QUOTE

Serie A 2006/07- Day 16

Fiorentina v Milan

Saturday, 16th of December '06

Time: 17:00 (UK); 18:00 (IT)

I'll go for a 1X in this match.

Anyway, Forza Milan!

I hope we play better than we did in the last two matches... even if we lose!!

Hard match. I don't really think we can win this one. Hopefully the comebacks of Pirlo, Gattuso and Kakà will make the difference.

Hope we can make it there though it will be very difficult. 1:2 to Milan.

We lost this fixture last season 3-1, so with how we are currently playing now I can't imagine us doing much better. Fiorntino will probably put men behind the ball and constantly hit us on the counter, just like they did last season.

I'm praying that Kaka will be back, Pirlo had his rest so I'm hoping that he will play a good match and Rino was good when he came on today.

Btw we haven't won on Saturday during the 6 pm fixture for as long as I can remember, so let's hope that something decides to change on Saturday

2 : 1 Toni with a brace

Hmm...I've been thinking long and hard and I'm thinking maybe I can reverse jinx Milan.

so I'm gonna say 2-0 to the Viola.

good idea, i just edited mine.

3-1 for the viola.

btw good idea Jack

But while we are at it..this is what I think I would go for...a mixture of a 4-4-1-1 and a 4-2-3-1

-----------<Fiori>-----------------
Cafu----Simic----Paolo----Marek
----------Rino----Brocchi---------
---Pirlo------------------------Kaka--
----------------Oli---------------------
----------------Pippo------------------

Lemme see...

Rino-Brocchi so as to prop up our leaky defence and watch out for the almost assured counter attack philosophy which teams have been using to devastating effect against us.

Leaving Pirlo free to roam about on the bottom part of the opposing half and move up as need be. Rather than be shackled up.

Kaka and Oli if need be can switch positions during play. But mostly Kaka plays to cut in...he's too far back for effective man-marking, but not too far from Oli to be ineffective.

One strategy I would adopt is to take a leaf from SAF. I've been working over this in my head and need a sounding board (han, R7, misha, Porto(urm Benfica ),dst..all of you). I think we should overload the wings.

Oli drops to the left side of the field....with Kaka as a threat and we have Janku overlapping, cue for Andy P, and Brocchi to push up close and Pippo to get his 'diving' flippers on( ) Eventually enough room opens up back for Oli to play the ball and rush into the penalty box....basically converting the wing play into a box overload. I'm convinced this will work, for one it's not outside anyone's skillset(I'm not using Ricky as a winger per se), and I'm convinced it's a style of play the Viola won't foresee or handle.

It's also the reason I don't have Seedorf playing. He doesn't have (isn't using?!) the pace to pull this tactic off.

Around the hour mark...I'll be taking Rino off to bring in Seedorf and switch to the diamond midfield Xcept....

-----Kaka-------
-----Clarence--------------Pirlo---------
----Brocchi------

Again Andy P with license to roam, until around late when Andy P is taken off for Zidaninho. Now we are basically in the dying minutes and as my good friend R7 would say, it's Pippo time.

4-3-2-1....Kaka and Oli alongside each other behind Pippo and then v have Clarence-Andy-Yoann....except Andy is more defensive minded....and Paolo is making sure Simic and Kalac don't do anything stupid.( He's God he can do EVEN that!!!)

Ok the problems I foresee are Cafu burning out , in which case I would switch PAOLO to RB and have Bonera come in for Cafu to partner Simic....yes I know that's a risk, but we don't have Nesta, our hands are tied.

Next too much stress on the left side...which is why I guess Kaka and Pirlo should rotate positions frequently so that Kaka can switch to the right side and Pirlo to the left, leaving Cafu to overlap again with Oli and Kaka.

Now the offensive onus is pushed again onto Kaka, Oli and Pippo which I'm afraid is all we can do right now. I've lost faith in Gila for THIS half of the season. We're not gonna see anything special from him b4 Christmas break and best avoid him till them and keep him as a sub. Pippo is experienced enough to not have this hit him mentally which is why I prefer Pippo. And no defence in the world is Pippo proof. Maybe some days they get lucky

Well lemme know what u people think.

Unfortunately we're going to lose... no doubt (I hope I'm wrong)

i expect toni hacking us down.

well it's would be nice to be prooved wrong, -sometimes

that's it, more of that attitude... (we'll be back on track before u know it)

I can see optimism (not) in this thread. Finally some people opened their eyes.

(ain't never gonna see that 1 in ur way )

Capin Jack for Coach

I like .. very much .. What have we got to loose?? We should experiment, Carlo is too concervative, though I doubt he'll switch his tactics, I do believe we shoudl experiment .. Wild, we dont have the players for it, but so what

Forza Milan

Listen guys im not sure if this calcualtion will help us but , we hav 23 games left to play in the Serie A now ive calculated and im not sure if im right but if we win every match from now until the end we should mass 69 points but lets say we dont win every match we are going for 60 or so points plus ours now so thats about 82 points thats if we win every match so we are not out of it just yet i have faith
and yes Carlo does need to change tactic to suit our team because of all the injuries as i said i think my calculations are right not sure i really hope so !!


FORZA MILAN !!!

If we win 20 of our remaining games .. We'll be safe, but that is a BIG if

i hope so !! but i think we will plus the MERDA !! and away Roma !!

Even though I think that's a great formation, I don't think it would work. Pirlo isn't a winger, he doesn't have the pace to operate the wings so maybe Gourcuff could play there, instead of Pirlo. I like the 2 defensive mids, especially considering how strong are defense is, but my concern about it is that we won't have enough creativity, maybe Pirlo should play next to Rino or Brocchi.

This is basically what I would adjust to your formation

Cafu----Simic----Paolo----Marek
---------Brocchi--Rino------------
--------------Pirlo------------------
Gourcuff---------------------Kaka
---------------Oliveira-------------

I think our defense needs all the cover it can get so Rino and Brocchi should be played in front of them so they don't get exposed too much. Now having Pirlo just in front of them I think we will play better, Pirlo will just be there to make plays and not be tide down defensively. Kaka and Gourcuff operating the wings but cutting in and Oli spear heading the attack, cause he is the only striker we have that could be played in that position. Pippo is just playing terribly and Gila needs to resolve whatever problems he has, his problem is not physical but mental. And I would have preferred it if he missed that penalty completely rather then hit the post. Hitting the post once or twice is a coincidence hitting it the ammount we have been hitting is a pattern and we have to figure out how to change that pattern.

And with this formation we could easily switch to a 4-3-2-1 or a 4-3-1-2, with Kaka nd Gourcuff moving into the middle behind Oli and Pirlo going in between Rino and Brocchi, or Kaka moving into the striker position with Gourcuff behind them.

At the moment we're 3 points ahead of the relegation zone. Until Christmas break we have to play Fiorentina (away), Catania at home and Udinese (away)... so just pray for Milan keep away of the relegation zone.

I wouldn't be surprised if...

Seems our players miss Juve so much, that they want to meet them again in Serie B...

Honestly, we shouldn't look at the top of the table right now. If we win 2 of our last 3 matches before the break this would be great, but it'll be hard work. And I don't see this team fulfilling the hard work....

you know... I'll be better with pessimism, and so I can't be disappointed, when I don't anticipate things

@han:

I don't mean to use Pirlo as a winger....I mean to let him roam about. It's mostly Oli who'll have to drop wide left or right to double team with Kaka.

That's also why I got Pippo. My box overload won't work if all I've got is one striker. And you've got a point, if we put li'l Zizou he can probably play on the wings a bit and be a deep playmaker, but I trust Andy P more as a playmaker and in any case u can put in Yoann instead of Clarence in my above substitution plan. It was just that Yoann's played a lot of matches on a trot and I thought he should get back to his Italian lessons.

I actually got the idea of playing Andy P right from Istanbul Rafa did that to Gerrard and that was a sucker punch if I ever saw one. He changed the game from then on. B!tch!

I'm really not so sure about Pippo, he just been playing baaad. How many 1 on 1s did he miss already? Especially againsy AEK. And he's not that good at holding up the ball like Gila and even Boriello, because he doesn't have that much strength.

About pirlo, I don't know... it might work, and given our circumstances right now, it wouldn't hurt to try it. I remember during our champions league winning season, Pirlo was given a free role and we were playing a more acute diamond (even more narrow) but Pirlo wasn't tide down to a specific position. I think it would be better if we reverted to that, but again having Pirlo that far up? Not so sure. And as the punta I would prefer Gila, I think they played something like that at Parma (your formation) and I think he would work much better in it then Pippo.

And about Istanbul, I don't think the game was changed, it was a 10 minute black out, Rafa might have managed to nutralize Kaka more but apart from those 6-10 minutes it was all Milan, even in the extra time. It's just a shame that we didn't take all the chances we created. When Sheva misses 2 goal line chances, then you know it's not going to be your night

this would be my line-ups for this match

--------------Kalac-----------------
Cafu----Simic----Paolo----Marek
----------------Rino----------------
----Pirlo-----------------Seedorf---
-----------------Kaka------------------
---------Oliveira-----Pippo--------------

i think paolo and simic make a good partnership while they have rino infront of him it'll be enough for our defense cause this match we cannot sit back and defend so seedorf and kaka should be able to help Oli or hopefully Pippo could pull something off.

-------kalac-----------
cafu---maldini---simic---janku
---------brocchi---------
---gat----pirlo----dorf
---------kakakakaka------
------------oli---------------

I don't think it wise to have Rino play a full match so soon. We'll need him come Feb and March and the heavy duty CL starts.

I feel sorry to have to push Yoann this way, but we are desperate. Darn, shouldn't have lost Vogel!

So Brocchi, Ricky,Andy, Clarence for me, with Yoann as a sub for Clarence, since turtle is not 100%.

Oli and Pippo up front. Whatever mental block Gila's been having, it's probably gone up 2 storeys now after that penalty miss. I'd have him as a sub for Pippo, though I think Carlo will take Oli off for Gila.

maybe, i don't think so. I think he'll play gila oli if he is gonna play two strikers.

Yeah I guess..maybe to put him in a positive frame of mind for the winter break...

these 3 matches are important and we need Rino to help our defence... plus our doctor said he is 95% fit so i don't think it'll cause any injuries and if he gets injured he'll surely recover for after the break..

Yea i agree Rino would boost alot of confidence into the squad !!!

Kalac
Cafu Maldini Kaladze Jankulovski
Pirlo
Gattuso Seedorf
Kakà
Oliveira Gilardino

We need Kaladze to mark Toni, cause they're both strong physically and Simic wouldn't do much against him. It's nice to see our team getting back together. Except Kalac and Kaladze, all the others are from the season's starting eleven.

Yeah, i'd go for that one too

a close fought 1-1 draw. at least fiorentina should attack rather than sit 10 men behind the ball! we've had some classic matches over the years with the viola hopefully this one will be the same, a point out of the match would satisfy me in our current form but i always hope for a win. rino should be back and kaka to so gaining are best players back should inspire some much needed confidence and with a good run up to the winter break we could turn things around, but this is a big game for us and we have big game players so there is reason for some confidence lets hope it's not misplaced

Liverani still fears Milan

Fabio Liverani has warned his Fiorentina teammates not to be fooled by Milan’s crisis ahead of Saturday’s clash.

The two teams meet at the Stadio Franchi this weekend in what will be a battle for 15th place, given the Viola’s Calciopoli punishment and the Rossoneri’s lack of results.

“I do not trust the fact that everyone believes Milan are in crisis,” said the former Perugia playmaker.

“It is clear that they are going through a difficult moment, when nothing seems to go as it should. However, if their luck changes, they are able to score at any time.

“I don’t think they can be considered out of the competition, if they recover all their injured players they have an impressive squad.

“I am sure they will get back on track and will fight until the very end for the top positions,” added the 30-year-old.

Liverani left Lazio for Florence during the summer, despite rumours that he had been contacted by Milan who were looking for an Andrea Pirlo alternative.

“I chose to come to Florence and I am very happy about this decision,” he noted. “There were never any conversations with Milan during the summer.”


Channel4

Remember guys Fiorentina got penalised aswell so they are in the same posistion so this is a match we must win we cannot draw it will cost us dearly if we lose or draw i know im being dramatic but its true !!

FORZA MILAN THERE IS ONLY 1 MILAN

Fiorentina aren't exactly going throught the same crises we are going through. They seem to have adjusted. And if we can't win this one then we will lose 15th place in the table.

Something we canon do is fall another spot in the table.

ok they have no injuries and they are winning games but 5 games winning streak has to end some where and i think it should be us to stop it !

Fiorentina - Milan

There’s a surreal feel to this game as Milan travel to the Stadio Artemio Franchi to face Fiorentina in a battle for 15th place. While both sides have lofty ambitions, they have struggled to undo the damage done by the summer’s heavy Calciopoli deductions and find themselves bogged down in the bottom half.

Fiorentina were left with the biggest Calciopoli handicap of 15 points, but after a shaky start they are fighting back and last weekend’s 1-0 win over Chievo extended their unbeaten run to five games. Indeed the Viola would be in fourth place were it not for the deduction and they have now broken away from the drop zone and can set their sights on the UEFA Cup spots. If any Coach can guide the Tuscans to European football it’s Cesare Prandelli. The Brescia-born tactician was handed the Golden Bench award for the best Italian Coach of 2005-06 this week and after inspiring his side to an unexpected fourth-placed finish last term will believe his men can defy the odds again to secure European football.

Milan’s star-studded side is dangerously lacking in confidence. The Rossoneri faithful were less than impressed by last weekend’s stalemate with Torino and are calling for changes. Carlo Ancelotti must be feeling the pressure and will demand more from his underachievers. Alberto Gilardino is especially culpable. The ex-Parma marksman has only bagged two League goals this term and even missed a penalty against Torino – a rarity for Milan who converted 10 out of 10 last year. The Diavoli seem to have forgotten how to hit the target. Last term Milan were Serie A’s top scorers but now they only lead the League in shots off target and have also hit the woodwork more often than any other side – 13 times in total.

Prandelli has no new injury worries and may even be able to welcome back Argentine midfielder Mario Santana. Romanian goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont is nearing recovery from a fractured little finger but Cristiano Lupatelli is likely to keep his seat on the bench. Defender Alessandro Gamberini should start despite a quad injury and midfielder Michele Pazienza may return after a muscular problem.

Milan’s injury crisis has eased slightly. Gennaro Gattuso is back in action after recovering from a knee injury sustained at the start of November against Atalanta. Kaka’ has overcome a foot problem and Kakha Kaladze is likely to be available after suffering from muscle fatigue. However, Dida is out for three months so Zelijko Kalac keeps the gloves and Serginho, Giuseppe Favalli, Alessandro Costacurta, Massimo Ambrosini and Alessandro Nesta are all still sidelined. Andrea Pirlo returns from suspension.

Man on fire: Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina) – The Romanian Player of the Year scored his seventh goal of the campaign last weekend with a late strike at Chievo and was at the heart of everything the Gigliati created.

Last season: Fiorentina 3-1 Milan

Form guide: Fiorentina (W D D W W) Milan (L D W D D)

Fiorentina (probable): Frey; Ujfalusi, Dainelli, Gamberini, Pasqual; Pazienza, Liverani, Donadel; Jorgensen, Toni, Mutu

Milan (probable): Kalac; Cafu, Simic, Maldini, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf, Gourcuff; Gilardino, Oliveira

Football Italia

We will try hard but I'm convinced we will lose this one as well. Fiorentina are doing great and we... well... you know...

SQUAD FOR FIRENZE: Kalac, Fiori, Facchin; Antonelli, Bonera, Cafu, Darmian, Kaladze, Jankulovski, Simic; Brocchi, Gattuso, Gourcuff, Guerci, Kakà, Pirlo e Seedorf; Borriello, Gilardino, Inzaghi, Ricardo Oliveira.

No Maldini. Simic will probably take his place. I just hope Carlo doesn't play Pippo and Gila at the same time, unless he decides to use Oli as a winger.

Kalac
Cafu Simic Kaladze Jankulovski
Pirlo
Gattuso Seedorf
Kakà
Oliveira Gilardino

FORZA MILAN!

That would be my team too.

@X

I dont think Carlo will play open football with Inzaghi, Gila and Oli .. he'll play it safe against Fiorentina

In the press conference Carlo said that Kaka might even play upfront. So who knows. I think it will be another different formation for tomorrow maybe a 4-4-2 type thing with Kaka playing slightly behind one from Gila, Pippo or Oli.

NO DOUBTS
12/15/2006 2:50:00 PM
Carlo Ancelotti is expecting Milan to put in a good performance at Fiorentina as the coach reveals he has no doubts over his line-up.

MILANELLO - Carlo Ancelotti has held his pre-game press conference ahead of the trip to Fiorentina and the coach said: 'We have worked well this week and taken a step forward. We have some players back and we are well prepared for the game. We will come up against an in-form side which is worse for us at the moment. Hopefully we can put on a good show. Maldini has a problem with the sole of his foot, the adductor, and is not available. Fiorentina play good, quick football, they have attackers such as Mutu who are dangerous on one-on-one situations, Toni is very strong in the air while Liverani controls things and Blasi, Pazienzi and Donadel get forward well. We need to get a good result, even though we are slowly getting players back from injury. This is the first week since August we have all been able to work together, it's something we haven't been used to especially when it comes to trying out tactics. I feel we will play well tomorrow.'

As for the Champions League draw: 'Barcelona would have been the most difficult side to face. We have a chance to get through against Celtic. The Scottish side are very dangerous at home and they put on a good show at Manchester United. Celtic's sporting culture is wonderful but it's positive that the return is at the San Siro where Milan always manage to go through. The draw for the last 16 is very balanced. Lyon have not been fortunate because Roma can cause them problems while Inter take on Valencia who are having similar problems to us. Anyway, I hope to have everyone back in February and that includes Serginho.'

With regards to the training week: 'Kakà commenced training with the team on Wednesday, however, he is fine after the problem he had with his foot. Kaladze is also fine after training again yesterday. The president has always been positive when he has spoken about us and this has been great during this difficult period. However, we still have time to do well this season. I have zero interest on what has been written about Lippi. Gattuso? It's not right to talk about the woodwork and preparation now, we just have to think about doing well at Florence and in the upcoming games. Then, we have time to train well, ten days is a good period and have a little pre-season preparation.'

As for the line-up for Fiorentina: 'I have zero doubts, Gattuso, Pirlo, Kakà and Kaladze are all fit and ready so they will play from the start. Anything is possible with the formation, Kakà could even play upfront. Ambrosini, Costacurta and Favalli are all recovering without complications. Favalli will be back with the team next week while Costacurta started running today. They and Ambrosini will be back after the break: Serginho, Nesta and Dida will be the only ones out on January 2. Dida does not need an operation and everything is going better than forecast. Seedorf is fine so the squad is improving fitness-wise although I think it is necessary to get a result to lower the tension a bit. To get up the table we can't look backwards or forwards at Florence.'

I can't watch it *issad*
So I hope you guys have a video resume ^^

At least Kaka&Gattuso will play.

Ancelotti eyes Franchi revival

Carlo Ancelotti believes Milan will get back on track in Florence today after several star names returned to the side.

“I have no doubts whatsoever on the line-up I’ll field at the Stadio Franchi. Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Kaka and Kakha Kaladze have recovered and therefore will start,” explained the Coach.

“Massimo Ambrosini, Alessandro Costacurta and Giuseppe Favalli are on their way to full fitness without complications. Favalli will join the regular team again next week and all three will play again after the Christmas break.”

The Rossoneri are still without Dida, who is out for three months after damaging a tendon in his knee, Serginho, Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini.

The captain is the latest addition to the injury list, suffering from a muscular problem in training and has not made the trip to Florence.

“We are playing against the worst possible opponent for us at this moment in time,” noted Ancelotti.

“Fiorentina are in good shape, enthusiastic and play well. They have strikers like Adrian Mutu who are strong in the one-on-one, while Luca Toni is powerful in the air.”

The Rossoneri need a result to stave off their crisis after picking up just six points from their last seven Serie A games and two consecutive Champions League defeats.

“We hope that we can come out of the Stadio Franchi with our heads held high. We want to get a good result, especially as we are slowly getting everyone back in the side after that incredible injury crisis.”


Channel4

Prandelli doubts Milan crisis

Fiorentina Coach Cesare Prandelli thinks reports of Milan’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. “I don’t think they are in crisis.”

The Viola host the Rossoneri at the Stadio Franchi this evening and both sides are in desperate need of a win as they struggle to fight back from their Calciopoli punishments.

“We have been working well and we are ready to face Milan,” said Prandelli. “I don’t think they are in crisis, they have had some physical problems but I am sure they remain a strong side.

“I have watched the tapes of their last matches and I am under the impression that they still are a dangerous opponent,” added the tactician, who was awarded the Golden Bench prize this week as the best Italian Coach of the last season.

“We tried different tactical systems and we are aware that we did all we could to prepare this match in the best possible way.”

Fiorentina are currently fifth from the bottom in the table, but are eager to earn precious points as the UEFA Cup spots are not that far away.

“We will need to play a very careful match, also seeing as we haven’t been very lucky lately. I saw Carlo Ancelotti on Monday and I understood that he is anxious to come here and play a good match.

“I don’t think you can face a side like Milan hoping that the game will be solved by our individual players. We will need a great performance from the entire team to block them,” concluded Prandelli.


Channel4

respect. Prandelli