AC Milan v. Udinese {9/1/2011: 15:00 CET}

[Maltese Charlie]

Originally Posted by ACMILAN1983

An insane game of football that was exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. I had anticipated we'd struggle against Udinese, they are a very good side, quick and we were severely hampered by injuries and a terrible midfield.

The first half was a balanced game, where we generally dominated the game, but Udinese had good periods of attack. At the back we were forced very deep as we couldn't cope with their speed, but it also meant we struggled to build positive attacking moves. Overall the 1-1 scoreline at halftime was right, but we needed to switch emphasis to win the match.

The second half was much more open. We pushed forward more, making ourselves extremely vulnerable to the counter and Udinese were deadly. Likewise, we have one of the best forward lines in football and our quality showed in this respect.

The game was very much cat and mouse, with us pushing right up and Udinese constantly breaking. It was entertaining, but also proved to be our problem, as our defence being so open meant we were all over the place when countered. In many ways we were a little like Leo's 4-2-Fantasy of last season, with Thiago and Bonera at the back, Strasser and Rino in midfield and the quartet of Ibra, Pato, Binho and Cassano up front. One can't help but think that with Nesta, we might have coped in the match.

This was essentially the story of the match, and while the draw was deserved, our problems were mainly due to our injuries. Up front we were deadly, especially with Cassano supporting the strikers (something I hope to see in the near future). However, in midfield and defence our weaknesses showed. Without Pirlo and Ambro, we lacked our usual creativity, stability and domination of possession. This allowed Udinese in the game more easily and we struggled. In defence, Antonini was constantly outplayed and Bonera was awful to say the least. Individual mistakes from both often cost us goals.

Players...
Amelia - A disappointment, but at the same time left exposed
Abate - Was caught out of position for Di Natale's second goal, but at that point we were playing for broke, so I don't blame him.
Bonera - I was left speechless. I've always rated Bonera, even if not as great at least as solid. 3 of Udinese's goals were his fault, as on the second and last goals he lost his man and on the third he was beaten far too easily (and allowed Di Natale onto his favoured foot). Awful, Awful performance to say the least.
Thiago - A good performance from a man caught between a rock and a hard place.
Antonini - Poor on the whole. Looked weak throughout, played Udinese onside for the first goal and never offered a worthwhile contribution going forward. Last season he was a revelation, and this he feels more of a liability.
Rino - Struggled to cope with Udinese's midfield, but frequently battled and kept winning the ball. Few complaints in this respect, but on the ball he was weak.
Seedorf - solid in the first half and disappeared in the second. He takes an eternity on the ball and it completely ruins our play.
Strasser - Solid display and didn't seem overwhelmed by the match. Few complaints, although still needs time and experience to play frequently.
Robinho - He doesn't offer the creativity we need now that Pato's back. A good player in Pato's position, but not as part of a front 3 with Pato and Ibra.
Ibra - worked hard despite not always looking fully fit/sharp. Great goal and assist to Pato.
Pato - Excellent up front as he constantly moved for the team and showed how dangerous he is in front of goal.
Cassano - Brilliant impact on the game and brought us back into it. Offered the playmaking we lacked and set up 2 goals. Superb.

We lost two points but at this point only Inter has taken advantage, and one or both of Juve or Napoli will drop points tonight, so overall not a weekend to feel too concerned about.

That said, we need to recover some of our players now.

I just like to remark about Gattuso. He was voted best player of the match together with Tiago Silva from sky Italia commentators.

[Xudong]

Originally Posted by Warro Bantan

Bonera, against a solid, fast, mobile forward line like Udinese's, should never be in the starting 11.

Allegri seems to always be out coached when faced with coaches that are recognized for tactical acumen...

At least Lazio also dropped points....

I don't care about Lazio. Inter gained 2 points on us today.

Bonera.. I desparately wanted to play Yepes instead of him, retrospectively, I am sure that Sokratis would have done much much better than this training cone.

[Xudong]

briliant:

Silva - 7.5
Cassano - 7.5

decent:

Strasser - 6.5
Gattuso - 6.5
Ibra - 6.5
Pato - 6.5
Robinho - 6

poor:

Abate - 5
Amelia - 4.5
Antonini - 4

piss poor:

Seedorf - 3
Bonera - 3

I was confident that we could come back even when we were lagging. I was so sure that we would win by 4-3; even after they scored 4th goal, I was still believing that somehow we could win it by 5-4.

the loss of 2 points will be worth if Allegri learns from it and drops Seedorf and Bonera (and even Antonini) from now on.

I know that I have said this before, but Amelia was such a disappointment today.

[Elmago99]

Put Ambrosini in for Seedorf, and Nesta in for Bonera in this game and we win 4-1

[Elmago99]

Originally Posted by Xudong

briliant:

Silva - 7.5
Cassano - 7.5

decent:

Strasser - 6.5
Gattuso - 6.5
Ibra - 6.5
Pato - 6.5
Robinho - 6

poor:

Abate - 5
Amelia - 4.5
Antonini - 4

piss poor:

Seedorf - 3
Bonera - 3

I was confident that we could come back even when we were lagging. I was so sure that we would win by 4-3; even after they scored 4th goal, I was still believing that somehow we could win it by 5-4.

the loss of 2 points will be worth if Allegri learns from it and drops Seedorf and Bonera (and even Antonini) from now on.

I know that I have said this before, but Amelia was such a disappointment today.

or sh*t poor

[Xudong]

has anyone realized that Cassano has contributed 3 assists since he joined us. how many minutes did he play by the way? like 30, at most 40 minutes?

wow.

[patos older bro]

i think cassano shud play in AMF with with ibra as the spearhead and robinho and pato to the left and right of him. and seedorf to get sold or released (Dont realy care as long as he dunt play agen).And bonera man tht guys so makes wish senderos was back (Well maby hes not tht bad)

[ACMILAN1983]

Originally Posted by Maltese Charlie

I just like to remark about Gattuso. He was voted best player of the match together with Tiago Silva from sky Italia commentators.

In many ways I agree with them. Defensively Rino was a monster and constantly gave everything he had. However, today he was asked to push up as well given our injury problems, and this has always been a weak area for him. Overall he had a good game, but someone like Boateng or Flamini would have been better in the role.

Thiago may well have been our best player. As I said in my post he was stuck between two defensively inept players and still came through as a solid player. For this alone he must be credited.

Originally Posted by Xudong

I was confident that we could come back even when we were lagging. I was so sure that we would win by 4-3; even after they scored 4th goal, I was still believing that somehow we could win it by 5-4.

the loss of 2 points will be worth if Allegri learns from it and drops Seedorf and Bonera (and even Antonini) from now on.

I think you're belief alone shows how strong our attack is. Udinese's defence didn't impress if I'm honest, but we had every right to believe in the draw or win. Bear in mind Abate was very close to winning it too.

I don't really blame Allegri's choices. Bonera this season has disappointed, but like I said in my last post, I've always believed he's a solid defender, and I'm sure Allegri must think the same with what he sees in training. That said, I do think Yepes is possibly the best choice right now in Nesta's absence.

As for Seedorf, I really don't think there was any other option. Playing both Merkel and Strasser is extremely risky and leaves us without anyone for the regista role.

Originally Posted by Xudong

has anyone realized that Cassano has contributed 3 assists since he joined us. how many minutes did he play by the way? like 30, at most 40 minutes?

wow.

I believe Rino said 3 assists in 40 minutes in post match interviews. I must say I had doubts over Cassano's signing before, but right now it looks like his signing could be a stroke of genius.

[Sputnik]

Originally Posted by patos older bro

i think cassano shud play in AMF with with ibra as the spearhead and robinho and pato to the left and right of him. and seedorf to get sold or released (Dont realy care as long as he dunt play agen).And bonera man tht guys so makes wish senderos was back (Well maby hes not tht bad)

Sounds great. But who's gonna mark?
Also, we all saw what can happen when we play a team who are good in counter attack. And no matter how much i dislike Bonera (and i think he really sucked today), in the second half when we were pushing up the field, he was left running like a headless chicken by our non-existent defensive midfield. Udinese could reach our goal area with three passes. And Bonera aint Nesta.

[Aficio]

@ACMILAN1983: I share the opinion about Bonera. He is not a bad CD, but he needs to be more aggressive.

About Seedorf, Allegri has said twice in 3 days: "Seedorf didn't play bad." However, we should know that he means Seedorf is bad and Milan need Lazzari.

[Xudong]

seedorf was actually very decent defensively in the first half, but when you gave away a crucial ball which changed the game, you can't really blame the fans booing him that fiercely.

that said, I was very mad at him, but I was still very surprised at the overwhelming booing and jeering.

I agree with most members here that I am sure that Allegri would not have played Seedorf/Bonera/Antonini/Amelia had we had better options at the time. Injury is part of the game, and we have to accept that.

This was such a weird game. We didn't play well in the first half and barely equalized; in the second half our attackers started to show movement and chemistry among them, but Udinese scored, and again, and again. I can't even remember another 4-4 game we had except for the one in which Shevchenko scored his first ever hattrick for Milan more than 10 years ago. Anyone?

[tim_milan]

Brillant game. Didnt watch the whole game but got to watch it from the point when we were 1-3 down. Cassano was a genius. He may not be super fit but he is class. He knows what to do on the pitch. I had a couple of days back mentioned on the mercato thread how badly we need to have Seedorf replaced and today s game just gave even more evidence to that fact. We just cannot rely on him to be our creative talisman. If we dont have replacements we need to find one. Strasser played brilliantly and he needs to be in the first team from now on. I think he deserves it. Atleast from his previous two performances ive been very impressed. Gattuso as always a fighter. Missed Nesta badly. To sum it up the Best game in the season so far. And forza Cassano. n Bonera shud never ever wear that Milan shirt again.

[patos older bro]

ye bonera is really bad.but look at the other CBs we have yepes and onyewu (Wat r these guys doing at milan).i think we shud of got mexes this january (who i think is very gud) and wud be cheep. or chivu Who wud cost peanuts and a gud bak up for nesta

[Kwasniefski]

Amazing game! What see-saw action and always had the belief that Milan would come back. A deserved draw for both teams. Bonera...yikes!

[Aficio]

I didn't bash Seedorf, but there must be a reason for Allegri to "protect" him like that.

It is OK if we are watching the last season of him and Ambro.