Samaldinho

We are all over-reacting, like we usually do after a loss. It honestly amazes me how sharp the mood here changes with a loss. Was it a bad loss? Yes. Was it a bad display from many of our players? Yes. Do I think this team really needs the sort of super overhaul that many are pointing to? No.

Milan is not going to implode, we are not becoming a second rate power, especially considering the fact that we have (minus the Derby games) been a better, more consistent team than Inter. We have shown that we are missing a striker who can put away chances, that has been probably our biggest problem. In Serie A, again if you take out the Derby, we actually have a better defense than Inter's, so, I don't think the problems run as deep as we think.

The second Derby and the CL tie against United, and the game against Roma, all illustrated the issues that we have in attack. Ronaldinho has played awesome so far this season, but he was invisible in the second leg against United. However, that is indicative of our problems. If Ronaldinho doesn't have a great game, which he has had a lot this season, and Pato is out, we seem to be out of ideas. That is a problem, and it wasn't a problem even in 2007, when Ronaldo provided the goals to keep Milan going in Serie A and Inzaghi took the scoring load off of Kaka in the CL.

This game was more proof of the need for Dzeko, because finishing it ultimatley what cost us this tie. You could see once that United goal went in, Milan was finished, because we knew we needed 3 goals, and you could see them switch off. It was a terrible goal to concede because Neville had all the time to cross and Bonera thought that marking meant looking at the player.

In terms of Milan's future reconstruction, again, it seems that Milan is planning for the future, and our oldest and most useless players seem on their way out. Favalli, Kaladze, are both gone, replaced by Astori (one of Serie A's best young defenders) and Marcus who has shown that even in a poor team like Livorno, he is capable of doing a job. Considering he'd be fifth/sixth choice, not a big deal.

If Inzaghi is indeed on his way out, Paloschi comes in to benefit from Leonardo's youth coaching skills. That is 3 players that will come into the team to provide depth and give us a strong base to build upon.

Abate, Antonini, and Flamini are all great players for the squad, while Flamini seems to have the potential to become a world class midfielder. It is also very good to see the results of our youth team who boast some great talents, namely Verdi, not to mention Hottor, Adiyiah, Zigoni, De Vito, and Beretta. The coaching staff underlined that in two to three years, they plan on having 6 of Milan's 11 starters be products of their youth academy.

Honestly, if we need to really spend serious money, it would be on another midfielder and a striker, I would prefer a striker. A good FB in the Pancaro-mold would be ideal. Bonera would also be able to be a RB (where he is much better) with the return of Astori, and thus give Zambro and Antonini the job of taking our left.

I am pretty positive, and I don't think that this Milan team really needs a huge facelift, in terms of investment. With the amount of players poised for a step up to the first team from our youth, recalled players from loans and co-ownerships, and the removal of several dead weight players, it will give us more money to play with, a younger, hungrier team, while prolonging the reliability of players like Pirlo, Seedorf, and Nesta.

I am not angry at losing to United because I think our team is bad, actually, I think our team has shown (which I've said for a long time) that it is very good, the problem is, we were not able to play with the players that we needed. And yes, a lack of depth was a problem, making us have to play Nesta more games than we should have, and being unlucky with losing 3 FBs, something most teams can't shrug off.

*I just wanted to add that our youth team is top of their league, in a group that has both Atalanta and Inter's youth teams, teams that many of us (myself included) are very envious of. Just thought you should know that too.