Pummelling Parma

Antonio Cassano opens his account

AC Milan 4 Parma 0

A four nil score-line against Parma shouldn't be flattering. It doesn't flatter me. Lucarelli and Paci holding the defense with Gobbi and Zaccardo on the flanks; four goals is nothing out of the ordinary. What clearly stood out as extraordinary was Cassano's performance. He scored his first in Milan colors and broke his duck whole also setting up Robinho twice. Parma were downed by an ingenious long range strike from Pirlo earlier this season. They had defended deep, plugging the play. Opening those spaces didn't help their cause this time.

Ibrahimovic's involvement in this game remained high. Silva moved back into defense leaving a slot open for young Merkel to shine. The German is quickly becoming first team material in a stacked midfield. Milan have shown more of an attacking threat when he has played in midfield while compared to a 3 man functional force. Parma's midfield barely got to dictate the tempo because the two generals Gattuso and Bommel were taking matters in their own hands. Milan look a lot more composed at the back with the conventional pairing of Nesta and Silva. The experiment has worked for Milan but Silva is best suited at the back. Scratch beneath the surface and a bunch of random, painfully average defenders claim their stake. Also, Merkel and Strasser should be seeing more of the ball.

Parma's front three were taking a walk around the park. Post the break though, Parma decided to show up. They were more aggressive in their challenges and their game. Robinho came on in the second half and kicked Parma in their teeth with the third. The front three's combination this season has been enthralling. Parma had no answer to the moves of Ibrahimovic, Cassano and Robinho. Pato must have sat and marked his calender on the bench realizing his stint at the San Siro is coming to a screeching halt. Moments later, the fourth arrived. Robinho's second of the night, the Brazilian's confidence booming in this game. After a string of questionable results, Allegri needed a big win. Well, he got it. The next four weeks are desperately crying for similar performances.


Milan - Seedorf 8', Cassano 17', Robinho 62', 65'
Parma - /

Fading Lead

Eduardo - The clown's happy day

Genoa 1 AC Milan 1

Milan ended last year as league leaders. Winter champions with the lowest total in Serie A history, it seems. Is it because the league has had a miraculous turn around in quality? No, not really. It's more down to the fact that Allegri's men don't know how to close out games. Many say defense is Milan's biggest concern. We have the healthiest goal difference in the league, so it's safe to assume that it isn't the defense which is our concern. Allegri's biggest worry should be, how do we win games when we are in a winning position. This dilemma definitely intensified after the draw to Genoa.

Other than the odd half volley, Genoa failed to threaten in the first half. They sat deep and invited Milan to attack, which by the way is always a dangerous proposition against the league leaders. Pato-Robinho-Ibrahimovic jinked around the defense mesmerizing one of Italy's most appalling defenses. The front three combined very well, especially the understanding that Robinho and Pato have developed is pleasing to the sore eyes. An inevitable error by Dainelli provide Ibrahimovic with the opportunity to notch another assist, which he did. Pato was at the right place at the right time and his mercurial form continued. Floro Flores was by far Genoa's brightest attacking threat and its rather frightening to see that he wasn't man marked. Eventually, on the stroke of half time, he picked his spot and leveled the scores.

Robinho must have thought that he finally scored before Rossi put in a goal saving challenge on the 49'. Milan pressed and pressed but simply couldn't take advantage of Eduardo's gimmicks. Genoa found themselves more on the ball in the final 20 minutes. Dainelli had a horrific game and can thank his stars for not conceding a penalty for embracing Ibrahimovic in the box on the 78'. Shockingly, we couldn't score more than a goal against a defense of Dainelli-Kaladze-Criscito-Mesto. Let's not forget the clown Eduardo who appears to have taken up Dida's mantle in the Serie A. Milan need to be ruthless. If not, the wait for the Scudetto could last another year, at least.

Genoa - Floro Flores 46'
Milan - Pato 29'

Fat Bird

Ronaldinho - The fat man moves on

He had to go. Flamengo, Gremio or the MLS. He chose Flamengo. The choice was fairly simple, I think. The deal appeared to be very lucrative for a player well past his prime and it only made sense for him to grab it with both hands. Fortunately, we made some money in the bargain. Who would've thought that Galliani could squeeze a few dollars out of a club by selling them Ronaldinho. Well, that explains why Uncle Fester is the mercato specialist.

With Ronaldinho gone, we could concentrate on building the team to be genuine contenders in Europe and in Italy. And so began the busiest January in years. We brought in 5 players this winter, that's almost half a team! I have already addressed the arrival of Cassano, so let's move onto the other 4.

Van Bommel. The hard dog, a player who specializes in breaking bones and keeping medics on their feet. Fortunately, he does that to players on the opposition and not to himself unlike Pato. I've never been his biggest fan but he brings a lot of steel to a flimsy and fragile midfield. Milan needn't worry if Gattuso picks up a knock or is unavailable. We possibly have the only other 'Rinho' like player in Europe to replace him. The deal is sweet too, he signs for 6 months. This goes to show that he is nothing more than a contingency signing. We need to keep in mind that he is a red card waiting to happen. Referees will never condone his rash style and six months is too little time to develop a rapport with refs like Gattuso has to avoid hitting the showers earlier than the 90th minute. Also the fact that he won't be available in Europe makes his signing purely a move for the Scudetto.

Urby Emanuelson. A left winger by trade, he supposedly can play anywhere down the left. We picked him up for a miserly €1.7 million. He is technically gifted and has been amongst the highly rated properties in Europe for quite sometime now. All of 24, he is a signing for the future expected to make very little impact this season. My biggest concern is the fact he is a left winger and is employed as a left central midfielder. He brings width to this side and the much needed left foot, but will he be able to play narrow when required? Having donned the Ajax colors this season, he too is ineligible for Europe.

Didac Vila. Arguably, for the first time, I don't have much of an idea about a player Milan signed. Hailed as the heir apparent to Capdevilla for the Spain National side and already having represented Spain at the U-21 level, this boy has a future in international football. He has been a regular for Espanyol, which isn't a joke to begin with. Espanyol have received �€4 million in return for the youngster which isn't too much for a highly rated left back, a position in which quality is declining at an alarming rate. A safe bet but Tassoti firmly believes that the kid is largely an unfinished product. Don't expect to see much of him this season.

Nicola Legrottaglie. He is nothing more than an able replacement for Nesta. We have been thin at the back and any player would be a step up over Daniele Bonera. Milan have a history of settling for experience over youth at the back and that tradition continues. Legrottaglie has played at the highest level for years now and brings all that experience even if its for 6 months. Bought for chum change, this signing might be a thrifty purchase. Again, there are doubts over his availability for the Champions League. However, he might not figure much in the first team even in Nesta's absence. Yepes has deputized for the legend superbly this season being a rock in the heart of defense.

All 5 players purchased over the winter aren't available for the knockout rounds of the Champions League. This reflects a clear directive coming from the very top of the Via Turati. The priority is the Scudetto. Berlusconi hasn't necessarily splashed the cash and he doesn't need to with Galliani faithfully occupying the seat beside him. With Inter's resurgence and Napoli unwilling to give up, we are in for the tightest Scudetto race in years.

Lousy Lazio

Libor Kozak - Burly brute

Milan 0 Lazio 0

A team that has stayed second in the Serie A for most of the season wouldn't be though of as a provincial side with a small club mentality. But Lazio have forced viewers and fans alike to develop this thinking. Reja's men displayed astounding cowardice at the San Siro and 'escaped' with a point against Milan. They defended with grit and attacked halfheartedly inviting several boos from critics and journalists. My respect for the Roman club has dropped remarkably since.

Silva started in midfield, again. This would be a true test for him, Lazio being the toughest team Milan have played since Silva was re-invented. Allegri fielded a very young midfield comprising of Flamini-Silva-Emanuelson. Oddo and Bonera guarded our flanks and even though Lazio are good on the wings, they directed their play down the left, tormenting Bonera. Ibrahimovic drifted left time and again to drag the defense and create the much required space for the others to get involved in the game. In the first half, Milan's attacking play was simply scintillating. Lazio however were resorting to set pieces for potency.

Bonera was sent to the doc by Kozak resulting in Legrottaglie's unexpected debut. Ibrahimovic was getting closer and closer with his shots and by this time, Milan were relying on counter attacks to catch Lazio. Lazio put 10 players behind the ball and restricted space and movement to Milan. Cassano replaced a disappointing Pato on the 63', Allegri opting for some creativity. Robinho's shot was cleared off the line seven minutes later causing tremendous frustration in the Milan camp. Milan's pace was at times getting the better of Lazio's players. This is a new phenomenon but hardly surprising considering the players Allegri had fielded. Kozak continued his ruffian like approach as he consistently ruffled the centre backs of Milan with his physicality. Reja's orders were simply; batter the old boys at the back and sneak in the goal. Kozak was rather fortunate not to have Gattuso/Van Bommel on the pitch at the same time. He would have needed buckets of blood at the end of this game if either of those players played the game. Allegri had no choice but to field a brute called Sokratis for Legrottaglie when the veteran had his face bashed by Lozak's knee. Legrottaglie left the pitch bleeding like a soldier from Afghanistan. Cassano's influence simply didn't come to the fore, he flickered and faded quite quickly. Now the holes are appearing in this Milan side which teams are beginning to detect.

Milan -
Lazio -

Bommel At His Best

Van Bommel - Seeing red

Catania 0 Milan 2

There were calls of disagreement when Van Bommel signed for Milan. Several people likened this signing to that of Emerson's. Both deemed unnecessary and the wrong type of player that Milan needed at the point of time. Milan need a technical, attack minded midfielder. They signed a goon. That was coming to bite them in their backsides against Catania.

Allegri continues to demonstrate tremendous trust in Merkel by starting him as often as he does. Under Allegri, Milan have developed a counter attacking style which has added to their already established and more distinctive possession play. Cassano, after being tried out at as a trequartista has been assigned the second striker role at the club. He has swapped places with Robinho; the Brazilian definitely being the more hardworking of the two. Catania are always a tough nut to crack at home. They were proving to be just that. Their front three combined fantastically, leaving our back four baffled. Bonera's at left back has been nothing short of a poor decision, but the Italian refuses to change his stance on the team's selection. Milan got into a few scoring chances but were consistently scuffing them through the game. Catania's movement was top notch, but they rarely troubled the keeper.

Merkel was rather rash in this game. His finesse had taken a hike. After having picked up a card in the first half, Allegri resorted the bench treatment for the youngster by bringing on new recruit Emanuelson. Bommel received his marching orders on the 54' and hardly 4 minutes later, Ibrahimovic's free kick was blocked by the keeper whilst falling kindly to the onrushing Robinho. 1-0. This doesn't rebuke the fact that we are sorely missing a dead ball specialist. With Ronaldinho and Beckham gone and Pirlo shooting into the stars, we are most certainly in need of someone who can be a threat from set pieces. Allegri's substitutions at times can defy logic, one such was that of Cassano coming off for Oddo! Ibrahimovic's form has dived in recent weeks, stats however won't give you that picture. He gets his goal/assist in every game but is a ghost for the rest of it. Catania were hit on the break by Robinho as he slid in a ball for Ibrahimovic to finish the game with the second. A win was notched but the performance in the second half was dismal. However, Allegri can be proud of leaving Sicily with the 3 points.

Catania -
Milan - Robinho 58', Ibrahimovic 85'.