glamorized deception

Adriano Galliani

2 days before the transfer market shut, we were written off as a team that would be lucky to finish in the top 4. Our fortunes in the Champions League were already questioned and discussion boards were set up to speculate how long Allegri will last on the bench.

Galliani then pulls out a rabbit (or two) from his hat and in a cloud of smoke, appear Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho. Now to be absolutely honest, I was certain that one of these players would arrive. Braida had already established a deal with City for Robinho but the first preference was always going to be Zlatan. While discussing these transfers with my friend, he suggested that in the ideal world, we would get both of them. Whoever doesn't believe in the ideal world concept, its time to believe.

Zlatan has been signed on a one year loan deal with the obligation to buy him for 24 million euros over the next years, with an annual installment of 8 million euros. Robinho was purchased for 18 million euros with the potential fee rising to 21 million euros. Zlatan would be earning 9 million euros an annum making him the highest paid footballer in Italy.

Funnily, after the arrival of these players, Milan suddenly become a favorite for the Scudetto and a hot contender in Europe. Were we short of just 2 exceptional players from becoming one of the strongest teams in Europe? I think not.

With their arrival, we have definitely increased our depth in attack. We probably have the most potent attack in Europe, on paper. Key words there are on paper. But our midfield is aging at a pace that even defies time. Ambrosini, Gattuso, Seedorf and Pirlo are way past their prime and still form a part of the core of this team. They have lost their legs in a phase when speed is gaining importance in most leagues; Serie A included. And since most games are won and lost in the midfield, we start every game with a disadvantage. We have one of the weakest midfields among Europe's elite. If our midfield gets run over, the forwards would need to drop deep to collect the ball and therefore reduces their probability of scoring as they would have to cover ground before getting into shooting positions. Moving on to our defense, Silva and Nesta form a rigorous defense that isn't easy to breach. But our options after Nesta gets inevitably injured are Sokratis and Yepes.Enough said. Our fullbacks are our biggest problem. Abate, Antonini, Zambrotta, Bonera, Oddo and Jankulovski wouldn't start for most of Serie A's clubs. However they still find room in the roster at Milan. If our opposition prefers to play wide, be sure of a mauling.

These signings have glamorized our attack and abruptly over-rated the side. Coming to the tactical set-up, we have 4 highly rated forwards who need to be kept happy. So the obvious way of doing that is by playing a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2. In both these cases, all 4 would play. And in both these cases, we will have only 2 midfielders. Our midfield is already weak with a three man central-midfield. One could only imagine how dire the situation would be with just 2 in the centre. We also must remember that the 4 forwards aren't renowned for their work rate. Therefore they won't do the dirty work to help the midfield. The two midfielders would therefore need to cover the flanks as well, leaving them open in the centre. So both these formations are rather, suicidal.

Coming to the coach, Allegri has had only 3 seasons in the Serie A. He would be managing his first Champions League game later tonight. He needs to deal with the egos of 4 egoistic forwards. It is safe to throw in Inzaghi into that mix making it 5 egoistic players. Ok, but what about Gattuso - who still thinks he is the world's best holding midfielder, or Seedorf - who thinks he merits a start ahead of Boatang and Flamini, or Oddo - who is living in the early part of this decade, or for that matter Ambrosini, who has no credibility but seniority? That's 9 of them and am sure there are more. Allegri is a top tactician, one of the finest in the peninsula. But his player management skills would be substantially tested this season. His success at the club would be dependent on how he manages the dressing room.

Therefore, its safe to conclude that we haven't changed as much as people would like to believe. We are still in the stone age but have recently gathered some fur to cover our waist. But it will take us awhile before we are lavishly clothed like Barcelona or Chelsea.