QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 7 2019, 08:35 PM)
Fillipo, you always talk as if we're still this great club that's having a number of bad seasons and needs to get back on track.
No, we're not a great club anymore. Context. Perspective. Italians use the word "ridimensionati", which literally translates to resized. We haven't played in the CL for 6 frigging years! So, given the circumstances, and given how we performed last season missing 4th place by a single point, I personally have to say that we've gotten stronger this summer and that I'm optimistic for a CL position next season.
Who even thinks about contesting the Scudetto for crying out loud!
This is because we obviously do not share the same definition of greatness (for a club). I think Milan will always be a great club, at least for the next 10-20 years. We have history and history matters/adds value. We're simply too big and have too much history to go under like Leeds, Nott Forest or even Hamburger SV did. For me this is a period of continued crisis, always waiting for the rescue.
That being said, perhaps Maldini and Boban along with Elliot are the decisive step forward. Some very good moves have been made in terms of staff and management - bringing back people like Bonera or Dida is the right move, Massara is also o good decision for once.
But the transfer policy is so far not that good. We decided to move out of Europe in order to retain some wiggle-room. But up until this point we've made several moves concerning depth, yet we did not take a stance on important issues and the so-much needed quality. Moves like the Correa deal could be the right path, but the deal seems to have stalled or died off completely. We also (up until now) completely failed when it comes to departures. We lost Abate and Zapata unnecessarily. We got rid of some really bad players in midfield but so far we haven't been able to sell Kessie, Biglia or Silva (a deal which is now haunted by mystery). Even Rodriguez seems to be unsellable (or why should we keep him now that we have Theo and Strinić and Laxalt; his value will only be dropping?).
So you see, all of this makes me still very cautious. I'm not sold on the project yet, and unlike you I don't tend to consider the likes of Krunić and Bennacer to be big changes simply because I know little of them and still need to see their quality.
QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 8 2019, 03:10 PM)
Come again? Kessie has been perhaps the biggest disappointment of all the players signed by Fassone and Mirabelli two years ago, at least in my opinion.
Well, I disagree because I never expected anything out of him. He was a talent with a good season at a club whose manager tends to bring out the best of his players and usually makes them look better then they really are.
QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 8 2019, 05:13 PM)
Bonucci was not a disappointment. He had a fairly decent season. And Siva was a question mark when we signed him, so we didn't really know what to expect.
But Kessie was coming from a great season with Atalanta, and he had been amazing in the pre-season friendlies and the first few games of the season. But then he started going into a downward spiral and his overall contribution has been quite poor.
Really? I completely disagree with your assessment here. Bonucci had a decent season? Good god, for the amount we squashed on him and his caliber he had a terrible season. He failed on all departments and was not the leader or the smart and reliable defender we needed at all.
Also, the hype around Silva was considerably bigger then Kessie for some reason. Everyone talked about his brilliant record and no one wanted to hear what Danny and I were pointing to.
QUOTE (Forza Milan! @ Aug 8 2019, 07:08 PM)
EPL transfer window closed, Kessie at Wolves either did not close in time or was fake news in the first place.
Kessie under Gasperinini was quite good
Kessie under Montella and Rino was not nearly as good (though I still think there are games where he carried the team)
Could it have something to do with the coach? Or do y'all thin there is no hope ...
Like X-O said, the problem with Kessie is that he's just unintelligent and there's little room for improvement. Also, he's a type of "jack of all trades, master of none" player. He's ideal for Atalanta with lot's of different jobs to do or cover, but at Milan - a club that thrives on a certain system he's pretty much useless because he adds no specific quality like for example Bakayoko instantly did.