[m1ke]

All Dida talk here

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[Tennie]

Would I want Kalac to play before Dida?

If it were pre-flare Dida, absolutely not. I've been watching some old games recently and the 2003 vintage Dida was a beast in goal. Absolutely amazing saves, etc etc etc.

Flash forward 5 years - the guy who played in goal against the merda in the first derby bore little resemblance to the guy who made amazing saves against the same team before the idiots started throwing flares.

I think that whoearthepatriots was right when he said that we lost Dida the moment he got hit with that flare. I also think that the article Gazzetta posted toward the end of last season was right - Dida's confidence is just gone. It's really very very sad.

Would I want the 2008-vintage Dida in goal over Kalac? I'm not really sure. The 2008-vintage has no mojo left, it would seem. Kalac is someone we all like to bash, but the fact of the matter is that he DID keep Milan in games last year and that the howler ratio was a lot lower than many of us expected. So, based on recent performances, I'm not sure which I'd prefer. If I had to pick, I'd probably flip a coin. (And again, based on recent performances, I'd probably start Abbiati over both of them, chanting with the Juve fans notwithstanding).

[MizNelson]

I also think that the article Gazzetta posted toward the end of last season was right - Dida's confidence is just gone.

Deep inside, that's probably true. Whenever he did get going and have a string of great games, you could count on something suddenly killing the momentum (shredding his knee after that awesome save against AEK, and then the derby). Every performance scrutinized in addition to worrying about getting hurt. It really bothered me to see people poke fun at his back freezing up at Parma, because it can happen to anyone at any time.

I will take to my grave the belief that had we played anyone other than Inter on the date of the first derby last season, he'd still be in the starting lineup.

[acid911]

I will take to my grave the belief that had we played anyone other than Inter on the date of the first derby last season, he'd still be in the starting lineup.

+1 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif)

He was gaining confidence then. The last few games prior to that were very good in the goal, with most being clean sheets and victories. And this was after the Celtic Park accident, which sort of served as a wake-up call. August 9 can't come soon enough!