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Posted by: han2503 Apr 28 2017, 08:09 PM

Well, we were able to escape without a scratch vs Empoli, thanks to our direct rivals all messing up. This week we'll have another golden opportunity, Crotone are fighting tooth and nail to stay in Serie A, so I don't expect a walk over, but we should still be able to get the 3 points here.

That said, Romagnoli is still out injured (so expect another horror show from the dynamic duo of Zapata and Paletta), DS is suspended, and Antonelli is once again injured (has he managed to stay injury free for more than a month this season?), so most likely Vangioni and Calabria will start in the FB positions

Sosa is also suspended so Loca will start in the centre, I honeslty don't know why Montella considers Loca and Sosa as an either/or scenario, I think they'd work well next to each other, and anyway, Loca is no regista, he's a box-to-box mid, so he'd be perfect on the side of someone like Sosa

Lapa could also be given the go ahead over Bacca once again from what I'm reading

Posted by: d'Arc.LP Apr 28 2017, 09:18 PM

Atalanta currently playing Juventus, Lazio plays Roma and Inter plays Napoli. If we don't win this game we will clearly show that we (the company) are not interested in Europa League.

Posted by: han2503 Apr 28 2017, 11:02 PM

Yep, Atalanta drew against Juve

They're looking really good atm, too bad they're fighting so hard for Europe and will sell half their team this summer. This always happens when mid-table clubs make it into Europe

Posted by: d'Arc.LP Apr 29 2017, 05:48 AM

Yep, happened with Fiorentina, Sassuolo, and pretty much every mid-table team which makes it into Europe.

Posted by: Danny Apr 29 2017, 08:08 PM

I've had an epic fail weekend. Last weekend all three of my teams lost.

This weekend two of them have already had their arses handed to them. I now expect Milan to complete the set.

Posted by: d'Arc.LP Apr 30 2017, 07:49 AM

Empoli's coach, Martusciello: "The match with Sassuolo? They are stronger than Milan and Fiorentina."

Posted by: Ry4n Apr 30 2017, 12:41 PM

Must win !

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 02:10 PM

Ridiculously easy for them

It looks like they're barely trying. Zapata and Paletta both reaching new levels of low the way they're getting turned around

Posted by: Nova Apr 30 2017, 02:10 PM

Not according Zapata . 1-0...

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 02:19 PM

I haven't seen us this bad at the back in quite a while, but it's sort of to be expected considering the personnel back there

Still, the lack of effort on display atm is horrifying

Posted by: Nova Apr 30 2017, 02:22 PM

I really cant see us winning today. 20 min and not even a chance for us ...

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 02:25 PM

Is it me, or does it feel like they're not even trying to win?

Posted by: Nova Apr 30 2017, 02:34 PM

I dont even think they can do better. Unless our opponents allow it , but this is just horrible to watch.
This Milan is just not Milan anymore. As a supporter I keep watching but this is NOT Milan worthy.

Posted by: Nova Apr 30 2017, 02:36 PM

And let's not forget , we're playing against Crotone ...

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 02:44 PM

Deulo needs to stop diving and start playing FFS!

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 02:48 PM

Disgraceful stuff

Nova, I personally think they can do MUCH better than what they're showing today. But it's another listless performance today.

Posted by: Nova Apr 30 2017, 02:57 PM

They can do better if the other team allows it or just sucks. This Crotone is not letting Milan have it and Milan cannot do anything about it. Consider any other mid table team , they can win against the leader and lose against the last.

I believe Milan does not have the quality that can have the outcome of the match in their own hands.

Personally , this is the worst Milan squad I have EVER seen. And I've seen a lot ...

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 03:06 PM

1-1

Paletta I think

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 03:08 PM

They need to wake up and get these 3 points locked, and not fall back to sleep which is what I'm sort of expecting

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 03:09 PM

SO CLOSE!

Posted by: Nova Apr 30 2017, 03:09 PM

Damn , I missed the goal ...

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 03:11 PM

Montella needs to bring on Bacca and take off Kucka, he's useless anyway

Posted by: Danny Apr 30 2017, 03:11 PM

One of the reasons I went off him a few weeks ago. He's turned into a moaning little cheating sh*te who dives in the box quicker than you can say Neymar.

I watched a bit of the first half out the corner of my eye - we looked dreadful. I have switched off. I've had 5 losses of 5 the past two weekends, I can't be bothered with it any more.

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 03:11 PM

Should be 2-1 with the chance Lapa had just after, just cleared off the line though

Posted by: Danny Apr 30 2017, 03:12 PM

Beginning to doubt Montella a bit now as well. Making more errors than good calls and the system which served us so well last year is a faded memory.

Posted by: Danny Apr 30 2017, 03:12 PM

Should be 10-0. It's Crotone eff eff ess. We're Milan.

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 03:21 PM

It's not about doubting Montella though. Our squad is threadbare atm, he doesn't hame many options, not to mention we've lost 2 of our best players to injury (Bona, Roma)

His subs have always been a bit slow though, that's something he definitely has to work on


Well they're fighting to stay in Serie A. They were never going to let us walk all over them. Not to mention we haven't been in the best form as of late

Posted by: Danny Apr 30 2017, 03:25 PM

I feel like he's running out of steam. That said our squad is disgusting. Even with Jack and Roma available it's honking.



The day we justify the third bottom side being better than us is the day we're not Milan.

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 03:28 PM

Well, even the best coach out there would run out of steam trying to get the best he can out of this bunch for an entire season. At some point you'll hit a wall, and I feel like we hit that in February and haven't been able to drag ourselves back up since

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 03:30 PM

Lapa has worked his @ss off today

Posted by: Danny Apr 30 2017, 03:34 PM

It was November last year for me. The reverse of this very fixture, post-Juve win. We celebrated beating them (Crotone, not Juve) like we'd won the UCL. Thereafter we've been at best patchy and at worst diabolical.

Posted by: Danny Apr 30 2017, 03:35 PM

He's a decent worker, but he's a Serie B player. That's all he is. He's not even good enough to be a squad player for us. Well...given the level we're at these days, maybe he is!

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 03:36 PM

I disagree, I think he's a decent footballer, and not just a simple poacher either. I personally prefer him to Bacca who's one of our highest earners btw

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 03:53 PM

Kucka has probably got to have the lowest IQ possible. How stupid can you get?

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 03:53 PM

Another 2 lost points against a relegation side...

Posted by: X-Offender Apr 30 2017, 04:27 PM

Draw against Pescara, loss against Empoli, draw against Crotone. The players clearly don't care anymore. For them the season is already over.

Posted by: han2503 Apr 30 2017, 04:39 PM

You'd think that with the axe hanging over their heads come summer they'd try to do better to avoid having it drop over them, but it's obvious that they've already checked out

I really can't wait to see the back of the likes of Kucka, Zapata, Paletta, Vangioni, Ocampos, and more at the end of this season. Their place is clearly not at Milan, they certainly don't deserve to wear the shirts on their backs

Posted by: maldini03 Apr 30 2017, 05:20 PM

I'm not too hung up on this one or the last one, to be honest. At this point in the season, we are fighting for Europa League which is a meh competition. I say pack it in, give the young guys a run-out and try and put up a fight with the bigger teams.
- The way I see it they will be clearing out the debris at the end of the season so what are we really getting worked up over. If it is true that there will be more money coming from a Summer tour in China then I say what's the big deal with dropping points.
Montella should definitely keep his job though this squad is threadbare. We have zero creativity on the bench and guys like Deu and Suso know it. Personally, I would rather different wingers but if they stick around we at least need some competition to light the fire under them.

Posted by: Ry4n Apr 30 2017, 07:35 PM

these players don't give a ****

Posted by: Rossoneri7 Apr 30 2017, 08:13 PM

I always consider these opponents more difficult than Juve or Roma. As they play the fixture against Milan as if it was a cup final and their players give 150% to prove to the audience or scouts present they are worthy of transfers to bigger clubs.

As for our struggle to secure Europe. We have a thin squad, low on quality and the injury list to key players took a toll on the team. Montella can only do so much.

Posted by: Danny Apr 30 2017, 09:15 PM

The only players we have worthy of the shirt, of varying levels of quality as Milan have been throughout the years are:

Gigio, Roma, Abate, Jack.

The rest are simply not good enough, or don't fit in. Our squad is really as poor as this. So it's not the ones we want rid of who matter, it's the ones we deem good enough. And that's on one hand.

Posted by: d'Arc.LP Apr 30 2017, 10:00 PM

Still don't believe me that the club is not interested in Europa League qualifiers more than in Asia summer tournament?

Posted by: Danny Apr 30 2017, 10:04 PM

Soon as I heard this theory, if you were the one who said it, I was willing to buy it. It's plausible. Asia is more lucrative than UEL. It probably competes with UCL now.

Posted by: d'Arc.LP May 1 2017, 07:45 AM

No I wasn't the first one to say it, but I read it and I believe it and I shared it her but X-Off didn't believe

Posted by: X-Offender May 1 2017, 10:49 AM

I don't.

Posted by: Danny May 1 2017, 12:21 PM

Asian owners...most lucrative market around now...it doesn't seem totally impossible.

Maybe not under previous ownership, but possibly now.

Posted by: han2503 May 1 2017, 02:07 PM

Hmm, I think Suso, Deulo, Locatelli, DS, Calabria and Lapa are also all worthy imo

Do I think they all should be starters? Obviously not, but the guys you mentioned and mine should be the ones we keep (Deulo being the exception as Barca want him back). That list is a good base of players, some will be good coming off the bench which others we can build the team around.

Posted by: Danny May 1 2017, 02:20 PM

Our standards have sunk if Lapa is even in the squad *sad face*

Posted by: han2503 May 1 2017, 02:29 PM

I think you and Fillipo give Lapa too much of a hard time when I think he's been good for us this season

And I'm not talking about him being a starter, but he's good for the bench. He's not a complainer, he works his @ss off and he clearly values the opportunity he has been given to play at Milan, which is more than what can be said for most of our players.

Posted by: Danny May 1 2017, 02:51 PM

He's not good for the bench. Not if you want a Milan we can recognise. And he could bring peace to the middle east for all the difference his attitude makes, he isn't good enough, period!

Posted by: han2503 May 1 2017, 03:51 PM

The bench won't be made out of stars. In the past we had players like Pancaro, Thomasson, Favalli, etc for the bench. Lapadula fits the bill.

The point here is to identify the "good eggs" remove the bad ones and build on those good eggs. Imo Lapa is a good egg, and the good egg argument doesn't just rest on the player's ability but on the entire package a player brings to the table

Also, you're listing Abate, Abate had been declining for a while now, but I agree that he should be part of that group we should build around, and this is not just based on his abilities as a player

Posted by: Fillipo Simone May 3 2017, 10:54 AM

Han, you're wrong. Milan needs to offlaod both Bacca and Lapadula next season. I really don't see much potential in Lapa. He's already a formed striker who doesn't have much space to grow. We need to get a star striker next season and a backup that's either a talent for the future or a seasoned player who has a few Serie A seasons behind.

Danny has been right. Lapadula is perhaps working his butt off, but that's the main point - at his best, playing at 101% he still isn't efficient enough, not good enough. Work rate may pay off for players like Kuco or a classic DM, but not for a striker. Not even a substitute one.

I don't see the point in keeping Lapadula. He's already 27 and I think he's perfect for teams like Crotone or Genoa.

Posted by: han2503 May 3 2017, 12:09 PM

You think that way because neither of you like him for some odd reason. Yet you prefer Bacca to be starting over him now...

As for next season, so you want to get rid of both our strikers and start fresh there when we have a striker that would be ideal to be our backup option. You want to waste time and money to bring in 2 strikers when we have much more pressing issues in midfield

Our strikers will always be at a disadvantage because of our midfield, so they're not going to be converting a lot of goals either way. I say, we sell Bacca, keep Lapa as the backup for whoever the new guy will be and focus on upgrading that midfield and defence.

Like I've probably said a thousand times, the striker is not that important in the grand scheme of things, what's important is having a strong defence and a midfield capable of controlling games and creating chances, Juve won a Scudetto with Matri and Iaquinta upfront, that should say it all

Posted by: Jack Sparrow May 3 2017, 02:42 PM

Now that's not true. A striker is very important. Just ask Arsenal. Your point ought to be, a striker with the right system is more important.

My logic is if we're going to make a new midfield and defence, why not make one that will service Bacca well.

On the other hand if Bacca will be sold to raise cash, of course Lapadula must remain. We can see if we will find a striker who can be number 1 and will suit the new system.

It's a chicken-egg situation. Either of them can go. Selling both, would be problematic to replace. We're left with no backup.

Posted by: Danny May 3 2017, 03:24 PM

http://www.milanfan.com/forums/index.php?act=findpost&hl=bacca&pid=414606
http://www.milanfan.com/forums/index.php?act=findpost&hl=bacca&pid=414488
http://www.milanfan.com/forums/index.php?act=findpost&hl=bacca&pid=414046

Hope that sums up my feelings. Lapa as a backup depresses me. As for the striker not being that important...



Front lines have been weirdly important this season. Your words. When it hasn't functioned, the whole team suffers.

Posted by: han2503 May 3 2017, 08:04 PM

By-passing the midfield to score IS very concerning as I've said multiple times in the past. Look at when Ibra was here, we basically went from defence to Ibra to get the job done, and it certainly worked for 2 seasons, but look what happened once he left. Also, if your striker goes through a dry spell, then you've had it, and this is because we don't really create good chances through good build-up, our goals are generally smash and grab, rarely do we score from a good team move

The team suffers regardless of the striker, the team suffers because we struggle to control games and create chances, this not only does this put a handicap on our strikers, it also puts our defence at a serious disadvantage, this is why I shall repeat that the striker situation shouldn't be anywhere near the top of our priority list imo, first we need to fix that midfield, because until that happens our strikers will continue to struggle (no mater who they are). And it's also why I think that at least for next season we should keep Lapa as the backup and just concentrate on replacing Bacca with a better and more versatile forward

Posted by: Jack Sparrow May 4 2017, 09:28 AM

Bring back Balotelli. Lapadula and Jack will compensate for his lack of workrate. Leaving him free to bang in them goals.

Posted by: Fillipo Simone May 4 2017, 09:38 AM

You're approach is relativistic or reductionist at least.

Firstly, it's not true that I dislike Lapadula. Nor do I like him: he's a correct player who gives his best. Problem is, IMO even at his best he's inadequate for a more ambitious Milan. He's not good enough and that's the end of my assessment, no oddity in my opinion, no theory needed.

Bacca is clearly the better player. I don't see how this can be denied. Look at Bacca's stats and career, then take a look at Lapadula. But before you jump at me for saying what I've said - yes. Lapadula fits in better. Yet, tell me Han - and I really dislike these kind of what-if's - you honestly think that if Montella would have played Lapadula as a starter for every game this season we would have done better - - in terms of points, results and goals??

Juventus is a rare example. One that can be repudiated with tons of other teams who, as Jack noted, thrive on great modern strikers.

Posted by: Danny May 4 2017, 04:19 PM

Hard to argue with any of that. But Han'll give it a damn good go

Posted by: X-Offender May 4 2017, 10:59 PM

As Jack stated, we can't sell them both. We need to keep one as back-up, and I don't think Bacca would be willing to warm the bench. So, keep Lapadula as backup striker, sell Bacca and sign a top striker.

Posted by: Jack Sparrow May 5 2017, 09:41 AM

I don't mind that. But then our entire midfield and defence has to be built keeping in mind the kind of striker. Which is where we've screwed with Bacca this season. It's not like no one knew he was a pure finisher with little workrate.

So let's not make a midfield which requires a Cavani, Suarez or Perisic type forward, unless we can land one of them in the transfer window.

Posted by: X-Offender May 5 2017, 07:03 PM

Perisic? Perisic is a winger/attacking mid.

Posted by: han2503 May 6 2017, 10:01 AM

Stats never tell the entire story, fact is Bacca has been terrible this season. Half his goals are from the penalty spot, he's been missing sitters, contributes absolutely nothing to the gameplay and basically just drifts in and around the penalty box whining about not getting inch perfect goals which he could score from, and even when he does get chances on a plate. he's been doing his absolute best to mess them up

Bacca was clinical last season, this season he hasn't been and when chance creation is at a premium in this team, the striker simply HAS to take his chances, which Bacca just hasn't been doing

That is why I disagree that Bacca is the better player. Lapa overall imo is the better one, maybe he's not as clinical a finisher as Bacca is (however this season that has basically gone out the window for Bacca), but his overall contribution to the team has been much better.

What I'm saying is that we shouldn't seel both strikers and create a bigger problem for ourselves in the transfer market by forsing ourselves to have to look for 2 strikers when our midfield needs a complete overhaul and we could be left with just Suso for the wings. Not to mention the FB situation which atm is very precarious.

That's why I'm saying we should sell Bacca, bring in a proper starting forward that will guarantee us 20+ goals per season and who'll fit into Montella's system and leave Lapa as the backup. He won't complain and he'll give his all when he's called upon.

I disagree about Juve, all league winning sides are built from the back, not from the front. A good defensive lines that will not make regular mistakes and a proper midfield capable of controlling games and creating chances for our striker is imperative if we want to get that CL spot. The striker should be down in the priority list


Agreed


The midfield should be built keeping in mind what Montella wants to do next season, is he going to stick to a 4-3-3 or will we move to a 4-2-3-1? He'll probably keep the current formation which means a 3-man midfield. We need players who are capable of playing in said system, therefore imo we need 1 regista, 1 box-to-box guy and another CM capable of playing on both side of the ball. We're looking at Kessie, Kovacic, Duncan and maybe Cesc, those are good indicators imo

The striker, whoever that is and no matter what type of striker he is, will benefit from having such a dynamic midfield trio, same goes for the defence

Posted by: Danny May 6 2017, 12:51 PM

Didn't know where to put this seeing as there's no Roma thread yet, but Monto has actually just admitted he wants to return to Roma as coach when they're in their new stadium.

Marvellous. Either his tact is abysmal or he already knows the new owners don't want him for next season. That's not the comment of a committed manager.

Posted by: han2503 May 6 2017, 03:50 PM

Is that what he actually said, or was it lost in translation? I would imagine that if he said something along those lines it would mean that, yes, he would like to return to Roma sometime in the future, but it doesn't mean he has an eye on it for next season

If Montella does well next season with the new players, I can't see him leaving any time soon

I'll open the Roma thread