Onwards and upwards

Let's get the 3 points after a shaky start, the result yesterday will be a big boost to the players no doubt, while Napoli could be in for a demoralizing trashing today. Either way, we need to do what we did last season against them, keep possesion and hit them when it hurts.

Mexes, Taiwo, Flamini, Gattuso and Ibrahimovic will be missing this. Robinho has recovered but he doesn't have the 90 minutes in his feet yet. Ambrosini and Boateng are still in doubt. Fingers crossed for Boa!

Not looking forward to this.

If Boateng recovers, I think we should be just fine.

Tough game but they have less time to rest then us with away City game today. My concern is that our players might be slightly less focused after all the Barca stuff.

If nobody of the injured makes it:



With Robinho coming off the bench around 55-60 minute.

Agreed.

Hopefully Ambro stays injured for this one...

I don't think Allegri considers Ambro as starting material anymore, otherwise he would have played him against Barça from the start.

Can you wish me winning the lottery? He'll be out for a month.

And can you wish a career ending on Michael Vick please. I'll send you money.

My super powers only work once in a year So I wasted that one on Ambro

Boateng should be out for a week.

We're going to be missing a lot of players against Napoli

Best option would be to play both Seedorf and Aquilani in the midfield, thankfully Rino and Ambro are out so we won't see a Nocerino, VB, Ambro/Rino midfield

I guess the line-up you posted would be the best solution.

Did Allegri say that or you just assuming that?

Sportmediaset mentioned it.

Okay, shame. Starting with Robinho, and have Cassano as sub, would have been more powerful than vice versa. Then assuming not only Robinho won't start but also others like Taiwo and Boateng, I would go for:

Especially with no Robinho and Boateng starting, Emanuelson characteristics are needed and he has showed good things when playing, and is in my opinion a logical replacement for Boateng, in a way they are similar. Seedorf instead of Emanuelson would make our team too slow in my opinion. I think AM suits Emanuelson better than LCM. Probably having less flaws there and we will have more benefit of his attacking skills including dribbling and pace.

I would rather play Aquilani as AM and Seedorf as LCM. Urby is too mediocre.

Lavezzi might be out with ancle problems.

7 italians

^ That's the line-up proposed by Mediaset as well. They also have Taiwo and Robinho on the bench.

What? Urby behind the strikers? Really?

So you don't want Cassano playing there but Urby yes? He's not good enough to play that position nor is he adapt to it. As Jack posted Aquilani behind the strikers and Seedorf in his usual position will be what's best


Agreed.

yeah he limped off yesterday, any talk of Cavani, he also looked to have problems when coming off


Switch Seedorf and Aqui and you've got a deal

Yes


Yes


I disagree everytime I see Furby play for us I have the feeling he is a better fit for AM than LCM. Defensively he's not the strongest and he may lose possession too often for a LCM, and he can't do playmaking there. I believe we are not getting the best out of Furby at LCM, and will see more flaws of him than when playing at AM.

Furby should push forward as often as possible, which he can at AM while at LCM not as often, creating threat and chances with his pace, dribbling, technique, and I think his passing (a pass through the middle) is better than his crossing. And as AM he can go to left wing position way more often than as LCM. So that's another plus, since he's good at left wing. (Allegri is known for putting a winger at AM anyway so it should work!)

When Milan is in possession and Furby goes forward he can act like another forward easily. And without position he simply is a midfielder helping the team defend and all, unlike Cassano. Cassano is a forward and forward only, and simply lack the energy and/or workrate to play as our AM unlike Robinho. It's best to use an actual midfielder for that.

I think you're making Urby into something he's clearly not, I've seen him in the AM position a couple of times this pre-season and he just doesn't know how to play that position.

He's not an LCM either, he's a LM, he's being deployed in a narrow midfield when he does better wide. He's not a forward either, so making him play so high up is a waste

At least we agree he's not a LCM. He should not play in central midfield. Left wing is his best position, but we don't have that in our formation. In our formation his best fit is at AM. Allegri likes to play with a wingerish AM so to me it makes sense to play Furby there now Prince is out.

I didn't mean to say Furby is a forward, but he comes to it much closer than players like Aquilani and Seedorf, while being a midfielder. Playing Seedorf at AM is a waste (way too slow), he should only play at LCM, but you seem to agree on that. Aquilani can do both I guess.

He has played as AM in pre-season, yes. It was nice to see Allegri using him at AM rather than LCM. Though I don't find Emanuelson good enough to be our starting AM, I want him to vs Napoli since we have not really good AM's in our squad. Especially with no Boateng, and since Robinho won't start too, I rather want Furby's pace and all than fielding both Seedorf and Aquilani. I'm afraid it will be too much of the same and too little of...

He plays with a "wingerish" AM as you say because we do not have an actual AM. His options are Robinho, Cassano, Boateng, Aquilani or Seedorf. Only Robinho is wingerish of those. All the others are central mids aside from Cassano who is a support striker

For the game agasinst Napoli, I'd go with this one :

At Cagliari he made a winger his AM. Boateng acts a bit wingerish too.

El Shaarawy is not ready for this kind of game

Seedorf will do just fine for this one


Wasn't Lazzarri his AM at Cagliari? He's not exactly a winger.

While Boateng is not a winger, he's a box-to-box, he only drifts wide bcause he doesn't know how to play the AM position either so he only finds space on the wings. The only usefulness we get out of Boateng in that position is his run into the box, aside from that, it's a complete waste to play him there when he'd be so much better then that in his actual position

winger Cossu became the AM, while AM Lazzari became their LCM (tho also played games as AM)

Ok then, but the situations are completely different. We might not have a proper AM, but at Milan he has certain luxuries that he didn't have at Cagliari, namely not having to play Urby in the AM position when you have Aquilani, Seedorf and Robinho as options

If we could play Serghino as LB, then we can sure as hell play Emanuelson there. That's the only position I can see him fit in our line-up.

Would you still consider Seedorf as AM? He only should play in the so called midfield 3. He is simply too slow to play further in the pitch. It hurts the team when he does.

He can still pull it off against most Serie A sides. And I'd consider him before wedging Urby in there any day of the week

So ambro is out for 3 weeks.

Hmm....


-----Abbiati----

Abate-nesta-Silva-Zambro

--Nocerino-Van Bommel--Aquilani

-------------Cassano------------

Pato---------------------------Ibra


If ibra isn't back, i'd move cassano up there with seedorf in LM and Aqua in AM

^ Ibra will be out for some time.

How long?

They said about five matches, including Champions League games.

This is what sport mediaset are saying, same with Gazzetta

Milan (4-3-1-2): Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini; Nocerino, Van Bommel, Seedorf; Aquilani; Pato, Cassano.
A disp.: Amelia, Yepes, Zambrotta, Bonera, Emanuelson, El Shaarawy, Robinho. All.: Allegri
Squalificati: nessuno
Indisponibili: Flamini, Mexes, Gattuso, Ibrahimovic, Ambrosini, Boateng, Inzaghi

Why Antonini? He's the only blemish and will cost us once again. Antonini in these ind of games, against opposition which is actually good, should be banished. Isn't Taiwo fit as well? Why play the accident waiting to happen when you have 2 fit LBs in the team?

Zambrotte tired from last match, and Taiwo not fit to start, is the only logical explanation.

Might be. Zambro returned to fitness not long before the Barca game.

I don't think this is the time to rest players though, no matter their age. Nesta, Zambro and Seedorf are needed. This one is a 6 pointer for top of the table, even if it is too early, it's still one of the most important matches in our calender year for the Scudetto. Risking it with Antonini to give Zambro a breather is not an option at least not in this game, give him a rest for the next match when Taiwo is back.

Hey han, I'm with you on the Antonini thing, but well - even worse could have happened. You know what I mean, don't you?

I can't think of anything worse then Antonini at this point, not even Bonera at LB. Thankfully Lavezzi is out, I can't even imagine the horror show that would take place should he have been playing

Sport Mediaset has both Zambro and Taiwo available, no need to risk playing Antonini. I really hope this won't become a trend with Allegri, drop Rino and use Antonini to still have a flare of risk in the team

Milan (4-3-1-2): Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini; Nocerino, Van Bommel, Seedorf; Aquilani; Pato, Cassano.
A disp.: Amelia, Yepes, Zambrotta, Taiwo, Bonera, Emanuelson, El Shaarawy. All.: Allegri

I still think Bonera is the worse option. Bonera is like Antonini when it comes to covering space and intelligent positioning or closing down players, yet also lack offensive will.

Antonini adds all that with bombing forward without any thought, which is why he constantly gets caught out. I don't get how he regressed so badly after that season under Leo. Yes Ronaldinho made him look very good offensively but I don't remember him being this bad defensively either. It was Abate who was the casualty...

Anyways, I'd rather have Bonera who sticks to what he knows even if that means no support from the left side, instead of having that side wide open, especially when Seedorf is the one occupying the area ahead in midfield and not Nocerino like the right side

...which is very questionable

Agreed. I think Antonini was a one-season-wonder. Nothing more or less. Abate was/is still young, and it seems Tassotti has been given the boy some solid lessons. Antonini was already formed when he came back to Milan. He initially was a right fullback, yes? I never understood why all of our coaches avoided playing him as the RB.

It's also not only that Dinho made him look good, but that he knew how to make Antoninis runs to his own use. Nowadays you got Antonini bombing forward, then passing the ball to Seedorf/Ambrosini/Aquilani/Bommel who then pass the ball backwards, opening a wide and uncovered field. With Ronaldinho in Leonardo time it usually ended up with a shot, through pass or cross.

Anyway, Bonera or Antonini - they both present a calamity Kaladze would be proud of.

Boateng might have a fractured rib.

Link

My god...8 players already out, and the season only counts 2 matches. When will Milan ever get a break? I can't recall such a perpetuated continuation of first team players missing at any other strong Italian side.

Now all we need is Pato getting injured as well...

Or Nesta. Just name it.

But isn't it ridiculous - people went harping on and on how we are well covered in the striker aerial, calling Cassano almost a surplus. And now look - not even two Serie A legs played and we're already reduced to 2 strikers.

I think at some point the medical team has to be questioned. This is getting beyond rediculous, being unlucky is one thing, but this is beyond that, this is looking at a recurring problem that we cannot continue to blame on our luck