Ronaldinho

If Seedorf leaving is the only good news for us this summer, indeed this is Milan dark ages.

Originally Posted by edysupriadi

Come on , lets be optimistic .. the key is just to let Dinho wear the sacred no 10 again , and we get rid of the one who wears it before.

Sounds good to you? lets give it a try

Forza Milan !

I am pesimistic but I still really hope Ronaldinho can get into top form.

Ronaldinho situation is pretty similar with time when Milan linked with him (before he joined Milan). Would he be a player like used to be or just still the same player in Barcelona in his last year? Pretty similar discussion. The difference is that Ronaldinho has only 1 season before he reachs 30, an age in which the performance of a player normally starts decreasing.

Replacing Kaka with Ronaldinho is a step back, period

Originally Posted by Fret

Replacing Kaka with Ronaldinho is a step back, period

Looking at it from a narrow point of view, that's true. But if Ronaldinho can give Milan quality play in that role while the money from the sale of Kaka is used to build up the team in other areas and find a replacement for the Kaka/Ronaldinho role a couple of years down the road, it could actually be a huge step forward.

Look, my friend, with all due respect, but that's like saying "If we can get Seedorf in form again we can sell Ronnie and put him in this role".
Why couldn't Leo get Kaka back in form and not trying to do it with Ronnie

It's obviously a step back and too many "if"s

Originally Posted by Fret

Look, my friend, with all due respect, but that's like saying "If we can get Seedorf in form again we can sell Ronnie and put him in this role".
Why couldn't Leo get Kaka back in form and not trying to do it with Ronnie

It's obviously a step back and too many "if"s

Well, Seedorf is four years older than Ronaldinho. Ronnie is only two years older than Kaka. Plus Seedorf has had every opportunity to play regularly. In the end, it's not about Kaka or Ronaldinho. It's about what Milan does with the money they got from the sale of Kaka.

May I say that comparing Ronaldinho to Seedorf is ridiculous. Seedorf has never reached the heights of Ronaldinho, and therefore comparing the two, especially when considering age, style of play, and credentials would be pointless.

Now, when Ronaldinho started our season opener, we had the following said about him, I'm just picking from random pages I visited on the first day:

"Dinho is playing very well today, class is here to be seen!"
or
"great assist by Ronaldinho, we're playing great football"
or
"Again Dinho great cross directly to Pipos head.Pipo loose an easy goal.
Ronie is playing great!!!!!!!!"
or
"whoah...dinho is just having fun out there"
or
"THIS IS THE RONALDINHO WHO WON THE GOLDEN BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM TRIPPING AND FLIPPING AND GOING CRAZYYY OVER HERE"
or
"Dinho he was pure magic"

But that is beside the point. The reality is that Ronaldinho, even during that first game, where he was out of shape (like he is now), still provided enough chances on his own for the strikers to score 10 goals. Sheva missed one of the most perfect assists from Dinho.

The reality is that the big question here is "can Dinho be fit enough?" I think so. I think he'll be motivated, because Dunga has dropped him, Kaka has been sold, and he knows Milan is looking for someone to make this ship sail right.

If we talk about Dinho being poor, he just had an injury-hit season (his last season at Barca) and this season he was playing rather well for the first half, do you remember that last-minute goal against Braga? The second half, Carlo stopped playing him, Becks forced his way into the team, and we started playing better, not because Dinho was out but because of various other factors.

So what is giving me hope? Thierry Henry. Now, yes, he is at Barca. He also had an injury-plagued season before going to Barca, his first season at Barca he was a disappointment. Why? Some say he was finished, that he was past it. He was 29-30, he was supposed to be finished, his best days behind him.

This season, Henry has played where he wants. He has not had Dinho to fight for space on the left, he has formed a powerful triumvirate with Messi and Etoo and has returned to something closer to what fans have expected from Henry.

Do I think this will happen? I hope it will. I think Juve and Milan took Barca's success too literally by appointing Ciro and Leonardo, the difference is that Juve will pour money into their team.

I think we have seen how much Carlo held Milan together, Kaka left because Carlo left, of that I am pretty much certain. Pato flirts with leaving because Carlo has left. Can we not see how important Carlo was to Milan?

Furthermore, the thing that worries me the most is that Leonardo, unlike Pep, seems to be the puppet of Berlusconi. That worries me. Managers need to stand up, they need to have their own ideas. I want Leonardo to say things about what we will look like, though I realize that he cannot because of transfers, but, say something! Anything!

I agree with what you wrote about R80. Carlo thing im not sure, I think some of these players are worried because of Kaka leaving more than anything else.

Kobe leaves the lakers, the rest of the team wont feel comfort with only Phil Jackson.

Messi leaves now, barca players worry a little, etc....


I think Leo gets a chance and if he is horrible lets look for a coach in Jan even but if we finish in top 3 and final 8 in CL i think i'd be prettty happy with him. As long as his style is attacking and entertaining.

I REALLY BELIEVE THAT KAKA WILL MISS MILAN AFTER 1 YEAR IN MADRID.

Rino Gattuso is the soul of Milan...when he tackle san Siro is ready to explode once again!!

Originally Posted by Gabriel489

If Seedorf leaving is the only good news for us this summer, indeed this is Milan dark ages.

Seedorf stated he won't be leaving

http://www.channel4.com/sport/footba...ia/jun10s.html

Well I can paste an url of kaka stating this some weeks ago...

Originally Posted by Koeke

Seedorf stated he won't be leaving

http://www.channel4.com/sport/footba...ia/jun10s.html

Well I can paste an url of kaka stating this some weeks ago...

True, he signed for another 4 years.

And Belgian soccer news says Pirlo is leaving, Felipe Melo is coming.

seedorf signed 4 years ????

wtf

so he is planning to be here until he's 38 or what ?

and is this felipe melo any good ? can someone tell a little bit more about felipe melo ?

Originally Posted by bLOND !-,-!

seedorf signed 4 years ????

wtf

so he is planning to be here until he's 38 or what ?

and is this felipe melo any good ? can someone tell a little bit more about felipe melo ?

This is the harmful side of having Milan as a big great "family!"

Originally Posted by Saliwonczyk

This is the harmful side of having Milan as a big great "family!"

My original hope was to have Kaka retained for next season, and to sell Dihno to Man City for a healthy sum. However, with Kaka leaving, that plan gets burnt to the ground!

An interesting analysis of the Ronaldinho situation:

Calcio Debate: Can Ronaldinho Replace Kaka At Milan?
Goal.com's Subhankar Mondal wonders whether Ronaldinho can replace Kaka as the playmaker at AC Milan under new coach Leonardo.....
12 Jun 2009 15:00:44

These days Milan are in depression. With Carlo Ancelotti gone, Paolo Maldini retiring, and a number of players linked with moves abroad, the Rossoneri appear to be going through some really tough times. And then there's the heart-breaking departure of Kaka to Real Madrid. The Brazilian has arguably been Milan's best player over the last five years and his exit is regarded by many as a major setback for the club.

While Kaka denotes respect and grace off the pitch, he is a marvellous player on it. The architect-in-chief played a key role in Milan's Champions League near-triumph in 2005 and was the best player in the world in 2007 when he charged the Rossoneri to European success.

There is already talk of signing a replacement but as it is hard to discern a player of Kaka's calibre making a move in the transfer market, Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani might as well look closer to home in order to fill Kaka's large yawning shoes.

When Milan signed Ronaldinho from Barcelona for €21 million in the summer of 2008, many apprehended that this would be a wasteful signing. Which it was after the first few matches when the Brazilian international looked a shadow of his former self. Ronnie eventually ended the season with eight goals and five assists in 29 league matches, starting only 16 of those games, with his winner in the Milan derby and two goals against Sampdoria in October forgotten.

It is clear Kaka and Ronaldinho could not and cannot play alongside each other. The Brazilian duo might click for the odd match or two but as was testified during Brazil's lacklustre performance in the 2006 World Cup, the two tend to step on each other's toes when played simultaneously.

At the World Cup it was Kaka who outperformed a nose-diving Ronaldinho and last season in Serie A it was again the 27-year-old who was more prominent. Carlo Ancelotti initially forced Kaka to play in a deeper position, thereby curbing much of his attacking instincts and creative freedom, but before long Kaka became the fulcrum of the side again, injuries notwithstanding.

New Milan coach Leonardo has already declared that he will play an attacking 4-3-1-2 formation, drawing inspiration from the legendary 1982 Brazil World Cup team. Which leaves space for a trequartista, a player who plays somewhere between the midfield and the frontline and creates goals. With Kaka gone, Ronaldinho might just be played in that ‘hole’.

Compared to his rival, Ronaldinho is a more audacious player and perhaps even more talented. While Kaka is a more harnessed playmaker, very cultured on the ball, pretty much direct and always knowing when to skip past opposition defenders, Ronaldinho is a more flamboyant figure, who is always ready to opt for the audacious when simplicity would do.

There are suggestions that Ronaldinho is past his best and will never reach his old levels again. This columnist himself fosters the belief that Ronaldinho will never be the old Ronaldinho again, but even then, Ronnie's performance, although not good, was better last season for Milan than for Barcelona in 2007-08. Ronnie's form might have dipped south but he still retains that unearthly class and elegance on the ball. And Ronaldinho being Ronaldinho still carries the innate ability to strike fear into the opposition's heart.

With Leonardo allowing Ronaldinho more chances to resurrect himself and more freedom to roam on the pitch, Ronaldinho could have Milan's game built around him. With Kaka in the side he was always playing second fiddle and perhaps felt suffocated. Ronnie succeeded at Barcelona because Frank Rijkaard designed the team around him, making him the creator-in-chief in a 4-3-3 formation.

Ronnie's versatility to play on the left or as a trequartista makes a strong case for him and although there will be concerns over his fitness and hunger, giving a 29-year-old Ronaldinho one last throw of the dice wouldn't be that bad an idea. Especially when there are few top class trequartistas available in the transfer market.

Subhankar Mondal, Goal.com

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/edi...-kaka-at-milan