Andrea Pirlo is back to training with the team after his injury. Now that his return to the team is imminent - and may come this weekend - what's to be done about the midfield lineup? Whose place will he take? Anyone's?

Seedorf. He is getting slower by the day, and besides he'll play better when he comes on after the hour mark. Thanks for all you've done, turtle, but it's about time.

Seedorf. Having him and Ronaldinho on the field together is worse than playing with 3 DMs, and ROnaldinho has been better than Seedorf this season, so it has to be the bench for him!

With Pirlo back, Carlo will go with this midfield:

Gattuso Pirlo Ambrosini/Flamini
Kaka Ronaldinho

The DMs will rotate in general, Seedorf will drop to the bench.

I strongly believe with Pirlo's return we won't play with 2 strikers anymore. we just can't! it'll be the Christmas tree most of the time.

It depends. Ambro is not 100 % sure even without Pirlo since we play with 2 strikers at San Siro. I vote for him, but as I said, different opponents, different formations. Seedorf will also be a substitue at times. Same goes for Ricky, Ronaldinho and even Pirlo. We simply have too many players in midfield. Gattuso seems to be the only "sure" one. Which is more than great.

Seedorf or Dinho. I think Dinho.

Carletto will play with 2 DM - fact! + Pirlo + Kaka + striker. And Seedorf I think isbetter for Carletto than Dinho.

IMO Carlo plays Dinho a lot, because he has this one season to somehow or the other get the Kaka-Ronaldinho combination into top gear. He has the freedom to experiment a lot (the same players don't mean the same tactics), and with our target being Serie A, he can afford a few hiccups like against Lecce. He intends R80-K22 to replace the old Pippo-Sheva combo he had. Can't blame him. The Kaka-Ronaldinho combo is lethal...way too lethal. The only thing we need is a box-to-box who can start from deep mid-field like Essien and help in the scoring as well as track back to put pressure on opposing offence. But I'd like to think the way things are going, Rino might decide to turn it up. Flamini is of course intended to play this role too, but he's not been keeping well so...

If Pirlo comes in, I won't be surprised to see us back to one-DM, since now keeping possession and dealing with packed mid-fields is no longer the top priority issue.

The only gripe with 1 DM is Rino is showing this whole new facet of himself as a forward roaming player, and I'd hate to cut it back and make him a pure destroyer again.

Why Lampard-like when we can get the man himself? He isn't going to get anywhere in Europe by staying in Chelsea. A bit over the age, but then again we wub players over 30.

And don't edit your posts when I'm talking to you! I hate it when this happens!

I'd rather he stayed at Chelsea to be honest. If he left, it would pretty much hand the title to United.

He'll be a great signing for the team, no doubt, he's the type of player we've needed for a while. We have had quite a one dimensional team for a while, very defensive players, or very attacking players, haven't often had a guy with the right mix, but Flamini can do anything.

^^

+1

I honestly don't know where all this 'Flamini hasn't been in good form' come from. he is dong really good in my eyes. sure, he's had his share of bad games like anybody else on the team, but people need to be reminded Flamini has been with us for just three months or so... what more could we expect from him, especially with the injury(ies) he's had?

He's not been in bad form....just not been in extraordinary form. But Rino's resurgence has kind of shown up Ambro and Flamini in a poorer light. And before the Lecce match,for a couple of weeks Emerson had also suddenly decided to roll back the years.

Yeah, and then he decided to rollback the roll back in our last match. Stupid, number-5 leech!

The coach will bench Seedorf .. And I think this will be the deciding factor. Having Pirlo in the midfield alternating with Seedorf will mean a fresh and fully prepared CM for every match.

So in benching Seedorf, its not all that bad (and this is considering Pirlo is back to his best), as it serves as a double edged sword

+1

But the recent displays from Kaka gave me the idea to include him. So, it will be Seedorf-Pirlo, with the alternative of leaving Kaka.

Seedorf was not benched

Which he should be. And come on as a substitute in the 60th minute (or rotate with Ronaldinho when he needs to start). Flamini should start every match, seeing as we can't for the life of our keep the ball in the midfield. Flame's versatile in this role. Had Carlo substituted Flamini instead of Emerson, the results could very well have been different.

Emerson ahead of Flamini... that I cannot digest!

This season we actually have options on the bench and Carlo opts for the Brocchi understudy.

+1.

I think the return of Pirlo is really what we need. Honestly, if Pirlo was playing instead of Emerson, we would have won against Portsmouth. With Inzaghi's predatory instincts and Pirlo's Pearl of Vision, there can only be one outcome. Kaka' and Pato would finally be relishing the prospect of getting a good ball from midfield.

+1

There just can't be a harmony within a team that plays with three defensive midfielders.