Summer Mercato

Originally Posted by Milano84

all 3 are old. All 3 can still play, but we need to help them. We need quality backups. Flamini helps. We need a striker upfront better than crap borriello. We need wingbacks who can get up and spread the field.

I would love Joao Moutinho moe than anyone. Berbatov upfront.

Pirlo is 29... yes Ambrosini and Gattuso are older... but they ran their hearts out...

Anyways, this isn't the thread for that now... I think we are getting reinforcements. I am warming to the idea of Moutinho though... I've heard some things about him... Berbatov... but remember he's only played well in Tottenham. Is he a strong tough forward?

As someone thinks I'm Berlusconi, I better be off to go do my business. I have a meeting tomorrow though lol. I need to talk to Umberto Bossi. J/K

Originally Posted by Giancarlo

Your own opinion. While I respect the Germans, they'll always be a step behind Italy, and hardly ever win against Italy. It goes back to 1982. It's a bit of a curse. How is the Italian team arrogant?

Exactly, MY opinion. and u think italy is the better team, thats YOUR opinion. at the end of the day, no amount of arguing is going to change ur opinion because it is a value judgement. Why you felt the need to criticize my opinion and the teams i support, no idea. mayb it goes back to that arrogance thing. or maybe you just talk to much without realizing what you say, and constantly putting ur foot in ur mouth. Why do i find the italian team arrogant, thats just been my experience. for example, all my italian friends pointed to the offside goal instead of conceding that holland simply played smart and better today. Im not gonna go look for headlines to prove that the team is arrogant, if thats what ur aiming it.

Originally Posted by martin

Exactly, MY opinion. and u think italy is the better team, thats YOUR opinion. at the end of the day, no amount of arguing is going to change ur opinion because it is a value judgement. Why you felt the need to criticize my opinion and the teams i support, no idea. mayb it goes back to that arrogance thing. or maybe you just talk to much without realizing what you say, and constantly putting ur foot in ur mouth. Why do i find the italian team arrogant, thats just been my experience. for example, all my italian friends pointed to the offside goal instead of conceding that holland simply played smart and better today. Im not gonna go look for headlines to prove that the team is arrogant, if thats what ur aiming it.

Very well. I didn't say that the Dutch didn't play well today. They did play very well. There is nothing about arrogance here. We accept defeat in stride and learn from mistakes.

Either way that goal could have prompted disorientation within the Italy team.. and not only that the weak backline we had. Materazzi and Barzagli were terrible defending and thus the Dutch sliced right through that.

Well, saw the game and I must say(eventhough huge Dutch Fan), IMO, it was not as lopsided as the scored indicated. IT, esp Toni got some great chances but just missed them. The CBS were horrible and I have no idea why DP did not start. On top of that, Don should had made the changes at halftime, ie Grosso and Cassano.
The Ambro for De Rossi, to me was not a huge deal and probably would not have made a huge diff, as Matrix and Barzagli were horrible, really really horrible. I think people finally knows why no big clubs in Italy went after Barzagli.

Looking at VanderSal makes me wonder if Abbiati can do the same. Referring to the fact that VanderSal left Juve and went to Fulham on a low as there was nobody wants to take him and his contract, and teams are calling him too old and he lost his touch... then comes ManU and look at him now. Hopefully, Abbiati is like that once he rejoin Milan.

1) Do you think that if R10 will not arive Milan will sing another attacking midfielder?
2) How would you describe Aquilani's position? like Piro? like Seedorf? or something between?

Originally Posted by Peachtot

i'm not the dutch nor the germany but i support holland and milan cause once early in 90's, i saw how great The Dutchmen Triangle collaborate in a same team

The same with me!!! I loved Holland with the way they were playing and since then i love their NT because of the beautifull and attacking football they use to play. After that, the magic combitation of Gullit-Raikard and Van Basten was all the moneys for watching Milan playing in those years.One of the best squads of all times of football history!

Getting back to the world class striker transfer debate....

As I said before Drogba is a short-term solution, however we are looking for a player who will hopefully produce results straight away. Milan want instant satisfaction.

Now assuming Carlo gets Drogba and our tactics start to rely heavily on a big striker, what happens if Drogba gets seriously injured?

Perhaps Milan should buy 2 big strikers, Drogba as a short-term solution and Gomez as the long-term solution?

If Gomez is getting bashed after one game at Euro08 by certain members here, then why aren't they bashing Benzema and Toni at the same time. Imo none of them played better or worse than each other in their first game.

Another thought...

Has Milan and its fans become so used to success that we have to win something every season regardless of the future?

We hardly invest in youth and the future and when we do we loan them out instead of throwing them into the deep-end and standing by them and showing belief in them.

Or they sit on the bench the entire season and are wasted, because the coach or management is scared or doesn't have belief in their abilities.

If thats the case then yes we should be buying players between the age of 28-32 and spending a minimum of 25million per player and we should stop complaining about the prices. Generally we buy in that age group but at the wrong price.

Are we slowly turning into Madrid? Or should I rather say, are we adopting Madrids outlook but keeping our wallets closed?

The modern game is changing, its all about speed and stamina not size or tactics. The Dutch-Italy game proved that.

I'd rather invest in young promising players who start regulary even if we win nothing for a season or 2 but in doing so forges a team that will be unstoppable in 2-3 yrs time.

Does Milan have a long-term project?

Originally Posted by rosoneri_11

After that, the magic combitation of Gullit-Raikard and Van Basten was all the moneys for watching Milan playing in those years.One of the best squads of all times of football history!

at least that squad is one of the best that i ever seen in my life

A bit OOT, but does anybody notice the look on Materazzi's face on the bench after being substituted? LOLL.. it reminds me of Mike Tyson's my-goodness-what-was-that expression after being knocked down by James Buster Douglas.

Simply priceless!

I think MIlan do invest in youth, just that it is not enough. When you think about it, over the past 4-5 years, Milan did bought at that time, Kaka 21 or 22, Gilardino 22 or 23, Bonera 23 or 24, Pato 17, Gourcuff 20, Flamini 24. Those are not so call late 20s early 30s signings. It is just that Gourcuff was never able to break into the rotation b/c guys like Seedorf, Pirlo, Gattuso, Ambro, Kaka are always holding the starting spots and if there is an injury or bad form, the coach likes to put Brocchi or Emerson in instead. For all the times I saw Gourcuff played, I think he could start for Milan as long as he is not the focus of the team, ie having guys like Kaka or Pirlo around him instead of subbing for them. Bonera is solid and really played well whenever he started. Gila, yes he did bad here but most if not all of us here saw that as a great signing. Pato is a different story, as when the time he broke into the squad, R9 and Pippo was injured, Gila is MIA even when he was on the field, and Carlo had no choice but to play Pato. I am sure that if R9 and Pippo are healthy, Pato would not have done as well as he did last season.

What I am trying to say is that Milan did invest in youth but under the climate of the team it is very very hard for these youth to get playtime. Kaka was on the bench until Rui Costa form really decline. Gila was signed as Milan third striker behind SHeva and Pippo, despite scoring more goals than Pippo or SHeva in the league the previous season.

The point is, even if Milan actually signed C7 or Messi before they hit the superstardom, I doubt they can reach their heights now if they actually did play for Milan.

Originally Posted by jmacpherson

If Gomez is getting bashed after one game at Euro08 by certain members here, then why aren't they bashing Benzema and Toni at the same time. Imo none of them played better or worse than each other in their first game.

benzema didnt play where he should be played. domenech put him behind the main striker, picked up the ball from france pairing central midfielder, sometimes ran to the flank to open the space and pull tight romanian defender.
benzema will show all his ability exactly in where anelka or gomis stood last night.

About Toni, he kept be the main threats for holland defence. the problem was he didnt get support from central midfield behind him where italy miss a man like Totti in WC'06. Getting bored when italy in needed to score a goal but donadoni had nothing to do. he just replaced exhausted left & right flank di natale and camoranesi with del piero & cassano while the 2 uncreative and less offensive minded rhino & max still in field.
In this case i think donadoni strategy wasn't productive at all

As for Gomez.. loew put him where he belong. But in my perspective, i give a good credit on how he perform in the pitch

[quote=Nalx;495872]A bit OOT, but does anybody notice the look on Materazzi's face on the bench after being substituted? LOLL.. it reminds me of Mike Tyson's my-goodness-what-was-that expression after being knocked down by James Buster Douglas.[quote]

he realized that he played awful, looked very exhausted and maybe with slight injured. he missed covered the area infront of italy PK, outrunned by van der vaart but still there's one important trademark that he kept from last night match "late tackle to kick ruudtje's feet clearly" then kept feel nothings wrong with his rude innocent face

Originally Posted by Peachtot

at least that squad is one of the best that i ever seen in my life

Yeah that's true, you were lucky, i started watching football 97-98.I was 9-10 years old.Thanks to my father(who is also a fan of Holland Ajax,and Milan beacuse of that magic trio and their style of football) i learned and watched from TV or from the web about the Holland football and their great players.

Back to mercato.I will say my opinion about the striker, we want a young talented and promising striker or an experienced proven but not a 30 years old or over, but a striker about 25-27.Buying Drogba i can see him playing top football for only 1 or 2 years.He is already 30.Plus if he is going to Italy i don't know if he gonna get adapted soon by the serie-a style of playing (he will change country,team,and style of football) and he will not need to show hes big talent in the second season were he will be already 32!

For me i want these:
Young and talented: Benzema,Adebayor,Huntelaar,Aguerro,Torres,Gomez
Good age and proven:Eto,Villa,Berbatov,

Originally Posted by Giancarlo

And how can you be in here be a dutch and germany fan yet support Milan? That's like supporting Italy and France at the same time.

If you said that to me, you said that to the wrong person !!
Milan and Italy fan here, nothing else !!

It's another person who said he was a fan of Germany and Netherlands ... but I don't see any problem with being fan of Netherlands/Germany and being a fan from Milan ? People do what they want in life ...