CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Barcelona (Away)

pUsHa wrote:

Immaculate_Mole wrote:

3 CB's dealing with 2 strikers is enough would'nt you say? it's not like you have amazing width either......

3 CB's will dominate 2 strikers anytime......

As for the rest of it 3-4-3 makes sure Barca match up in midfield and still having a devastating front 3......

Sure Barca will be weak defensively on the wings but unfortunatly for Milan they are weak offensively on wings....

So i dont see how Barca will regret anything with this formation

Good luck though

Pato can always attack from the wings ...

Touche.......

Anyway cant wait for the game

baresi wrote:Very nice thoughts all in all, but I would build a slight hope if our mid does'nt start with Seedorf, Cassano, Ambro. I would like to see a mid of
MvB
Nocerino/Gattuso Boateng
Aqua
Aqua not neccesarly a TQ or AM but rather a free mid to roam around and recieve and make passes and block empty spaces.

Boateng or in a worst case senario Emman should be on the left, since both Zamb and Antonini are slow or bad defencively.

Point of focus:
1) No full backs to attack
2) MvB, Boateng, and Nocerino; should be very aware and not risk more than one of them supporting the attack at a time.
3) Aqua should fix in a third or even a fourth lung, I expect nothing less than 12km covered distance from him. Some might argue that he doesnt have the needed chemistry yet with our players, but the way I see it is his duties will not require much chemistry as much as it requires game reading.

an alternitive mid with the same duties will be:

MvB
Gattuso/Nocerino Ambrossini/Emman.
Boateng
If Ambrosini starts then I would be against Gattuso starting since Boateng will have more covering duties than attacking, so it would be impossible for him to cover for both Gattuso and Ambro against Barca.

In all cases we should focus more on not conceding than scoring, and keeping Barca thretened by planned pacey counters. In wawa land I would like to have Pato Binho up front in those type of games, but an Ibra Pato combo should still be fine.

Anyway I wish our Milan the best of luck, I aint asking or expecting a single point but I want a fighting spirit, and an organized team.

baresi i fully agree with you, a midfield that consists of seedorf, gatusso and ambro would be raped beyond imagination, yet for some reason i have a feeling seedorf will start against barca, hence why he didn't play against lazio. but yeah one of them will defenitely play, it's going to be either ambro or gatusso, allegri simply doesn't have the balls to drop both to the bench..

and now since it's confirmed that both robinh and ibra are out, maybe elshaarawi should be given a chance??, he'd be more useful than cassano in this gae because of his agility and speed since we will defenitely not see much of the ball, using pato's and elshaarawi's speed with aquilani behind supplying them could produce something???

True Fadi, but elshaarawi is not among the team, why he wasnt added is beyond me.

i totally forgot about that baresi, no elshaarawi or super pippio????, damn you dummy allegri........

Reports suggest Milan will look like a Christmas tree -- first time in more than three years, since Ancelotti's era to be specific.


Milannews.it (whose reports on the technical decisions and dressing room issues are usually so reliable) says Allegri wants to field a 4-3-2-1 like this:

Abbiati

Nesta--Silva
-----Abate----------------Zambrotta

VanBommel
----Nocerino--------------Emanuelson

Seedorf-----Boateng

Pato

Alright, here's what I think:


1. This formation means running to death in midfield, maybe God-forbid literally so.

Van Bommel and Nocerino are to be the combative duo in the middle, while Emanuelson holds Milan's pre-season record for distance covered, and his pace and liveliness can trouble Barca's right-hand where Alves is virtually a winger, not a full-back.

Boateng and Pato are also great fitness-wise and their speed and energy will be of great use.

Only Seedorf doesn't run much but in my opinion, he will have been the difference-maker in the event that we miraculously win.


2. This formation was first designed to pack the second one-third of the pitch, where anybody can testify the most important things happen.

We will miss Aquilani and Cassano's creativity, but hell, Allegri knows that to stop Barca we will need to first and foremost be safe at the back, then in attack we'll see how fortunate we are in getting the best out of our opportunities.


3. The key against Barca will be limiting Iniesta, Xavi, Messi and Dani Alves' impact.

Van Bommel, Nocerino, Abate and Emanuelson have apparently been chosen as the designated aggressive-markers for these 4 respectively. I agree.


4. I believe we could somehow remove Boateng and somehow fit Cassano or Aqulani in. We're gonna need to feed Pato with long and short through balls to exploit his qualities, otherwise we will only wrestle with their defenders, midfielders and attackers all game long to no result.




I might have a bit of a disagreement with Max over our attacking trio, but I know one fact: We've never tested this 4-3-2-1 during Allegri or even Leonardo's time, so we will probably have a new problem named: Unfamiliarity.

If Allegri and/or his players manage to execute this tactical setup to perfection we'll have a good chance, otherwise we'll be a confused, incoherent, ineffective unit that will concede as many goals as they wish to score in their Champions League debut.


What do you guys think?
Is Allegri right in his reported choices?
What changes might be done in the next 24 hours?

What if Milannews is misinforming altogether?

At the Camp Nou,thats a great formation...at the San Siro we need to attack.

Seriously,this is the one day we need abate to destroy a forward,and thats David Villa.That mofo is always waiting at the left flank to get the ball and get into the box.

Nocerino as the LCM is also a great idea to deal with Iniesta


Not sure about Seedorf in that RM role though,he will need to run his ass off,i would prefer aquilani

Pato's ball control will be key with the long balls

If i'm not mistaking, we tried this exact same formation against juve in the trofeo berlusconi and it worked wonders in the first 45 minutes.

Imo the line up is ok, with my only doubt being on boateng cos i think a more creative force in the form of aquilani would be better to help upset the barca defence in counter-attacking situations.

We'd also need Pato to be very sharp if we are going to trouble the barca defence

I just hope we put up a fight no matter what the final result may be

Today the sky is full of stars.To those who believe and to those who don't believe:

It's CL time, magic time for Milan and all Milanisti.We are gonna face the best team in the world and one of the best teams ever.
We don't have Ibra (could be blessing or curse), Robi, Rino,Pippo and very likely Taiwo. No one belives in Rossoneri,no one would bet a cent on us.Nevertheless it's Ok, we've already overcame La Coruna, Istambul, Manchester and it won't broke us this time no matter what happen tomorrow, we can't be mad at Milan,we can be proud.

I just want our boys to play without fear and with all heart,and I'm sure they will.
And remeber the devil is always on our side




P.S
Sky 24 gives this formation:
Abbiati,Abate,Nesta,Thiago,Zambotta,Van Bommel,Nocerino,Emanuelson,Seedorf,Boateng,Pato (4-5-1 )

Chagur wrote:Today the sky is full of stars.To those who believe and to those who don't believe:

It's CL time, magic time for Milan and all Milanisti.We are gonna face the best team in the world and one of the best teams ever.
We don't have Ibra (could be blessing or curse), Robi, Rino,Pippo and very likely Taiwo. No one belives in Rossoneri,no one would bet a cent on us.Nevertheless it's Ok, we've already overcame La Coruna, Istambul, Manchester and it won't broke us this time no matter what happen tomorrow, we can't be mad at Milan,we can be proud.

I just want our boys to play without fear and with all heart,and I'm sure they will.
And remeber the devil is always on our side




P.S
Sky 24 gives this formation:
Abbiati,Abate,Nesta,Thiago,Zambotta,Van Bommel,Nocerino,Emanuelson,Seedorf,Boateng,Pato (4-5-1 )

i hope thats the formantion we will play....very hard working team.

IrasMaldinista wrote:Reports suggest Milan will look like a Christmas tree -- first time in more than three years, since Ancelotti's era to be specific.


Milannews.it (whose reports on the technical decisions and dressing room issues are usually so reliable) says Allegri wants to field a 4-3-2-1 like this:

Abbiati

Nesta--Silva
-----Abate----------------Zambrotta

VanBommel
----Nocerino--------------Emanuelson

Seedorf-----Boateng

Pato

Alright, here's what I think:


1. This formation means running to death in midfield, maybe God-forbid literally so.

Van Bommel and Nocerino are to be the combative duo in the middle, while Emanuelson holds Milan's pre-season record for distance covered, and his pace and liveliness can trouble Barca's right-hand where Alves is virtually a winger, not a full-back.

Boateng and Pato are also great fitness-wise and their speed and energy will be of great use.

Only Seedorf doesn't run much but in my opinion, he will have been the difference-maker in the event that we miraculously win.


2. This formation was first designed to pack the second one-third of the pitch, where anybody can testify the most important things happen.

We will miss Aquilani and Cassano's creativity, but hell, Allegri knows that to stop Barca we will need to first and foremost be safe at the back, then in attack we'll see how fortunate we are in getting the best out of our opportunities.


3. The key against Barca will be limiting Iniesta, Xavi, Messi and Dani Alves' impact.

Van Bommel, Nocerino, Abate and Emanuelson have apparently been chosen as the designated aggressive-markers for these 4 respectively. I agree.


4. I believe we could somehow remove Boateng and somehow fit Cassano or Aqulani in. We're gonna need to feed Pato with long and short through balls to exploit his qualities, otherwise we will only wrestle with their defenders, midfielders and attackers all game long to no result.




I might have a bit of a disagreement with Max over our attacking trio, but I know one fact: We've never tested this 4-3-2-1 during Allegri or even Leonardo's time, so we will probably have a new problem named: Unfamiliarity.

If Allegri and/or his players manage to execute this tactical setup to perfection we'll have a good chance, otherwise we'll be a confused, incoherent, ineffective unit that will concede as many goals as they wish to score in their Champions League debut.


What do you guys think?
Is Allegri right in his reported choices?
What changes might be done in the next 24 hours?

What if Milannews is misinforming altogether?

Biggest mistake will be man marking Barca, since that will open all holes in our mid and defence as we all know Barca players dont position in one spot, instead the zonal defence should be used.

Zamb, Emmanuelson defend our left and help cover for each other if the attack is from the left, MvB to act as the third man to creat pressure.

Abate, Nocerino to defend the right, and MvB to act as the third man in pressurising.

Boateng should be the only player man marking Xavi all over the pitch.

I expect to see not less than 30 fouls commited by our players to kill the rythem and stop Barca from circulating the ball and creating runs.

I would rather see Aquillani in Seedorfs place, it will give our defence more support and by that we can see Boateng commiting more time to help our left flank. I see Barcas' main danger coming from our left side.

thinking about it we have many options:

-------------------MvB-----------------Ambro---------------

------Nocerino------------------------------------Emmanelson---
-----------------------------Boateng---------------------------------

-----------------------------Pato----------------------------------------

If we want to be extra careful.

Only two Dutchman, will be enough?

speaking of Dutchman,we needs to make them foul us close to the penalty area,why?Clarence Seedorf

In 1994 with 3 Dutchman we win against barcelona 4-0 in the final. Very fine Dutchman. I forget Emanuelson, we have 3 Dutchman, we will win or draw.

the bookies are giving us no chance

Barcelona - 1/4

Draw - 6/1

Milan - 11/1

Cassano needs to play in my opinion, he can be very lethal with Pato's speed

Pretty clear some don't follow the news as Pippo is out with injury and El sharaway with an age registration problem.

No need to insult Allegri.

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.

My post from the barca forum.

Arquitecto wrote: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.

I disagree with quite a few points here. Max Allegri hasn't exactly silenced many critics. The obvious retaliation here would be "but he won the Scudetto in his first year etc etc" but the main issues in the squad still remain.

There was never an Ibra dependency or an Ibra-Pato compatibility conundrum, these were imagined issues. The issues that were there since the beginning and Allegri has failed to amend is the lack of ability in the midfield to impose itself on play and dictate the terms and tempo at which the games is played at. The issue was there while Pirlo was played as a creative deep lying midfielder, persisted when he played three "destroyers" alongside each other and remains now with one creative and two defensive minded midfielders in his trusted 4-3-1-2. Some more issues are the lack of creativity being produced from the trequartista and the lack of attacking support being provided by our fullbacks, something that most managers easily mend, yet is still an issue in our squad. I want to reiterate here that I also believe in Allegri, but want to make it clear that I believe he also has a lot to prove.

He has many qualities? I am not too sure. He has a very specific and unattractive brand of football that he has enforced and shown to be either too stubborn or too ignorant to allow little, let alone major, changes to the formation and style he plays. His game is centered around a strong defense, a midfield with a strongly defensive mentality and an attack which is often expected to produce on its own. As we have seen, it works sometimes, other times it does not. My major concerns about our potential Allegri era is in these games where it does not work. He has not shown any versatility as a manger and has not exactly been a man of many solutions.

That is why I am so intrigued about the potential "Christmas tree" formation that Allegri may be "forced" to field. I think this game will speak volumes about both his qualities as a coach and our qualities as a European force and will either void or validate our claim to be able to dream this season of something special.

Your formation is another thing I don't agree with. Sure the Barcelona game is not something that means a great deal but it is not a time to experiment either. I think you and I both know Prince will not be selected in the three man midfield no matter how much we want it. Another thing I am sure about is that Allegri has watched the Inter - Barca and Barca - Inter games countless times and will play a three man midfield like Nocerino - van Bommel - Gattuso or Ambrosini in place of the players either side of van Bommel. Aquilani is not an AM. He is a small, creative player perfect for unlocking defense of lower league teams but is not the man that will make the difference against a dominant in possession Barca side. He does not have the pace, dribbling skill or fox-in-the-box prowess to make him an asset when playing on the counter as I am sure we will. This aforementioned reasons apply the same for Cassano and are why I want to see and can see the Christmas tree formation being successful. Boateng and Urby are both quick and skillful players who, well Boateng at least, are capable of brilliance. With Pato ahead of them, this is the only frontline I think can give serious problems to Barca. The defense should be as you have mentioned, all players who know and are capable of playing deep and compact and may just be capable of a clean sheet come tomorrow morning (or tonight for most of you). We saw what happened to Madrid and Shakhtar when you attack Barcelona and that is why I think the formation that is most likely to come away with a result is:


Defensive yes, reckless no.

I assume Messi will be the focal point of attack. If so Silva must be next or as close to him as possible all game, even following him wider than he usually would with Nesta close by sweeping up what Silva misses. Due to the small displacement that Silva may place himself in doing this, van Bommel should play even deeper than he normally does to cover for this with one of Urby or Boateng dropping slightly to cover Mark.

I think Villa's poor form, Sanchez's injury and Pedro's lack of decisiveness will play a huge role in this encounter, taking a lot away from the feared Barca front-line, giving me a glimmer of hope going into this game.

Sure a positive result is unlikely, but with the aforementioned points and the simply fact that WE ARE MILAN should give us all some hope going into this game. Have some faith, some belief in our players and coach and maybe, just maybe, we will be the ones laughing at the end of this all.

So heres to a potential Pato explosion tomorrow morning

FORZA MILAN !

Welcome to the forums Milanista-1899, looking forward to your future contributions.

Milantildeath wrote:Cassano needs to play in my opinion, he can be very lethal with Pato's speed

But can he be decisive on the counter? Can he outmaneuver Puyol?

PinePHresh wrote:the bookies are giving us no chance

Barcelona - 1/4

Draw - 6/1

Milan - 11/1

Who else here likes being the underdog? Who gave us a chance in '07?

baresi wrote:thinking about it we have many options:

-------------------MvB-----------------Ambro---------------

------Nocerino------------------------------------Emmanelson---
-----------------------------Boateng---------------------------------

-----------------------------Pato----------------------------------------

If we want to be extra careful.

Very interesting formation. I like it. Nocerino and Urby would have to play pretty narrow and MvB and Ambro very deep. A lot of work would be left to Boateng and Pato but they have produced magic before, surely than can do it again?

Fadi wrote:baresi i fully agree with you, a midfield that consists of seedorf, gatusso and ambro would be raped beyond imagination, yet for some reason i have a feeling seedorf will start against barca, hence why he didn't play against lazio. but yeah one of them will defenitely play, it's going to be either ambro or gatusso, allegri simply doesn't have the balls to drop both to the bench..

and now since it's confirmed that both robinh and ibra are out, maybe elshaarawi should be given a chance??, he'd be more useful than cassano in this gae because of his agility and speed since we will defenitely not see much of the ball, using pato's and elshaarawi's speed with aquilani behind supplying them could produce something???

Note: Gattuso is suspended for four games for last seasons antics.

Would Seedorf playing be soo bad? I think replacing him for either players in the Christmas tree formation would maybe work. We saw last season that using Seedorf sparingly can be magical and, seeing as he has not played in a while, could he possibly be the one to unlock Barca? Maybe, maybe...

dostoevsky wrote:Welcome to the forums Milanista-1899, looking forward to your future contributions.

Thank you, looking forward to contributing in the future.

Is it possible to disable signatures in this forum?

No option to disable signatures unfortunately, though they don't show up I believe if you use the mobile version.

Also:

Despite being the oldest team in the Champions League, Milan still younger now (avg age: 29.2) than they were when they won in 2007 (30.2)

Milanista-1899 wrote:

Arquitecto wrote: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.

I disagree with quite a few points here. Max Allegri hasn't exactly silenced many critics. The obvious retaliation here would be "but he won the Scudetto in his first year etc etc" but the main issues in the squad still remain.

There was never an Ibra dependency or an Ibra-Pato compatibility conundrum, these were imagined issues. The issues that were there since the beginning and Allegri has failed to amend is the lack of ability in the midfield to impose itself on play and dictate the terms and tempo at which the games is played at. The issue was there while Pirlo was played as a creative deep lying midfielder, persisted when he played three "destroyers" alongside each other and remains now with one creative and two defensive minded midfielders in his trusted 4-3-1-2. Some more issues are the lack of creativity being produced from the trequartista and the lack of attacking support being provided by our fullbacks, something that most managers easily mend, yet is still an issue in our squad. I want to reiterate here that I also believe in Allegri, but want to make it clear that I believe he also has a lot to prove.

He has many qualities? I am not too sure. He has a very specific and unattractive brand of football that he has enforced and shown to be either too stubborn or too ignorant to allow little, let alone major, changes to the formation and style he plays. His game is centered around a strong defense, a midfield with a strongly defensive mentality and an attack which is often expected to produce on its own. As we have seen, it works sometimes, other times it does not. My major concerns about our potential Allegri era is in these games where it does not work. He has not shown any versatility as a manger and has not exactly been a man of many solutions.

That is why I am so intrigued about the potential "Christmas tree" formation that Allegri may be "forced" to field. I think this game will speak volumes about both his qualities as a coach and our qualities as a European force and will either void or validate our claim to be able to dream this season of something special.

Your formation is another thing I don't agree with. Sure the Barcelona game is not something that means a great deal but it is not a time to experiment either. I think you and I both know Prince will not be selected in the three man midfield no matter how much we want it. Another thing I am sure about is that Allegri has watched the Inter - Barca and Barca - Inter games countless times and will play a three man midfield like Nocerino - van Bommel - Gattuso or Ambrosini in place of the players either side of van Bommel. Aquilani is not an AM. He is a small, creative player perfect for unlocking defense of lower league teams but is not the man that will make the difference against a dominant in possession Barca side. He does not have the pace, dribbling skill or fox-in-the-box prowess to make him an asset when playing on the counter as I am sure we will. This aforementioned reasons apply the same for Cassano and are why I want to see and can see the Christmas tree formation being successful. Boateng and Urby are both quick and skillful players who, well Boateng at least, are capable of brilliance. With Pato ahead of them, this is the only frontline I think can give serious problems to Barca. The defense should be as you have mentioned, all players who know and are capable of playing deep and compact and may just be capable of a clean sheet come tomorrow morning (or tonight for most of you). We saw what happened to Madrid and Shakhtar when you attack Barcelona and that is why I think the formation that is most likely to come away with a result is:

Abbiati
Abate - Nesta - Silva - Zambrotta
Ambrosini - van Bommel - Nocerino
Boateng - Urby
Pato

Defensive yes, reckless no.

I assume Messi will be the focal point of attack. If so Silva must be next or as close to him as possible all game, even following him wider than he usually would with Nesta close by sweeping up what Silva misses. Due to the small displacement that Silva may place himself in doing this, van Bommel should play even deeper than he normally does to cover for this with one of Urby or Boateng dropping slightly to cover Mark.

I think Villa's poor form, Sanchez's injury and Pedro's lack of decisiveness will play a huge role in this encounter, taking a lot away from the feared Barca front-line, giving me a glimmer of hope going into this game.

Sure a positive result is unlikely, but with the aforementioned points and the simply fact that WE ARE MILAN should give us all some hope going into this game. Have some faith, some belief in our players and coach and maybe, just maybe, we will be the ones laughing at the end of this all.

So heres to a potential Pato explosion tomorrow morning

FORZA MILAN !

welcome to our forum man, i really like your analysis and formation, a very interesting one indeed. our main objective is to take atleast a point out of this game, your formation is very versatile one as both urby and boateng are very very versatile and can play in attacking roles or retreat back to midfield if needed, pato alone upfront isn't a bad idea, if he can use his speed, skills and great finishing to full effect here he might be able to take advantage of the very few chances we might get in this game..

however we both know that allegri won't be fielding such a formation and that urby won't start and seedorf will take his place, he's too one-dimensional to think this big..