Jeff

Jeff · 01-10-2007, 14:00

Goal.com editorial wrote about the recent issue with Milan's form. Here is the full article:
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Last season Milan finished the Serie A campaign in fourth place, a monumental 36 points behind city-rivals and Scudetto-winners Inter. In any normal year there would have been an outcry that Milan could possibly finish so far off the pace.

However all talk of the Rossoneri’s shortcomings seemed to disappear as soon as they lifted the Champions League in Athens in May. Of course the season had now been a hugely successful one – Milan had won the most prestigious club trophy in European football and what’s more they had done it in style after some sensational performances against Bayern Munich and Manchester United en route to the final.

Therefore Milan went into the summer transfer market with an arrogant aura that they were the Champions of Europe and did not need to change something that was not broken. The Rossoneri’s only notable purchases were 31-year-old ‘has-been’ Emerson from Real Madrid and the 18-year-old Alexandre Pato who, despite his description as a wonderkid, is only eligible to play for the Rossoneri from January onwards.

The result of this transfer strategy is that Milan now sit in 11th position in Serie A, already seven points behind leaders Inter after just six games. Furthermore Carlo Ancelotti’s men have failed to win in the league since the opening day of the season and they were dreadfully poor during the 1-1 draw with Catania at the weekend.

Critics in Italy all have their theories as to why things have gone wrong. One explanation is that Milan are simply too old. Out of the first choice starting-11, six are over 30 and only two are below the age of 29, Andrea Pirlo, who is 28, and Kaka, who is 25. The argument is that a team with so many old players simply cannot cope with the rigours of playing twice a week.

The second explanation is that Milan need to buy a striker. The Rossoneri have scored just five goals in their last five Serie A games, with two of these being penalties. This record is simply not good enough. What is even crazier is that Milan currently have just three senior strikers on their books.

Filippo Inzaghi can still be brilliant, but at 34, he cannot be expected to play 40 games a season and his best years are certainly behind him. Alberto Gilardino, to put it simply, is just not good enough to play for such a prestigious club. He is by no means a bad player, but he does not posses the technical ability or the striker intelligence to succeed. Then of course there is Ronaldo, who is either injured or overweight, and despite his undoubted genius, at 31 he hardly represents the future.

So this makes Milan’s decision not to invest during the summer in a proven striker all the more bamboozling. According to ex-Milan player Oscar Damiani, Milan passed up the opportunity to sign Luca Toni, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and David Trezeguet in the summer, three genuine world-class strikers. The fact that Toni only moved to Bayern Munich for a fee of around £9m makes this decision even harder to understand.

The simplicity of it all is that, in my opinion, Milan are probably only one world-class striker away from having a truly awesome team. The defence is sound, and the midfield of Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, Ambrosini and Kaka is undoubtedly the best in European club football. Finally the Rossoneri possess the best player in the world in the absolutely outstanding Kaka.

However all of this is wasted because Milan do not have a striker to finish the job. If either Toni, Trezeguet or Van Nistelrooy were playing up front for Milan, they would have scored about eight goals this season already. The sheer brilliance of the midfield means that chances will always be created, as was the case in the defeat to Palermo last week.

However this does not explain why, despite their dreadful form in the league over the past year, Milan are still the number one team in Europe when it comes to the Champions League. This topic requires a lot more analysis than I can offer here but the statistics talk for themselves. In the past five years, Milan have won the trophy twice and reached the final, semi-final and quarter-final on one occasion each.

This is an incredible record, unrivalled in recent years. Milan were simply magnificent in winning the competition last season and they have also began in imperious form this time around with a dominant 2-1 victory over Benfica a fortnight ago. So why do Milan continue to perform in Europe but struggle so badly in Serie A?

Are they, as many Italian critics say, prioritising the Champions League too much? Carlo Ancelotti has openly admitted that he prefers success in Europe to success at home. Or is the slow, passing game that Milan play so delightfully against foreign opposition just not suited to Serie A? Have Milan just been unlucky so far this season in the league?

Goal.com wants to know your views! What is wrong with Milan and what should they do, if anything, to solve their problems?

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It's more of a problem with motivation, but again teams that play against Milan only aim for a point (at least before the match begins). On the other hand, teams that play against Milan in CL really wants to win despite knowing that there will be a risk. More space for Kaka and Seedorf means that there will be more opportunity for scoring.

Old age is an issue, too, but we have been talking about this for the past 5 years, and we have won 2 champion leagues. If age is a factor, it only predicts Serie A

J
p.s.: I actually think that I'm going to write my own column pretty soon! Although I'm not sure if it's worth it.

01-10-2007, 14:00	#5
Jeff Moderator Join Date: 03 2002	Goal.com editorial wrote about the recent issue with Milan's form. Here is the full article: ** Last season Milan finished the Serie A campaign in fourth place, a monumental 36 points behind city-rivals and Scudetto-winners Inter. In any normal year there would have been an outcry that Milan could possibly finish so far off the pace. However all talk of the Rossoneri’s shortcomings seemed to disappear as soon as they lifted the Champions League in Athens in May. Of course the season had now been a hugely successful one – Milan had won the most prestigious club trophy in European football and what’s more they had done it in style after some sensational performances against Bayern Munich and Manchester United en route to the final. Therefore Milan went into the summer transfer market with an arrogant aura that they were the Champions of Europe and did not need to change something that was not broken. The Rossoneri’s only notable purchases were 31-year-old ‘has-been’ Emerson from Real Madrid and the 18-year-old Alexandre Pato who, despite his description as a wonderkid, is only eligible to play for the Rossoneri from January onwards. The result of this transfer strategy is that Milan now sit in 11th position in Serie A, already seven points behind leaders Inter after just six games. Furthermore Carlo Ancelotti’s men have failed to win in the league since the opening day of the season and they were dreadfully poor during the 1-1 draw with Catania at the weekend. Critics in Italy all have their theories as to why things have gone wrong. One explanation is that Milan are simply too old. Out of the first choice starting-11, six are over 30 and only two are below the age of 29, Andrea Pirlo, who is 28, and Kaka, who is 25. The argument is that a team with so many old players simply cannot cope with the rigours of playing twice a week. The second explanation is that Milan need to buy a striker. The Rossoneri have scored just five goals in their last five Serie A games, with two of these being penalties. This record is simply not good enough. What is even crazier is that Milan currently have just three senior strikers on their books. Filippo Inzaghi can still be brilliant, but at 34, he cannot be expected to play 40 games a season and his best years are certainly behind him. Alberto Gilardino, to put it simply, is just not good enough to play for such a prestigious club. He is by no means a bad player, but he does not posses the technical ability or the striker intelligence to succeed. Then of course there is Ronaldo, who is either injured or overweight, and despite his undoubted genius, at 31 he hardly represents the future. So this makes Milan’s decision not to invest during the summer in a proven striker all the more bamboozling. According to ex-Milan player Oscar Damiani, Milan passed up the opportunity to sign Luca Toni, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and David Trezeguet in the summer, three genuine world-class strikers. The fact that Toni only moved to Bayern Munich for a fee of around £9m makes this decision even harder to understand. The simplicity of it all is that, in my opinion, Milan are probably only one world-class striker away from having a truly awesome team. The defence is sound, and the midfield of Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, Ambrosini and Kaka is undoubtedly the best in European club football. Finally the Rossoneri possess the best player in the world in the absolutely outstanding Kaka. However all of this is wasted because Milan do not have a striker to finish the job. If either Toni, Trezeguet or Van Nistelrooy were playing up front for Milan, they would have scored about eight goals this season already. The sheer brilliance of the midfield means that chances will always be created, as was the case in the defeat to Palermo last week. However this does not explain why, despite their dreadful form in the league over the past year, Milan are still the number one team in Europe when it comes to the Champions League. This topic requires a lot more analysis than I can offer here but the statistics talk for themselves. In the past five years, Milan have won the trophy twice and reached the final, semi-final and quarter-final on one occasion each. This is an incredible record, unrivalled in recent years. Milan were simply magnificent in winning the competition last season and they have also began in imperious form this time around with a dominant 2-1 victory over Benfica a fortnight ago. So why do Milan continue to perform in Europe but struggle so badly in Serie A? Are they, as many Italian critics say, prioritising the Champions League too much? Carlo Ancelotti has openly admitted that he prefers success in Europe to success at home. Or is the slow, passing game that Milan play so delightfully against foreign opposition just not suited to Serie A? Have Milan just been unlucky so far this season in the league? Goal.com wants to know your views! What is wrong with Milan and what should they do, if anything, to solve their problems? *** It's more of a problem with motivation, but again teams that play against Milan only aim for a point (at least before the match begins). On the other hand, teams that play against Milan in CL really wants to win despite knowing that there will be a risk. More space for Kaka and Seedorf means that there will be more opportunity for scoring. Old age is an issue, too, but we have been talking about this for the past 5 years, and we have won 2 champion leagues. If age is a factor, it only predicts Serie A J p.s.: I actually think that I'm going to write my own column pretty soon! Although I'm not sure if it's worth it.