Are we the 6th best team in Italy?

Kaka may have been injured, but he was still our top scorer. I dont know if that is good for Kaka or bad for Milan.

Fiorentina linked to Kjaer by the way.

Originally Posted by K77SH C

Kaka may have been injured, but he was still our top scorer. I dont know if that is good for Kaka or bad for Milan.

Fiorentina linked to Kjaer by the way.

But Milan won some big games without Kaka (as well as losing some big games with him) and even with long-term injuries to Nesta, Gattuso and Borriello and Pirlo missing about a dozen Serie A games, Milan was still good enough to tie for second and actually make a nice run at Inter (before blowing it in the final month). A healthy and rejuvenated Ronaldinho and the addition of Fabiano (and maybe another defender) could actually put this team in serious contention for the Scudetto.

Berlo does have other things on his mind so I hear from the news

Originally Posted by Rick

Considering that Milan just finished tied for second with Juventus despite losing several key players to long-term injury (and others, such as Kaka, suffering through nagging injuries), I think the answer should be obvious as it stands now. Plus there's still plenty of time to add new players to strengthen an already good squad further. So on paper (which, of course, is not where the games are played, but is all we have here) there's no reason Milan shouldn't finish in the top 3.

Yes, theoritically, with the players we have on our list, we should be able to finish top four. Maybe not up to par wiht Juve and inter, but certainly better than Fiorentina. However, let's keep wary of other teams such as Genoa, palermo and Lazio who have all added well to their squads. Don't be suprised if they apply far more pressure to not only Florence, but Milan as well..... We can't afford to make dumb slip-ups like before because the competition is more equal than ever before....

Calcio Debate EXCLUSIVE: Milan Have No Money, Andrea Pirlo Will Leave & They Won’t Qualify For Champions League
Goal.com Italia editors Fabrizio Ponciroli and Sergio Stanco explain the economic problems behind Milan’s miserable summer, and advise all Rossoneri supporters to fear the worst next season…
16 Jul 2009 11:00:17
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Milan's injury-plagued superstar Andrea Pirlo (Grazia Neri)
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Milan fans have had to look on enviously as Juventus and Inter splash the cash this summer. The Bianconeri have conducted a truly outstanding campaign thus far, signing Brazilians Felipe Melo and Diego, as well as Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro. Inter, meanwhile, have strengthened by snapping up Genoa star duo Diego Milito and Thiago Motta.

The Rossoneri, though, have made just one purchase – 27-year-old United States defender Oguchi Onyewu on a free transfer from Standard Liege. The signing of Porto left back Aly Cissokho fell through in mysterious circumstances, with many arguing that Milan invented a problem with the Frenchman’s teeth in order to try and lower the transfer fee.

Speculation has been widespread that Milan are in serious debt, and that it is unlikely that much of the €68m received from Real Madrid for Kaka will be spent on new players. Fans are becoming restless, with riots in the fashion capital, and Milan's chances of success this season look slim at this current moment.

Goal.com Italia editors Fabrizio Ponciroli and Sergio Stanco, who are both close to the situation at Milan, can exclusively reveal what is really going on. And it is depressing reading…

“Milan have no money,” asserted Ponciroli.

“They sold Kakà because they needed money and they have no money to invest.

“Unfortunately, Milan will be just a ‘normal’ club for the next one or two seasons.

“President Silvio Berlusconi has a lot of problems in Italy and he can't help Milan, as he has done in the past.

“I don’t think Milan will qualify for the Champions League this year.”

Stanco is also less than optimistic over Milan’s short-term future.

“One of the most important problems at Milan is not that Berlusconi doesn’t have money, but that he won’t spend it,” he explained.

“The economic crisis that we are experiencing is hurting everybody, and the head of the Italian government, who has a public position, must be an example to his country.

“Moreover, he has many companies. How can he say to people: ‘sorry we have to fire you in order to spend millions of euros on players for Milan’?

“Even Berlusconi’s children won’t allow him to spend money on Milan, and they are always telling him to sell the club.”

So, if Berlusconi has no intention of spending any more money, thus ensuring that Milan have no chance of challenging for major honours, why will he not entertain the idea of selling the club?

“Berlusconi loves Milan, it is his creature,” Ponciroli stressed.

“In Italy he is best known as President of Milan. He will never sell Milan.”

This is a view echoed by Stanco, who added: “Milan is Berlusconi’s toy.”

“Even if he did want to sell, no one would want to buy an Italian team in the current climate. There are too many problems, and too few profits.

“If a rich Sheikh came to Italy to try and buy a club, it is hard to see everyone allowing it to happen for obvious reasons. Once one club is sold, then all the others will have to sell too in order to close the gap.”

So how much money, if any, will Milan actually spend this summer?

“A maximum of €12-15 million,” believes Ponciroli.

“Only Luis Fabiano can arrive, and I believe that Andrea Pirlo will also be sold to Chelsea.”

Stanco has offered Milan fans slightly more hope, but only slightly. “It's really difficult to forecast who Milan will buy because it's Berlusconi's toy,” he continues.

“He always says he will buy nobody (pressed by his family) but at the end (as occurred with Alessandro Nesta and Ronaldinho) he treats himself to a gift.

“Having said this, I think this summer it will be very difficult to spend much. If they sell Pirlo, which I believe they will, it is possible they could then go and invest €30m in the market.

“They will only buy a forward like Luis Fabiano, and a cheaper, younger Pirlo replacement, like Hernanes or Cristian Ledesma, who will become a backup for Clarence Seedorf. If there is still money, maybe a left back can arrive."

With Milan falling significantly behind Inter and Juventus, the likes of Napoli, Genoa and Palermo conducting excellent transfer campaigns, Fiorentina still competitive, and Roma ready to bounce back, the Rossoneri could be facing the very real prospect of not only another trophyless campaign, but a failure to make the Top 4 in Serie A too.

What are your views on Milan’s financial problems? Is the Rossoneri’s short-term future at stake due to their transfer struggles? Will they fail to qualify for the Champions League next season? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think…

Carlo Garganese, Goal.com
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I think they have a valid point when they talk about berlusconi, who cant afford to be seen to spend millions on Milan. Its even more worrying that we are hanging by the thread of a 72 year old, whos family wants rid.

If he sells all of our assets, namely Pato and apparently Pirlo then are we really going to be an attractive proposition to would be buyers?

Of course! I think if we sell off both those players, it wouldn't make much of a difference to a wealthy person ready to put their vision into effect. Milan is a huge name in football.

However, I really don't think Berlu will sell, and I have mentioned the reasons in the Summer Mercato thread:
http://www.milanmania.com/forums/sho...25995&page=529

hello all...wow, i haven't posted here in years LOL...but anyways, back to the thread.

as much as I'd like to believe we'll be challenging for the title, i honestly don't think we will. To win a long hard fought season we need depth, which we do not have. our starting 11 based on picking up some much needed additions "could" be enough talent to theoretically win it, however we need a few of our players to step up and play like they are capable of playing (dinho, pirlo, zam all had sub par seasons) and we need them to be healthy all year round. I'm simply not confident that our starting 11 will be able to keep at their highest playing levels, nor am i confident in our subs being able to fill in when they're needed.

However I do think we'll challenge top 4. Afterall, we are still the RED DEVILS...

Originally Posted by Saliwonczyk

In domestic form.... Genoa has the potential to be better than us. They are getting players that will really help in their quest for greatness, and have outgunned all teams in Serie A so far in regards to transfers.

Genoa? They sold their two best players. Their two most important players. You just don't replace that easily and I seen none that could replace Militio. Just watch how he will carry Inter to success now.

I think that people thinking we won't make UCL seriously overestimate the other teams. We have a better starting CB pair that all these opponents by far and that was our weakest team part last season. They have sure signed some interesting names, especially Napoli, but they were also far behind us last year (apart from very much weakened Genoa).

other teams.
Roma. Bought none, apart from Menez their team just got older and none the better.
Fiorentina. They lost their best midfielder and possibly best player.
Genoa. Lost their two best players and the replacements are interesting, but hardly assured ones.
Palermo. Are never a real challenger. Bought some promising players, but their defense is weak and they can't take any injury to their strikers.
Napoli. Exciting team that finished in the lower half last year. Overrated defense. They have a exciting offense, but don't score that much.
Rest of the teams. They suck.

Juve and Inter. Obviously better than us at this moment.

what a pesimistic thread we have here. I know that we are having a probably worst pre-season, and the current squad is not good enough to race for scudetto, but we are not 6th in italy.
we will qualify for the CL.

To do well in league means beating lower to mid table teams, and that going to be pretty hard with Pato the only real person with speed up front. On top of that, the team is one year older-more chances of injury. Then there is Dinho, who I have faith in but he is really not in the best of shape and form over the past two-three years. Nesta if healthy is still top 3 CB in the world, but can he be healthy throughout next season?
The midfield still lacks speed and mobility unless Leo is brave enough to play Abate-Flamini-Janku instead of Gattuso-Pirlo-Seedorf.

Having said all that, I think on paper Milan should finish top 4 but on paper Milan should have finished 2nd in 2008 and ended up in 5th.

Originally Posted by Gabriel489

To do well in league means beating lower to mid table teams, and that going to be pretty hard with Pato the only real person with speed up front.

Serie A have never been won with pace. That is what you need in europe more than serie A. Just look at Inter and how they won several years now without pacy players. How succesful Totti and Del Piero are even still, despite never having been quick.

Our problem would be more that Borriello don't seem to score or even be able to handle the ball at the moment.

I have just seen the seria a table. Inter, Juve and Fiorentina are in the top 4. Samp are flying high with almost double our points and Genoa arent too far off the pace. Are we still safe?? There is always Napoli too, if they sack their terrible manager then at least they have the players to expect a better finish.