well this is irritating

Rossoneri Vice-President Adriano Galliani has sensationally confirmed that they considered firing Carlo Ancelotti after the Champions’ League Final.

“If the Coach had taken off one of the strikers during the game, then he would have risked the sack,” announced the de facto President.


Patron Silvio Berlusconi has repeatedly chided his Coach in public for an excessively prudent approach, always insisting on two forwards at all times as a ‘show of strength.’ This has often caused conflict with Ancelotti, who won the Champions’ League in 2003 with the Christmas Tree formation.


“After conceding Liverpool’s three goals, we started playing well again and created plenty of scoring opportunities. Fate was clearly not on our side,” continued Galliani.


“Berlusconi is not angry about the defeat in itself. He simply cannot abide bad football, that’s all. Milan lost the Champions’ League Final, but played very well and that is the centre of our philosophy. We must now find the strength from this defeat to build our future success.”


Nonetheless, this is a major warning that the club has lost much of its faith in Ancelotti, who is under increasing pressure to follow Berlusconi’s tactical credo rather than find his own way to victories.


The former Juve and Parma boss has already been heavily linked with approaches from his old club Roma and Arrigo Sacchi’s Real Madrid.

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My thoughts:
So, in a situation where it would be completely logical to play with one striker, Ancelotti might have kept two strikers on so that he could avoid the wrath of the spectacle-hungry Berlusconi.

It is an old debate folks, is it right to privilege pragmatism over spectacle. I would be much much happier, if we would have seen out the game with five midfielders.

If the report above is true, then I sympathize even more with Carlo Ancelotti. His hands are truly tied. As a coach, he should have the freedom to select a lineup that he thinks will do the job. He did that in the 2003 season and we reaped the rewards for it.

Very infuriating!

Not just infuriating but ridiculous too - after going 3-0 up, the logical thing to do would have been to make sure we have more cover in midfield and defense, and over the years this has always been Ancelotti's way of "reacting" in such situations. I wouldn't be surprised if Carlo kept two forwards just to please Silvio.
And to say that if he had pulled off one of the strikers he would have risked being sacked is just plain stupid for it undermines the coache's credibility.

It is riduculous that a director or owner can try to dictate anything on the field of play.

The coach/manager lives/dies by his decisions interference from above only creates problems.

What next the Ultras meet the owner to pick the team week in week out?

Yeah this is ridiculous. I really didn't understand why we didn't take off one of our strikers in favor of a midfielder in the second half, seeing as how Liverpool were suddenly playing with six men in midfield (and that, I think, is a big part of the reason we lost our lead - we lost control of the midfield for a while).
Berlusconi shouldn't interfere with things he knows nothing about, but keep his mouth shut and let the coach do his job.

And sure we played good football. But do you know what? We still made fools of ourselves in front of all of Europe, for not being able to hang on to a 3-0 lead with only 45 minutes left to play.

Just to let you guys know, i am a big fan of the xmas tree. Keeping that bias in mind, this whole farce where the pres/director acts as a tactician for the team is absurd. Why can't they let San Carlo do his job? He is one of the best coaches in the world but he is being stifled by those above him.

This reminds me of when Galliani told Capello - "win the scudetto and we'll offer you a new contract" right after he won 2 scudettos in a row. Capello was deeply humiliated and said that he will act after the season ends by winning a scudetto and then leaving Milan. He did just that. He basically slapped Galliani in the face when he WON the scudetto and refused to sign a new contract. He went to Real Madrid and won another scudetto to show HOW WRONG Galliani was in posing an ultimatum to Capello.

To be honest, if Ancelotti leaves or gets sacked, I would be crushed because Milan would have just shot themselves in the foot. But I would wish that Carlo goes on to bring great successes to whatever club he joins (without the interference of their bosses) to show what a mistake Galliani made. I don't know what Galliani hasn't learnt his lesson from the Capello travesty. If Milan have a couple of bad seasons after Carlo leaves, I would be sad but not feel an ounce of pity for the people who chased him out - if it happens that is.


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PS: why not make topic titles more descriptive. "well this is irritating" doesn't give any idication as to what this topic is about. I wish posters would follow some posting ettiquete while posting so the rest of us can jump in and add our two cents.

Celtic would gladly take Ancelotti for sure.....

Doubtful, but if Milan don't recognise the talent they have they can only lose him.

Originally Posted by Nadir

Just to let you guys know, i am a big fan of the xmas tree. Keeping that bias in mind, this whole farce where the pres/director acts as a tactician for the team is absurd. Why can't they let San Carlo do his job? He is one of the best coaches in the world but he is being stifled by those above him.

This reminds me of when Galliani told Capello - "win the scudetto and we'll offer you a new contract" right after he won 2 scudettos in a row. Capello was deeply humiliated and said that he will act after the season ends by winning a scudetto and then leaving Milan. He did just that. He basically slapped Galliani in the face when he WON the scudetto and refused to sign a new contract. He went to Real Madrid and won another scudetto to show HOW WRONG Galliani was in posing an ultimatum to Capello.

To be honest, if Ancelotti leaves or gets sacked, I would be crushed because Milan would have just shot themselves in the foot. But I would wish that Carlo goes on to bring great successes to whatever club he joins (without the interference of their bosses) to show what a mistake Galliani made. I don't know what Galliani hasn't learnt his lesson from the Capello travesty. If Milan have a couple of bad seasons after Carlo leaves, I would be sad but not feel an ounce of pity for the people who chased him out - if it happens that is.


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PS: why not make topic titles more descriptive. "well this is irritating" doesn't give any idication as to what this topic is about. I wish posters would follow some posting ettiquete while posting so the rest of us can jump in and add our two cents.

Cheers, I will from now on. My title was inspired by visceral disgust but I should not have sacrficed convention.

The directors must stop interfering with Milan. NOW.

Originally Posted by sehnsucht79

The directors must stop interfering with Milan. NOW.

Hey, are you a fan of both Milan and Juve?

oh my dear god, no. Just Juventus and Juventus alone

Sehnsucht is Moggi's MOLE in the Milan camp

There was a lot of talk about why Carlo had taken so long to react to Benitez' changes and this certainly helps explain it. When they brought on Hamann it gave them enough central options to keep the ball further forward in midfield than they had been able to at any point in the first half.

With that in mind a 5th midfielder would certainly have been very useful and would have turned it back in Milans favour as they would have not only been 5 on 5 in midfield but also have the added luxury of not needing to score.

I really dont understand why Berlu would have a problem with Carlo if he had taken off a striker at 3-0? Does he think that people around Europe would suddenly sit up and say "ha, those 3 goals in the first half were a fluke, Milan are a boring side afterall !" ???m

of course they wouldnt, even those with only a casual interest in the sport would understand a side defending a lead in a game of the magnitude.

Ancelotti would not have been sacked if he took off a striker and we still won the match. We have played with a single striker many times in Europe this season.

Originally Posted by Mehdi

Ancelotti would not have been sacked if he took off a striker and we still won the match. We have played with a single striker many times in Europe this season.

True, but he would have been kicked out faster than a bullet if he took a striker off and we lost the match. Well, he didn't, he kept two strikers on the field and we still lost the match. I don't think that a defeat with a X-tree tastes bitter than a defeat with 2 upfront, but I guess that's the logic of Galliani and Silvio.

He who can pay the most ought to be able to say the most. I am not one bit upset with Berlusconi or anyone from AC Milan regardless of the results we had Wednesday night.