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Andrea Pirlo

Parma 0 Milan 1

With Ibrahimovic being played almost on a daily basis, the Swede was beginning to complain of physical deterioration. Hernia and other physical issues were beginning to bother him even though it didn't hamper his potency in front of goal. Parma played wide, attacking from the wings as they took advantage of the fullbacks' poor positional sense. Nesta's steady fall from grace is gradually gaining pace. He brought down Crespo in the box with the referee turning a blind eye to the challenge. Gattuso was running around like a mad man plunging into challenges with his eyes focused solely on the bones and not the ball. This crass style of football was abruptly silenced with Pirlo's screamer. The shot had class written all over it and went on to become the most watched video on YouTube! Pirlo rarely shoots from distance. This is a facet of his game that he specifically requires to work on. He has the shot, he only requires the drive. Luca Antonini was having a horrid game. He was poor in possession and his passing was predictable. He also wasted a glorious chance when set up by Pirlo. Parma had a few impressive players as well. Marques was constantly skinning Gattuso on the left as Mirante continued to frustrate Ibrahimovic. He produced a stunning triple save on Zlatan which has me amazed till date. Robinho might not be scoring, but he tracks back when he doesn't have the possession. He was the most hard-working of the forwards.

Antonini showed signs of improvement in the 2nd half. Ronaldinho tried settling into the new role of the trequartista. It didn't require him to run a lot but needed him to set up the forwards, which he did a fair number of times. Abate replaced Antonini and he looked a lot more solid than Luca. He pace made him hard to get by as he closed down wingers comfortably. The game was won by a wonder goal though the forwards had enough chances to put the game to bed a lot earlier. Marino had pointed out that Pirlo would be the main threat and the elegant midfielder didn't let his foe down. We need to be more clinical in front of goal as we enter a period of facing some big boys in the football world. Chievo aside, Madrid, Juventus and Napoli will pose questions and these will have to be answered. Time for Robinho to stop shaking in front of the goal.

Parma - /
Milan - Pirlo 25'