[Jack Sparrow]

Hello,

So this has been sometime coming. We have a lot of discussion on the forums about what our team is doing right and what it's doing wrong. People on here having different ideas on how we should play, how we should line-up, who needs to go, who needs to come in etc.

So here is your opportunity to have a go at your own tactics piece. Perhaps it might be difficult to make it as elegant as something from zonalmarking (what a wonderful site), so make do with dashes.

I'll first set the ball rolling by giving you the tactics piece from the man who makes the decisions:

This is Allegri on Milan-

Milan will refresh their lines in the summer as many players that carried the club for years are leaving – players like Gennaro Gattuso, Alessandro Nesta, Filippo Inzaghi and probably Clarence Seedorf too.

The Rossoneri have already confirmed the signings of Bakaye Traoré from Nancy and Riccardo Montolivo from Fiorentina and Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri says how he intends to use his squad next year.

"Montolivo can play in front of the defence or on either side in a 3-man midfield. He could revive the regista position," he said. "The alternative to the regista position is Muntari. Traoré will play on one of the sides in the midfield. Emanuelson will play as a left back next year. He could grow and develop well in that position.

"De Sciglio is ‘da Milan’ (Milan quality) and he can play both as a right and as a left back. The next season will be great for Mexes. I’m sure that he will perform well. Boa or Robinho will be used as the trequartista.

"The squad next year will consist of 25 players and I hope that our head athletic trainer, Daniele Tognaccini, will stay. Tognaccini (whose contract ends this summer) has been here for 14 years and has done a great job. If he doesn’t stay here, then we will still be in good hands. With the departure of all these players, Milan have lost quantity, quality and moral values. But we will continue to have clear rules in the changing room.

"Next year we will start over with Ibra, Boateng and Thiago Silva. There is no danger that they will leave. We will be counting a lot on Pato next season. He had a sabbatical year due to all these injuries. Robinho to be sacrificed? At the moment no one is in danger of being sacrificed. My future? I’m 100% sure I’ll stay."

Milan’s rating from La Gazzetta dello Sport for the 2011/2012 season (screenshot from La Gazzetta dello Sport)
Milan’s season was rather a disappointment as they finished it without winning any trophy – they lost the Scudetto to Juventus and got knocked out of the Champions League after the legs with Barcelona in the quarter finals.

"How I would rate this season for Milan? I would give it a rating of 6,5. We were at a rating of 8 before the Barça matches and after that only a 5, in my opinion," the former Cagliari Calcio boss added. In order to stay at Milan for a long time, you need technical and physical qualities as well as great moral qualities.

"It won’t be easy to replace these champions that have now left Milan. A player like Alessandro Nesta is born every 50 years. Along with Franco Baresi, Nesta is the best defender in the history of football. Filippo Inzaghi is a monster. He knows the characteristics of every single defender in Serie A. Even vs. Novara, Inzaghi knew perfectly well what he had to do in order to put the defenders in difficulty. I preferred not to talk much after the Novara match, because it was a day that was dedicated to the players leaving Milan."

Allegri, who also said "Mario Balotelli has to mature" when asked about the prospect of the troublemaker joining Milan, will now be on a vacation before trainings for the next season resume on the 8th of July.

So, from the dog's mouth, it seems we're looking at:

-----Ibra/Tonio/Pato-----Pato/Tonio-----

--------------Prince/Robbie--------------

--Noce/Monty---Monty/Ambro/Sulley----Traore

Urby----------Silva--------Mexes-----------Abate

-------------------||ABBIATI||----------------------


Bench:SeS, De Sciglio, Bonera,Flamini,Merkel, Strasser,Amelia

The same 4-3-1-2.

Can't say I'm thrilled. But oh well! I just see us being tactically rigid again, next season and depending on players instead of the system to make us winners.

On the tactics note, do read this delightful piece from zonalmarking. I especially like this quote from Martinez, who is one of the fore-runners to manage Liverpool:

"When you play a 4-3-3, you rely a lot on the full-backs to get high up the pitch. You shouldn’t look at a system as away to win a football match, it is the players that play the system"

Excellent point...and at the moment, I'm not sure if we have the players to play the system. I really feel it is perhaps time we looked at the 3 man defence and what it gives us.

But more on that later when I get enough time to come up with a tactics piece.

Meanwhile, feel free to post your own tactics piece. And try to keep your fantasy mercato transfers to a basic limit. It is really doubtful we are getting anyone more that Traore and Montolivo.

[Zed.D]

Do we have the players for a 3-man defense?
-
As for the formation/lineup that we'll probably be playing next year, I'm OK with it expect the trequartista position. neither Robinho nor Boateng is cut out for it. how about signing a real, classic trequartista?

[Zed.D]

Also, where is that Allegri interview from??

[kurtsimonw]

Do we have the players for a 3-man defense?

We definitely did with Nesta and it wouldn't be the worst idea to try something like that given our fullbacks inability to defend.

[X-Offender]

Oh god, Muntari as regista.

[Jack Sparrow]

We definitely did with Nesta and it wouldn't be the worst idea to try something like that given our fullbacks inability to defend.

Yeah. We have to be realistic and look at the market. We have a serious chance of getting a good extremely talented CB than we do of getting a world class FB and AM (both of which we need for the 4-3-1-2 to seriously hold on the 3 fronts we MUST do well on).

Among the CBs: We are easily looking at the possibility of getting Ogbonna, Acerbi or Astori, for under 15 million and wages of under 3 million for sure.


--Mexes---Silva---CB----

-------Abate----Nocerino--Flamini----Urby

--------------------Prince/Robinho---------

------------------Ibra----Cassano------------


It's a 3-4-1-2, and I think it is a lot safer. Plus there is the added benefit that in Silva we have possibly the best sweeper in the world today.

[Rossoneri7]

Not a fan of the 3 man midfield, let alone a 3 man defence. Theoretically it is interesting and as Kurt said had we tried it out with Nesta. But realistically speaking, I don't remember the last time we played a 3 man defense. Maybe its just that Milan always plays with 4 at the back? Not sure.

In general, I believe Allegri will continue with the 4312, simply because it was the foundation to winning the Scudetto. And as the proverb goes "..what you win with, you play with".

My only doubt is Mexes, even in his Roma days he was average when compared with Nesta back in the day. Moreover, I remember Nesta being huge for Lazio. While Mexes was nothing special, Juan is more consistent if you will.


My personal preference is a 4231, with Ibra upfront supported by Robi and Cassano.

[kurtsimonw]

My personal preference is a 4231, with Ibra upfront supported by Robi and Cassano.

Yeah I think this is the way to go, a lot of top teams use it now with great success.

[CHU-LIP]

My personal preference is a 4231, with Ibra upfront supported by Robi and Cassano.

I wonder what midfield you have in mind then, because that is important to know.

Boateng, Cassano and Ibrahimovic is our excellent attacking trio, I am not a fan of changing that (for Robinho).

This post has been edited by CHU-LIP: May 18 2012, 06:32 PM

[X-Offender]

My personal preference is a 4231, with Ibra upfront supported by Robi and Cassano.

I don't think Ibra likes to play as lone striker, plus we don't have the right players for it. We need two qualified wingers, and I can only think of Robinho. Cassano cannot pull it off. Not to mention we'd need back-ups, too. I'd rather go with 4-3-1-2. We sign two quality LB and DM (Balzaretti and Strootman), Montolivo on the right and Nocerino on the left.

Abbiati
Abate - Mexes - T. Silva - Balzaretti
Montolivo - Strootman - Nocerino
Boateng
Ibrahimovic - Cassano

That's a really, really good line-up if you ask me. And if we manage to sign Tevez (by selling Pato or Robinho), even better.

[Jack Sparrow]

I see no chance of getting Tevez. Keeping in mind his wages and possible transfer fee.

[X-Offender]

I see no chance of getting Tevez. Keeping in mind his wages and possible transfer fee.

If we were so close to signing him this winter, then I don't see what the problem is signing him a few months later. Obviously, we'd pay for him with the money we'd get from selling Pato or Robinho.

[Jack Sparrow]

Coz at that time he was an outcast...footballing poison who no one wanted to touch and we thought we would let Pato go to PSG.

Then Man City put their foot down and nothing happened.

Today he is the premier league winner and the team is happy paying him 200k a week while he is happy to be back in everyone's plans.

[CHU-LIP]

So, from the dog's mouth, it seems we're looking at:

-----Ibra/Tonio/Pato-----Pato/Tonio-----

--------------Prince/Robbie--------------

--Noce/Monty---Monty/Ambro/Sulley----Traore

Urby----------Silva--------Mexes-----------Abate

-------------------||ABBIATI||----------------------


Bench:SeS, De Sciglio, Bonera,Flamini,Merkel, Strasser,Amelia

What makes you think Traore will start? And so are few other things I will say we are not looking at we will get. Merkel on the bench, but he seems to leave us to get El Shaarawy other half. Strasser could leave, a half of him, too.

[han2503]

Muntari should be banned as a word on this forum. If I had the permissions, I would so add the idiot's name to the filter list!!

And people here thought we wouldn't make his deal permanent HA!! Allegri is already dreaming about him in his ideal 11 for next season. I mean can you imagine him stumbling over his own feet in the CL?