me neither...still prefer someone else there

He's the best solution for leftback we have. He fared well against Robben. Zambrotta and Antonini would get eaten alive by Messi.

and by Robben. Tottaly agreed x-off

Sorry, if you ask me Zambrotta is better. Judging on a unimportant friendly maybe Taiwo was good and even against Robben, but still...

Zambrotta is 34 Fillippo, are you sure he has the strength left to face Messi? I'm not saying Taiwo is the next best thing, but he's certainly more reliable than Zambro and Antonini. The guy's had a very successful career at Marseilles, and has been picked for "Ligue 1 Team of the Year" three times, in 2008, 2009 and finally in 2011.

Again; Zambrotta is more reliable IMO. 34 or 24, Taiwo never ever will reach Zambro's level. But yes, it could get tricky when it comes to holding down Messi, I see where you're coming from. In general speaking, Zambro is better if you ask me.

And Antonini,...please...don't mention him.

Taiwo could throw Messi like a baseball.




I think it might be worth the red card.

Come on Fillipo, that is straight up garbage. I know you like old players past their prime, especially when they are Italian, but that is taking it too far. None of us have a crystal ball so let's not pretend like we do. He is a little raw defensively but he is young and positional sense can be taught. One thing is for certain, he far far stronger than Zambro and has an incredibly powerful shot. I for one love his potential and think he'll do well for us once he has time to integrate.

26 isn't exactly young. If he hasn't learned how to defend properly now then I don't see much changing.

Probably true, though if there is any place it can happen, its Milan.


I don't think he's been THAT bad defensively.

Zambrotta is better in terms of experience, but on a one-on-one with Messi he'd be eaten alive. Taiwo is much faster and stronger physically, so he stands a better chance. Then again, I can't see how you people say he's been unimpressive considering he's played only a few friendly games. No-one is at their peak in pre-season. We must wait for things to get serious before we jump to any conclusions.

Well I saw him play many times for Nigeria and Marseille. So, I pretty much have a solid vision of his skills. He's defensively very unreliable, his shot is powerful but so was Jankulovskis prior to joining Milan.

And thanks for saying my opinion is garbage, I feel enlightened.

Taiwo interview before Napoli game

Good luck in understanding his English.

Link

So, you guys reckon Taiwo's a lost cause by now? I must say, I give every right to Allegri for not playing him. He's been piss-poor in nearly every appearance. Such a shame, I had really high expectations for him.

Piss poor is a bit strong. Also with that few appearances nobody is justified in being sold. I want him to get some good runs out even if it's just Copa Italia before an assessment can be made.

Hate to say it to you, but I saw it coming.

Nowhere near good enough.

I don't really feel as if he's been given a fair chance, Antonini messes up nearly every time he steps onto the pitch yet he's picked again without any hesitation on Allegri's part.

Unlike Antonini who has been with us for a while now, and can no longer be considered young since the guy is pushing 28 these days (I think some forget this fact), Taiwo is a player coming from a different team, different league and doesn't speak the language. Yet he's only been given a handful of opportunities. Sure he's messed up but the same could be said of Antonini and he doesn't have all these factors going against him.

A lot including myself thought Abate was a lost cause before last season, yet look how he's turned out. To make a decision in a mere couple of months is pre-mature on Allegri's part. I personally think it's better that we look somewhere else simply because I know that Allegri has made up his mind on Taiwo, so why drag it out saying that he should be given a chance when I know for a fact that Allegri will not grant that

Yeah well...Milan rarely "click" with players coming from the French league. Desailly and Papin may be just exemptions; think of Gourcuff and Dhorasoo, Ba, N'Gotty, Dugarry, etc.

I see Taiwo exactly in that way. He was offensively great for Marseille, but never had the defensive qualities needed for a Milan fullback. Abate proved me wrong and showed that one might polish out some things with hard work, determination and help of a classy fullback (Tassotti), yet he was/is younger. Taiwo is a finished product.

And I don't need more to see what I already know and knew - he's simply defensively speaking not up to the task for Milan. At Marseille, when most of his duties included running up and down, shooting and crossing, he was good. But Allegri does not have the guts Carletto had when he played Cafu and Serginho.

In that view, Emanuelson would be another option as well. But yeah, Allegri cares more about the defending than the attacking in general. Just consider that our trequartista is actually a CM.

Naah, I still can't believe Allegri fixed Emanuelson as a permanent AM sub solution. It is one of the things I'll never understand.

Like I said, our AM options are a CM and a LM. Go figure.

I think last night was the last opportunity to prove himself, and the guy miserably failed. Even De Sciglio played better, honestly. We must sell him in January (Werder and Galatasaray are interested) and sign a decent substitute, who can also play in Europe if possible.

Yes,I agree he was that bad,and against who?!

Awful signing.

Antonini is easily the best left back at the club for me. That says more about Taiwo and Zambrotta than it does him.

Zambrotta is miles better. Just because he wasn't great against Barcelona doesn't mean he's worse the Antonini.

Nah, I'd take Antonini over him every time. Zambrotta has been finished for a while.

I don't know. They're all awful, IMO.

i honestly think Taiwo deserves more time...just think about how poor evra was when he first joined united....taiwo will only get better if he gets more games not watching from the bench

I agree. Let's give him an extended run for a full 4-6 weeks and see whether the guy improves. No point in testing him for a match every now and then, when he himself is fighting multiple battles (new league, new teammates, great expectations, so on and so forth). Give the guy until the summer, before offloading him.

Buying and selling a player within six months makes the club look bad, and speaks more about our scouts than the player himself - any player, not just Taiwo. I mean, way to go spending money on a certified dud. Which I don't thin Taiwo is, at the time of this writing. Sure, he has had horrible matches, but still.

We got him for free. Our real objective was Cissokho, but Galliani can't say no to a free agent.

Agreed, but it begs the question why waste a player and give him salary to boot. It's best to stay away from deals like these (considering how Milan rolls in the market), and only bring in guys you have the utmost confidence in. Particularly in defensive positions, I mean only put those players in the radar who are good at the back.

Still, I stand by my notion that he should be let go only in the summer. Who knows what can happen in the winter.

It's not only that he's been bad, but the guy seems unmotivated in my eyes. A player that wants to impress his coach should run like a madman for the whole 90 minutes, trying to win every challenge and offer that something more which would gain him credibility and trust. I've simply not seen this in Taiwo. The guy looks timid and scared, as if he's already accepted his fate. Not cool in my book.

i rest my case

I think your assessment is just wrong. Sure, someone can be all fired up and do 110% to prove the coach wrong, but not everyone reacts that way. I think Taiwo caved - he went from Marseilles and Ligue 1 top defender to Milan's standard fullback solution who "was great against Robben" to a surplus. It's pressuring him and it makes him fall over and over again.

OK, but someone with confidence in himself can get out of these situations. I mean, if you know you are good and people say otherwise, then you can easily prove them wrong. Has Taiwo ever given such impression? Of course there's a lot of pressure on him for the facts you stated, but he didn't suddenly find himself in these circumstances. He let himself gradually degrade by giving one poor performance after another, losing Allegri's trust in the process.

I had high hopes for the guy, but if he's that weak mentally, then we can already rest our case.

You turned defending Allegri, and I turned defending Taiwo. What a twist!

The world really is approaching its end.

WHAT??

Zambro on a single leg is better than Antonini!

He was bad against Barca? Imo he was our only defender who wasn't messing up everything and was decent. Even Thiago and Nesta were a mess in that one

And even if this wasn't true...I mean, bad against Barcelona does not mean bad actually. Antonini would have been a disaster.

Try nuclear disaster.

Obviously one performance against Barca doesn't prove anything, but since it was mentioned I responded to it.

Antonini is nothing but a one hit wonder who was made to look good in the attacking department by Ronaldinho

Newcastle want Taiwo on loan.

Link

No point in loaning him: it's either we try and try to integrate him, or ship him of for some cash.

Agreed.

If the coach doesn't have any faith in him then there is no point. What's really funny to me is that Allegri starts Antonini ahead of him

Imo that fact just overturns any reasoning on Allegri's part

Well,Antonini hasn't been doing howlers,which is good

Also,if the player didn't earn Allegri's trust and didn't play well at all,what does it say about him?I wouldn't blame Allegri as much as I would blame Galliani.Does his defensive positioning as a fullback have to do with his integration with the team?I simply don't trust he's any good.

Somewhat true, but what happened to the good old notion of giving players a fair run? If we haven't given Allegri the benefit of the doubt when he had that horrendous (oh, I love this word) start in his first season (losses left and right and overall clueless displays), he'd probably be managing Parma or something similar now.

I'm not saying Taiwo is great or anything, I'm just saying give him 6-8 straight matches and let the world (media and fans) know how much he sucks. Who knows maybe he'll gain confidence, adjust and improve?! Who knows!?

And risk getting slaughtered at his side?I mean his defensive positioning was terrible!Against who?Plezen...
Thanks,i'll stay with antonini.

Well sometimes you just have to bite the bullet. I can't see how much it could hurt for 3-4 matches, there are other players who will cover him nevertheless. I haven't see too much of the guy, but from what little I saw of Taiwo (before he came here), he did not seem a bad player. Susceptible defending, yes, but still.

And it's not like we haven't risked slaughter before - Seedorf, Bonera, Antonini and others played their parts. Who can forget the Udinese 4-4, among others. Like I said a few days back, trying a player randomly for a few stretches here and there, and then discarding him (Taiwo is the number one guy at fault here, surely he is) within a span of few months does not reflect dandily on anyone. Neither Allegri, nor Galliani. Neither or scouts, and surely not on Taiwo.