Andrea Poli - moving on.
Sampdoria 1 AC Milan 2
A team that finished fourth last season would be expected to be one of the strongest teams in Italy. Garrone has made sure that Sampdoria aren't held in such repute. His petty disagreements with Cassano caused the talented talisman to depart from Genoa and move to Milan. Sampdoria received a sucker-blow and an overrated Macheda in return. Cassano was returning to the Ferraris for the first time since his move. Allegri thought best to start him from the bench.
Pato has been consistent in one aspect of his game this season; scoring. He doesn't work hard, he doesn't track back, but he scores. He put the sword to the defense in a span of five minutes in the first half. Di Carlo's men were instantly on the back foot. Beating Milan was a monumental task and now they faced the impossible feat of beating Milan by 3 goals. Possession clearly was in Milan's favor which reduced Sampdoria's probability of banging in the 3 required goals. Also, without possession, they risked conceding too. Milan's latest midfield signings Emanuelson and Van Bommel were started in midfield. Surprisingly, there wasn't much confusion or havoc between them and Silva. For a midfield that contained 2 new players, the combination was unpredictably pleasant.
Sampdoria pressed but were not decisive nor did they permeate enough to trouble Flavio Roma. Other than the unusual bullet shots from distance, Roma enjoyed a rather comfortable evening. Papastathapolous got turned in by Maccarone before the forward floated in the cross on the 50' for Guberti to pop a free header into the back of the net. Game on. Cassano entered the fray on the 78' and the drama in the game sprung back to life. Poli and Palombo shined in the Dorian midfield. Poli has managed to impress his fans, even those in managerial positions. I suppose this suggests that the club will lose another gem and sign a glossy freak as a replacement, again. Silva is thriving in the defensive midfield position putting together a string of fantastic performances. Sadly, our need for him is greater in defense. The two signings in midfield showed that they can play for Milan. We progress to meet Palermo in the semi-finals.
Sampdoria - Guberti 50'
Milan - Pato 17', 22'
Thiago Silva - reinvented
A.C.Milan 2 Cesena 0
The days haven't been forgotten. Cesena started the season with tremendous promise, their first big scalp being AC Milan. Ibrahimovic's debut became a nightmare. For the first time, he didn't score in his first game at a new club. Milan went onto be outclassed by the newly-promoted side and eventually lose 2-0. Alarm bells did ring because just a few days before the game, Allegri had used Leonardo's side to hammer Lecce 4-0 at home. With his glossy acquisitions, Allegri was expected to break records. He ended up breaking the wrong ones.
The defeat to Cesena would have come as a wake up call; no games can be taken for granted. I am not in doubt that the defeat shaped the club's mentality for weeks to come. This time round, at home, the players were fired up to send Cesena back into the hole. It was achieved, but perhaps not with the intensity that was initially hoped for.
For the first 15 minutes, both clubs were merely kicking the ball around. There wasn't a hint of intent in their game. I remember closing my eyes in partial slumber but waking up to the occasional roars from the San Siro faithful. On the 18' minute, Antonini demonstrated ample reason for being a nincompoop with a laughable clearance. Fortunately, Abbiati's heroics saved the day once again. Cesena got the belief that they can take Milan down again and began to attack relentlessly. Cassano and Robinho stepped up and joined the party. Silva was re-invented in the Desaily-role, shielding the back four after injuries to Gattuso and Flamini. Papastathapolous replaced Nesta after the veteran experienced a shoulder injury. Merkel played in midfield and his movement reminded me of Lampard. Yes, the 18 year old doesn't track back like the superstar does, but his attacking forays are almost identical. He gets into scoring positions and always hugs the shadows of the striker to pounce on the loose ball. With a little more composure in the final third and less naivety under pressure, he could blossom into a fantastic footballer. Milan finally broke the deadlock on the stroke of halftime as Cassano set up Ibrahimovic but the pass was unfortunately directed into the back of the net by Pellegrino.
Cesena had two of their front three missing for this game, therefore their task of scoring was that much harder. Milan began to relax in the second half until Bogdani almost leveled the scored before Papastathapolous cleared the ball off the line on the 76'. Robinho continued to annoyingly scuff chances and Allegri introduced Pato on the 84' to wrap up the game. Cassano made way for the oncoming Brazilian. Ibrahimovic put the game to bed in injury time with a beautiful finish to seal the points. The players who shone in this game were few but they did show quality nonetheless. Yepes has proven himself over the course of the season that he is a reliable back up to Nesta. He will do the job, if not spectacularly. Ambrosini has been moved out of the Anchor Man role to a box-box position and his enthusiasm dictates that he can still cover ground. He isn't as reckless and appears to be happier in his preferred position.
Milan - Pellegrino 45' o.g, Ibrahimovic 90'
Cesena - /
Aleksader Merkel
A.C.Milan 3 A.S.Bari 0
Scoring goals against Bari has become routine behaviour for most clubs in Italy. Last season, two young boys marshaled the i Galleti defense with remarkable maturity. These boys have moved on and now represent two titans of Italian football. Their departure has had a telling impact on A.S. Bari though. In such short time, this heroic story has become a tale of legends. Bari topple like a pack of cards when exposed to any pressure, one would have to think what benefit did the club have in selling their crown jewels.
Allegri identified the threat that Bari posed and reacted respectably by fielding the most hilarious defense seen in Milan colors in recent times. Roma started in goal, with the back-line comprising of Antonini, Yepes, Nesta and Oddo. Merkel also found himself on the team sheet in his favored position, i.e. in the heart of midfield. As the game progressed, the forwards smacked their lips in delight. Their combination mesmerised everyone including the Bari defense. Cassano's game reflects his sheer joy of being able to play, even if he is played out of his position. Merkel adds a whiff of charisma in midfield which is seldom missing in Allegri's workman like set up. This change is largely refreshing. Merkel also brings about a great deal of fluidity into the middle of the park. Gattuso was in a hurry to see color and picked up a yellow on the 11'. Ibrahimovic opened the scoring on the 20' after a Bari player's loose pass was picked up by Robinho and sent through to the big Swede. Milan took short corners in the first half, a tactic that didn't make a lot of sense to me. Perhaps, the fear of a counter-attack could have bothered Max. Oddo's chances in the first team have been few and far in between this season, but when given a chance, he has pleasantly surprised. He continued to shine in this game too with his endearing work ethic and attacking runs. Merkel scored the second for Milan with a close range finish, his first for the senior team. Performances like these should displace Seedorf of the starting 11 rather comfortably.
Allegri baffled the audience with his half time switch. He brought on Abate for Gattuso. Interesting change one might think, perhaps an experiment of width in the narrow midfield area? Not much later did the team start playing very wide. One must wonder whatever is wrong with Robinho's shooting. He had blown two glorious chances already and was in line for some more eye-popping misses. Merkel wrapped up a fine night with an assist to Robinho on the 65'. Pirlo was thrown into the game with 20 minutes to go and Cassano made way. With the game in the bag, Milan's forwards tried playing fancy football which undoubtedly taunted Ventura's men. Pato replaced Merkel on the 72'. On the 79', Nesta was biting dust as he was shown a fresh pair of heels by a pacy forward. If not for rueful finishing, Nesta's status in the first team would have become a lot closer to the bench. In the final minutes, Milan played at a pedestrian pace, killing the clock and burying Bari in a pile of disgust and failure.
Milan - Ibrahimovic 20', Merkel 46', Robinho 65'
Bari - /
Massimo Ambrosini
Lecce 1 Milan 1
When we think about Lecce, do we conjure the image of a side that are gritty and a toughie? Do they appear a team that can't be beaten at home by an European giant? I suppose not. However, that is precisely the image that Lecce have given the Rossoneri. 5 years and counting; we still struggle to overpower the Salentini.
Flamini was handed a start with Seedorf being pushed into a trequartista role after previously flopping in a central midfield role. Allegri tried Bonera at left back, an experiment that would have interested every viewer. This selection resulted in Bonera cutting into his favored foot and not running the channels as a proper left back would. In the first half, Lecce defended deep, allowing Milan free space in the midfield. It took Bonera 23 minutes to float in his first cross. Ambrosini's rusty form continued in this game. His tackles weren't clean nor did he appear sharp in the holding role. Nesta's performances have come under much criticism lately and with this outing, his critics would have grinned with glee. The veteran was constantly caught out of position and Lecce's shoddy forwards were running riot. Milan full-backs tried to cross, but only in vain. Both full-backs failed their targets in the box and instead lost possession in promising positions. However, the team continued to play wide. The first cross connected on the 40' after 39 minutes of sending in poor balls with a shocking lack of precision. Milan's forwards only charged at goal when provided with space. However space was hard to find with Lecce defending very deep.
Often in such situations, we rely on some Ibracadabra magic. And it did arrive on the 49'. Zlatan shot from an almost impossible angle to score one of the goals of the season. Being jostled by a defender on one side and running right into another, Zlatan shot from 35-40 yards out with his weaker foot, looping the ball over the keeper. A visual spectacle. Pato enjoyed a snooze fest for 70 minutes and was rightly replaced in the 71' for Cassano. This was the first game in which Cassano would be employed as a second striker for his new club. The away side failed to score the decisive second and Lecce made them pay. Oliveira punished some sloppy defending by Nesta to draw the home side level with 8 minutes to go. Cassano's arrival on the pitch had injected more spirit in the side. A sense of urgency was found in the players. A special mention must go to Abate who with his consistent performances has emerged as a reliable right back. Cassano's partnership with Ibrahimovic threatened Lecce's defense a lot more than Pato's partnership with Ibrahimovic did. Gattuso and Flamini ran their hearts out characteristically. Ambrosini's sub-par performances have definitely questioned his inclusion in the team. Would there have been a greater impetus in midfield had an attacking midfielder been played over the captain?
Milan - Ibrahimovic 49'
Lecce - Oliveira 82'
Daniele Bonera
AC Milan 4 Udinese 4
After his stellar show against Real Madrid, people wondered why Amelia was relegated to the bench. This performance should put those concerns to rest. Abbiati's injury had forced Allegri to reluctantly hand the gloves to Amelia.
The second-choice keeper showed why he is second choice right from the word go. Flapping like an injured crane, he appeared shaky and nervous. His collection was poor and his distribution wasn't any better. Antonini demonstrated his attacking capabilities with his marauding runs whilst combining with the forwards. In the first period, both teams spent chunks of time in the opposition half. The defenses were proving hard to crack open, rugged and gutsy against some fine flair of attacking talent. Udinese, like any other team that travels to the San Siro, defended deep while not in possession. As the half progressed, Udinese lost the battle of possession and chose to resort to counter attacks instead. With the pace of their forwards, Alexis Sanchez and Di Natale, Udinese were aware that they could catch the vulnerable Rossoneri backline on the break. Inler gladly shot from outside the box whenever he got the chance and wasn't too far from goal. The thought of closing him down never occurred to Milan's middle men. Just as expected, in the 34', Inler's shot rebounds of the post and is turned in by Di Natale. Seedorf was late to arrive on the challenge and this was the first of his long list of mistakes that night. Ibrahimovic and Pato didn't track back, viz rather interesting because both these players in recent games have worked hard without the ball. Milan pressed for the equalizer and it finally arrived on the 46'. Zlatan drew defenders with him before setting up the Brazilian. Score was even, perhaps against the odds.
A highlight of Zlatan's play for Milan has been his renewed ability to set up assists. He would have added another to his impressive count of assists, but Handanovic denied Robinho on the 50'. Strasser having impressed against Cagliari was handed a rare start being played on the right of the midfield three. The team played wide causing him to become a winger at times. Sanchez joined the party on the 53'. He lost Bonera for a header that Amelia should have saved. This was the first of Bonera's hatrick of gaffes. Ibrahimovic being isolated in the first half, dropped deeper to get further involved in the game, in the second half. Di Natale scored his second on the 68', A classic counter, Di Natale turned Bonera like a 9 year old on roller skates before slotting past Amelia. Rudimentary error from Daniel Bonera. Needless to say that it wasn't his first and will not be his last. Cassano was brought on in the 69' for Seedorf. The departing Dutchman was wildly abused by the tifosi when he jogged back to the bench. He was involved in two of Udinese's three goals, therefore the anger was fairly justified. Handanovic denied Strasser on the 78' but a fortunate deflection of Benetia gave Milan their second and along with that a ray of hope. Milan dramatically found the equalizer on the 82'. A characteristic run from Silva resulted with the ball at Cassano's feet who in turn pushed it too Pato. The Brazilian coolly finished with a deft first touch. If we thought we had enough for the night, substitute German Denis scores Udinese's fourth. Bonera nowhere near the man yet again! And with the last kick of the game, Zlatan scored Milan's fourh on the 94'. Cassano's third assist for the club in the 37 minutes he has played for AC Milan!
Bonera undoes any good created by our mesmerising forwards. He is a remarkable liability and a major downgrade in the absence of Nesta. Always overrated, Bonera has the unique ability to convince his bosses that he deserves to play even if he lacks the basic knowledge of defending. Pair him up with Amelia and you have a devastating pair. Amelia's lethargic, defeatist attitude doesn't infuse any confidence in the team and therefore I wish Abbiati a speedy recovery. There were a few positives about this game. One in particular was the fact that all our attackers were on the pitch at the same time and they wrecked havoc!
Milan - Pao 46', 82', Benetia (O.G 78'), Ibrahimovic 94',
Udinese - Di Natale 34', 68', Sanchez 53', Denis 89'
Rodney Strasser
Cagliari 0 AC Milan 1
Bright starts don't often end brightly. It did though, midweek. Cagliari welcomed a decimated AC Milan to the St' Elia. Donadoni was facing his former side and so was Allegri. Vintage stuff. Pato and Robinho shaped up the attack with Merkel positioned behind them. Silva had the double duty of defending for Bonera for the Italian was included in the line-up. Cassano made it to the bench.
After having started brightly, Milan found it very hard to break the Sardinian defense. Canini, Astori and Pisano stood strong against our pacy forwards while our midfield were scratching their heads in bewilderment. Ibrahimovic's strength was sorely missed in this game. Robinho resembled hollow man for much of the half with the rest of the team being sluggish in attack. Milan lacked creativity or cohesion in the midfield. Cagliari's midfield was running ragged and the home side clearly dominated the first half. Seedorf was woeful as usual and in current form, shouldn't even make the bench. Ambrosini wasn't the anchor man for this game. Perhaps we should have had one. Cossu enjoyed the space in the midfield but had a bad game nonetheless. The lack of legs in Milan didn't help the likes of Lazzari too, who appeared to be trying to hard to impress. Donadoni's full backs were thriving and constantly got the better of their counterparts. Crosses were floating in but Matri and Nene were found wanting for more.
Pato had the best chance that was gifted to Milan that evening but he shot right at the keeper. I choose not to compliment Agazzi on the save because the shot was directed at him! He didn't have much to do but take the beating. Abbiati, on the other end went cuckoo momentarily and nearly provided Nene with an assist but made amends. Strasser came on for a withering Gattuso on the 58th minute. Almost instantly, the midfield awoke from deep slumber. Robinho was sent through by Pato on the 66' but the Brazilian's first touch was nothing short of horrible. Cassano arrived on the 74' minute with Merkel making way. To be honest, at that point in time, I was wondering why Merkel was being taken off. The youngster was involved in all of Milan's attack and had showed admirable work ethic. But later, I saw that it was a good decision. Cassano combined with Robinho and set up Strasser for the winner. The 20 year old's first goal at Serie A level. Tears of joy streamed down his face as the Milan camp rushed to bombard him with their congratulations. It took 88 minutes to break the deadlock. It would have been broken a lot earlier if not for Thiago Silva who is on course to prove that he is the best centre back in the world. Cagliari played fearlessly and with heart. This attitude very nearly earned them a point. Against Milan these days, that is a lot more than one could imagine.
Cagliari - /
Milan - Strasser 88'
Antonio Cassano
Berlusconi is in the mood of gifting his fans. It appears that he has decided to put on the Santa costume this season. His latest gift to the Milanistas goes by the name of Antonio Cassano. He is after all the most talented Italian footballer in the peninsula. Why would we complain? Especially when he arrives as a replacement for Ronaldinho, of whom we are expected to make a profit! Whoever said that ideal worlds are only in novels?
True, we have the craziest line of loons in our attack. Some journalists call the Milanello a mad house, perhaps with good reason. Robinho, Ibrahimovic and Cassano have explosive pasts and now they are under one roof. Fireworks will be expected. But I choose to look at the fireworks on the pitch instead. Cassano's combination with Ibrahimovic seems like a lip smacking delight that would have defenders wetting their pants. Milan's attack has not looked this strong in the last 5-6 years. Arguably, with Cassano in our ranks, we possess the strongest attack in club football. We will win in Italy, no doubt about that. How this shapes our destiny in Europe, only time will tell.
Casano's versatility will be key for us. He can play behind the two strikers or as a second striker. He brings creativity to the team and also could replace Robinho when the Brazilian begins his misfiring bouts. He is also decent with the dead ball and has an imaginative vision at long range passing. He will add a lot to the team than the threat of lunacy which most conservative purists are fearing. He comes at a meager fee, somewhere around 2 million euros. A steal if one can put it that way. An honorable mention must go to Galliani for picking up scraps like no other director in Europe. He has mastered the act. First Ibrahimovic and now Cassano; true genius.
On a wayward note, Milan did travel to Dubai and played Al Ahli in a friendly beating the Arab side 2-1. Seedorf was splendid and so was Beretta. The young forward showed glimpses of being the missing piece in the forward puzzle and could be called up to replace Ibrahimovic when the Swede tires. Is he the one to don the No. 9 that Inzaghi has left hanging at the locker? Now that Toni is gone to Juventus, what other options do we have?
