I don't know, but it was in Italian, so if anyone want's to translate it, here you have it :





Milan coach Allegri: "Cassano had a great game against Lazio, but tomorrow [against Barcelona] Pato is favourite to start alongside Ibra."

I think we can manage to get a draw. People are too much frightened and impressed by Barcelona. Sure, we have our weaknesses, but we ain't that easy to pass over also.

I think people are justified in thinking that. They swept aside Real and Man U.It's not some myth in people's heads.

I know, but this was last season. And it was in the KO stages; that makes this match a whole lot of more easy for us.

Well it's not like they're going to take this lightly because it's a group game. Yes they have a sh!t defence, but their midfield and forward line is so good that they make up for that simply by not allowing the opposition to get anywhere near their defence.

To stop them you have to disrupt them by pressing them and trying to keep possesion as long as you can while you have it. The problem with that is that no team can press them for 90 minutes on a consistant basis, it's just impossible. So they hit you when the tiredness creeps in.

I'm just saying, it appears that Barcelona is invincible - and I don't believe it. Not everything is logical or rational, I've seen too many matches in which the clearly superior team lost.

No one is unbeatable, I agree. But this Barca imo is very close to it, sure they might slip up here and there against certain opposition where they seemingly expect to win like the Saturday game for example, but if they turn it on, then become very close to unbeatable.

Don't know if I'll get to be online tomorrow with my crazy schedule at work but I wanna wish all my Milanista brothers and sisters all the best for the game tomorrow

Called up players

oh good to see taiwo and zambrotta back.... what is wrong with robinho??

Three strikers available. Haha, what a joke Allegri!

He'd pulled up in training. I think.

The point is we're not a team that's all that great in possession...thanks to the mid-fielders we setup.
We don't have enough pure individual quality except for Ibra.
We can't play catenaccio, since we don't have pure defensive players with max tactical awareness.

All comes down to our mid-field...we're neither a creative mid-field not a purely defensive one.


My guess...

Allegri choses to play defensive and a hard pressing game in our half. He will look to launch attacks on the counter using Pato's pace and Zlatan's strength in the air. He will mostly be happy to leave Camp Nou with a point.

MILAN - Below is the list of 21 players called up by Massimiliano
GK's - Abbiati, Amelia, Roma.
Defenders - Abate, Antonini, Bonera, Nesta, Taiwo, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta, Yepes.
Midfielders - Ambrosini, Aquilani, Boateng, Emanuelson, Nocerino, Seedorf, Van Bommel.
Forwards - Cassano, Ibrahimovic, Pato.


Massimiliano Allegri held a press conference at Milanello before the last training session ahead of the match against Barcelona in the Champions League.

MILANELLO - This is what Massimiliano Allegri said during the press conference: "The team has trained very well after the Lazio game, we are ready to play this game, it is the first game of the Champions League and we want to start well. We will have to be careful in defence and do well up front. At the moment they are the team that plays the best football, they have so much quality both individually but also as a team, but we also have some great players, we are a very good side, we are Milan so we have to play with courage. You never know what can happen in football. I will change some players who played against Lazio, I will decide after this morning's training session. We must concentrate throughout the entire match, we have to respect Barcelona. We have to try and play a good game then we'll see what happens. It is the second time that I go to Barcelona after the Gamper Trophy but I am calm about tomorrow night, it isn't a final, just the first match of the group stages. We are playing against a side that has won so much but our aim is to get through the group stages.

"We have to play a different game to the first 20 minutes against Lazio, we were too spread out and we cannot afford to play like that for 20 minutes against Barcelona. Then we did well to come back against Lazio and we almost won the game...
The game against Barcelona will highlight the kind of shape we are in at the moment. Compared to last season we have played less friendlies, and that is how I wanted it. We don't have to be scared tomorrow and we can't play like the first 20 minutes against Lazio. We have to be well balanced knowing that we have a tough task on our hands. Ibra will play up front then I still haven't decided between Pato and Cassano even if Pato is the favourite. Then I also have a doubt about Nocerino or Ambrosini. We are doing checks on Robinho but I don't think he will come to Barcelona.
The first matches of Serie A? Palermo-Inter was a great game, Palermo did really well but Inter also showed what they can do despite the defeat. Pirlo? Everyone knows that Andrea is quality and I am happy that he played a great game, it isn't as of he has forgotten to play football just because he has left Milan.

"Ibra showed that he is world class at Barcelona and he is still showing it now. We have to have respect for Barcelona but not be scared of them. We have to try and make our quality count on the pitch. Cassano? He played a great game against Lazio and he will do very well this year and in the last 20 days he has reached a good level of fitness. Tomorrow I will have to choose between Pato and Cassano but I think this type of game suits Pato more. Pato's average goal tally for Milan is very high, my choices will not be based on how many goals they have scored in the Champions League. Pato is 22, he can improve a lot and if he plays tomorrow then I am sure he will do very well. Barcelona always play in the same way, they are technically very gifted and the almost always dominate their matches with possession but they can have moments when they lose their concentration."

BIG BAD NEWS : Ibrahimovic got injured during the training and will not travel for Spain. He is going to miss the game against Barcelona and is in doubt for Napoli !


Even Emanuelson tweeted about this on his official account :


Arrrrrr :@

Could be a blessing in disguise.

Well, well, things get interesting. Very interesting! Ibra out could go either way. We may very well stop playing the lobbing game if we don't have a target-man upfront, and that can be a good thing. But really, taking two strikers against Barcelona is as funny as it gets. Tough luck, anyway you look at it.

thank god. now we have a sort of an excuse to ease the blame on when we get thrashed

Ohhh, no problem, we've still got Pippo available for Barcelona. Oh wait....

Karma showed Allegri the middle finger.

Pippo is still injured so he wouldn't have played ether way.

Sorry Fillipo but this made me so hard!

At least there is a doubt in his decision regarding Nocerino or Ambro. I thought he would be certain in his decision on Ambro.

It looks like it's going to be



Ibra will be a huge loss, him being out takes one possible solution that we'll have when in attack. Pato and Cassano will need to work their @sses of that's for sure and one of them will need to drop back into midfield when we're defending as well.

Taiwo might get the nod, but I think I prefer Zambro to play this one, just stay back and think about his own flank. Taiwo will look to go forward, and the will get us caught out.

Hopefully Nocerino is the one picked, and I think Seedorf would be the better option here. I don't believe Allegri will deviate from his 4-3-1-2 but I think he should really consider a xmas tree formation with 5 mids. At least that way we'd still have an option coming off the bench since we only have 2 strikers

I remember the 1994 final, Barca that f@cker Cruyff was boasting his dream team was going to demolish Milan yadda yadda yadda ... Add to that we had HUGE problems at the back w/o Costacurta & Baresi .. The outcome was unbelievable.

Till the next day, I couldn't believe we won .. We beat the dream team at the time. Oh but back then we had Capello, now we have someone who drops one of Europe's most strikers because he knows best

These are the nights where I miss Carletto... And that happens rarely, but I simply have no faith in Max when it comes to games like this one

Carlo doesn't miss you

Carlo is unemployed atm

Nice!

Pato+Cassano is an excellent attack to play with against Barça. Only Pato+Robinho I would have preferred over this one, but oh well, **** happens. I don't see Zlatan's style of play doing any good against Barça. Zlatan is a blessing against Serie A sides, but I am happy to see Pato as the striker now supported by a supporting striker. Pato's pacey runs, deadly finishing, etc. are what we need vs Barça. The few chances we will get, it better goes to an excellent goalscorer with awesome speed. And we will have a nice amound of players with good passing on the field which will benefit Pato.

Can we play pato-cassano when only these 2 stikers are available...

Yes

Sure we can, but we'll be left with no option on the bench

Prince (though likely to start also) can cover attack it worked vs Juve!

A terrible Juve vs. Barca?

Sure it's exactly the same thing...

I'd rather we play a 5-man midfield and leave Cassano as an option on the bench

This just in....iBra heard Galliani's CL-themed music and pulled up with severe muscle spasms. More to follow

Probable line-up, according to Sportmeidaset:

Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, T. Silva, Zambrotta; Nocerino, Van Bommel, Seedorf; Emanuelson, Boateng; Pato

Emanuelson instead of Cassano, WTF???

My only change would be Aquilani instead of Urby.

I agree about dropping one of the strikers since they're the only 2 available. Aside from that, I think it's the best line-up that can be put out

wow, an interesting twist... such a speedy attack... all three... very interesting to do so vs Barça... Allegri could be on to something... he may be a genius or he may be not... I like his way of thinking...

No man, Cassano needs to play at all cost! His quality could seriously hurt Barça. It doesn't matter how many strikers we have left on the bench. I'd also play Aquilani instead of Seedorf. Personally, I thought Aquaman did great against Lazio. I seriously doubt Seedorf can keep up with Barça's speed of play. Maybe if he comes as a sub in the second half, when most players will be tired...

Urby is a very one dimensional player, sure he's quick but I don't see him using the ball wisely.


I don't know, I'd rather have him as an option coming off the bench and pack the midfield tightly.

Seedorf's experiance and tactical awareness will be key for us while Aquilani's final ball and set-pieces might give us an unexpected advantage. That's why I think we need both in there. I'd sacrifice Cassano and rely on Pato's speed and finishing to have both Aqui and Seedorf in there.

Also note that Seedorf is fresh and ready, this is when he usually plays his best. I'm happy with Ambro being dropped, but we need Seedorf's cool head in there as well. He's still a leader on the pitch for us, more then Ambro imo.

I feel you. I know Furby very well. He can do very nice things, but he's inconsistent. It can go either way.

OK, maybe Aquilani-Seedorf-Pato would be nice, but please no Emanuelson!

That's why I said Aquilani instead of him and it would be a great line-up




Perfect line-up for this kind of game imo. Stifle them in midfield, while still providing the best support we can for Pato when on the ball. Also, we have 3 players who can distribute the ball properly so we won't lose it as soon as we win it back

I also want both Seedorf and Aquilani. Both playing well for Milan (Aquilani vs Lazio, Seedorf this year and in CL he is the man), both good passers (important vs Barça, and with Pato as your striker), both actually can defend well also.

Hm, interesting line-up, han. I like it.


But Seedorf to play deeper, right? And then Boateng bit more forward: good to have at least two attacking players with pace, and them linking up with each other and Aquilani, aint bad. Aquilani and Seedorf behind Pato is too slow.

What exactly? Isn't Pippo supposed to be recovered by now?


Anyway, I'm with X-O here, sorry, I'd also pick Cassano to start. He needs to be a starter in such matches, he can make the extra pass. I don't see that happen with Emanuelson and Boateng, so I expect Pato to be allover the place searching for the ball.

Aquilani can do that as well, same goes for Seedorf, and imo, with just Pato up there, we need to sacrifice a striker for a stronger and more compact midfield. Also by using both, we have nothing on the bench, no extra card for Allegri to play.

I agree that Urby shouldn't be anywhere near the starting 11, he's not a smart player, we need someone who will utilise the ball properly when we have it, that's why using both Seedorf and Aquilani makes more sense then Cassano

Nope. I'm sure it was mentioned in another thread that Inzaghi got injured just days after he recovered from his earlier injury. Out for another few weeks. Anyway, we can't hold this one up to Allegri, without knowing the full facts. Maybe he got the full report from the doctors at Milan?! It's not easy to recover from grave injuries when you are touching 40.

So even if he had included him in the squad for the CL, it's not like Inzaghi would have been ready and available.

Advantage Allegri

Piqué is injured, and Puyol should start from the bench. Hopefully we'll be able to take advantage of their defensive faults. The fact that Ibra won't play also means no long balls, which is always a good thing.

Does it mean no long balls? I'm not sure it does, it started to develop as a habit or a system; I hope it isn't on the automatized level.

Han, I like that formation and I could see it being successful. I think thats what I would play if I was Allegri.

Probable line-up vs Barcelona (4-3-2-1): Abbiati; Abate-Nesta-T. Silva-Zambrotta; Nocerino-Van Bommel-Seedorf; Boateng-Emanuelson; Pato.

Gazzeta dello Sport.

not a bad formation for UCL infact quite similar to what we sued to play under carlo