Milan v Lazio Post Match Discussion

by Arquitecto Sat Sep 10, 2011 1:46 am

So we started off our summer in San Siro with a summer some found underwhelming and some did not as goes for the mercato.

Yes, we looked shaky in defense. But, these couple of goals are whats called flash goals. Flash goals are goals that come in when the team does not expect it as Milan's fault was simply underestimating Lazio's attack as Nesta was culprit to this. Keep in mind, this is the first game of the season where fitness is only 60-70% as the rule of the pundit is to judge our team 2-3 games in and as I mentioned, those first games are a wild card in all aspects as little can be judged here.

Here are the Pros and Cons

Negatives (-)

- We have tendency to let in early goals almost always out of complacency and underestimation of the opponents potency. This needs to be addressed as early goals always result in our demise

-(Not really a negative) Nesta showing his age?
1. Its the first game with low fitness as Nesta is known for his complacency in the inception to the season
2. Nesta is known to ALWAYS redeem himself after his mistakes and did so after the goals as usually this act is done in the next game. Nesta is still Nesta, don't judge him based on his concentration lapse.

-Yes, Pato came on late, but he did not make any impression and needs to improve his tactical positioning and link-up play as I forgot he was on the pitch.

- This is the biggest one as the midfield still lacks movement as only our front flank produces the magic while the midfield is slow and cumbersome.

-Work rate was unusually low as this pertains to the above as we let Lazio through by our little work rate.

Positives (+)

-Allegri has seemed to improve upon his system with some new ideas as I noticed more tact positioning and passing and many other fine nuances which were micro in detail, but showed his vision as to compensate with the aging midfield

-Yes our mid is slow, but Aquilani despite having a subdued performance (did get 1 assist though) injected the pace we are missing as try to imagine when he kicks in to 5th gear and attunes to Max's system, the damage he can do as keep in mind he is in fact capable.

-Nocerino: Right when he came in, the Milanisti loved him through his tenacity, dynamism and some good technical showcasing as I have a feeling he will be loved by us and pertains to the point above where our mid can be further injected with pace and energy.

-Abate was great as usual in defense as his link up and intelligence was superb. Although he did look hesitant in crossing and bombing forward as this can be fixed.

Antonini: I predicted earlier this summer that Antonini will redeem himself as I have always seen talent in him after his solid season with Leo and that he finally has someone to partner him in the mid. His performance today was a class act as if anyone can't agree with me here, well.... watch again. Great performance.

-Cassano: He looked slow and did get tired after the 70th mark but was brimming with ideas and was lucky not to score a brace with his superbly confident attempts along with excellent passing.

Ibra: Scored yes. But I'm waiting for someone here to compliment his absolute visionary passing today as I lost count of his superb passes. Looks in form.

-The rest look solid as well as Ambro, Silva and especially MVB had a solid performance.

Remember Milanisti, do not judge the first game or the next 2, as fitness atm is low and chemistry needs to be fine tuned once again as these mistakes are common with a big team in the first games of the season.

Overall, there is much to be excited about as once Allegri has his new recruits players adjusted to the system along with the rest of the squad just picking up, I'm confident that Max's system will be all glorious in its exuberance as time is needed to take off the inertia that was summer.

We showed great character today by our comeback as defense was solid despite the flash goal mistakes and the passing in the final 3rd was decisive and pleasing to the eye.

We have the depth, we have the players and we certainly have the experience to work over the mistakes and bring out the best in our team.

Forza Milan.

by pUsHa Sat Sep 10, 2011 1:49 am

I saw the same way of play as last season .... Rolling Eyes

You dont just add micro details in a dead midfield ... You have to revamp it ...

by Ganso Sat Sep 10, 2011 1:51 am

good read.

my only complain(as i said 1000 times already)is boateng.He simply isnt a good enough AM,yes he has work rate,but thats not what we need.We need a am that will feed the strikers and make assists in the final 3rd.Im tired of having to see Ibra and Seedorf creating everything,while boateng is there doing nothing other than a occasional shot on goal

by Adit Sat Sep 10, 2011 1:52 am

Needs a play maker.High tempo game isnt good for a big team like milan.

Nesta floped,time for some new faces even though some may argue he still has a role to play.

No end product in plays,ibra dependency taking milan nowhere.

Not a bit of creativity showed by the midfield.KPB looked energetic but whats the point when you cant pass in the final third to save your life?

by •MilanDevil• Sat Sep 10, 2011 1:54 am

Ganso wrote:good read.

my only complain(as i said 1000 times already)is boateng.He simply isnt a good enough AM,yes he has work rate,but thats not what we need.We need a am that will feed the strikers and make assists in the final 3rd.Im tired of having to see Ibra and Seedorf creating everything,while boateng is there doing nothing other than a occasional shot on goal

I agree, he has been our main weakness in the midfield for some time now. He must understand that he does not fit this position and therefore we should get a midfielder who is creative.

by Ganso Sat Sep 10, 2011 1:59 am

Aquilani created more chances in this game than boateng did in his entire career.If Allegri doesnt want Cassano as AM then at least put Aquaman there

by Milano Siamo Noi Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:03 am

Well first of all, this was the first time under Allegri that we have gone down in a game and got a point from it, so we can take a positive from this. This Milan side has shown very little when it comes to fighting spirit and even though we managed to come back this game, we showed again that we lack in fighting spirit. Too many times toward the end of the game I found myself frustrated at players like Ibra and our entire midfield just not working hard enough.

My biggest concern from this game is the same concern that I and most others have had on numerous occasions; our midfield is still not able to enforce itself on the game and dictate play even with the new signings. I know it is only one game it, but the signs are not promising.

I gave Allegri my full backing when he decided that Pirlo was not needed and realized what type of a midfield he is trying to create but I really do not like his idea. The midfield he wishes to create will struggle in games like this where teams are built on defensive strength and are happy to sit on the draw. I really didn't understand Allegri's reasoning in subbing out Aquilani in a situation such as this one where a decisive pass, like the chipped ball he played to Cassano that led to our first goal, can win a match.

I do not want to draw to many conclusions from the first game, but the signs do not look good. Nesta was exposed at the back time and time again, Abate's crossing was terrible, Abbiati could have done better on the first goal and gave me a heart attack when Cisse got past him only for Silva to save the day, Ambrosini and van Bommel where both poor and Ibra looked unmotivated and uninterested.

I thought that our defensive line was in the middle of being too deep and too high in the first half and am happy that Allegri brought the line up for the second half which brought some stability into the shaky backline.

The worst part about our midfield is that I don't really envision a solution. We simply do not have the quality to make it much better than it is and I am sure that Allegri also see's this and it is from this knowledge that motivates him to play with so many defensive minded midfielders. I think that playing van Bommel in the centre of Aquilani and Boateng would be the most ambitious but I have huge doubts as to whether or not it would work.

As for the frontline, I think we saw today that Cassano is much more athletically able than last season and could play as our AM if Allegri had the balls to make such a choice and that Pato alongside Ibra is our strongest forwardline and should always be the primary choice.

Poor result, could have been worse.

by Arquitecto Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:03 am

@Pusha. I'm saying all the details in compensation for the players we have. Also, my point goes across mostly in defense and front line as I already complained of the slow midfield. But in the other ends I noticed much more polish and consistency in the ideas. Its hard to explain.

@Adit:

-We have Aquilani as the playmaker

Nesta's only mistakes were the goals so yes he did flop, but redeemed himself by the Cisse counterattack stop and completely rubbing off the mistakes by his performance after

Ibra dependency? Wake up man, this isn't Milan in the first half of last season as we shook of Ibra dependency a long time ago as Pato and Robinho had the same amount of goals as him in the serie a last season.

No end product? We scored 2 goals to comeback as Lazio's GK heroics and the post stopped us. The midfield pace was the problem. The front was superb.

And addressing boateng, KPB will be back in the LCM position as that is his role as AA is simply training to work into the TQ role.

Besides, KPB has been good for us in the summer as well and skill cannot be forgotten.

Its his poor temper that makes him fail as he needs a cool head to exploit his technique which he does have.

by Grande_Milano Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:06 am

But not Seedorf please.

-Ibra dependency as mentioned
-Midfield is average
-Aqua was decent
-Cassano is in a good form, should start ahead of Pato

by Milano Siamo Noi Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:09 am

pUsHa wrote:I saw the same way of play as last season ....

You dont just add micro details in a dead midfield ... You have to revamp it ...

And revamping a midfield is what will happen, it does not take one day to do something like that. Have some patience, the project will come together.

Adit wrote:Needs a play maker.High tempo game isnt good for a big team like milan.

Nesta floped,time for some new faces even though some may argue he still has a role to play.

No end product in plays,ibra dependency taking milan nowhere.

Not a bit of creativity showed by the midfield.KPB looked energetic but whats the point when you cant pass in the final third to save your life?

A playmaker is exactly what our formation DOES NOT need. We play with a defensive midfielder in front of the defense whose role is to support the defense, help them work the ball into the middle and forward thirds and clear up play behind the attackers and midfielders. This is what Allegri decided to do and this is how we play. A playmaker does not work in this formation. What we need is Aquilani. A midfielder who can create from any position on the field, can take the ball to the oppositions defense at speed and is a quick thinker. We need one more Aquilani. One to play on the right of our DM and one to player on the left.

I wonder why Allegri played with such a stretched formation, he did it very rarely last season and it interests me a great deal why he did it this season, it was clearly not going to work and didn't. The readjustment to bring the defensive line higher may have saved our point.

Nesta did flop but he also saved our game with that clearance he made when Cisse dribbled Abbiati. We don't need more new faces, we have Mexes who is more than a capable backup and will surely assume the starter role soon enough.

How are we Ibra dependent? We didn't use him much at all and when we did, he was simply a cog in the machine of our attack, not the driving force...

by Ganso Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:11 am

"A playmaker is exactly what our formation DOES NOT need."
Im pretty sure there is a 1 on the 4-3-1-2....

by Milano Siamo Noi Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:12 am

Arquitecto wrote:@Pusha. I'm saying all the details in compensation for the players we have. Also, my point goes across mostly in defense and front line as I already complained of the slow midfield. But in the other ends I noticed much more polish and consistency in the ideas. Its hard to explain.

@Adit:

-We have Aquilani as the playmaker

Nesta's only mistakes were the goals so yes he did flop, but redeemed himself by the Cisse counterattack stop and completely rubbing off the mistakes by his performance after

Ibra dependency? Wake up man, this isn't Milan in the first half of last season as we shook of Ibra dependency a long time ago as Pato and Robinho had the same amount of goals as him in the serie a last season.

No end product? We scored 2 goals to comeback as Lazio's GK heroics and the post stopped us. The midfield pace was the problem. The front was superb.

And addressing boateng, KPB will be back in the LCM position as that is his role as AA is simply training to work into the TQ role.

Besides, KPB has been good for us in the summer as well and skill cannot be forgotten.

Its his poor temper that makes him fail as he needs a cool head to exploit his technique which he does have.

It is ridiculous how much I agree with this post.

Grande_Milano wrote:But not Seedorf please.

-Ibra dependency as mentioned
-Midfield is average
-Aqua was decent
-Cassano is in a good form, should start ahead of Pato

I am not lying to you when I say that I honestly fail to see this Ibra dependency that everyone is talking about. In which part of our play was it evident?

by Milano Siamo Noi Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:13 am

Ganso wrote:"A playmaker is exactly what our formation DOES NOT need."
Im pretty sure there is a 1 on the 4-3-1-2....

by Ganso Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:14 am

we used to be ibra-pendent on the first half of last season.,not anymore

by Grande_Milano Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:16 am

Ibra creates most of our chances, which is Boateng and Aqua's role. Shut him down and we re in trouble

by Arquitecto Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:18 am

I'm just going to ignore the ibra-dependency comments. Ignorance.

MSN: What I predict is a normal 4-3-1-2 with its variations as Aquilani will move into TQ as planned and KPB in the LCM slot.

by Adit Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:23 am

Aquman is alot direct,i saw some end to end football today which in fact will always result in high number of goals scored.

Hence my playmaker suggestion,why not the one in the midfiled three cant be a play maker? Milan never dictated tempo,didnt controlled the game.
Why not partner aqua with a play maker with aqua having more attacking role.? Having two aqua results in more direct football.

Nesta might be good enough for series A ,though im not hesitating to say he is not a champions league material now.

I might be wrong on the ibra dependency even though milan did tried to play throw him lot of times.He looked unmotivated to me.

by Arquitecto Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:29 am

Adit wrote:Aquman is alot direct,i saw some end to end football today which in fact will always result in high number of goals scored.

Hence my playmaker suggestion,why not the one in the midfiled three cant be a play maker? Milan never dictated tempo,didnt controlled the game.
Why not partner aqua with a play maker with aqua having more attacking role.? Having two aqua results in more direct football.

Nesta might be good enough for series A ,though im not hesitating to say he is not a champions league material now.

I might be wrong on the ibra dependency even though milan did tried to play throw him lot of times.He looked unmotivated to me.

Your right on the playmaker role except on its position.

Allegri's mid is composed of silk'n'steel players with a TQ acting as the "1" in the 4312. Aquilani is currently training to play within that role as integrating yourself as TQ in a new system takes time as KPB will then slot back in his original B2-B midfield LM role.

Nesta? He was magnificent in the CL last season as only the Ajax game (1-1) he made a mistake against Suarez. Nesta still has it.

Ibra? He did in the end but was excellent for us throughout with his goal and incisive through balls that created many chances.

by Ganso Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:34 am

lets keep in mind this was our first game this season.Remember Cesena last year?everything went wrong,from the 2-0 to ibra missing a penalty

by Arquitecto Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:37 am

Ganso wrote:lets keep in mind this was our first game this season.Remember Cesena last year?everything went wrong,from the 2-0 to ibra missing a penalty

Excellent words my Brazilian friend.

I'll quiz you:

Who on that same day went down 2-0?

by Ganso Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:38 am

Barcelona against Hercules?

by Adit Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:39 am

Arquitecto wrote:
Your right on the playmaker role except on its position.

Allegri's mid is composed of silk'n'steel players with a TQ acting as the "1" in the 4312. Aquilani is currently training to play within that role as integrating yourself as TQ in a new system takes time as KPB will then slot back in his original B2-B midfield LM role.

Nesta? He was magnificent in the CL last season as only the Ajax game (1-1) he made a mistake against Suarez. Nesta still has it.

Ibra? He did in the end but was excellent for us throughout with his goal and incisive through balls that created many chances.

Milan started with a midfield three of Aqua-Gattuso-ambrosini,none of them are have tempo controlling or ability to dictate a game.Aqua is more direct if anything.Then why not replace ambrosini with a play maker? Of course it will mean less steel in mid but i dont think a three man midfield needs that much of steel any way.A play maker can add you that creativity and distribution of ball that lacking.

Aqua--- MVB-----a play maker (not KPB)
.............cassano
...ibra....................pato'

some thing like this

KPB as sub for AM/CM positions

by Arquitecto Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:39 am

Ganso wrote:Barcelona against Hercules?

Correct. Thats a given.

Now lets hope that Allegri uses his time now to prepare against Barca.

by Arquitecto Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:46 am

Adit wrote:
Arquitecto wrote:
Your right on the playmaker role except on its position.

Allegri's mid is composed of silk'n'steel players with a TQ acting as the "1" in the 4312. Aquilani is currently training to play within that role as integrating yourself as TQ in a new system takes time as KPB will then slot back in his original B2-B midfield LM role.

Nesta? He was magnificent in the CL last season as only the Ajax game (1-1) he made a mistake against Suarez. Nesta still has it.

Ibra? He did in the end but was excellent for us throughout with his goal and incisive through balls that created many chances.
Milan started with a midfield three of Aqua-Gattuso-ambrosini,none of them are have tempo controlling or ability to dictate a game.Aqua is more direct if anything.Then why not replace ambrosini with a play maker? Of course it will mean less steel in mid but i dont think a three man midfield needs that much of steel any way.A play maker can add you that creativity and distribution of ball that lacking.

Aqua--- MVB-----a play maker (not KPB)
.............cassano
...ibra....................pato'

some thing like this

KPB as sub for AM/CM positions

Allegri likes a system in which the midfielders are dynamic, versatile, full of work rate but possess solid technical skill.

The point is for them to protect the back line and overwhelm the opponent with pressing and constant pressure but fueled by intelligent position and tactical advancing.

Then comes in the TQ (Aquilani) and flowing front flank as you get the idea.

The conception here by Allegri is spot on as many are impressed by Allegri's intelligence.

The problem is, the idea is spot on, but the aging midfielders and their pace is where the shortcoming is, hence why is hasn't been put into full effect.

Milan is known to spend in Jan more then in Summer as in the winter, we will spend and complete our system to prepare for the GS in the CL.

by Arquitecto Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:51 am

LOL i just saw the Goal.com player ratings. I'll make it short.

:facepalm:

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