Dave

Dave · 02-05-2005, 06:28

1-1 is a good score for me! We will be in final of course(i dont Ignore PSV), because Milan now know what to do! Though PSV is a very dangerous team and if thaey play well and we bad PSV will be in final! IMO Ambrosini won`t play that match and if plays he will not get yellow card! So all players may be in final(if we reach to the final)!

mk18 · 02-05-2005, 07:31

i think we should include serginho in the starting XL because were gonna need him for counter attacks

mk18 · 02-05-2005, 07:35

for the record the players from the other semi with 2 yellow cards are: gerrard, finnan, carragher, gallas, carvalho, johnson, smertin, and warnock. lets hope they beat the crap out of each other

K77SH C · 02-05-2005, 08:22

Funny, hope Mourinhio jabs Benitez a couple too.

The two players I have a feeling may get rested are Sheva and Cafu. they have both looked extremely tired. Carlo rested Crespo against Fiorentina so I think he may start with Kaka, Rui and Crespo. He may play Stam instead of cafu at right back. It might not be a bad idea, because in the last two games a tired Cafu has had players beating him. We cant afford for PSV to do what Depor did to him. I think Stam would stand up strong agaisnt Park on that left wing. The question is whether its wise to leave Sheva out and have him energetic for the last thirty minutes and the entire juve game or tired for both games.

Warro Bantan · 02-05-2005, 10:58

I should hope that Carlo chooses the Xmas tree, and seeks to rest some key players, but not too many key players, before the Juve match.

This seems the perfect opportunity to pack the middle with defensive oriented runners, such as Rino and Brocci, and resting Ambro, who is at risk of missing the final, seems to be prudent. Kaka and Rui Costa would add attacking balance to the middle, and I think Serghino could be given a run out, probably in the second half, where his pace may trouble tired PSV legs.

I think Cafu on the right is preferrable to Stam, as I think Cafu is faster, plus, if we confine him (Cafu) to our half, ie tell him to play conservatively, this would result in him being able to get to sprinting attackers, without the tiring responsibility of being part of every attack.

We should seek to play through the middle, where the bulk of our players will be, and on the counter, as energy conservation will be key to outlasting what I am sure will be wave after wave of PSV attacks.

They will seek to come out with all guns blazing, and quick counters would be key. As a result of this, Sheva should start, as he alone of our forward line is capable of a role in this type of game. His strength, touch and pace will be invaluable in getting the cruical away goal, which should cement our place in Istanbul.

The accurate long range passing of Rui and Pirlo, combined with Kaka´s swiftness, should prove a nightmare to PSV´s somewhat clumsy and slow central defenders.

Thus my starting line up and formation would read as follows:

................Dida.................

Cafu...Nesta...Stam...Maldini

....Brocci....Pirlo.......Rino.....

..........Rui.......Kaka...........

..............Sheva...............

I would sub Rui for Seedorf or Serghino, depending on who scores first....if we score first, then Serghino...Again, with a comfortable lead, Sheva could be subbed for JDT, whose defensive talents in the final third are excellent, and were justifiably rewarded with a goal in the first leg.

Finally, we need to be fully concentrated and realise that if we play the same way we did in the San Siro, in the first leg, we run the risk of gifting the tie to PSV. I, however, have every confidence that there wont be a repeat of the Riazor...and that destiny awaits us in Istanbul....

The 7th UCL trophy.

FORZA MIIIIIIIIIIIIILAN!!!

Warro Bantan · 02-05-2005, 11:36

News from uefa.com:

Quote:

Beasley blow for PSV
Monday, 2 May 2005
DaMarcus Beasley will miss the second leg of PSV Eindhoven's UEFA Champions League semi-final against AC Milan after stretching a ligament in his left knee.

Injury lay-off
The 22-year-old striker picked up the injury in the last minute of his side's 2-2 Eredivisie draw away against FC Twente on Friday and could be out for up to five weeks. Beasley was injured in a collision with Twente's Daniël Majstorovic and left the pitch with a gash on his left leg. PSV had hoped the wound would heal in time for the United States forward to face Milan, but further examination revealed ligament damage.

Farfán uncertain
Striker Jefferson Farfán is also uncertain of playing on Wednesday after being substituted against Twente because of a twisted ankle. Coach Guus Hiddink was already without Ji-Sung Park, Robert and Wilfred Bouma, who remain doubtful for the second leg. To compound Hiddink's problems, André Ooijer is suspended as PSV look to overturn a 2-0 deficit.

While I refuse to gloat at the predicament PSV find themselves in, this situation is unquestionably an advantage for Milan....

Now we have even fewer excuses for not doing well in Eindhoven.

FORZA MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILAN!!!!

savicevic · 02-05-2005, 11:50

meantime, in Milan land, no injury worries trouble Carletto (fingers crossed, touch wood, mani sul coso and what have you). Milan Lab is surely paying off.

all 24 players have been chosen for wed's game.

from www.acmilan.com:

PSV-MILAN: TUTTI I ROSSONERI CONVOCATI
02/05/2005
MILANELLO - Ecco la lista dei 24 convocati da Carlo Ancelotti per la trasferta di Eindhoven:

PORTIERI: Dida, Abbiati, Fiori;

DIFENSORI: Cafu, Costacurta, Kaladze, Maldini, Nesta, Pancaro, Simic, Stam;

CENTROCAMPISTI: Ambrosini, Brocchi, Dhorasoo, Gattuso, Kakà, Pirlo, Rui Costa, Seedorf, Serginho;

ATTACCANTI: Inzaghi, Crespo, Sheva, Tomasson.

Brasileiro · 02-05-2005, 13:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grande-Milan-DK

Defence is PSV big problem, so Milan have to attack the best way - To play defensive and give PSV the full control with their pacy players, would be dangerous as Milan don`t are 100%

Don´t agree...the PSV big problem is their fowards. The PSV Defence is the most praised part for all experts...and the numbers show this.

Brasileiro · 02-05-2005, 14:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warro Bantan

I should hope that Carlo chooses the Xmas tree, and seeks to rest some key players, but not too many key players, before the Juve match.

This seems the perfect opportunity to pack the middle with defensive oriented runners, such as Rino and Brocci, and resting Ambro, who is at risk of missing the final, seems to be prudent. Kaka and Rui Costa would add attacking balance to the middle, and I think Serghino could be given a run out, probably in the second half, where his pace may trouble tired PSV legs.

I think Cafu on the right is preferrable to Stam, as I think Cafu is faster, plus, if we confine him (Cafu) to our half, ie tell him to play conservatively, this would result in him being able to get to sprinting attackers, without the tiring responsibility of being part of every attack.

We should seek to play through the middle, where the bulk of our players will be, and on the counter, as energy conservation will be key to outlasting what I am sure will be wave after wave of PSV attacks.

They will seek to come out with all guns blazing, and quick counters would be key. As a result of this, Sheva should start, as he alone of our forward line is capable of a role in this type of game. His strength, touch and pace will be invaluable in getting the cruical away goal, which should cement our place in Istanbul.

The accurate long range passing of Rui and Pirlo, combined with Kaka´s swiftness, should prove a nightmare to PSV´s somewhat clumsy and slow central defenders.
Thus my starting line up and formation would read as follows:

................Dida.................

Cafu...Nesta...Stam...Maldini

....Brocci....Pirlo.......Rino.....

..........Rui.......Kaka...........

..............Sheva...............

I would sub Rui for Seedorf or Serghino, depending on who scores first....if we score first, then Serghino...Again, with a comfortable lead, Sheva could be subbed for JDT, whose defensive talents in the final third are excellent, and were justifiably rewarded with a goal in the first leg.

Finally, we need to be fully concentrated and realise that if we play the same way we did in the San Siro, in the first leg, we run the risk of gifting the tie to PSV. I, however, have every confidence that there wont be a repeat of the Riazor...and that destiny awaits us in Istanbul....

The 7th UCL trophy.

FORZA MIIIIIIIIIIIIILAN!!!

Good analise...but the PSV defense aren´t slow and clumsy. I watched this team play a lot this year, and their defense(and mid) are very good...Bouma is a solid defender, sure he ´s not in a good form, but even Nesta can´t stop Sheva in that sprint...and Alex is a freak, he apears slow, but I remember his duels w/ Saviola, Wiltord, Henry...he don´t lost one duel(and sprint). Like dcvg said in other thread, Alex lost not one duel to Sheva in San Siro game. IMO Milan needs to play w/ two fowards to put pressure in PSV, and prevent they play their possession game(like and second part of the first game). Ooijer also is out, and our players need to explore his ausence...

mk18 · 02-05-2005, 15:16

i think we should take control of midfield... they would look helpless if we beat them in mid because they attack cannot create their own chances, i think we should go for this formation:

-------------------------------------dida----------------------------------------

-----stam-------------nesta------------------maldini-------------kaladze--------

-----------------------------------pirlo-----------------------------------------
-----------gattuso-----------------------------------ambrosini------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------seedorf-----------
---------------------------kaka------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------crespo--------------------------------------

with that defensive minded team psv would have a very small chance of scoring, even their swift passing wouldnt be enough i believe, if gattuso can man mark the korean guy on the left wing with stam coverage, seedorf going back to stop van bommel, ambro to mark the other korean guy we would have little trouble then... crespo seems to work better when hes alone upfront and kaka has been playing very well recently and should get some chances himself, pirlo will play a key role as well... if were under alot of pressure then maybe we can introduce sheva, serginho, and cafu later on.

Haroon · 02-05-2005, 16:16

UEFA Champions League

PSV EINDHOVEN Vs. AC Milan

Philips, Eindhoven - NEDERLAND

--- Semi-Final - Second Leg ---

-> First Leg: Milan won 2-0 [Shevchenko, Tomasson] <-

-> Wednesday (May 04, 2005) <-

-> Kick-off -> 19:45 (UK Time): Sky Sports 1 <-

PREVIEW
=======

The second leg of both semi-finals will be played in the next 48 hours and two out of the 4 semi-finalists will be looking forward to the grand final of the toughest UCL in history on May 25, 2005 in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the hard work and dedication of 8 months of football that has tested the teams on every possible level.

But before that does happen, two teams have to show that they are worthy of playing in club competition's most prestigious final. 1 Italian, 1 Dutch and 2 English sides each get their chance as the hours disappear and kick-off approaches.

Milan got a pretty good result in the first leg even though the performance left a lot to be desired. The 2-0 lead that Milan carries to Eindhoven is a healthy lead and a difficult lead to overcome for the Dutch side that has enjoyed a very good season winning the Eredevisie title and are also in the Dutch Cup final. In addition, this is the first time that Guus Hiddink's side has got past the group stage since the Uefa Champions League began. They made sure that their journey was not a one-stop and instead got past their opponents in the knock-out stages and are in the semi-finals deservingly.

Milan on the other hand is fighting tooth and nail to keep the dream alive of doing the most difficult double in football by winning the league and CL in the same season. Even after enjoying a very good season, Milan is not guaranteed a trophy as yet as the Scudetto looks like going down to the wire with Juve equal on points and the semi-final second leg still awaiting in a lively Philips Stadium.

Milan however is the only big side to never have lost a Semi-Final tie in this competition and is well on its way to a 10th final. It will take something special for Hiddink's men to overcome this deficit.

PSV

PSV surely rue their missed chances that should've kept this tie in the balance. They had Milan on the rocks especially in the second half when Milan's defence looked far from its normal self allowing Park and Farfan to run ragged. PSV's final shot in the box left a lot to be desired and they deservingly lost that game by the 2-0 margin as they didnot make the most of some very well grafted chances combined with the poorest finishing display of the competition to date. The second goal conceded at the death would have left deep scars in the minds of the players as the game went from bad to worse in the worst possible way.

Hiddink was disappointed after the game but his expression was of disappointment during the game as well as his side was toothless in the first half. Knowing that he does his homework well he may have known that Milan's strike rate in this season's competition is the best and Milan's scoring record in the second half is a mere certainty on most occasions. Shevchenko has scored in every home game for Milan in this season's competition.

He will be glad by the fact that so many chances were carved up and that gives a ray of hope for his side to do some serious damage in the return leg. The bad thing is that General Alexander The Great who is the world's best defender will return to marshall the world's most experienced backline.

M I L A N

Ancelotti was happy with the first half display which was pretty good from Milan. PSV barely did anything in the half except for the ending mins but not threatening enough. PSV came out strong in the second half and used the workrate and speed of Lee (leftback) and Park (fantasista). I was quite impressed by the first touch of Park which was superb. It seemed as if he was a step ahead of what he was doing.

He didn't have the finishing though and that let him down a lot.

Hiddink's side is based on phenomenal workrate and solidity. I personally think that now after some time since his return from the Korea NT job has he got the team that he is happy with when you look at the goalkeeper, central defenders and midfield. I wouldn't be surprised if he went shopping for a striker to complete his side as that is the position where his side is lacking. He will also need a Van Bommel replacement.

PSV worked right on the edge of the flanks spreading the Milan midfield and thus creating space to work through the midfield. Their job was helped by Milan playing the ball in the air quite a bit in the first half which is never a good sign for this side. When Milan plays well, the ball remains on the ground mostly and the playmaking is down with through balls rather than chips. Carlo realized that and it stopped after 20 mins or so in the match.

Now the cards are in Ancelotti's hands with the advantage. He can dictate the tie but going to Nederland to defend would be a bad idea.

Probable Starting Line-Up(s)
=====================

---------------
---> PSV <---
---------------

-> 3-4-1-2

-------------------------Gomes-----------------------

--------------Alex--------Bouma-------Cocu-----------

-Van Bommel------Vogel----Van der Schaaf-----Lee-----

--------------------------Park-------------------------

------------------Farfan--------JVOH---------

1. Hiddink mentioned that he is contemplating some changes due to the injury situation. Ooijer (Right Back) is suspended. Bouma, Park, Farfan and Beasley are injured. Beasley will surely miss out but Bouma, Park and Farfan would make the starting line-up IMO. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink should start up front.

2. Now here comes the tricky bit. Lee is not the ideal man to play in a back 3 IF Hiddink plays it. Cocu the handy man who can play in multiple positions would be the man to slot into that left-centre-back position giving the defence stability. Vogel and Van der Schaaf slot in the middle and Lee plays on the left trying to peg back Gattuso and keep him busy. The rest of the positions are the same with Van Bommel to do some more defensive work.

3. The feeling I get is that Hiddink doesn't want to sacrifice "width" under any circumstances even if he has to shuffle the defence or attack. The width will come essentially from Lee and Van Bommel so he will give them an even more opportunistic go at it. Ooijer's suspension is not that damaging. With the tridente up front he should expect more goals. If Alex and Bouma can start then Cocu can use his experience so the team is still balanced and more attacking. And that element of width still exists in his system.

---------------
---> Milan <---
---------------

-> The famed X-Mas Tree - 4-3-2-1

--------------------Dida---------------------

--Cafu-------Stam-------Nesta-------Maldini--

--------Gattuso-----Pirlo-------Seedorf-------

----------------Kaka------Rui-----------------

--------------------Sheva----------------

1. It is the best option to go about. I would start the above team. Stam in right back would peg us back and doesn't exactly work in the best way. Cafu should start there and if need be instructed to start cautiously as he did in the EuroDerby. Personally I was thinking of putting in Serginho for Rui but after giving it a thought Rui is a much better ball-keeper than Serginho. Serginho's speed is his asset and we don't need that speed to start off the game. What we need is patience and intellingent play. Rui is all that.

2. Big matches bring out the best in Seedorf. This is a chance to reach a UCL final for him and the rest of the Milan side as well of course. I expect him to deliver big on such a occasion even though the opponent is not a Juve, Real or Utd.

3. Maldini said that we need to keep a calm head to qualify. There is no need for rushing things or using flair etc. One thing I noticed in the Fiorentina game was that the players were show-boating a bit and losing possession in crucial parts of the pitch. It was a hurriedly performance. We don't need that. Milan plays best when there is flow and a pattern to the play rather than a losing possession -> gaining possession and losing possession game.

Tactics
======

----------------------
--- Hiddink [P S V] ---
----------------------

Hiddink will know that that task ahead of him is tough but not impossible. Impossible is nothing in football.

A) Most important thing for him would be to create chances and score goals. The finishing needs improvement.
B) PSV for the first time in this tournament conceded more than a goal in an important game. That happened in a game where Milan didn't play particularly well. The signs are ominous.
C) He'll hope that his defence doesn't concede silly goals to make the task harder than it already is.

---------------------------
--- Ancelotti [M I L A N] ---
---------------------------

Ancelotti knows his football. I enjoy his comments thoroughly nowadays. He said that his side can play in any conditions.

I wouldn't bet against that. This Milan side is one of the most balanced outfits regarding the type of players, balance, strenth (physical and mental), pace and diversity. And come to think of it, it is comprised of a starting 11 that doesn't even have the two most expensive buys in the shape of Rui Costa (£28 million) and Inzaghi (£22 million).

A) He has brough enormous peace and tranquility in the squad. The team believes. That in itself is a deep statement. No explanation required.
B) Something needs to be done about the pace of Lee and Park. They were slippery customers and hard to control. The best way to do that is to not let them have the ball and keep possession for long periods. When in trouble, go for the X-Mas tree.
C) Get the opening goal and kill off the tie completely. In the Stealth Bomber we trust.

KEY BATTLES
==========

Park Vs. Nesta

Vennegoor of Hesselink Vs. Stam

Van Bommel Vs. Seedorf

Vogel Vs. Kaka

Farfan Vs. Pirlo

Lee Vs. Gattuso

Alex Vs. Sheva

KEY MEN
=======

Park
-----

He had an extremely good performance in the first leg. His finishing let him down. Otherwise his first touch and movement (on and off the ball) was brilliant. He'll need to move up a notch as the stakes are raised, the opponent's defence gets meaner and his team requires goals and assists.

Pirlo
-----

We need to construct a smooth transition into a probable final. Pirlo has been fantastic for Milan this season dictating the play. He has improved by leaps and bounds and he holds the key. He should be in better touch as he played more and is not returning immediately after injury as he was in the first leg.

Hero Watch
=========

PSV Van Bommel, Alex & Gomes

These three need to have a monster game.

Milan: Nesta, Pirlo, Gattuso, Stam, Sheva & Seedorf

Pirlo and Seedorf need to put on a show for us. It is comforting that there are quite a few individuals in this team that one can look upto. All of them have had a pretty good champions league so far.

Prediction

Istanbul is calling. Milan is potentially 90 mins from a 10th final. Milan is potentially 90 mins away from becoming the FIRST side to reach a record 5 UCL finals! Ancelotti wants to maintain status-quo of remaining undefeated in a semi-final tie. Dida is 15 mins from the Van der Sar's record of most minutes without conceding a goal.

The foundations for the passage to the final are there and Milan does seem a good bet to reach the final. PSV will not buckle down easily. They are injury struck and hurting from the defeat in the first leg in that fashion. The Devil continues to clear the path for Milan in mysterious ways.

Milan should make it to the final. It would take something extraordinary to defeat Ancelotti's Milan over two legs. PSV will need to make history. Defeating this Milan side over two legs is one of the most difficult things in football today. If PSV does it then kudos to them. It will be difficult however.

Milan to qualify for the final after a hard fought match.

Forza Milan

Warro Bantan · 02-05-2005, 16:32

Haroon, as the guiness paper men would say: Brilliant!

I am even persuaded to start Seedorf over Brocci, as you suggest, and this I think Carlo will do...my only concern is that he will play Crespo and not Rui, hence no Xmas tree...

Thanks again for your usual "Brilliant!" analysis!

dcvg · 02-05-2005, 17:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haroon