Winter Mercato 2011

Finally, we are back where we belong.....but most important risk is the long season ahead, if we need to maintain the top spot we must buy in January....the milan for the future


------Ibrahimovic--------Pato--------------

-----------------Kaka----------------------

-----Poli------Pastore-----Flamini------------

Coentrao---------------------------David Luiz
-------------T. Silva--Nesta----------------

----------------Amelia----------------------


Substitutes
Abbiatti
Mexes
De Vito
Antonini
Merkel
Boateng
Giuseppe Rossi
Lanzafame
Paloschi




Buy

Kaka (if he comes cheap)
Rossi
Pastore (A must buy to replace Pirlo)
David Luiz (he plays at right back and centre back)
Coentrao (The wing is now our weakest department)
Mexes (not necessarily mexes, but we need the closest backup for nesta)
Lanzafame (theres something about this lad)


Promote

Merkel (he is gonna be world class if played now)
De Vito
Paloschi (next superpalo????)
Verdi


Sell

Ronaldinho
Robinho
Janku
Oddo
Sokratis
Bonera
Roma


Seedorf, Pirlo, Gattuso, Ambro should play in the champs league and important matches in serie-a

We should either go for pstore to replace pirlo or DIAMANTI this guy is amazing would replace dhino in a second if he were to leave

Originally Posted by k7r

Finally, we are back where we belong.....but most important risk is the long season ahead, if we need to maintain the top spot we must buy in January....the milan for the future


------Ibrahimovic--------Pato--------------

-----------------Kaka----------------------

-----Poli------Pastore-----Flamini------------

Coentrao---------------------------David Luiz
-------------T. Silva--Nesta----------------

----------------Amelia----------------------


Substitutes
Abbiatti
Mexes
De Vito
Antonini
Merkel
Boateng
Giuseppe Rossi
Lanzafame
Paloschi




Buy

Kaka (if he comes cheap)
Rossi
Pastore (A must buy to replace Pirlo)
David Luiz (he plays at right back and centre back)
Coentrao (The wing is now our weakest department)
Mexes (not necessarily mexes, but we need the closest backup for nesta)
Lanzafame (theres something about this lad)


Promote

Merkel (he is gonna be world class if played now)
De Vito
Paloschi (next superpalo????)
Verdi


Sell

Ronaldinho
Robinho
Janku
Oddo
Sokratis
Bonera
Roma


Seedorf, Pirlo, Gattuso, Ambro should play in the champs league and important matches in serie-a

I like some of the things you're saying here, but Pastore is not a CM,, he's a CAM or ACM as people like to say... (Attacking Central Midfielder)

Kaka should NOT under any circumstance come back. There's a reason he was sold, and there's a reason Mourinho doesn't want him. Pastore would be our ACM... however that's a BIG IF...and let's be honest,, he'd cost upwards of €20 Million if not more...However, if we sold the guys you mentioned + Seedorf, then maybe.

Here's my dream:

----------------------------Dzeko/Pato---------------
-------------------Ibrahimovic------------------------
--------------------------Pastore------------------------
--------------Merkel----------------Boateng-----------
--------------------------Jucilei-------------------------
Coentrao-----------------------------------------Abate
----------------------T. Silva---Nesta------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------Amelia-------------------------

Subs:
G. Rossi
Paloschi
Flamini
Lazzari
Ambrosini
Gattuso (1more yr)
Sokratis
Antonini
Ziegler
Yepes
(eventually a new CB)
Abbiati


*Instead of Pastore, I'll take Ganso or Honda

Sell and/or Release (within next 2 years):
Ronaldinho
Inzaghi
Seedorf
Pirlo
Robinho (IF money is used for Pastore or another ACM)
Zambrotta
Oddo
Jankulovski
Bonera (5 Million to Fulham anyone??)


*This would be my long term project*

Originally Posted by Gabriel489

If Honda comes, I think the strikers are fine, since Honda can also play as a CF.
The reason why I said the CB are good enough simply bc if Milan sign someone like David Luiz, then if Silva, Nesta and Luiz are all healthy, which two will start? Beside, thats why I said, Milan should only sign a WC CB when Nesta retires not while he still can play at a top 5 cb in the world.
As for FB, nothing against them, but I am never a fan of having great FBs, esp now since there are only few. Simply bc, FB is the icing on the cake, if the team got a strong mid, great attk and balance, any solid FBs will do. Simic and Kala were the fbs when Milan won in 03, some might say Kala was great that year, but I still think he was mistake prone and Nesta and Cap covered his ass very well. Then came Cafu and Pancaro, both free transfer and over 32, and Milan won the league. Cafu was awesome and Pancaro was solid, but I think Kaka made the bigger diff. Point is that, as long as the team is balance with a strong midfield and attk, you will only need solid FBs.

Good examples you showed above about fullback but fullbacks you named are better than what we have now. Kaladze when he played as fullback was not mistake prone, you probably are influenced of his plays in his last games with milan. Kaladze and Simic supported the CBs to form a great defence. Both Kaladze and Simic are MUCH better than Antonini and Abate regarding their defensive ability. Cafu was worldclass player even he was not young when we signed him but we have to remember that he was a unique player, few players are like him that have so good fitness even not in a young age. Pancaro on the other side an experienced player especially on defensive duty. His performance were not wonderful but his defensive duty was good.

With fullback we have right now, we can do things in Serie A but not in champions League except both fullbacks show something that they have never shown until now. Zambrotta is a good fullback but nowadays lack of fitness. He only can either attacking or doing defensive duty not both. For champions league level we need more than Antonini's caliber.

I am still sure that our biggest problem is a quality 3rd. CB. In Serie A Yepes showed 1 good game but it was helped also a lot by our 3 DMs or 3 players that can do defensive jobs well. In past years we rarely use 3 DMs since Pirlo always played. Now we can use 3 DMs and it is influenced by Ibra factor that he can create chances upfront helped by Seedorf (plus our play which is lately showing as a unit) and what we need a striker and midfielders who can do good or unexpected (random) movement to the PK area (Boateng, Ambrosini and Flamini types of movement upfront until PK area). A decrease of quality of big teams are also occurring this year IMO. So, we can probably handle the pressure in Serie A with only using 1 of our best CB (Nesta or Silva) but not in Champions League. We need two good CB. If one of them is absent, we could get big problem.

We don't need to wait until Nesta can't play or retired. We can use a CB as fullback just like in 2003. In that time it was 'worse', we used CBs for both position of fullbacks. What I mean is like having Nesta, Maldini dan Stam. Of course not in that quality because it is extremely hard nowdays to have such CBs but in term of having 3 good quality CB in which one of them can play as fullback even not in his best form when he plays as fullback. The fullback can come and replace Nesta as CB when Nesta is absent.

My point about having Fbs is that Milan does not need D. Alves, Bale or Conteao, just as log as someone who is solid.

Agree with having quality 3rd CB but I think it is quite hard to do so, simply bc anyone with quality would rather play as a starter. Also I don't think a lot of good solid CB can be good playing as FB these days, jus my opinion.

This whole discussion of a quality 3rd CB is so weird to me.

What team has a quality 3rd CB better than Yepes and Sokratis.

Most teams don't. Most teams like Inter or Madrid use their FB as a CB if they need (Ivanovic, Sergio Ramos, Chivu). We don't have that luxury.

I like our starting CB's better than any other team in world though. It's def not our prority though. Ezequial Garay is available from RM and he's pretty good but more or less same level as Sokratis. Sokratis was bought to be that 3rd CB. If he can't do it then they should sell him. However, I think he can.

FB is way more important for us, and an ACM (after sales of Seedorf and R80)....

Originally Posted by Elmago99

This whole discussion of a quality 3rd CB is so weird to me.

What team has a quality 3rd CB better than Yepes and Sokratis.

Most teams don't. Most teams like Inter or Madrid use their FB as a CB if they need (Ivanovic, Sergio Ramos, Chivu). We don't have that luxury.

I like our starting CB's better than any other team in world though. It's def not our prority though. Ezequial Garay is available from RM and he's pretty good but more or less same level as Sokratis. Sokratis was bought to be that 3rd CB. If he can't do it then they should sell him. However, I think he can.

FB is way more important for us, and an ACM (after sales of Seedorf and R80)....

You can't just compare Milan with other teams just like that regarding problems we have. Each team have their own tactic and formation. We shouldn't try to find similarity with other teams but problems we have or we have been having.

We like it or not, for a couple of years we faced trouble when one of our best CB was absent. In the past it was either Nesta or Maldini. Since last year and today is either Nesta or Silva. Last year we dropped points and lost CL since Nesta was missing the game. Year(s) before it we lost many points because we conceded goals more than we made while Nesta was absent for so long time.

In my opinion the trouble we got there when of our best CB was absent was caused by our formation and tactic lacked of quality in our fullbacks. We relied on 3 midfield formation (either 4-3-1-2, 4-3-2-1 or 4-3-3) with the 3 forwards didn't help to defend, at least one position was not good at defensive duty (Pirlo and/or Seedorf). With 3 midfield formation we lack of defensive player since one or both defensive players move forward to support the offensive players with also one of fullback does the same. It will leave only Pirlo and one DM (or worse with only Pirlo) and 3 backs. Pirlo is a hard worker but we can't lie, he can't defend. This is a big hole for CBs since Pirlo's position just infront of the CBs.
Fullbacks' quality also play important role for our defense's quality. We don't have fullback who as Gabriel said, is solid (for defensive tasks). Our CBs in many occasions have to handle the jobs that should have been done by our fullbacks.

So, in my opinion, we can ignore the need of 3rd quality CB but we have to improve our fullback A LOT and kick Pirlo from his position in front of the CBs. The quality of Abate and Antonini right now are not yet the quality we need for high pressured big games. We need two solid fullbacks. Pirlo also shouldn't play in front of the CBs since it give hole for our defense (we need 3 DMs or players who can defense well enough). He can play as left-centred or right-centred midfielder or even player behind strikers.

Elmago, those 3 players you mentioned naturally are CB since they excelled in that position for many years. Ramos in Sevilla, Ivanovic in Moscow, and Chivu in Roma & Ajax. It was only because in their clubs now have several other superb CBs (Alex, Terry, and Carvalho in Chelsea for Ivanovic; Pepe and now Carvalho for Ramos; Lucio, Samuel, for Chivu) that they were played as sidebacks. For Chelsea and Inter it's even more like luxury to them, almost like our situation upfront until Pato and Pippo's injured. That's why even when a makeshift defense of say, Santon+Cordoba+Materazzi+Zanetti is better than ours, say Marek+Bonera+Sokratis+Abate. That's why Carletto weren't afraid to sell Carvalho (their 1st choice CB for the last 6 years) because he knew he had other players that could slot in easily as 3rd choice CB in emergency cases.


This year even Nesta+Silva partnership isn't as formidable as last year. And it's way worse when either is absent since none of the back-ups (Bonera, Sokratis, Yepes) really impressed. That and the fact that Nesta and Silva get injured quite often (and in Nesta's case how many more years can you count on him) is the reason why we should begin to look for a quality CB, though I do agree with you that FB is more urgent now.


We might top the serie A but honestly with defense like ours who conceeded 12 times in 11 games we won't go far in the latter stages of UCL where the away goal rule is applied.

Despite all that, I still think winning CL has more to do without luck than consistency, as long as the team makes it into the knockout stage. Since injuries and forms will be the main factors in the knockout stage rather than qualities and depths of the squad.

After the derby victory, Balotelli was seen having dinner in Giannino's with none other than Galliani.

Giannino's is Kaladze's restaurant and it is usually and traditionally been a place where Milan make their deals with players outside the offices.

Balotelli to replace inzaghi,bonera and oddo out, coentrao in ,pastore or ganso in ronaldinho out

-----------Ibra----Balotelli------------
--------------Pastore------------------
------Flamini--Ambrosini--Gattuso/Boateng
Coentrao---T. Silva--Nesta----Zambrotta
----------------Amelia/Abbiati-------------

Amazinggggggggg

Pato's hurt ALL the time, Inzaghi out, we need a striker. However, Balotelli would be too expensive....and probably Pastore too...

Ronaldinho OUT
Seedorf OUT next summer

*I like the way we play without Pirlo in CM

I think last night game proved that if a team must have mobile midfielders in order to be a force in the modern game.

About replacement for pippo, media here in china mentioned 3 names; bring back borrielo,swap bonera for amauri,or go for matri. I'm ok with anyone of that 3.

Originally Posted by will4li

About replacement for pippo, media here in china mentioned 3 names; bring back borrielo,swap bonera for amauri,or go for matri. I'm ok with anyone of that 3.

Borri = awesome idea
Amauri = awful, lets put out a training cone instead
Matri = on loan would be a useful reserve

but what about Paloschi?