Just curious as to what shape and formation, and personnel, you'd all pick if our players were fully fit and available.

Mine would be:

----------------------Dida

Zambrotta------Nesta------Silva-----Jankulovski

-----Gattuso------Flamini-------Seedorf

-----------------Ronaldinho

----------Pato-----------KVH

Hrm. I'm not entirely sure, mostly as I think our fullbacks could be better. So I'll be a little radical.

Abbiati
Abate - Nesta - Silva - Zambrotta
Gattuso - Pirlo - Flamini
Seedorf
Pato-Huntelaar

(Because I think that Rino could cover for defensive oopsies if Abate goes forward too much and have yet this season to see a Ronaldinho in good trequartista form. Oh for a Rui Costa....)

Abbiati
Zamb-nesta-silva-janku

flamini-pirlo-seedorf

------ronaldinho

Pato-------huntelaar



4-3-1-2.

I hope leo gives this a try. He def has the pace for the position but can he defend? Personally I thin he'd do brilliant there but I doubt leo would try something as risky as that given our current situation. We are in "must win" mode and were gonna play the way that gets us the results the best even if that means zambrotta/dida/ronaldinho/seedorf or even galliani plays RB.

The lack of Ambro in this thread is disturbing.

It's an interesting point - we don't seem to have a place in the team for our captain.

But was he the right choice as captain? Many would say it should have gone to Gattuso or Nesta.

Because, quite simply, he's not that great a player. He can do a job, yes, and he chips in with some vital goals, but we have better options than he.

They might not be the youngest, but Zambrotta, and Marek, played in their proper slots, are world class players. Perhaps no longer the best in their positions, they once were, as recently as a couple of years ago, and there's still plenty of class in there.

As for Ronaldinho, he showed plenty in the first half of last season to confirm he still has 'it', and while he faded in the second half of the year, that was because...well...he was dropped while on great form. Which I still can't understand. If the team is built around him again, I am convinced he can pick up where he left off last Xmas.

That's because the captain was chosen because he was here longer not on the more logical requirements like oh the fact that he might not play....

Sometimes I really think we're being run by a bunch of monkeys who play with themselves and eat stuff off eachother

+1

I don't think Nesta will ever be captain -- not that I don't adore him and thin he'd do a grand job. It's more because he was captain of Lazio for such a long time and I'm not sure he'd take the Milan armband out of respect.

If he ever was going to be captain, it would have been now. With Paolo gone, this would have been the time for him to become the captain.

That he hasn't, speaks volumes.

Though quite how much is to do with his respect for his previous club and how much is because he wasn't actually offered the role in the first place is up for debate.

I didn't necessarily agree with the decision to appoint Ambro captain either, but I can understand it. Does it mean that he'll be likely to get the nod over Flamini in midfield if him, Pirlo and Rino are fit?

It's a nice luxury to have I guess - but I thought Flamini was one of our better performers last season.

I don't have a problem with Ambro getting the armband -- and I'm over in the corner with Kurt and whoarethepatriots in rating the guy rather highly -- but at the same time I'm still not sure he'd be an automatic start right now. So I imagine Rino will end up with the armband a fair amount of the time.

(I think the current order is Ambro-Rino-Pirlo-Pippo).

I think the Ambro decision was very much the easy route. Vice captain, so very lazy a choice to make him club captain.

Arguably not unlike the decision to appoint in-house when getting a new manager - Leo was hardly a radical and exciting appointment.

Appointing Ambro was keeping with tradition (as is also done with the Italian NT); Ambro got the armband because of seniority. I don't really have a problem with it and actually think it's a good thing.

Traditions are not always progressive. In fact they often aren't.

It's still a lazy and easy appointment, no matter what the reason is. If Milan are to get out of the rut we're in, sticking to the kind of actions which got us there in the first place really isn't the way forward.

I think we'll agree to disagree on this one.

Fair enough

I just feel that continuing the practices which got us into our current mess is counter productive, and to see improvement on the pitch we need to see change in the way we operate. Overhaul our procedures.

But respect to your opinion. And Fishdoll

If I could pick any team... (obviously Flamini doesn't enjoy playing RB)

Abbiati
Flamini Nesta Silva Zambrotta
Gattuso Pirlo Ambrosini
Ronaldinho
Huntelaar Pato

this could actually work if Flamini and Zambrotta push up and Gattuso & Ambro provide the necessary cover. Nevertheless, Flamini doesn't want to play as a wingback so hopefully we sign someone, and move Flamini into the midfield over Ambrosini.

I prefer Ambro to Flamini in midfield. But would he play at RB? I think one of his deciding factors in leaving Arsenal was becuase he was sick of being used as a utility player.


You're just doing this to disagree with me, if I hated Ambro he'd be in your team.

no he was a main player when he left arsenal even arsen was bitter about the move he only moved cuz of the money he always loved arsenal its just the money problem
he was only a utility player at first

Where's Ronaldingdong then biatch?


It was not just the money... he was only appreciated in his last season there... it's not like he was going to forget about what happened before...

Being a utility player doesn't necessarily mean you don't play. It means you're played in various positions. I also disagree it's about the money, Wenger was happy to match the deal Milan offered, but Flamini wanted out.

abbiati
zambrotta-nesta-onyewu-janku

gattuso


pirlo seedorf
dinho
hunter pato(wing forward)

Onyewu ahead of Silva?

Interesting looking at this now and seeing how differently I see it now.

My defence would remain completely unchanged but the rest would now be:

---Ambrosini---Pirlo---Seedorf

Pato-----Borriello-----Ronaldinho

Admittedly after the Milan derby some of these guys' stock went down a bit...

I'd go with that, except Antonini in for Jankulovski. I think Zambrotta is terrible, but he's the best of a bad bunch so would make it in.

+0.5. I don't think Zambrotta is terrible but he's not anymore at the level we want our fullbacks to be.

Antonini has been a quiet surprise these past couple of games. I'm really starting to like him, I hope he continues to get better

we need some youngstars especially defenders, the one I really love is Nesta and Silva.
Nesta is my model and yes Antonini in for Jankulovski cause I am disappointedat him

its good, Inzaghi could come in the 80min for Boriello
what happend to Dida?

Do you have any news regarding Dzeko? I've been reading around that he's pretty much a done deal. We have already agreed a wage bill with him and have decided on the transfer price with wolfsburg which would be 25 Million. We'll either pay that or exchange players to make that up.

Is any of this true...?

Thanks in advance.

No clue. Though it looks like I was right about Mancini. Initial reports on football-italia seem to suggest he will play as RB.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!! RB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???? LOL


You can't be serious....

That would be interesting, but I don't think he can play any defense and should be used as a Pato/R10's backup.

He started off as RB. He was brought into Roma as a RB. It was Spalletti who I think put him in as RM (RAM). He says he still remembers what a RB has to do. TBH, I'd rather have a guy who's played as RB before than have a winger in Abate who has little defensive instinct.

I like Abate...but I think to play him as a RB is too risky...we've conceded a couple due to his mistakes...and as CL draws near it becomes more important to have the RB position guarded.

We have him on loan, with a buy option of I think 3 million pounds or so. This is not a bad deal at all!