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AC Milan - Milanfan.com _ Matches _ Europa League 18/19: Milan matches

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Sep 20 2018, 04:05 PM

All Milan Europa League matches talk here. Starting with today's game against Dudelange.

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Sep 20 2018, 06:43 PM

Milan: Reina; Abate, Caldara, Romagnoli, Laxalt; Bertolacci, Mauri, Bakayoko; Borini, Higuain, Castillejo

Milan bench: G Donnarumma, Calabria, Calhanoglu, Zapata, Biglia, Halilovic, Kessie


Posted by: Fillipo Simone Sep 20 2018, 06:47 PM

I'll be rooting for Reina and Caldara. Hopefully both can bench their woeful counterparts.

Posted by: William405 Sep 20 2018, 08:34 PM

Well, the team is just too different to expect something.

Posted by: William405 Sep 20 2018, 08:46 PM

Disjointed performance.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 20 2018, 09:53 PM

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Sep 20 2018, 06:47 PM) *
I'll be rooting for Reina and Caldara. Hopefully both can bench their woeful counterparts.


To be honest, Musacchio has been anything but woeful so far.

Posted by: William405 Sep 20 2018, 09:58 PM

Well, quite a mediocre performance. But, it was quite expected given the lineup that Gattuso fielded. Even if we were playing against a much weaker side, team chemistry is quite important.

I think I learned one or two things though in this match on some players:

Abate: The boy is done. He was really good at one point of his career. But, his days are over, I'm afraid.

Laxalt: The kid is good. But, I don't know where he can play. I'm pretty damn sure he won't be good enough as full back. Defensively speaking that is.

Bakayoko: Well, the guy seems okay. But...hmm I really don't see him adding anything. He can be a vice-Kessie maybe. But, not more. His football IQ is not so good imo. That is me being nice.

Castillejo: Very nice dribbling blabla. But, he doesn't have any end product. An okay player to have on the bench, but nothing more.


Posted by: William405 Sep 20 2018, 09:59 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 20 2018, 11:53 PM) *
To be honest, Musacchio has been anything but woeful so far.


Yes, I agree.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 20 2018, 11:02 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Sep 20 2018, 09:58 PM) *
Well, quite a mediocre performance. But, it was quite expected given the lineup that Gattuso fielded. Even if we were playing against a much weaker side, team chemistry is quite important.

I think I learned one or two things though in this match on some players:

Abate: The boy is done. He was really good at one point of his career. But, his days are over, I'm afraid.

Laxalt: The kid is good. But, I don't know where he can play. I'm pretty damn sure he won't be good enough as full back. Defensively speaking that is.

Bakayoko: Well, the guy seems okay. But...hmm I really don't see him adding anything. He can be a vice-Kessie maybe. But, not more. His football IQ is not so good imo. That is me being nice.

Castillejo: Very nice dribbling blabla. But, he doesn't have any end product. An okay player to have on the bench, but nothing more.


Honestly, I think we should have scored 2-3 more given the many chances we had. It was an average performance but certainly not a bad one. I liked that even in the 90th minute the players were running and pressing.

As for your player remarks, I agree about Abate and Bakayoko. Sure as hell we're never going to opt the purchase clause of 40M for this guy.

I think Laxalt can comfortably play in defense. He did so for Uruguay in the WC, and in those few showings for us he's demonstrated maturity and confidence.

Castillejo, to be honest, I liked. He's got skill, even though he lacks some end product as you said. Nevertheless, I need to see more of him, and he needs to be given more time.

Posted by: han2503 Sep 21 2018, 04:36 PM

Thanks for opening the thread Fillipo, I totally forgot to do it before hand and then I had to go out

I only caught glimpses of the game as I was out at a dinner gathering thing so I can't really comment, but barely scraping a 1-0 win against a team of part-timers does not look good

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Sep 20 2018, 06:47 PM) *
I'll be rooting for Reina and Caldara. Hopefully both can bench their woeful counterparts.

Donna will never be benched. We're paying him 12m gross per year. Reina imo is better right now, especially with his feet but that's the way things are. Rino won't bench Donna

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 20 2018, 09:53 PM) *
To be honest, Musacchio has been anything but woeful so far.

Meh, I don't thin him and Romagnoli mesh well together. Our defensive play has been atrocious. Even against Roma, which was our best showing by far this season, we looked shaky at the back. We need to start playing Caldara there so him and Romagnoli can start to form an understanding with each other.

QUOTE (William405 @ Sep 20 2018, 09:58 PM) *
Well, quite a mediocre performance. But, it was quite expected given the lineup that Gattuso fielded. Even if we were playing against a much weaker side, team chemistry is quite important.

I think I learned one or two things though in this match on some players:

Abate: The boy is done. He was really good at one point of his career. But, his days are over, I'm afraid.

Laxalt: The kid is good. But, I don't know where he can play. I'm pretty damn sure he won't be good enough as full back. Defensively speaking that is.

Bakayoko: Well, the guy seems okay. But...hmm I really don't see him adding anything. He can be a vice-Kessie maybe. But, not more. His football IQ is not so good imo. That is me being nice.

Castillejo: Very nice dribbling blabla. But, he doesn't have any end product. An okay player to have on the bench, but nothing more.

Laxalt I'd personally start over Rodriguez any day of the week. Rodriguez is so slow, lethargic and predicatable that he's basically useless for us as an attacking outlet. And it's not like he's Maldini in the defensive phase either, so i'd rather Laxalt be the starter there

As for Castillejo, he's still young and new to the team. I see him the same way Suso was when he first came here. He'll develop his end product and cut out some of the play acting and needless flamboyance from his game as he'll quickly learn that Italy is no Spain

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 04:56 PM

Milan Atalanta kicking off soon!!

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 04:58 PM

Milan: G Donnarumma; Calabria, Musacchio, Romagnoli, Rodriguez; Kessie, Biglia, Bonaventura; Suso, Higuain, Calhanoglu

Atalanta: Gollini; Toloi, Palomino, Masiello; Castagne, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Pasalic; Gomez, Barrow

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 05:05 PM

Sorry, no thread

Let's just talk here


GOALLL. HIGUAIN!!

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 05:05 PM

biggrin.gif

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 05:10 PM

yewsssss! smile.gif

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 05:17 PM

Our midfield is so frustrating. We might have passed the ball to Donnarumma about 10 times till now.

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 05:19 PM

We're playing like a team..so happy!

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 05:19 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 23 2018, 07:17 PM) *
Our midfield is so frustrating. We might have passed the ball to Donnarumma about 10 times till now.


And donna isn't so good with his feet imo..

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 05:27 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Sep 23 2018, 05:19 PM) *
We're playing like a team..so happy!


Are we? I don't see it. Our link-up play is non existent.

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 05:31 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 23 2018, 07:27 PM) *
Are we? I don't see it. Our link-up play is non existent.


On the attack, yes in my opinion.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 05:34 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Sep 23 2018, 05:31 PM) *
On the attack, yes in my opinion.


Yes, but you can't be playing as a team when only defense and attack are working.

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 05:36 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 23 2018, 07:34 PM) *
Yes, but you can't be playing as a team when only defense and attack are working.


True. With that point I agree. Biglia and Kessie, very dissapointing..what can I say

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 05:36 PM

I think we've been good so far. Especially considering what a bogey team Atalanta are for us

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 05:46 PM

Kessie is playing like 10 percent output...he needs to wake up..so frustrating to see someone not giving his best.

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 05:49 PM

Our players should write a handbook on how to p!ss away counterattacks

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 05:55 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Sep 23 2018, 05:46 PM) *
Kessie is playing like 10 percent output...he needs to wake up..so frustrating to see someone not giving his best.


I think we expect too much from Kessie. He's a physical player with a decent touch, but he's no Luka Modric. We push him too high up, and he doesn't always give his best. He needs to be sit in front of the defense, preferably with a partner at his side.

But it's not Kessie that's the problem here, it's mainly guys like Biglia, Bonaventura, Rodriguez and even Calabria, who can be absolutely useless when push comes to shove. They offer absolutely nothing, not only because they lack the skill, but because they lack the intelligence as well. Bona tries from time to time, but let's be honest, he's just not good enough.

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 06:08 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 23 2018, 07:55 PM) *
I think we expect too much from Kessie. He's a physical player with a decent touch, but he's no Luka Modric. We push him too high up, and he doesn't always give his best. He needs to be sit in front of the defense, preferably with a partner at his side.

But it's not Kessie that's the problem here, it's mainly guys like Biglia, Bonaventura, Rodriguez and even Calabria, who can be absolutely useless when push comes to shove. They offer absolutely nothing, not only because they lack the skill, but because they lack the intelligence as well. Bona tries from time to time, but let's be honest, he's just not good enough.


I can't disagree more. Specially on the players. Rodriguez and Calabria imo are having a good game. I know they're players who no one over thinks there good, but I have no problem with their output. Biglia should be more commanding when on the ball, but it just doesn't feel like he will be that player for us.

I don't expect a lot from Kessie lol. But, you can't deny that he can push on more. I'm not expecting world class passing, just the minimum.


Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 06:12 PM

We look edgy this half

We need to lock this down and not let them keep putting pressure on us

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 06:15 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 23 2018, 05:55 PM) *
I think we expect too much from Kessie. He's a physical player with a decent touch, but he's no Luka Modric. We push him too high up, and he doesn't always give his best. He needs to be sit in front of the defense, preferably with a partner at his side.

But it's not Kessie that's the problem here, it's mainly guys like Biglia, Bonaventura, Rodriguez and even Calabria, who can be absolutely useless when push comes to shove. They offer absolutely nothing, not only because they lack the skill, but because they lack the intelligence as well. Bona tries from time to time, but let's be honest, he's just not good enough.

Can't agree about Kessie. He's a box-to-box guy, he needs to do both. His problem is mainly concentration

But I agree that we use him incorrectly.


And we concede rolleyes.gif Saw that one coming...

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 06:15 PM

1-1

Expected.

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 06:16 PM

****!

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 06:17 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Sep 23 2018, 06:08 PM) *
I can't disagree more. Specially on the players. Rodriguez and Calabria imo are having a good game. I know they're players who no one over thinks there good, but I have no problem with their output. Biglia should be more commanding when on the ball, but it just doesn't feel like he will be that player for us.

I don't expect a lot from Kessie lol. But, you can't deny that he can push on more. I'm not expecting world class passing, just the minimum.


Calabria and Rodriguez are absolutely rubbish, how can you say they're having a good one???

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 06:22 PM

BONAAAAAAAAAAA

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 06:22 PM

Also, STOP f@cking around with the ball at the back FFS!!! Donna has a mistake in him each game while Musacchio and Romagnoli don't inspire much confidence either


Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 06:23 PM

Thank god for Suso.

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 06:24 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 23 2018, 06:17 PM) *
Calabria and Rodriguez are absolutely rubbish, how can you say they're having a good one???

Agree about Rodrigues. Calabria is a Jekyll and Hyde player

He can be so good, but also can stink up the place. Today we've seen both sides imo

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 06:25 PM

Won't enter the Rodrigurez debate anymore lol. No matter what he does, he is rubbish in your eyes.

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 06:26 PM

Lol, yellow for Higuain!

Why? It was a 50/50 collision. He had every right to go for the ball

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 06:27 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Sep 23 2018, 06:25 PM) *
Won't enter the Rodrigurez debate anymore lol. No matter what he does, he is rubbish in your eyes.


What he does is usually bad things, that's why.

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 06:31 PM

Man, Suso's crosses are top notch! biggrin.gif

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 06:32 PM

What is wrong with Hakan? It's the second match in a row that he is sucking.

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 06:34 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 23 2018, 06:32 PM) *
What is wrong with Hakan? It's the second match in a row that he is sucking.

I know he broke a finger against Cagliari, so that robably aided in that one. It could still be a factor as he'll be hesitant in situations to avoid falling on that hand

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 06:50 PM

Donnarumma...

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 06:52 PM

That contract we gave him...

He shouldn't be playing at this point. His "catching" and punching has been all over the place. While his shot stopping has been mediocre at best for over a year now

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 06:53 PM

Donnarumma..

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 06:53 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Sep 23 2018, 08:52 PM) *
That contract we gave him...

He shouldn't be playing at this point. His "catching" and punching has been all over the place. While his shot stopping has been mediocre at best for over a year now


Agreed.

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 06:53 PM

Oh FFS!

Posted by: han2503 Sep 23 2018, 06:53 PM

2-2

Another 2 points lost

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 06:54 PM

Deserved.

This team is a mess.

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 06:57 PM

Man sad.gif

Posted by: William405 Sep 23 2018, 07:00 PM

Such a let down.

We didn't know how to handle the situation when we were winning.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 07:04 PM

Leonardo should start consider sacking Gattuso. What have we achieved thus far?

A loss to Napoli after being 2 up
Win in the last second against a terrible, terrible Roma side
Draw against a crappy Cagliari
Draw at home against a struggling Atalanta

But it's not just the results. It's the game that's lacking. I mean, we're so predictable. We mainly rely on simple passes and long balls. We're not able to play horizontally without losing the ball. The players are too static, and the spirit is just not there.

I feel like a player of Higuain's calibre is just being wasted here. He should have never signed for us for his own sake.

Posted by: maldini03 Sep 23 2018, 07:12 PM

Such a disappointment. I am fuming with this team today. Looks like Gattuso still hasn't found out which players he can throw into a game to change it for us. Our bench is sparse and you would think Bakayoko would help solidify that midfield but he just doesn't bring any steel into the team.

We need upgrades in the winter window. Should have had all three points today.

Looking on the bright side we had a few players play well today, namely Suso, Higuain, and Bona.

I was thinking throughout the game that our cbs were playing well but you can't concede two goals like that. Calabria is one of the best rbs in the league going forward but his marking is poor on crosses. RR is similar. Kessie provides endless running and sometimes looks like a monster sometimes he looks scared and flat. Biglia was also playing well but lost the plot at the end of the game, you would think a general with his qualities would be able to command two runners like Kessie and Baka but he loses his nerve at the end of the game.

Calhanoglu was poor today looked completely lost, hasn't really found his groove with Higuain yet, while Suso has. Donna looked awful on the corners and crosses. For a 6'5" guy you would think he would own everything in the air but he looks so shaky and confused.

Gattuso did well today, the Abate sub was the right one and in theory so was the Baka sub. I would have thrown Laxalt on instead of Samu if he planned to just close out the game because Laxalt runs for days.

Overall the team doesn't know how to play like a big team. A big team kills that game off and knows how to hold up the ball and slow things down. We do not know how to do that.

Going forward I want to see Caldara start. Mussachio has been okay but our defense has been shaky. Since that is the reality I would rather see the young future star in Caldara over Mussachio.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 07:21 PM

QUOTE (maldini03 @ Sep 23 2018, 07:12 PM) *
Such a disappointment. I am fuming with this team today. Looks like Gattuso still hasn't found out which players he can throw into a game to change it for us. Our bench is sparse and you would think Bakayoko would help solidify that midfield but he just doesn't bring any steel into the team.

We need upgrades in the winter window. Should have had all three points today.

Looking on the bright side we had a few players play well today, namely Suso, Higuain, and Bona.

I was thinking throughout the game that our cbs were playing well but you can't concede two goals like that. Calabria is one of the best rbs in the league going forward but his marking is poor on crosses. RR is similar. Kessie provides endless running and sometimes looks like a monster sometimes he looks scared and flat. Biglia was also playing well but lost the plot at the end of the game, you would think a general with his qualities would be able to command two runners like Kessie and Baka but he loses his nerve at the end of the game.

Calhanoglu was poor today looked completely lost, hasn't really found his groove with Higuain yet, while Suso has. Donna looked awful on the corners and crosses. For a 6'5" guy you would think he would own everything in the air but he looks so shaky and confused.

Gattuso did well today, the Abate sub was the right one and in theory so was the Baka sub. I would have thrown Laxalt on instead of Samu if he planned to just close out the game because Laxalt runs for days.

Overall the team doesn't know how to play like a big team. A big team kills that game off and knows how to hold up the ball and slow things down. We do not know how to do that.

Going forward I want to see Caldara start. Mussachio has been okay but our defense has been shaky. Since that is the reality I would rather see the young future star in Caldara over Mussachio.


The game man, the game. We don't have an identity. Or rather, we do have one, but it's that of a provincial side. And that's reflected in our mentality and vice-versa.

How does a team like Lazio with such an average line-up on paper play so well? They might lose all the big matches, but they win most of those games that count against the average/poor sides, hence they're always fighting for that 4th spot every season.

It's because Inzaghi has taught them how to play as a unit. We're just all over the place instead. Gattuso just isn't the man for this job I'm afraid.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Sep 23 2018, 08:56 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 23 2018, 08:32 PM) *
What is wrong with Hakan? It's the second match in a row that he is sucking.

I told you so tongue.gif. But well, I haven't been listening.

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 23 2018, 08:54 PM) *
Deserved.

This team is a mess.

I disagree. Atalanta started pushing forward, that's true, but it really isn't a deserved draw, we lost the win rather unlucky and in a typically tragicomic way.


QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 23 2018, 09:04 PM) *
Leonardo should start consider sacking Gattuso. What have we achieved thus far?

A loss to Napoli after being 2 up
Win in the last second against a terrible, terrible Roma side
Draw against a crappy Cagliari
Draw at home against a struggling Atalanta

But it's not just the results. It's the game that's lacking. I mean, we're so predictable. We mainly rely on simple passes and long balls. We're not able to play horizontally without losing the ball. The players are too static, and the spirit is just not there.

I feel like a player of Higuain's calibre is just being wasted here. He should have never signed for us for his own sake.

It's too soon.


QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 23 2018, 09:21 PM) *
The game man, the game. We don't have an identity. Or rather, we do have one, but it's that of a provincial side. And that's reflected in our mentality and vice-versa.

How does a team like Lazio with such an average line-up on paper play so well? They might lose all the big matches, but they win most of those games that count against the average/poor sides, hence they're always fighting for that 4th spot every season.

It's because Inzaghi has taught them how to play as a unit. We're just all over the place instead. Gattuso just isn't the man for this job I'm afraid.

I disagree. Lazio have it easier because they're a different team to begin with. They're a smaller team with a different mentality. The pressure at Milan, the expectations and the whole team setup is different. We haven't been top for years but it's still a big club, whereas Lazio turned/stayed this proud small team happy to grab anything above 6th place. They have a integrated squad with players who have been playing for them for years. On paper only Higuain and perhaps Romagnoli are better players; their midfield allows them to play compact, speedy and offensive football.

We are predictable because we have so little to work with. Our midfield and our wings (bar Suso of course) are disintegrated and limited, which surely isn't up to Rino.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 23 2018, 09:14 PM

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Sep 23 2018, 08:56 PM) *
I told you so tongue.gif. But well, I haven't been listening.


If you're talking about him being inconsistent, that I can accept. But his qualities as a player are unquestionable. I'd say after Higuain he is by far our best player, even better than Suso.

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Sep 23 2018, 08:56 PM) *
It's too soon.


Is it? We have the same team as last year bar Higuain. Gattuso has been dealing with these players for some time now, yet after all these months we haven't really improved that much.

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Sep 23 2018, 08:56 PM) *
I disagree. Lazio have it easier because they're a different team to begin with. They're a smaller team with a different mentality. The pressure at Milan, the expectations and the whole team setup is different. We haven't been top for years but it's still a big club, whereas Lazio turned/stayed this proud small team happy to grab anything above 6th place. They have a integrated squad with players who have been playing for them for years. On paper only Higuain and perhaps Romagnoli are better players; their midfield allows them to play compact, speedy and offensive football.

We are predictable because we have so little to work with. Our midfield and our wings (bar Suso of course) are disintegrated and limited, which surely isn't up to Rino.


Look, I was the first one to admit that our midfield and fullbacks are mediocre, but if you're somehow implying that the coach is not as important as the players I'm afraid you're gravely mistaken. Sure, Lazio don't have as much as pressure as we do, but I think Inzaghi has clearly shown that he is a very capable coach. What has Gattuso achieved thus far in his career? Nothing but one failure after the other.

I love Rino, honestly I do, but we must look at things objectively here. If he isn't able to give an identity to this bunch of players, then he must be shown the door.

Posted by: han2503 Sep 24 2018, 07:47 PM

I think we'd all agree that we wanted a more seasoned coach, because that is what this team has needed for a while. The experiments with rookie coaches have been a huge failure.

You can't bring in someone with no experience into a team that has been in a constant state of upheaval for years now. It will only continue to add to the confusion. We need someone who has the experience and the right mentality to change the way our players approach football in the broad sense. That is not going to come from someone who's never achieved anything in the coaching arena, no matter how great a player he was.

We need someone who will come in and stabilize this ship. Otherwise this endless cycle is not going to change. Someone above said that we don't know how to win games like a big team anymore. We used to know how to do this but it's been lost among all the changes and downgrades that have happened over time in this team. And only a proper coach can instill this back into the side.

When Conte was available in the summer, I said from the get-go that we should move in for him. Rino deserves his due respect, but you simply cannot pass up on the chance to bring in a coach of his caliber when he's available and probably also willing to join. Giving Rino that long term contract was another mistake in the long list committed by our former roughshod management.

If things continue in this vein, I can't see Elliot affording Rino much patience. They'll be ruthless just as they have been in all the other moves they've made so far.

The fundamental basics atm are simply wrong. We played a terrible game against Napoli. We played a great game against Roma, but in hindsight you have to admit that Roma being terrible helped make us look better than we are, we played another terrible game against Cagliari, we embarrassed ourselves against a bunch of part-timers and played a decent 45 minutes against Atalanta only to p!ss it away because we're simply incapable of playing a consistent 90 minutes of good football.

Something simply has to change and quick, or Rino will surely end up losing his job, let's just hope that whatever has to happen happens soon or this will be another season wasted. I don't think I've seen a better opportunity for us to reach 4th in recent years than this season. With Roma looking like a shadow of themselves, Inter still scrambling to get the pieces to fit together and Napoli being hit and miss under Carlo this could have been a golden opportunity for us. But it looks like we're about to p!ss it away as usual

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 25 2018, 09:56 PM

Mediaset has the same line-up against Empoli as well.

So fed up with Rino's fixation on playing 4-3-3 with that same crappy midfield. The team looks so disjointed.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 26 2018, 11:06 PM

Higuan not called up. Bye-bye 3 points.

EDIT: Wait, this is the EL thread...

Posted by: William405 Sep 27 2018, 06:41 PM

Unless Cutrone plays..

Posted by: han2503 Sep 27 2018, 08:02 PM

Let's see how we'll manage to lose the 2/3 points today...

Posted by: han2503 Sep 27 2018, 08:11 PM

Biglia! 1-0

Not going to get excited about this...

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 27 2018, 08:24 PM

Laxalt is so much better than Rodriguez.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 27 2018, 08:33 PM

Donnarumma is saving our asses so far.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 27 2018, 08:34 PM

WTF Kessie! How did he not score there???

Posted by: han2503 Sep 27 2018, 08:40 PM

This is smelling like a repeat of the Atalanta game

We're playing well and creating chances but also living on the edge in the defensive phase.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 27 2018, 08:44 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Sep 27 2018, 08:40 PM) *
This is smelling like a repeat of the Atalanta game

We're playing well and creating chances but also living on the edge in the defensive phase.


We weren't exactly playing well and creating chances against Atalanta.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 27 2018, 08:51 PM

Decent first half. A good display offensively and the midfield is working well, but a we must be careful not allowing stupid counterattack to Empoli. We've been lucky in a couple of occasions. Best player thus far Kessie, he's been impeccable.

Also, we're playing with 10 men. Borini cannot count as an actual player.

Posted by: han2503 Sep 27 2018, 09:11 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 27 2018, 08:44 PM) *
We weren't exactly playing well and creating chances against Atalanta.

We played a good fist half and created 2 guilt edged opportunities which we didn't take (hit the post twice in the first half as well)

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 27 2018, 09:18 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Sep 27 2018, 09:11 PM) *
We played a good fist half and created 2 guilt edged opportunities which we didn't take (hit the post twice in the first half as well)


I respectfully disagree. I think we were horrible all game.

Posted by: han2503 Sep 27 2018, 09:29 PM

WTF are they doing??

So stupid! Why play around with the ball there FFS!!!?

Posted by: han2503 Sep 27 2018, 09:31 PM

It's like we;retrying to find new and interesting ways to f@ck games up!

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 27 2018, 09:31 PM

Ridiculous. Romagnoli should be banned for 10 games straight after that.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 27 2018, 09:33 PM

Oh, and now he plays Cutrone! After Borini has been fucking up every ball he's touched for the past 75 minutes. rolleyes.gif

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 27 2018, 09:34 PM

And he takes off Hakan! When Suso has been a ghost the entire game. Rino, you can GTFO along with Romagnoli.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 27 2018, 09:54 PM

That's it. I'm done. I'm not watching another Milan game till we make at least 3 wins in a row. I don't have the time and nerve to waste on a bunch of garbage who tarnish the shirt they're wearing every single day. See you.

Posted by: han2503 Sep 27 2018, 09:56 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 27 2018, 09:34 PM) *
And he takes off Hakan! When Suso has been a ghost the entire game. Rino, you can GTFO along with Romagnoli.

Romagnoli made the mistake, but the playing around with the ball at the back has been a consistent problem this season when neither CB is particularly good with the ball. The mistake was coming. I said this smelled like a repeat and it was.

We are simply unable to close out games. That's 4 times we've been winning a game this season and managed to lose points in the end. The defense has been a mess, the midfield is not helping and our attack is not finishing off enough chances.

This has probably been one of our worst starts in a while and if it continues well into October, Rino will be out the door.


Hate to say it, but we're missing Bonucci in that defense.

Posted by: X-Offender Sep 27 2018, 09:58 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Sep 27 2018, 09:56 PM) *
Hate to say it, but we're missing Bonucci in that defense.


Bonucci was smart enough to leave in time. Higuain will follow soon next summer.

Posted by: han2503 Sep 30 2018, 02:08 PM

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 27 2018, 09:58 PM) *
Bonucci was smart enough to leave in time. Higuain will follow soon next summer.

Right now, at this point, I really don't believe that anymore

We're no longer under the management of B&G or the Chinese

We have serious ownership who have done nothing but show serious intent from the moment they came in. Our management is first class now

It's a matter now of making those upgrades within the squad.

I think they were trying to avoid big shake ups and left Rino to do his thing because he did relatively well last season and he was just given a long term contract. But at this point it's most likely that he won't last till Christmas if he doesn't turn things around.

Things are looking bright for our future. Let's not forget that in June we looked at the future and saw bleak dark times ahead. With debts mounting, and Li looking like a total fraud and getting banned from Europe

From that position to where we are today, I say we have nothing but great things to looks forward to. The results might not be good but that doesn't bother me. Because I know the right moves will be made to make sure things change for the better. Higuain knew he was coming into a club that was a work in progress

Look at Inter, things didn't instantly get better when their new owners came in after Tohir. They're reaping the fruits of the work done now. We've changed the entire management, it will take a bit of time to make those changes reflect in the results.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Sep 30 2018, 02:14 PM

Agree.

But could we stop talking in the EL thread and perhaps open a permanent Milan Serie A matches thread? This drives me crazy...

Posted by: han2503 Sep 30 2018, 02:17 PM

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Sep 30 2018, 02:14 PM) *
Agree.

But could we stop talking in the EL thread and perhaps open a permanent Milan Serie A matches thread? This drives me crazy...

Just opened a new match thread

I think we were just carrying around the jinx in this one anyway biggrin.gif

Posted by: han2503 Oct 4 2018, 07:47 PM

Great second half. Hakan and Cutrone turned things around when they came on. Good positive changes from Rino

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Oct 4 2018, 09:00 PM

Is there any tactical option for playing both Cutrone and Higuain? Patrick is a great talent and we really should start building around him with Higuain to guide him and also provide the extra part for our whole gameplan.

Posted by: X-Offender Oct 5 2018, 05:43 PM

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Oct 4 2018, 09:00 PM) *
Is there any tactical option for playing both Cutrone and Higuain? Patrick is a great talent and we really should start building around him with Higuain to guide him and also provide the extra part for our whole gameplan.


4-2-4 with Suso and Hakan on the sides. But I think Rino considers it more of a in-game solution when we’re not winning.

Posted by: han2503 Oct 6 2018, 02:29 PM

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Oct 4 2018, 09:00 PM) *
Is there any tactical option for playing both Cutrone and Higuain? Patrick is a great talent and we really should start building around him with Higuain to guide him and also provide the extra part for our whole gameplan.

I'd actually argue for a 4-3-1-2 with Hakan behind the front 2

That being said, that would exclude Suso and leave us with no alternative striking options bar Borini off the bench

I think as x-off said, Rino only considers this as a tactical shift when we're in search of goals rather than something he'd go with on a regular basis

That being said, I'd really like to see us start with 2 strikers against the smaller teams in the league, it would make our lives far more easier as teams these days generally have a difficult time defending a 2 striker system as it is so rarely used

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Oct 5 2018, 05:43 PM) *
4-2-4 with Suso and Hakan on the sides. But I think Rino considers it more of a in-game solution when we’re not winning.

I'd rather keep the midfield 3 if we were to use a 2 striker formation tbh. Kessie is too undisciplined in the defensive phase to rely on in a double pivot imo

Posted by: han2503 Oct 25 2018, 06:38 PM

Oh my... Watching the Betis game. And it's an absolute clusterf@ck!

So bad

Bakayoko and Borini are barely footballers at this point. Rino better give them the hook at half time because it's simply not acceptable. We cannot make 2 consecutive passes at this point

Posted by: drucurl Oct 25 2018, 08:04 PM

#GattusoOut

Posted by: Rossoneri7 Oct 26 2018, 01:53 AM

Think it is more to do with the approach of the squad. The players were too hasty on the ball and thus less composed when in possession.

Gattuso takes the blame that is for sure, he did make the right changes though in Suso, Cutrone and Bertolacci. Had the players kept a cool head after conceding the first goal, this would have been a different match.

Firing Gattuso at this point would be plausible, but don't think it would solve the underlying problem. Think Gattuso is an intimidating guy in the locker room who can dominate the discussion and carry his weight. Conte? Yeah that is an option, and if he came it would be perfect for Milan's attempt to target CL. Let's see what happens this winter break too.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Oct 26 2018, 04:11 PM

We really need a change of coach. After years and years of trying out various Milan legends as coaches we really need to pick a seasoned man who can take charge and knows what he's doing. Seedorf, Inzaghi, Brocchi, Montella and now Gattuso... makes a total of five consecutive coaches who all except Montella started their coaching career with us here. It's enough. These kids need tactical brilliance and guidance, not just footballing authority.

I love Gattuso as a player and admire his energetic and frank effort but I don't think he's the right man for the job. Last year Milan got embarrassed in the Coppa final, a game I won't forget that easy. Now we embarrassed ourselves in the Madonnina derby. This is something that shouldn't happen as often as it does.

I fear Conte is far away from Milan. Rumors of him joining Real are not going away.

Milan being linked with Donadoni, which would be a real disappointment for me. Wenger also being mentioned which would kind of be strange.

Posted by: Rossoneri7 Oct 27 2018, 05:43 PM

As of now, there is no axe on Gattuso’s head. He has to turn this around, but more importantly the team has to be fired up to come back. Hope that the next game proves us wrong and the team does show up.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Oct 27 2018, 08:40 PM

Perhaps. But I've lost faith. Gattus proved he can fire up the team, the trouble is that it doesn't last very long up until we fall into another black hole. And then over and over again. So I really think we need a change ASAP.

But probably it won't happen. We'll win against Sampdoria and Genoa and Rino will keep his post. Then few weeks or months after this we'll again be in crisis. To be quite honest, I can't see Rino finishing this season as our coach.

Posted by: X-Offender Oct 28 2018, 11:48 AM

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Oct 27 2018, 08:40 PM) *
Perhaps. But I've lost faith. Gattus proved he can fire up the team, the trouble is that it doesn't last very long up until we fall into another black hole. And then over and over again. So I really think we need a change ASAP.

But probably it won't happen. We'll win against Sampdoria and Genoa and Rino will keep his post. Then few weeks or months after this we'll again be in crisis. To be quite honest, I can't see Rino finishing this season as our coach.


But you said it yourself, Conte is going to Madrid, Donadoni would be disappointing and Wenger is just strange (not to mention he's a born loser). So, who should we sign? I can't think of anyone at the moment.

Posted by: X-Offender Oct 28 2018, 01:59 PM

So, 4-4-2 tonight with Suso and Laxalt on the flanks.

Typical signs of a coach who has lost it and has no idea what he’s doing anymore.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Oct 28 2018, 04:58 PM

I think it will be more of a 4-2-4 system. But well...

Posted by: han2503 Oct 28 2018, 06:13 PM

Let's see, started with the right attitude and energy today. We absolutely have to win this and the Genoa game.

Posted by: han2503 Oct 28 2018, 06:34 PM

Absolutely killed by 2 simple balls from left to right...

Calabria is too exposed on the right side.

Posted by: William405 Oct 28 2018, 06:49 PM

Too much spaces.

Posted by: han2503 Oct 28 2018, 06:57 PM

QUOTE (William405 @ Oct 28 2018, 06:49 PM) *
Too much spaces.

Agreed, this is why I don't like a 4-4-2, especially when it means we're basically shifting to a 4-2-4, especially with Suso playing so high up leaving Calabria vulnerable with no help from the mids either as they can't just drift to help as it would leave us wide open through the centre of the pitch.

If Rino wants to utilize both Cutrone and Higuain, which has so far proved very justifiable, than we have to either go with a 4-3-1-2 or a 3-man defensive line.

Also, watching Cutrone and Higuain play inadvertently p!sses me off. Because if all the other players played with even half the fight and hunger these 2 play with, we'd be a sure top 4 side. Watching Suso, Hakan, Biglia etc play who are so mentally weak is frutrating as hell. And you can say that Higuain is a winner and that's what we need in the team, but Patrick has won f@ck all in his career and he's still got a winner's mentality. It's just so frustrating to see player who have so much ability, like Suso and Hakan for example, who allow their heads to drop at the first sign of trouble. And until this changes, we can change coaches as many times as we want, we'll still end up with the same results.

It's why I'm so in favour of bringing back Ibra. Players like this will instill a certain mentality in the team that has been lost to us since the veterans retired

Posted by: drucurl Oct 28 2018, 07:04 PM

No having today's match thread is bad
Not allowing regular users to open them is pathetic and embarrassing

Posted by: han2503 Oct 28 2018, 07:23 PM

QUOTE (drucurl @ Oct 28 2018, 07:04 PM) *
No having today's match thread is bad
Not allowing regular users to open them is pathetic and embarrassing

Sorry dru, totally forgot about it. we can discuss here for this and then I'll open the Genoa thread

3-2 btw. Let's keep this going

Posted by: CrazyMilanFan Oct 28 2018, 07:49 PM

How have we played today. We still cant keep a clean sheet is very alarming.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Oct 28 2018, 08:39 PM

Piss poor defending. Calabria should be benched. Along with Donna.

Last time Milan conceded 15 consecutive matches? 1946. And now...

Posted by: X-Offender Oct 28 2018, 08:51 PM

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Oct 28 2018, 08:39 PM) *
Piss poor defending. Calabria should be benched. Along with Donna.


They both should have been benched since a while.

Posted by: han2503 Oct 28 2018, 10:48 PM

QUOTE (CrazyMilanFan @ Oct 28 2018, 07:49 PM) *
How have we played today. We still cant keep a clean sheet is very alarming.

Not going to say we played well, but we didn't play badly either. There are glaring weaknesses which keep getting exposed in every game

Rino absolutely has to figure out a way to get this team to stay compact when we don't have the ball because right now it's just as mess. Too many spaces are being left leaving the back 4 continually exposed

Last season we were defensively solid with Rino and impotent in the attack, now it's a complete 180 where we're scoring relatively freely in most games but can't manage a clean sheet to save our lives

We can blame individuals until the cows come home, Calabria made errors no doubt but he was completely left in no man's land by the midfield, Rodriguez had the benfit of Laxalt ahead of him, while Calabria was continually getting double teamed

I don't agree with a 4-4-2, and while the concept of having both Cutrone and Higuain on the pitch was nice, the 4-4-2 is not a solution for it. Kessie and Biglia are simply not capable of playing in a double pivot, where the requirement of them are very specific, Kessie is especially undisciplined in this regard. We need to play a 3-man midfield and the side mids (Kessie and Bona on most occasions) need to kelp out their FBs because right now, they're not doing that as well as they were last season and we're seeing the defensive line continually getting exposed.

QUOTE (Fillipo Simone @ Oct 28 2018, 08:39 PM) *
Piss poor defending. Calabria should be benched. Along with Donna.

Last time Milan conceded 15 consecutive matches? 1946. And now...

Calabria isn't really the problem, it's the whole defensive setup and shape of the team. We're not compact enough and we're leaving too many spaces between our midfield and defense.

If Gattuso manages to find the balance between the defensive solidity we showed last season and the attacking play we're showing this season we can still do well. But as of now, we're just not showing any signs that the defensive organisation is getting better with each game

QUOTE (X-Offender @ Oct 28 2018, 08:51 PM) *
They both should have been benched since a while.

Calabria has had good games and games where he's made mistakes, I still generally prefer him over Abate these days personally speaking



Anyway, we're painting a bleak picture of the season being over when we've lost 2 games this season, against Napoli and Inter both of which have better teams than us imo and aren't our direct competitor to 4th. Yes, we drew games we shouldn't have but aside from that we haven't been as shambolic as most are thinking. If we win against Genoa, we'll be within touching distance of 4th, especially if Inter win or draw against Lazio tomorrow. So lets just all stay calm. Sacking Gattuso won't make everything magically better unless we bring in a top notch coach which is looking unlikely. I'd rather keep Rino than sacking him just to bring in another average coach like Donadoni. That would be redundant.

Posted by: drucurl Oct 29 2018, 06:18 PM

QUOTE (han2503 @ Oct 28 2018, 03:23 PM) *
Sorry dru, totally forgot about it. we can discuss here for this and then I'll open the Genoa thread

3-2 btw. Let's keep this going


I want this place to keep going. It's a nice forum you have here.

I gotta say, my goodwill towards Gattuso is evaporating. I didn't have any to start, but he came in and did a really great job even though I seriously disagreed with some of his decisions....most notably how he managed Andre Silva.

But now he seems to be rather stubborn about his selections and inflexible to make the right subs in time. He's like a Goodwill version of Allegri an this point

Posted by: William405 Oct 29 2018, 09:16 PM

Let's not forget that Sampdoria beat Napoli. They have a good record this season.

Posted by: han2503 Oct 30 2018, 08:03 PM

QUOTE (drucurl @ Oct 29 2018, 06:18 PM) *
I want this place to keep going. It's a nice forum you have here.

I gotta say, my goodwill towards Gattuso is evaporating. I didn't have any to start, but he came in and did a really great job even though I seriously disagreed with some of his decisions....most notably how he managed Andre Silva.

But now he seems to be rather stubborn about his selections and inflexible to make the right subs in time. He's like a Goodwill version of Allegri an this point

I disagree about him being like Allegri. I think he's actually very open to making certain changes, unlike Allegri. And he's far more adventurous in his decisions

I think atm he's mostly struggling to get the right balance in the team

We all knew it wasn't going to be smooth sailing with a coach with practically no experience. But with all that being said, Rino has been pretty good imo especially considering what we were expecting initially

QUOTE (William405 @ Oct 29 2018, 09:16 PM) *
Let's not forget that Sampdoria beat Napoli. They have a good record this season.

Samp are a pretty good team. We beat them, but what worries me about this team is that we're so inconsistent and fragile at times.

Posted by: X-Offender Nov 8 2018, 08:43 PM

3-5-2 tonight. dry.gif

Posted by: Fillipo Simone Nov 8 2018, 09:56 PM

Rodriguez is slow, Borini stupid, Bakayoko indescribable.

But beyond everything...the level of mentality swings, fragility and moodiness we're constantly demonstrating is terrifying. For this alone Rino should be sacked.

Posted by: X-Offender Nov 8 2018, 10:59 PM

January couldn't come sooner. Aside from Paqueta, we really need a Biglia replacement (Paredes or Barella) and another striker, possibly a left winger. We can't go anywhere like this.

Posted by: maldini03 Nov 9 2018, 06:22 PM

Filippo if we sack Rino who are we going to bring in as a coach? The best name out there is Conte but he always sets his teams up to play the 3-5-2. We simply don't have the players to play that way. It will take at least until the summer transfer market to bring the players in to play that system.

I don't understand Rino's insistence on playing that way makes any sense, to be honest. We should look to bring in a player or two in the winter and ride it out with Gattuso. Give him a year to bring us to the CL. If he doesn't succeed then we go for Conte or a big name coach in the summer when we can bring the players in that the new coach wants.

Posted by: X-Offender Nov 9 2018, 10:47 PM

The problem with Conte isn't his fixation with 3-5-2, but the fact he would hardly sign for us at this moment.

Posted by: han2503 Nov 10 2018, 07:22 PM

i think Getting rid of Gattuso at this point would be stupid, look, complain all you want, we're in 4th place and on the verge of qualifying from the EL group stage, that's as good as we could have hoped for when we started the season.

We had a few dips, but that's expected when your team is not stacked with stars and winners. But we've managed to right the ship quickly when we were about to start losing course. That's what's important

The current shifts and changes in the formation are coming about because of all the injuries. Now Musacchi is also out for 6 weeks so that's another huge blow, with Romagnoli and Zapata being the only available CBs for the moment

Bona is also out, Hakan and Kessie have niggling injuries that they've been carrying for weeks and Hakan got another knock on Thursday to his foot. Higuain will probably just about make it to the Juve game while Cutrone also suffered another knock to the ankle that has been troubling him since he got injured with the U-21s

So we have a lot of problems currently, Biglia also being a huge factor. We're going to lose the game against Juve tomorrow, but it's ablow we'll have to take given the circumstances and just thank our lucky stars that the international break is upon us so we can recover some of those players

All in all, I think Rino is doing a damn fine job and criticizing him won't help our situation. Conte is a pipe dream at this point, sacking Rino in the hopes of signing him doesn't make much sense since he apparently even made Madrid(!) look for someone else due to his demands

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