Summer Mercato 2010

Originally Posted by catennacio

.............. BTW, who is Kevin Boateng? Is he any good? I heard he is as good as Edgar Davis of Juventus? Sorry I havent followed the news lately.

A Ghanaian midfielder. I was very impressed with his performances during the World Cup. He was the one responsible for taking out Michael Ballack out of the WC with a tackle in the FA cup final b/w Chelsea & Portsmouth. If you can take Ballack out, you can take any one out on the field

Originally Posted by catennacio

And who is Sokratis, Strasser? Lots of unfamiliar names and I dont know any of them.

Maybe GeoTav can help here

Wow, it seems our mercato created a buzz about our team !!

On Eurosport.fr, a website almost never speaking about Serie A, there is a whole article strictly about Milan and our mercato, announcing we'll be again some contenders for each competition with our stars ...

We are the only team in Europe to have an article completely dedicated to it on eurosport.fr ... I had never seen that there, and I bet our games will be chosen by Canal+ on week-ends !! Great !!

Great mercato. Can't complain but still would have rather had a fullback or midfielder instead of two forwards, but I guess I will have to live with 4 world class forwards

Originally Posted by GeoTav

Ahah, you have to recognize that having Pato and Robinho together in a club is the best thing that could happen for the NT ?!

Yep, but If only I could put Ganso/Giuliano + Neymar and Jucilei in red&black... maybe things get even better for NT?!?!

Btw, can't wait to see the interaction between Robinho and Gattuso. For some reason he loves to joke, prank, annoy(in a good way) and put nicknames in types like Rinno. In Brazil NT he always annoyed the CB's...

Gattuso will try to choke him, no doubt!

I'm very excited about what could happen this season now ... and even more about none of our new players, but about Pato, after reading an article comparing Pato to Messi. They stated that Messi was very often injured before 21, and it's only at 21 he started to become physically "stronger" (the right word should be resistant I think) and injury free. And they then recalled that Pato is/is going to be 21 only, and it's this year he's probably become physically stronger too (and I think it can easily be noticed by watching him nowadays, compared to when he arrived, the difference is huge !!).

If that happens, we'll definitely have the best attack in the world !!

I was about to wrote this last season, when people were calling Pato to be sold because of the injuries... and Messi muscular injuries were even worst than the Pato ones.

Agree. He's visible more strong this year...

Originally Posted by MilanMikey

let hernanes prove his worth at lazio then will take him

Lazio fans are already in love with him, and I expect Hernanes to make noise this year in Serie A. Plus, next season he doesn't count as non-Eu...

Originally Posted by Aficio

If about Juve, their last buy: Traore is a LB, covering the last remained requirement, but even this guy is not any special, 3rd choice after Clichy & Gibbs in Arsenal, IMO.

Juve will be solid, but I'm curious to see how they compete with Roma, Fio, Palermo,...

The Del Neri Effect...

Juve is doing what Del Neri wants. Get rid of Diego because he wants a 4-4-2 flat, and appears that don't know(like?) how to use a #10. Bringing some middle tables teams type of players to the club, but to be starters

Can't believe Juve is giving him this type of freedom in Mercato. He will turn Juve in a middle team on the field, and they have money for better things.

Well, great for us in a run for a Serie A title, but horrible for Italian clubs in Europe. We need better performances this season.

Same thing will happen to Inter if Moratti give Benitez power on purchases next season...

Originally Posted by GeoTav

Ahah, you have to recognize that having Pato and Robinho together in a club is the best thing that could happen for the NT ?!

I'm very excited about what could happen this season now ... and even more about none of our new players, but about Pato, after reading an article comparing Pato to Messi. They stated that Messi was very often injured before 21, and it's only at 21 he started to become physically "stronger" (the right word should be resistant I think) and injury free. And they then recalled that Pato is/is going to be 21 only, and it's this year he's probably become physically stronger too (and I think it can easily be noticed by watching him nowadays, compared to when he arrived, the difference is huge !!).

If that happens, we'll definitely have the best attack in the world !!

Well, thats true Geo, but when Messi was around 20 or so, Curiff told him to stop trying to dribble pass everyone from Midfield. HE told Messi that only dribbles near the box, as if the other team fouls him, his team will get a chance to score on FKs and pass the ball from midfield. Something that Pato needs to do and understand.

Originally Posted by MilanMikey

let hernanes prove his worth at lazio then will take him

I found this on Youtube. The hype started
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwwLKELCIAo

Originally Posted by ACMILAN1983

What Menenez said is interesting and clearly true, but I'm surprised he talks so much about physical aspects of the game and not at all about the mental. If a coach plays an attacking team that presses high, then the players he uses must be intelligent. They must know how to read the game, knowing when to press and how to control the space with their movement and positioning.

For me intelligence is to some extent the most important aspect of a good team, as without it no team can win. England in this year's world cup were a perfect example. The players are highly rated and some of them are considered world class. Capello is one of the most successful coaches in history and is an undoubted legend. Yet, the side which went to the world cup as one of the favourites failed miserably, and for me more than anything it was the players mental incapacity that failed. It was quite clear what Capello was trying to get from his team, playing a high pressing game and dominating opponents with the squads athleticism and aggressive mentality. Yet, because so many players failed to follow at times relatively simple instructions, they left far too many holes to exploit and never worked well as a group.

The thing I got from what Menenez said, was basically saying Brazil should play like Inter but with more flair. High defense with speed to recover-Lucio and Samuel/Cordoba, midfield to hold the ball and also tracks back to defend-Sneijder, Stankovic, Muntari, Mraiga, Motta.. Wingers/forwards to track back, Eto, Pandev and Mario... I think thas pretty much how the modern game has become, 1 striker with 2 forwards who tracks back. What happened to the good old fashion of having 2 strikers, like Forlan and Suarez.

Originally Posted by HO-YOUNG

Why did we not keep Boriello???? there must be some other dead weight we could off load.. . is it because Pippo scored in the last game???

Borri wants to leave as he wants to play first team football.

Thanks Brasileiro, really good posts. Informative stuff, especially about Robinio and Tabela! It explains why he was so unhappy playing at Man City. At the end of the day a player like Tevez who likes to keep the ball was destined to do well at a side that lacked players with high levels of individual technical ability. Robinio on the other hand needed to play with his team mates and make quick passes with them, they just were probably not upto his mental level. He will be fine with Pirlo, Ronnie, Ibra, Pato and Seedorf though! With these guys helping him play the way he wants, he might even play the best football of his career.

On the rotation, its a long long season. People say they miss Kaka. I miss Ancelotti. He is the one who made a team with Pirlo, Rui Costa (later Kaka), Seedorf work! Just imagine what he could do with these guys. Anyway, its a long season. All four will get their chances.

Originally Posted by Brasileiro

Yep, but If only I could put Ganso/Giuliano + Neymar and Jucilei in red&black... maybe things get even better for NT?!?!


Same thing will happen to Inter if Moratti give Benitez power on purchases next season...

Oh man, you are greedy. Currently, Milan have only 4 Brazilians and all of them are the tops from Samba country, but I still want B & G to satisfy you


Inter is scared of Benitez so they didn't hear any of his requests, but the Spanish is facing some serious unsolved problem with the old squad. So whether he could have power on market or not, things are still not bright for Inter.

I think RB will be fired by December and replace by Lippi, just joking

gr8 guyz..more like a deja-vu .....Milan is back, now can hope for at least one trophy this season

Bonera-Silva-Nesta-Antonini
Flamini-Piro
Pato- Robinho-Dinho
ibra

So after getting Robinho, I see that still many people here are pissed and all over the net saying we were supposed to get something else?

The key to competing everywhere is DEPTH. Borriello+Hunter+Inzaghi are similar players that can't replace Pato+Dinho. On top of that Borriello and Hunter are really Genoa-Schalke standard players. Inzaghi stayed because he's 37, and he always performs, and he earns his position, he doesnt mind being on the bench.

Signing Robinho is a master stroke in so many ways. I can't believe people are finding this transfer as extra and just showing off. I am going to bet that Robinho will be our best player next season. I have wanted him here ever since he started his career at Santos, I am a big fan of his.

We will definitely not play 4 strikers at once, but when we are losing against a smaller team we can play with Prince and Flamini in the middle (they cover alot of space) with the 4 players up front. It can work but not as a starting formation against teams like Real or Inter.

If anyone knows all the accurate figures of our transfers and wages of the players in and gone, can they please post it? I want to see the total net amount we have invested this summer.

Originally Posted by hitmannq8

So after getting Robinho, I see that still many people here are pissed and all over the net saying we were supposed to get something else?

The key to competing everywhere is DEPTH. Borriello+Hunter+Inzaghi are similar players that can't replace Pato+Dinho. On top of that Borriello and Hunter are really Genoa-Schalke standard players. Inzaghi stayed because he's 37, and he always performs, and he earns his position, he doesnt mind being on the bench.

Signing Robinho is a master stroke in so many ways. I can't believe people are finding this transfer as extra and just showing off. I am going to bet that Robinho will be our best player next season. I have wanted him here ever since he started his career at Santos, I am a big fan of his.

We will definitely not play 4 strikers at once, but when we are losing against a smaller team we can play with Prince and Flamini in the middle (they cover alot of space) with the 4 players up front. It can work but not as a starting formation against teams like Real or Inter.

Agree with your assessment of Robinho, I find this signing much much more than a publicity stunt or a needless signing.
Last year Ronnie was flying and we did well enough to justify our position, but with Pato in and out of the team, we only had one clear target to pass to most of the time as Seedorf, Pirlo and Ambrosini refused to shoot.
Borriello must have had over 100 chances on goal last season, but because he was the target man, opponents all knew who and where to mark us out. Its full credit to him that he still managed to bang in 14 goals for us.
Imagine what would have happened if Ronnie was also in and out of the treatment room last year? It would have been a disaster and we wouldn't bee here salivating over two Milan-Madrid fixtures over the next three months.
Robinho in the squad will be like Chelsea of the past with Joe Cole and Robben either starting or coming off the bench when necessary. We have a very versatile attack, We just need to find the midfield to compliment it and the tactics it will use. This, in my humble opinion is a problem I would gladly have every year.

With the players we have now, we will also have more movement, and we'll be able to pull the tightest Serie A defenses around because our entire offense can shoot at will (well, our defence too with T. Silva and Antonini )

To sum things up, I am extremely glad we now have Ibra AND Robinho, be it as a starter for those 6-0 drubbing of lower oppositions, or as a star bench player in those tight matches with the big boys where one goal will win it all.
I can only sing praises for these two moves at the moment, but I sure as hell hope Berlu and Uncle Fester will build on this with an AMF (Honda) and some more decent Fullbacks (take your pick).

Ps: maybe Uncle Fester does read this forum

A great summer.

Last year we had a super thin squad with line-up could be guessed by everyone. Now we gain massive quality and depth, including the promising youngsters.

Thank the management for wonderful work, and hoping the best for mister Silvio Berlusconi in the next election