Summer Mercato

Originally Posted by mrki

This year we simply need to play possesion football, which means we defend by playing high and not deep like in past two years. I hope players will be fitter becouse only then you can play real defence and real possesion football that Milan needs with this team.

Pato is a young BOY, it can be seen by the way he misses his chances with Brazil, and the luxury way he plays. But he is abnormal talent, who has shown almost nothing of his moves from Brazilian league in Milan so far.

Ivanovic, Flamini, Dinho, Pato, Boriello ( is it even somehow possible to play as bad as Gila did?), Zambrotta can for sure add something more then we had last year. And Abbiatti needs to be in good form. Then we need working Pirlo, Rino and not injured Nesta,Pippo,ambrosini, Kaka', Seedorf. And not to play defensive football like we did on numerous occasions last year.

Then we can fight for scudetto

Some interesting points there. I agree about the possession football. However, I would argue we've played possession football for the past two years, but the important part is playing higher up the field as you say, not invite pressure in tough situations or after taking the lead and really press opponents much, MUCH better.

Pato is young and he is missing chances, but he's still scoring goals which is a very positive sign. About him not playing in Milan as he did in Brazil, the difference is that in Brazil the freedom and space players get is much greater than in Serie A, where things can get tight, especially up front. Pato himself has made this comment in an interview last year.

Originally Posted by Milano84

antonini wasnt special and the got relegated. anyone who watched epoli would abmit giovinco stood out. abate showed good potential and not too much else. antonini is also 26. the other two are 20-21

Antonino played much more than Giovinco. anyway, I believe the question about not being able to start for a serie B team is settled.

Originally Posted by mrki

This year we simply need to play possesion football, which means we defend by playing high and not deep like in past two years. I hope players will be fitter becouse only then you can play real defence and real possesion football that Milan needs with this team.

Pato is a young BOY, it can be seen by the way he misses his chances with Brazil, and the luxury way he plays. But he is abnormal talent, who has shown almost nothing of his moves from Brazilian league in Milan so far.

Ivanovic, Flamini, Dinho, Pato, Boriello ( is it even somehow possible to play as bad as Gila did?), Zambrotta can for sure add something more then we had last year. And Abbiatti needs to be in good form. Then we need working Pirlo, Rino and not injured Nesta,Pippo,ambrosini, Kaka', Seedorf. And not to play defensive football like we did on numerous occasions last year.

Then we can fight for scudetto

Possession football has nothing to do with defending higher up the pitch. To keep hold of the ball we need depth, which means cb dropping back to recieve the ball with less pressure. What's the point of possession football anyway, unless it's to get players into better attacking positions, and to be honest R80, Kaka waiting for Janku, Oddo & Favalli to get forward to attack is like We can';t play counter either due to lack of quality in def, so we just have to hope for no injuries to our key players - Kaka, Pirlo, Nesta, R80, Pato, Inzaghi, Ambro, & "gulp" Abbiati.

[quote=Tony75;505684]Possession football has nothing to do with defending higher up the pitch. QUOTE]


Ummm....it has all to do with defending high. Maybe I expressed myself aukwardly, possesion football means technical and low pass football. unlike football Juve will play next year. Sorry for the expression "possesion football".

Playing your defence high means that once you get the ball you are able to play counter attack easier then with he way we played our defence last year.

Milan simplay needs to start playing real modern defence, which means pressing right there on center of the field, with a lot of stolen balls which make Kaka', Dinho, Pato, Pirlo play always closer to the goal and with smaller distance to play on counter attack + against unorganized defnce.

with deep defending we can play possesion all we want, defences will sit in the zone like they did last year and we'll pass our brains out through the middle.

The good point is that we'll probable be able to use 2 completely different fullbacks: Zambro and Ivanovic, which is crucial with Milan's "centred" midfielders like See, Pirlo, Kaka', Dinho.
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Sorry if the explanation is foggy

The pressing Imo will be a problem as Pirlo is ineffective as are our wb, and will R80 press, and if he doesn't should we expect Kaka etc too then? I don't think this team has the fitness to play pressing football due to injuries and poor depth in subs. Maybe in some matches, at certain moments, but to have it as a key strategy for the season won't work. To fully go for possession football we'd need Seedorf to play in mid, like he did in 2002-2005.

Originally Posted by Tony75

The pressing Imo will be a problem as Pirlo is ineffective as are our wb, and will R80 press, and if he doesn't should we expect Kaka etc too then? I don't think this team has the fitness to play pressing football due to injuries and poor depth in subs. Maybe in some matches, at certain moments, but to have it as a key strategy for the season won't work. To fully go for possession football we'd need Seedorf to play in mid, like he did in 2002-2005.

I agree with this.
Look at how Inter and Juve play the pressing and you'll see that they're able to do that because they have the players for that.
For example, everyone in Juve's midfield (Nedved, Sissoko, Poulsen, Camoranesi) plays tough, they run a lot and they can easily play pressing. Amauri and Del Piero were the attackers with most fouls in serie A last year and that's because they keep chasing the defenders and put presure on them. Iaquinta is the same kind of player.
In Inter you have the same situation.

Milan on the other hand has....how to put it....more soft players in midfield and attack. It's hard to imagine Ronaldinho, Kaka and Pirlo doing what their counterparts in Inter and Juve do.

The talent Pato, Pirlo, Dinho and Kaka have is unmatched in the world and Milan can destroy everyone if this guys find their form. But they won't do it by playing pressing football, simply because they aren't that kind of players.

"Milan's Ivanovic Move Up In Smoke!

Branislav Ivanovic’s will not be moving to Milan after the Rossoneri couldn’t reach an agreement with Chelsea. Weeks of talks have been wasted and now the hunt is on for another defender.

An announcement was expected today revealing that Milan had landed the Serbian stopper but the move seems to have stumbled at the final hurdle.

Just as the Rossoneri thought they had the deal all wrapped up, Chelsea have come in to scupper the negotiations.

Sportmediaset claims The Blues are not willing to give Milan the right to buy the player on a permanent basis and thus everything has gone up in smoke as the Rossoneri wanted the rights as part of the loan move.

Il Diavolo’s directors have now pulled out as a result and it seems as if they will not return for Ivanovic unless they have the right to take him on permanently.

Milan were ready to give Chelsea €2m up front and then a further €10m next year for the defender but the English club do not want to lose their player, a €13m investment in January, and thus the move has broken down.

The San Siro based club are now desperate to find another defender as cover. A number of injuries at the back have forced the club on the market and they will need to ensure they find an alternative for Alessandro Nesta."

From Goal.com

Originally Posted by Ceceves

"Milan's Ivanovic Move Up In Smoke!

Branislav Ivanovic’s will not be moving to Milan after the Rossoneri couldn’t reach an agreement with Chelsea. Weeks of talks have been wasted and now the hunt is on for another defender.

An announcement was expected today revealing that Milan had landed the Serbian stopper but the move seems to have stumbled at the final hurdle.

Just as the Rossoneri thought they had the deal all wrapped up, Chelsea have come in to scupper the negotiations.

Sportmediaset claims The Blues are not willing to give Milan the right to buy the player on a permanent basis and thus everything has gone up in smoke as the Rossoneri wanted the rights as part of the loan move.

Il Diavolo’s directors have now pulled out as a result and it seems as if they will not return for Ivanovic unless they have the right to take him on permanently.

Milan were ready to give Chelsea €2m up front and then a further €10m next year for the defender but the English club do not want to lose their player, a €13m investment in January, and thus the move has broken down.

The San Siro based club are now desperate to find another defender as cover. A number of injuries at the back have forced the club on the market and they will need to ensure they find an alternative for Alessandro Nesta."

From Goal.com

If this is true then Milan have done the right thing. We need a permanent solution. Hope they look in Zapatas direction.

Thing is Kash, we're looking for loan deals as we can't afford to buy anyone outright and i can't see Udinese loaning us Zapata, they'll want mega bucks up front. I guess there's always the possibility of buying him and paying in several installments, but again, i doubt Udinese will go for that.

Maybe Ivanovic can force the situation somehow, especially if Chelsea aren't going to play him that much. It's a disappointing end to this possible transfer!

Elsewhere Crespo doesn't have a club, why not bring him back here for a season?

Originally Posted by Jim_UK

Elsewhere Crespo doesn't have a club, why not bring him back here for a season?

SINCE WHEN THAT HAPPENED? I missed it.
It would be embarassing, Silvio will not do that now.

About pressing, maybe you guys are right, but Pirlo did play pressing defence in 2002-2004, when paired with running Seedorf and Rino. Im sure Pirlo, Rino and Flamini can play that. But the thing I missed was that in our 4-5-1 ( 4-3-3), Dinho cant paly the defence like Seedorf player ( in CL matches ). Kaka' will play deeper role, but that is not the same.

Aguess we will just have to dribble our way to scudetto

Originally Posted by mrki

SINCE WHEN THAT HAPPENED? I missed it.
It would be embarassing, Silvio will not do that now.

Crespo in line for Lazio? Thursday 14 August, 2008

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Former Inter marksman Hernan Crespo is being linked with a return to Lazio, as the capital club try to compensate for the loss of Tommaso Rocchi.

The talented Argentine international spent a frustrating season on loan to the Nerazzurri from Chelsea last term.

Crespo played just 19 games and found the net four times as the rise of Mario Balotelli kept him on the bench even in the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Chelsea opted not to renew the 33-year-old’s contract when it expired this summer, leaving him without a club.

There are reports in the Corriere dello Sport that Lazio are pondering a swoop for the man who fired a phenomenal 52 goals in 70 games in the Biancocelesti shirt between 2000 and 2002.

With star striker Rocchi injured and set to miss the start of the season, the Aquile are short of striking options and Crespo could be the ideal solution.

The fiery hitman would need to take a significant pay cut to play for Lazio but he may welcome a move to the Eternal City as his wife is from Rome and he is familiar with the area.

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I thought Inter took him, but according to this he's a free agent.

Presuming the Ivanovic-transfer really has fallen through, I just hope we're still looking for a new central defender, someone top-drawer to partner Nesta and command the defence in his absence. The defenders we've been linked with most recently are Alex Silva, Thiago Silva, Márquez, Canini and Ferrari (who moved to Genoa) - oh yes, and Panucci!

Márquez probably wouldn't move as it seems he's first choice after Puyol at Barca, plus he's cup-tied after playing againt Wisla Krakow last night.

Canini I don't think I've ever seen in action, he's probably not mature enough yet?

Alex Silva has been linked with Fiorentina today - he's done alright at the Olympics with Breno (although Belgium, New Zealand and China aren't the toughest of opposition), but Brasileiro (our expert on the topic) seemed less than enthusiastic about him, as far as I remember.

So I guess Thiago Silva would be the best solution of those mentioned, although if he's that good why are Alex Silva and Breno (18 y.o.) starting ahead of him at the Olympics?

Either way I just hope we sign someone good and (relatively) young to fill the hole in defence. The last thing I wanna hear right now is another "The mercato is closed"-remark from the guy resembling the man in my avatar - if you know what I mean...

Originally Posted by Ceceves

Either way I just hope we sign someone good and (relatively) young to fill the hole in defence. The last thing I wanna hear right now is another "The mercato is closed"-remark from the guy resembling the man in my avatar - if you know what I mean...

What do you mean the guy resembling that's Galliani in his sunday clothes grinning als always

maybe of topic but I don't belive for a second that Breno is 18-19 years old. The fact he refused a scan to determine his true age before his transfer to Real (what made the deal collapse) confirms it. I think he's a second eriberto...

Originally Posted by mrki

The good point is that we'll probable be able to use 2 completely different fullbacks: Zambro and Ivanovic, which is crucial with Milan's "centred" midfielders like See, Pirlo, Kaka', Dinho. Sorry if the explanation is foggy

I guess Ivanovic is not that type of fullback? I got the impression that his style of playing is much more similar to Bonera.

And I still hope that the management won't give up on Ivanovic.

If management wanted to get rid of him they wouldn't have given him a new contract since his last one expired this summer...

Maybe Favalli is related to another player aswell

Oh yeah... Seeing that he got a new contract, I'd think that he's the grandson of Silvio himself. Awful.

You are right jim, but Milan seem to have realised they need to buy a defender and are willing to pay £12m (eventually). Hopefully they will be forced to pay out now instead.

Chelsea wont bow to pressure, scandals and contraactual disputes are no problem for them. Milan couldnt resist selling Sheva despite all he was doing for Milan. Chelsea WONT sell $heva despite him doing nothing for Chelsea. That says it all.

Regards to Crespo, it cant be any more embarassing than half of our other signings. Namely Vieri, Pancaro, Oliveira and countless others. He is just the kind of striekr we need with enough experience to show patience if benched. He is a better option than $heva as he is a pure goal poacher (the one thing we are short of).