Coppa Italia: AC Milan vs Reggina

Missing from our squad to face Reggina in the Coppa Italia are the likes of Montolivo, Ambrosini, Constant, Acerbi and Pato, whilst only one Primavera player will be called up in Coppola.

Goalkeepers: Abbiati, Coppola, Gabriel

Defenders: Abate, Antonini, De Sciglio, Mesbah, Yepes, Zapata.

Midfielders: Emanuelson, Flamini, Muntari, Nocerino, Strasser.

Forwards: Bojan, El Shaarawy, Pazzini, Niang, Robinho

Allegri is yet to win the Coppa Italia and he will be very keen to claim this trophy this year, it representing our best chance for silverware and also possibly his last chance to win this competition during his tenure in Milan. With De Jong's injury we will likely see Strasser tested in his natural position for the first time since his return to Milan, his first start for the club since our dramatic 4-4 draw in Udine two seasons ago. Niang is another youngster likely to find a chance, though this will perhaps be from the bench and they will represent important minutes with the first team.

Reggina are languishing near the bottom of Serie B and should represent little trouble - though recent upsets across domestic cup competitions should remind our players that vigilance must be our watchword - however they are an interesting opponent for Milan, mainly due to the presence of two familiar faces. Rodrigo Ely and Gianmario Comi have both been doing well for their loan club and will be looking to impress tonight, to prove their worth to their parent club. Ely will likely be at the centre of a three man backline, with Comi up top in a 3-5-2, though it is possible that he will either be replaced by or partner a striker by the name of Fischnaller, an Italian striker of German descent likely to be re-acquired by Juventus on a co-ownership deal in January, who has similarly shown his promise this season.

It is disappointing that the likes of Cristante and Valoti are not at least on the bench for this match, however we will hopefully see four youth performances of note tonight, though we obviously do not want Ely and Comi to knock us out with their performances.

My expected line-up, with Muntari and Niang to enter as second half substitutes.

Abbiati
Abate---Zapata---Yepes---Mesbah
Flamini---Strasser---Emanuelson
Bojan---Pazzini---Robinho

Mesbah :didnotread:

Frankly , even if the game looks really easy on the eye , the players must show the proper mentality against Reggina . We cannot allow ourselves to end up like Real have shown against Celta .It's not the most prime example either , but we must take this seriously.

As you well said Dostoevsky , this might be our only chance for silverware this season. (might.. it is the only )

I agree with the line up , except for Sharaawy . I think too Allegri should rest him against Reggina , but after he begins the game . Let him get off in the 2nd half. Normaly i would be worried about having only two CBs available , but let's hope all goes well and we won't need any tinkering ..

I can only expect a win from this game . I am particularly interested to watch Comi and Ely too , but i am sure those Secret Youth Agents will do their jobs

A pity we couldn't spare any primavera players. don't they have such a big squad they could leave one or two?

Fun fact Davide Facchin, the keeper for reggina (having a great game against us right now) is a former youth product of us.

cannot watch this anymore,absolutely terrible footy

no shawarma no party

Forza Reggina!

The funny thing is that three our four seasons ago, the attacking tre of Pazzini, Bojan and Robinho would have been an absolutely amazing attack on paper. Crazy how time changes. It takes Mario Yepes to score our 1 goal so far against Reggina.

Antonini has once gain proved why he has no place in the starting 11

Dreary first half as the players barely showed any desire. But as usual Max was impressive to sort out the problems by placing Urby on the pocket of space on the right since Strasser, who has been very impressive today was anchoring the midfield excellently. Bojan has been overzealous but makes our attack tick and more dynamic and just added a wonderful assist through a tight space for Pazzo who literally rips the net open.

Good to see Yepes step it up for us while Niang has been quite impressive as well, showing great passion and bouts of skill as its nice to see him score. Excellent 2nd half adjustments by Max.

Flamini and Antonini have been poor as the former has been a headless chicken.

Atmosphere also has been excellent despite this season's dwindling numbers. Been very proud of the tifosi this season.

Milantildeath wrote:Fun fact Davide Facchin, the keeper for reggina (having a great game against us right now) is a former youth product of us.

Even though he ended up conceding 3 goals, he was pretty solid throughout the game and couldn't have done much about the goals TBH. Made good saves on Pazzini and Abate's shots and was also quick to come off his line and save Niang's first shot, as well as Emanuelsons chance near the end of the game.

On the game, we played horribly in the first half. But in the secind half we picked up and it was a good game from their onwards. Strasser was good, confident on the ball and great distribution. He should definitely play more in Serie A.

However, I was most impressed by Niang. Great finish on the goal and was good other than that as well. Showed some great pace and skill. He has a lot of talent and potential, although it's very raw ATM and he slowly needs to work his way into the team. Good job Galliani!

I missed the game, but I am happy with the result. Next round we face Juve. That is a match I will NOT miss.

We were well matched by Reggina, who should feel that the 3-0 scoreline was a thoroughly undeserved return for their valiant efforts. For long periods during the first half they proved themselves capable in midfield, exhibiting good movement and confidence, only to without fail make a poor decision in our half and relinquish the ball to us under little pressure. It was frustrating to see even as a Milan fan, however one never likes to see a small club crumble without a fight and Reggina were well organised, whilst their goalkeeper Facchin had an excellent night as has already been mentioned. Thrice denying Pazzini brilliantly, as well as also making excellent saves to deny Bojan in the build-up to the goal, Abate and Niang, he can also rightly complain that Pazzini was marginally offside before he killed off any hope of a comeback.

As a whole we were regularly lacked the ability to properly stretch a hard working Reggina side who committed men all over their half, with our play well marshalled as we restricted ourselves largely to foraging up our right flank. Emanuelson spent large portions of the game effectively playing on the right wing, whilst Flamini and Abate regularly attempted to work this channel, with Robinho's floating role leading to an ineffective overloading of the flank which was often betrayed by impatience or a poor pass and the switch of play too irregular to trouble Reggina.

We saw a welcome 35 minutes of play for Niang today, with Robinho's early substitution following Yepes' opener allowing us our first extended look at the Frenchmen, who came so very close to his first goal for Milan just after his introduction following Pazzini's interception of a careless backpass, though he was well smothered by Facchin when failing to go for an elevated shot that would surely have bulged the net. He was chasing the ball down just seconds later on the wing though in a good display which was characterised by persistence and hard work, if coupled with naivety, however his first goal following a routine counter-attack will hopefully fill him with confidence. His introduction also coincided with Emanuelson's return to the left, where his direct running was more of a threat.

Strasser was competent and disciplined in his role ahead of the defence, though he had little opportunity to break up play, he distributed the ball well and showed that he won't simply go for the easy option all the time as well. He took the initiative to attempt to surge forward when appropriate, responding to the situation around him, however he showed signs of tiring early, even just before the half time whistle in my opinion and it is evident that he requires more game time. In the second half, after Niang's arrival, he and Flamini were more equal in height on the pitch, with Strasser taking on less of a distributive role before finally making his exit shortly after picking up a booking for a late and tired challenge, though it wasn't brutal by any means.

Muntari's cameo was far less pleasing, seeing him dispossessed in dangerous areas, misplacing passes and missing tackles, before unleashing an entirely unnecessary shot in his usual fashion. His role is to provide discipline and balance, not be the star of the show and someone needs to bluntly remind him of this.

The team got the job done and that's all that matters at the end of the day, however we're still a far cry from finding a capable alternative should we miss Montolivo for a serious match, though hopefully Strasser can prove himself an appropriate alternative to De Jong in his absence. A debut goal for Niang and another strike to lift Pazzini's spirits were excellent to see, however this is just a small step in the season.

I shall conclude with a few words concerning Ely, who I hope to eventually see back in our colours and in our starting line-up. His was a decent performance, however where he regularly hung a metre off Pazzini, he needed to take one step up to be able to more readily close him down and compete in the air. He gave Pazzini too much respect at times, requiring more aggression to more regularly cut out our attacks, though he's still a young player who will only improve with time. It is my hope that his education as a sweeper in this three man backline will help to develop his confidence in his own distribution and continue to aid his understanding of the game, though it's important that he eventually be able to regularly find time in a four man backline after this to represent a better fit for a possible reintroduction to our squad.

What I got from Robinho today is that he cannot stay at one level consistently. He was too lackadaisical vs Reggina. He is either world class or a complete waist of space. We should really just sell him to Santos in exchange for Rafael, a really good up an coming keeper; something we really need. I know Niang is very young, but he is fast, strong, great in the air and CAN FINISH; something Robinho knows nothing about. Even though I don't see Robinho leaving in January, he will surely leave this summer. Niang needs reps, you can even notice after his goal, he was calm, collected and played very well. If you give this kid more confidence he will blossom just like El Shaarawy. Right now Pazzini should be our starting striker as well, he is in good form and is a player that can be very lethal when in form.

Good game by Milan against my 2nd team! Happy for Niang and Strasser. Let's cash in on Robinho pronto - it might be our last chance to get some reasonable $$$ or a good player for him. If Santos want him, they can have him.

I'm not going to draw any other conclusions from this game, it was just a cup tie anyway. Happy with the result and the clean sheet. Glad Regina has some of our youth playing for them.

Good 2nd half. If not for their keeper having a great match, we would have completely destroyed them. Still, I find it incredible that the linesman didn't notice that offside on Pazzini. We've been rather fortunate in that sense lately. Not that it made any difference tonight. Good to see Niang score a goal but isn't he played out of position as a winger? Seems more like a classic center-forward to me, but I might be wrong of course.

Milantildeath wrote:Right now Pazzini should be our starting striker as well, he is in good form and is a player that can be very lethal when in form.

the problem is that he is way too indecisive. A player who is a first team player should be a player that put in the goals and performances that wins you several games per season. If you look at the goals Pazzini has scored you will notice that the three against Bologna are decisive, but otherwise I dont remember any that were decisive. It is like yesterday when he scored the unimportant third goal.

Only caught the last 5 mins of the match, was Strasser good?

juveman17 wrote:Forza Reggina!

pfff gtfo

Arquitecto wrote:Dreary first half as the players barely showed any desire. But as usual Max was impressive to sort out the problems by placing Urby on the pocket of space on the right since Strasser, who has been very impressive today was anchoring the midfield excellently. Bojan has been overzealous but makes our attack tick and more dynamic and just added a wonderful assist through a tight space for Pazzo who literally rips the net open.

Good to see Yepes step it up for us while Niang has been quite impressive as well, showing great passion and bouts of skill as its nice to see him score. Excellent 2nd half adjustments by Max.

Flamini and Antonini have been poor as the former has been a headless chicken.

Atmosphere also has been excellent despite this season's dwindling numbers.

Been very proud of the tifosi this season.

Rest assured i find myself in agreement once more with your opinion Arqi . But you're wrong about Flamini. It's not the opponent which classified any significant impact he might had on the game , but the signs of play he showed . Certainly better than Muntari and quite improved touch * pass game. Was focused all game , perfect mentality throughout the game and whenever he had to cut a pass or disturb opponents , he did so with precision and timing. If it wasn't for Reggina , i would be way more praiseful .

dostoevsky wrote:We were well matched by Reggina, who should feel that the 3-0 scoreline was a thoroughly undeserved return for their valiant efforts. For long periods during the first half they proved themselves capable in midfield, exhibiting good movement and confidence, only to without fail make a poor decision in our half and relinquish the ball to us under little pressure. It was frustrating to see even as a Milan fan, however one never likes to see a small club crumble without a fight and Reggina were well organised, whilst their goalkeeper Facchin had an excellent night as has already been mentioned. Thrice denying Pazzini brilliantly, as well as also making excellent saves to deny Bojan in the build-up to the goal, Abate and Niang, he can also rightly complain that Pazzini was marginally offside before he killed off any hope of a comeback.

As a whole we were regularly lacked the ability to properly stretch a hard working Reggina side who committed men all over their half, with our play well marshalled as we restricted ourselves largely to foraging up our right flank. Emanuelson spent large portions of the game effectively playing on the right wing, whilst Flamini and Abate regularly attempted to work this channel, with Robinho's floating role leading to an ineffective overloading of the flank which was often betrayed by impatience or a poor pass and the switch of play too irregular to trouble Reggina.

We saw a welcome 35 minutes of play for Niang today, with Robinho's early substitution following Yepes' opener allowing us our first extended look at the Frenchmen, who came so very close to his first goal for Milan just after his introduction following Pazzini's interception of a careless backpass, though he was well smothered by Facchin when failing to go for an elevated shot that would surely have bulged the net. He was chasing the ball down just seconds later on the wing though in a good display which was characterised by persistence and hard work, if coupled with naivety, however his first goal following a routine counter-attack will hopefully fill him with confidence. His introduction also coincided with Emanuelson's return to the left, where his direct running was more of a threat.

Strasser was competent and disciplined in his role ahead of the defence, though he had little opportunity to break up play, he distributed the ball well and showed that he won't simply go for the easy option all the time as well. He took the initiative to attempt to surge forward when appropriate, responding to the situation around him, however he showed signs of tiring early, even just before the half time whistle in my opinion and it is evident that he requires more game time. In the second half, after Niang's arrival, he and Flamini were more equal in height on the pitch, with Strasser taking on less of a distributive role before finally making his exit shortly after picking up a booking for a late and tired challenge, though it wasn't brutal by any means.

Muntari's cameo was far less pleasing, seeing him dispossessed in dangerous areas, misplacing passes and missing tackles, before unleashing an entirely unnecessary shot in his usual fashion. His role is to provide discipline and balance, not be the star of the show and someone needs to bluntly remind him of this.

The team got the job done and that's all that matters at the end of the day, however we're still a far cry from finding a capable alternative should we miss Montolivo for a serious match, though hopefully Strasser can prove himself an appropriate alternative to De Jong in his absence. A debut goal for Niang and another strike to lift Pazzini's spirits were excellent to see, however this is just a small step in the season.

I shall conclude with a few words concerning Ely, who I hope to eventually see back in our colours and in our starting line-up. His was a decent performance, however where he regularly hung a metre off Pazzini, he needed to take one step up to be able to more readily close him down and compete in the air. He gave Pazzini too much respect at times, requiring more aggression to more regularly cut out our attacks, though he's still a young player who will only improve with time. It is my hope that his education as a sweeper in this three man backline will help to develop his confidence in his own distribution and continue to aid his understanding of the game, though it's important that he eventually be able to regularly find time in a four man backline after this to represent a better fit for a possible reintroduction to our squad.

Here we go again.. You've just ruined yet another thread by nailing everything and leaving nothing for others to say. tsk tsk ..

10/10 post mate .

El Shaarawy wrote:Only caught the last 5 mins of the match, was Strasser good?

He was solid. Reggina weren't exactly a great test for his defensive abilities but he was calm and assured on the ball and displayed some good passing.

To be fair to Antonini, this was his first game back since injury and one in which our play was regularly focused down the opposite wing, with Antonini's ability to provide an overlapping option severely limited as none of Robinho, Bojan or Emanuelson regularly provided the option to link-up down his flank. Even with El Shaarawy's presence, we often shown an unbalanced approach down the left which was only exacerbated by our line-up today.

Add to this that I am fairly certain this was to be a game when Mesbah was to play until he picked up a knock suggests that Antonini was thrust back into the side before Allegri had planned, so despite the opposition, I would forgive him an anonymous game in attack.

As for Flamini, as discussed by Arq and Dante, I believe that the opinions in this thread are essentially the two sides of the same coin. Flamini was a useful pressing option in this game and wasn't wasteful in possession, however he was also part of an attack that repeatedly struggled to break down a stubborn defence that should have been easily unlocked by the calibre of player we expect to feature for Milan. That Flamini was solid defensively in such a game barely deserves praise, however others must first come under examination before his part in failing to break Reggina down in the first half is called into question.