We criticise Allegri a lot, so let's give these criticisms some substance.

What would you do differently if you were the coach and you had these players to work with?

No. 1 for me would be starting Poli every single game.

What would you add to this list?

Forza , you say Poli is your n.1 priority. Would you ditch him for a 4-2-3-1 ? A formation that may(or may not) be able to unleash better football , but restrain Poli ?

Because the pivot of De Jong-Montolivo has already proven it's worth. Poli can't hope to break that right now , just being realistic . And with a 3 like that ; Ses-Kaka-Honda , he's not needed there too . Besides , his best game comes from the half line and it's the work previously done there that unleashes what Poli can do in front of goal. Having others behind him doing this , it won't mean the same for him , let's say , if he was to play in the right wing.

Poli is a player who benefits from the team keeping the ball more than the opponent and in general lines controlling the game , patiently trying to create windows from connecting with players , or see their moves and assist them , so we can break through . He's a real team player who really makes teammates look better , even the likes of Abate . But Allegri , even though we have the tools to outclass many teams , sets up the team in a way that our possesion is almost meaningless more often than it should , these days at least. I'll come back to that .

In a 4-2-3-1 , he can only play in the pivot(obviously) since the 3 will mostly be doing the creative part or run straight at opposition. I see no room for Poli other than the bench in a 4-2-3-1. And it was evident against Parma by Allegri as well , a 4-2-3-1 will mean definite bench for Poli.

Back to how Allegri sets Milan to play in the 4-3-3 . We aren't playing the 4-3-3 as we really should . And we don't utilise Poli as we really should . Not in how much he's been playing , but when he's playing. We play some passes just for the sake of it and then , instead of forwards going to help near there and keep the ball and push them back , we actually force stuff when we don't really have the necessary quality to do so. First of all , Allegri has been stretching the lines too much and we are not suited to it , the players should be closer to each other. It will be much more simple & easier for all of them and we won't have to pass the ball that often to Zapata or Mexes , or try long balls or having fullbacks to drive the ball ffs.

Allegri sets the forwards to expect the ball up front and connect there with the other players . With few to none dropping back unless it's Kaka or Robinho , frankly this makes us totally predictable and vulnerable when we make one single mistake , simply because , when there's a 20-25m metre space between the lines and the other team has set up to hurt us on the counter , we are fkn going to pay for it. You cannot have players always play in position like we have in a 4-3-3. There needs to be alterations and out of position play , in order to disbalance the other team to begin with. Our players don't do this often and we simply become predictable. And when you are predictable you can take no risks whatsoever and without risks you don't win , simple as fk.


This is down to Allegri , not just overall quality. I'll put it this way . Even though i realise why he is doing it , defence should absolutely not be our priority in the 4-3-3. Absolutely not and it is right now. We are shit in defending and we should just keep more of the ball , but here's the catch we don't do it like we can best. Should be about controlling the game through keeping the ball near the opponents half , should be about frustrating the other team . We don't show the patience or the agressiveness to do this . Keeping the ball more without the stuff i mentioned is playing meaningless passes . We simply need to patiently moving the ball untill the opponent breaks. Then you move. We just play some passes and when then ball ends up to one of the forwards we go on to attack , when the opponent is still intact at the back ffs. Again , trying to force stuff with Abate , Muntari , Balotelli being marked with 3 players , Birsa e.t.c , won't work and it hasn't.  

Having possesion on the ball near the half line area with forwards staying in position and defenders playing long passes will get you so far. We are set up in a way that reflects something that i am very sad to admit but it's true. Allegri's lack of risk shows . Even though i can understand his fears , because our defence without numbers is mediocre , playing in the 4-3-3 in the way we do , is just wrong. When we had more quality 2 years ago it was different , he wasn't afraid to take risks , but now.. right now is simply embarrasing to witness a Milan side without balls , when we actualy have a pair.

We either play the 4-3-3 like we should or go 4-2-3-1 , in this way we will be suited to the lack of patience we show and the eagerness to have the forwards develop everything. If we don't show some proper work done well , we should simply change coach by January , even though i most certain it won't happen. I've defended him when he wasn't at fault but that's not the case anymore.

If we are going to persist with the 4-3-3 like we have been saying , then Frank Rijkaard is our man imho. He will have so many stuff to teach the players , so many ideas and experience in this kind of game.Should work well being a club legend and he's a great man as well. If we do change into 4-2-3-1 and works , then i don't know. Something obviously needs to be done , we are simply way below par and nobody deserves this.

4-2-3-1 should be the formation to go. in a 4-3-3, our mezzala's attack the open spaces but then leave de jong alone if theres a counter attack. instead in a 4-2-3-1, let the 4 forwards run riot on the opponent but at least were always gonna have those 2 mids sitting a bit back just incase to protect that spectacular defense of ours. anyways, a 4-2-3-1 on defense kinda turns into a 4-5-1. so we should be able to recover quickly when we lose the ball. thats my opinion. +, we have the tools for a 4-2-3-1, i think it would look pretty sick in the mouth

TonyDaBeast wrote:4-2-3-1 should be the formation to go. in a 4-3-3, our mezzala's attack the open spaces but then leave de jong alone if theres a counter attack. instead in a 4-2-3-1, let the 4 forwards run riot on the opponent but at least were always gonna have those 2 mids sitting a bit back just incase to protect that spectacular defense of ours. anyways, a 4-2-3-1 on defense kinda turns into a 4-5-1. so we should be able to recover quickly when we lose the ball. thats my opinion. +, we have the tools for a 4-2-3-1, i think it would look pretty sick in the mouth

This is supposed to happen like that , it's a basic. De Jong must always be behind Montolivo and Poli/Muntari for cover reasons alone . Having two of them often staying deeper and just the one moving up would severly limit us against many teams. Then , he's also suited to such a role ; he can and he has succesfully protected the CBs many times over and he's also been the start for some counter attacks every now and then. He's doing a fine job in what he does so far and he's supposed to act like that in order to "releash" the two midfielders in front of him. The thing is , we've ditched the high D-line and as a result , the connection of the lines isn't optimal anymore . Cause , when you push to have a high defensive line somewhere near the half way line , all the players up front gradualy push the opposition further and further back , both with and without the ball . Eventually , when we have them where we want them , the D-Line will be where De Jong is and it will always be better than any man alone . De Jong could still sit 'deeper' for the two CMs to play higher up and continue what he does , but also have the last 3rd mifielder to help out in keeping the opponent at bay since we should be playing in their half and thus help out to continue the controlling of the tempo through possesion much , much better .
_
* Ditching the high D-line in our game was just wrong , but Zapata still can't play in it to save his life.. We tried it early in last season and it failed miserably. Let's see about Rami , because Mexes for all his slow pace has learned it under Allegri and with Rami we could have a high D-line again , which i value as vital in football. Allegri has done this with Milan in 11-12 and it worked really well , though with Nesilva anything can work really well . So , he should be doing this with Rami who's an able and adventurous CB who likes to play up front and out of the original CB zone area. I am expecting this to happen when Rami becomes available and i will be keeping an eye on Allegri about this , if Allegri is still here by January
_

Even within the 4-2-3-1 , when it will be De Jong-Montolivo , De Jong will still do the same ; the only difference being , Montolivo will be more near him and will have lesser effect in our creative game up front , but will offer cover for the 4 up front and quality in keeping the ball for the forwards to move accordingly. But when Montolivo will be pushing higher up or just playing his part in moving the ball around , De Jong is obligated albeit with pleasure , to stay deeper for cover. Frankly , De Jong-Montolivo did really great in the two , whenever we played the 4-2-3-1 last season. The only reason we didn't keep the 4-2-3-1 , is because we didn't have a proper 10 . With Kaka , Honda and also Saponara for depth , the 4-2-3-1 becomes a very possible option tbh. If we really go 4-2-3-1 , i think Honda will play AMF with Kaka on the right tbh , if i know anything about Allegri then i doubt he will be playing Honda on the wing.. whatever , i suppose he will test it out first.

As for the rest , within the 4-2-3-1 , we have to improve our pressing , amount and intensity in running. Not sure how that will turn out or if it can be done in the first place , but the 4-2-3-1 should be the push to achieve some better intensity than what we have shown so far. We will need to run a lot more in the 4-2-3-1.

I don't care so much which style we adopt , because we have the means to choose any of them once January comes , as long as it works . And if we are going to play 4-3-3 , then FFS. Muntari for all his work rate and good intentions , has zero connection & chemistry with Montolivo ; these two players must combine and co operate frequently in the 4-3-3. I have no problem with Muntari and in certain kind of games it's a good option to have him playing in front of De Jong , but that's not his game. Aside his impressive work rate and his *world class* goals he simply sucks under tight spaces , with or without any pressure from opponents. His role and position is in De Jong's place and quite frankly , Depolivo must be allowed to blossom if we persist with the 4-3-3 , or even play Honda there i don't mind. But seeing how much uncertainty and lack of stability we show , one can never really expect anything.

If i know anything though , is that Muntari for all he has done so far and i am gratefull , should not be played anywhere else other than the last midfielder. Having two clear defensive midfielders in a 4-3-3 is just wrong and with all the injuries and our mediocre defence , is not a coincedence we slip up so much. Even in the 4-3-1-2 it is wrong , it is exactly the same thing. Playing two defensive midfielders when you have Poli , even though Muntari is on great form , doesn't change the fact that Allegri is afraid to take risks and wants that extra player who will help out more in defence. But when it comes to basics of the 4-3-3 , it boggles the mind really how he can live with Muntari playing there. I am fkn sure he sees the zero productivity , connection and chemistry Montolivo and Muntari have there and the only logical explanation i can give , again when playing Muntari against teams we are meant to attack and supress , is that he's scared even there.

Truth be told , he may even be right , he tried Depolivo against Parma and even though it was working with the ball at our feet , we managed to concede two goals , even when they had only two counter attacks.. We don't concede the same with Muntari , that's true. Having said all that , it's not just Poli who hinders the defence , he's not even bad at it ; he should grow a pair and finaly present our A game and attack opponents , all this defensive & cautious stance against teams of lesser quality has made things worse for everyone , again it boggles the mind how he lets it happen that often , bench De Jong and play Muntari there or don't play Muntari at all from the start and play him later .

For me at least , that's a clear sign of making a bad selection . Not because Muntari hasn't been doing well for his standards , but because it doesn't work out in the system , like it should within the 4-3-3. We need a balsy partnership next to Montolivo , if we continue with the 4-3-3. And Montolivo-Poli should be developed or play Honda there i don't care if he likes it or not. He can learn to like it

Anyway , Allegri better fix Milan , because we need some proper work done well and we need it yesterday. Saying Honda and Rami will strengthen us only means so much when we don't do show good football and clutch to claim victories.

oh and i suppose , this thread and the "it's starting to get crowded thread" should be merged with this http://www.goallegacy.net/t24108-formation-and-tactics , since it's about tactics and all

I would most importantly want our midfielders to not waste the ball. the forward and midfielders understanding is piss poor. our forwards are not mobile enough to find free places or tactically aware of which movement will make midfielders make life easy for them to pass. so players like montolivo muntari i see them making very risky passes where forwards are already being marked, and they either make risky pass or loose ball themselves on one on one with strong opponents or they just pass to nowhere when they run out of option or ideas. i want allegri to be able to solve this problem, make forwards unpredictable and be more mobile, draw defenders out of their position by being unpredictable themselves so our midfielders have more option. thats where poli de jong and montolivo will be very handy. because poli can hold ball well, he plays simple and effective football and shows technical ability when it matters. de jong meanwhile is great in interception and making quick passes. montolivo is the one who should or need to pull more strings, be a dictator. he should be like xavi or pirlo try to look at spaces, if not then keep the ball convince forward to come back and help him more so that opponents can tactically be out of their position so he get more option. my biggest problem with this milan team is midfield more than defense. i am tired of allegri playing just pressing football and just defense and attack game. thats why i was dying to see more creative football who knows how to hold ball well, has ability of visionary passes, possession football. i am super against the idea of just playing defense and offense without creativity and possession and passes.

i am not liking the idea how our midfielders can't even hold a ball confidently or keep possesion for long they loose it so cheaply.

thats why muntari for me is or was never even a option to be selected.

another problem is, our team always gets caught in counterattack. i like how de jong as soon as our CBs or muntari or poli or montolivo is going forward ... i think he is the only player to realize ... hey we need some cover in the ball and he comes back, just in case! thats how it should be... !! muntari has never done that.. nor montolivo !! when we are pressing so high, our players or allegri should make them aware that someone has to cover each other's position just incase!!!!

and another problem is that our forwards are lazy. bar kaka, el sharawwy. robinho, balotelli, they needs to really track back a bit and help midfielders bring the ball, and not just wait in one position all the time. and with el sharwwy i him sometimes that he is limiting himself to just left flank. i think the reason he was scoring so many goals in first half of last season was because he was making himself so much unpredictable with his movement, evereywhere. he was everywhere. from left to right to center, and back to his position in left flank. i want our forwards to do the same.

and with montolivo and our forwards, i wish allegri would make them communicate more so that montolivo can make defense splitting passes. one of the things i notice that the reason why barcelona can bang so many goals is that, despite opponents having 10 or 11 playrs back, their communication between midfield and forwards are so good, when xavi is looking for spaces or forward runs, forwards make timely run so xavi split pass between defenders and rest is for forward to anticipate that passs and react quickly than defenders. i want to see more of that because balotelli and el sharwwy is capable of doing that so much. thats why kaka comes handy here, because i see kaka always looking for spaces, he did that with abate so many times but in lazio game abate was too slow to react.

with defense its all about confidence here. our CBs are so weak and are always shaky. they need more determination, they need more calmness. with zapata its allways that he keeps himself out position. and that why we concede cheap goals.


my preference is :



                         gabriel

abate      Mexes         rami         de sciglio

                         De jong

             poli                    montolivo

                         Kaka            

               Baloteli                          SES                

or


                         Gabriel

abate        Mexes              Rami        De Sciglio
         

                     De Jong   Monto


Poli                    Kaka              El shawwry
                 
                        Balotelli  



no matter what tactics we play i think importantly team work is very vital..that team chemistry that understanding that. team work communication is so important. we have none .. we have zero in fact. the communication and chemistry all the way from defense to midfield to attack is non existent. , and playing smart and efficient, mobility of forwards, tactical awareness by midfielders, not getting caught out in counterattack, and always when someone goes forward players need to cover each other or be aware of the risk they are taking.  if we play 4-2-3-1  de jong montolivo is not enough poli, el shawwy needs to track back most of the times to help them out and play some role in midfield too.

anyway its my opinion on how team can improve.

and i see allegri trying too hard sometimes. making our players at times worktoo hard. yes workrate is important, runnning chasing balls, chasing opponents are one of the arts of football in which i want to say this, that one of the things i want allegri to make our forwards do is not be lazy and run and run and make opponents make mistake!!! thats why barcelona and real are so good because they force oppoents to make mistake!!!


and another thing i want to point out is that just pressing, workrate and defense - attack football that allegri is playing is not good. my thinking is always that if you play clever football, visionary football possession football then you save more energy and you work less than you need to, and still be able to be more dangerous and more unpredictable.

thats why players like xavi's pirlo, messi, iniesta, or isco, seedorf, kaka their footballing is like art, a masterpiece to me.

and i hate absolutely hate muntari wasting ball, basting ball away, poor passes. ok he scores goal. but he is worse than boateng. a complete show off, just want goals for himself. i dont even understand why he is in lineup when poli is there!!!!

poli is hella great player! in fact i dare say he and je jong are the best we have!! and yet allegri doesnt play!!! what is allegri waiting for???

even saponara should be getting more minutes than birsa, (birsa is good but saponara needs game!!!!)

Galliani should plead for Milan (yes only milan) to be allowed to use 12 players on the pitch. This way poli can play in a 4-2-3-1, which would now be a 4-3-3-1

Just imagine the possibilites:
--------------Gabriel--------------
Abate---Rami------Mexes---De Sci-
--Poli-------De Jong-----Montolivo-
-----Honda----Kaka----SES-------
------------Balotelli---------------

B-) OP stuff.

Dante wrote:

TonyDaBeast wrote:4-2-3-1 should be the formation to go. in a 4-3-3, our mezzala's attack the open spaces but then leave de jong alone if theres a counter attack. instead in a 4-2-3-1, let the 4 forwards run riot on the opponent but at least were always gonna have those 2 mids sitting a bit back just incase to protect that spectacular defense of ours. anyways, a 4-2-3-1 on defense kinda turns into a 4-5-1. so we should be able to recover quickly when we lose the ball. thats my opinion. +, we have the tools for a 4-2-3-1, i think it would look pretty sick in the mouth

This is supposed to happen like that , it's a basic. De Jong must always be behind Montolivo and Poli/Muntari for cover reasons alone . Having two of them often staying deeper and just the one moving up would severly limit us against many teams. Then , he's also suited to such a role ; he can and he has succesfully protected the CBs many times over and he's also been the start for some counter attacks every now and then. He's doing a fine job in what he does so far and he's supposed to act like that in order to "releash" the two midfielders in front of him. The thing is , we've ditched the high D-line and as a result , the connection of the lines isn't optimal anymore . Cause , when you push to have a high defensive line somewhere near the half way line , all the players up front gradualy push the opposition further and further back , both with and without the ball . Eventually , when we have them where we want them , the D-Line will be where De Jong is and it will always be better than any man alone . De Jong could still sit 'deeper' for the two CMs to play higher up and continue what he does , but also have the last 3rd mifielder to help out in keeping the opponent at bay since we should be playing in their half and thus help out to continue the controlling of the tempo through possesion much , much better .
_
* Ditching the high D-line in our game was just wrong , but Zapata still can't play in it to save his life.. We tried it early in last season and it failed miserably. Let's see about Rami , because Mexes for all his slow pace has learned it under Allegri and with Rami we could have a high D-line again , which i value as vital in football. Allegri has done this with Milan in 11-12 and it worked really well , though with Nesilva anything can work really well . So , he should be doing this with Rami who's an able and adventurous CB who likes to play up front and out of the original CB zone area. I am expecting this to happen when Rami becomes available and i will be keeping an eye on Allegri about this , if Allegri is still here by January
_

Even within the 4-2-3-1 , when it will be De Jong-Montolivo , De Jong will still do the same ; the only difference being , Montolivo will be more near him and will have lesser effect in our creative game up front , but will offer cover for the 4 up front and quality in keeping the ball for the forwards to move accordingly. But when Montolivo will be pushing higher up or just playing his part in moving the ball around , De Jong is obligated albeit with pleasure , to stay deeper for cover. Frankly , De Jong-Montolivo did really great in the two , whenever we played the 4-2-3-1 last season. The only reason we didn't keep the 4-2-3-1 , is because we didn't have a proper 10 . With Kaka , Honda and also Saponara for depth , the 4-2-3-1 becomes a very possible option tbh. If we really go 4-2-3-1 , i think Honda will play AMF with Kaka on the right tbh , if i know anything about Allegri then i doubt he will be playing Honda on the wing.. whatever , i suppose he will test it out first.

As for the rest , within the 4-2-3-1 , we have to improve our pressing , amount and intensity in running. Not sure how that will turn out or if it can be done in the first place , but the 4-2-3-1 should be the push to achieve some better intensity than what we have shown so far. We will need to run a lot more in the 4-2-3-1.

I don't care so much which style we adopt , because we have the means to choose any of them once January comes , as long as it works . And if we are going to play 4-3-3 , then FFS. Muntari for all his work rate and good intentions , has zero connection & chemistry with Montolivo ; these two players must combine and co operate frequently in the 4-3-3. I have no problem with Muntari and in certain kind of games it's a good option to have him playing in front of De Jong , but that's not his game. Aside his impressive work rate and his *world class* goals he simply sucks under tight spaces , with or without any pressure from opponents. His role and position is in De Jong's place and quite frankly , Depolivo must be allowed to blossom if we persist with the 4-3-3 , or even play Honda there i don't mind. But seeing how much uncertainty and lack of stability we show , one can never really expect anything.

If i know anything though , is that Muntari for all he has done so far and i am gratefull , should not be played anywhere else other than the last midfielder. Having two clear defensive midfielders in a 4-3-3 is just wrong and with all the injuries and our mediocre defence , is not a coincedence we slip up so much. Even in the 4-3-1-2 it is wrong , it is exactly the same thing. Playing two defensive midfielders when you have Poli , even though Muntari is on great form , doesn't change the fact that Allegri is afraid to take risks and wants that extra player who will help out more in defence. But when it comes to basics of the 4-3-3 , it boggles the mind really how he can live with Muntari playing there. I am fkn sure he sees the zero productivity , connection and chemistry Montolivo and Muntari have there and the only logical explanation i can give , again when playing Muntari against teams we are meant to attack and supress , is that he's scared even there.

Truth be told , he may even be right , he tried Depolivo against Parma and even though it was working with the ball at our feet , we managed to concede two goals , even when they had only two counter attacks.. We don't concede the same with Muntari , that's true. Having said all that , it's not just Poli who hinders the defence , he's not even bad at it ; he should grow a pair and finaly present our A game and attack opponents , all this defensive & cautious stance against teams of lesser quality has made things worse for everyone , again it boggles the mind how he lets it happen that often , bench De Jong and play Muntari there or don't play Muntari at all from the start and play him later .

For me at least , that's a clear sign of making a bad selection . Not because Muntari hasn't been doing well for his standards , but because it doesn't work out in the system , like it should within the 4-3-3. We need a balsy partnership next to Montolivo , if we continue with the 4-3-3. And Montolivo-Poli should be developed or play Honda there i don't care if he likes it or not. He can learn to like it

Anyway , Allegri better fix Milan , because we need some proper work done well and we need it yesterday. Saying Honda and Rami will strengthen us only means so much when we don't do show good football and clutch to claim victories.

i agree with everything u say except for just a couple of details in the first couple of lines. were gonna have 4 forwards at all times attacking, dont u think its enough? montolivo can play the 'pirlo' role, im sure hes able to do it. De Jong provides the steel, and then gives the ball to Monto to distribute long passes via the center or wings. + Montolivo is not a terrible tackler and has a little bit of steel in him too. Kaka,Honda,El Shaarawy and Balotelli is enough firepower (me thinks) to give all kinds of trouble to the opposition. i dont think an extra player in Montolivo supporting the attack can change n e thing. especially since he cant dribble and doesnt have pace. anyways, were talking like as if De Jong and Montolivo will never pass the half line if we go in a 4-2-3-1. Montolivo will still venture around and will always be a little bit further up in the play for the long rang shots or that last ball over the top from about 30 yards.

I didn't imply that they won't be moving higher up the field , even in the 4-2-3-1. Just that one of them , at all times and at all costs , must stay behind for cover, that's all . It's a basic , be it 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 or whatever really , the last midfielder is the last midfielder for a reason. If the team is that high up the pitch and he also moves in accordance , well that's how the game goes and i guess that was what you were saying . The 4-2-3-1 must be played with the positions in mind when we have the ball and since Milan does well in keeping position , or maybe unable to play off the standard positions , we have to go 4-2-3-1 for good..

Some teams especially in Serie A , just wait for us , in order to counter attack . Going with just 4 players , whilst not on the counter , against 7-8-9 players in an organised manner , won't work . It just won't and numerical superiority with tactical organisation in certain areas will almost always count for more than said quality. Great coaches have proven that all over the years , from Cruyff and Sacchi to Mourinho and Guardiola e.t.c

Anyway , i mostly agree with what you were saying Tony , i was just saying , with the addition of a high D-line , all of that would cound for so much tbh. We would have De Jong and Montolivo both involved in the half line area whenever it's needed. Right now we are severely out of balance in the middle , we have no player to drive the ball unless it's Kaka dropping back and our forwards make all the wrong moves and the players behind try to find them when they are in the wrong positions. Say last night . Balotelli is marked by 3 CBs with players outside the box and we try to cross him the ball. FFS so stupid. Or Fiorentina staying so deep and seeing 5 players or so not moving up in fear of counter attack ,resulting in the inevitable loss of the ball . So many mistakes everywhere.

And Allegri's selection , albeit up to some extend i can prove it's not entirely his fault , is simply wrong .

__

I've come to certain realisations in the last games tbh. First of all. The formation we should be using. It's the 4-2-3-1 , full stop. Full.Stop. But Allegri said in the past and i am sure he regrets those words , it's impossible to play with two instead of 3 in Serie A... and how come Napoli is 2nd mister ? Ok , that would be the case in Serie A if we didn't have the players , but we have the players , actually , almost anyway.

Who are our best midfielders ?

Montolivo , De Jong and Poli , in this order. Montolivo this season , exploits some more freedom compared to last season when he had to replace De Jong. De Jong sits back and he gets to roam and participate more up front . Well before i start ; what did last season prove with regards to Montolivo ? That he did a superb job there . Superb , he had a better season than Pirlo ffs. He was simply great as the last midfielder .

He did great because , he's quite slow to be running that hard up front and his overall work there , really counted . But since De Jong got back , that work has dissapeared from the deep and even though we have a more defensively sound player as the last midfielder , his passing distribution and involvment with regards to keeping hold of the ball , it's not the same. He's not bad , but definitely not the same. So get yourselves into Allegri's place. You have those 3 , but you can't play De Jong in another position . What do you do ? Only the 4-2-3-1 will make them work great . Only , but that leaves out Poli and a certain Muntari who's on great form. It is a difficult situation to be in , since Montolivo and De Jong are our best and Montolivo has openly admitted that he preffers what he did for the majority of last season , playing in front of the defence.

De Jong is doing great there , but since we give importance on the ball , we simply need Montolivo in that area , not necessarily as last midfielder since we have De Jong. Right now things don't work as it should and this is one of the reasons actually. The work we do behind defines our attacking display up front and with Montolivo running around like a headless chicken and Kaka having to drop back to the half line area for the ball because nobody can drive it forward , won't get us anywhere. And since we cannot just drop De Jong or move him where Montolivo is , we absolutely have to play 4-2-3-1 straight away . Not only Montolivo won't have to stretch himself and get exhausted like last night , but we will have the steel De Jong offers and the playmaking Montolivo can do all in the same area , without any lack in balance. We don't need speed there but quality and De Jong-Montolivo is more than enough , actually. But where Montolivo is trying to perform and that NEXT TO MUNTARI who he has no chemistry whatsoever , not a coincedence it doesn't work.. I recall De Jong-Montolivo worked great last season , but we didn't have the 10 to play it properly . Now we will have Honda and Kaka .

Again , 4-2-3-1. FULL.FKN.STOP. Anything else from now on is Allegri's mistake .

As for Poli , he has all what it takes to shine with Milan but we must look to the team first. He still has work to do and resting Montolivo and having him play there will be much better for him. He's very alike to Montolivo actually , just faster and more adventurous , though less sound technically and defensively. So what best to have him evolve and have quality depth to Montolivo. The 4-2-3-1 will also save us from Muntari's antics up to an extend. Playing 2nd feedle to De Jong will not only improve Milan technically just by his absence , but he will also play a lot better in his natural position and also offer depth.

I have clearly seen the light with regards to the 4-2-3-1. It is a system which requires said team to play with the positions in mind when on the ball and without the ball , it allows for great defence actually when done right. We can defend to great depths like that and also have more counter attacks to show.

It's everything we need to get back on track at the moment , even though we will have to work on some things first , such as pressing , intensity and tactical movement when teams defend in numbers against us .

__

In the 3 , it should be without a single shred of doubt : El Shaarawy - Honda - Kaka . Not Kaka in the middle , for the sole reason Honda isn't so fast and he's isn't a winger by any means. Kaka isn't a winger either , but Kaka is a rare player . He provides anything you ask of him , especially when surrounded by quality players. And he has always shown he has no problem playing a bit left or a bit right , he will still play his game without hindering the system or others. This is it , really. Allegri has no excuses , 4-2-3-1 end of it.

Balotelli will have it a lot simpler and easier up front as well. We will have more speed up front and faster , more easier ways to score. Having 18 shots against Fiorentina without goals is simply laughable , it only means we aren't setting up the right way. And the 4-2-3-1 is the right way , i hope Allegri realises this before it's too late. He should do it after Barcelona . We miss some players but we can still do it , even without Rami and Honda. With Rami and Honda in the 4-2-3-1 we should look like another team , i am so dead sure about this.

I won't say much about defenders , but i expect things to get better with Mexes-Rami and De Sciglio on the lineup. In an ideal world , we would sign a ready keeper too already by January. Gabriel is talented but he's not ready at the moment , although i am happy for him because any sort of playing time for a keeper is good. But we need a GK or a vast improvement in defence in order to help him out a lot more than currently . Most , if not all the goals he conceded were laughable and make him look bad , which really isn't the case.

regardless of what happens in Barcelona game, i want to see how much Allegri has done his homework with our problems starting from next weekend games. just 1 game loss before the break, and I am officially advocating for allegri sack!

i am still willing to see how allegri does and whether whatever said in post fiorentina game, that he really will do what he has said he will do.

Very nice analysis Dante. I have always thought the 4-2-3-1 defensively frail if there aren't 2 DMs in the pivot. However, if Monty is disciplined and plays as a proper DLP, we should be alright.

Another thing is that, whilst I agree with the line-up, in the meantime it is going to look like this:


Not ideal, but still better than what we currently use.

Robinho can still help , but he looks out of shape.. he has had some good games so far this season , but no consistency between his performances .

Players like Robinho need to be in good shape to perform , because when out of stamina for the majority of the game , nothing from his arsenal of moves will work out well and that is almost his entire game.

At least there are a few good signs. I suppose he should be starting when really fit . Otherwise , Ses-Kaka-Birsa seem the most likely option when not.

Seriously , come the end of the game at Camp Nou. 4-2-3-1. Allegri don't mess it up this time , you've already got your 2nd chance

Everything is right in front of him , he cannot let us down anymore. And besides , i am pretty sure the players will be excited to play in such a way , especially players like Emanuelson or Birsa. Players like Nocerino and Niang though..

bye Noce , i will miss you.

Dante wrote:I didn't imply that they won't be moving higher up the field , even in the 4-2-3-1. Just that one of them , at all times and at all costs , must stay behind for cover, that's all . It's a basic , be it 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 or whatever really , the last midfielder is the last midfielder for a reason. If the team is that high up the pitch and he also moves in accordance , well that's how the game goes and i guess that was what you were saying . The 4-2-3-1 must be played with the positions in mind when we have the ball and since Milan does well in keeping position , or maybe unable to play off the standard positions , we have to go 4-2-3-1 for good..

Some teams especially in Serie A , just wait for us , in order to counter attack . Going with just 4 players , whilst not on the counter , against 7-8-9 players in an organised manner , won't work . It just won't and numerical superiority with tactical organisation in certain areas will almost always count for more than said quality. Great coaches have proven that all over the years , from Cruyff and Sacchi to Mourinho and Guardiola e.t.c

Anyway , i mostly agree with what you were saying Tony , i was just saying , with the addition of a high D-line , all of that would cound for so much tbh. We would have De Jong and Montolivo both involved in the half line area whenever it's needed. Right now we are severely out of balance in the middle , we have no player to drive the ball unless it's Kaka dropping back and our forwards make all the wrong moves and the players behind try to find them when they are in the wrong positions. Say last night . Balotelli is marked by 3 CBs with players outside the box and we try to cross him the ball. FFS so stupid. Or Fiorentina staying so deep and seeing 5 players or so not moving up in fear of counter attack ,resulting in the inevitable loss of the ball . So many mistakes everywhere.

And Allegri's selection , albeit up to some extend i can prove it's not entirely his fault , is simply wrong .

__

I've come to certain realisations in the last games tbh. First of all. The formation we should be using. It's the 4-2-3-1 , full stop. Full.Stop. But Allegri said in the past and i am sure he regrets those words , it's impossible to play with two instead of 3 in Serie A... and how come Napoli is 2nd mister ? Ok , that would be the case in Serie A if we didn't have the players , but we have the players , actually , almost anyway.

Who are our best midfielders ?

Montolivo , De Jong and Poli , in this order. Montolivo this season , exploits some more freedom compared to last season when he had to replace De Jong. De Jong sits back and he gets to roam and participate more up front . Well before i start ; what did last season prove with regards to Montolivo ? That he did a superb job there . Superb , he had a better season than Pirlo ffs. He was simply great as the last midfielder .

He did great because , he's quite slow to be running that hard up front and his overall work there , really counted . But since De Jong got back , that work has dissapeared from the deep and even though we have a more defensively sound player as the last midfielder , his passing distribution and involvment with regards to keeping hold of the ball , it's not the same. He's not bad , but definitely not the same. So get yourselves into Allegri's place. You have those 3 , but you can't play De Jong in another position . What do you do ? Only the 4-2-3-1 will make them work great . Only , but that leaves out Poli and a certain Muntari who's on great form. It is a difficult situation to be in , since Montolivo and De Jong are our best and Montolivo has openly admitted that he preffers what he did for the majority of last season , playing in front of the defence.

De Jong is doing great there , but since we give importance on the ball , we simply need Montolivo in that area , not necessarily as last midfielder since we have De Jong. Right now things don't work as it should and this is one of the reasons actually. The work we do behind defines our attacking display up front and with Montolivo running around like a headless chicken and Kaka having to drop back to the half line area for the ball because nobody can drive it forward , won't get us anywhere. And since we cannot just drop De Jong or move him where Montolivo is , we absolutely have to play 4-2-3-1 straight away . Not only Montolivo won't have to stretch himself and get exhausted like last night , but we will have the steel De Jong offers and the playmaking Montolivo can do all in the same area , without any lack in balance. We don't need speed there but quality and De Jong-Montolivo is more than enough , actually. But where Montolivo is trying to perform and that NEXT TO MUNTARI who he has no chemistry whatsoever , not a coincedence it doesn't work.. I recall De Jong-Montolivo worked great last season , but we didn't have the 10 to play it properly . Now we will have Honda and Kaka .

Again , 4-2-3-1. FULL.FKN.STOP. Anything else from now on is Allegri's mistake .

As for Poli , he has all what it takes to shine with Milan but we must look to the team first. He still has work to do and resting Montolivo and having him play there will be much better for him. He's very alike to Montolivo actually , just faster and more adventurous , though less sound technically and defensively. So what best to have him evolve and have quality depth to Montolivo. The 4-2-3-1 will also save us from Muntari's antics up to an extend. Playing 2nd feedle to De Jong will not only improve Milan technically just by his absence , but he will also play a lot better in his natural position and also offer depth.

I have clearly seen the light with regards to the 4-2-3-1. It is a system which requires said team to play with the positions in mind when on the ball and without the ball , it allows for great defence actually when done right. We can defend to great depths like that and also have more counter attacks to show.

It's everything we need to get back on track at the moment , even though we will have to work on some things first , such as pressing , intensity and tactical movement when teams defend in numbers against us .

__

In the 3 , it should be without a single shred of doubt : El Shaarawy - Honda - Kaka . Not Kaka in the middle , for the sole reason Honda isn't so fast and he's isn't a winger by any means. Kaka isn't a winger either , but Kaka is a rare player . He provides anything you ask of him , especially when surrounded by quality players. And he has always shown he has no problem playing a bit left or a bit right , he will still play his game without hindering the system or others. This is it , really. Allegri has no excuses , 4-2-3-1 end of it.

Balotelli will have it a lot simpler and easier up front as well. We will have more speed up front and faster , more easier ways to score. Having 18 shots against Fiorentina without goals is simply laughable , it only means we aren't setting up the right way. And the 4-2-3-1 is the right way , i hope Allegri realises this before it's too late. He should do it after Barcelona . We miss some players but we can still do it , even without Rami and Honda. With Rami and Honda in the 4-2-3-1 we should look like another team , i am so dead sure about this.

I won't say much about defenders , but i expect things to get better with Mexes-Rami and De Sciglio on the lineup. In an ideal world , we would sign a ready keeper too already by January. Gabriel is talented but he's not ready at the moment , although i am happy for him because any sort of playing time for a keeper is good. But we need a GK or a vast improvement in defence in order to help him out a lot more than currently . Most , if not all the goals he conceded were laughable and make him look bad , which really isn't the case.

Gabriel;

Abate - Mexes - Rami - De Sciglio

De Jong - Montolivo

Kaka - Honda - SES

Balotelli

beautifully said, and beautiful lineup.

and btw, by using a 4-2-3-1 instead of a 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2, we wouldn't need to spend much on the market. its a money saver since it only needs 2 mids. 1 Mid and another CB would be enough. instead in a 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-3 we might need to buy 2 mids with 1 CB

speaking a little bit off topic lately i have been reading lot of news speculation that even Galliani's position is under threat along with allegri, and other staffs. In which Barbara has denied it, however interestingly Paolo Maldini's name has been linked to position in our management. I don't understand for what they are waiting for, I think Maldini can in terms of sporting direction improve this team massively by assessing what is poor in our squad and how to improve this team. Also bringing new scouts has been mentioned. I say do it.

ever since leonardo became coach and that duty was over taken by Braida its been going downright in wrong direction.

We don't want to waste Maldini by putting him into a situation that he doesn't have the experience to get out of, that could damage him as a coach forever. What we need to do is get a clean slate next season and then give a coach the opportunity to build from there. In the meantime, we need a reliable caretaker coach. However, having Maldini as a sporting director is probably a good move. He is one of the few guys who has always had the guts to stand up to Berlusconi.

Forza wrote:We don't want to waste Maldini by putting him into a situation that he doesn't have the experience to get out of, that could damage him as a coach forever. What we need to do is get a clean slate next season and then give a coach the opportunity to build from there. In the meantime, we need a reliable caretaker coach. However, having Maldini as a sporting director is probably a good move. He is one of the few guys who has always had the guts to stand up to Berlusconi.

oh i was saying maldini as a sporting/technical director. this is not the fiirst time newspapers has speculated regarding milan's stance on maldini with regards to management.

yeah , i dont know who can take the role of caretaker. i hope not inzaghi not because i dont want him to, but because the squad itself is a mess, and i dont wish to see inzaghi being pressured.

lets see. whatever the situation is, from next season on, i dont want allegri to continue because even though our management get things right, i dont want our future to be handed to allegri on long term.

Guys , Allegri is already past , this is his last season with Milan . Nothing will happen for the time being unless he manages to somehow not qualify the team for the 16 . Anyhow , even if Allegri gets the 3rd spot trophy , lol , the decision has already been made and i am pretty sure they already look for potential candidates.

But Galliani is right ; we need calm at the moment and by sacking the coach , even though it could help if we had the right man available , it won't change that much. Because sacking Allegri and having Tassoti as caretaker won't change a thing.

We need to endure it , but it's nothing we can't take. In any case , i expect Milan to bounce back for good if we do the right adjustments , we are nowhere near that bad as our position in the table says.

But good grief Allegri , after Barcelona better play 4-2-3-1 . Luck favours the brave and we have no luck , i think this says everything you need to know about Allegri atm. That's all we miss in games , taking risks ; the rest are details.

With Ses back and a 4-2-3-1 which should unlock the door out of this difficult situation , we should be back and going. Such a case of underperforming is very strange and i expect it to end as soon as possible.

We had a great match with the 4-3-2-1 against Celtic. Since Honda and Rami won't be playing in Europe this season , i think we should keep playing 4-3-2-1 in Europe and 4-2-3-1 in the league .

The 4-3-2-1 also offers better protection to the defence and it's safe to say that's needed with Zapata in. What do you think , is it the solution ? Because when Honda comes in and Rami improves our defence , there's no way in hell we are playing anything else other than 4-2-3-1.

Unless Allegri wants to take some vacation before the summer , then no

If Allegri is dropped for Seedorf (something I hear is in the rumor mill) you can bet our team is going to play with a lot more technical players. I'd expect something like this. He would probably go with the midfield set up that actually won us the champions league. De Jong as Gattuso, Montolivo as Pirlo, Honda as Seedorf. I'm not comparing them with these players, I'm just saying they have the same characteristics. Could be a really competitive given the right man in charge.

--------------------------Abbiati
Abate--------------Rami----------Mexes-----------De Sciglio

-------------------------Montolvio
-------------------De Jong-----Honda

---------------------------Kaka
----------------------Balo-------SES

Not Seedorf pls, I love that guy, but he has zero coaching experience. I would rather Pippo, he has some experience since he is the manager of our Primavera. If Allegri sticks till the end of the season, then just get Prandelli.