I'm happy with the win as it was important to get points out of this one. I too was jumping up and running around after both goals. However it would be foolish to deny that we have some problems on our hands. We have a lot of players out and that doesn't help either, however it kind of shows what some of the other players are made from.
Seedorf and Ambrosini were absolutely terrible in the first half. I was fuming at both and just could not explain to myself how can two professionals that have achieved so much in their careers look so bad on the field. Ambrosini picked up his performance in the second half and battled like a captain, but Seedorf (for me) continued to be bad.
Robinho was poor too, and even our backline looked awkward at times. It was just a bad performance all around the field especially in the first half. The second half started bad too but the changes made the difference. I think Abate put on a great shift in the second half after Maxi came on and it looked like he was pushed up all the way forward on the wing for the most part, keeping Armero occupied. This ensured that counters were going to be fewer and not as dangerous as we pushed forward a bit more on the left hand side with Robinho and El Shaarawy now playing more central together with Maxi. El Shaarawy showed his potential again and I'm so happy this young star is a part of our team.
Maxi did well, but I still think that he is a limited player.....however a player with character and the will to fight. And we can see what kind of difference that can make. Even limited players look great when they run, work, and fight for the team. This is the new standard in football. Pato should take a note of that. Look at El Shaarawy for example. I don't think he is limited, as a matter of fact it's clear that he has the potential to be great and he already is a great player IMO, but he's got that extra will to fight for the ball and chase down opponents. He simply has the will to work hard and do much more then just score goals. (Actually, Juventus this year is the prime example of that........some limited, but motivated "no star" players that work for every loose ball and keep running, mixed up with some good players that can make the most of it)
Mesbah IMO is a decent player. I'm kind of surprised at how well he's done defensively. He looks like he's been part of that back line for a long time. However, I feel like we are still missing that one full back that is able to get to the byline regularly and put in dangerous crosses. Mesbah hasn't done that so far. He's done decent enough in the back. but I'm not that impressed when he goes forward. It is nice however, to finally have a left footed player that can put the ball in the box every now and then. I for some reason still feel like we should give Urby a chance there. He can use his speed and dribbling to get behind defenses and get to the byline. Especially against lesser teams where we have a lot of possession.
All in all, good 3 points and they'll help in our bid to overtake Juventus. I hope that we put in a better performance against Arsenal and go to the second leg at least qualified (1-0,2-0,2-1) or even at 0-0. With the squad we have available at this point that would be great. However, it would be bad if we have to go to London chasing a result.
Forza Milan!!
Seedorf and Ambrosini were absolutely terrible in the first half. I was fuming at both and just could not explain to myself how can two professionals that have achieved so much in their careers look so bad on the field. Ambrosini picked up his performance in the second half and battled like a captain, but Seedorf (for me) continued to be bad.
Robinho was poor too, and even our backline looked awkward at times. It was just a bad performance all around the field especially in the first half. The second half started bad too but the changes made the difference. I think Abate put on a great shift in the second half after Maxi came on and it looked like he was pushed up all the way forward on the wing for the most part, keeping Armero occupied. This ensured that counters were going to be fewer and not as dangerous as we pushed forward a bit more on the left hand side with Robinho and El Shaarawy now playing more central together with Maxi. El Shaarawy showed his potential again and I'm so happy this young star is a part of our team.
Maxi did well, but I still think that he is a limited player.....however a player with character and the will to fight. And we can see what kind of difference that can make. Even limited players look great when they run, work, and fight for the team. This is the new standard in football. Pato should take a note of that. Look at El Shaarawy for example. I don't think he is limited, as a matter of fact it's clear that he has the potential to be great and he already is a great player IMO, but he's got that extra will to fight for the ball and chase down opponents. He simply has the will to work hard and do much more then just score goals. (Actually, Juventus this year is the prime example of that........some limited, but motivated "no star" players that work for every loose ball and keep running, mixed up with some good players that can make the most of it)
Mesbah IMO is a decent player. I'm kind of surprised at how well he's done defensively. He looks like he's been part of that back line for a long time. However, I feel like we are still missing that one full back that is able to get to the byline regularly and put in dangerous crosses. Mesbah hasn't done that so far. He's done decent enough in the back. but I'm not that impressed when he goes forward. It is nice however, to finally have a left footed player that can put the ball in the box every now and then. I for some reason still feel like we should give Urby a chance there. He can use his speed and dribbling to get behind defenses and get to the byline. Especially against lesser teams where we have a lot of possession.
All in all, good 3 points and they'll help in our bid to overtake Juventus. I hope that we put in a better performance against Arsenal and go to the second leg at least qualified (1-0,2-0,2-1) or even at 0-0. With the squad we have available at this point that would be great. However, it would be bad if we have to go to London chasing a result.
Forza Milan!!
