Milan - Udinese Dec 21 2008

Originally Posted by hitmannq8

I would write because in that sentence instead of though.

If we had DM's we would have never played with such a formation and played such football. The formation Carlo put out there was not because of his tactical genius or that, it simply was because he had no other options. I really hope he learns that we must stop playing with 2 DMs, sometimes 3!

Precisely what I meant. However, it's not just Carlo's fault the team failed with DMs, but the players get lazy when relying on the likes of Rino et al. Today they didn't have that opportunity, so they all worked their butts off. Let's hope they get this point drilled home.

Originally Posted by Siregar

Really? Where did you read it? Share with us.

Galliani said it if I remember correctly. Something like Becks had no idea who Pato was and couldn't believe how good he was.

Right, I have been looking forward to writing this post mostly because for the first time in a long while I can focus on the positives of the performance. We were outstanding last night, especially when considering what state our squad was in coming into the match. That said, these factors are also the reason behind the performance, and showed the potential we have. I said just before the match I was interested to see if we'd fight or fall in what was one of the toughest situations of the season, and we very much reacted like a cornered fox.

The first half was an outstanding display of attacking football, with quality all over the pitch but even moreso a tight compact unit rather than the group of individuals we saw a week ago. Pato was simply incredible, all over the pitch, but making chances and scoring goals for fun. His pass to Kaka for the second goal was a thing of beauty. We looked vulnerable, but this had to be expected with the lineup we had, especially when facing off against the likes of Di Natale and Quagliarella. 4-1 was actually a very fair scoreline at the end of the first half.

The second half was played at a more comfortable pace and we dominated easily. Kaka's second goal was outstanding and it was great to see him playing the way we know he can. It was also great to see youngsters given a run out. I thought both made mistakes, but both did well for the time they were on.

Players...

Abbiati - Superb, he made a couple of great saves
Antonini - Good going forward, and a great header for Pato's second, but I wasn't too impressed with him in the defensive third, struggled a few times and was at fault on Di Natale's goal.
Maldini - Masterclass performance, flawless all night
Kaladze - Solid performance, a few rash challenges and poor decisions, but on the whole not the calamity I fear this season.
Favalli - Excellent, solid at LB and great run to set up Pato.
Seedorf - The weakest of our midfield trio imo, but did very well on the night.
Pirlo - Incredible, he ran the show last night and was involved in all our key play. I can remember only one misplaced pass from him last night. I could keep going on, but I'll end up writing an essay.
Janku - The revelation of the night for me. We know he works hard and never stops running, and last night that proved this to be a valuable asset in our midfield.
Kaka - Incredible. He pushed further up the field last night and he revelled in playing closer to Pato and goal. Back to his best.
Dinho - Superb game on the whole. Not as great as Pato and Kaka, but still involved in all our good play and really showed some great tricks.
Pato - MOM for me without a doubt. His movement was superb (he was everywhere) and scored a terrific brace. His touches were great and he was the one that took most responsibility in attack, which with Kaka and Dinho playing great next to him, says a lot about his performance.
Sheva - Little impact, which is a shame as I was hoping he could regain some confidence in that situation.
Strasser - Looked good in midfield, settled well on the whole. He made the odd mistake, such as the foul that got him a yellow card, but he looks positive.
Darmian - Started slow in RB after failing to cover as Udinese almost scored. However, he grew into the game and left a positive impression.

What I took from this game was that this team when working with the correct attitude can produce great things. However, the players far too often simply don't work hard enough in areas they don't feel they have a great responsibility. This stops us working as a unit and we become loose and easy to break down. Carlo MUST use this performance (even if it was against a dire Udinese) as an example to the players of how they are ALL responsible in ALL areas of the field.

Personally, I felt Janku must be used in midfield on a more frequent basis after yesterday. In LB he's vulnerable, and while I wanted him in midfield this year (with a new LB), I never saw him in the role he played last night. He was superb with his effort both in defence and attack and I think was key in getting a good balance in midfield. It's also worth noting Udinese made very little headway down the left side of their attack.

Kaka was another key figure. Our attack was very fluid with great movement and this must be maintained. However, Kaka moving further up and playing on the same line as Dinho "behind" Pato was excellent for the creative play. Kaka looked more comfortable and threatening than he has anytime this season and Pato revelled in the support he received. I've said before I want Dinho to support Pato more and the idea was the same. If Dinho stays on the left, Kaka should support the attacker.

I was really pleased watching last night and I saw the Milan I want to see. We weren't perfect, but we can take so much from this match. Everyone, the players, Carlo and upper management all must use this match to improve Milan. This is the starting point to making our season successful, but it's up to everyone to accept responsibility and work towards a brighter future.

FORZA MILAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!