chelsea: biggest threat in CL (im serious)

hi guys and gals..firstly pardon me for starting this thread. ive been looking thru this forum for abt 3 mths now..and only posted once or twice. but with the new season coming up shortly, i cant help but worry if milan will be able to cope with the 'choke' effect that have seemingly plagued them for 2 seasons..against depor and pool.. these opinions are just my own...u guys can add yr own comments..

firstly, chelsea i sense..would really pose the strongest challenge to milan in the CL. those idiots really strengthened their squad by adding shaun wright-philips and del horno, if eissien comes, they really have 2 top players vying for each position. their attack might appear quite blunt, even with crespo (drogba is plainly overrated..his only redeeming factor is his aerial strength, as demonstrated against bayern in the last CL). Their midfield however, can really stretch milan should makelele and lampard dominate the centre, which they are perfectly capable of doing in big match occasions. (thank god they did not get gerrard) IMHO, in the anchor position, lampard/mak vs pirlo/gattuso/seedorf is a mismatch becos of seedorf. This guy really needs to run alot more and stop losing possesion. Whenever seedorf trys to shield the ball from 2 opposing players, my heart almost skips a beat, and he's prob the laziest player in our midfield. Well, as i said, if lampard/mak can dominate the centre, pirlo alone cannot pull milan's act together. Kaka isnt that good if pirlo isnt providing the link from defence to attack. Mourinio (spelling is incorrect) would have known this by now : stop pirlo, and milan is toothless. Yea kaka and shevy can create havoc on their own, but we cannot rely on moments of brilliance in the CL, its too risky. Juve hoped for a player to do a zidane-act to help them score that single goal against liverpool, but the reds were literally swamping the midfield..and thats the end of juve..

once chelsea gains ctrl over the middle of the park, our defence would be severely stretched by wright-philips/cole/duff/robben (thats 4 top class wingers who can run and stretch yr defence, imagine 4 ryan giggs in his prime playing..). THIS IS REALLY THE CRUX OF THE PROBLEM. Milan does not have defenders with enuf pace to keep pacy and tricky wingers in check. If cafu/janku is still overlapping and we get caught out of possession due to some errors, our central defenders (read this: stam/maldini/nesta) would have to come out of position to get the ball off chelsea's wingers before they bring the ball into the box. We have no chance in terms of pace, Stam is overpowering in the air and in the centre, but bring him to the flanks and he's a 12000cc tractor trying to outrun a ferrari.. Maldini is solid, but clearly has lost his pace.. Nesta is good enough, but he cant always be there..

any ideas how to cope with chelsea's wingers? seriously, chelsea's attack and defence dosen worry me, its their wingers..and midfield (esp lampard..that guy is SUPER CLASS)..i rate him at the same lvl as pirlo..

i saw in alot of threats calling for gattuso to be a sub, i kinda agree with that. We should have gotten vieira although he's gonna cost a bomb (i dont think he would return to milan anyway). Yea, we do need a top class DM, a DM who can read the game, and can defend and pass long balls into the box, someone who can complement pirlo who's not that great defensively..someone in the mould of vieira/ballack/lampard/gerrard..

other than chelsea, maybe barcelona and real would also prove major obstacles...but the main problem is...milan needs to find ways to deal with tricky wingers...milan cannot afford to be stretched wide at the back, maybe thats the reason why cafu is constantly making runs down the flanks >> to keep opposing wingers in check.

Solution?

1) play cafu and janku on the flanks to press chelsea's wings...
2) get a reliable replacement for cafu..(if he suffers a major injury, it might severly hinder our season)
3) we got gila who's young and talented..we need to buy defenders who are young and talented too, i know milan's management already knows this...but i just cant wait for the day whereby we would get another top quality defender..

comments anyone?

Originally Posted by ck_ian69

hi guys and gals..firstly pardon me for starting this thread. ive been looking thru this forum for abt 3 mths now..and only posted once or twice. but with the new season coming up shortly, i cant help but worry if milan will be able to cope with the 'choke' effect that have seemingly plagued them for 2 seasons..against depor and pool.. these opinions are just my own...u guys can add yr own comments..

firstly, chelsea i sense..would really pose the strongest challenge to milan in the CL. those idiots really strengthened their squad by adding shaun wright-philips and del horno, if eissien comes, they really have 2 top players vying for each position. their attack might appear quite blunt, even with crespo (drogba is plainly overrated..his only redeeming factor is his aerial strength, as demonstrated against bayern in the last CL). Their midfield however, can really stretch milan should makelele and lampard dominate the centre, which they are perfectly capable of doing in big match occasions. (thank god they did not get gerrard) IMHO, in the anchor position, lampard/mak vs pirlo/gattuso/seedorf is a mismatch becos of seedorf. This guy really needs to run alot more and stop losing possesion. Whenever seedorf trys to shield the ball from 2 opposing players, my heart almost skips a beat, and he's prob the laziest player in our midfield. Well, as i said, if lampard/mak can dominate the centre, pirlo alone cannot pull milan's act together. Kaka isnt that good if pirlo isnt providing the link from defence to attack. Mourinio (spelling is incorrect) would have known this by now : stop pirlo, and milan is toothless. Yea kaka and shevy can create havoc on their own, but we cannot rely on moments of brilliance in the CL, its too risky. Juve hoped for a player to do a zidane-act to help them score that single goal against liverpool, but the reds were literally swamping the midfield..and thats the end of juve..

once chelsea gains ctrl over the middle of the park, our defence would be severely stretched by wright-philips/cole/duff/robben (thats 4 top class wingers who can run and stretch yr defence, imagine 4 ryan giggs in his prime playing..). THIS IS REALLY THE CRUX OF THE PROBLEM. Milan does not have defenders with enuf pace to keep pacy and tricky wingers in check. If cafu/janku is still overlapping and we get caught out of possession due to some errors, our central defenders (read this: stam/maldini/nesta) would have to come out of position to get the ball off chelsea's wingers before they bring the ball into the box. We have no chance in terms of pace, Stam is overpowering in the air and in the centre, but bring him to the flanks and he's a 12000cc tractor trying to outrun a ferrari.. Maldini is solid, but clearly has lost his pace.. Nesta is good enough, but he cant always be there..

any ideas how to cope with chelsea's wingers? seriously, chelsea's attack and defence dosen worry me, its their wingers..and midfield (esp lampard..that guy is SUPER CLASS)..i rate him at the same lvl as pirlo..

i saw in alot of threats calling for gattuso to be a sub, i kinda agree with that. We should have gotten vieira although he's gonna cost a bomb (i dont think he would return to milan anyway). Yea, we do need a top class DM, a DM who can read the game, and can defend and pass long balls into the box, someone who can complement pirlo who's not that great defensively..someone in the mould of vieira/ballack/lampard/gerrard..

other than chelsea, maybe barcelona and real would also prove major obstacles...but the main problem is...milan needs to find ways to deal with tricky wingers...milan cannot afford to be stretched wide at the back, maybe thats the reason why cafu is constantly making runs down the flanks >> to keep opposing wingers in check.

Solution?

1) play cafu and janku on the flanks to press chelsea's wings...
2) get a reliable replacement for cafu..(if he suffers a major injury, it might severly hinder our season)
3) we got gila who's young and talented..we need to buy defenders who are young and talented too, i know milan's management already knows this...but i just cant wait for the day whereby we would get another top quality defender..

comments anyone?

lol i do have comment well done and i agree with u

ck ian69.... you have argued some points well but i think your looking at ac milan as individuals and not as a team.

i agree that chelsea are awesome but they only ahev 3 wingers mind you in robben, duff and SWP who are any good. as for the "cockney pele" (as my mate likes to call him..lol....thats mister joe cole to others...) i dont really rate him and hes going to be fourth in that list of wide midifielders.

as for seedorf ive never been scared when he shields the ball because ive noticed he has an arse to rival that of j-lo (khris must love that seedorf booty!!). if he were to lose his arse he may run faster but he would also lose the ability to shield the ball.

individually lampard is fitter than any of our players (hes not missed a chelsea game in yonks...someone will back me up with the proven stats) and yes SWP, robben and duff may all be faster than the likes of cafu, maldini, janku etc...
however for the defenders i might add its more a sense of timing and positioning that make them better than all out pace and acceleration, thats why the likes of maldini etc.. can still hack it at this level.

the crux is how milan defend as a team. the problem milan have had in the past couple of seasons, as has been said on many occasions, is how the midfield perform when they dont have the ball.

carlo has to make the team defend better as a more secure unit. it doesnt matter how good there individuals are, its the sum of them that matters. football if we remember is played in a small area (if you look down onto the pitch when a goal is being kicked you`ll see what i mean) where all the players are within a few metres of each other. milan have to learn how to defend this small area more effectively when there is a loose ball etc..or when just holding there positions and waiting for the oppostion to make a mistake etc...

if milan can defend more as a "team" instead of having to rely on the brilliance of nesta and dida, i really don`t fear anyone including the "cockney pele!!!!!!!!"

Originally Posted by MATNAT

as for seedorf ive never been scared when he shields the ball because ive noticed he has an arse to rival that of j-lo (khris must love that seedorf booty!!). if he were to lose his arse he may run faster but he would also lose the ability to shield the ball.

But yes, I agree, Chelsea are going to be one of the best teams in the competition this season.

Anyone can win it though. Chelsea were better than Liverpool last year and look what happend. I'm confident about Paris

IMO, Milan, Chelsea, Juve and Bayern M are the most serious contenders for this year's CL title and, at the beginning, have more or less equal chances of winning it. Of course one can add Real M and Barca to the favourites but I think they still don't have what is needed to win that competition - a very strong defence.

against the likes of chelsea milan would defenetely have to play with the christmas tree formation using very defensive players ( ambro, gattuso ) to get the ball back.

hopefully we won't have to face chelsea someone will eliminate them for us.

Originally Posted by kenichy

against the likes of chelsea milan would defenetely have to play with the christmas tree formation using very defensive players ( ambro, gattuso ) to get the ball back.

hopefully we won't have to face chelsea someone will eliminate them for us.

oh my god what will chelsea fans think of milan if they see this?

to put it simply...TO BE THE BEST>> WE BEAT THE BEST

milan is milan...we do not change our game plan for anyone..not even real, 9 times CL winners, let alone the pathetic blues who have zero european pedigree...

FORZA MILAN...

I agree, on paper Chelsea and even Barca are maybe a bit better than us. They are serious contenders and this year they have a year of experience more. Liverpool last year where just lucky, United, Real and Bayern are not at our levels, inter are, but they are inter, while juve are a thread in Italy only

Originally Posted by ck_ian69

milan is milan...we do not change our game plan for anyone..not even real, 9 times CL winners, let alone the pathetic blues who have zero european pedigree...

carletto changed his gameplan to beat manchester united this last season and everybody praised him for doing that. manchester bieng inferior than last years chelsea. we could of still played with 2 strikers jdt and crespo. so don't say that milan never changed their game plan for anyone, besides isn't that what carletto is doing trying the 3 man defense because we have become so predictable ?

On paper, as has been said, Chelski has the best team in the UCL...however, I fear no team...NONE..

But more on this...let me do some research and get back to you..

Chelsea are the Champions of England, in which there were only 2 teams competing(used very loosely) with them and that too mathematically, most of teams last season were'nt able to compete with them, now most of them have analysed mourinhoe's tactics and will setup a bus in front of goal, he needs a run of few bad games(which he has'nt witnessed at chelsea last season and at porto), and we will see how he handles it, this season rafa will go out with all guns blazing, as I only see Liverpool capable of competeting with them as they strengthened themselves this summer(unlike MANUre amd Arse ), Mourinhoe will get a run for his money this season as most clubs will realise a gaining a point from them is sure shot victory. Mourihno has to be challenged on both fronts i.e Premiership and Champions League with tough teams, he will crack, has to, afterall he is only Human.

after watching chelsea on saturday against arsenal it confirmed what everyone has been saying about chelsea for the past year or so and about arsenal for the past few years.

chelsea have an unbelivable defensive unit. it is so compact, so strong, quick and powerful that to breach it and then get the ball past cech will require either outstanding offensive play or individual errors/mistake (as you saw on saturday when lujnberg got round del horno and then both tiago and gallas missed the ball). what i like about chelsea is that not only can they play attractive football on the ground but when they need to they can go direct with there awesome power and strength. mourinho has done such a good job in finding players that can first play football on the ground but when they need to mix it they can use there raw strength, power and aggression that goes right through the team. whats really impressive about chelsea is that they all have that "bulldog" spirit and will contest every 50/50 ball anywhere around the pitch, theres not too many teams that can/will do that. its a credit to mourinho that hes got the rest of the foreigners playing like that.

as for arsenal it was again individual defensive errors that led to the goals. senderos had an awful time coping with drogbas strength and when he scored the second goal lauren made such a feeble attempt to win the ball you would not have put money on drogba from scoring from there. once again arsenals inability to get behind teams that squeeze the play show the problems thats been evident for a few seaons now. if you ask me wenger should by owen (i think milan should buy owen to repalce inzaghi, does anyone else think this?) and lessen the burden on henry so that he can work his magic outside the box knowing there is a very good striker ready to finish off any potential move. i think arsenals defensive disease will once again ruin any chance of them winning anything this year, because 1.) chelsea dont concede many therefore they will win the premiership and 2.) they (arsenal) aren`t as good offensively or defensively as the rest of the teams in the champions league. monsieur wenger is the manager equivalent of what cantona was as a player in europe for man utd.... i.e awful

I am so sorry to say that Mourinhoe has been crap in the Transfer Market, he inherited Cech, Robben et al, he got Carvalho, Ferreira who are ok and his trusted Lietenants, Alexei might be here because of the Russian connection but is an average player. As far SWP is concerened everyone has seen how good he is, only one needed sufficient money to splash out, and one does'nt have to be a genius to see how he is, I feel the main thing that works for Mourinhoe is the Hunger to Succeed that he has installed in them, he has turned the world's hatred towards them as motivation for them to succeed. Life is not Perfect, there will be cracks developing sometime or another. Hopefully this season itself.
Mourinho will have a tough time against Milan this season if they meet. we have the players to counter them no doubt, everyone remember one thing we are not a Midtable English side.

Chelsea is a big threat, but no, not the biggest!
The biggest threat in CL this season is Barca..

Chelsea are now the most balanced side in Europe and if they add Essien to their midfield will put distance between themselves and the rest. At the moment though i think Milan are the 2nd most balanced side in Europe and the gap is still bridgable by a moment of individual brilliance (the sort guys like Sheva and Kaka are well capable of supplying ) Therefore i dont feel we need fear them at all, believe me, they will be just as worried about Milan as we are about them.

Mourinho has 2 tasks this season to accomplish before i think they can win the CL, the first being to successfully integrate SWP into the team as he is as good as Robben and naturally right sided, giving them maximumn width. The 2nd and harder task is to keep the squad satisfied, how long will Cole, Gallas, Crespo etc keep quiet if they get limited chances?

As for Barca, i dont think they are on the same level as Milan, Chelsea or Juve. They are top heavy (though not as much as Real) and it will cost them in later rounds when they face sides with both Attackers AND defenders