Winter Mercato

As for Torres, 90+% of goals he has scored this season came against defensively inept teams like Derby C. and Reading (or whatever) ...

actually, it was Readings reserves

and yes Derby are by far the worst side in the Premiership so i doubt they can be used as a decent measure, Spurs and Arsenal hammered them too and any side that scores early against them can expect goals galore, iirc one of Torres' goals was assisted by a Derby defender sending him a great throughball

To be fair to him though he has looked decent in the other games he has featured in and Liverpool missed him in the last 2 leagues games where Rafa inexplicably rested him.

We need game winner but unfortunately GIla is not one and Inzaghi is like a light bulb (turning on and off all the time). Ronaldo is also a game winner but he is (almost forever) injured. Then we have Pato... Let's hope that when ronaldo is back and Pato is with us things are better (in terms of attack).

Originally Posted by zlatanov

my dear curly dru, could you please do me a favour and show me where I, or Warro, said that I considered our squad "complete" and in no need of reinforcements?
What was it that gave you this idea - Was it the fact that I refused to go bonkers and start swearing at the management or was it that I didn't give Quaresma a bj and Torres a hj in every single post I made during the summer?

I am aware that English isn't my first language but I doubt it is so bad that one would mistake my constant "hoping" that we'll sign more players and my mentioning of players like Mancini, Baptista, Mascherano, Abidal, Zambrotta, Alves, Cannavaro, Alex, Zapata etc, etc for "we have a complete squad and don't need any reinforcements"

So, next time you decide to play word games with me, please do me a big favour and give it a thought, or better yet - two, before you rush to the keyboard and say something completely irrelevent that would draw support only from Gre-No-Li and the likes

As for Sneijder, please go back to my posts on him, read carefully what I had to say about him, and then maybe you will realize that the guy is yet to prove me wrong ... maybe one day he will but that day is yet to come, ok .

Judging a player on a game or two has never worked for anyone ... and just like you are judging me being wrong about Sneijder on the basis of his first 2-3 games for Real where he was very, very good, I just as easily could judge him on his last 2-3 games for Real where he was average at best and showed exactly what I said about him - that he is not a difference maker.

To put it in slightly different words, which hopefully wont be twisted this time around - Sneijder is a player who will play great when Real plays great, then he will be at the forefront of things and will give the impression to lightminded fans that he is a great player ... when however Real is having a difficult time, he will be nowhere to be seen as he is not the type of player, who will stand up and pick up his team in a difficult moment aka he is not a difference maker but rather a player who follows the flow of his team.

As for Torres, 90+% of goals he has scored this season came against defensively inept teams like Derby C. and Reading (or whatever) ... so, again, he is yet to prove that he is good enough even for the EPL, where apart from 3-4 teams, the rest will be put to school in defensive tactics by even the worst of serie B teams (here it would help keeping in mind that Milan is a an Italian team, not an EPL team) ...
and if we are gonna use these two games to judge him, then I guess we could also throw the Porto game in the mix too, a game that was his CL debut and ... I hardly need to tell you what happened, or rather didn't happen there (a more expensive Gilardino anyone?).

First of all I didn't know that english isn't your first language.....you're very good at it

Second, I meant no ill will/disrespect. But you must admit that you poured a lot of cold water on my Torres/ Quaresma ideas.....saying things like "he wouldn't be able to find a place in the starting lineup" etc etc.

Torres could only score vs who is put in front of him and imho he has done that very well.....at least better than you-know-who

Third I doubt Torres is into that kind of thing but I'm pretty certain that after a bj, hj, fj and possibly rj -Quaresma would be willing to take the sj for milan

Torres has only really sparked against weak opposition but the goal he scored against Chelsea can make you think what we are going to miss out on.

I personally think we messed up during summer - what we needed to do was keep RO up until january and then send him on loan whilst we get Pato ready.

Originally Posted by drucurl

First of all I didn't know that english isn't your first language.....you're very good at it

thanks ... that scratch on the back just put you 2 notches up in my book - now you are at notch 0 ... joking, of course

Second, I meant no ill will/disrespect. But you must admit that you poured a lot of cold water on my Torres/ Quaresma ideas.....saying things like "he wouldn't be able to find a place in the starting lineup" etc etc.

I never said Quaresma will not enter Milan's starting 11 ... I did however pour cold water on your romance with him - - and here is why:

I have two problems with Quaresma - one, his attitude. He left Barca with the speed train 'cause he had decided that he was better than anyone and didn't take him long to break it up with Rijkaard (a very patient coach from what it looks).
True, he has probably grown up a bit from those days but he still shows on the field that "I am too good to be true" attitude that I don't wanna see in Milan players ... basically, I don't think he is the type of character that would fit in Milan's dressing room for too long before he falls out with his teammates and Carlo.

My second problem with him, is his pricetag - at close to 40 mil (let's make it 30 for argument's sake) it is just too much for a player like Quaresma with all the character problems he's had and seems to continue to have ... and let's face it, he is closer to being a "still has to prove himself" player than a proven player, so this pricetag is hugely unjustified IMO with or without a couple of impressive CL performances.

I have always liked the idea of having a player of Quaresma's type and that's why I mentioned Mancini as my preferred player to see Milan go for - he is not much older than Q., proven in Italy and at least as proven in CL, has more substance than Q. in his game (Q. tends to overplay certain situations quite a bit ... basically, he likes to show off) and last but not least, Mancini would cost us half of what Q. would.

Anyways, the point is that just because I didn't like Q. it didn't mean that I didn;t wanna see Milan extend their current options within the squad.

Torres could only score vs who is put in front of him and imho he has done that very well.....at least better than you-know-who

not true IMO - scoring vs EPL teams is not the same as scoring vs Italian teams, be that weakest Italian teams in Serie A, as the mentality, the tactics in Italy are very different than they are in the EPL and all this takes the biggest toll on strikers given the defensive coverage in Italy ... it's players like Torres, coming from a much more "open" league, that tend to suffer big time in Italy.

Torres may score 40 goals in the EPL this season and that would still not be enough to say that he would have been good enough for Milan in Italy ... basically the only base for such comparison can be made on the grounds of his performance in CL games as in the CL Pool's and Milan's opponents are pretty much of similar level, so to speak.
Beyond that, how Torres faires in EPL will not change the fact that he is unproven in Italy and vs Italian defensive tactics and would mean nothing as to how well he would have played, or not, for Milan had we gone for him this summer.

to put it in dif words - Torres may become Pool's player of the year in the EPL, this however still won't be good enough of a proof that Milan really "missed" on him.

Third I doubt Torres is into that kind of thing but I'm pretty certain that after a bj, hj, fj and possibly rj -Quaresma would be willing to take the sj for milan

next Summer, Q. will be on his way out of Porto even without any _j thing

I personally think that we messed up all the summers for the past 5 years, that's why we have the rumor windmill, yet we won 2 champion league finals (with one that we really throw away, and one that we decided 4-1 was too much an embarrassment of another team and decided to lose 4-0 at their ground).

@Dru: pouring cold water at your players doesn't necesssarily mean that your player is bad; it's just that the point is the period of time is so short to assess him that is unrealistic to make any immediate decision.

Look at CR9; "he is so amazing in EPL" "he is wonderful" "he can beat the crap out of Maldini who is so slow and old".

Then? He didn't even get past the midfield at SanSiro. However great he is, he is just non-existent in the 2-league game against MIlan. he is a great player, I have no doubt, but Idon't see how he is truly a big-game player.

I can name two others who are: Messi & Ronaldoinho. Messi is gaining more and more of my respect, but I'm not entirely convinced, yet, also because I don't follow the spanish league as often.

And believe it or not, Gilardino actually scored his second goal against Manchester United (non-important goals if you would like to consider, but he scored right at the moment when Man U piled up the pressure and looked like they were back to the normal self. Then a pass from Ambro, then a 1-on-1, then we know what happened...)

The point is: don't judge based just on a few games about a player; scouting is an art.

[quote=zlatanov]I am sure you have ideas, Marko, I have no doubt about that ... actually, having ideas has never been and never will be the problem with you and 100 other guys here at MM ... the problem is that your ideas change more frequently than the wind changes directions, no offense intended ... and if a football club was to be run in such a way, it would go broke in a tranfer season or two (although, chances are, they would have to morgage the training facilities to raise enough money for the second ).

So, now it is Rothen ... a guy who was great in the 2003/04 season and then for the next 3-4 years, one couldn't hear his name mentioned even after a 1-hour long google search ... now, I am guessing he has 2-3 good games in a row for PSG, you happen to watch League 1 highlights and ... boom, there you go, Rothen is the next transfer target.
How about next week, though, would he still be in your book after you stumble upon next week's highlights from the Eredevisie or the Bundesliga or whatever?



No Zlat, no offence man, but this is generalisation. Its not like that at all.

Im just showing that there are a lot of options, a lot of variations, that can improove our team. I wasnt asking for 10 players or Ronaldinho and Henry, I was just saying that, as much as this Milan is strong, we do need somthing fresh to help us in sewrie a. It is pretty obvious also for you I think.

Galliani knows his job, of course, but we are here to talk about football and how to make our team perfect. isnt that a goal for every football fan, to have a perfect team?

Rothen is not just a player I saw 2 times in highlights and like some kid who doesnt know thig about football I went to MM and said " rothen rocks! ". NO.

There are numerous players of top quality that are not playing in top football clubs, sounds strange but its true. Just look at Duff! Newcastle for this brilliant player...a shame! Considering Rothen: I watched him play like 100 times since he became known player and to me, to me I repeat, he seems a great player. Actually, a better player that Jankulovski. But to Paris you need to pay well and with Udinese Milan probably has some strange conections like big clubs have with the smaller ones in Italy. Forget about what we see in highlights ( goals, crosses...). Being a Milan fan learns you to watch football carefully, not just dribbles and goals. Im still standing behind Rothen like I told you guys about Ribery - those players are great buys. They change the rith of the game, their touch is perfect and they have toughness and tactical responsibility. Flaire also.

So Zlat, it kinda offends me when you compare this with some kids that come in here and say: " I want ballack, terry, del piero and adriano..." Its not like that. Its easy to just keep quiet and wait for Galliani to buy someone and then say "ok, gallani knows what he is doing". For that I dont need to be in here !!!

I'll say it again, we NEED only one quality fast midfielder and we'll play much better in serie a games. Just one player taht can play in wide areas.

Originally Posted by Nalx Sijabat

I don't mean to disrespect your opinion dude, but I think I'd rather believe what the president of Boca Junior Mauricio Macri said, that Banega "is a player like Gennaro Gatusso - but a little more skilful"

Don't believe everything Macri says, if it was for him and for the River Plate president the world will be full of Maradonas, Batistutas, Redondos and now Gatussos....I'm not saying the kid is not good, in fact he has a lot of potential but comparing him with Gatusso at this point of his career is simply ridiculous.
Those guys are always trying to increase a player price tag by saying "this player is like X star, but better", a clear example is what happened with Martin Palermo (I'm using him since he also was with Boca), he was supossed to be the next Batistuta, and they almost got away with it since they had both Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid ready to pay 30+MM a few years ago, but then he missed 3 Penalty shots on the same game vs. Colombia on a Copa America and everyones started to question his mental strenght, he ended up with Villareal instead and the rest is history.

Banega will be a good buy for Milan at a reasonable price, but Boca (and River for that matter) are the Masters of getting the most of the buyer (ask Real Madrid), so I really wouldn't want Milan to get caught in their game, as I said Banega will good, but not for Brazillion Euros.

And Macri isnt a soccer guy, he is a businessman (Macri = Mafia) that is using Boca Juniors in order to reach the country's presidency some years down the road.
And guys like Gattuso arent regarded as great soccer players in South America, just as a limited guy with tremendous heart.
Banega is a much better "soccer" player than Gattuso. Gattuso cant control the ball without losing it against the first defender, nor he has dribbling skills. Thats why I say that they are way different. Banega's motor is much more limited, he isnt a guy that would "break" the game as much as Gattuso. They could complement each other, Gattuso and Banega.

Originally Posted by Paolo3

Martin Palermo (I'm using him since he also was with Boca), he was supossed to be the next Batistuta, and they almost got away with it since they had both Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid ready to pay 30+MM a few years ago, but then he missed 3 Penalty shots on the same game vs. Colombia on a Copa America and everyones started to question his mental strenght, he ended up with Villareal instead and the rest is history.

HAHA, I remember that game, poor guy, talk about having a bad day, hehe

From what I've seen Banega is great at controlling the midfield. Yes he does gets stuck in there with some tough tackles and wins balls in the midfield but the strongest part of his game is his passing and vision. He gives a lot of assists forward and is very good at taking care of the ball. So I would say that his technical side is way better then his physical which is opposite then Gattuso. I really don't know why the Boca president would say that he is the new Gattuso.

There is someone that sides with me....Banega

From this saturday newspaper:

¿Hizo bien Macri en rechazar la oferta?

-El sabe bien lo que hace. Pero se equivocó en algo: él dijo que tengo un estilo parecido al de Gennaro Gattuso. El es un jugador de primer nivel, pero yo me anoto en la línea de Andrea Pirlo o Fernando Gago.

He was asked if Macri did the right thing rejecting Milan's offer. And he replies that Macri knows what he is doing but he got something wrong: his comparison between Banega and Gattuso. Banega says Gattuso is an elite player, but he is from the Andrea Pirlo / Fernando Gago "breed".

Originally Posted by GilAttack [11]

And guys like Gattuso arent regarded as great soccer players in South America, just as a limited guy with tremendous heart.
Banega is a much better "soccer" player than Gattuso. Gattuso cant control the ball without losing it against the first defender, nor he has dribbling skills. Thats why I say that they are way different. Banega's motor is much more limited, he isnt a guy that would "break" the game as much as Gattuso. They could complement each other, Gattuso and Banega.

I second that, watched them both and they are not similar in style, though they are both fighters...In terms of fighting spirit and aggressiveness, Gattuso is ahead of Banega, but Banega has relatively good ball control and passing

Dida out of Celtic clash
Saturday 29 September, 2007
Nelson Dida looks set to miss the Champions League trip to Celtic, so Milan are looking to bring back Christian Abbiati in January.

The Brazilian picked up a tendon problem earlier this week and pulled out of Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat at Palermo.

However, further tests have reportedly highlighted an inflammation in the left shoulder that will keep him sidelined for 10 days.

Dida underwent surgery on his right shoulder last season and there are fears this could be a similar problem.

Zeljko Kalac takes the gloves and he also played when Milan last visited Celtic in the Champions League, keeping a clean sheet in the second round, first leg 0-0 draw.

The Australian has not always been entirely reliable and there were some question marks over his performance in the midweek 2-1 loss at Palermo.

With this in mind, the ‘Corriere dello Sport’ suggests that the club is looking to bring Abbiati back to San Siro in January.

He was loaned out to Atletico Madrid in the summer, but has not been given much first team football in Spain.

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channel 4


My wish is coming true!!!

It is sad to say that most midfielders in top leagues are more skillful than our Rhino. But there are very few physically on par with him, not mention stronger. I can only think of some like Essien or Viera. Banega look smaller (1m74) and not very muscular, comparing him with Gattuso is ridiculous, IMO.