Blog: What crisis?
While many believe Milan’s season to have been a disappointment, James Horncastle looks on the bright side.

It was all set up to be the final humiliation in Milan’s disenchanting season. The Rossoneri went into last Sunday’s Derby della Madonnina knowing that a defeat to Inter would hand their cousins the Scudetto. The Nerazzurri fans unveiled a huge banner in the Curva Nord, reading: “Say what you like, but your nightmare is about to arrive.” It smacked of hubris, pride before a fall, and Milan were to have the last laugh.

Across the ground, Milanisti – not to be outdone – revealed a cheeky riposte, cutting close to the bone of every Interista stood in the San Siro. An enormous drape showed an angry Homer Simpson sat watching TV, a date is written above him, 21-05-08, that of the Champions League Final. The expression ‘d’oh’ didn’t come out of Homer’s mouth, but the sentence: “Anche nell’anno del centenario, sempre il solito scenario.” Even in your centenary year, it’s the same old scenario.

Given Milan are exactly 20 points behind Inter and went out of the Champions League at the same stage as their bitter rivals, do the Rossoneri have any right to be so smug? Well, as a matter of fact they do. After beating Inter 2-1 at the weekend, spoiling their party and leaping into fourth place, Carlo Ancelotti’s side demonstrated why they, if anything, need refreshment rather than revolution.

The Diavolo have enjoyed an exceptional second half of the season and would be second in the League, above Inter, if the championship had started in January and not August. Milan have racked up 33 points from their return fixture schedule with two games still to play, remarkable seeing as they only took 28 points from their first 19 matches.

The Rossoneri have thrived domestically since the end of the exhausting group stages of the Champions League and their tiring adventure at the Club World Cup in Japan. The likes of Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf and Massimo Ambrosini have shown that, when they are rested and not playing two or even three games a week, they are the best in the business.

The addition of Mathieu Flamini is welcome, not as a replacement for one of Milan’s talismanic midfielders but, as an alternative. The versatile Frenchmen will give each of the Diavolo’s central workhorses a rest, something they need and haven’t had all season.

Five of Milan’s midfield have made 151 appearances in the League between them and have, on average, started on the bench only once each. The Rossoneri’s squad players, Ibrahim Ba, Cristian Brocchi, Emerson and Yoann Gourcuff have, on the other hand, started 18 games, illustrating Carlo Ancelotti’s over-dependence on his middle quintet. Strength in depth not wholesale change is needed at Milanello to bring the Scudetto back to Via Durini again.

Well, Gomes is not as handsome as Amelia or even Frey, but he's good, and young... it wouldn't be a disaster if we signed him.

Gomes is a massive liability. Not much of an improvement from Dida. Amelia is much superior to him

this may have already been discussed, but I just saw a report that we're going after Sagnol from Bayern.

anyone else heard anything on this?

If these news about Ringhio are true then sagnol may be included in the deal.