AC Milan vs Manchester United: 17 Feb

Nope; we pretty much were hopeless when we drew Bayern at home 2-2; then we scored twice away. Oh well...

Seedorf's goal is actually pretty good and clever. Nobody saw that coming.

The diff was that against Bayern, they were the ones who got outplayed and scored lucky and last minute goals.

There are many things to say about the game. We can blame the tactics....the coach.....Dida.......the midfield.......and so on and so on.......some blamed Nesta too(don't see how he was at fault for the goals as on the first one he had to cover the center by himself (Silva was pulled out on the left because of Antonini's injury) and on the third Rooney was behind him so in actuality Silva should have gone on him because there was no-one else to mark,,,the second is not even in question as Dida should have gathered that......but anyhow).

But the FACT of the game remains that we had PLENTY PLENTY of scoring opportunities yet we didn't not capitalize. So blaming Leo for example doesn't hold any grounds, because he put out a team that played well for long periods of the game and created so many scoring chances. So what do you want him to do.......go inside and finish the opportunities himself???
These are the type of games that you need to take you chances. Just like Manchester did. They didn't create near as much as we did, but they scored the only ones they created and even their scraps went in as well.

That's the game for you! We can analyze tactics and players and transfers allllll we want. But that's not where we lost the game today. Yes I wish we had someone else to put in instead of Antonini or have a world class this, and a world class that....but the lack of all this is not what lost us the game today. We lost the game ourselves by not scoring so many good chances that we did so well to create. If for example the score was 3-0 in the first half then it would have been United all confused and out of confidence. It would have been a totally different game. Instead they came out with the confidence in the second half and we were the once thinking. These are the types of things that turn a game on its head.

Anyhow, if we found out anything from today....then that's the fact that we can stand tall to this Manchester side. We can create and we can hurt them.
And if this time around we actually take the chances that we create........then I really don't see a reason why we can't beat them by a couple of goals in England. In any other circumstance I would have had close to no hope in my head and the only hope would have been in the heart. But not after what I saw today. This is still wide open and a goal in England will make them as nervous as we were when they scored their 2nd goal today. So let's just wait and see.

This is my first post here and I want to start out saying that I am excited to find a board that supports my favorite team so that I can join in discussion.

That said...

I actually watched today's game along with my best friend who is an avid ManU fan and even he agreed that if Milan can show up at Old Trafford the way they did today the scoreline could easily be reversed.

I believe that Scholes goal was something that is a maybe once in a lifetime fluke that you just can't guard against and it sickens me to think that it was that goal that really made the difference.

But I really felt that the boys really showed up today, Dinho beat Raphael at almost every turn and for most of the game our defence was more solid than I have seen in a while.

What it boiled down to was a great game to watch, one that had me cheering and frothing at the mouth wanting to punch that ref... There is still another 90 minutes of game to play and I have to believe that our boys can still upset the balance.

Forza Milan!

I hope to never see Dida in our goal again!!!

BTW I'm happy antonini proved to be on CL level.

No we didnt play well for 60minutes.Milan played well only the first 15min of the first and second half, this team have strength only for 30 min, disaster!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Jay Crisp

The horrible thing is i see Seedorf , Ambro , Rino , Kaladze , Zambro and you know the rest . The time for these guy's to go is this summer we need 10 not 3 not 4 10 new players 5 to fit in straight away and 4 or 5 for the bench , please don't say how great we were in the first because we are always good well fit and running in the first half our mids are too slow and tired come 60 minutes.

I totally agree with u, we saw last night a team that have energy only for THE FIRST 15 min for each half.
After the 15 min of the first half and 60 min of the game they got lost, that time Milan played without defense and midfield, DISASTER, and they concide the 3 goals, hey 2 goals in 10min, OMG.
Only new players, the majority of the players are for retirement.

We cannot afford to make mistake at this knock-out phase. We started brightly and should've scored 2-3 goals in the first half. MU defense made so many wrong simple passes. I've never seen Fergie so furious towards his own player in a match before. The camera shot him saying the f-words a couple times to Evans, he would've eat that lad alive if his assistant didn't hold him back.

And sometimes when you fail to make the best of what you get, the punishment comes. First, Antonini (who played superbly then) was injured. Then the lucky goal from Scholes. But the worst of it all, our mental was noticeably shattered when Rooney scored a brace within 10 minutes.

The game suddenly became more lively when Seedorf scored, but then again we weren't clinical. Max and Nesta's headers didn't find the target, and Pippo's miss topped them all.

On the side notes, I was utterly disappointed with Pato's performance. Favalli might be roasted again and again, but that was expected considering his pace. But Pato seemed to be hesitated sometimes, whether to shoot, dribble or pass the ball. Some of my friends said that Dinho was a cry-baby, but he did what was required of him: a goal and an assist is nowhere near bad.

All in all, I was quite disappointed with our overall performance. But mind you, I'm not discouraged at all. With 3-2 advantage, I expect Fergie will field the same starting players next month, provided no one gets injured; and with the similar approach. If we can fix the finishing thing I still believe we can qualify.

I am a Milan fan. We have players that have experience and those that can win the big games. Nobody should be blamed for this loss. I guess luck took it's hand. It is pretty obvious that we are more or less out of the competition. It is a tall order to win by 2 clear goals and not concede at Old Trafford. I just hope that this loss will open the eyes of our management and not extend the contracts of Favalli, Inzaghi, Dida and most of our old guards. I am deeply disappointed and affected by this loss. Serie A is not dead as many people perceive. Most importantly, MILAN IS NOT DEAD YET!!!

FORZA MILANO!!!

The team not energetic enough.
We need a better GK, defenders.
Beckham performed poorly in the last 2 games, I am not sure why
there are fans still claiming he played good. Players conditions are fluatuating.
And Seedorf is worth to be a starter.
Dino played a great game, Hunter missed a golden opportunities.
Dida played badly. Prilo so so.

Don't give up!
In case we improve the defense, the fight has not ended.
I still believe........

Very sad result....but last night the lads did give it their best and were very unlucky. Milan had about 7 or 8 golden chances to score last night but we paid the price for being not clinical enough. Man Utd scored one of the luckiest goals ever against the run of play, and then Milan slept for 8 minutes and they scored two more.

It's a shame that Milan hasn't won at home in the CL in 5 consecutive games - Man Utd, Zurich, Marseille, Real Madrid and Arsenal. The San Siro used to be called the Lion's Den but right now it's a charity for points...whoever wants some points hopes to play Milan at the San Siro.

One of the things I am disappointed in is that no one here is giving Ronaldinho a round of applause. Whether you like it or not, he was absolutely phenomenal last night. We never expected him to play this good but he was definitely a difference maker. I hope he keeps this up and tries to be more consistent over the 90 minutes.

Huntelaar proves tonight that he is not the player we need. He disappears in those big clashes a la Gilardino. Huntelaar will never have more chances in a game like tonight and he failed to make a difference. Inzaghi immediately had a golden chance after coming on, Pippo must start in Old Trafford. We also must buy Edin Dzeko as our strikers are quite frankly not world class.

Van Der Sar made about 3 amazing saves while Dida did nothing. I don't blame him for the goals but he wasn't the world-class keeper we wanted. 3 goals out of 5 shots is not good enough. We must resort to Abbiati for now.

Pato --- is definitely not the star we were looking for. He is just another good player that is very young, that will take alot of time to mature. He is definitely no Golden Ball winner, not for the next 5 years at least.

The tie is not over. If there is any team in the world that can beat Man Utd 2-0 at OT, It is MILAN. After totally raping them here, it should give us confidence that we are capable of doing it. We just need to be concentrated more - defence, goalkeeper, and the central striker.

Forza Milan, Keep the faith!

First of all, we need a 50 YEARS younger squad!!! This is the primary target of Milan. Because, yesterday, we all saw it, that we are out in the second half. Pirlo, Ambro, Becks, Favalli, Nesta, Seedorf, Gattuso, Pippo, they all can't resist the whole match. So, when we take this in consideration, the best way to get a result in Old is to PUSH and PLAY the whole 45' and search our 2 goal. And then, in the second half play on experiance and close them down in our half. We can score in Old, we can do it, but we need somebody who can tell Leo how to do this. He has Tassoti on his side, and Tasso is a very good coach and phylosphy teacher, so he could help him to get the best of the team in the first 45'. We have to attack with all we have in the first half. After that, in the half talk, they MUST change the tactic and close the ways to the goal, and play on quick counter with player that can run: Pato, Boriello/Huntelaar, maybe Dinho.
Only in this way, we can win.
Dida is out. I think this should be his last game. Sorry mate, but I can't accept a GK who is watching the shoots and don't react. VnS still has a quick reaction, even when the ball is going out.
The tactic was good, very good. HE outplayed the big Manchester. But, he made a big mistake in the half time. He didn't changed the tactic. So, Mancho took the game. Nesta was down with moral, and after the second goal, everyone was down. Nobody wanted to play. So where was Leonardo in that moment? Sorry mister, but it is your team, and it is you who has to push the moral up. But, like somebody says, how can you boost moral to dead player?
The second and third goal goes to Nesta, because he was lost. He is the capitan in the defence but he was not on the field. second goal, Rooney is HIS man, and how can you with 33 let your man go behind you? Look to Ferdinand, Klaas or Pippo, they both never got free of Rio. He was allways there to close them. Third goal, what was you thinking? I mean, you go away of Rooney, then you turn and watch Rooney allone in the middle of you and Thiago, and you still rest on your place. Now, wou know his position, you know that it is your player, and you see a flat ball coming, and you are still standing on your place but know that Rooney is free behind you. Don't tell me that Ambro should close this or them, that Thiago should close Rooney. NO. Thiago had the left side, and the player coming from left in the box. And from the begining Rooney is Nesta player. And Nesta was lost.
But, it is ok. I still believe in him.
So, Old Traford:
-----------Abbiati
Bonera--Nesta--Thiago--Zambrotta
-------Pirlo
------------------Ambro
-----------Seedorf
Pato-----------------Dinho
-----------Marco

Originally Posted by Jay Crisp

Dude do you even read peoples posts before you give your elitist im always right reply. I said If you see that IF one more time IF we play again with a 3 man midfield which he will nothing we can about it Ambro doesn't have the legs Beckham is a waste of space we will need quick energetic players to win at OT thats what I was saying not that this is the perfect midfield, Im not editing all this a bit harsh sorry Volver im to lazy to type Re I guess .

Excuse me, but I was a little carried on last night. You'll understand.

Well, you got it almost right. Our midfield is slow and can't cover much space. No matter is it flat 3 or 2-1. That's our real problem. Not side-backs, not striker, but midfield. Since Gattuso lost his pace and energy (start of 2007/2008), our midfield is simply slow. First we were overrun by Arsenal's midfield in 2007/2008, then this year same things happen: First Inter defeat was because we were overrun in midfield, we almost exit CL in group phase, because we were overrun by Marseille midfield, second Inter defeat - same thing, last night - same thing.

As we're stuck with Pirlo, who's slow (always was) we need some pace to cover him. We need to get the right balance of speed and power in midfield. In Ancelotti's prime, we also had a three-man midfield with Pirlo, but back then Seedorf was pretty quick and could cover enormous amount of space, Gattuso was quick and could cover even more than Seedorf...
Now Seedorf lost a little bit of everything, but mostly his physical qualities, especially stamina, and Gattuso, though technically still into top 3 defensive midfielders in the world, lost a lot of pace and even more stamina, which is crucial for his chase-every-player game. Now we have Ambrosini, our captain, who's great player I must say, he plays better than ever, but he's slow, always was, and unfortunately he doesn't have energy to cover amount of space needed. Covering current Pirlo and Seedorf would be a tough task even for Gattuso in his prime.
So, what we need is to convert Matthieu Flamini into a stater. He's very talented DM, has pace, has energy, has right mentality to fight and chase players down... In few years he could become one of top 3 DMs in the world. All he need to fix is decision making (experience!) and to use his left foot for something more than standing.
As for Seedorf, though it's more for Banter thread, he must play in every important game until the end of the season. He's crucial for 4-3-3 system. Without him, Ronaldinho is isolated on the left side. Though it's hard to find a younger player of his qualities, his replacement should be a player who can be pretty quick and is strong. Ironically, Gourcuff would be as perfect for that position as no player could be.

Originally Posted by Revolver

Excuse me, but I was a little carried on last night. You'll understand.

Well, you got it almost right. Our midfield is slow and can't cover much space. No matter is it flat 3 or 2-1. That's our real problem. Not side-backs, not striker, but midfield. Since Gattuso lost his pace and energy (start of 2007/2008), our midfield is simply slow. First we were overrun by Arsenal's midfield in 2007/2008, then this year same things happen: First Inter defeat was because we were overrun in midfield, we almost exit CL in group phase, because we were overrun by Marseille midfield, second Inter defeat - same thing, last night - same thing.

As we're stuck with Pirlo, who's slow (always was) we need some pace to cover him. We need to get the right balance of speed and power in midfield. In Ancelotti's prime, we also had a three-man midfield with Pirlo, but back then Seedorf was pretty quick and could cover enormous amount of space, Gattuso was quick and could cover even more than Seedorf...
Now Seedorf lost a little bit of everything, but mostly his physical qualities, especially stamina, and Gattuso, though technically still into top 3 defensive midfielders in the world, lost a lot of pace and even more stamina, which is crucial for his chase-every-player game. Now we have Ambrosini, our captain, who's great player I must say, he plays better than ever, but he's slow, always was, and unfortunately he doesn't have energy to cover amount of space needed. Covering current Pirlo and Seedorf would be a tough task even for Gattuso in his prime.
So, what we need is to convert Matthieu Flamini into a stater. He's very talented DM, has pace, has energy, has right mentality to fight and chase players down... In few years he could become one of top 3 DMs in the world. All he need to fix is decision making (experience!) and to use his left foot for something more than standing.
As for Seedorf, though it's more for Banter thread, he must play in every important game until the end of the season. He's crucial for 4-3-3 system. Without him, Ronaldinho is isolated on the left side. Though it's hard to find a younger player of his qualities, his replacement should be a player who can be pretty quick and is strong. Ironically, Gourcuff would be as perfect for that position as no player could be.

Yeah I agree our midfield has legs for 50 minutes after that bang gone. The flat 3 doesn't work it just doesn't.It shows the state our squad is in because Antonini goes of and our best option is 38 year old Favalli even Janku or Kaladze would of done better I couldn't believe when we signed Favalli but he has played alot of games in his time which is baaaaaad. A 2-0 win at OT is not beyond us but very very hard.
Again it comes back to squad quality we don't have a great squad and need alot of new players to be unltra competitive again , I just pray that this will happen. No names mentioned ofcourse , but our Goalkeeper our Defence and Midfield need to be sorted out first , its amazing how much a commanding and strong goalkeeper can influence a team.

There is something that made me smiling yesterday night despite the bad result ...

No, it's not the defeat of Madrid in Lyon as I hope Lyon will be knocked out from the competition (to let Real being humiliated by a stronger side then).

It's what Kaka' said after the game ... if he wanted to piss Real Madrid fans off, he couldn't have done better !!

He commented more our result than the one of Madrid ...
The guy feels more concerned about Milan than his own club and that says a lot about how happy he must be in Madrid (ironical, I could have said "how unhappy he must be" ...).

Regarding his season, I think we could ask Madrid to loan him for free next year with an option to buy him whenever we want of about 25-30M. Wouldn't it be a good deal ?