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William405
Posted on: Oct 7 2023, 10:07 PM


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What does everyone think about the handball?
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #430165 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Oct 7 2023, 09:58 PM


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I'm not that worried about Mike. Honestly, Sportiello has been pretty solid.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #430163 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Oct 7 2023, 09:58 PM


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That was insane 🤣🤣🤣
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #430162 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Oct 1 2023, 05:08 PM


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QUOTE (Danny @ Oct 1 2023, 04:00 PM) *
So confused, was your earlier reply digging at me or X (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)


Not at anyone, it was just a very funny post hahah.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #430110 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Sep 30 2023, 11:20 PM


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QUOTE (X-Offender @ Oct 1 2023, 12:00 AM) *
If only we had someone like Lautaro...


He is very special... isn't he.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #430107 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Sep 30 2023, 09:06 PM


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I have to say I couldn't have imagined a more positive start. Specially with how the new players have settled. Musah had enormous potential. We are missing the striker, but I think that we will be getting David from Lille.

**** inter just scored.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #430103 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Sep 30 2023, 09:04 PM


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Watching Inter. We're just much better, I feel. I don't see the amazing depths they have.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #430102 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Sep 30 2023, 04:44 PM


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QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 30 2023, 01:54 PM) *
5-1 against us agrees with me. Five wins in a row against us agrees with me. 12 goals scored v 1 conceded against us in those games agrees with me. CL finalists last year against City (where they were the better team) agrees with me. Finished above us last season agrees with me. Top of the table right now also agrees with me, because if the league ended now they'd win it based on goal difference and head-to-head.

Your argument based on only two games holds no water, when there is a plethora of other reasons why they're the best side in Italy.


This is gold! Haah
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #430073 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Sep 29 2023, 01:33 AM


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QUOTE (X-Offender @ Sep 28 2023, 11:57 PM) *
Inter are the best side in the league by far.



I think that doesn't matter. What matters is which side is most consistent and has the best depth. I think it's us, but I might be bias. For a one off game, I would probably say I think they are more capable, they have some experienced players in there team. Let's not forget we beat Napoli 4-1 in their historic season. The confrontations between the big sides can always go one way or the other imo.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #430069 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Aug 26 2023, 08:58 PM


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QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 26 2023, 10:45 PM) *
Finally a good assist, cos 99% of his passes have been rubbish. If Leao learns how to calibrate his shots and passes he can become twice as good as he currently is.



If he did that, he would be the best player in the world, no arguments.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429849 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Aug 26 2023, 08:41 PM


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We are doing amazing on the attacking side of things. What a wealth of skill we have.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429840 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Aug 26 2023, 08:40 PM


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QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 26 2023, 10:32 PM) *
Theo needs to shut his mouth btw.

That's already 2 yellows in 2 games. We can't afford to have him keep getting suspended for accumulation


It's so stupid, specially knowing that we don't have any real backup to him.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429838 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Aug 26 2023, 08:39 PM


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QUOTE (han2503 @ Aug 26 2023, 10:27 PM) *
Great goal

But once again, a completely sh!t goal to concede.

Concentration levels at zero. Everyone standing around and not marking their man. So frustrating!


I trust we'll improve on that with time. We definitely need to get better defensively and it's really something collectively that the team will have to keep working on.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429837 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Aug 2 2023, 09:11 AM


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QUOTE (X-Offender @ Aug 2 2023, 09:16 AM) *
Jeez, losing to Barca's B team. And playing like sh*t too apparently. I hope Pioli realises this is his last chance.



Yeah, I'm worried.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429774 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Aug 2 2023, 05:09 AM


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Is anyone watching the Barca game?

Disappointing first half. Barca is pressuring us upfield and are playing excellent possession football. What's scarier is looking at Barca's bench, there is still a lot of world-class players there that haven't featured

Leao has been our main outlet, almost scoring a goal on a one on one. But not much attacking threat from anywhere else, and Giroud has been completely invisible. Pleasently impressed with Loftus-Cheek. He provides some good physicality in midfield.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429772 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Jul 30 2023, 04:48 PM


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QUOTE (han2503 @ Jul 30 2023, 05:03 PM) *
Musah Here we go according to Romano.


Not sure about this one. Would have preferred a traditional DM. Can't believe we're going into the season with Krunic as our starting DM. This has facepalm written all over it considering all the good work we've done

I'm sure Musah has a lot of upside but I'm seriously worried about our defence getting continually exposed. Especially considering we have a difficult start to the season


Let's wait and see. Still whole August to make deals.

I think for now we'll be focusing on getting rid of all the dead weight so we can further reinforce the deals. Rebic is done, Messias and Ballo-toure soon.Maybe then we'll assess some DM options. Musah is one of these smart signings again. He might not necessarily be a pure DM, but maybe there is a chance to adapt. I think we should expect the team taking some time to gel with all the changes that have happened.
  Forum: Transfers · Post Preview: #429761 · Replies: 13 · Views: 630

William405
Posted on: Jul 28 2023, 11:37 PM


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We're getting rid of dead weight too. Rebic is basically out. Same for Ballo-Toure. Probably a couple others to follow suit too.

Listen, I love Maldini, but the way this mercato has been done just shines on some of the mistakes he's been making. Giving contracts for unworthy players, losing players on free... This management seems much more efficient with the way it's been carrying out business.
  Forum: Transfers · Post Preview: #429756 · Replies: 13 · Views: 630

William405
Posted on: Jul 28 2023, 04:51 PM


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QUOTE (han2503 @ Jul 27 2023, 11:01 PM) *
Signed, sealed, delivered!

(IMG:https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com/1293c890-579f-01b7-8480-902cca7de55e/0993b7e0-ca54-4fd6-82a5-ef76a86e4a2c/2023.07.27-CU-Chukwueze-Orizzontale.jpg)


The trasfer I'm most hyped about. Can't believe we finally have a competent RW after all the years of suffering. From Cerci to Suso to Samu to Messias

I could actually cry


Now if only we could sign a top DM. I would say the squad is practically complete and it is a 12/10 mercato!


What do you think about Musah? The deal seems almost done.
  Forum: Transfers · Post Preview: #429754 · Replies: 13 · Views: 630

William405
Posted on: Jul 24 2023, 05:00 PM


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QUOTE (X-Offender @ Jul 24 2023, 04:47 PM) *
2-3 vs Madrid

Embarrassing howler from Sportiello and childish mistake by Tomori cost us two goals in two minutes.



Hopefully just rustiness. But these were really bad mistakes. Basically shooting yourself in the foot. Lots of backwards passing which annoyed me!

That Romero goal was beautiful though. He's an interesting prospect.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429748 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Jul 23 2023, 12:42 AM


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QUOTE (X-Offender @ Jul 23 2023, 01:09 AM) *
Regardless, I don't think we're interested. If anything, Juve and Inter have shown real interest. I think he'll join Juve. Allegri's ugly style suits him well.


Probably true, honestly. I just thought it would be a nice opportunity because he worked so well in Pioli's system. I'm not a mega fan of Kessie either, but he provides stability in midfield.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429741 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Jul 22 2023, 10:59 PM


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QUOTE (X-Offender @ Jul 23 2023, 12:37 AM) *
I think you're all forgetting something. Kessie earns 6.5m at Barca. Juve have no problem paying him that amount, but no way we're ever going to do so.

And to be honest, I've never been a fan of Kessie. So for me is a big no.


This is why they're offloading him, I don't think Juve will pay that much for him
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429739 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Jul 22 2023, 06:24 PM


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We should really get Kessie!! He's available on loan and he only would cost 15 million! We should bite the bullet and sign him back.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429734 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Jul 21 2023, 10:11 PM


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QUOTE (han2503 @ Jul 21 2023, 11:33 PM) *
Nice post (IMG:style_emoticons/default/king.gif)


Some points:

I don't think this is the end of the incomings. After we signed Reijnders, most outlets were saying we're going to sign 4/5 more players.

Now we know 2 of those will be Okofor and Chuky. With those 2, our attacking line is complete and is 100% an improvement on what we had last season which was basically Leao and a nearly dead Giroud. So completely agree with your points re the attack

I do not agree re the midfield however. I think what was once our strongest department has become our weakest. We won the Scudetto with Kessie, Benna and Tonali. Only one remains, and he will be out until next year. That is a major problem. We don't really have a pure DM available. And whether we're playing a 2-man pivot or a 3-man midfield, it's an issue either way. First off, I don't think any of these players can pull off playing in the pivot. All of them are pretty much box-to-box guys or pure CMs (Krunic and Adli). Tijjani to me looks like a very progressive player from what I've seen. I don't think sitting and dictating is in his repertoire. So for me, whichever way Pioli chooses to go, we absolutely have to sign a pure DM who can shield the defense and keep things ticking over for us.


Ballo Toure is most likely the next one out so a back up LB will be needed.

Just some corrections to your above calculations.

Chukuweze will be 20m + 8m bonuses.
Messias is also on the outgoing list. Hopefully Torino put us out of our misery and actually give us some actual money for him (hopefully the rumours about Singo are not true, we're already too bloated at RB right now and would prefer actual cash to balance the books)


Thanks for the corrections! I agree with your points here. It's not really fair to compare this midfield to the one two years ago. I would prefer you compare it with last year's midfield where Tonali was great, but there wasn't much stability nearby him. However, for sure, I didn't really factor in Bennacer's injury here, which is a huge point. It does raise the need for a new DM. We certainly do have the budget to go for it. And since all areas are pretty much covered, seems like the obvious next signing. Let's see!

I hope we sell Messias. I think he has market value, he isn't a terrible player by any means, just not Milan level.

How would you rate the Mercato? Do you think we have a better squad in general? Do you think we're more competitive for the Scudetto?
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429729 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Jul 21 2023, 04:00 PM


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Our transfer market seems to be officially over with regard to incoming players, and the outcoming players seem to be obvious at this point. So, I'll attempt to summarize here and speculate on how we could play.

Incoming:

1- Tijjani Reijnders Central Midfield 24 years: ~20 million
2- Marco Sportiello Goalkeeper 31 years: Free
3- Luka Romero Right Winger 18 years: Free
4- Ruben Loftus-Cheek Central Midfield 27 years: ~15 million
5- Christian Pulisic Right Winger 24 years: ~20 million
6- Noah Okafor Striker 23 years: ~15 million
7- Samuel Chukwueze Right wing 24 years: ~30 million

Total: ~100 million

Outgoing:

1- Sandro Tonali Central Midfield 23 years: ~80 million
2- Mattia Caldara Central Defender 29 years: Sold (~5 million probably)
3- Fode Ballo Toure Left Back 26 years: Sold (~5 million probably)
4- Ante Rebic Striker 30 years: Sold (~5 million probably)
5- Divock Origi Striker: 28 years: Sold (~5 million probably)
6- Lorenzo Colombo Striker 21 years: Loan (Probably)
7- Marko Lazetic Striker 19 years: Loan (Probably)
8- Ciprian Tatarusanu Goalkeeper 37 years: Free agent
9- Daniel Maldini Attacking Midfield 21 years: Loan (Empoli)
10- Brahim Diaz Attacking Midfield 23 years: End of Loan
11- Zlatan Ibrahimovic Striker 41 years: Free agent
12- Tiemoue Bakayoko Defensive Midfield 28 years: End of Loan
13- Aster Vranckx Central Midfield 20 years: End of Loan
14- Sergio Dest Right-Back 22 years: End of Loan

Total: ~100 million

Regarding transfer costs: We'll be basically even assuming we sell the players I mentioned. Worst-case
the scenario is that we pay 20 million in total. This all means that we are being very responsible with regard to transfers. But, what does this all mean? Did we strengthen our squad or make it weaker? Since we have not spent any money between last year's squad and this one, I would say it's very fair to compare the two squads and the direct conclusion of either A- We improved the squad or B- We worsened the squad is the best indicator of the success of this mercato.

I will say first that the defense remains mainly unchanged (with the exception of replacing Fode Ballo-Toure with another player). This is a strong feat as defensive stability is the key for any good team, and I believe we had a very solid set of defensive players.

Let's start with departures. The main one is Sandro Tonali. We lost a Milan fan, a player that gave his all to Milan. He was decisive in many games we've played providing crucial assists and stability in midfield. However, he often didn't have a partner in midfield that was as consistent next to him. Bennacer was plagued with injuries and Krunic doing well for his level, but not enough. This is why I believe we will switch to a 4-3-3 with a much more dynamic midfield that doesn't rely only on the excellent performance of two players (Will talk about it later). Brahim Diaz is also an important departure, however, the probable switch of formation as well as his adequate replacement being already bought (Pulisic) means that his departure won't be felt. Even though I admit that I really enjoyed watching him play for Milan. All the other departures are basically players that didn't feature much and their departures will barely be felt.

For incoming players:

At the midfield level: Reijnders and Loftus-Cheek: Both very dynamic players, but complement each other. Loftus-Cheek has good technique and physicality. Reijnders is also very technical but will be much more of the controller of the midfield. I believe that these two players with Bennacer in the middle will form a great mix of physicality, speed, and creativity. While Tonali was a monster, I believe this combination of players will provide a much more stable Milan midfield causing bigger problems for the opposition. So, I believe in that part of the pitch, we improved our squad. With regard to replacements, I think Adli, Krunic, and Pobega are adequate. I know the names might sound underwhelming, but I think in this system, this set of players will function well. For example, Adli I think doesn't work in a two-man midfield and doesn't have the skill to play as an attacking midfielder. But, in a three-man midfield, he could provide much better quality perhaps. An important note, I don't think we'll only play 4-3-3, we'll probably rotate with a 4-2-3-1 just because we have an excess of quality attacking players. But depending on the midfielder's injury status, we'll probably rotate between the two to field the best lineup.

At the striker level: Giroud is still a world-class player, but Okafor will probably give him a good run for his money.
Right-wing: We will now have a plethora of options with Okafor being to play there, but Chukwueze will be our starting winger, no doubt. Pulisic will probably also play on the left or right depending on the rotation. He can also play with De Ketelaere in the attacking midfield if we play a 4-2-3-1. The ability to rotate between Leao and Pulisic on the left is excellent. The ability to rotate between Pulisic, Chukwueze, and Okafor is amazing as well. It is leaps and beyond the talent we had on the right! Let's not forget we have Messias and Saelemaekers in case of an injury crisis. Although, I think we should sell at least one of them, they seem to be considered an essential part of the squad at the moment. In that sense again, we've improved our attacking options so much! We have a better rotation, a deeper talent pool, and exciting prospects as well.

All in all, even if all the talk at the end of the day happens on the pitch, we've improved our squad significantly no matter how you look at it!

Finally, let's look at our two best formations at 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1: (and their replacements)

4-3-3:
Maignan/Sportiello
Theo/Calafiori---Thiaw/Kalulu---Tomori/Kjaer---Calabria/Kalulu
Loftus-Cheek/Adli---Bennacer/Krunic---Reijnders/Pobega
Leao/Pulisic---Giroud/Okafor---Chukwueze/Pulisic

4-2-3-1:
Maignan/Sportiello
Theo/Calafiori---Thiaw/Kalulu---Tomori/Kjaer---Calabria/Kalulu
Bennacer/Krunic---Reijnders/Loftus-Cheek
Pulisic/De Ketelaere
Leao/Pulisic---Giroud/Okafor---Chukwueze/Pulisic

My rating for this mercato is 9/10. Our squad is much more balanced and deeper at all positions.

The main reason why I didn't give it a 10 is that we haven't signed any players of world-class level and have lost a world-class player in Tonali. (Although, I believe that Pulisic at his best is world-class and Chukwueze has the potential to be that type of player).

Let me know what everyone thinks!
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429726 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

William405
Posted on: Jul 19 2023, 03:51 AM


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I really like what we are doing in this transfer market so far.

We lost Tonali yes, but we're reinforcing other much needed positions.

Now whether these players pay off or not, I don't know, but I'm glad
we are taking a step forward to actively fill gaps in our squad.

What's interesting is that Tonali's sale generated that revenue that allowed us to be flexible on the market. We are trying to be financially secure in today's market which I understand...Italian football doesn't generate much revenue. I prefer this type of strategy than having a mega squad and then having a megadebt to cover after.

I think what many of us have a problem with is getting over the magical Milan days. That Milan is dead. And a new type of Milan is being born.
  Forum: Matches · Post Preview: #429722 · Replies: 1613 · Views: 44,313

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