Re: Forum Milan Channel: LIVE!

[IzzyC08]

MILANELLO - Here are the 20-man squad for Milan-Viktoria Plzen, which coach Allegri picked at the end of the training session:

Abbiati, Amelia, Roma, Abate, Antonini, Bonera, De Sciglio, Nesta, Taiwo, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta, Yepes, Aquilani, Emanuelson, Nocerino, Seedorf, Van Bommel, Cassano, Ibrahimovic, Ganz (56)

Allegri: "As for Ibrahimovic, he will only play if he is fit, if he trains well then he will start from the beginning. I'll talk to him after training and based on that I will decided whether to play one or two upfront. Seedorf knows that at this moment there is no time to catch your breath and I'll rest him when he needs it."

[PinePHresh]

does anyone have a stream?

[IzzyC08]

game isn't until tomorrow.

[PinePHresh]

OMG LOL i've been freaking out looking for one for the past 30 minutes

[Ganso]

LOL......

[pUsHa]

If Seedorf plays tomorrow ... Allegri is officialy retarded to me .

[tonger]

according to chagurs formation seedorf will start... i really would rest seedorf for the weekend...

[Chagur]

buongiorno

[Chagur]

Milan has scored 1998 goals since Silvio come. Today could be 2000, lets do this

[Arquitecto]

The last person I want as TQ is Urby. He is a winger and thats that. Any other position, he is wasteful in

[uzonero]

this game might end up being more difficult than it seems. If ibra isn't passed fit, then, we'll have a hard time playing with just cassano upfront

[Chagur]

found some highlights with Victoria

[c_bernard10]

The last person I want as TQ is Urby. He is a winger and thats that. Any other position, he is wasteful in

Everybody sees this except for Allegri. Urby is nothing but a mediocre, small team player, but Allegri seems to think he is a TQ.
If Ibra doesn't play, it will just be another poor performance and a struggle. I hope we can score at least one goal to hold on to for the rest of the game.
With the current injury crisis, I don't know why Allegri is refusing to change tactics. With the players available, we cannot play 4 3 1 2.
Van Bommel and Seedorf are burnt out and we have no AM.
Instead of having 5 or 6 defenders on the bench, why can't we put a couple of the youth midfielders. IMO most of them are better than Urby anyway.

[Arquitecto]

The last person I want as TQ is Urby. He is a winger and thats that. Any other position, he is wasteful in

Everybody sees this except for Allegri. Urby is nothing but a mediocre, small team player, but Allegri seems to think he is a TQ.
If Ibra doesn't play, it will just be another poor performance and a struggle. I hope we can score at least one goal to hold on to for the rest of the game.
With the current injury crisis, I don't know why Allegri is refusing to change tactics. With the players available, we cannot play 4 3 1 2.
Van Bommel and Seedorf are burnt out and we have no AM.
Instead of having 5 or 6 defenders on the bench, why can't we put a couple of the youth midfielders. IMO most of them are better than Urby anyway.

Not exactly. Urby is in fact a considerably talented player with one hell of a left foot, excellent dribbling and solid crossing. The problem is that he wasn't the player Allegri wanted as we haven't played with wingers since Fatih Terim's term. He is paying completely out of position as Urby likes to be wide and effectively dribble there taking on defenders as traditional wingers in general cannot play central at all.

Its like if you play Navas in that position.

Why is he playing there, simply because Aquilani is being saved for the Juve match while we don't really have any other option as that match simply is far more important then this one. Plus, aquilani still needs time to integrate and will most probably come in as a sub.

Whenever we have briefly switched to the 4-3-3 (in copa italia) Allegri used to use, Urby usually is included within them and actually has shown his talent quite a few times. He is a young player after all and these matches can help him develop into unfamiliar positions but I agree that he shouldn't be used there along with he never should have been bought solely for the reason that he wasn't needed

[IzzyC08]

The last person I want as TQ is Urby. He is a winger and thats that. Any other position, he is wasteful in

Everybody sees this except for Allegri. Urby is nothing but a mediocre, small team player, but Allegri seems to think he is a TQ.
If Ibra doesn't play, it will just be another poor performance and a struggle. I hope we can score at least one goal to hold on to for the rest of the game.
With the current injury crisis, I don't know why Allegri is refusing to change tactics. With the players available, we cannot play 4 3 1 2.
Van Bommel and Seedorf are burnt out and we have no AM.
Instead of having 5 or 6 defenders on the bench, why can't we put a couple of the youth midfielders. IMO most of them are better than Urby anyway.

Not exactly. Urby is in fact a considerably talented player with one hell of a left foot, excellent dribbling and solid crossing. The problem is that he wasn't the player Allegri wanted as we haven't played with wingers since Fatih Terim's term. He is paying completely out of position as Urby likes to be wide and effectively dribble there taking on defenders as traditional wingers in general cannot play central at all.

Its like if you play Navas in that position.

Why is he playing there, simply because Aquilani is being saved for the Juve match while we don't really have any other option as that match simply is far more important then this one. Plus, aquilani still needs time to integrate and will most probably come in as a sub.

Whenever we have briefly switched to the 4-3-3 (in copa italia) Allegri used to use, Urby usually is included within them and actually has shown his talent quite a few times. He is a young player after all and these matches can help him develop into unfamiliar positions but I agree that he shouldn't be used there along with he never should have been bought solely for the reason that he wasn't needed

I agree with this on the Urby situation. Also I don't see why Seedorf playing is a problem. We need a captain in this game who can lead with a certain poise and help calm the team down out on the field. Allegri has stated that he will rest Seedorf when he needs it. Yes, Allegri may use Seedorf too often for your taste.(Not mine yet, still very early in the year) No, I don't think he will play Seedorf if he feels our professor couldn't cope, but I think he knows what he's doing. You need a player of Clarence's caliber in this type of event. We need to win this game before we get put into a tight spot in our group as it progresses. He won't be able to get the best of Seedorf in the final games of the group stages. At that time Seedorf will be much more worn out then if he uses him at this stage of the year.

Forza Milan :king:

[c_bernard10]

It didn't mean to sound like if I am hating on Urby, but he is still not a Milan quality player.
Yes he is a decent winger, but like you said, we don't use wingers and he was never needed.
Aquilani is not a TQ either. He always tends to drop deeper into midfield even when we start him as the AM. I think he should continue to rotate with Seedorf in the LCM position.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/gamecast?id=327174&cc=5901
Go to tactical formation --> Average Position..... notice how deep Aquilani's average position is, even when he plays as AM.
You can check it for all the games he has featured in and they all show how far back he plays. This is why I think he is better suited to the LCM.

[c_bernard10]

The last person I want as TQ is Urby. He is a winger and thats that. Any other position, he is wasteful in

Everybody sees this except for Allegri. Urby is nothing but a mediocre, small team player, but Allegri seems to think he is a TQ.
If Ibra doesn't play, it will just be another poor performance and a struggle. I hope we can score at least one goal to hold on to for the rest of the game.
With the current injury crisis, I don't know why Allegri is refusing to change tactics. With the players available, we cannot play 4 3 1 2.
Van Bommel and Seedorf are burnt out and we have no AM.
Instead of having 5 or 6 defenders on the bench, why can't we put a couple of the youth midfielders. IMO most of them are better than Urby anyway.

Not exactly. Urby is in fact a considerably talented player with one hell of a left foot, excellent dribbling and solid crossing. The problem is that he wasn't the player Allegri wanted as we haven't played with wingers since Fatih Terim's term. He is paying completely out of position as Urby likes to be wide and effectively dribble there taking on defenders as traditional wingers in general cannot play central at all.

Its like if you play Navas in that position.

Why is he playing there, simply because Aquilani is being saved for the Juve match while we don't really have any other option as that match simply is far more important then this one. Plus, aquilani still needs time to integrate and will most probably come in as a sub.

Whenever we have briefly switched to the 4-3-3 (in copa italia) Allegri used to use, Urby usually is included within them and actually has shown his talent quite a few times. He is a young player after all and these matches can help him develop into unfamiliar positions but I agree that he shouldn't be used there along with he never should have been bought solely for the reason that he wasn't needed

I agree with this on the Urby situation. Also I don't see why Seedorf playing is a problem. We need a captain in this game who can lead with a certain poise and help calm the team down out on the field. Allegri has stated that he will rest Seedorf when he needs it. Yes, Allegri may use Seedorf too often for your taste.(Not mine yet, still very early in the year) No, I don't think he will play Seedorf if he feels our professor couldn't cope, but I think he knows what he's doing. You need a player of Clarence's caliber in this type of event. We need to win this game before we get put into a tight spot in our group as it progresses. He won't be able to get the best of Seedorf in the final games of the group stages. At that time Seedorf will be much more worn out then if he uses him at this stage of the year.

Forza Milan :king:

Yes but we don't want Seedorf to be worn out in the later games of the group stage. That is why we should be using him in moderation from all now.
But I agree with you that we need his presence at this time, because we don't have anybody else who is capable to lead and to CREATE.

[PinePHresh]

Aquilani should never be 'rested.' He should be a bit part player as he is terrible. Emanuelson has great technique, but is forced to play out of position. I remember quite clearly his first game for Milan in the Coppa Italia. He started at LCM, but continuously drifted wide left and essentially pulled the team's narrow shape with him. I'd much rather have him play attacking midfield over Aquilani. He's faster, a better dribbler, and not prone to having one good game and five awful games, or having one good moment then not contributing for the rest of the match. Aquilani may be more composed on the ball and have more accurate passes on his day, but his tendency to just be a non factor when its not his day makes playing him a risk I would never take. Seedorf and Emanuelson can play today, and Boateng returns for the weekend.

[PinePHresh]

Can Milan cut it in Europe?

Michael Cox

What has happened to Milan? Granted, it's a bizarre question to ask now, with the club wearing Lo Scudetto on its shirts for the first time in seven years.

Yet while Milan has a proud history in domestic competition, it has long been regarded as a European Cup specialist. Seven triumphs in the competition -- second only to Real Madrid -- tell only part of the story. The Rossoneri's legendary performances have come in Europe, including the 5-0 against Real Madrid in 1989 and the 4-0 against Barca in 1994. Often their successes have been more significant given a wider context: The 1963 win was the first time an Italian club had won the competition, and arguably kick-started Italy's presence in European football; the 1994 triumph came a week into club president's Silvio Berlusconi's tenure as prime minister of Italy.

There is something about the tournament that makes the club come alive. Even under the legendary Arrigo Sacchi, it won more European Cups than Scudettos. In fact, it won more European Super Cups and Intercontinental Cups than Serie A titles under his management.

That pattern was repeated in the first decade of this century. Milan won only one league title, but was the side to beat in Europe's premier competition. After Real Madrid's spell of dominance ended with the ill-fated Galactico era, between 2003 and 2007 Milan won two European Cups, got to the final of another in 2005 (where it lost in barely believable circumstances) and was narrowly eliminated at the hands of eventual winners Barcelona in the semifinals a year later.

Europe clearly took priority over domestic form -- in the open-top bus celebrations following the 2007 win, Massimo Ambrosini (now captain of the club) revealed a banner saying, "You can stick your Scudetto up your arse." It was primarily a dig at title winner and city rival Inter, but it's tough to imagine many other clubs having such an attitude. Brian Clough, for example, once admitted he'd happily be knocked out of the European Cup if it meant success in the league.

Since that triumph in 2007, Milan hasn't made it past the quarterfinals. In addition to not qualifying in 2008-09, the nature of its defeats has been particularly embarrassing -- unable to score over two legs against Arsenal in 2008 or Tottenham in 2011, and thrashed 7-2 on aggregate by a decent Manchester United side in 2010. In 2011-12, it's time to put things right.

The problem is not with identity or leadership. Admittedly, Milan underwent something of a transformation in 2009, when its manager (Carlo Ancelotti), its captain (Paolo Maldini) and its star player (Kaka) all left the club, but enough veterans have stayed to maintain the focus in Europe. Ambrosini, Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, Christian Abbiati, Pippo Inzaghi and Alessandro Nesta are all into at least their 10th seasons at Milan. The problem, in other words, isn't an Arsenal-style lack of character.

Instead, the issue in Europe is the playing style. In the defeats to Tottenham and Manchester United, it was painfully obvious how vulnerable Milan was to width. At Old Trafford, the fullbacks received no protection, whereas Spurs threatened by getting the ball to Aaron Lennon and telling him to run at speed, which eventually resulted in the only goal of the tie. Looking at it another way, Milan has little width itself -- the team rarely stretches the opposition, instead funneling everything through the center.

The big caveat here, of course, is that even in its period of dominance a few years ago, Milan never played with width. It could afford to do so, however, because it had such guile in the center -- through Rui Costa, Kaka and Pirlo. Those players have left, whilst the "runners" (Gattuso, Ambrosini, Seedorf) who made the narrow systems possible, by shuttling out to the flanks, are no longer as mobile. Now, the Rossoneri are not creative enough in the center to break the opposition down in such a narrow space, and lack the players to play a wider midfield.

This season has finally seen a rebuilding job, with the creativity of Alberto Aquilani and the work rate of Antonio Nocerino added, but Milan still seems too static in the middle. There were only two ways it was going to score against Barcelona on the first Champions League match day -- balls over the top for Pato to run onto, or set pieces. Remarkably, Milan managed to score through both routes, in the first and the last minute, but it was a little sad to see its midfield barely compete for the majority of the game, even taking into account the fact that the Barcelona midfield is by far the world's best.

How can Milan's current strategy work in Serie A and not the Champions League? Primarily, it works because Italian football is played at a much slower pace. Few teams play with width and speed, and those that do often succeed against Milan, as Napoli showed with its 3-1 win earlier in the season. It's probably no coincidence that the last three clubs to have eliminated Milan have all been sides from the Premier League, which either play at a quick tempo, or sit back and then counter rapidly.

It's difficult to see Milan rising again this season. Aquilani is talented but inconsistent, while the alternative in that role, Kevin-Prince Boateng, is useful for his energy and bursting runs, but often seems rather unsophisticated in tight games, when Milan needs a Pirlo or a Kaka.

Ironically, having prioritized the European Cup for so long, Milan now seems ill equipped to make a mark upon the competition. The group stage won't be a problem, but knockout success might depend upon the club varying its play. And at the moment, Europe's top clubs would find Milan simply too easy to play against.

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/7026431/champions-league-ac-milan-put-things-right-europe-michael-cox

[IzzyC08]

MILAN (4-3-2-1): Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini, Seedorf (cap.), Van Bommel, Nocerino, Cassano, Emanuelson; Ibrahimovic.
Subs not used: Amelia, Yepes, Bonera, De Sciglio, Taiwo, Aquilani, Ganz.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri.

VIKTORIA PLZEN (4-5-1): Cech; Rajtoral, Cisovsky, Bystron, Limbersky, Pilar, Jiracek, Horvath (cap.), Kolar, Petrzela; Bakos. Facilities: Pavlik, Duris, Reznik, Sevinsky, Trapp, Darida, Fill.
Coach Pavel Vrba.

Milan formation

Ibrahimovic
Emanuelson-Cassano
Seedorf-VanBom-Nocerino
Antonini-Thiago Silva-Nesta-Abate
Abbiati

[Guest]

woke up so early knowing that i got long day ahead, i hope tonights match is worth it. pretty tired to see mediocre performance so far, hope milan impresses me

[Guest]

btw abbiati look like stam heheheh

[Guest]

energetic start from us but we almost conceded goal.. T.T

[Dim123]

Anyone have a link?

[shamr9pato]

any links ppl??? one man army huh jepswe?? what hapened to the match day spirit in the treads :/

[Guest]

any links ppl??? one man army huh jepswe?? what hapened to the match day spirit in the treads :/

hehehe apologies guys, um im watching thru atdhe
select the link from there http://atdhenet.tv/

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