Re: AC Milan vs FC Barcelona; first leg official thread

[Milan31]

Potential we need you for second leg brotha!

[shamr9pato]

If Silva is out, then we're out. Simple as that. Hope Max is playing mid games but he really screwed up this time. Stating him against Roma okay but Juve? Seriously? When t was so obvious he was burnt out.

No Silva and Abate=Goodbye CL

MEEEHH.. we still have GOATNERA and ANGOATINI..

No one is calling them that

u would call them that after barca game.. MARK MY WORDS..

[Ganso]

My god. We have to win this. We just have to.

Headlines in catalan papers (sport and el mundo deportivo):

- Ibra's fellow overlooks a clear penalty (the ref was Swedish)
- Messi was criminally tackled by Nesta
- Milan did not water the lawn as promised
- Guardiola: "You can't play football on this pitch."
- Xavi: "We were robbed of a penalty".

[Milan31]

My god. We have to win this. We just have to.

Headlines in catalan papers (sport and el mundo deportivo):

- Ibra's fellow overlooks a clear penalty (the ref was Swedish)
- Messi was criminally tackled by Nesta
- Milan did not water the lawn as promised
- Guardiola: "You can't play football on this pitch."
- Xavi: "We were robbed of a penalty".

HAHAHAHA legendary

[•MilanDevil•]

I must also give credit to el shaarawy for pressuring Barca effectively and was able to display his array of skills despite the intensity on the pitch.

[harhar11]

My god. We have to win this. We just have to.

Headlines in catalan papers (sport and el mundo deportivo):

- Ibra's fellow overlooks a clear penalty (the ref was Swedish)
- Messi was criminally tackled by Nesta
- Milan did not water the lawn as promised
- Guardiola: "You can't play football on this pitch."
- Xavi: "We were robbed of a penalty".

Im sorry but where have you read that? The closest thing that I have seen to that is Xavi saying that the penalty on Alexis was stonewall, but he doesnt say anything about robbed a penalty.

And the funny thing about the barca player talking about the pitch is that I was watching a Spanish football show and when they showed the interview where they were asked about the pitch, it was the italian journalist who asked them and not the spanish ones...

Oh and you taking what Sport and el mundo deportivo say serious is a big fail on your part. Whenever I read any spanish sportpaper I mostly do it for the lols.Those journalist(if you can call them that) are the worst journalist that I have ever seen even the spaniard dont take them serious, for ex I lurke alot on a spanish barca forum and there were alot of cules who were criticizing sport for its first page tomorrow.

[Guest]

my respect goes to everyone in this team who sacrificed so much for the cause of the team. this was pretty much the wounded defense lineup we had to play with and boy they did so well. ambrosini was the key, and antonini had some world class defending. bonera was solid without being spectacular,
and i thought nesta was great, organizing defense and he was great as usual, despite not being fully match fit, he gave his all and one of the most respectful moments of him was when he fouled messi and got yellow he was the first to admit himself that it was his mistake and he deservedly gets yellow. and maybe it was just me, but i felt messi also showed great respect to nesta on the pitch. barca showed respect to us no doubt about it, and i guess it was unfortunate for them not to have got penalty, meanwhile sadly robinho missed a great chance for us.

i also liked seedorf using more brain and his passes were pretty awesome. and ibra and el sharawwy was pretty good.

didnt see the first half because of day light savings the timing has changed i forgot to notice that.

im praying we have abate silva back for the game with boateng nesta fully match fit.

[billy_gr]

Just wanted to say congrats to Milan.
In all fairnaess I was expecting a walk in the park with Bonera and Antonini.
You guys defended fantasticly. Cupled with Guardiola's eratic choises the draw was a fair result.

I won't complain about the penalty however it was clear that playing in that field was difficult for both teams.

[Guest]

Just wanted to say congrats to Milan.
In all fairnaess I was expecting a walk in the park with Bonera and Antonini.
You guys defended fantasticly. Cupled with Guardiola's eratic choises the draw was a fair result.

I won't complain about the penalty however it was clear that playing in that field was difficult for both teams.

thanks man for courteous and generous message. we know u guys have best players in messi and xavi and we have best players in nesta and silva.

lets hope for a good surprise in return leg.

[Guest]

galliani

galliani is a really well mannered courteous person. nice to see him say, we will politely and courteously say no to silva sale.

[Giovanni10]

Just wanted to say congrats to Milan.
In all fairnaess I was expecting a walk in the park with Bonera and Antonini.
You guys defended fantasticly. Cupled with Guardiola's eratic choises the draw was a fair result.

I won't complain about the penalty however it was clear that playing in that field was difficult for both teams.

lol, you won't complain about the penalty because in all fairness its not a penalty, its a con.. Its a Di Maria styled con (which I'm disappointed he gets away with).

I will explain.. Its that blatant use of your low centre of gravity to shift around a goal keeper who will inevitably not be able to adjust in time. This is fine, that is a penalty.. my exception to this rule is the same as the refs:


Is there contact enough for the penalty: YES

Realistically, was he going to be able to do anythinf with the ball: NO


Hence no clear goal-scoring or goal-creating opportunity so too petty to award a penalty.

[Forza]

We drew Barca with our worst line-up yet, we can beat them when we have our best!!!

...or scored draw (away goals rule FTW)

[Giovanni10]

We drew Barca with our worst line-up yet, we can beat them when we have our best!!!

...or scored draw (away goals rule FTW)

True that!

2-2 draw at the Nou Camp, sorted.

[billy_gr]

We agree Alexis lost the control so he couldn’t score either way. That’s why I’m not going to complain about this penalty. Other than that there is contact. That’s all it matters.

Anyway, I’m anxious about the return game. Indeed this Milan side was plagued with so many absences but still had so much soul.
From our side all I can say is that rarely we have seen Pep fielding the team in such a wrong way.
See you soon guys

[Arquitecto]

Right before pre-match, I had that familiar feeling, that pit of the stomach sensation that builds 10 minutes before a big champions league clash. It felt worse than anything, worse than taking a big exam, worse failing it.

We went in with an injury ravaged squad with the mindset to attack. Fortunately, Allegri was smart enough to adapt to the situations.

Both sides started with pure intensity, first chance of the match was none other than Robinho who really truly, royally infuriated me with his disastrous miss set up by Zlatan as this was his SECOND open miss against Barca and his 688th miss of the season.

We pressed intelligently in the beginning playing with our 4-3-1-2 system that pressed Barca's modified 4-3-3 as both sides decided to press when they didn't have the ball. When our team did not press based on the situation, our players with great discipline chose to track back and anticipate Barca's passing to intercept. Most impressive part was how Allegri made the team and the head of the diamond, Ambrosini, to anticipate and read Messi's runs rather than run after them which is a highly intelligent solution and the deep line absorption of pressure seemed to work.

Eventually, Barca got through on goal with Sanchez claiming a penalty. But, it was not a penalty considering Sanchez' record of diving and literally running into GKs while seeking fouls and penalties. See the rear angle and tell me he could not avoid Abbiati easily along with actually catching upto the ball. This doesn't bother me the least bit.

Soon, Ibra was the next one to miss a chance from a smart link up 1-2 between the both, as Ibra wasted a one on one chance with Valdes. I do have to excuse him as I feel he didn't get his foot properly on the ball due to the pitch. Its evident you can see this judging how Ibra couldn't get proper footing on the ball.

Overall problem with the formation diamond that we chose to sit narrow with Boateng augmenting the diamond as the consequence was this allowed Dani Alves much space into the right yet fortunately, Antonini dealt very well with his threat as Zambrotta did with him last time. Strangely enough, Barca also allowed miles of open space on the right which would definitely would have been exploited if Bonera actually had an ounce of attacking ability in him.

I'm surprised Barca did not chose to play wide as Iniesta was the closest midfielder playing wide yet was largely ineffective given how Nocerino combined with Bonera effectively subdued him. Barca made the mistake to play down us central, but.... Milan even in the 2nd half dealt with Barca's increasing width brought on by Pedro and Tello efficiently as the only dire situation came when Nesta had to come off and thus, we had to field the mind-mindbogglingly weak defense of Antonini as RB-Bonera-Mexes-Mesbah. Tell me you did not have a heart attack when you saw Nesta coming off. I won't believe you if you did not.

More missed chances were when Ibra sent Nocerino through on the right side yet Noce did not have the confidence to follow through as he drifted wide. Worst decision by Allegri was taking off Boateng for the average Urby who did absolutely nothing when coming on. Urby wasted a golden chance made by a superb Ibra pass yet since he has literally no right foot, he oddly chose to drift right much to the anger of the Curva Sud.

My overall applause goes to Allegri for this match tactically, he was just spot on and cerebral. Too counter Barca's pressure he set up an adaptive system with an inverse triangle system to counter Barca's triangular passing with Ambrosini and Boateng wonderfully in sync to maintain the diamond.

Sadly, as brilliant as his tactics were, we did not have the attacking prowess as Nocerino and Ambrosini were too wasteful and ineffective in possession to send the front through. Although Seedorf, when typically showed how classy he can be when rested and was absolutely stellar in some moments and gave a sense of calm to the midfield despite some of his inconsistent work rate.

Flop of the match had to be Robinho who also is at fault for Ibra's lack of play. Robinho as an SS had the job of stretching the midfield and backline yet oddly did not do either as he neither would track back or position himself when Ibra looked for him, thus it literally was like playing with 10 men as Ibra was left alone by Robinho's complete lack of effectiveness and attacking position. Very disappointing.

Man of the match for me has to be Nesta for his superb command of the backline and intelligent tactical fouls when all else was lost as here we had a man playing his first match in almost 2 months and largely unfit. He was perfect. Aside from that I cannot decide between Antonini and Ambrosini. What they both have in common is how they turn up in big games. Ambro has been off form for a long time as we did not expect him to effectively fill the role of the important MvB yet he did so superbly despite his attacking wastefulness. Dominated the midfield and had the hardest job that was given to him.

Antonini who is an inconsistent fullback, does actually turn up in big games as his problem hasn't been skill, it has always been his nerves as the performance from him shows what he can do for us in larger games.

Aside from that I commend Allegri for his masterful sideline performance and tactical brilliance as I could not see anything else he could do with this squad and against Barca.

2nd leg will be a tricky situation given Barca will no doubt attempt to expose Milan's lack of width along with playing a more suitable line-up for them as Nesta most probably will not return at Camp Nou. Good news is Abate will return who was impressive against Barca both times along with MvB who can provide the sharp and intelligent distribution Ambrosini cannot.

I see us losing yet I wouldn't be surprised if Allegri finds another solution to Barca and reads their mind considering he has a record for predicting other teams tactics.

I would play roughly the same line-up in the back as only Abate changed for Bonera while Aquilani and Seedorf playing with MvB as Nocerino doesn't provide much. Front should be SES with Ibra as SES can do a far better job than Robinho can do as an SS given how bright he was when he came on along with actually reading the match play.

In the end, we should all be proud of our old school performance and applaud our weakened team for their will and guile.

Forza Milan

[guest7]

Thank Jose for forcing Barsa into the competing in La Liga again

Now they won't rest any players against Milan so Mehssi will be meh like usual

Messi was meh

[Dante]

If Silva is out, then we're out. Simple as that. Hope Max is playing mid games but he really screwed up this time. Stating him against Roma okay but Juve? Seriously? When t was so obvious he was burnt out.

No Silva and Abate=Goodbye CL

MEEEHH.. we still have GOATNERA and ANGOATINI..

No one is calling them that

u would call them that after barca game.. MARK MY WORDS..

[Dante]

All i want to say about the match is , how proud i am for Milan and how sick i've got of Robinho's missing sitters.

[IrasMaldinista]

As Arquitecto perfectly put it, Allegri's team played a flawless game tactically, and it was only a ridiculous set of individual fumbles that almost cost us the match on occasions.

Max Ambro (C) was simply phenomenal, I couldn't believe the guy is friggin' 35, he did his insane running job as effortlessly as a joyous morning jug in the local park, and when early in the match he stole Puyol's ball from behind my brother and I were simply literally breathless, it was breathtaking guys.

Antonini... wow.
If we go through, the lanky dude MUST be included in team of the tournament. What he did was nothing short of epic, youtube compilation stuff, like those ones they create for Zidane and all...

Antonini and Ambrosini did what even a running machine like Nocerino wouldn't be able to do if he tried, they ran for their home, their sacred Rossonero jersey and did so with such enthusiasm, look at how ecstatic Luca looked after successfully tracking and neutralizing Alexis, or how Ambrosini was reveling in his important, demanding role.
These were moments that actually made the match worth watching.

And then, we get to my favorite Milan player since Captain left us, Sandro "l'Artista" Nesta.

Just remember, remember how worried he was when he knew he had to leave the field. Remember how responsible he looked after committing that vital tactical tackle on Messi, he looked exactly like a father who has to break the law to protect his children, that's how truly great Nesta is.

And of course, remember how beautifully he read the game and made up for his lack of physicality at thirty-damn-six years of age with the kind of wit that you wouldn't find in chess masters. Brilliant Sandro. Brilliant.
You were majestic master, and your masterpieces against the best team ever will remain in our minds forever.


My brother is a Madridista, and naturally we were watching the game together.
I wanted all you guys to see his face during and after the match.
His smile wouldn't go away by simply watching Nesta, Captain Ambro and Antonini, he definitely was secretly wishing they had our old 36-year-old colonels, instead of ordinary corporals like Khedira and Granero.

And he was an absolute joy to watch when cursing at Robinho, Ibra and Emanuelson for their infuriating misses. I loved the boy's attitude last night.


We mean bizness, don't we? We're going there to produce mission impossible part 5, right? Forget Tom Cruise, Antonini is here.


So, Potential, when will I see the second leg "Official" thread?

[Ganso]

Potential

[M99]

Potential predicted Napoli will finish Juve unbeaten streak. GETTTT INNNNN!!!!

[Dante]

oh and one last thing ; gotta love all the "boo-hoo" from the cules

I may admire their football , and that goes way back from 08-09(Figo+Rivaldo times), but these things prevent me to respect them as champions which they are. Champions accept the result and move on , they don't bitch about the pitch like buttheart chicks

[viepr149]

I think the final result was fair given the opportunities Barca had and Milan had. Having said this 0-0 is the perfect result for us, to me it would be the same as if we won 1-0.

This is because regardless we HAVE to score and Camp Nou.

I'm predicting a 1-1 tie and we go through. Ibra - Xavi

We need to keep Boa on the whole game, he is the only one who is as clutch as Ibra is. To those who said Ibra flopped...they didn't watch the same game. He was the only one creating, brought down a lot of hard passes.

Nocerino needs to shoot more!!!

[Ganso]

we already have a thread mate

[Forza]

dost, merge this with the other one

[M99]

First time in 30 CL games, Barcelona does not score.

Milan

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