even Ganz, to apply even more pressure in the final 10 minutes (85-95).

My formation will 90% not be chosen, but if I were an analyzer or adviser in Milan's technical staff, would emphasize my idea only like that.


In any case, at the end of the day, what matters the most is that we play with heart, like we did in the away game. Do you agree that even in case Milan would go on to lose that game 4-1 in the end, we would've been happy with the performance? Well, I do.

I just hope we devastate them with a similar, deja vu early goal and then rely on Nesilva, their protectors and our reactions on occasional breaks by Pato and co.

We stopped them once, nobody can claim we can't win this time.

[red&blacklegion]

That LB side has been a headache for us for a long time !

[uzonero]

aquilani - seedorf - nocerino
........boateng........
Pato - ibra

i think this lineup could do the trick. i'm overly confident about our chances of getting a result in this game

[Forza]

Emanuelson at left back is quite risky, who will Barca use instead of Alves?

Hopefully Iniesta's absence helps us. Barca were definitely a lesser side when Fabregas replaced him last time.

I am very excited for this, hopefully we can announce ourselves as real contenders by putting in another courageous display against them.

I have a feeling that Pato will really turn it on this game.

FORZA MILAN!

[dostoevsky]

Goal.com are suggestion Puyol at right back, whilst the Barcelona section are debating the merits of the 3-4-3 - with essentially four central midfielders - however I'm still unsure of what to expect from Pep.

Goal also have Antonini on the pitch though, so I wouldn't trust a thing they're saying about this game.

[Cruijf]

Goal.com are suggestion Puyol at right back, whilst the Barcelona section are debating the merits of the 3-4-3 - with essentially four central midfielders - however I'm still unsure of what to expect from Pep.

Goal also have Antonini on the pitch though, so I wouldn't trust a thing they're saying about this game.

ROFL at Goal.com. Have you seen our 'regular' formation?

As for the game: This is essentially Allegri vs Pep. Iniesta and Alves are out. While that is at first glance good for us, that throws a mix of unpredictability into the mix. What will pep do? If Allegri can figure that out and prep the squad properly, we'll be fine IMO.

I'm reasonably confident that we can at least avoid defeat.

[The Franchise]

Puyol wont play rightback, im 99% sure.

Adriano is more likely or even Maxwell. Just thought I add that.

edit-

Then again, you boys dont play with wingers and we are away from home, so Pep might consider Puyol.

Perhaps 99% isnt right, lets say 80% sure.

[Zealous]

If you keep your shape through out the match you'll have more than just a chance.

I expect Allegri to start conservatively then ask his players to press higher in the second half. If Milan can exploit;

A) Barca's lack of pace down the middle.

and

B) They're inferior set play defending.

Then Milan can win this game. But again Milan can not afford to be stretched out of position, they'll be ripped to shreds if that happens.

[Grande_Milano]

I see a repetition of last match with Barcelona

[BiasedMilanFan3]

I honestly think a Robinho-Pato partnership up front will be more beneficial than a Pato-Ibra partnership.

I hope i'm not shooting myself in the foot here but this is EXACTLY the kind of game that Pato thrives in. Big game. At the San Siro. When we need him most.

Like I said, I hope I don't jynx anything but when Pato is placed in these kind of situations (i.e. Milan 3 - 0 Inter and Milan 3 - 2 Madrid although that wasn't at the San Siro but still), Pato becomes a whole new player. Should be deployed, or focus most of his game time, on the right flank.

I also think Ibra will do well. Pique is really the only player on the other team who can completely shackle Zlatan with his physical presence but Zlatan has showed us that he is most effective when he roams the pitch and creates opportunities for teammates. Ibra should focus on the left side of the pitch and somewhat succeed the Cassano role by cutting back, setting up teammates and always looking for the assist.

Boateng and Nocerino's surging runs into the box will be need to be frequently used also.

[Chagur]

[dostoevsky]

Puyol wont play rightback, im 99% sure.

Adriano is more likely or even Maxwell. Just thought I add that.

edit-

Then again, you boys dont play with wingers and we are away from home, so Pep might consider Puyol.

Perhaps 99% isnt right, lets say 80% sure.

Adriano is what I would expect, however the combination of newspaper reports and your own discussion thread has me wondering whether there's any reason why he wouldn't have Pep's confidence. Perhaps to better deal with Ibrahimovic when he pulls wide?

Seedorf as an achor as per Iras' suggestion is an intriguing one, as arguably the role of deep midfielders against this type of opposition requires through interception, pressure, strong decision making and an ability to hold the ball under pressure, allowing for the substitution of the normal defensive hardman for a disciplined and tactically astute player rather than a smooth criminal.

Would I pursue the option? Given our options to flank our anchor, I would not risk Seedorf despite his heart and undeniable class. It's an idea which has merit and deserves appreciation, however whilst I would be quite willing to test the idea in the second half, the pragmatist in me requires that we see out the group without humiliation first and I'm still not convinced of our ability to create against Barcelona, so in the mean time I want to make damn well sure they're going to struggle to score.

Zealous' two points effectively describe our goals from Spain, however exploiting once more the first option requires our midfield to show sharpness which I'm not sure we're capable of. Scoring from set pieces is something we've improved upon dramatically this year, however whilst we need to make the most of these opportunities, the mark of our ability to compete in Europe will be marked by our ability to exploit the strength of our spine, however at the moment creatively, it's marred by a horrific twist.

Finally, before the season I spoke of the possibility of using Ibrahimovic as a super-substitute in Europe, a force creative and powerful from the bench whose physique and technique would be able to probe the weaknesses of the tired legs of our opponents and revel in an extra yard of space he will be able to create. The likes of Barcelona were in my mind when I made that comment, however given that this is the group stage, I believe it's a game Ibrahimovic must start in order for our observation, whilst our options have generally diminished in this area.

Failing everything else, Abate uses his pace to get to the byline then we play around with it long enough for Boateng to get into space twenty-thirty yards out to take pot shots.

A party ensues. :king:

[Guest]

LB is a major problem, thats where we are poor in defense currently. and yes i also agree, that pato robinho is much better when it comes to some quick plays, ibra is more of a solo player.

im pretty content with our lineup whatever it maybe except for LB. zambrotta antonini both are too poor to play against Barcelona or any elite competitor.

[BiasedMilanFan3]

Does anyone know what time this match will be on in Australia

I know its on SBS at 6:30am but I wanna watch the live match and not the delayed broadcast

[dostoevsky]

Going off the time for the match that Goal.com give, the match is at 6:45, going off another website it works out to 4:45. Trying to find a third source.

[dostoevsky]

Two other sources work out to 6:45 am.

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