08-17-2018, 10:27 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-17-2018, 10:39 PM by ACMILAN1983.)
Guess I was wrong on SMS and Pato this summer (and probably a few others that I can't even remember lol), but overall I'm satisfied with this market. Bear in mind we're coming from a place of turmoil with the ownership and management of the club and frankly speaking it's surprising we did as much as we did given when the changes in ownership occurred.
For me, the biggest thing this market was seeing the return of Leo and Maldini into the club. I feel this will have a huge impact and is of massive importance. Part of the problem last season was that while I had few issues with F&M (at least in comparison to others), they never did (or probably could) do much to keep calm in the club and curb rumours. Then of course Li was simply a joke, which compounded the issue badly. Elliott may not be the ideal owner, but they're credibility and financial stability/might isn't ever going to be in question. Getting Leo and Maldini back brings legitimacy to the project, but also values that have traditionally brought success to the club. You can already see this, as the attitude to the club seems to have completely changed, people recognise and respect both of them with the highest esteem they have acknowledged what needs doing to sort out our issues. I think Gattuso did well last season to bring back discipline in the dressing room, something which I felt was lost during Allegri's time in charge (also partly why I never considered the side with Ibra, Thiago Silva, Robinho and Boateng to not be of the same strength and quality of previous sides). However, I think Leo and especially Maldini will be keen to make the central focus in the club about the sport again, meaning players can (and have a responsibility to) focus on the football with the rest taken care of.
In terms of the market, first we need to bear in mind that Leo (I'm not really counting Maldini's role in the market too much, I'm sure he had an input, but I'm also sure it was limited) worked in a very limited space of time. In that respect, doing as much as he did is quite phenomenal. To start, to get rid of the excess in the way he did was vital for us. This was something that we'd built up terribly for years, and he's done a great job in getting rid of players who serve no purpose. I'm aware in many cases it was just a case of cut losses and let them go for free, but it's best to act and be done with it rather than waste time and money in trying to sell these guys. There's still a couple left, but the situation is much better than it's been for a VERY long time.
Next we should assess how incoming players meet the needs we had from last season (I will look at both Mirabelli's and Leonardo's work in this regard):
- Reina: In hindsight an unnecessary transfer, but still brings important experience and personality
- Strinic: Antonelli's replacement and showed he can be relied on in the World Cup
- Laxalt: Brings much needed pace and directness to our squad
- Caldara: Potentially the best CB signing since Romagnoli a few years back. We lose something with Bonucci leaving, but given their respective performances last season, we may have gotten a better player (especially in the long run)
- Halilovic: Adds depth to our wings. If he can perform anywhere near his potential, he gives us good quality.
- Bakayoko: The only midfield addition and a high risk one. However, at the least he adds physical strength and athleticism that we sorely lacked other than Kessie before. HOWEVER, if he gets back to the levels he showed at Monaco, he's a fantastic addition and will be a starter for us.
- Castillejo: I think he's one the keep an eye on based on everything I've seen/read. He adds pace, directness and has the ability to play all attacking roles. He's not the biggest name, but one that seems to be very highly rated by those who follow Spanish football.
- Higuain: We all know how desperately we lacked a top goalscorer last season. There's very few that could have been better than Higuain that we could have gotten. Should be a game changer for us.
Based on the above, it seems we've acted to try and improve in the areas we saw weaknesses in last season. We added pace, some depth, a "vice Kessie" and a world class striker.
Now there's a couple of things to add as caveat to this. We lost Locatelli and Andre Silva and arguably haven't necessarily done enough to the midfield. In the case of Locatelli, it's disappointing, but if the guy doesn't want to stay, there's not much we can do. In the case of Silva, I think we've made a choice to cut loose and move on, which based on the deal we got (where we potentially lose little to nothing), it might be a good choice. Some might argue we needed another option, but frankly 2 options isn't unheard of these days.
Finally, on the midfield, I'm sure we worked to bring in the big name (SMS), the fact that journalists and reporters (some very reputable ones) were literally all over the place shows something was happening, but clearly for whatever reason it wasn't meant to be. I've not hidden my desire to see SMS (or Rabiot) to come, and maybe it can happen in the future, but at the same time there's no reason we can't go into the season with optimism.
On that note, I think Gattuso will start the season with the same foundation from last year with 4-3-3:
You see, we showed good things last season and we want to build from it, rather than seeing a major revolution. Caldara (as soon as he's settled) will be a straight replacement for Bonucci and Higuain will give us an edge we sorely lacked last year.
However, as the season progresses, I wouldn't be shocked if we switch to a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 looking like this:
Conti will hopefully recover and provide competition in RB. Laxalt will be interesting to see as he's done well for Genoa and will definitely give RR competition. The key is in midfield though. I say 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, because in this system if Bakayoko performs to the standard we're hoping for, then he and Kessie can form a double pivot and effectively give freedom to Calhanoglu to act as our playmaker. We've seen Gattuso testing Calhanoglu in midfield in preseason and right now it's a mixed bag, but he can really add a lot with a bit of patience and I think Gattuso will recognise he needs the freedom to act as a trequartista, with someone covering in behind as he moves around the pitch. As for Castillejo, as I said, he seems to be one to keep an eye on and I suspect will be a surprise for us this season. Bear in mind, we add a huge amount of pace into the side with Conti, Laxalt and Castillejo.
Finally, the final piece to give real optimism is Gattuso himself. He did great last season given the situation he took over from Montella. The team seemed to lose a little steam after a great run and it seemed to be fatigue setting in. However, this time round, he's got a preseason to work with the squad (which he's clearly used to try and ensure the team don't suffer the same level of fatigue) and implement his ideas. He's shown some positive signals during preseason in both the US and against Real the other week. Most importantly, he's the first coach in around a decade to actually be in a position to work in an environment with some semblance of stability and focus, again going back to Elliott's financial power and that he's got Leo and Maldini there as directors.
I'm optimistic for the season ahead, if the pieces fall into place, we will have a great season. We should be aiming for a top 4 finish.
Edit: I'm also VERY curious on us keeping Bertolacci. Rino seems to have halted any return for him to Genoa and there must be a reason why, so I want to see how he does. I was one who was pretty happy when he signed, but there's no denying he's been a massive disappointment for Milan in his time with us.
For me, the biggest thing this market was seeing the return of Leo and Maldini into the club. I feel this will have a huge impact and is of massive importance. Part of the problem last season was that while I had few issues with F&M (at least in comparison to others), they never did (or probably could) do much to keep calm in the club and curb rumours. Then of course Li was simply a joke, which compounded the issue badly. Elliott may not be the ideal owner, but they're credibility and financial stability/might isn't ever going to be in question. Getting Leo and Maldini back brings legitimacy to the project, but also values that have traditionally brought success to the club. You can already see this, as the attitude to the club seems to have completely changed, people recognise and respect both of them with the highest esteem they have acknowledged what needs doing to sort out our issues. I think Gattuso did well last season to bring back discipline in the dressing room, something which I felt was lost during Allegri's time in charge (also partly why I never considered the side with Ibra, Thiago Silva, Robinho and Boateng to not be of the same strength and quality of previous sides). However, I think Leo and especially Maldini will be keen to make the central focus in the club about the sport again, meaning players can (and have a responsibility to) focus on the football with the rest taken care of.
In terms of the market, first we need to bear in mind that Leo (I'm not really counting Maldini's role in the market too much, I'm sure he had an input, but I'm also sure it was limited) worked in a very limited space of time. In that respect, doing as much as he did is quite phenomenal. To start, to get rid of the excess in the way he did was vital for us. This was something that we'd built up terribly for years, and he's done a great job in getting rid of players who serve no purpose. I'm aware in many cases it was just a case of cut losses and let them go for free, but it's best to act and be done with it rather than waste time and money in trying to sell these guys. There's still a couple left, but the situation is much better than it's been for a VERY long time.
Next we should assess how incoming players meet the needs we had from last season (I will look at both Mirabelli's and Leonardo's work in this regard):
- Reina: In hindsight an unnecessary transfer, but still brings important experience and personality
- Strinic: Antonelli's replacement and showed he can be relied on in the World Cup
- Laxalt: Brings much needed pace and directness to our squad
- Caldara: Potentially the best CB signing since Romagnoli a few years back. We lose something with Bonucci leaving, but given their respective performances last season, we may have gotten a better player (especially in the long run)
- Halilovic: Adds depth to our wings. If he can perform anywhere near his potential, he gives us good quality.
- Bakayoko: The only midfield addition and a high risk one. However, at the least he adds physical strength and athleticism that we sorely lacked other than Kessie before. HOWEVER, if he gets back to the levels he showed at Monaco, he's a fantastic addition and will be a starter for us.
- Castillejo: I think he's one the keep an eye on based on everything I've seen/read. He adds pace, directness and has the ability to play all attacking roles. He's not the biggest name, but one that seems to be very highly rated by those who follow Spanish football.
- Higuain: We all know how desperately we lacked a top goalscorer last season. There's very few that could have been better than Higuain that we could have gotten. Should be a game changer for us.
Based on the above, it seems we've acted to try and improve in the areas we saw weaknesses in last season. We added pace, some depth, a "vice Kessie" and a world class striker.
Now there's a couple of things to add as caveat to this. We lost Locatelli and Andre Silva and arguably haven't necessarily done enough to the midfield. In the case of Locatelli, it's disappointing, but if the guy doesn't want to stay, there's not much we can do. In the case of Silva, I think we've made a choice to cut loose and move on, which based on the deal we got (where we potentially lose little to nothing), it might be a good choice. Some might argue we needed another option, but frankly 2 options isn't unheard of these days.
Finally, on the midfield, I'm sure we worked to bring in the big name (SMS), the fact that journalists and reporters (some very reputable ones) were literally all over the place shows something was happening, but clearly for whatever reason it wasn't meant to be. I've not hidden my desire to see SMS (or Rabiot) to come, and maybe it can happen in the future, but at the same time there's no reason we can't go into the season with optimism.
On that note, I think Gattuso will start the season with the same foundation from last year with 4-3-3:
Donnarumma
Calabria Caldara Romagnoli Rodriguez
Kessie Biglia Bonaventura
Suso Higuain Calhanoglu
You see, we showed good things last season and we want to build from it, rather than seeing a major revolution. Caldara (as soon as he's settled) will be a straight replacement for Bonucci and Higuain will give us an edge we sorely lacked last year.
However, as the season progresses, I wouldn't be shocked if we switch to a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 looking like this:
Donnarumma
Calabria/Conti Caldara Romagnoli Rodriguez/Laxalt
Kessie Bakayoko Calhanoglu
Suso Higuain Castillejo
Conti will hopefully recover and provide competition in RB. Laxalt will be interesting to see as he's done well for Genoa and will definitely give RR competition. The key is in midfield though. I say 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, because in this system if Bakayoko performs to the standard we're hoping for, then he and Kessie can form a double pivot and effectively give freedom to Calhanoglu to act as our playmaker. We've seen Gattuso testing Calhanoglu in midfield in preseason and right now it's a mixed bag, but he can really add a lot with a bit of patience and I think Gattuso will recognise he needs the freedom to act as a trequartista, with someone covering in behind as he moves around the pitch. As for Castillejo, as I said, he seems to be one to keep an eye on and I suspect will be a surprise for us this season. Bear in mind, we add a huge amount of pace into the side with Conti, Laxalt and Castillejo.
Finally, the final piece to give real optimism is Gattuso himself. He did great last season given the situation he took over from Montella. The team seemed to lose a little steam after a great run and it seemed to be fatigue setting in. However, this time round, he's got a preseason to work with the squad (which he's clearly used to try and ensure the team don't suffer the same level of fatigue) and implement his ideas. He's shown some positive signals during preseason in both the US and against Real the other week. Most importantly, he's the first coach in around a decade to actually be in a position to work in an environment with some semblance of stability and focus, again going back to Elliott's financial power and that he's got Leo and Maldini there as directors.
I'm optimistic for the season ahead, if the pieces fall into place, we will have a great season. We should be aiming for a top 4 finish.
Edit: I'm also VERY curious on us keeping Bertolacci. Rino seems to have halted any return for him to Genoa and there must be a reason why, so I want to see how he does. I was one who was pretty happy when he signed, but there's no denying he's been a massive disappointment for Milan in his time with us.