Rosso6

Rosso6 · 31-07-2009, 16:40

My fellow Rossoneri,

The writings on the wall, the cake's baked, Milan will suffer next season. We don't have a squad to compete with the Barca's of the Champions League and we will struggle in Serie A. The team is disjointed, we still have the same core in midfield from 2003: Seedorf, Pirlo Gattusso and Ambro. Let's face it, Pirlo ain't pulling the strings like he used to. Our midfield doesn't have the personnel to match up with the big-boys in Europe. If we are not seeded, I will be surprised if we get out of the group stages.

The team is deficient. We are dragging into becoming a second tier Serie A team with the likes of Fiorentina. Can anyone honestly argue that Inter are not the favourites and barring catastrophe will probably win Serie A again. Juve is relatively young and has reinforced wisely. What have done? Onyewu has tremendous potential. Our defense dept. is probably the only thing that has gotten better this year.

I really have no argument in defense of Leo. But his team should have signaled intent and seriousness during the preseason. To those who think pre-season should just be ignored....when is the time to get it right....October, November? Leo is a great guy...but we cannot replicate the Pep Guardiola thing with Barca. A few losses and folks will be for calling Leo's head. Frankly guys and gals, I hope Leo finishes the season.

This upcoming season reminds me of the wilderness back in 1997-98 season that begun with Oscar Tabarez. If this is a rebuilding year...let it be...it will be good for the long term. But God help us...this team should have rebuilt back in 2006.

This team is in trouble - and I do hope that all I have said in the post is 100% wrong.

Forever Milan.
http://twitter.com/Soccersanse

Warro said it more succinctly:

We have nothing to show for this pre-season except that:
a) it was wrong to sack Carlo
b) it was wrong to sell Kaka
c) it was wrong to appoint an inexperienced coach
d) it was wrong not to reinforce the squad

brk · 31-07-2009, 17:41

This is stupid.

Wait until after Aug 31 before making premature judgments.

I don't know what you're trying to prove.

guestes · 31-07-2009, 20:43

Yeah mate, perhaps after August 31 post this thread...... I see your pount, but it's a bit to early!

rt9 · 31-07-2009, 21:06

It's already August and from the way we've been behaving, I think it's only normal for the fans to hand their heads and expect a sub-par season. After all, what have Berlu/Galliani done in the transfer market over the last 3 years to suggest otherwise?

guestes · 31-07-2009, 21:13

What what would we discuss on this thread? Depression and suicide? Perhaps we should have made a "improvement and suggestion" thread instead!

kris · 01-08-2009, 05:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosso6

My fellow Rossoneri,

The writings on the wall, the cake's baked, Milan will suffer next season. We don't have a squad to compete with the Barca's of the Champions League and we will struggle in Serie A. The team is disjointed, we still have the same core in midfield from 2003: Seedorf, Pirlo Gattusso and Ambro. Let's face it, Pirlo ain't pulling the strings like he used to. Our midfield doesn't have the personnel to match up with the big-boys in Europe. If we are not seeded, I will be surprised if we get out of the group stages.

I think everyone knows that we won't be the top dog in the world. It can be painful, but a team can never be on the top always. We do have a squad to compete though, no doubt about it. But being able to beat one team on any day is not enough in the long run. We don't have the squad to bring in throupies.

We are seeded though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosso6

The team is deficient. We are dragging into becoming a second tier Serie A team with the likes of Fiorentina.

No. We are not. there is a reason our budget is something like three times theirs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosso6

Can anyone honestly argue that Inter are not the favourites and barring catastrophe will probably win Serie A again.

It has been like this for years now. Lets not forget that the main reason Inter is before us and everyone else in Italy is just one thing. Money. Money that Moratti pump in the club year after year. We are not talking pennies here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosso6

Juve is relatively young and has reinforced wisely. What have done?

I don't have the time for calculations, but I don't think their team is younger than ours.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosso6

Onyewu has tremendous potential. Our defense dept. is probably the only thing that has gotten better this year.

potential? He is 27. I would agree that our CBs is the one position that we don't need reinforcing. Just kick out one player, no names mentioned again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosso6

I really have no argument in defense of Leo. But his team should have signaled intent and seriousness during the preseason. To those who think pre-season should just be ignored....when is the time to get it right....October, November?

Judge after our coming pre-season games instead. These ones we have played have been a very hectic schedule, we have mostly played teams further in preparation than us and our players have hardly trained. Leonardo can't have put much of his flair into the team under thos circumstances. In fact a lot of people think a new manager needs almost a whole season to put his imprint in how the team plays. Carlo's first 6 months with us was completely different from the coming years.

Benfica game will be a better game to judge after. Because the players will then have had more trainings together.

Let me add that we did worse in last summers preseason than this one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosso6

Leo is a great guy...but we cannot replicate the Pep Guardiola thing with Barca. A few losses and folks will be for calling Leo's head.

I don't think so. Unless we buy some players Leonardo is not the one that will be blamed. The fans will all blame someone higher up in the hierarchy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosso6

This upcoming season reminds me of the wilderness back in 1997-98 season that begun with Oscar Tabarez.

I honestly don't think it is very similar to that year in any way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosso6

This team is in trouble - and I do hope that all I have said in the post is 100% wrong.

Personally I think you are a couple of % wrong, but unfortunately there are many truths there. but it is not like you opened the eyes of anyone here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rosso6

We have nothing to show for this pre-season except that:
a) it was wrong to sack Carlo
b) it was wrong to sell Kaka
c) it was wrong to appoint an inexperienced coach
d) it was wrong not to reinforce the squad

A) I don't agree at all. This team was in serious need for some change there. Everyone in serie A knew how to count us. We never ever saw young players getting a chance under him.
B) Doh. Of course it was bad. I listed the "why" in another thread.
C) No proof either way. Like I said we did worse in last summers preseason, back when we had Kaka.
d) It is not september 1. I must wonder though why you say something as blatantly obvious.

King tiger · 01-08-2009, 08:56

nice post kris

Gabriel489 · 01-08-2009, 14:55

I don't think the starting 11 at Juve is that much younger than Milan. But if u are talking about young players ready to take the next step or had already taken the next step then Juve is in much better shape than Milan.

Carlo must go, period, as he stayed for too long.
No kidding, you just don't sell the top 5 players in the world unless your team is already strong
Wait till Dec to judge Leo
As much as I like to say it is only Aug 1, I do have to agree with you that the likelihood of MIlan signing any quality players is quite slim.

rt9 · 02-08-2009, 20:58

I think the main problem is that we sold our best player and haven't adequately replaced him. I know R80 is supposed to be the replacement, so we ought to use the cash to reinforce elsewhere---good LB, complete midfield player, and a top striker. These 3 players and the fans will be happy and we will be a force again. Problem is for some reason, we are just not reinforcing...

RIO · 04-08-2009, 19:13

Please, that 97-98 season was just horrible, in every way, and those conditions will never be repeated. Sure things look bad now, but there's no way they are going to be even half THAT bad. Never mention it again, as it still gives me the willies just to think about it.

kris · 05-08-2009, 00:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by RIO

Please, that 97-98 season was just horrible, in every way, and those conditions will never be repeated. Sure things look bad now, but there's no way they are going to be even half THAT bad. Never mention it again, as it still gives me the willies just to think about it.

Biggest difference really compared to now is that in 97/98 the competition was much better. Right now there is only really two very good teams in Italy, Juve and Inter.

tim_milan · 05-08-2009, 01:32

Guys to tell you the truth ve got a set mixed thoughts about the situation that our team is in at the moment.Its not like Berlusconi or Uncle Fester havent done enough for this team that we should be critical of whatever decision they make. Well i know they are not doing enuf at the moment but i think we should just wait and see how the season goes. Besides we ve got a relatively new team in the sense that they would need a little more time to gel as a unit. We have a new coach in Leo n i guess he deserves our support. Having said all this i still feel we cannot do without a couple of new signings like some of ull have mentioned earlier, i.e., if we need to be competitve this season. Just hoping for the best. For a great season 09/10. Forza milan!!!

Warro Bantan · 02-09-2009, 02:24

2 matches into the season, and I think its time to take another look at this thread.

After an unconvincing win over Siena (a side full of average players) we get the worst thrashing in a derby for 35 years from a side posters here called: not significantly better than Milan, and a team that were playing "badly".

I said it before, and I will say it again: its a mistake to appoint a coach with NO previous coaching experience, and because u got away with it twice, u think u can get away with it a 3rd time?

Why not just coach the team yourself via video-conference Berlu?

1 hour team talks, post-derby defeat for me just goes to show what this clown of an owner really is about.

This is his toy, and he will play with it as he wishes.

I maintain that we should have appointed a coach with experience, and one used to working with less talent, so he could bring the best out of the mediocre players that abound in the squad, since proper reinforcement was not on the cards.

Berlu has really and truly gone 180 degrees from where he started, a complete reversal from the money splashing, world record wage paying billionaire, to an owner deeply concerned with escalating player salaries.

Was he thinking when paying Van Basten whatever he wanted in the 80s, that there would come a day when he himself would shudder at a another star's pay requests?

Its so hypocritical that he, and Abramovitch (and yes Moratti as well...what a slimeball trio!!!) would now be clamoring for a salary-cap, or for european bans for teams that buy players above and beyond the club's actual income?

I see it as pathetic, just like the performances this pre-season, and again in the derby.

We managed to hold a lead for all of 5 minutes vs Siena, and lost the derby after 30 minutes....all predicted by our dismal pre-season, in which our rookie coach was unable to forge a team with some identity, some sense of chemistry and cohesion, and importantly (for me at any rate), win a game in 90 minutes.

While not completely at fault, Leo cannot be absolved from blame, from tactics to selection: Why, if Ambrosini was fit, was an injured Gattuso starting?
Rino is still recovering from injury, and for me, it would have been better to field him in the latter stages, if at all, against physically superior opponents....who would have been better countered IMO, by Ambro.

I stated that it was wrong to have let Carlo go, and many disagree...pointing out that opponents knew how to beat our predictable approach, and that he never gave youth a chance:

The "youth" he never gave a chance: Cardaccio and Viudez...where are they now? Contracts "rescinded by mutual consent" when last I heard. Di Gennaro hasn't lived up to expectations, Marek is still our LB, and Antonini, Abate, et al, are all on the bench. So much for youth.

Predictable approach? We still play the 4-1-2-1-2 Carlo implemented right? We still field the same basic midfield as we did under Carlo aren't we?

Carlo also never got spanked 0-4 by Inter. With Carlo at the helm, it was always close, and the reason for the loss usually subject to debate.

Leo is confident that R80 will take over where Kaka left off....yet Ronaldinho is at worst a joke, and at best: inconsistent.

His failure to place the shot on target set up wonderfully by Pato in the early stages of the derby is a perfect example...a goal there could have been pivotal in us getting some points from that game...and after his performance at Siena, I thought he was getting back to his old form, but he sure stunk up the San Siro against better quality opponents.

His "dive" when he realised he wasn't going to get the shot off properly, and subsequent whining, only lacked face-paint, oversized shoes and a squirting flower to complete the picture. Its a pity traditional circuses are on the wane...he is definate clown material.

Milan are supposed to play possession football, dictating the play, and creating chances...it looked like Inter got a look at our playbook...2 of their goals came from splendid posession, and swift passing...ie good if not great team-play.

Posession stats: Inter 60%, Milan 40%.

Pathetic.

Poor Leo, I truly wish him well. I truly hope that he can turn this thing around.

Ultimately though, I agree: this is going to be a loooooong season, and I hate having to say: I told u so.

But I am, and I did.

Bring on Livorno, and the remainder of this season...let's see if we will improve, or continue down this slippery slope.

shegs · 02-09-2009, 03:03

Warro, you couldn't have said it any better. With performances like this, its not hard 2 see why analysts tip Napoli/ Fiorentina to beat us to 3rd (or even worse, 4th!) place.

kris · 02-09-2009, 04:40

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