[dst]

well I haven't posted anything for more than a week as I've been away so I feel like typing!!!....
here's an article (translated) from a greek newspaper...

The rare Milan blood

Now that Milan is left out of the CL I can say it:Silvio
Berlusconi's team is the greatest of our times.Milan is the team
that during the last twenty years has formed the history
of european football.For that they have been great not only
at their victories (most of which are unique) but also at
their losses.The latter are those that mainly make her
great, cause they belong to her, just as her triumphs.
Milan for twenty years and so has been losing or winning
on her own.Only because of the fact that she possibly had no
match on the field she decided to play against an opponent
that never loses:time

By taking a look at Milan's XI you understand her great value.
Everyone but Kaka have won the Champions League!
Her players' names cannot be compared with any other team's,
they are what we say "heavy as history".No other team has the
heart to play with three "10" (Pirlo, Kaka, Seedorf) and two
forwards:not even Barcelona!And no team can walk into Camp Nou
and scare Barca just by the names of the players printed on the
jerseys just like Milan did last week.

Exorcism
Milan in this very competition that's called Champions League
scores every year at least once 4 goals against the lucky
team that gets in her way.I can't reckon any other team that does
that.Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United do show their
strength but only when in shape:Milan does it almost every single
year!No other european team has ever won the European Cup final
by scoring four goals:some have won the CL scoring 4 goals in
all matches.Also, no other team has played so many finals with so
many different coaches:Milan has won with Capello, Ancelotti,
Sacchi-all three of them she has made great.Just as she has
made great so many players that before going there were struggling.
In Dida, Serginho, Gatusso, Kaladze, in kicked out of Inter Pirlo,
in regarded from Juve as finished Inzaghi, even in Cafu Milan gave
the chance to win trophies and awards.This Milan that 20 years now
has haunted european football since noone has been able to exorcise
her.

Opponents
Her constant opponents are steps below.Real Madrid has in the last
20 years played half the finals Milan has and has spend nearly three
times the money Berlusconi has.Barca reaches the final after 12 years.
Bayern Munich only dreams of a final every 4 years.Abramovic's Chelsea
has a really long way to go.Manchester will have to play four or five
finals continuously to be able to even be compared to her.Liverpool
has to prove it was not a one-hit wonder, and so does Arsenal.Lyon
needs to be great, Porto has to learn to be great.Juve and Inter
cannot be compared to the rossoneri:the rest I do not even talk
about.

Blood
In twenty years Berlusconi and his partners have created and displayed
to us three amazing teams:the Milan of Sacchi and Dutchmen, the Milan of Capello
and the Milan of Shevchenko.All the rest european managers cannot even create
one!These fours European cups and the seven finals can tell a lot and in the
same time they are not telling anything:the true power of this team has been
her ability to replace a series of "huge" players.After Gullit came Savisevic
and then Kaka.After Van Basten came Weah and then Sheva.After Baresi came Nesta.After Donadoni, Boban and Seedorf after Rijkard,Desailly after Ancelotti, Albertini and Andrea Pirlo.It is an accomplishment to find replacements for players of such value:if nowadays Milan is on the decline its because the players that can perpetuate her greatness by opening new eras are few.You can't easily find a new Maldini,Stam,Inzaghi, Costacurta, Seedorf, Serginho, Cafu, Dida:the blood of Milan is rare.

History
Milan is playing with herself as the only opponent and what we have watched these past two years for eveyone who really understands football is breathtaking:Rossoneri decided to play against time believing that they can win him too.Milan last year came as close as a half to winning the CL ,showing in Instanbul the peak of her output by playing a dreamed first half.She was equalized because she overexceeded her limits:she hit red.Liverpool scored three goals in fifteen minutes against her and then perched in awe, frightened.This year Milan went to Camp Nou carrying a loss in San Siro.She needed one goal to elongate the tie, to play that is against time once more.By hitting red she "found"it:it's another story that Merk denied it to her:I don't think she would have made it through and I'm sure she couldn't win the final because she's over her biological limits.Then again nothing touched me more than the dignity that those honoured aged lads exposed not only to their team but to their history too.

Great Spirits
Next year, if they remain as they are they will be out in the quarter-final.The reservoir has no more gas, most of them carry more injuries and wounds than trophies.Honour though to all of them, for they are true champions.Honour to the 40 year old Costacurta to the 37 year old Maldini to the 36 year old Cafu, to the 34 year old Serginho to the 34 year old Stam to the 33 year old Dida and the 33 year old Inzaghi to the 30 year old Seedorf:all of them gave what they got.Time once again remained unbeaten but these guys showed to him what they're made of....


Ah!!!!I forgot to mention that the journalist is a Lazio fan...

This post has been edited by dst: May 1 2006, 06:57 PM

[I_Rossoneri]

A very good post and i agree with all of it, we have run out of gas mainly due to the high ages of a lot of our players. I also think that the team as a whole lost a lot of confidence after Istanbul. We need someone in charge who can instill that confidence and let us play with the swagger we used to have, as recently we have looked nervous especially when we concede. Let's hope Don Silvio returns and strengthens the team with some quality players not the over 30 freebies we've had to endure recently. I'm sure that when this happens we will start winning silverware and retain our place as the best team in the world (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/devilsmiley.gif)