Barcelona v AC Milan

Mascherano - Puyol expected to start... oh dear.

Other than that it's good to see the strongest eleven play.

Nocerino-Seedorf-van Bommel?

Emmanuelson and Boateng supporting lone Pato up front? :@:

Sport were wrong about the Villarreal game and I predict the same here.

I dont think they will change formation either, Cassano and Pato could play.

First of all, I think Van Bommell will likely play centerally, as a pivot.

Seedor as a number 10.

Ambrosini right center and Emmanuelson leftcenter.

Can anyone confirm if Boateng is in the squad for sure or not? He went off injured against Lazio, so I assumed he will miss it. Anyone know?

If he is okay, then he probably would play instead of Emmanuelson.

If Milan play with the same formation as there, they really have no intention of winning I feel.

I also think Adriano will play, not Puyol.

Abidal in center, Mascherano rightcenter.

They dont have threat down the wings, why waste Abidals best skills there? Also Adriano is a force in the attack and I expect our fullbacks to have plenty of space because of their formation.

Dani the prospect of Abidal - Mascherano might be worse than that of Puyol - Mascherano

Not for me, Abidal is better on the ball then both.

Also, at least he is reasonably fit and playing often.

I am sure he is capable, but do we want to throw Puyol back in here and now?

Boateng was in the squad Allegri named. This was the squad:

MILAN - Below is the list of 21 players called up by Massimiliano
PORTIERI - Abbiati, Amelia, Roma.
DIFENSORI - Abate, Antonini, Bonera, Nesta, Taiwo, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta, Yepes.
CENTROCAMPISTI - Ambrosini, Aquilani, Boateng, Emanuelson, Nocerino, Seedorf, Van Bommel.
ATTACCANTI - Cassano, Ibrahimovic, Pato.

However Ibrahimovic has since been withdrawn.

Thanks Doest.

What was the injury he had? Must not of been too serious then.

With Ibra missing, would of been a good time to have Inzaghi wouldnt it?

But I guess you cant have anyone, Milan have alot of players.

Allegri: "If I could put my signature on a tie against Barcelona I would"

I don't think we have too much to worry about as far as their attacking is concerned...

I haven't heard anything about Boateng being in danger of missing the match, not really sure about the concern over his fitness after the Lazio match.

Inzaghi wouldn't be fit in any case unfortunately, whilst el Shaarawy wasn't eligible for the B-list, so he can't be called up.

What is a very deep forward line has disappeared and we suddenly have nothing on the bench which can change a game.

But he did go off injured didnt he? Or did I confuse him for someone else?

Gattuso and one other went off injured, I am sure of it....

Inzaghi is injured, didnt know that.

I missed the second half, I was going to watch my recording of it tonight, you might be right, but I didn't hear any mention of it in the Milan section.

Either I am losing my mind or it must of been cramp or something minor if there was no talk of it afterwards.

The Franchise wrote:Not for me, Abidal is better on the ball then both.

Also, at least he is reasonably fit and playing often.

I am sure he is capable, but do we want to throw Puyol back in here and now?

I agree completely dani. In fact if even one of Puyol, Abidal or Mascherano are playing, then it doesn't look too bad to me. That is what is the biggest question in my mind regarding the Sociedad game - why did we rest all three together. If even one of them had played we might have won that match.

Well I dont think Puyol was ready to start. Pep would of liked to bring him on with the chance of starting him against Milan.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:

Mascherano - Puyol expected to start... oh dear.

Other than that it's good to see the strongest eleven play.

Only just noticed this, but Abate won't be seeing the bench and Seedorf only played in the very centre once during all of last season, if he plays it will almost certainly be on the left. Aquilani's a better risk-taker than Emanuelson, who can be a tad awkward in possession. Neither will be particularly used to the pressure, however I'd prefer Aquilani. I haven't heard any voices surrounding Milan suggesting that he'll start however. I'd have personally used Seedorf from the bench, however in Allegri we trust. :king:

Is that squad confirmed/the only plausible option or are there possible changes to the 18?

Puyol was Out for like 3 month before the first Classico in April, but still he was a starter in that match!

So since Puyol already is cleared fit.. i think Guardiola could include him in Starting Line-up:

Imo, any of these Line-ups are fine with me..

Valdes

Alves Masch Puyol Abidal Or Alves Puyol Abidal Adriano

Xavi Busquets Iniesta

Pedro Messi Villa

OR

I rate Max Allegri very highly. I 100% am with conviction he will be a future managerial powerhouse as the man proves critics wrong time and time again as he has so many qualities.

But squad selection is not his forte. Many times I have facepalmed myself over his squad selection as its cost us games like Tottenham and Madrid.

If the proposed line-up is done so as above, I will literally throw myself of the nearby cliff.


Here is the line-up that should happen.


4-3-1-2

-Abbiati-
-Abate-Nesta-Silva-Zambrotta-
Ambrosini-Van Bommel-Prince
Aquilani
Cassano-Patogol

Subs: Seedorf, Nocerino, Urby,

Since we are without masterclass Ibra and the mercurial Robinho, this is a makeshift formation that should be done here.

The rule is against Barca, that you should NEVER play Barca in their own game. Some might argue my formation is all to attacking.

But my opinion stands that their is no grey line when facing Barca as these days it seems you either be defensive-minded and only wait for opportunities, or be attack minded and open up chances with incisive and direct passing as well as counter-attack.

Milan should keep a deep but dynamic backline with Fullbacks proceeding only 20 yards ahead of the half way line to link up and bring the ball forward. Antonini MUST not play as Zambro for what he lacks in pace makes up with his technical defense and mind as well as experience.

The backline must be with discipline.

The midfield is with Ambrosini who is a midfield warrior who is a massive big game performer and relies on his wits and instict to take on the oncoming attacks as well as his supernatural ability to win balls in the air with defensive headers. Also, his technical skill is highly underrated and he is our Capitano.

MVB is unquestionable as what he lacks in pace, he makes up for his calculative movement and positioning as well as tenacity. His passing is not decisive but it is sharp and accurate as he is another who is experienced in such pressure situations as this is the leader and winner within him. He will act as the turning point and fulcrum to the midfield and will have to be the general in the center.

KPB will add the dynamism, pace, strength and skill on ball coming in as a Mezzala from the left. If he can control his awful temperament, then he can bring out his technical skill that is only hindered by his temper. A cool head is a must.


So there is the midfield as it is lacks in pace but is experienced enough to withstand and convert the Barca attacks to our advantage if done so properly.

Tenacity and dynamism is key as a near perfect performances is needed here based on what is capable by the mids.

The front flank should be with AA acting as TQ to oversee the box with with his vision as his incisive passing and one-touch play is key over here to service Pato-Cassano. Aquilani prefers a deep role but he has the technical skill to oversee the defenses.

Cassano and Pato should both possess a completely free role as both are Second Strikers and not CFs like Inzaghi or Ibra to some extent.

The problem here is that a CF is sincerely needed as no one is here to hold up possession or act as a fulcrum in the the box.

Pato will need to focus more on his positioning then individualism to prevail as Cassano must take responsibility to act as a Deep lying forward to exploit Pato's world class finishing.

I hope to god Cassano isn't use as impact sub as Seedorf with his dead slow pace will kill us in the beginning as it is HE who should be impact sub as he has done so many times.

Emanuelsson for width, pace and flair. Simple.

Nocerino for the tired legs. (probably Ambro)

The key in this line-up is simply to have a balance with silk and steel as the mid will provide the steel and the magic up forward.

Sort of like a Calzone which is hard from the outside and the good stuff is inside..... I guess.


Truth is, our mentality is among the best and the potential is there yet the age of the squad as well as lack of one sole system to rely on is the problem as its easy to say that there is no room for mistakes but when you come against a pressing and possession team like Barca and then compromised with your players out.

Every pass must have a reason behind it as further calculation when on the ball is must as otherwise Barca will recover the ball and punish us.

Off the ball? Its all about movement and positioning to defend but to also position oneself to allow space and time to contribute to attack on the flash counter or exploitation of space.

X-factor in the game is Allegri.

He will need to find the tactic on how to nullify the Barca mid and attack. And he does possess the ability to seek that.

Zonal marking is needed here.

Some interesting thoughts guys. The 3-4-3 seems an interesting idea, and if it is used then we know its a genuine option and wasn't just an emergency against Villareal.

For the sake of discussion I'll assume Pep goes with the 4-3-3.

Biggest game of the season so far, so we must start with a midfield of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta. Villa was looking good in preseason and hasn't got a start yet in La Liga, but I think he'll be good this year. Pedro's not been great yet and I would have preferred Sanchez but Afellay hasn't played a game yet so he should start too.

At the back, if Puyol is fit to be in the squad, he's fit enough to start. So he should start. I agree with Dani that Abidal is a better ball player than both Puyol and Mascherano, but I'm torn between this and Abidal's poor performances so far at CB. Mascherano on the other hand has been excellent. I have a strange feeling that Mascherano will play, its just a hunch.

For me its: Alves-Mascherano-Puyol-Abidal or Alves-Mascherano-Abidal-Adriano.

Fellas, lets organise a chat before the game.

It will be early in Oz so I won't be on till about 30 mins before the game, but I suggest the forum meets at the chat-room maybe 2 or 1 hours before kickoff?

Looking forward to seeing you guys there.

Watched the second half Dani, Boateng fell on his arm going for a header and was holding his shoulder, though he played on for about twenty minutes afterwards before being removed when it incidentally looked like he was cramping, though it looked like he was about to be taken off anyway. On the bench he was wearing an ice-pack on his shoulder, however given that I've heard nothing of it since I think we can assume that after a good massage and treatment he's pulled up fine.

The Franchise wrote:Well I dont think Puyol was ready to start. Pep would of liked to bring him on with the chance of starting him against Milan.

Yes but that still doesn't explain why he put both Abidal and Mascherano on the bench. Both were tired from having played a lot of minutes in the internationals and Mascherano also from long travel but even then I think Mascherano with his kind of stamina would have been able to play. Abidal hadn't traveled that much. He may not have minded playing either.

I have been thinking a little more about our CB options. Yes perhaps we should have bought one quality CB this summer but is it that bad a situation as such. I mean consider this.

We all agree that our first choice pairing Puyol and Pique are among the best in the world. Now consider Abidal as third choice CB. Would he not rate pretty high compared to other top team's third choice CB? Similarly Mascherano as fourth choice CB. How bad an option is that? Also in the absence of both Pique and Abdial, we can play Busquets or even Fontas as a ball playing CB. So are we not reasonably well covered?