[han2503]

Who: A.C. Milan vs. F.C. Internazionale Milano



(IMG:http://i1381.photobucket.com/albums/ah232/hannvis/milan-inter_zps4626da11.png)



Where: Stadio San Siro



(IMG:http://www.acmilan.com/uploads/club/sansiro.jpg)



When:
31st January 2016 @ 8:45pm CET

[X-Offender]

Probable line-up: Donnarumma; Abate, Alex, Romagnoli, Antonelli; Honda, Kucka, Montolivo, Bonaventura; Niang, Bacca.

[han2503]

Either team could win this, probably someone will scrape it with a single goal with the rest of the game being a competition of who sucks the most

[William405]

Yep true. The Milan derby was one of the best derbies in the world. Too bad.

[Fillipo Simone]

But the pressure is on us. We are the ones who have to win to get as close as possible.

[han2503]

But the pressure is on us. We are the ones who have to win to get as close as possible.

I think Inter are under even more pressure than us. Let's not forget that just a few weeks ago they were leading the league and were only a win or two away from being winter champions at one point. To lose all that ground and barely still being able to hold on to third now has got to suck some serious balls for them

[maldini03]

I think Inter are under even more pressure than us. Let's not forget that just a few weeks ago they were leading the league and were only a win or two away from being winter champions at one point. To lose all that ground and barely still being able to hold on to third now has got to suck some serious balls for them

I agree han, they were top right up until the last day of the first go around. We are playing for EL have been all season. Something we could probably still achieve if we get through Alessandria. The fans are angry with the coach and they have spent more money and have brought in more players. They were in the CL discussion a few weeks ago, now they are falling fast. Fiorentina is hot on their heels and Rome is resurgent with Spalletti.

I hope we can spoil the party (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

[Nova]

Very surprised if we could win this

[milanbuf88]

Very surprised if we could win this

Nova, will you have a stream up today?

[Nova]

Nova, will you have a stream up today?

If you want it yes.

http://Milanfan.better-than.tv:5005/stream.flv

[milanbuf88]

If you want it yes.

http://Milanfan.better-than.tv:5005/stream.flv

Awesome! Thanks Nova! I appreciate it.

[Nova]

Awesome! Thanks Nova! I appreciate it.

No problem mate , is it working well ?

[milanbuf88]

No problem mate , is it working well ?

Yes, it's working well so far.

What's with the tree?

[Nova]

Yes, it's working well so far.

What's with the tree?

Some commercial stunt perhaps ...

[Nova]

Nice play Niang , rediculous cross Bona

[Nova]

Blind ref !!!!

[han2503]

Kucka is so f@cking selfish, should have just passed to Bacca there

[milanbuf88]

Terrible non-call by the ref.

[milanbuf88]

Romagnoli has been great so far.

[milanbuf88]

Kucka needs to stop trying to shoot. Honda was wide open out to the right.

[Nova]

Field goal by Bona...

[milanbuf88]

Bona is not having a great game.

[han2503]

ALEXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[TheOgre]

ALEXXXXXXX

[Nova]

Goalllll Alex !!!!!

[milanbuf88]

Alex!!!!! He's been a Titan so far!

[han2503]

Let's see how long we'll manage to hold onto this

[milanbuf88]

If we get to half we'll be in good shape.

[TheOgre]

It's painful watching Honda attempt to dribble...

[Nova]

It's painful watching Honda attempt to dribble...

I had the impression he was doing quite good tonight

[milanbuf88]

I had the impression he was doing quite good tonight

He can put in a great cross when he has the space but his physical limitations are glaring at times.

[TheOgre]

I had the impression he was doing quite good tonight

I think he's had a good game. His dribbling is essentially him just tripping over himself and ball and hoping it spurts out somewhere playable.

[han2503]

I had the impression he was doing quite good tonight

It's been decent nothing more, the way he's shoved off the ball is akin to taking candy from a baby; easy.

He delivered a great cross for the goal though, I'll give him that, but it's as milanbuf said, it's only when he has time and space that he's able to do that, which is a rarity in most games that you're afforded that

[TheOgre]

Pretty good first half. Alex and Romagnoli have been tremendous.

[Fillipo Simone]

Thing is, you can see how mediocre all of them are. Even Bona. 3 out of 4 times their attempts end up with nothing or worse, Inters possession. Then again, like Honda, once every while they hit the ball perfectly and make a scorer point. That's much more then Kucka or Poli are capable of, but still not enough.

Anyhow, I think we're doing good so far. I've only few major concerns:

1) Mentality - we usually take of a notch or two after we score.
2) Midfield density - we have to hold our line with Kucka and Monto. If they manage to avoid miscalculations and poor passes, this system will work
3) Antonelli - for far, so good, but he looks a bit shaky to me
4) Donna - I'm really not convinced in his judgment, letting all these crosses just land in his territory; plus that one peculiar decision to outrun Perišić and bring his goal in jeopardy...I'm really hoping we can avoid as many of these situations as possible
5) Niang - is basically useless; poor passing, poor finishing, only few bursts of talent.

[han2503]

Thing is, you can see how mediocre all of them are. Even Bona. 3 out of 4 times their attempts end up with nothing or worse, Inters possession. Then again, like Honda, once every while they hit the ball perfectly and make a scorer point. That's much more then Kucka or Poli are capable of, but still not enough.

I disagree about Bona, there is a reason why he's the player with the most assists in the league and the most goal scoring opportunities created.

Sure he's not having one of his better games, but he's one of the few players where I think something could realistically happen while he's on the ball.

His plays have thinking behind them, unlike with Niang or Kucka for example who generally just manage to find their team mate through dumb luck as their selfish ways blind them of seeing what's right in front of them

Agree with the rest of your post

[milanbuf88]

I disagree about Bona, there is a reason why he's the player with the most assists in the league and the most goal scoring opportunities created.

Sure he's not having one of his better games, but he's one of the few players where I think something could realistically happen while he's on the ball.

His plays have thinking behind them, unlike with Niang or Kucka for example who generally just manage to find their team mate through dumb luck as their selfish ways blind them of seeing what's right in front of them

Agree with the rest of your post

Bona's problem so far this game is that he's not the most physical player and he doesn't have a tougher teammate watching his back on the left side nor does he have a skilled player to play one-twos with.

This post has been edited by milanbuf88: Jan 31 2016, 09:56 PM

[han2503]

Lol, how is that not an obstruction on Bacca?

[milanbuf88]

Pretty good first half. Alex and Romagnoli have been tremendous.

Agreed. We're going to need them to continue that way to get the win.

[han2503]

See, this is why I don't trust Donnarumma

[Nova]

Niang's last pass... Is is it that difficult to give a simple pass ?

[han2503]

His judgement is simply non-existent, and his footwork is even worse

[Nova]

Mancini sent off.
Wtf Donnaruma !!!!

[han2503]

And again, completely shaken now

[han2503]

Kucka and Niang...

[Nova]

Haaaa Kuco !!!!! Come on !!!!! Simple passing !!!!!!

[milanbuf88]

Kucka has been so frustrating today. I love his work rate and his defensive pressure but his decision making going forward has been atrocious.

[Nova]

What the hell ...

[han2503]

Lol, stupid from Alex, penalty to Inter

[han2503]

MISSES!!


Karma to Icardi!

[milanbuf88]

So lucky. Icardi hits the post off the spot.

[Nova]

Donna freezes and Icardi hits the post !!!

[han2503]

Kucka has been so frustrating today. I love his work rate and his defensive pressure but his decision making going forward has been atrocious.

Problem with him is that he has the impression that he is some Messi/Ronaldo hybrid

[Nova]

Baccaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[han2503]

BACCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[TheOgre]

BACCA!!!! WHAT A CROSS!!!

[milanbuf88]

BACCA!!!!!!!

[han2503]

What a goal!

Niang finally delivers a good cross

[han2503]

The instinct Bacca shoed on that goal, was Pippo Inzaghiesque

[Nova]

Balo coming on

[Nova]

The instinct Bacca shoed on that goal, was Pippo Inzaghiesque

I was just thinking the same! :-)

[TheOgre]

NIANG!!!

[han2503]

NIANG!!!!!

All that bashing worked (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Nova]

Nianggggg !!!

[milanbuf88]

NIANG!!!!! 3-0!!!!

[han2503]

Another assist for Bona (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[han2503]

This makes the mid-week game even more crucial, and to think we've lost the majority of points now against teams we should have beaten

[Nova]

This makes the mid-week game even more crucial, and to think we've lost the majority of points now against teams we should have beaten

Who are we playing against ?

[milanbuf88]

Who are we playing against ?

Palermo on Wednesday.

[Ry4n]

What a game!

" Second win in a decade " ? jesus do commentators check stats (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

This post has been edited by Ry4n: Jan 31 2016, 10:46 PM

[han2503]

Really good second half aside from a crazy 10 minutes where Donna lost his head there. Stupid move from Alex as well to kungfu chop Icardi when he was going no where. Had that penalty gone in things would have gone down a lot differently.

Palermo and Udinese will be crucial for us. Losing points against either side is unacceptable.

I'm repeating myself here, but the lost points against the likes of Genoa, Atalanta and Bologna are just so troubling, but even moreso the ones against the likes of Verona and Carpi. Those will be the points that will end up costing us a potential CL place, not the losses to Fiorentina, Inter and Juve

[han2503]

Talk to you guys later, off to bed as I have to be up by 6:30 tomorrow (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[Fillipo Simone]

Palermo is always a hard battle to fight.

But let's take a moment and acknowledge our team for this game. Finally a good Madonnina outcome.

[milanbuf88]

Great win. It wasn't pretty all the way through but I give major credit to the guys for fighting through in a very physical match. I hope this energy gets carried forward. It's always great to take down Inter. Especially with the way they started the season.

[Nova]

Good performance by Milan , horrible performance by Inter.

3 deserved points is all that matters . Good night !

[X-Offender]

It was an enjoyable game despite the fact that the football quality was rather mediocre for a derby. But still, great win. It always feels awesome winning against the merda. Now if only Balo's shot had gone in as well... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/innocent.gif)

[Fillipo Simone]

So, I guess it's rating time for me:

Donnarumma - 6 - made a few decent save, but overall looked very green and created some unnecessary scares

Abate - 7.5 - rock solid and also very good in supporting Honda/Niang throughout the whole games
Alex - 7 - scored the vital first goal, made a few good tackles and was aerially dominant but caused a penalty
Romagnoli - 7 - good and reliable during the whole game

Antonelli - 6 - looked troublesome in the first half and failed linking up with the offensive part of his side but solid
Kučka - 6 - gave much dynamic and energy in the middle but also made countless passing errors
Montolivo - 7 - very reliable and in-tune with the team, commanding performance
Bonaventura - 7.5 - had problems with Miranda/Medel, but still contributed with vital passes and the assist
Honda - 7.5 - also couldn't battle the physicality of Inter, but proved crucial for the linkups after the first goal

Niang - 7 - overall poor, but still managed a fine cross and a lucky second-shot goal
Bacca - 7 - Han said it best, phantom performance, great finish, Inzaghi-reminiscent

Subs: Balotelli n/a, Bertolacci n/a, Boateng n/a

[Fillipo Simone]

It was an enjoyable game despite the fact that the football quality was rather mediocre for a derby. But still, great win. It always feels awesome winning against the merda. Now if only Balo's shot had gone in as well... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/innocent.gif)

Indeed, would've been even better.

Mediocre perhaps, but a lot better then the last 2-3 derbies IMO. You could see mediocrity and some shameful lack of quality, but also much intense football which made the match much more enjoyable.

[X-Offender]

Question: if we play Juve in the Coppa final, does it mean we're automatically qualified for the EL considering Juve will be playing in the CL?

[William405]

So, I guess it's rating time for me:

Donnarumma - 6 - made a few decent save, but overall looked very green and created some unnecessary scares

Abate - 7.5 - rock solid and also very good in supporting Honda/Niang throughout the whole games
Alex - 7 - scored the vital first goal, made a few good tackles and was aerially dominant but caused a penalty
Romagnoli - 7 - good and reliable during the whole game

Antonelli - 6 - looked troublesome in the first half and failed linking up with the offensive part of his side but solid
Kučka - 6 - gave much dynamic and energy in the middle but also made countless passing errors
Montolivo - 7 - very reliable and in-tune with the team, commanding performance
Bonaventura - 7.5 - had problems with Miranda/Medel, but still contributed with vital passes and the assist
Honda - 7.5 - also couldn't battle the physicality of Inter, but proved crucial for the linkups after the first goal

Niang - 7 - overall poor, but still managed a fine cross and a lucky second-shot goal
Bacca - 7 - Han said it best, phantom performance, great finish, Inzaghi-reminiscent

Subs: Balotelli n/a, Bertolacci n/a, Boateng n/a

Spot on ratings!

[William405]

Question: if we play Juve in the Coppa final, does it mean we're automatically qualified for the EL considering Juve will be playing in the CL?

I think so, yes.

[William405]

I have to admit I honsetly did not like the starting lineup. Why was Miha playing Honda again and Kucka when he might have had better options on the bench such as Bertolacci.

But in the end, Miha got it right. He found just the right balance, and the team was tactically great. Everyone knew what his role on the pitch was. Sure, I think there were still some problems as when Bonaventura was defending the fullback position more than Abate. The first 10-20 minutes were shaky, but after that we were rock solid.

The Alex-Romagnoli pairing is just the most secure one at the moment. Romagnoli's got talent, really good buy. We just have to find someone to partner him as Alex isn't the most sustainable option. While, Mexes, I feel, is out of the plan entirely.

A point that was mentioned by the studio talk by BEIN after the match is that this style of play might not work as well against small teams. We won't be able to break them by playing like this. Hopefully, Miha can adapt the team. Maybe a specific formation against small teams? I'm not sure, but I'm excited to see what he does and to hear your opinions about it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

[han2503]

A point that was mentioned by the studio talk by BEIN after the match is that this style of play might not work as well against small teams. We won't be able to break them by playing like this. Hopefully, Miha can adapt the team. Maybe a specific formation against small teams? I'm not sure, but I'm excited to see what he does and to hear your opinions about it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

Agreed, it's why we go from great performances against Lazio, Fiorentina and now Inter to the performance we saw against Bologna, Atalanta, etc in recent weeks.

We simply don't know how to take the game to the opposition

[William405]

Agreed, it's why we go from great performances against Lazio, Fiorentina and now Inter to the performance we saw against Bologna, Atalanta, etc in recent weeks.

We simply don't know how to take the game to the opposition

What do you think is the solution? A change in formation? Or a change in some personnel?

[han2503]

What do you think is the solution? A change in formation? Or a change in some personnel?

I think the formation has it's pros and cons tbh, it's perfect for playing the way we've done against those teams mentioned above, it allows us to really stretch opposition out on counters and make full use of the (essentially) 4 players in attack.

But we see the drawback of that very same formation when facing the smaller sides and we continue to press forward without being able to penetrate through their defence. Once we lose the ball in those situations we usually end up being at a numerical disadvantage with Monto and the other mid busting their guts trying to catch up and the CBs back tracking.

The problem is that while it's a good counter attacking formation, it's also not one good for deploying a possession based game, a 4-4-2 used to success even without having mastermind central mids usually deploys 2 wingers that are fast, creative and capable of creating the chances themselves instead of relying on the central players.

So basically it's a combination of both, the system is flawed because we don't have the right players for it, and we don't have the smart CMs either to counter the fact that we don't have skilful wingers. So when playing against the smaller sides we tend to try to go for the possession approach which is what really kills us imo, we don't have the players for it and the system is not built for that kind of approach

[maldini03]

I think the formation has it's pros and cons tbh, it's perfect for playing the way we've done against those teams mentioned above, it allows us to really stretch opposition out on counters and make full use of the (essentially) 4 players in attack.

But we see the drawback of that very same formation when facing the smaller sides and we continue to press forward without being able to penetrate through their defence. Once we lose the ball in those situations we usually end up being at a numerical disadvantage with Monto and the other mid busting their guts trying to catch up and the CBs back tracking.

The problem is that while it's a good counter attacking formation, it's also not one good for deploying a possession based game, a 4-4-2 used to success even without having mastermind central mids usually deploys 2 wingers that are fast, creative and capable of creating the chances themselves instead of relying on the central players.

So basically it's a combination of both, the system is flawed because we don't have the right players for it, and we don't have the smart CMs either to counter the fact that we don't have skilful wingers. So when playing against the smaller sides we tend to try to go for the possession approach which is what really kills us imo, we don't have the players for it and the system is not built for that kind of approach

That's an extremely astute explanation and I think you are spot on, but with the players we have what is our best bet against the smaller teams.

[han2503]

That's an extremely astute explanation and I think you are spot on, but with the players we have what is our best bet against the smaller teams.

I honestly don't know atm, I wanted us to try a xmas tree a while back, but that was mostly to counter our incredibly shaky defence which has stabilized a lot as the months have gone on.

I think atm best bet would be to go for a slightly different tactical approach, Miha is generally speaking playing the best 11 we have atm, there really is no complaint from the majority of fans in general about the personnel he's choosing, at least that's the impression I get from most, so there's no need to change that or the formation imo.

As I said, the problem generally tends to arise when we push up too high and commit too many men while mostly passing the ball sideways, then we lose it and we get sliced through with 2 or 3 passes at the most. These are the situations we need to work on mitigating

Let's not forget that we're playing with no pure DMs, something we haven't seen at Milan in years now. I think this is a very bold approach from Miha considering how previous coaches tended to try to solve our defensive problems by sticking even more defensive/creatively inept players in that midfield

[X-Offender]

Let's not forget that we're playing with no pure DMs, something we haven't seen at Milan in years now. I think this is a very bold approach from Miha considering how previous coaches tended to try to solve our defensive problems by sticking even more defensive/creatively inept players in that midfield

Indeed. Albeit Monto, Bertolacci and Kucka are generally speaking DMs, they're not limited to just winning balls. Well, maybe Kucka is, but in a 4-4-2 he gets a much wider role than just breaking play. Obviously he sucks at anything other than winning balls, but at least he's not relegated only to that duty, and most importantly, he's not partnered with a bunch of other similar players.

[han2503]

Indeed. Albeit Monto, Bertolacci and Kucka are generally speaking DMs, they're not limited to just winning balls. Well, maybe Kucka is, but in a 4-4-2 he gets a much wider role than just breaking play. Obviously he sucks at anything other than winning balls, but at least he's not relegated only to that duty, and most importantly, he's not partnered with a bunch of other similar players.

I personally don't call either Monto or Berto DMs either, for me they are pure central mids.