[Tennie]

So, what do you guys think? Who was Milan's best signing over the summer 2010 transfer window?

[han2503]

I think you're overshadowing our bench's potential this season, han.

If Nesta gets injured, we have Sokratis, whom is a very, very good CB and a worthy backup for Sandro. We also have Yepes and Bonera, which are not bad.

If Pirlo gets injured, we can easily play Seedorf in his position along with Boateng and Ambro/Flamini - still very good options.

If Pato gets injured, we have your excellency Robinho to substitute him.

You'll see our key players this time around can be easily backed up without the team losing much quality. Now, do I think we're superior to Inter? No, but I think we have both equal chances to winning the scudetto.

Sokratis may be a very good alternative, but last season when we lost Nesta at a huge part of our season, when we faced Man U, Nesta is a huge loss for these types of games, and Sokratis, no matter how good he is, would be a major step down no matter which way you look at it. He'll be more then good in Serie A, but this is what worries me. Last season was ended in the span of 2 weeks, simply because we lost Nesta and Pato at such a crucial point in the season.

Yes Robinho is a WC player and isn't really even a step down from Pato, we have the same quality no matter who plays imo, but you also ignored what I osted regarding his attitude and how we'll be able to handle him. And the personality clashes that are bound to happen if Allegri is not careful enough.

I personally don't like Seedorf in Pirlo's position, he cannot do what Pirlo does, not in a million years. And yes we do have great backups, but our starting midfield is old. We're going to face problems in this area no doubt, especially id Allegri doesn't find a way to rotate them effectively.

I completely agree that we do have a better overall squad to last season. But we've also added a lot of factors that could turn around and bite us in the @ss. So we'll see

Han, where did I mention the first match results (which you keep mentioning in your post)? And I'm shocked what you said about the central defense. Nesta and Thiago Silva FTW,and our first two backups are good that we don't need to worry about Nesta being out. We beat Inter when it comes to central defense, how is that debatable? You talk easily down our good sides while ignoring too easy the downsides Inter got. You talk about Pirlo being out as a problem, but we got a good backup in Seedorf. You don't mention Sneijder, they got Stankovic as backup for him, lol, and they don't got players like Ronaldinho and Zlatan either for creativity.

It's debatable which team is better, but calling Inter clear favourites says more about you than about the teams. You are a pessimist. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

I mentioned the first match once, but imo it's a big reason for all this talk, along with the star signings.

I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist, and while I am hopeful for this season, I am also keeping my feet firmly on the ground. There are a lot of question marks that are yet to be answered, from how the players will gel together to how the dressing room atmosphere will be once all the euphoria dies down and these player get into the nitty gritty of the season.

The center back issue is debatable for many people in fact. I personally think ours is better but it will also depend on how the teams will play, last season Inter were impenatrable, simply because of how the entire team play, if we leave Nesta and Silva exposed, they could be Baresi and Paolo back in the hey days, we'll still conceed.

All of these factors are the reasons why there are question marks, at least for me.

Like I said, we'll see, but I'm going to keep saying that Inter are the clear favourites until this team proves otherwise. And like i said, atm the Scudetto is Inter's to lose

[X-Offender]

Sokratis may be a very good alternative, but last season when we lost Nesta at a huge part of our season, when we faced Man U, Nesta is a huge loss for these types of games, and Sokratis, no matter how good he is, would be a major step down no matter which way you look at it. He'll be more then good in Serie A, but this is what worries me. Last season was ended in the span of 2 weeks, simply because we lost Nesta and Pato at such a crucial point in the season.

Yes Robinho is a WC player and isn't really even a step down from Pato, we have the same quality no matter who plays imo, but you also ignored what I osted regarding his attitude and how we'll be able to handle him. And the personality clashes that are bound to happen if Allegri is not careful enough.

I personally don't like Seedorf in Pirlo's position, he cannot do what Pirlo does, not in a million years. And yes we do have great backups, but our starting midfield is old. We're going to face problems in this area no doubt, especially id Allegri doesn't find a way to rotate them effectively.

I completely agree that we do have a better overall squad to last season. But we've also added a lot of factors that could turn around and bite us in the @ss. So we'll see

It seems like you are forgetting that Inter have as backups Cordoba, Chivu and Materazzi. I really can't see how Sokratis, Bonera and Yepes can be inferior to them. In fact, I think we have better backups than them.

Stop bringing last season's example. Last season we didn't have alternatives. When Nesta go injured, we played Favalli. When Pato got injured, we played Beckham/Huntelaar/Seedorf. This time around we have no problems of such nature.

Personally, I think the attitude matter some of your bring up every now and then is a lame excuse. Milan's locker room has never had personality issues over the course of the years, regardless of the various players who've played for us. The only negative rumor I can think of is Kaladze's recent one, and that had only to do with the board, not with the players/coach.

Of course, playing Seedorf in front of the defense is not the same as playing Pirlo, they're both different players. But Clarence has proved during his career he can adapt to almost every position on the pitch. Our game might lose some brilliance, but the quality is still there.

[han2503]

It seems like you are forgetting that Inter have as backups Cordoba, Chivu and Materazzi. I really can't see how Sokratis, Bonera and Yepes can be inferior to them. In fact, I think we have better backups than them.

Stop bringing last season's example. Last season we didn't have alternatives. When Nesta go injured, we played Favalli. When Pato got injured, we played Beckham/Huntelaar/Seedorf. This time around we have no problems of such nature.

Personally, I think the attitude matter some of your bring up every now and then is a lame excuse. Milan's locker room has never had personality issues over the course of the years, regardless of the various players who've played for us. The only negative rumor I can think of is Kaladze's recent one, and that had only to do with the board, not with the players/coach.

Of course, playing Seedorf in front of the defense is not the same as playing Pirlo, they're both different players. But Clarence has proved during his career he can adapt to almost every position on the pitch. Our game might lose some brilliance, but the quality is still there.

Last season is a valid example. The dip in quality between Nesta and Sokratis will be felt in the huge games. Maybe not against mid-table opposition in the league but against really good teams it will show. Cordoba and Matrix you have a point, but Chivu is a great CB who often is wasted a FB at Inter, and imo is better then any of our backups...

It's not an e excuse really, it's reality. Milan have never had such problems because we don't usually have players with such personalities. Robinho can be a serious problem if he's not well disciplines. While Ibra has a huge ego and if that ego is bruised he'll cause trouble. A lot of this will fall on Allegri and whether or not he can handle them.

Imo, Seedorf is best played on the left of the midfield. Flamini or Boateng could take the central spot and it would produce better results then playing Seedorf as a regista