AC Milan vs Bari

Terrible game again, the team really needs to get things together. Anyways, me thoughts on how the players played.

Storari - 9, amazing again, let's hope he keeps this going.

Abate - 5.5 Bad first half, good second half, he was beaten all the time in the first half, but to be fair, he was playing against the best player on the pitch (except Storari) Rivas.

Nesta - 7

Kaladze - 6.5 I was really fearing how bad he would be when he's started playing for us, but I think he's done a decent job, much better than expected. He was beaten once by Rivas, but so was Nesta, Gattuso and everyone else.

Zambrotta - 6

Gattuso - 6.5, Won alot of balls, which is what we can ask off him.

Pirlo - 7, was all over the pitch, and to any one who says he can't run, you're just plain wrong.

Ambrosini - 5.5, the yellow card after 7 minutes doesn't really help Ambrosini, and there was perhaps one to many weird passes.

Seedorf - 5.5, he didn't really create anything.

Ronaldinho - 4.5, everything went wrong for Ronaldinho really, but at least he tried.

Huntelaar - 5, made the same run a couple of times, and got the ball from Ronaldinho a couple of times, but didn't do anything with it, or anything at all really.

---------

Pato - 5
Inzaghi - 5
Oddo - 6

abate looked like a midfielder today the way he pushed up,we should seriously consider sacrifising gattuso not because i want to, because he cant score goals our main problem is 2 attacking midfielders and 1 wide back, abate should be a fulltime wideback now, there was one moment when he had a 1 on 1 with A bari defender for a clear shot on goal, if we dont have the speed to walk goals in aka barcelona,arsenal,milan 06-07, then we have to start taking shots outside the box, as far as i know R80 should not start at all, unless as a emergency striker like today,klass give him credit new league new country new language not everybody plays like Ibra,Torres people react diffrently, this team is close besides the collapse aganst Internazionale, remember everybody 2 attacking midfielders and 1 wideback Rafinha,Crescito,Bale, the league looks so balanced i hate to say a top 4 spot and go as deep as we can in the champions league....

Huntelaar isnt getting a real shot to do well, the service sucks. Stoari should remain keeper all year

Pathetic display. We were lucky not to lose by 2-3 goals at the San Siro by a newly promoted Bari. We were a mess.

Lep keeps taking Hunter out, I know he had not done much, but let the man finish the game, and not take him out every time game is at 0:0 at the 50th min. Team has no plan and no idea how to create a chance.

we need some more hunger and some running.

--------------Stoari----------------
-Antonini-Nesta-Oneywu-Zambrota-
----Abate--Flamini--Janks----
---------------Pirlo--------------------
--------Pato---Huntelaar-----

This team has a couple of players that can get some width and some players that are hungry to do well. Pirlo can be free to create further up, Huntelaar will be fine with some proper service, Abate and Janks can run and cross. Antonini needs a chance to show what he can do. Oneywu does as well, and next to Nesta he should be fine and he could help with crosses and set pieces. If the players want to prove themselves they we run and we can get back to winning

Originally Posted by pirlofanusa

Huntelaar isnt getting a real shot to do well, the service sucks. Stoari should remain keeper all year

Huntelaar hasn't got used to the Italian defence so far. On a few occasions,he tried to shelter the ball with his back but always got the ball stolen.

Originally Posted by nefremo

Pathetic display. We were lucky not to lose by 2-3 goals at the San Siro by a newly promoted Bari. We were a mess.

A few days ago they managed to get one point from the same pitch.

why has it suddenly become soo depressing! i knew that lossing kaka wasnt the biggest mistake of the summer, it was not bringing back gourcoff. granted he hadnt done it for milan yet, but come on, we were soo slow and there was not even a hint of creativity. the next time the baldy general manger says we are a great team and dont need any players i want to just sit him down and explain to him that he has been living in 2005 and its now 2009! i am so disgusted tonight, and tomorrow is just as bad. if there are no significant signings in the winter, then im afraid for all milan fans, this is going to be a tough year(or few!)

I am bitterly disappointed by the performance today. I have to give credit to Bari, they played very well. However, they've played very well against the big teams this season. They've started the season very well, for themselves.

However, that does not excuse today's performance.

Abate came up against their best player, and I think for someone playing out of position, he did play well. He is also far more effective as a midfielder, but he's done a good job in the position.

My ratings for the game:

Storari - 8.5 What a game. He was man of the match, and thankfully he did not have to deal with any crosses because our fullbacks were doing a pretty good job in making sure Bari funneled their attacks into the center. That we let them play around in the center defeats the purpose of that. Amazing shot stopping ability, but we knew that all ready.

Zambrotta - 6.0 Defensively sound, a no-nonsense performance. I feel bad for him, he constantly came forward only for Ronaldinho to make a poor choice. He has given us stability to the left side, and it seems that our attacking play really is more of an issue than our fullbacks.

Nesta - 7.0 A great performance, while he might have been skinned once, he had to compensate for Kaladze and the lack of a shield from the midfield. Thiago Silva is really missed by Milan, we play better with him paired with Nesta.

Kaladze - 6.5 Not a bad performance, but he did make some safe choices in kicking the ball away. He did well to cover Zambrotta when Zambro's run was made useless by poor ball distribution.

Abate - 6.25 He was playing against their best player. He did well to shut him down as much as he could, considering he's really a winger, he did a great job. He worked tirelessly, and actually offered something going forward. Some may say all he can do is push forward, but frankly, that's something we need.

Ambrosini - 5.5 At times he showed grit, and other times he showed that he might still be recovering from his injury. Like Gattuso, his attacking play is one of the big reasons Milan struggles to score.

Pirlo - 6.0 At times he was great in running with the ball and trying to make something happen. However, his set-pieces are still off. His crossing is off. Something is off for Pirlo and it is worrying.

Gattuso - 6.0 Gattuso did his job. As the more defensive of the two DMs we play with, he did a rather decent job in winning possession and for covering Abate when he ventured forward too much. I hope he can rediscover his form of last year, we need it.

Seedorf - 5.0 Seedorf is tired, you can see it. He tried some things, but they didn't work. However, at times, sometimes his play with Ronaldinho seemed that it could result in something. It didn't, and Seedorf hopefully will be rested for the game against Zurich.

Ronaldinho - 5.5 He could have won the game. How he missed that header, hitting it against the bar, when he had the entire goal at his mercy, I don't know. His passing was poor today, and his first half was terrible. However, in the second half he seemed to come to life, especially with Pato. That was, short lived however. I would really like to see Dinho play with Pato from the start. That being said, I'm about to give up on him.

Huntelaar - 4.5 Poor, but you could not fault him for lack of trying. He just has no idea where to go and what the other players want. It's not about his inability to execute. He's just not had any opportunity to shoot. He's always playing with his back to goal or chasing after some hopeful hoof to the flanks. He needs to learn fast, because Milan needs him.

Subs:

Pato - 5.5 In the beginning he was a livewire. I think that was because for once, Bari had to think about who they should actually defend. Do you give space to Dinho? Allow Pirlo to ghost in from deep? Let Huntelaar through? Give Pato time on the ball? Milan's best chances came with Pato, once Ronaldinho left, Bari re-focused on simply cutting supply to Pato.

Inzaghi - 5.0 Offered little except offsides and earning a few corners. A delight when he scores, frustrating when he doesn't.

Oddo - 6.0 He actually was solid defensively. He actually put in a good cross to Pippo. Allowed Abate to push forward, but I still don't think he should have come on.

Milan as a whole - 5.5 Our defense is strong. The fullbacks don't seem to be the major issue anymore. Yes, they're not perfect, but they are not gifting goals or possession to anyone. Storari is really rising to the occasion.

Milan used to be notorious for playing through the middle, our tremendous amount of patience and possession forcing teams open by their desperation. Milan actually started well, playing in that style. And then, we broke down. We are constantly trying to play down the wings, when it clearly isn't working.

Ronaldinho might've played poor overall, but, we had to chase this game. Leonardo is so obsessed with balance, he does not shift from the formation and tactics he chose for the game. He needs to take those gambles. Maybe he's trying to do damage control and try and keep Milan's focus on the Champions League? I'm not sure, I think there were better ways to approach this game, and essentially trying to make Ronaldinho do the same thing as Kaka, and simply win the game, was never going to work.

We need to keep possession in the attacking third. That is Milan's really only major issue. The defensive is holding up, the midfield is breaking up play. However, the link between our midfield and attack is what is shooting Milan in the foot. We cannot keep sustained pressure, and that is worrying because that is Milan's hallmark.

On some level I think we need new players, on another, I feel like Leonardo's tactics are too text-book to allow Milan to really go for the points. Why play Pippo? Let Ronaldinho, Pato, and Huntelaar really go for it. Jankulovski would have provided a different dimension from midfield.

This will be a long season, and hopefully Zurich will provide us with a team to take our anger out on. The reality is that we need reinforcements. Not revolutionary, but I think Beckham, Rafinha, and a real attacking midfielder could make a world of difference.

I hope that Leonardo actually tries Ronaldinho and Pato together, that is the only hope I have left before the January transfer window of a tactical change that could actually help Milan.

they should attend church or what ever it is called by other religions... only a devine intervention can help them...

Pathetic, absolutely pathetic. Even worse, given the fact that we already KNEW that our opponents have dropped points! Should've been more motivation to go out there and pick up the 3 points. The sad thing is that all of us knew that this was the most likely scenario if we did not buy any new players this summer----and sure enough we bought no one (aside from Leo's third choice---Huntelaar). If we did our best to strengthen the team and this happens, I can accept it, but when we do nothing--then quite frankly we deserve this.

Imagine, who in their right mind would sell off our best player WITHOUT replacing him with a player of similar characteristics (no, Dinho does not have similar characteristics), lose our long-serving captain to retirement, lose our 7 year serving, winning coach--and then what? Keep the same players and bring in an amateur coach---great! And we're supposed to do better this year? Shame on you Berlusconi, shame on you Galliani for not having the guts to stand up to your boss.

you are totally right...and if we don't get some really proven QUALITY players in jan, i think we will miss not only the champions league but european football altogether next season beacuse this is the most competitive Serie A i have seen for years....so many good teams....and by AC Milan standards, we look poor beyond belief

Originally Posted by pirlofanusa

--------------Stoari----------------
-Antonini-Nesta-Oneywu-Zambrota-
----Abate--Flamini--Janks----
---------------Pirlo--------------------
--------Pato---Huntelaar-----

I really dig the idea of your formation. We srsly have to step away from the two DM formation, especially vs the small teams: they just stay back and defend, so we need as many technically gifted and offensive players to crowd their box and anyway one DM is more than enough to shield our defense against them.

What you got going there really looks like a 4-4-2, with Pirlo being the offensive CM and Flamini the defensive one (could really be Gattuso and Ambro there too, but they contribute less upfront). Both Abate and Janku are in their natural positions, and they can go up more than as fullbacks and they have the protection from the other fullbacks.

As for the defensive quartet, I am not sure I like the choice of Onyewu, but maybe finally partnered with a godlike defender like Nesta he can do better than in preseason.

Leonardo really has to dare to break away from the Carlo style, because Dinho isnt gonna reach his high levels from 2005/06 and replace Kakà. Leo has gotta find other solutions. At this point he really has nothing to loose....

A poor match but nothing really less than expected given recent standards. Bari really used the wide areas well and took advantage of our weaknesses there, pinning back the fullbacks well.

Our problem in attack is quite deep. Movement is lacking, but when we move our timing, and direction is all wrong. Abate did get forward on some occasions with a lot of space to the centre of him, but no one looked to move into the areas and we saw the move slow right down, often breaking. Whenever we looked to get crosses into the box, we actually had 2-3 players in the box many times, but no players were coming in from deep as the cross comes in. Even worse, the 2-3 players in the box were always stationed within about a square metre of each other at the back post, which is pretty useless. We need the players to make more intelligent runs, working for each other and working the front and back posts with movement in the box.

The lack of movement and intelligent runs show in our build up too, as we often have players looking for a pass but with no one around them to pass to. It was a pointless endavour and eventually saw Bari defend comfortably. The times when players were next to each other (e.g. Dinho and Seedorf on occasions) they were a metre apart trying to bulldoze through the Bari central defence.

Credit to Storari as he pulled off some magnificent saves. Abate was well pinned back but on the whole I think did pretty well, given he had little support, while Zambro was solid but added nothing. Nesta and Kaladze were solid, though had a few moments where they suffered.

The midfield really failed us yesterday. Pirlo I felt moved pretty well, often making space for himself but then left with no one to pass to and having to turn back on himself. Rino was poor, as he fought as always but was often beaten easily and on the ball was terrible. Ambro was beaten less often but was awful (especially at the start). He's a terrible passer of the ball, so he didn't add anything to the side. Seedorf was trying to connect with Dinho (and no one else it seemed), but was anonymous throughout the match, offering nothing.

With this midfield the attack suffered. Dinho was trying to run through the Bari defence with little to no effect and Huntelaar looks as lost as can be. He gets nothing to even go for and is clearly struggling with Serie A defenders.

We're not nailing the fundamentals when attacking and this seriously hurts us. The basics of movement, timing, pace and teamwork are not seen. I'm not sure what the answer is either if I'm honest, so I can only hope Leo has some ideas.