You do realize though that Allegri used him as our playmaker in midfield, which automatically makes his performances unwatchable.

It's funny. At Pompey Muntari was great, KPB replaced him and Pompey fans never felt he was anywhere near as good. Now it's the other way around! The player not good enough for Portsmouth is good enough Milan. Funny old game indeed. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

You do know that Muntari played just 2 more matches then Mesbah whom according to you didn't play enough games?

Mesbah played much more than what an atrocious player like him deserves.

Yes, but I did say that the man in the hole in our 4-3-1-2 is not meant to be a playmaker. His job is to win the ball back high up the field and release it to the strikers or our box-to-box players. Sure KPB does it better than Muntari...but well...KPB was not available.

And Muntari did pretty well when he was in the mid-field three. Of course he flies into tackles and what not, but there are worse things you can be doing as a player.

But Allegri didn't play Muntari behind the strikers. He either kept playing Emanuelson there or Boateng when he was fit. Muntari played the majority of our games as Aquilani's replacement, and that's what pissed me off the most. Look, we played four midfielders (MvB, Aquilani, Nocerino, Boateng), out of which only Aquilani had the skills to be labeled a playmaker. The other three were mostly DM's and box-to-box mids, with little creativity. So why on earth would you replace the only player who has some vision in our midfield with a brainless idiot that can barely pass the ball to save his life? The fact that Aquilani was injured should have prompted Allegri to play Emanuelson as LCM, and one between Robinho and El Shaarawy as AM when Boateng was out as well. At least that way our midfield would have maintained some little creativity. But with MvB, Noce, Muntari and Emo? Even a club like Lecce could afford a better midfield. And then Aquilani got back and Allegri gave him the cold shoulder. He kept playing Muntari there game after game, oblivious to any kind of logic.

Look, why he didn't play Aquilani is something we've debated to death here and the only explanation is so we wouldn't be forced to buy him. I've criticised his formation as well with 1 DM and 2 runners as well.

For me the 4-3-1-2 or the diamond requires (at least) two creative passers and then the 2 workers. We can see how Prandelli did the same thing last match.

It will not solve every single problem, but it is the only way that system can work. For me Muntari and Noce are interchangeable, except against those really weak opposition when we can give our very limited creative resources a rest.

Maybe it's because Mesbah's appearances were spread out because I don't remember him playing as much. The only game of his that really sticks out is that nightmare against Arsenal.

Muntari played a lot of games once he came in, practically started every game, and practically made me want to tear my hair out every time

^
Really? Hmm...I dunno. Maybe coz I interpret his role completely differently or something.

Djemal Mesbah