[Tennie]

(IMG:http://i34.tinypic.com/2la4fg8.jpg)

Picture of starting lineup of the European Cup final
from left, top row: Paolo Maldini, Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Carlo Ancelotti, Frank Rijkaard, Giovanni Galli
bottom row: Franco Baresi, Roberto Donadoni, Billy Costacurta, Angelo Colombo, Mauro Tassotti
This is the Milan club voted best club team of all time by World Soccer Magazine.

Here's the citation:

Arrigo Sacchi's Milan side of the late 1980s and early 1990s revolutionised Italian football with their attack-minded, pressing game.

Sacchi was making a name for himself with Parma in the mid-1980s when he was hired by Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi. At the time, Italian league rules allowed three foreigners in each team. Englishmen Ray Wilkins and Mark Hateley were shown the door and in their place Milan hired Dutchmen Ruud Gullit and Marco Van Basten. They were joined a year later by compatriot Frank Rijkaard.

The trio provided the flair, the Italian players provided the steel, Sacchi provided the tactical discipline. Together they changed the face of Italian and also European football.

A tight defence, marshalled by Franco Baresi and featuring youngsters Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta, provided a platform for a midfield that included Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Donadoni alongside Rijkaard. They in turn provided the bullets for Gullit and Van Basten, who each scored twice as Milan destroyed Steaua Bucharest in the 1989 European Cup final, having beaten Real Madrid 6-1 on aggregate in the semi-final.

Sacchi's men retained the trophy in 1990 – the last team to do so – with a narrow victory over Sven Goran Eriksson's Benfica. They also enjoyed back-to-back World Club Cup success, against Atletico National of Colombia and Olimpia of Paraguay.

I'm probably one of the few boardmembers old enough to remember watching this team play. They were magnificent. Though they didn't become the Invincibles until a couple of years later, they were already very, very special.

Today's Milan is a good side - not perfect, but good. Even so, I wonder who, if any, of them would make Sacchi's starting XI and whose place they would take.

[Zed.D]

I wish I was witnessing that Milan, instead of this Milan...

Thanks.

[Jack Sparrow]

I think Pirlo, Nesta and Kaka would make it. For all the other positions they were covered.

[Tennie]

Mmm. That's hard. Is Pirlo a better regista than Donadoni was? Possibly. Nesta for Billy? ehhh. I dunno; Billy was always less heralded than Baresi or Maldini but he was no slouch. Kaka for who? Gullit? Possibly. My thought was that Gattuso would stand a chance of pushing Ancelotti or Colombo out.

[Jack Sparrow]

Mmm. That's hard. Is Pirlo a better regista than Donadoni was? Possibly. Nesta for Billy? ehhh. I dunno; Billy was always less heralded than Baresi or Maldini but he was no slouch. Kaka for who? Gullit? Possibly. My thought was that Gattuso would stand a chance of pushing Ancelotti or Colombo out.

I thought of it. I was thinking of a fulcrum of Pirlo and Rijkaard. With Marco playing just off Kaka. I thought of Rino vs Carletto...but Carletto got the nod coz of his missile goal. Rino couldn't do it ever. Colombo..now there's a thought. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

I know about Nesta vs Costacurta...but I just believe at similar ages, Nesta would have done better with Baresi next to him.

[mishie]

Rino for Colombo thats it for me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[TriniKing_CE]

I sure would have enjoyed watching this Milan team.
Hey acid, did you find those old school games btw?
And while we're on the topic anyone else has Classic Milan Matches or Matches of Sacchi's Milan that they're willing to post up on the videos thread? (It would be greatly appriciated) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/king.gif)

[Fillipo Simone]

I'd say Pirlo, Kaka or Rino would/could have a chance. But... the only "weak" links Milan had were Colombo and Galli. I think Dida in his best days was better then Galli in his. And we must not forget this Milan had depth also (depth in the terms of the 80-ties, meaning a proper reserve keeper and 6-7 players) - Filippo Galli, Alberigo Evani, Roberto Mussi who later became a Parma legend and not to forget P.P. Virdis.

It was the particular 1987-88 season were they conceeded only 14 goals in 30 Serie A matches. Interestingly we won that Scudetto with 3 points plus. And even more interesting is:

- 7 of the 17 won matches were wins with a 1-margin difference
- we struggled against the weeker team, or even worse against the to-be relagated ones - Avellino, Empoli, Pisa, Verona...
- we won or drew almost every "big" match, meaning against Napoli, Inter, Juve and Sampdoria. Only exemption, loosing 2-0 to Roma,...

[TriniKing_CE]

...Hmm
Interesting!

[mishie]

It was the particular 1987-88 season were they conceeded only 14 goals in 30 Serie A matches. Interestingly we won that Scudetto with 3 points plus. And even more interesting is:

- 7 of the 17 won matches were wins with a 1-margin difference
- we struggled against the weeker team, or even worse against the to-be relagated ones - Avellino, Empoli, Pisa, Verona...
- we won or drew almost every "big" match, meaning against Napoli, Inter, Juve and Sampdoria. Only exemption, loosing 2-0 to Roma,...

I think i see where you going with this Fillipo (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[acid911]

Hey acid, did you find those old school games btw?

Good things come to those who wait, Trini. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) That's another one of my motto! No really, I've asked some of my friends to send me some files and tapes, let's see what they gather. I also did find some classic matches on torrents while I was looking, but I've very weary (pun always intended) of downloading torrents. We'll see.

I'll probably post them in the video section once I do get my dirty little hands on them. Stay tuned.

I think i see where you going with this Fillipo

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) I'd take Dida over any of our previous keepers, any given Sunday! That, and finding ways to accommodate both Nesta and Kaka in this squad. And finally Ronaldo at his peak would make things a little more lethal.

[TriniKing_CE]

I be sure to keep a look out for them! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Tennie]

I'd perhaps bring Sebastiano Rossi forward a couple of years earlier than he arrived, but he >> Dida to me. (Rossi holds the record in Serie A for longest period without conceding - 929 minutes).

As for Nesta, it'd be a really tough choice to bench Billy at his best and put him on, but a good argument could be made. Benching Baresi? Uh. No.

Kaka for Gullit? Ehhh. One Ballon D'or winner for another. Hard to pick there but Gullit had an amazing chemistry with Van Basten and at least for myself, there's no way I'd ever replace MVB in a starting XI.

As for Fillipo's point, I think what he was trying to get across is that while the 1989 Milan squad is considered one of the (if not THE) best club teams of all time, they didn't always play the sort of football that you see in tapes of the semi against Real Madrid. They had their share of 'win it ugly' games too.

(For the record, I personally prefer the 91-92 team that became known as the Invincibles. Some lineup changes and Capello as coach.)

[TriniKing_CE]

As for Fillipo's point, I think what he was trying to get across is that while the 1989 Milan squad is considered one of the (if not THE) best club teams of all time, they didn't always play the sort of football that you see in tapes of the semi against Real Madrid. They had their share of 'win it ugly' games too.

Well thats understandable! I mean its quite difficut to be perfect.

[Jack Sparrow]

^^^

Yeah...that was a good team too. But even that team followed the philosophy of first making yourself impossible to beat...it was after all a Capello team. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)