I know people have been dieing to talk about this, which is why I didn't open it ahead of the Lazio thread since we'd camp here most likely

I'm not optimistic and I'l consider a draw like a win. The defence today showed some major vulnerabilities, if we have to play Antonini at LB once again then I wouldn't exclude a mauling

Allegri picking Ambro for the midfield is worrying and Im 99.9% sure that this will be the case. Seedorf will most likely take Aquilani's spot, even if I thnk Aqui deserves his spot, even just for his amazing corners, I mean when was the last time we scored off one of those??

So my team would be



I'd prefer it if Boateng was moved back on the left, but I don't think there's the slightest chance of seeing that one happen

What Allegri will pick (cue a million here)



Don't know if Zambro will be fit but I'm seriously on my knees praying for it, we simply cannot go into it with Antonini playing there, play Yepes and make him stay back if you have to but please, no Antonini against Messi & Co.

It begins, then. Let's go and teach those guys a lesson. Pato, Silva and Ibra have to be at their absolute best!

Nesta as well, he's starting out rather shakily, but I think I remember the same thing from him last season.

This Barca game couldn't have come at a worse time.

Our midfield is still not in order, the defence is a bit shaky and we're still adjusting after all the setbacks in preseason with the strike and injuries to key players and international break

Agreed. I thought Nesta did rather well today, some shakey wakey like you said, but he overcame it all by the end. That sure-fire goal that he saved was epic, as was his usual partnership with Silva. I think we are well covered in the CB department, and can pretty much stuff it up to Barcelona if they come from the center.

Now the flanks are another thing entirely, and I would prefer both our full backs to prowl in our half most of the time.

Which would be a problem. I saw the Lazio match. How narrow we were was something that had to be seen to be believed.

It was senseless. Narrow midfield with just one creative mid??!! WTF were we trying to do?? You can't pass with that midfield...and yet you keep it narrow.

Poor Ambro had to switch play all the while...

My team:

Abbiati

-Abate-nesta-Silva-zambro

---------van bommel--------
----boateng---ambrosini--aquilani--

--------------Ibra---Cassano--------------

Ambro behind the strikers blue? Really? I'd rather pull my hair out one by one. Ambro shouldn't be on the field, full stop.

no am,

1 dmf , 3 cmf.


We won't be creating anythign anyways as we won't have possession. We don't need an am.

We have to defend against barcelona.

I'd rather we gave Nocerino a chance, and Ambro is barely a DM anymore, let alone able to cut it as CM. And trying to defend for our live will only get us hammered.

I'd rather stick to our system

VB covering the center, Nocerino doing the running and unsettling guys live Xavi and Iniesta, Seedorf using the limited posession we have wisely. Boateng will most likely have to drop off a lot and help out the midfield 3. What we need to do is stay compact, going out there with a Mourinho mentality of trying to kick them off the ball won't work

You'd stick a guy who came from palermo with no CL experience against a team like barca? you must be joking?

Ambro has experience and if anything this is the game to be playing guys like van bommel, ambro, seedorf. Players who won't sh*t their pants when they see messi on the fieeld.


Our system won't work, we need guys who will cover our most dangerous area, the top of the 18 yard box. We need to play them like Shaktar did, defend as a unit and wait until they start pushing their CB's up and then we win the ball and counter.

Only way. If we go and attack them, it'll be 4-0 at least.

You'd want Ambro?

The man can barely keep up against Lazio. He was invisable yesterday, he was supposed to be covering the defence, but until VB came on it was like we were playing without anyone there, and you want him trying to cover Iniesta and to track Messi?

Nocerino might be coming from a small steam, but he's a full International and plaed for Italy against Spain as well. He's no rookie we plucked out of Serie B. At this point I'd trust him more then Ambro and Rino combined. But, we'll most likely see your theory come to play since Allegri will play Ambro over Nocerino, can't wait to see everybody shouting and cursing at him here...

And playing a completely different system which players are unfamiliar with will? How will a 4-2-3-1 with 5 CMs work exactly? We need to stick with what works and what the players are comfortable with, we need both Zlatan and Pato there because they give us 2 different outlets we can use.

We don't play a pure AM, Boateng will mostly make it a 4 man midfield when we're defending, which will be most of the time. Everyone will work hard to cover the spaces, making sure to track their runners. Trying to defend for everything we're worth is more then likely to result in a loss. Simply because we won't be able to handle that pressure, especially if we have Antonini on the left.

After the Lazio result, if we manage even a draw on Tuesday night I'll be stunned.

I expect us to qualify from the group but to seriously struggle in both Catalan matches.

I'll take the draw as a win.

Against Lazio we mostly missed VB and a solid LB.

Apparently Zambro was left out as a precaution, as well as Seedorf and Robs. So we should be able to recover those 3 and start with VB and Seedorf.

Not that I wasn't happy with Aquilani, he practically made both goals himself, but he's still too green for Barca, he's not completely familiar with the system and what is required of him. Nocerino on the other hand is basically doing the same thing he did at Palermo, which is why he slotted in so easily.

I'd like to see us playing like this against Barcelona :


Robinho , Cassano and Seedorf substituting Aquilani, Pato and Van Bommel

EDIT: Just read that Taiwo is ready for the game, so if it's true, he should start.

Please no Yepes for this one. Yes Nesta had a shaky start but he recovered greatly in the second half and was flawless after a shaky mistake or two in the first.

Personally I'd prefer Zambro starting, I'm not 100% sold on Taiwo yet in terms of his defending.

I agree with you entire midfield and attack, I'd rather see Boateng in the 3 man midfield, but Allegri will most likely choose Seedorf and Ambro instead of the Nocerino and Aquilani

Assuming Taiwo can't start this match, Zambrotta is most logical option left for leftback. Nesta was not only very poor against Lazio, but also during pre-season. He simply is not ready for Barça, if he ever will be again. Yepes has proven to be an excellent defender for both Milan and his NT, so at least for now I will trust him more. Hopefully Mexes won't need too long to recover fully.

Aquilani has been excellent yesterday, and Seedorf has been also this year. Both should start, and Van Bommel is the obvious choice in front of our defense: just ask Sneijder. Because we play away vs Barça, I guess Nocerino seems a better choice than Boateng who can be poor and reckless.

I expect Barça making the play and we should be able to have some sort of counter. Robinho and Pato are quick, and Pato is an excellent finisher: our best. Robinho's workrate and energy should be a reason to start him over Cassano, who was key yesterday, but Barça is a different story. And at the same time Cassano is our biggest weapon as a sub. Also now I didn't pick Boateng, Robinho is even more needed to have enough pace in the team. The decision between Pato and Ibrahimovic is tough for me, but Ibrahimovic vs a team like Barça doesn't seem to work, and how are we going to play then anyway? And all midfielders are good passers making Pato's runs more than useful.


bench: Roma*, Taiwo**, Nesta, Ambrosini, Boateng, Cassano, Ibrahimovic

* did well everytime he played for us; I like him more than Amelia
** if he can start, start him over Zambrotta

Still don't agree about Yepes. He's certainly not cut out for this, and 2 mistakes aside from yesterday Nesta saved a sure fire goal yesterday for us. And was doing better after the 2nd half. And I wouldn't say he had a terrible pre-season. It was average, getting back into shape and all that.

Both Seedorf and Aquilani? I think we need 3 fighters in that midfield who can cover space easily. Boateng imo, has to play. The decision will be between Seedorf and Aqui, allegri will surely choose Seedorf. Also I disagree about Ibra, he'll do well against Mascherano and whoever else plays for them at CB because of his height and we'll most likely find it very difficuilt to go through the midfield so launching balls at him might be our only option here. Also, the though of playing Robinho makes me cringe, simply because I know that he'll get into all the great scoring positions and miss them, I'd rather see us not creating a chance then watch him squander one guilt edged chance after another. It's better for our health that way

According to Sportmediaset.It, Pato is fresh and rested, so he is expected to start together with Ibrahimovic against Barcelona. Boateng's shoulder is not a concern, so he can play against Barcelona. Also Seedorf, Zambrotta, Tawio and Robinho trained with the team, and are expected to travel in Spain.


Gazzeta had this great joke as a preview to the Barca game:

"Messi once entered the bedroom of a girl with whom he hoped to score. The girl tells him to get comfortable and she leaves the room to go freshen up. To her amazement, when she returns, she finds him lying on the bed completely nude with two other naked guys and shouts; "WHAT'S GOING ON?"...Smiling Messi calmly replies: "I am sorry dear, but I can't perform without Xavi and Iniesta!"

I feel like Nesta has to start, poor start or not, he's a leader. Nesta was caught out so much yesterday because the guy who covers his back started poorly too, which is Silva. I really like the idea of Aquilani behind the strikers but not sure this is the game to experiment.

I'm 50/50 on whether or not he should start over Seedorf.

Very much agreed, but I'd rather take my chances playing a defensive, counter attacking game. Rather than be decimated 5-0 or something. Ask Barcelona to throw their cards first, frustrate them if we can at the start, play a closed game, instead of going all guns blazing and whatnot. Heck, it's the opening game of the CL, if anything!

What worked against Real Madrid in Spain a few years back (3-2, Pirlo and Pato goals) surely will not work. We 100% can't try to out-Barcelona Barcelona, not at their own game. Bur a strong CB pairing of Nesta and Silva, Pato and Ibra upfront, flanks back, and an army of dogs in the midfield (those who can fetch the lost balls), and we just may walk out from the battle and be able to tell the tale. Counter, counter, counter, with a solid defensive touch.

No one said we should go all guns blazing or that we should try to attack them. But there are key points that we need to meet if we are going to get something out of this aside from a hammering.

1. Defend well
2. Win the ball as quick as we can (I know it will be hard but 4 mids against their 3 should be able to stife them a bit)
3. Keep posession as much as we can in the few moments we will actually have the ball
4. When we have the ball, use it wisely (Ibra and Pato will be good outlets for us in that respect)

All that being said, the players picked and the system need to be perfect. We can't play with Antonini on the left, Ambro in the midfield, or 2 pure creators (Seedorf and Aqui). We need at least 3 combative players in there and the 4th mid needs to roll up his sleeve and be ready to work his @ss off as well. Also 1 of the strikers needs to drop deep as much as possible to help out. This is where Robinho would be more useful then Pato, but I don't trust Robs to not miss any chances, and my heart cannot take his misses in this game, so Allegri needs to drill it in Pato's head to drop deep and work hard.

The FBs need to stay back, I'm not worried about Zambro, he knows what he has to do, Abate has handled Ronaldo and Eto'o in the past, his pace will give him more freedome and if he somehow manages to break through and put pressure on the Barca LB (whoever that might be then all the better) But he needs to pick his moments wisely, going forward like he usually does will not bode well for us.

One additional note. I am convinced Milan could win or at least get a point out of this match if we play an old-fashioned Catenaccio with some modifications. Is Allegri up to it? I'm not sure, I hope so. Because Milan has every single quality such a formation needs. Zambrotta and Abate are ideal for such a lineup, Nesta is a must (Yepes WTF?), Thiago - needless to say - is indispensable, while Bommel will also come handy.

I'd start with Cassano and Ibra, just like the Lazio game; they looked very good together and we need the extra pass which can be provided by Antonio. Pato as a sub.

Also, do not forget that we'll have not only Ibra, but also Bommel and Zambro highly motivated, even more then the others.

The thing is, it occurred to me that Milan, against Lazio, especially in the 1st half, tried to play attractive. I hope this wasn't meant as a warm-up for Barcelona, because I am convinced that Milan cannot win this game with wanting or trying to outplay Barcelona, or play at the same technical level. We can only win points by defending tight and keeping the ball as long as possible away from Iniesta or Xavi.

Agreed, trying to play Barca at their own game would result in a beating. But I don't think Cassano is that much of a good choice, yes he has a better final pass, but he's not going to work as hard as Robinho or Pato.

I don't know. If Barca is playing in a 3-4-3 we should think about attacking them pretty hard. 3 defenders can get overwhelmed pretty quickly if played right. Would need Nocerino and Boateng in midfield because we need two guys will to run back and forth the whole game. VB in the middle could anchor everything down. Aquilani as trequartista maybe? Glad I'm not the coach.

And I agree with Fillipo Simone, Catenaccio system, is the best option we have.

I think that's the best line-up we can put out (I'm still on the fence as to who should start between Seedorf and Aqui). But sitting back deep too much will get us in trouble. Putting pressure on their midfield is key imo

I think Aquilani should start, Seedorf come in as a addition later on. Zambrotta should also be fielded.

I'm not yet sure Nocerino is the right man though. He didn't convince me as much as some said against Lazio, but looking at our roster, there's not much choice. Ambrosini or Nocerino, hmh? Both have evident pluses and minuses.

Nesta Milan's captain. Ideal for the Catenaccio.

I think both Seedorf and Aquilani should start. Seedorf seems to offer a lot of more, surely vs Barça, than Boateng, to me. Unsure what to do with the attack. I feel like Robinho should start, along one of Ibrahimovic and Pato.

Aquilani would give us the advantage one set-pieces and I think his final pass is better then Seedorf. But overall, I think Seedorf's cool head when we have the ball will count for a lot. I don't know, but I feel Allegri will choose Seedorf's experiance.

As for Nocerino, he did mire in 15 minutes then Ambro did all game, and that is not exagerating. What didn't convince you about Nocerino? The fact that he won the ball cleanly a couple of times, showed enthusiasm and actual energy? Ambro and Rino are down and out imo. Neither of them is good enough anymore, especially not for a game of this magnitude against a team who has the best midfield around, bar none.

I'm really surprised that you're the one to say this. You're all about the combative midfield but when we face Barca you want to drop a fighter for Aquilani/Seedorf?

I think playing both would be too risky and would get our midfield overrun. Last season's final should be taken as a lesson. Why did Man U get beaten the way they did? Because of their soft midfield, if you don't pressure Barca then you're going to lose, it's simple. If you make them play without the ball, they don't know how to do that, yes they press a lot, but if we manage to keep posession for any length of time then our team won't be the only one getting dead tired trying to constantly press them.

Playing a high line would just be the death of us because you know Messi will drop back and Iniesta/Pedro/Villa will get in behind. While on the other hand, if we drop too deep and try to defend for our live like Inter did, it would still most likely result in a Barca goal.

I don't know, it's Allegri's headache at the end of the day, him and the team need to find the perfect solution and need to play the perfect game, and I don't think we're ready yet

Seedorf is also a fighter, surely/especially/at least in a CL match vs Barça. In my opinion he is defensive quite strong (stronger than Boateng), and not as reckless as Boateng. We need players who won't lose their head in a game like this. And the past has shown that Seedorf and Van Bommel are our key midfielders in a game like this (Van Bommel vs Inter/Sneijder, not in CL yet obviously). With Nocerino and Van Bommel we already have two DMs, and Seedorf who can defend, same goes for Aquilani as AM, making our midfield strong (defensevily and passing wise). Seedorf, Aquilani and Van Bommel all are good passers which is important. You can't lose possession often vs Barça.


The main downside now is indeed missing pace. That's why I normally would play Boateng over Nocerino then, but against Barça you may go for the extra defensive skill. This gives only more reason to start Robinho in attack. Not only because of his pace, but also because his immense workrate and energy, making us even stronger: defending like a team can be done which has to be done vs Barça. That leaves either Zlatan or Pato as other forward, but that's a very tough choice in my opinion.

Reading the game well, anticipation and so, beats pace though. Players like Van Bommel and Seedorf know what to do. And having Aquilani is also nice because he played very well, and indeed his set pieces is also a plus.

edit: and about ManU's CL final: yeah, only Park did something, but we would have Van Bommel and Seedorf who will do something for sure, and Nocerino will also, and Aquilani+Robinho can do too.

I think Seedorf has the better footballing brain to cover spaces, he's not very good defensively but he's a smart player who knows how to cover his areas like Aquilani or Boateng wouldn't. But purely as a defensive player, Boateng is better, simply because he has the energy to hassle the opponent. Another key factor is the energy in midfield, which is why Boateng, Nocerino and Robinho would come in handy, the only thing that scares me about Robinho is him missing sitters...

think we need 2 fighters (Nocerino + Boateng), an anchor (VB), someone who will know what to do with the ball when we have it (Seedorf/Aqui) and one of the strikers dropping deep to help the midfield (Robinho would do this the best out of all of them, but I don't trust him in front of goal)

Seedorf is not going to run and press for 90 minutes, you can forget about that. That's why we can't rely on him for that kind of work, and why I think he should play behind the strikers.

Essentially we need to play a xmas tree set up like we did under Carlo

Pato as Robinho's alternative to drop back? Pato?? Nah, then Zlatan should be the one dropping back. Pato is the best finisher and the weakest in dropping back. Ideally both Zlatan and Robinho drop back if both play. Else Robinho drops back, and we have a great finisher in Pato who makes great runs and has excellent pace, but eh I guess Zlatan will play.

We'll most likely use Zlatan's height and launch balls at him. Pato has done it in the past, did you forget his big games against Napoli and Inter last season? He worked his @ss off

But many games not, or at least Zlatan is better in that than him, and at the same time Pato is the better goalscorer.

Well its a 90 minute game(plus any injury time) and its 11 vs 11, thats for certain . We have the quality to win at nou camp, but in all honesty i dont think allegri can drill the squad in the right manner just 2 games into the season. I'd take a draw, but play down the importance of this tie purely cause its this early, hope we dont get mauled and i hope im wrong about allegri's incapability to get the right team out there early on, he is a smart coach afterall

I think we should go all out suicide attack vs Barca and defend like maniacs when on the back foot

--------------Abbiati------------
-Abate- NESTA---Silva--bleh
------------MVB------------
----Aqua------------Dorf--
-----------iBra----------
Pato-------------------Cassano



Under normal circumstances and at a glance this is a rather idiotic/suicidal formation. also Allegri doesn't have the balls for it. But a surprise all out attack can catch them and get that crucial first goal. After that we can take off as much as three attackers and bring in more defensive minded players. Long shot I conceed.

No Taiwo and Robinho right?

Carlo isn't tied by any contract right ?

Yup , he's free

Can we bring him on just for the CL matches? Allegri and Tassoti can be assistant coaches on CL nights...

Whats the point, we dont have Inzaghi

Barca 3-1 Milan.

Best case scenario. no kidding.

2-0 imo.

Really? their defense isn't that great, unless our strikers officially choke, we may score one goal...

The problem is getting the ball and actually keeping it long enough to score.

It's not our strikers...it's our midfield....that I think might choke. The only player who can pull something out of nothing in this team is Ibra...and he is not turned on for CL.

Well I guess there is Cassano...

2-2

Ibra mostly chokes in the KOs

Also, I don't think the midfield will choke, but if they're not set up right then we'll suffer. Playing Ambrosini will be a big mistake, and I'm pretty sure that is what Allegri will do. Thankfully, Rino is out, that is one less thing to worry about.

I really feel that this is the game where someone like Nocerino could really step up and take his place, but I don't think Allegri will give him that chance and once again rely on a decimated player from the old gaurd for whatever reason that is justified in his own head

Boateng to Gazzetta dello Sport: We are ready to defend and play on counter-attacks (Catenaccio system) on Nou Camp.

why announce before the game