In itself the group was easy. Malaga are no Madrid, Zenit are hardly Man Utd. But we're WAY worse than we normally would be so the group, in relation to US, right now, is hard.

That is what I am saying.

I hope Allegri watched Chelsea today. Playing without an actual striker in the Champions League is madness.

We're seriously discussing that we saw no options for Milan in CL this time?

X-O posted two short posts, but let me say that we opened a poll right here which clearly says that approximately 86% of the voters expected us to go though to the next round(s).

Malaga and Zenith ain't that hard opposition (domestic leagues show their face) if you ask me, it's just that we're unbearably bad.

I understand what you're saying. But imo it's a bit like not studying for a test, failing and then saying the test was too hard.

It's not the teams that make the group tough, it's ourselves that are too bad. And I don't think we ought to be satisfied with passing a test that we are fully capable of acing.

If $h!tlegri is really playing Pato and Constant in that fantasy formation then I'm happy and excited about tonight for a change.

Bingo. You're the one who gets it.

And your example is perfect. It is a test. One we have not studied for. So of course it's too hard.

Perfect Jack. I hope others get what you've said here.

Apart from the acing part. We're too rubbish to ace anything right now.

Maybe you're getting it too.

I do get what both you and x-off are saying

But you're looking at it in hindsight, while we're talking about what everyone expected at the start of the season before we all knew what mess Allegri would plunge us into.

Sure now you can say that the 5 points is a very clear indication of how truely terrible we're playing, but before that when everyone was looking at things on paper, people RIGHTLY expected more


Yep what was DM thinking

But seeing as they sacked him shows how an ambitious club should react as opposed to what we're doing. And Di Matteo came in and saved Cheslea's @asses last season not to mention won the one trophy that Abramovic truely wanted, we're not talking about a mediocre coach like Allegri here

Why? We'd lost Pirlo, Nesta, Silva and Ibra. We'd lost about 8 or 9 other top players. We had only brought in 2 or 3 good quality players. We were now a shadow of the side we once were.

When I saw the draw I was delighted, because it was our best chance to progress. I never thought for a second we'd win the group, but it had been very kind to us. But I didn't think progression was a given - anything but.

If you look back to my post at the time:



Guess I was the only one with a clue (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

Another post which saw reality. Not everyone was assuming a coast to the next round guys (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Not matter how crap we are playing, not passing through a group comprised of the 4th ranked Spanish team from last season, a Russian club which is facing a crises of results, and the Belgian champions, it would be a massive underachievement. Just like it was for United last season when they didn't qualify in an easy-peasy group.

Anyway, about tonight's game (which Galliani called ulta-decisive), this is how we should play:

Abbiati; De Sciglio, Mexes, Yepes, Constant; Montolivo, De Jong, Nocerino; Boateng, Pato, El Shaarawy.

Link

Would it be too much asking to play Bojan instead of the failure Boateng?

Why oh why drop one of our best performers next to Monto and El Shaa! Allegri is so stupid it's gone beyond comprehension. And why he insists on constantly changing around the back line I'll never understand

Gazzetta's update says that Bojan will play instead of Pato.

Even more ridiculous!!

Playing Bojan as the CF while letting Prince on the wing is more stupid than what you posted above because at least you have the best finisher up front

Anything short of a front 3 of SES, Pato and Bojan is a bad decision and it will only mean that he'll waste a sub or 2 trying to correct that mistake after HT which is always the case with Allegri

At least he's not playing Emanuelson.