matching the mighty

Andrea Pirlo


AC Milan 1 Juventus 1

Luigi Berlusconi Trophy. If you want to find a Manchester City in Italy, look no further than Juventus. Beppe Moratta has spent millions in sheer desperation to bring in 'top' players this season. Even though I am taking a poke at them, they have strengthened far more than Milan have and are looking mighty on paper. But somehow, we manage to tame this giant on the pitch. Somehow, we are always in control.

Starting with Borriello immediately comes with two assurances; no mobility and no goals. There aren't many big game chokers in the game who can match Borriello's consistency. Ronaldinho has apparently lost 7 kilos and now weighs 83 lbs, the reading on the scale during his heydays at Barcelona. With Bonera playing on the right, you would expect most of the attack to flow from the left of Juventus. And evidently so. Pirlo appears to have found his touch since Allegri. He is spraying the passes exquisitely finding his man more than losing the ball. Oduamadi was included in the starting line-up. He brings nothing to the team except pace. He lacks the quality to play at this level and obviously that is evident only to me. Silva and Sokratis are no nonsense defenders and form a solid partnership. They need to play more often and could build the defense of Milan for years to come. Pirlo and Seedorf have developed a remarkable understanding as Seedorf was making the right runs consistently and opening up Juve at the back.

At half time, Del Neri changed his forwards. Del Piero and Trezeguet are swapped for Diego and Amauri. This was greeted with much doubt on my end but the newly introduced forwards actually clicked. Inzaghi was subbed ahead of Huntelaar probably indicating that the Dutchman is on his way out. Diego was certainly causing some trouble in the Milan defense as the line dropped deep and created more room for Diego to unleash his prowess. I began to question Allegri's sanity once Pirlo was substituted for Gattuso. 4-3-3, 4-3-2-1 and 4-3-1-2 the formations chosen by Allegri during the game. Gattuso's introduction was fantastic from Juve's perspective as he just couldn't deal with the pace of Juventus' midfield and forwards. Something that tends to annoy me is the sight of Inzaghi dribbling. He lacks the pace and the ability to get past defenders, so why does he even try? Amauri was showcasing his finishing skills which surely matched Inzaghi's dribbling skills. Flamini was a livewire since his introduction, he ran riot in attack and covered several hundred metres in defense. Antonini on the left was putting in a fairly solid show. Gattuso however was man marking Diego, which was a horror show. The game ended in a stalemate. Allegri chose to go with defenders to win us the penalties. You can imagine what that would have resulted in?

trofeo tim

Alessandro Nesta

Milan 1 Juventus 1

We set out to play a team that has gone through something of a revolution. Guess what? They are not yet done. It's quite surprising that the Agnelli family would spend millions for a man who secured Champions League qualification with a mid-table club. Unlike Madrid, where logic has taken a backseat and business happens at a mentally retarded scale, transfers at Turin are meaningful yet shocking given the status of Italian clubs at the moment. Were Juventus very different from the old? No. But nor were we. Our biggest problem still remains our inability to handle set pieces and high balls. Abate was pushed into right back, a position he simply isn't qualified to play at. AC Milan's two worst forwards were forming the front line in Oduamadi and Borriello. I don't think it could get much worse than that. Juventus had to win to stay in the competition and this was reflected with their drive and determination. They were more willing to attack and press forward. Juventus continued to see more of the ball and found greater space in Milan's half. 4-3-3 isn't a formation that suits Milan because the players aren't fluid enough. Unlike at Barcelona where players run around like their pants are on fire, Milan players play in a zonal fashion. Amelia displayed some of his net-minding skills as he produced a one handed top drawer save from Diego. Contrary to the domination, Milan opened the scoring as Oduamadi found an unmarked Ronaldinho who scored from a tight angle that would make Diego Milito proud. As it was inevitable, Juventus drew their quality together as they cut right across the defense with Diego using his momentum to help his shot into the back of the net. 1-1. Nesta was fantastic and if he plays like this for the rest of the season, he could be strictly considered as the best defender in the world. However, he couldn't cover for 4 defenders. Especially not when your partner is called Bonera and thinks defending is all about letting the striker get past you. Amelia also had a phenomenal game as he came through in the penalties to set up a final of sorts against Inter.

Inter 0 Milan 0

Milan had to face Inter after defeating Juventus on penalties. Rafa decided to mock Allegri's intelligence by setting out a very young, new look Inter side. Or was he mocking Milan? Inzaghi was in the midst of the action as he hit the bar and was running his socks off. His movement was something of a concern for the Inter defense as well. Inzaghi dropped deep to get the ball while Huntelaar was deprived of service. This game was one of the worst I must have seen in a long time. The players are just keen on knocking the ball around without purpose. It seemed like the players wanted to open the champagne bottle once the whistle was blown and the players couldn't be less bothered to shower. So the lack of effort was perhaps a way to stay fresh to nab young Italian women after the game. Or this is just my imagination working overtime as a result of the boredom. Sokritis and Yepes who are our second choice defensive pairing are solid and effective and this should keep Bonera and Kaladze far away from first team. The game ended in a penalty shootout. We could have won it if not for Ronaldinho's cheeky penalty which Allegri didn't seem too pleased about.

green greece

Sokratis Papastathopoulos

Milan o Panathiakos 0

Having played a few friendlies both these teams seem to be in good shape. Pato was forced off due to injury early on and this made Allegri bring on a much despised player, Oduamadi. This Greek team went on to beat Inter in the pre-season so they aren't to be mocked. Nesta couldn't handle pace of the forwards and was getting skinned all to often. Professional fouls were his way of dealing with the pace. The pitch in Michigan was heavily covered with grass causing static play and reduced fluidity. Borriello and Antonini were trying too hard to impress their unjustified call-ups. One of the Primevera players that I would have liked to have seen more consistently over this period was Beretta. However, Oduamadi seems to get picked consistently; a selection that somehow doesn't make any sense. Gattuso is another of the calamities in this remarkably slow Milan side. When faced with a quick team, Gattuso tends to defend from a distance. Ninis, Leto and Cisse were running wild and our dilapidated defense was having a tough time keeping up. Merkel was playing behind the strikers. He has impressed in all positions in the midfield save this one. He didn't have the maturity or the composure to handle the responsibilities of this position and seems to enjoy playing a bit deeper, getting involved in defensive work as well. Verdi however, seems like a better fit. He seems to have an edge in terms of creativity and finishing. Seedorf is thriving in the newly-assigned deeper role. He doesn't need to work too hard or be too quick, which suits a player of his age. Perhaps, we have found the man to replace Pirlo without losing the creative element from midfield. Sokratis was brought on and he did make a big difference. He was fast and robust. Cisse found it a lot harder against him. Yepes and Sokratis form a strong partnership at the back. Neither are elegant but they will do the job. Sokratis, if he continues to perform like this could make it hard for Nesta over the season. Also, we needn't fret over Nesta's injury situation. There isn't a Favalli to haunt us. The replacements are perhaps as good if not better than those used in the main team.

kevin's not our prince

Kevin Prince Boatang

I haven't updated the Panathiakos post as yet. It will get done soon. Perhaps after the Trofeo Tim tournament. But there is a matter that is more urgent and needs some attention. That matter is Kevin Prince Boatang.

The Ghanian has not had a steady club career. Ever. Spurs, Portsmouth and erratic Berlin stints are evidence enough. He also wasn't capped by the German national side and there is good reason for that. Particularly, his behavior isn't one to be rewarded. An talented yet arrogant young player, he isn't destined to be a success. His form in the world cup was flashy, not necessarily good. And all that glitters isn't gold; A phrase not taken too seriously at Via Turati. Genoa who are imitating City in their own small way have decided to buy Boatang and loan him out to Milan. If you are screaming for logic in this transaction then it makes two of us. However, the loan deal doesn't come with an option to buy. At a time like this, we should be building a core. If KPB is going to feature regularly in the first team, not only is his inconsistency going to ruin the midfield and make Flamini's task harder than it already is, but he is also going to destabilize the formation of the core. On the other hand, if he is a fringe player, then his attitude would have a notable impact on the dressing room. We are in the market for a 'dynamic' player, apparently. I might be besotted here but why are we in the market when we are grooming a real gem in Aleksander Merkel? This kid is evidently talented and deserves to play more. His performances in the preseason friendlies have been nothing short of remarkable. He could be given a fair run in the midfield. We do have Pirlo, Ambrosini, Gattuso, Flamini, Strasser, Abate and Seedorf in the central midfield positions. That's already 7 players for 3 positions. So if we did need another player, i would settle for Merkel. He is versatile and can play in multiple positions. If we do, however, want to look outside of the club's academy, thenit should be a well-established figure. Someone with promise and experience. Hernanes/Henrique Ganso perhaps? But no, Lazio have more financial resources than we do. Absurd, right?

Allegri is a likable man. His style of play is interesting to watch. He also has made some strategic changes in the team already. Pushing Seedorf deeper in midfield has been perhaps the most effective one. How he managed to convince the stubborn ox goes beyond me. However, Trofeo Tim later tonight. Would be interesting to watch us play Rafa's Inter and Neri's Juventus. Even if its only for 45 minutes each.

emirates cup

Alexander Merkel


Arsenal 1 Milan 1

Playing against the Gunners is never easy, especially when there is a shocking lack of pace and quality. Arsenal approached the game fearlessly. Milan played the 4-3-1-2 which made them concentrate the play through the middle. Arsenal used the wings and stretched our central midfield which enabled them to override us in the centre as well. Gibbs was running wild down the left leaving the new Greek defender dazed. AC Milan were adopting a direct form of attack but they the midfielders rarely found the forwards. Borriello was highly ineffective and this game showed us why we need a Dzeko. Borriello is as slow as an old Russian tank and lacks the technical or physical quality to play against top oppositions. Sokritis, who clearly has left his form behind in South Africa lost the ball before Gattuso was comfortably shrugged off by Arshavin in the build up to the goal. I wasn't the least bit impressed by Sokritis; he dribbles with the ball when he isn't skilled enough to do so. Being a defender, his job is to clear the ball, which he doesn't like to do. Allegri realized something wasn't working and introduced Berretta and Merkel by withdrawing Borriello and Gattuso. This made Seedorf drop deeper and Milan seemed to adopt a traditional 4-4-2. The only area of the pitch Milan could hold possession was in the defense. After having scored the goal, Arsenal didn't try too hard to defend from the front. Pato finally levelled the scores with a header which gave the team a renewed sense of confidence. Oddo then replaced Pato to my amazement. Merkel was the stimulus in the midfield. He was so much more dynamic compared to the sluggish Gattuso, linking the midfield with the attack and seting up Zambrotta for the winner but the veteran hit the bar. Yepes on the other hand wasn't solid. He was assigned to man mark Vermaelen on set pieces but consistently lost his man, causing the ex-Ajax defender to be a threat from set pieces. On one particular occasion, he totally mistimed a sliding tackle isolating Abbiati to come up with a stunning save. If not for Abbiati, people's predictions would have come true.

Arsenal - Chamakh 36'
Milan - Pato 76'

Milan 1 Lyon 1

Lyon had taken notes from the earlier game and decided to come out firing all cylinders at Milan from the word go. Milan were heavily relying on Merkel and Verdi to deliver up front. Merkel has been the player of the tournament from Milan's perspective, at least for me. A lot has been said about Verdi and Strasser, but Merkel is one missing piece in our midfield and is doing all he can to fit in. He is doing a fine job of it, might I add. Seedorf played in an unusual deep role and Borriello played deeper than usual. This resulted in our attack breaking down in the final third. Our passing was woeful in the first half, we could barely hold on to the ball. Verdi was being played out of position and was therefore struggling. He missed a glorious chance early on. Borriello finally scored! Verdi brushes off the poor form to set up Borriello who nearly misses. A magnificent, patient build up resulted in the goal. Milan resembled Argentina of 2006 in those couple of minutes of possession. Briand, who was always a threat, got explosive in the second half after Oddo's introduction. Oddo's sheer lack of pace, positioning, or defensive understanding gave the former Rennes man plenty of space to unleash his pace and attacking prowess. How Oddo manages to make the first team baffles a whole contingent of fans, not just me. Going by the evidence of the Emerites Cup, we will be at the receiving end of 4-0 scorelines against high quality counter attacking oppositions. Truth be said, Lyon should have put this game to bed by half time. But so poor were they in attack that Milan were up by a goal to nil at the break! Lyon finally scored and the great Oddo be thanked for leaving Briand open on the cross by wildly, lazily swinging his leg at the crossed ball instead of committing to the challenge. Allegri has realized the team's vulnerability against counter attacks and has insisted he needs a dynamic midfielder who can help in attack and run back in defense. Whether he gets that player or not, he decided to take the concern of Milan's vulnerability to the press. Gutsy bloke. Thankfully, there's a start. Friday, we play Panathinaikos. Until then, godspeed.

Milan - Borriello 55'
Lyon - Briand 78'

allegri starts

Massimiliano Allegri


Varese 2 Milan 0

Allegri had the boys for only 3 days or so. Therefore, to expect the team to come firing all cylinders would have been unrealistic. Last season, we played Varese and had beaten them. So we were probably hoping for the same result. Nonetheless, so pale did we appear on the pitch that last season's performance and victory only becomes a hazy memory. For 90 minutes, we the fans were made to endure Milan's worst performance in recent times. Agreed this is only a practise match, but it isn't wrong to ask professionals to take it seriously.

Allegri lined up an ugly defense to start with. Jankulovski, Oddo, Kaladze and Bonera. When this team took to the pitch, one thing was rather clear. We are walking out of this with our heads held low. The choice of defense was rather shocking and lack of pace was clearly visible. Varese's forwards were going to have a heyday. And as the game progressed, they did. Allegri has brought back the 4-3-1-2 formation to Milan. This is the return of the trequartista, which has brought great success to Milan in the past. However, it must be noted that the teams that succeeded would put this one to shame. Many first choice players were missing from the starting line up. Pirlo was spotted on the bench with his evergreen locks. Borriello had a new look to sport. Oddo looked jaded from the 2nd minute. So, the fortunes of this defense were already written and it came to pass when Varese scored the opening goal. The ball was sent in from the wing which cut across the defense resulting in a traditional finish. It reminded me of Leonardo's infamous days. Kaladze then blindly passes, runs back to cover for his mistake and is easily faked as the forward scores the home side's second. Seedorf, who was playing in the hole, was as fast as a 35 year old is expected to be. As a result, he was consistently closed down by 2-3 players, resulting in him losing possession. The home side did a good job therefore of choking the creativity begging Pato to come deeper to collect the ball. The team played very wide for a formation that is meant to be narrow. This resulted in Varese drilling crater-sized holes in our defense passing the ball around comfortably. Aged and short of agility, the defenders couldn't react in time and were often caught out for pace. Bonera has been taking notes from Van Bommel and was putting it to good effect as this was just a friendly. Oddo who played as a wingback is clearly not suited for the role anymore. A wingback should have oodles of pace and crossing should be top notch. Not only does this veteran run in slow motion, but his crossing was often terrible. He should be asked to stay back as he was simply jogging back into position whenever he lost the ball. Whilst playing against a counter attacking side, I'd rather take Abate for this role because the lad oozes with pace and is one of the most committed players in the team, even though he evidently lacks the quality at this level.

In the second half, the coach made a number of changes. Yepes replaced Kaladze which was relieving because this is a fairly significant move from a long term perspective. Though I don't particularly like the Colombian, he strengthened the defense considerably making the centre look more solid. His physical presence was hard to deal with and so was his physical appearance because for some reason, he resembles Borriello. Allegri then realized the game was a lost cause and brought on the kids. The kids took awhile to settle but began to express their skills later on in the game. Verdi and Oduamendi looked good (not literally) and Strasser disappointed. Rodney Strasser has been promoted to the main team and I don't like the idea of him playing many games. His positioning is senseless and his tackles are mindless. Pato and Flamini were the better players and are likely to be drafted into the main team. Oddo, however played the whole game, which is food for thought. I hope that this is the first and last game that he starts and finishes. At the end of the game, Allegri had a concerned expression on his face. He doesn't usually have a million dollar smile as he often looks perturbed. But this expression was rather disturbing. It was as though he was woken up from a bad dream. He now, hopefully, realizes that it isn't a dream.

aiding the azzuri

Cesare Prandelli

It's time. It's time we started doing something about the national side. The world has begun to believe that Italy has a bleak future. Now we know that isn't true. It's not just because we play Football Manager. It's because we watch the Serie A and follow the news more closely than the world does. But there is only one club that is taking Project Prandelli seriously. Unfortunately, it isn't us.

Juventus have signed a fair number of players this season even before the transfer market opened. And Marotta hasn't just signed players for the heck of it. He is keeping the Juventus tradition going. The Turin giants have always produced the finest Italian players and have been home to some of the best Italian footballers the world has ever seen. A fine example of a Juventus homegrown player is Alessandro Del Piero. Giorgio Chiellini isn't a youth product, but has been groomed by the club and is now the best defender in the league. Their latest signings include Simone Pepe, Leonardo Bonucci, Marco Motta, Marco Storari and Jorge Martinez. Last two aside, the first three are definite contenders for the Euro 2012 squad. Juventus are currently nurturing Italy's future line of defense. There are also talks of bringing Andreas Barzagli back to the Serie A! With Paolo De Ceglie, they have a youngster who can compete with Dominico Crisicito for the left back slot. Motta would be a favorite to replace Zambrotta in the national side. He is a highly rated player who was wasted by Ranieri last season. Udinese weren't going to use him either after Isla's stunning World Cup campaign. So Motta joining Juventus is something to cheer about. He would be a better option to Zebina and Grygera who are both aging and ineffective. With Martin Cecares being sent back to the Nou Camp, an all-Italian defense awaits the Bianconeri in the coming season. Juventus have brought in Davide Lanzafame with Christian Paolucci in the waiting. Whether they will keep the latter is yet to be seen but both are fantastic prospects for the future. Sebastian Giovinco might get to see more of the ball under Del Neri. Also, Claudio Marchisio is one of the finest Italian midfielders in the Serie A and would be integral to the National team in the years to come. Juventus therefore, as usual have their bases covered. Prandelli has most of his job done.

Inter and Roma however aren't in the same position. Roma's youth set up cannot be doubted and the Romans have never hesitated to play Italians given Matteo Brighi, Simone Perotta, Daniele De Rossi and Alberto Aquillani have been important members of the first team. They gave the world a special Francesco Totti. Inter have two Italians in their squad. 3 actually but it's better if Matrix is ignored. Davide Santon and Mario Balotelli are two world-class talents. Benitez is likely to play Santon over Chivu/Zanetti given his interest in young players. I can confidently say there goes one of Juve's secure spots in the Azzuri defense. If both these players are dealt with maturely and with care, Inter could provide Prandelli with two irreplaceable players, one being a world class versatile forward which was an area of significant concern in South Africa.

Fiorentina also have players in the offering such as Alessandro Gamberini, Lorenzo Di Silvistri, D' Agostino, Riccardo Montolivo and Marco Marchionni. Note, I am not mentioning Alberto Gilardino in that list and the reason is obvious. Moving down the table, there are a number of clubs with a variety of options. Sampdoria possess Giampaolo Pazzini, Antonio Cassano, Angelo Palombo, Andreas Poli, Paolo Sammarco, Daniele Dessena and Franco Semioli. Napoli have Christian Maggio, Fabio Santacrocce, Luca Cigarini, Leandro Rinaudo and Fabio Quagliaralla. Palermo play Federico Balzeretti and Matthias Cassani. Palermo's keeper, Salvatore Sirigu is 23 and is looking likely to mind the net in 2014 as he is one of the more reputed net minders in the league. Parma's Daniel Galloppa and Marco Rossi are always in high demand. Of course there is Christian Zaccardo. Genoa also give Prandelli enough options with Dario Dainelli, Criscito, Raffaele Palladino, Giandomenico Mesto, Salvatore Bocchetti and Roberto Aquafresca.

These names are only a fraction of Italian talent swimming in the pool. Coming to us, we are too busy attempting to strengthen South America instead of focusing on developing domestic talents and scouting Italian players. When we needed fullbacks, we shopped in Argentina and Brazil bringing home Leandro Grimi and Felipe Mattioni. Did we make an attempt to look around town? When we required a bright and skilled supporting striker, we decided to pay a mighty sum for Pato instead of welcoming the long time self proclaimed Milan fan Giuseppe Rossi. With Maldini on his way out, we plunged in for Thiago Silva instead of intensifying our interest in Fabio Santacrocce or pulling the strings for Allesandro Gamberini. Even now, we rather sign a promising Greek talent at right back instead of promoting Michealangelo Albertazzi who has promised much for quite sometime. We were looking overseas to Hernanes to fill in Pirlo's glorious boots instead of looking within where we have similar players in Luca Cigarini, Daniele Dessena and Andreas Poli. AC Milan needs to help the Italian national side. Playing for Milan gives these players international exposure and the ability to handle pressure. Had Criscito played in the Champions League, he wouldn't have given such a nervous performance in the World Cup, because we know he is capable of so much more. I don't remember the last time we signed a significant Italian youngster or player who went on to become big for the La Nazionale. Well, stretching my mind now and it stops at Pirlo and Gattuso. We have loaned out Paloschi and Darmian and we say our focus is on the youth! It's like shoving Leonardo Di Caprio out of the door and still wanting to work with Hollywood's finest actor.

As things stand, we had 4 players who weren't called up by Lippi. Antonini, Abate, Borriello and Abbiati. Abbiati has a love-hate relationship with injuries and would have probably sprained his back while eating at the cafeteria. Antonini enjoys watching players skip by, Abate is very hard working but that's it. Finally Borriello, who would have been eaten alive by the quality of dogged defenses that we witnessed in the World Cup this year. So all exclusions adequately justified. Only Pirlo and Gattuso were picked which is most definitely alarming given the form that they have displayed over the last 2 seasons.

Nesta is 34 and isn't club material any longer let alone National team material. So why don't we sign Andrea Ranocchia? He is one for the future and his daring displays with Bari have not gone unnoticed. If we need a player who can play on the wings and in the centre why are we sweating over the fitness of Ronaldinho? Alessandro Rosina will not be expensive as he plays for St Zenith Petersburg and would be a superb signing. Allegri has built a fine squad with Cagliari who are dependent on a few players, most of whom are Italians. These being Federico Marchetti, Davide Astori, Andrea Lazzari, Andrea Cossu, Alessandro Matri, Davide Biondini and Michele Canini. Fair to say we have been linked with most of these players. It's different that we haven't signed even one of them. Funnily, Astori and Matri were formerly our players!

However with Allegri's arrival, there is promise. We can now boast of an Italian manager and not some Brazilian rookie, who has been brought in with the intention of focusing on the youth. The situation post the 1 Non-EU player per season ruling should result in increased scouting efforts inside the country because there are many unpolished gems waiting to blow the world away with their glow.