Would I want Kalac to play before Dida?

If it were pre-flare Dida, absolutely not. I've been watching some old games recently and the 2003 vintage Dida was a beast in goal. Absolutely amazing saves, etc etc etc.

Flash forward 5 years - the guy who played in goal against the merda in the first derby bore little resemblance to the guy who made amazing saves against the same team before the idiots started throwing flares.

I think that whoearthepatriots was right when he said that we lost Dida the moment he got hit with that flare. I also think that the article Gazzetta posted toward the end of last season was right - Dida's confidence is just gone. It's really very very sad.

Would I want the 2008-vintage Dida in goal over Kalac? I'm not really sure. The 2008-vintage has no mojo left, it would seem. Kalac is someone we all like to bash, but the fact of the matter is that he DID keep Milan in games last year and that the howler ratio was a lot lower than many of us expected. So, based on recent performances, I'm not sure which I'd prefer. If I had to pick, I'd probably flip a coin. (And again, based on recent performances, I'd probably start Abbiati over both of them, chanting with the Juve fans notwithstanding).

Great post Tennie. Absolutely agree about Dida and the whole flair thing.

As for Kalac vs Abbiati vs Dida I think atm it's a no-brainer of who would be first choice.

And you mentioned the chanting with the Juve fans, but it's another case of asking yourself if you would rather hold a petty grudge or thinking of what's best for the team.

Deep inside, that's probably true. Whenever he did get going and have a string of great games, you could count on something suddenly killing the momentum (shredding his knee after that awesome save against AEK, and then the derby). Every performance scrutinized in addition to worrying about getting hurt. It really bothered me to see people poke fun at his back freezing up at Parma, because it can happen to anyone at any time.

I will take to my grave the belief that had we played anyone other than Inter on the date of the first derby last season, he'd still be in the starting lineup.

+1 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif)

He was gaining confidence then. The last few games prior to that were very good in the goal, with most being clean sheets and victories. And this was after the Celtic Park accident, which sort of served as a wake-up call. August 9 can't come soon enough!

Carletto said that Dida will feature between the sticks in the Man city pre-season game. So, I'll wait and see if he does an Abbiati or will he do a Kalac and then give my opinion. Yeah, Im sow smrt! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

^^^

Haha..definitely...smartness is a birthright for blokes like us. I mean we invented the kamasutra, and as our population count shows, we know how to use it too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)


Well, it was only going to be a point of time before Abbiati became number 1 (It took Dida the beast to bench him, a lot of people like to forget that!), but why I said Kalac was simple. It's a matter of ethics. When things are done, they have to be done properly. Bench him after 2 matches in the league. If his form is bad, and our defence playing the way they are now, shouldn't be too troublesome a decision to make. After that put Abbiati. But let's not give any player the chance to say, I never got a fair shot.

Like say Oli or Yoann.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

"Ecco, se Ancelotti aveva ancora dei dubbi sul ballottaggio per una maglia da titolare nella prossima stagione, a questo punto - dopo la terrificante papera di ieri dell'australiano - appare chiaro che i candidati sono rimasti in due, il buon Abbiati ammirato in questo precampionato e l'oggetto misterioso Dida, annunciato in grande spolvero fisico, olre che con una nuova pettinatura..."

(Goal.com)

I thought the last part was cute. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

(IMG:http://i37.tinypic.com/2vn1f2r.gif)

Um, translation, anyone?

The last part of the sentence commented that he was back with a new hairdo, which struck me as amusing because his follicular preferences often seem to get as much press coverage as his gameplay. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Hopefully 10e can fill us in on the rest.

Thanks, Miz. (IMG:http://i34.tinypic.com/ejdkpx.jpg)

I was a bit intrigued seeing that it mentioned Abbiati in that paragraph. Anyway, did you happen to see the latest Manchester City homepage that R7 posted? Here. They seem like they're ready for Milan. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Either way I hope Dida puts in a confident performance. I'd still give Kalac a change for a few games, then Abbiati and finally the Brazilian. Even if he does well in Manchester.

It would be absolutely suicidal for Dida to start (not that he has too big a chance, anyway after Abbiati's, um, heroics), as everyone will be after his skin. Let nature take it's course.

dida should still be given a shot. We haven't seen him in almost a year so lets see what hes done. Then we'll judge. In terms of skill he could be really high level but he just isn't the same anymore. if he ***** up then abbiati for teh season.

Naughty word removed.

This post has been edited by Tennie: Aug 5 2008, 11:30 AM

Oh, that's so refreshing to hear from you! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

For me it's still Kalac > Abbiati > and then Dida. No matter how he fares against Manchester City. If Dida has it in him to come back to the top, he should take the front door. And technically Kalac played our last match last season, he should start for another couple of matches for the sake of continuity. So he can't say that he was not given a fair shot. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) That's the way things should be, in my opinion.

That's more like it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Oh, dear. Miz is not gonna like this. Unh, unh.