Winter Mercato 2011

Pirlo won the world cup in 2006, and CL in 2007, by that time he was easily a much better player than Xavi - actually by far and away, and it was not only the statistics, but his presence on the field was far more important than Xavi.

Since 2007, Milan has not invested in the midfield and their midfielders were growing older and lazier, the attack was also pretty bad, and to be fair Pirlo has also dropped a great deal and has been terrible as he grew older. Xavi on the other hand got a new player playing beside him who is probably only second to Maradona, and Barcelona kept investing and investing and bringing out great youth talents in a complete squad.

The real thing you guys are neglecting to see is that Milan post 2007 have been a pathetic club run by a pathetic management, while Barcelona were ideal and provided the excellent squad to shine.

The 27 assists are a clear indication showing that it was more the team performing amazing that Xavi himself. If you had Pirlo in Barca and Xavi here, what do you think would happen? I think Xavi would flop like any other player but Pirlo would definitely not flop at Barca.

Just my 2 cents.

Originally Posted by hitmannq8

Pirlo won the world cup in 2006, and CL in 2007, by that time he was easily a much better player than Xavi - actually by far and away, and it was not only the statistics, but his presence on the field was far more important than Xavi.

Since 2007, Milan has not invested in the midfield and their midfielders were growing older and lazier, the attack was also pretty bad, and to be fair Pirlo has also dropped a great deal and has been terrible as he grew older. Xavi on the other hand got a new player playing beside him who is probably only second to Maradona, and Barcelona kept investing and investing and bringing out great youth talents in a complete squad.

The real thing you guys are neglecting to see is that Milan post 2007 have been a pathetic club run by a pathetic management, while Barcelona were ideal and provided the excellent squad to shine.

The 27 assists are a clear indication showing that it was more the team performing amazing that Xavi himself. If you had Pirlo in Barca and Xavi here, what do you think would happen? I think Xavi would flop like any other player but Pirlo would definitely not flop at Barca.

Just my 2 cents.

You make great points. I merely posted the Stats just to see them, but I don't hold Stats as the Prime importance when judging a player's career.

Pirlo however, would not be as good on Barcelona as they do not play long ball, they play mostly on the ground and they all run off the ball, Pirlo does not..

Originally Posted by Revolver

Well goal.com is more shi.ier than ever. Who'd the f.ck is Carlo Garganese?! Do you guys know how old is he? 26. 26! And he's suddenly able to the Xavi is the greatest midfielder of all-time! Who'd f.ck he has seen?!

Agreed. This is the same Carlo Garbage who after our first several games last year claimed that this was the worst Milan in 25 years. This guy sure loves bombast

What's even funnier is that this Carlo Garganese is not only 26, but he's British.. He has a thick British accent like someone from Liverpool, I can barely understand him.. I thought he was Italian

He's been pretty good when discussing Italian National Team though.. he was a huge advocate for Cassano-Balotelli-Pazzini

Watch the forth striker will be Robbie Keane

I watched the Barca Real game again earlier today. It got me thinking, imagine David Luiz and Adraino are coming to Milan in Jan. Then Ganso and Jucelei are signed in the summer. Real somehow threw Marcelo to us due to getting Bale. Then Hernanes finally come to Milan after one great season with Lazio.

Milan will then be the Brazilian national team in 2011-12

Abbiatti
Abate-T. Silva-Luiz-Marcelo
Jucelei-Hernanes
Pato-Ganso-Robinho
Ibra

Thats 8 Brazilians with Adraino off the Bench

Originally Posted by Gabriel489

Watch the forth striker will be Robbie Keane

I watched the Barca Real game again earlier today. It got me thinking, imagine David Luiz and Adraino are coming to Milan in Jan. Then Ganso and Jucelei are signed in the summer. Real somehow threw Marcelo to us due to getting Bale. Then Hernanes finally come to Milan after one great season with Lazio.

Milan will then be the Brazilian national team in 2011-12

Abbiatti
Abate-T. Silva-Luiz-Marcelo
Jucelei-Hernanes
Pato-Ganso-Robinho
Ibra

Thats 8 Brazilians with Adraino off the Bench

You dream too much. We only have one non-EU spot during our stansfer windows, and the unused ones from the previous year does not get carried over.

Even if we do manage to sign more than 2 non-EU players in a year, theres no way we're going to get the whole Brazilian team in.
Milan has and always will be a team that plays to its Italian roots first, meaning we tend to look within the penninsula for replacements first before we look elsewhere. If we did otherwise, then we'd end up like Merda-rgentina. I think max we get are David Luiz (only because he's playing in Europe already) and Jucelei. You can dream all you want, but we're not going to be able to afford Hernanes, specially when Lolitto won't sell.

Plus, with Leo gone, I'd be less inclined to think we'll be gunning for any Brazilians unless they've made a name for themselves already in Europe (like Binho).

And in the event that something like that happens..... just think of the havoc it would cause us when they all go for international duty..... 8 starters gone, just like that (9 if you include Ibra for Sweden)

First off, no offense to Italian players at the moment, but most of them just ain't that good anymore. I mean beside De Rossi and Pirlo(if he is 100% and motivated), I really can't name another WC Italian Midfielder or someone who has the potential to be one. Cassano, Pazzini, G. Rossi and Mario could be WC attacking players but they are not there yet. Actually, Cassano is there. As for defense, I actually rate David Luiz higher than Bonnuci, Racchoinia and Santacroce.
Secondly, I think only Jucelei will require that non-EU spot, as Luiz should have a Portugal passport same goes for Marcelo with Spain, while Hernanes and Adraino are already playing in Serie A. As for Ganso, I think he got a IT passport from his grandparents.

Thirdly, international duty is the same all around no matter which international players you have.

MNews reports that Braida is still in South America and specifically in Argentina.

Man how I love to have his job.

He is the most useless transfer director and gets paid and returns nothing. He might get lucky and pick one transfer right but all he does is goes to South America every year (on Milans expense) and go to soccer games and scouts players like Mattioni, Grimi, Cardacio, Viudez and now Montelongo.

When will this guy really get someone like Ganso?

If he finds a Pato in every 3 years, will you take him?

Also, you might be assuming that he is not behind any of the recent successful transfer (and only remember those that he fails).

Not saying that your argument is invalid; just presenting the other side of view.

First of, I think Leo found Pato. Secondly, Pato was an up and comer in Brazil where Milan was only one of the many teams looking at him.

If guys like Grimi, and Viudez became Bale and Messi, then Braida will get the credits as no other big teams were even looking at those two while Milan signed them.

Having said all that, I still think he is good at what he does or else he won't be working for Milan for so long, but I doubt he is a great though.

Seems Braida was in Brasil discussing Paolo Henrique (Ganso) and is in Argentina trying to sign Erik Lamela from River , they'll offer 12 million for him and leave him in River for another year..http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy...-plate-starlet I know its Goal.com but hopefully there is truth in this story.

According Goal.com that Barcelona Tracking Benfica Star Fabio Coentrao, so if Barca really in for Coentroa, then Milan would lose him...........

Originally Posted by Christian

Would love Jucelei from what I've seen and what you said. But I can't help but feel though that Ganso and Giuliano type players would be more needed at the moment.

First of all, sorry but just now I saw your post, Christian.

You´re right, we really need a #10... But Ganso is injured and will not help us soon enough, plus his price will be Neymar´s like. Ganso(if health) is worth a lot of money and I really don´t believe Santos will accept(only) 15 millions for one of the best talents Brazil produced in the last 20 years.

I hope, but still don´t believe we will have the money to buy Ganso. It would be amazing to have our own "Zidane", but with our police and the money directed to Ibra/Robinho, I can´t see Silvio spending that much again...

From the games I saw Ganso seems pretty amazing, and looks like a unique talent, but of the two I feel like Giuliano would fit in best at the moment. He seems like more of a Kaká type player, and thus I think he would fit into a Ibrahimovic team more. Since I feel Ibrahimovic is best playing in teams that defend deep, don't keep a to much possession etc. This way he can be used to play the ball up on (which he's excellent at cause the ball sticks), and he gets more influence this way (As compared to having to stay in the box).

Ganso right now is the best player, no doubt. But I will be glad with both.

Btw, whats the deal with Giuliano. I saw him earlier in Libertadores, and he was amazing + his team won, yet I don't hear anything about him over here. I hear loads about Ganso and Neymar though, and even Jucilei is starting to create a bit of a buzz. Just seems weird to me that a player leading his team to the Libertadores doesn't get more buzz.

Still can´t figure it out too, Christian...

At first, like with Jucilei, the buzz about Giuliano here was pretty small... Only a few journalists hyped him. After the Libertadores(if I´m not wrong he was the MVP, even as a sub) the hype got bigger, but not to the point he deserve. Maybe a few points can explain this:
- He doesn´t play in a São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro team.
- Play out of position to make room for D´alessandro and Tinga.
- He was amazing in Libertadores, but didn´t play that well in Brasileirão.

Like you said, it´s realy weird. Hernanes also, at the time he was playing for S. Paulo, got more hype from European than Brazilian press... Thats the trend in Brazil now(imo), to underrate our own players and I think the same will happen with Giuliano...

Originally Posted by Elmago99

I want in this order:

1. Coentrao
2. Ganso
3. Matri
4. Jucilei
5. Balotelli

*Not convinced on D. Luiz yet..

brasileiro..what do you think of Luiz? Sure we can find an Italian defender cheaper and as good as him,.. no??

David Luiz is amazing, Elmago...

More cheaper you can find, but of the same talent, I really doubt. Sure I
don´t know all Italian yougnsters CB´s, but of the ones playing in Serie A, can´t see one of the level of D. Luiz. He´s in a bit of slump this season, but just look at his play against Argentina facing Messi and Iguain in our(Brazil NT) last game. There´s a reason why Chelsea, R. Madrid, Barça and M. City were scouting him for years...

But don´t buy the hype about him as a LB. People and press like to say he can be a LB but I don´t agree. He can play some games there to help, but he´s too big to play as fullback in a regular basis and can be exposed against some wingers.

As Brazilian I can be labeled biased, but you just can ask to Benfica fans what they think about David Luiz. The guy is amazing and imo can(will) be better than T. Silva when he reach 26.

Btw, I just finish to read a Brazilian magazine with a article about his path until Benfica. Amazing and weird story...

Originally Posted by Gabriel489

I think Jucelei will come to Milan in winter and once Pirlo is gone, Hernanes will come too. Add David Luiz at the back and Ganso upfront. u pretty much have Wc14 team of Brazil. Maybe once Real signs Bale, they will let Milan sign Marcelo.

Corithians is selling Elias to Spain this week, and the vice-president said they will hold Jucilei to play Libertadores. So, unless some club pay a good amount of money, Corinthians will only sell him in August.

Originally Posted by Elmago99

Take a guy like Maradona, who won Scudetto with Napoli with scrubs on the team, and a World Cup single handedly, now that's a level above.

Sorry, man...

But this is said a lot and it isn´t true. Maradona CF in Napoli was only the "scrub" Careca, one of the best CF Brazil ever produced. Also, there was Alemão who was a starter for Brazil, too. And more players also that played for Italy NT.

I feel free to talk about Maradona at Napoli because I watched all those games live here in Brazil. Bandeirantes TV(open) started to show Serie A again at that time, and the Napoli of Maradona and Careca was always one of the choices to be live on TV here.

That was the time when I became a Milan fan, and Maradona was really amazing and a joy to watch, but this scrub argument isn´t fair. He didn´t play in a Milan level type of squad, but this argumente that he won titles with scrubs around him isn´t true. Maradona was incredible, but Napoli wasn´t a team of scrubs... far from that!!

Originally Posted by Gabriel489

First off, no offense to Italian players at the moment, but most of them just ain't that good anymore. I mean beside De Rossi and Pirlo(if he is 100% and motivated), I really can't name another WC Italian Midfielder or someone who has the potential to be one. Cassano, Pazzini, G. Rossi and Mario could be WC attacking players but they are not there yet. Actually, Cassano is there. As for defense, I actually rate David Luiz higher than Bonnuci, Racchoinia and Santacroce.
Secondly, I think only Jucelei will require that non-EU spot, as Luiz should have a Portugal passport same goes for Marcelo with Spain, while Hernanes and Adraino are already playing in Serie A. As for Ganso, I think he got a IT passport from his grandparents.

Thirdly, international duty is the same all around no matter which international players you have.

Italy need to look at what they are doing in youth teams and change something. Germany had a rough period trying to produce quality players in the near past, but imo they changed something. You can see now they are all for talent and less for body type...

Of course it´s a outside opinion, but the drop of talent of Italian players(in my eyes) can´t be accepted as normal. Something is wrong, and they need to change it fast...