Summer mercato 2009

Originally Posted by slifersd

What you said is true, every team needs luck to win the title. The thing that bugs me, however, is that you keep preaching about how sky didn't fall down and everything is just fine. Other than that CL win, what exactly has Milan done since the Shevchenko sale? We haven't won the Serie A since he has been gone; we had to play in UEFA cup for the first time in a long time; we became the laughing stock of the transfer market; and the icing on the cake is when we sold our best player for cash again merely three years later. What exactly has to happen to convince you that the team is in crisis? By Milan standard, the current situation this team is in is the crisis state. The sky did fall down on us and turned us into the second rate team we are right now.

How is Milan the laughing stock of the transfer market? Where are you getting this crap? If everyone is laughing at Milan, they surely must be rolling in the aisles over Manchester United, who sold Ronaldo and let Tevez leave, replacing them with a player who had seven goals and eight assists in three seasons at Wigan and a free transfer from relegated Newcastle!

And you may not think winning the Champions League two years ago means much, but there are hundreds of clubs who would beg to disagree because they'd kill their own mothers for the chance to do just once what Milan has done seven times. I would also point out that winning the Champions League is more than Juventus has done since 2006. The only thing they've won is Serie B! And Inter hadn't won anything since the 80s until the scandal handed them two Serie A titles and allowed them to take advantage of the setbacks to both Juve and Milan. Even then they've done nothing to speak of in the Champions League. So why do you act as though Milan is so far behind that they might as well be Lecce? If Milan is a "second rate" team, as you say, then every team in Serie A is second-rate or worse.

So what, precisely, is it that Milan should have done in the past few weeks to solve this crisis of Armageddon proportions that you act like is about to see Milan relegated to Serie C2? What should Milan have already done that can't still be done before the end of August?

For those who were asking about the Marchetti rumor it is here.



Marchetti-Milan, prime conferme
10.07.2009 10:08 di Pietro Mazzara articolo letto 3666 volte

Trovano le prime confereme le indiscrezioni che avevamo raccolto qualche settimana fa sul passaggio, il prossimo anno, di Federico Marchetti dal Cagliari al Milan. La squadra sarda ha ufficializzato l'arrivo di Michael Agazzi, altro portiere, come Marchetti, proveniente da una grande stagione in B. Il Cagliari sembra puntare molto sul giovane portiere e visto l'accordo di massima raggiunto, nonostante le smentite, dalle due squadre, l'anno prossimo, l'ex Albinoleffe dovrebbe vestire rossonero.

Originally Posted by Samaldinho

I'd like to begin my post with thanks to those who praised my last post, it was very nice of all of you, thank you.

I'm glad that there is optimism here, there should be. There is obviously optimism with the players, and they know that they can do a lot more then they have shown before.

Ambro has scored more goals last season then he ever has. Gattuso was playing out of his skin before he got injured, and Pirlo seemed to grow back into his former self as the season progressed, albeit with some inconsistency. Flamini has grown and come from a "great for a free-transfer" to a mainstay of Milan's squad. This is the backbone of our midfield, and with Beckham hopefully returning, we will have a very strong core to work with.

Will Seedorf rise to occasion? Well, frankly, he has to in order to get a spot in this new squad. If he wants to play, he will have to work hard, and I don't see why he won't.

Plus, if people ask what a world-cup year does to a player, look at what Beckham did to get back into England's team. Ronaldinho has not shown that he has the same work-ethic (few players in history, actually can come close to Beckham's work ethic) but Ronaldinho has always been able to bank on his past to get him through his last tough patch.

Players have worked extremely hard for World Cup squads, look at Totti's return from injury for 2006, or Ronaldo for 2002. Ronaldinho knows that people in Brazil are thinking of how Brazil's squad is now Kaka's. Don't you think that infuriates him? Don't you think seeing Kaka wear his number 10 bothers him?

Ronaldinho does not have to do what Cassano has to do to get back into his National Team squad. I don't remember Ronaldinho screaming and tearing at his shirt over a yellow card, skipping training, or cursing at his trainers. Ronaldinho doesn't have an attitude, he could have been cursing and screaming while he was being benched. He was respectful when saying "I don't want to sit on the bench, but I respect the coach." So, he doesn't have to do this show and dance that Cassano does, because he has a great attitude and lifts team's spirits.

Does the team lack real depth? If Fabiano comes, the strikers will be Luis Fabiano, Pato, Inzaghi, Boriello and Zigoni. I think that's good there. Midfield will consist of Pirlo, Ambro, Flamini, Gattuso, Seedorf, Abate, Di Gennaro, and Ronaldinho. Don't forget the Uruguayans, who I feel will decide their future with this next season. The defense is worrying, I admit, but it will be good, if Nesta can stay healthy. That seems to be the bet of Milan, and I'm scared of it, but, if you're going to bet on a defender, why not bet on one of the best defenders in the last 20 years?

I think Janku will be pushed higher up the field, especially as it looks like a LB will be coming in. If I'm honest, I'd take Criscito over Cissoko or Andre Santos (who I don't think was that amazing anyways) but, again, the defensive qualities of the full back are secondary in Leonardo's formations because the full backs are designed to push forward, while the midfield cannot be "dynamic" and fast, which means open to threat.

The midfield's job is to hold possession, keep the battle in Milan's favor and establish dominance. Who better to do that than Flamini, Gattuso and Ambro? Who better to offer smart tactical passes than Pirlo? Honestly, think about who these guys are again.

Milan is not done with the transfer market, I wouldn't be surprised if we get more than a CF and a LB, though Beckham's winter return will provide more options for Leonardo in the second half of the season. Milan are a team that obviously are not scared of spending money when needed, but, I don't see a 28-29 year old striker, especially one of Luis Fabiano's quality being worth more than 20 million. In fact, I would have trouble paying over 18 million for him, and I don't see why it's suddenly a problem that Galliani doesn't want to spend more money on an older player, when apparently, that's all we do.

We are not a laughing stock. We are not a second-rate team. We are a team that has turned out to be smart in the end. We always have been a team like that. If this is a surprise to you, then I wonder if you've known about the way Milan do things?

Many refer to Barca as a sort of comparison to us. If you look at Barca, their team was not to great last year. They got rid of Ronaldinho, Messi stepped up to a more consistent role, Henry finally played like he could and Etoo stayed to play like he could. So, we get rid of Kaka, Pato steps up his game, Ronaldinho finally plays like he can, and Seedorf stays to play like he can? Okay, maybe Seedorf won't play well, but I don't see why Pato and Ronaldinho can't come good.

Furthermore, Barca's team was structured around players brought to the club during Rjikaard's era. The players brought in for Pep really didnt play as significant a role as the other players. Keita did not play as much as Yaya, and Pique was the only real addition, who came good since Milito's injury.

So, honestly, a change of attitude, a new coach, a fresh chance to start over, these things actually can make a player who a year ago wasn't doing that well. Barca's squad is an example Milan can honestly look at.

If you want to talk about a player, who comes up big for his team when they need it, and you're saying that we don't have that players anymore (since Kaka left) then I just have to ask, have you watched Ronaldinho before? I'm not even talking about during his frightening best with Barca, but with us?

Against Braga he scored a scorcher. Against Napoli he pushed the team forward, hitting the free-kick to win the game. Against Inter he played very well, better than Kaka, and scored the game-winner. He dragged Milan back against Portsmouth, coming on with 16 minutes left to go and the score at 2-0.

Yes, it did not go exactly to the script, but this was his first season in Serie A, and I think Ronaldinho will relish the chance to not just prove his doubters wrong, but to show up Barca, to show up Kaka, to show Brazilians that his smile is still genuine and that he can still produce the moments of magic, of pure fantasy, to really just change a game.

Ronaldinho needs support, he is going through a low period, and has been. Our job for this club is to give those players that helping hand, that encouragement, that belief that they can do what we know that they can. If we don't believe in them, who will?

Another wonderful post my friend!

Originally Posted by Rick

How is Milan the laughing stock of the transfer market? Where are you getting this crap? If everyone is laughing at Milan, they surely must be rolling in the aisles over Manchester United, who sold Ronaldo and let Tevez leave, replacing them with a player who had seven goals and eight assists in three seasons at Wigan and a free transfer from relegated Newcastle!

And you may not think winning the Champions League two years ago means much, but there are hundreds of clubs who would beg to disagree because they'd kill their own mothers for the chance to do just once what Milan has done seven times. I would also point out that winning the Champions League is more than Juventus has done since 2006. The only thing they've won is Serie B! And Inter hadn't won anything since the 80s until the scandal handed them two Serie A titles and allowed them to take advantage of the setbacks to both Juve and Milan. Even then they've done nothing to speak of in the Champions League. So why do you act as though Milan is so far behind that they might as well be Lecce? If Milan is a "second rate" team, as you say, then every team in Serie A is second-rate or worse.

So what, precisely, is it that Milan should have done in the past few weeks to solve this crisis of Armageddon proportions that you act like is about to see Milan relegated to Serie C2? What should Milan have already done that can't still be done before the end of August?

It is bad by milan standards yes....

Sure, we have won heaps, but we don't want to get into the current habit we have adopted on the last two seasons before. Atleast we are signing youth and prospect players, rather than keeping faith in failed has-beens. From the over sentimental re-signing of Shevchneko to the signings of Beretta and Zigoni. that is better!

Still, now we don't have the money to buy, whilst only a season ago, we had all the cash to waste on useless players. It will be a slow, hard and testing time for us fans whilst Milan works on this project. hopefully, Berlu will leave and someone new who cares, will invest in our great club....

Milan should already have signed atleast three defenders. An overload of defenders is not the same for Milan as buying too many strikers. Atleast a quarter of our defense is ageing badly, and have injury clouds over them....

One top quality CB, and two prospect full backs. That's what we should have acheived almost from day one...... Defenders are much cheaper, so it was never a question of money, just where MGT's priorities were. they thought narrow mindedly and wasted much of their time going for a direct replacment of Kaka to please worried fans, whilst never possessing the guts to actually pull through (as a result, we have no one, and fans are still angry!). instead, they should have worked our squad from bottom and top, and analysed the market more carefully. A deal including Huntelaar for Kaka would have prevented much stress.

Still, there is time to go in the market, and Milan must be purposeful and willing from now on.....

Originally Posted by Maltese Charlie

For those who were asking about the Marchetti rumor it is here.



Marchetti-Milan, prime conferme
10.07.2009 10:08 di Pietro Mazzara articolo letto 3666 volte

Trovano le prime confereme le indiscrezioni che avevamo raccolto qualche settimana fa sul passaggio, il prossimo anno, di Federico Marchetti dal Cagliari al Milan. La squadra sarda ha ufficializzato l'arrivo di Michael Agazzi, altro portiere, come Marchetti, proveniente da una grande stagione in B. Il Cagliari sembra puntare molto sul giovane portiere e visto l'accordo di massima raggiunto, nonostante le smentite, dalle due squadre, l'anno prossimo, l'ex Albinoleffe dovrebbe vestire rossonero.

Translate please

Jose Mourinho: Carlo Ancelotti Is Not My Friend!
The coach is tanned, rested, refreshed and raring to go following the break, and he is already causing controversy...
10 Jul 2009 14:00:21


It's a new season for Jose Mourinho, but he is back to his old habits as he takes a swipe at Milan, Juventus, European big spenders Real Madrid, as well as new Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Mourinho gave a 360 degree press conference at Appiano Gentile during his first day back at work as pre-season begins for the Serie A champions. Those who were there could be forgiven for feeling a sense of deja-vu as the coach resumes his verbal challenges.

"Real Madrid? I have nothing special to say on Real Madrid. We might not even play them this season. I am not scared of them. They are a world club with great players and they will be under the spotlight, but I have nothing to say," Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia

"I am not scared of Italian teams either. What they have been doing is normal. Everyone wants to get better and that's obvious (referring to recent spending by Juventus)."

Mourinho continued to give his usual smart answers as he tried to out-wit the press who fired questions hand over fist, but the coach was quick to press the buzzer with his reponses which, at times, caused controversy.

"Your question sounds gay to me," said Mourinho when he was asked to give a clue about the type of defender he was looking for.

"You say blonde, brown, fair," as he continued to joke with the media.

He then spoke of objectives and of his plans to push through his squad-chop plans.

"I always have the same objectives. I am satisfied to return. I like working, playing, coaching. I like the competition," added the coach.

"We are to start work straight away for next week's friendlies. I am happy and satisfied.

"The squad size? It's a problem for me. I am not happy. Its not good for working. It's XI against XI in a match and having 30 players in training is not positive.

"The players who I want to go know I don't want them to stay. It's not good for the team. It's negative.

"Today it seems players are interested in money and lifestyle rather than anything else. Some players prefer to stay in a team where the coach doesn't want him, rather than find another team.

"[Luis] Jimenez made the move to West Ham and it's good for him. Other players dont want to leave and I have to respect the law and contracts.

"My ideas won't change about certain players. I won't change my mind about them."

The 'Special One' then gave his views on the transfer market, preferring to stick to his no-comment style.

"Nedved? I am not speaking about any players who are not here," he added

"It's always the same story. The market is open until the end of the summer. We will see if other clubs are interested in our players.

"Are Inter complete? We play with 11 players. We are complete, but there are different ways of seeing things. We want eight players to leave the team and four players to arrive so the team grows in the direction myself and the club wants to grow."

Mourinho then went on to bemoan the pre and post-match analysis in Italy, saying he preferred England. "It's easier to coach in England because people think about football for 90 minutes. In Italy there are 60 million coaches in the country."

To complete the press conference, Mourinho was asked about former Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, and whether he will do well after taking over at Chelsea. The Special One's response was raw, and certain to spark a war of words with Ancelotti, whom he did not enjoy a good relationship with last season.

"Ancelotti is not my friend," Mourinho sniped.

Salvatore Landolina, Goal.com

What a funny loner! Would be cool if he coached us.....

Originally Posted by Gabriel489

The two most common misconception in this forum lately are:
Sheva left and Milan won CL in 2007, why can't Milan do it again next year.
And Milan will be like Barcelona, as Milan got a new coach just like them last year.

Two very different cases and history will not repeat itself.

Pippo is great but he is also turning 36 soon, how long must Milan rely on its mid 30s players to deliver.

Once again, you are misunderstanding. Nobody has said Milan is likely to win the Champions League this year. We are merely trying to point out that everyone thought the sky was falling when Shevchenko was sold and that Milan could not compete, but that didn't happen. I don't expect Milan to win the Champions League this year. I wouldn't have expected Milan to win the Champions League this year if Kaka was still here. It would be nice, but it's not necessary. Milan has a good enough squad right now -- with no more additions -- to stay in the top four and in the Champions League. That is enough for me as we go through this transition period. Anything beyond that is gravy. If Milan brings in, say, Fabiano and another player or two this summer, that will strengthen an already good squad. If they then bring in more players next summer (Dzeko, for instance, and maybe a creative midfielder or whatever) that will continue to build the team. Unless you want Milan to be half a billion euros in debt like Real Madrid (without Madrid's built in ability to carry debt without the creditors beating down their doors), you can't expect an entire new team in one summer. The proper way to rebuild is to add a few new pieces at a time and allow the veteran players to help the new ones. This isn't fantasy football.

Originally Posted by Rick

Once again, you are misunderstanding. Nobody has said Milan is likely to win the Champions League this year. We are merely trying to point out that everyone thought the sky was falling when Shevchenko was sold and that Milan could not compete, but that didn't happen. I don't expect Milan to win the Champions League this year. I wouldn't have expected Milan to win the Champions League this year if Kaka was still here. It would be nice, but it's not necessary. Milan has a good enough squad right now -- with no more additions -- to stay in the top four and in the Champions League. That is enough for me as we go through this transition period. Anything beyond that is gravy. If Milan brings in, say, Fabiano and another player or two this summer, that will strengthen an already good squad. If they then bring in more players next summer (Dzeko, for instance, and maybe a creative midfielder or whatever) that will continue to build the team. Unless you want Milan to be half a billion euros in debt like Real Madrid (without Madrid's built in ability to carry debt without the creditors beating down their doors), you can't expect an entire new team in one summer. The proper way to rebuild is to add a few new pieces at a time and allow the veteran players to help the new ones. This isn't fantasy football.

No one is also saying that we will have the same success as Barca last season. We are just at a similar redevlopment stage as Barca at the beginning of last season, new players/new coach.

Originally Posted by Rick

How is Milan the laughing stock of the transfer market?
........
So what, precisely, is it that Milan should have done in the past few weeks to solve this crisis of Armageddon proportions that you act like is about to see Milan relegated to Serie C2? What should Milan have already done that can't still be done before the end of August?

Rick, my friend.....
it seems that certain "clans" have emerged recently: Optimists and Pessimists


The thing is, I would like to ask you: Are you satisfied with the last 2 seasons with Milan ?

If not, it's not enough to say "Oh I have faith"........because Napoli fans have faith as do all the other fans as well

Originally Posted by mrki

Our mercato is pathetic ( come on, it isnt? ).

How can a mercato be deemed pathetic when there are still 7 1/2 weeks left before it closes? This statement makes no sense to me.

Rick i agree with most of your comments on our current issues,but i just want to say to you that Milan is being laughed at in other countries,like here in Holland,boys from my school now i am for Milan but they are terrorising me and laughing at me for being a Milan fan,not because we are old or something,just because Galliani is making stupid comments in media and then they appear in Holland,for example everybody thinks now that Milan is very broke and has nothing no money nada nothing they cant buy anyone nomore.

They think Milan wont buy anyone etc.etc.But not only on my school,also on ducht soccer forums everybody has a bad image of Milan because of the past two years(and the Bremen game last year added more fire),thank god they are supporting Ajax so i also can make fun of them!

And i also think its not only in Holland but also in the rest of Europa and the world.

So yes people have a bad image of Milan and Milan are the laughing stock,no you can say that they dont know better and they only read some reports and they dont know what the REAL situation is at Milan(like us having talents they dont know like Albertazzi,Abate etc.),BUT STILL,THE BAD IMAGE IS A FACT!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Fret

Rick, my friend.....
it seems that certain "clans" have emerged recently: Optimists and Pessimists


The thing is, I would like to ask you: Are you satisfied with the last 2 seasons with Milan ?

If not, it's not enough to say "Oh I have faith"........because Napoli fans have faith as do all the other fans as well

Actually, I was very satisfied with this past season because when the season began my only goal for the team was to get back to the Champions League. Milan accomplished that. The previous season had been a disappointment and had placed Milan in a difficult financial position without the Champons League funds. Now that Milan is back in the Champions League and the books apparently have been balanced, we shouldn't find ourselves in that situation again. But it's not a matter of being satisfied or dissatisfied with one or two particular seasons. It's a matter of understanding that all clubs go through periods of transition. Milan is no different. We need to begin replacing parts of the squad, but it can't all be done overnight. And there are still 7 1/2 weeks left in the mercato, so there is plenty of time to bring in more reinforcements.

Ok, that's all I wanted to know.
Thank you for your answer.

Originally Posted by Rick

How can a mercato be deemed pathetic when there are still 7 1/2 weeks left before it closes? This statement makes no sense to me.

Simple...we have not kept pace with the big clubs. The longer we take the less we integrate any new signing into our squad. We have lost THREE of our biggest contributers with no replacement and we are considering selling a fourth. Unlike manu who have already been making moves to replace ONE star in a team FULL of stars and talented youngsters. We are looking on the third shelf in terms of talent for a player that we lost four years ago. Speaking of four years it's been that long since we had a decent left back. Because this third level seems too expensive we are now contemplating lowering our standards further. So he's RIGHT our mercato is pathetic.

The problem is people on this forum arent appreciating talents like,Albertazzi or Abate,they are not looking at the facts,

Busquets,that midfielder of Barca,has played one season with them in the first team and in that season he became a regular starter for Barca,also in CL,and he conquered a place in the Spain NT.Why could Albertazzi not do this,i mean he is supposed to be the next big thing on LB,why cant he become as important to us?We all want big proven namens that all you all care about,thats why Abbiati wasnt appreciated until now because he has never been a big name!