Milan - Sampdoria......March 19, 2008

NOw guys, I read this from goal.com:

Kalac — 5: Surely aware he could have stood his ground when conceding the second goal. Was powerless to stop the first and otherwise uninvolved as Sampdoria rarely got near him.

Oddo — 6: In the first half he was poor and was guilty of giving the ball away a little too much under pressure. In the second, when Sampdoria looked to contain their hosts, he was allowed to flourish going forward and put in some good crosses, even though nothing came from them in the end.

Nesta — 7: As assured and composed as ever, sweeping up many a mess in the first half. Could have got a higher rating had he not been slightly at fault for the second Sampdoria goal, not showing enough strength to make it harder for Delvecchio.

Kaladze — 5: Most definitely was not good enough when it mattered. Allowed too much space for the opener and was in complete disarray when the second Sampdoria goal was netted. Afterwards he was largely untested and put in a good shift, but he will know that his poor start was costly.

Jankulovski — 3: Absolutely dreadful. Far and away the worst player on the night: he gave the ball away on countless occasions and was caught out of position several times in the first half. Was substituted for the unremarkable and aging Giuseppe Favalli, which says it all.

Gattuso — 6: Lacked sharpness and was sloppy in the first half but went some way toward redeeming himself in the second period, where his dogged determination paid dividends and didn't allow Sampdoria any respite. Unlucky not to score a scorching equaliser in stoppage time.

Pirlo — 7: Played with more enthusiasm than we're used to seeing, especially in recent times when he has looked so jaded. Was all over the park, making runs into the left channel and played some sublime passes. Tested the keeper and defence once or twice with his crosses and shots, would have scored higher but was also wasteful at times and, uncharacteristically, didn't produce an end product.

Ambrosini — 6: A solid performance. Was unlucky to be substituted when he was, as at the time, Gattuso was playing worse, but no doubt Carlo Ancelotti had the fans in mind when deciding against substituting Rino. Ambrosini put in the effort, but the demands put on him going forward were too great, as he simply lacks the offensive prowess.

Kaka — n/a: Showed a few good touches and at the very point he was injured he looked like tearing away on one his trademark counterattack runs. Very unfortunate to go off so early on — scores were level when he did — and he certainly needs to have a period of prolonged rest and perhaps some form of surgery to rectify this long-term knee problem.

Seedorf — 4: Contends well with Jankulovski for most embarrassing showing of the evening. Can count himself lucky only three substitutions can be made otherwise his number could well have been up. A role model as a person and as a player, but tonight he well and truly lacked everything bar his work rate. His touch deserted him, and his timing was off; too many times he was reluctant to pull the trigger and ran into many a dead-end. When Seedorf plays well, Milan play well — tonight, Seedorf did not play well.

Pato — 8.5: Absolutely magnificent. All that can be said is, believe the hype. His touch and burst of pace caused Sampdoria problems all game. Even in the tightest of jams, he showed a Messi-like ability to run himself into space and create an opening. Floated in a brilliant cross for Milan's sole goal of the game and really deserved one himself, but didn't get a clear-cut opportunity.

Substitutes:

Paloschi — 7.5: A very promising performance. Like Pato, his dribbling and pace caused Sampdoria many a problem, and he headed his goal home well. Lacks the strength on the ball of the Brasilian, and drifted out of the game for periods in the second half.

Gilardino — 6: A good showing. His presence was most definitely invaluable to Milan as he provided some sort of focal point for the electric Pato and Paloschi to work around. Individually, as is often the case, he was lacking. His touch was not quite there and he couldn't create any chances for himself, though it cannot be stressed enough that he was put between a rock and a hard place, coming on to play against such a crowded defence.

Favalli — 7: At 36, he was more assured, more composed and even more alert than Marek Jankulovski, the man he replaced. Giuseppe Favalli — renowned for being average — put in a good performance tonight and showed tenacity when it mattered. Saw an absolute belter go just wide, which would have been quite a sight had it gone in.

I highlighted the worst (Janku and Seedorf) that didn't seem to have received the hammer here, while Gilardino, according to goal.com, didn't play that bad. Another surprise is Favalli, which none of you mentions.

Glad to see Paloschi & Pato doing well!