the majority is decided on in training actually. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

This forum is great. The best players are the ones on the bench. It was the same with Niang when he wasn't playing, people actually wanted him starting over Pazzini. Now they're slamming the coach for picking him. Nice job arm chair coaches. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I seriously wonder who these people were that wanted Niang to start over Pazzini...

Not in all senses. Bojan is a huge liability defensively. He's too small and lacks any physical presence. He also has a frustrating habit of dribbling into a dead end and losing the ball. I wouldn't mind seeing him get more chances to see if his form improves but it's not as if he is a superstar being left on the bench.

Compared to Niang he's Messi. Nuff said.

But training can only get you so far!If you're not performing well in the team then the coach would be a fool to put you in that starting line-up. I really can't see what utility Muntari is for us..yes he does some decent defensive work sometimes and gets a good shot..but other than that?nothing nothing!he loses the ball in his own half..can't make a pass to save his life..blabla.

Actually, Pazzini earned his place by playing like a champion. Niang has done nothing of that sort and add to that he isn't ready. Sometimes we are fooled by young talent when for example Pazzini was doing badly.

Defensive liability?

He's not a DM, he's a striker/winger. Muntari for example could be labelled a defensive liability as him losing the ball means the opposition recovering it in a dangerous area. Looking at a striker in a defensive capacity is an attitude instilled in us by a coach who has a small Club mentality.

What top side actually looks a their forwards in a defensive capacity? Making use of a box-to-box mid as an AM/winger because he runs a lot as the sole reason for putting him in those areas? Or playing Niang as some sort of defensive winger because he's strong physically.

I'm sorry but that's Cagliari style coaching. This is Milan, and if we want to do better next season then we need to have a coach who is able to not only integrate players of Bojan's quality (with their lack of defensive mindset), but also creative midfielders who are not only about the hustle and bustle but are more on the creative/technically gifted side of the spectum. And this has been an issue with Allegri from day one. How he could not manage to integrate players who are mostly creative but lack that physical edge. I repeat this is not Cagliari, every top club needs to have those luxury players, who might not sweat blood but they make those magic moments happen that set you apart from the rest of the average-to-good sides

Ah, han and X-O said all what I had in mind. Thanks for the spared time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Exactly.

It's often a case with young players/bench players. I'm sure I read recently someone wanted our young CB (I forget his name) to get some minutes... why!? So when he plays and isn't ready it's another stick to beat Allegri with?

@han. Wide players have to be able to defend in modern football. Nowadays full backs don't really exist, they're all wing backs who're better in attack than they are defending. So if you have a winger who's not going to track their runs, your full backs are going to get ripped apart.

First Bojan had his chances, and now Niang.

Really? Again, you seriously think it's fair?

Let's see: Bojan played 18 matches in the league, most of them as a 10-15 minute sub, yet managed to score 2 goals and get 3 assists. Niang on the other hand played 14 matches, almost half of them as a starter, yet managed a staggering 1 assist and zero goals in Serie A. How can Niang still start over Bojan? How did Bojan miss his chance and Niang proven as better?

Personally I cannot even think of one moment where I even thought to MYSELF that I wanted Niang ahead of Pazzo, let alone wrote it on here...

I personally don't get where you got that Niang thing from, maybe from someone like chu who gets easily dazzled by a player's birth year, but personally I have not been impressed by Niang for a single second, and even when you posted that first choice XI thread I picked Pazzini as the starting striker back before we had Balo and Pazzini wasn't doing particularly great either.

As for wingers you are correct in the fact that they have to track back some but most of the wingers in top teams simply don't; Hazard, Ronaldo, Ribery, Robben, the list goes on. They're the difference makers in their teams and unless they're playing really big games where they know they have to sacrifice themselves for the good of the team, they rarely ever track back.

A winger first and foremost needs to be technically superior to most of the other players on the pitch because that - aside from speed - is what makes them good playing in their respective positions, and playing someone like Niang, Urby or Prince really kills the whole point of playing a 4-3-3 with wingers so wide because they usually get stuck, especially someone like Niang who is soooo f@cking poor on the ball it's painful to watch. The only time our system really works and we see hints of fluency in our game is when Prince drops in behind Balo and then puts either him or SES through, aside from that it's one chunk of messed up play going back and forth from one wing to the other with little success.

Fact is you need those technical players upfront, putting on a lamp post like Niang on the wing is seriously messed up, as messed up as it was when Leo did it with Huntelaar and he was given so much cr@p for it it bordered on the insanely abusive. And anyways, our FBs are good defensively on both sides as well as having the pace to track back and cover the spaces, so playing someone like Niang there just because he has physical presence is pointless and only weakens our attacking game, while if we played the far more technically superior player in Bojan we'd still be as secure at the back while also having that extra something in attack to make it more fluent


Give me one instance during this season where Bojan was even afforded the luxury of playing 2 consecutive games from the start where as Niang was given something like 5 consecutive starts and not only did he not impress, but managed to change my opinion of him from hopeful to downright appalled

Can't remember saying Niang has proven anything. Maybe a thought missing is that Niang is ours, and that Bojan is not really. Also, there's more hope for an 18 year old than there is for a 22 year old to improve.

I was one of them, and it wouldn't really hurt if Salamon played a few minutes if the match is already secure.



Have you really seen Niang play? Just wondering.

Han I think you vastly overestimate Bojan's technical ability and creative prowess. He isn't in the same universe as Ribery or Hazard. If you can have that impact then the lack of defensive effort or ability can be ignored but that is simply not the case with Bojan.

I don't think I overestimate his technical and creative abilities, and I acknowledge that he needs to work on his physical presence if he wants to succeed in Serie A. But that cannot happen unless he's at least given a chance to have some regular starting berths. If starts can be afforded to the terrible Niang and Muntari then Bojan should also be gven at least 2 to 3 games, and then we can see how he can really contribute to our attack, in much better ways then the current options Allegri keeps picking.

I never said he was as good as Ribery or Hazard, I was just pointing out that wingers don't really provide defensive cover in their teams unless it's a do or die game against a top team such as Barca where eveyone has to sacrifice themselves. I know Bojan is not good as them, he's not even a natural winger but he'd certainly do better in that position then the others.

The problem here is that people are talking about the likes of Niang as if they were f@cking Ribery or Hazard and that's why Bojan can't play ahead of him. Which is just ridiculous. We would benefit a lot more with having Prince in the midfield 3 instead of that nitwit Muntari and having Bojan in the attacking trio would also be a lot better than having either the box-to-box guy or the immature brat who's a terrible player. That's my entire point