Calcio Debate: Galliani And Berlusconi - Arrogant Or Simply Stupid?Milan's complacency in declaring that their summer spending is at an end shows misguided confidence in players who can no longer compete at the highest level, writes Sulmaan Ahmad...
Milan are a club steeped in tradition and fiercely proud, but not as historically dominant as many may at first presume. When the iconic Silvio Berlusconi first became president of the club in 1986, they had won 10 Scudetti and two European Cups, yet under his leadership they have superceded the likes of Juventus and city rivals Internazionale to become the most recognised Italian club on the continent and most successful in Europe.
Success has come at a price, as there have been intervening periods of embarrassing failure. The loyalty shown to key players plummeting from their prime may just as easily be construed as arrogance; an unfounded belief that great players will always remain as such that has been symptomatic of the Berlusconi era. Class, after all, is not permanent - not even Fabio Capello's Milan that went the went from May 1991 to March 1993 without losing a game were truly invincible.
All good things come to an end, and seeing the Milan team that took the field on Sunday against Chelsea in the Russian Railways Cup, the game was over before it began, it was just a matter of what margin of victory the Blues would manage. With a Milan starting line-up in which Massimo Ambrosini was acting as the attacking focal point, few would have expected any Rossoneri goals - and indeed they failed to score any - but to concede five was beyond humiliation.
It was, of course, a pre-season friendly and there were injuries and absentees to take into consideration, but that only moves to strengthen the point that it is Milan's second string that will continue to be their Achilles' heel all season. Several have tipped a vengeful and resurgent Milan to win the league this coming season, but they do not, in any way, shape or form, have what it takes to compete over 38 games, unless they prove to be extremely fortunate and avoid any injuries to key players, which is as good as an impossibility when considering the intensity and frequency of competition at the highest level.
There have been calls for a revolution since the Champion League defeat to Arsenal, but they have been unanswered by the Milan hierarchy, who are running the detrimental risk of severely damaging their reputation and even tainting their past glories. Might Milan end up scrapping for fourth once more, and otherwise relying on a first ever UEFA Cup triumph to validate their misguided antics in the transfer market?
The loss against Chelsea may not be conclusive proof of Milan's failings, but it is somewhat ominous of what may be to come and indicative of the same philosophy that preceded the club's dismal showing last season, as Carlo Ancelotti's pitiful post-match comments would attest. “I don’t think the absence of a few players will affect us that much, and for this reason we will not be returning to the transfer market,” the coach told Il Corriere Dello Sport. “Our attack cannot be judged, we have no-one up there and so it cannot be criticised.” No one up there, quite right. There has been no overhaul. Star player Kaka went as far as suggesting that, without naming any individuals, it was time for some of the old guard to step aside for a new generation to be ushered in, just as they were at the top of the decade when Carlo Ancelotti took charge. Alas, not even the new prodical son had the pulling power to prise open president Berlusconi's 9.4 billion dollar wallet.
Signing Mathieu Flamini for free may prove the coup of the summer, as he is a natural successor to Gennaro Gattuso and Massimo Ambrosini, but while recalling Marco Borriello from Genoa offers the Rossoneri another option up front, of which they were desperately in need, there is a hint of Alberto Gilardino about this signing, and there remain question marks over whether this is a player capable of producing consistently at the highest level. Gianluca Zambrotta's acquisition almost signals what is already wrong with the club; this is a player that was once world class but has been on a consistent slide since the World Cup triumph of 2006 and does not have time on his side to turn things around, though being back in Italy may reawaken the confidence and consistency lost within the former Juventus man. The signing of the summer, Ronaldinho, is a monumental gamble. We may well witness a Zinedine Zidane-like resurgence and successful swansong as he had at Real Madrid, but he may conversely go the way of Ronaldo and find himself humiliated and written off in what would be a tragic end to a legendary career.
The convention wisdom is that while something has been done, it is not enough. Filippo Inzaghi cannot be relied upon to remain fit for an entire season, which puts an unreasonable amount of pressure on a relatively unproven striker in Borriello. The midfield collective is strong, though there is still an over-reliance on Andrea Pirlo, but it is in defence where the Rossoneri look like being undone. Their best goalkeeper on current form looks like being Christian Abbiati, who has recently proven with Atletico Madrid that he will offer a chance for every save he makes. No centre-backs were signed and Galliani has gone as far as to suggest Ambrosini will be deputising at the back to make up the numbers. Alessandro Nesta is the only member of the defence who can still perform at the highest level on a consistent basis, and even he has constant worries over his fitness. Milan are deteriorating from the inside while the men at the top sit idly by and, as if to add insult to injury, continue to promise greatness to the fans. Are they arrogant, or simply stupid?
Is this really the way forward for a club as great as Milan? What will it take to trigger an era of change at San Siro? Is it a matter of employing a new coach, or new ownership on top of that, to provide a new direction and fresh ideas? Can Milan really win the Scudetto this season? Join the debate below...
Sulmaan Ahmad
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Great to see them official.
If he somehow breaks into as Milan's No. 1, expect lots of fireworks. And oh, videos on Youtube too. It's just that he's a very young kid at the moment.
We will.
Perfectly ruined a great player's career; there was a time when he was probably the best. They used to call him the 'White Ronaldo'. Since I don't hit women, I'll have my girlfriend have her way with her! Come here you little career-wrecking woman:
At that time at least.
They called him God in Ukraine, my friends from that country told me. They had him on postage stamps and what not. But one bad move, and everything goes wham. Our savior gets nicknamed traitor. I sometimes believe it was something bigger than her wife, but I've been wrong before, so that figures.
