I agree, but like I said, I think Allegri will opt for experiance in this one. And like you said, he can always sub him in


I seriously hope that we won't be starting with that god aweful midfield. Because that will be our downfall no doubt about it!!

How can we score with those 3?? Especially Ambro bumbling around on the ball and getting in VBs way!!

Ambro off for Seedorf and I'd be ok with it.

As for Zambro and Robs, I'm ok with them starting. Walcott is a fairly 1 dimensional player, thus Zambro won't have any trouble reading his moves. The problem will only become apparent if they get into a race with each other, but if that's the case, none of our LBs can really catch up to him if he's really through running in space.


Agreed

Can I go as far as saying that of all our over 35-y-o's, Zambrotta is by far the most finished player? Yes, even Ambrosini, Gattuso, Seedorf and Inzaghi have still more to offer than #19. I can't believe you say it's OK playing him. It is not OK. Play Mesbah or Emanuelson for crying out loud!!!

Well, I wouldn't panic just yet, Sportmediaset predictions are not always reliable.

I wouldn't start Zambro. He hasn't played since the derby and looked way past his prime this season.

Zambrotta has played in all our important matches and imo was never the worse of the bunch. He was one of our more decent players in both Barca matches. I think that as long as he's asked to stay back and handle Walcott it won't be too much trouble for him.

Mesbah I'd also be more than ok with. But Antonini and Urby would be huge liabilities as they fo forward too much, and what we do not need is wide open spaces for Walcott or Oxlade-Chaimberlin(sp?) to run into.

I think the fact that Rino has not played any competitive football since the first couple of games of the season says it all. Ambro can be decent at times coming off the bench when we're closing down a game, but other than that I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. 2 of his mistakes in the last 2 games resulted in goals conceeded for us.

Besides, I feel that the most crucial area of the pitch is the midfield in this game, whoever wins that battle will win the game. The most important thing will be to not allow them to dictate the game, and that has to be done through quickly re-gaining possession when it's lost and keeping possession for as long as possible when we do have it. The worst thing to do to Arsenal is to make them play without the ball. They'll mess up in defence at one point or another on their own if you pressure them

I hope the mentioned lineup is just there to mess with us and Wenger.

But boy, you seem to have a problem with Zambrotta. Granted, he was bad against Inter, but so what? Some other players were also bad; not to mention Ambrosini and Seedorf this and last season. And don't get me even started on Gattuso...good god, saying that Zambro is more finished then Gattuso and that Emanuelson is better on the left...is too much. I think you're somehow overreacting with about Zambrotta.

My problem is the 3 muscle midfield. I think Seedorf needs to be in as AM and Boateng for Ambrosini. I mean, Ambro played last Wednesday, then this Saturday,...I don't think he's up to it any more.

A big problem, actually. Because unlike Seedorf, for example, which should be played at all cost due to lack of alternatives, it would be utter suicide to prefer Zambrotta over Mesbah, Emanuelson or Antonini. Han says he handled well the Barça games, but I thought he was horrible in the second tie. The guy just doesn't cut it anymore.

How was he horrible? He wasn't even responsible for any of the goals. In the first leg he was great imo. When you have Dani Alves and Pedro/Messi coming at you, you could easily be made to look like a fool imo. Just ask Vidic, Evra and Ferdinand. Supposedly 3 of the best in their respective positions.

Like I said, my only major problem in that line-up is Ambro. And I trust that it will not be that line-up. If so we might as well give Arsenal the away goal and call it a day.

With all due respect to you and the others who have voiced opinions, I was there at the Emirates for the first leg in 2008. What we lacked on that night was a ridged midfield - doesn't mean I am right or my assessment is noteworthy, as Carlo is a master tactician and I am a mere spectator. With that in mind, I have my reservations given our injury situation ..

For instence, KPB is a HUGE boost to our midfield, but he will be lacking in match fitness and rhythm of play, hence he could be a bigger liability than what you preceive Ambro to be. Moreover, we have a core that has played nonstop for over a month now without reasonable rotation/rest. What we need here is a clean sheet, arming our midfield with anchor-men will disrupt Arsenal's possession football. We have the envy of Europe in our attacking options, so playing a counter-attack game based on a solid midfield might be our ticket in making tomorrow night a positive one.

Then again, I could be wrong and Allegri pulls up with all guns blazing in a Robi-Ibra-SES trident and we could win 3-0. Its just that I don't want to give Arsenal 1cm of space in our midfield.

Your thoughts are all correct,but the problem Ambrosini is a liablity in this midfield.If,we had another good destroyer there(good old gattuso),then it may have been a good gameplan.But,Ambrosini is quite a reckless player.What I mean is that he might do something well (and i'm the first one cheer for it ),but he does 100 other stuff bad on the other end.He loses the ball too much,can't pass the ball well,defends badly...so I really don't see the difference with having him there or having Seedorf really.If anything,Seedorf will be the playmaker and run the game for us,while our other two destroyers gather the ball,Seedorf will make sure it will stay with us for a period long than 1 second.

Naah, good try R7, but you won't convince han Ambrosini is good even if he's the last DM standing

Haha we always have primera players han can suggest who aren't guaranteed to mess up.

Yeah, I know many posters here who'd gladly turn Milan into Portsmouth if you know what I mean.

No Anto, Ambro or Zambro and we should be fine

With all due respect, this is not 2008. In 2008 Rino and Ambro were still half decent, although already declining badly. Nowadays, Ambro just creates problems for us that just are not worth the trouble of having him in the team. Just because he has a DM label over his head does not mean that he's any good at it, or that he'll even provide us with defensive stability. He's more likely to cause instability. Why would you want 3 destroyers in a midfield where even our AM can be considered a hardman and a runner more than anything else?

We can't play any sort of football, not even counter-attacking football if our midfielders don't know what to do with the ball.

Congesting that midfield with DMs will only hinder our performance, and I'm not going to even write the usual "imo", because I am certain that this will occur. You talk about a team with no rotation and you want to start an Ambrosini who as had to play every three days lately, and made a mess of thing on all occasions. Not to mention that a midfield which contains both him and Van Bommel is simply not compatible, due to the fact that they're too aclike and tend to step on each other's toes.

If we want to win this thing, than playing guys like Ambrosini and Antonini should be the last thing we do.


Completely with you


I'd rather step in myself than let him ruin another game for us

What will convince you that Ambro is so way over the hill that he can't even see it anymore? Maybe him gifting another goal? This time a winner for Arsenal?

Maybe a little bit objectivity doesn't hurt. You see, you're talking about Ambro declining big time already in 2008, while in fact a year from then he played a few of his alltime best performances. I simply think you have a fixation on that guy and make him look even worse then he is.

Don't get me wrong, I know he declined nowadays, just as I know how good he once was. I know he isn't up to being a starter or do things he used to do for us. Still, he's a Milan captain and that earns him respect in my eyes. I don't find it hard to admit he isn't good any more, but I'm not gonna bash him over and over again just because I can.

Ambro being captain is essentially meaningless when it comes to performance. It doesn't magically make him a better player and he's not a leader in the mold of Maldini where his presence would really galvanized the squad.

Nah, han is 100% correct. Playing Ambrosini against Arsenal should be the last thing crossing Allegri's mind. The guy has made a mess of small-time opponents, no idea how he could fare against a powerhouse like Arsenal. And besides, what's the idea of playing an Ambro-MvB-Nocerino midfield? All muscle and zero brain. Definitely not the way to go in such important games. I'd rather have Seedorf there dictate the tempo, even though Clarence is no better than Ambro in terms of shape. Those 35 years starting to bulge methinks.

Looks like I'm in a minority. I want Ambro to play.

The only person who's more of a big-game player than Ambro is probably only Seedorf (in our current team). I have no delusions about his quality. He is not the kind of player we need when we need a lot of impetus from the mid-field...but he can hold things together really well. Knows every trick in the book, been there and done that. For me he is 10x the captain Gary Neville was.

Playing Ambro along with MvB would enable MvB to focus more on distribution while our third mid-fielder could focus almost completely on creativity. Plus he will guard our flanks letting the fullbacks push on.

And offensively, since it's Arsenal, how can you not have our set-piece heading specialist!!

But needless to say he is 'old' and he has played a lot. If he is not fit he cannot start. He will be terrible.

Yet, did I say anything about him being better as captain? I only said that's why I won't bash him.

Yet, did I say anything about him being better as captain? I only said that's why I won't bash him.

I don't think there's much problem in going with a hardworking midfield against Arsenal. Off the ball Arsenal really aren't very good, they don't close down particularly well, so luxury players aren't a necessity. Guys that can win the ball back are though.

I know Sagna is back for them, but not sure if Andre Santos is. If not, it'll likely be Mertersacker and Koscielny at CB together - Ibra will have them for breakfast.

Didnt metersacker injured himslef in the lasr game?

You could be right. Goal has a Sanga-Vermaelen-Koscielny-Gibbs back line.

Their fullbacks are average imo,yes,sagna is Ok but nothing special.Walcott can be handled,and he won't cause us problems asnlong as we aren't exposed to counter attacks too much.Van persie is my only real worry.

It will all boil down to the line-up Allegri will play. If it's anything similar to the one Mediaset described, I suggest you switch channel.

Sure objectivity would be nice if there wasn't such a game at stake.

Listen, I'm more than ok with Ambro coming on late in games to close it down for us. But starting him here is the dumbest sh!t one can come up with


Yep


Sorry Jack, I'd never agree with starting 3 DMs in any type of game. We already overload that midfield with muscles and runners, without even adding that extra DM. But to add him in this game would be ridiculous. Not only that, but you guys are saying that having an extra DM will win us the ball quicker etc, etc. But Ambro has been known to lose the ball much more than recover it. Having him in that midfield just becuase he's a DM will not automatically mean more defensive stability. I fact it would mean more instability due to the fact that we'll be losing the ball as soon as we get it.

Also, I don't get how you can say that Ambro and VB will work together, because they're as incompatible as the famous Gila-Pippo duo upfront if you remember. We've seen them together this season a couple of times, and they're usually one big mess when they're on the pitch together, simply because they like to occupy the same position. Also VB will never give us any sort of quality distribution, neither will Nocerino or "Mr. Chip it to the opposition - Ambrosini"

We absolutely need someone in there who will help us in keeping that possession. Thus Seedorf is an absolute must.


We already have 3 hardworkers, that's 2 more than most teams employ in their midfield. And as a lot have pointed out. Just because Ambro is a DM he won't automatically give you defensive stability, as these days, he's more of a jogger, foul instigater and yellow card collecter than a defensive mid.


Varmaelen imo is 10 times the CB Mertersacker is. Imo it's more of a loss to us that he got injured, because if he'd stayed fit he would have started and Varmaelen would have most likely played at LB

Allegri: "Boateng will not play from the start, although tomorrow I could change idea"

Link

No jokes Max. We need Boa from the start!

Seems like he doesn't want to rush them...

CALLED UPS VS ARSENAL: Abbiati, Amelia, Abate, Antonini, Bonera, Mesbah, Mexes, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta, Ambrosini, Boateng, Emanuelson, Nocerino, Seedorf, Van Bommel, El Shaarawy, Ibrahimovic, Maxi Lopez, Pato, Robinho.

I don't think it's right to start Prince and especially Pato either. if they'd played at least 1 game before this, by all means, but now it'd be a desperate move and could backfire badly.

It seems to me like not rushing players would be the best course of action, i'd love for El sharaawy to play with Ibra though...

Boateng has been out for 4 weeks, not 4 months. I see nothing wrong with playing him from the start. Unless you all want to see a Ambro-MvB-Noce-Urby midfield.

Boateng is one of Allegri favorite players, there's no way he would keep him out if he's healthy enough.

And that's why he'll play him from the start.

Me too. El Sharaawy has been playing great and deserves the start. He can always be subbed for Robinho in the second half if we really need it. Although I think it might be best to start Boateng and sub around 65 or 70 for Robinho so can keep the pressure hopefully after we already have a lead.

Yeah, Mertersacker is awful. Which is why I was hoping Gibbs was still out. Koscielny is decent when he plays with Vermaelen, it's a good partnership.

Yep, too bad, Ibra would have bullied Per off the pitch. Varmaelen is no push over in that regard though

Wenger: "Djourou will replace Mertesacker in the central defence. With regard to the rest of the formation, I still haven't decided yet."

source: twitter/@Milanello

YESSS

Thanks Arsene

Everyone's opinion has something different to add and is a great discussion, but I have learnt to just accept Allegri's decisions (however stupid they may be) and hope for the best.
It will not stop me from putting in my 2 cents and voicing my opinion also.

Everyone seems to think that Mesbah is going to solve all our problems at LB but the guy has 0 experience and although he makes runs forward, he only passes the ball backwards and doesn't provide what we really need, which is a Serginho-esque type of player. He looks nervous even in Serie A and I don't think I can trust him for such a big game. Zambrotta will give us plenty of cover defensively and Antonini with provide lots of energy that we will need. So I would be happy for either of those 2 to start.

The midfield really is a no-brainer. Should be Nocerino, MVB, and Seedorf. I don't know why Allegri has this thing with Nocerino having to play on the left side, he can do the same job on the other side and that means Seedorf can feel more natural on that left side where I think he can control the game. I would DEFINITELY keep him away from trequartista.

Forward line should be Robinho behind Ibra and El Shaarawy. As long as Robinho is not in front of goal then he is a great player and can create chances, has the skill that can unlock the Arsenal defence and can be a real handful.

Having Boateng and Pato on the bench is a great thing because we have options in case plan A doesn't work. But I do not believe in rushing players back when they are not match fit just because your scared we're gonna lose.

So here's my line up:

----------Whichever keeper--------

Abate---Nesta--Silva---Zambrotta

----Noce-----MVB------Seedorf-----

--------------Robhino----------------

-------Ibra---------El Shaarawy----

Antonini can't defend,his energy is basically 0.00001%efficient,and Zambrotta would give us some defensive stability.But,Mesbah has done nothing wrong to be dropped.
Also,Nocernio's game changes so much when he switches sides...

Mesbah hasn't been tested thus far and because of his lack of experience we don't know how he will handle such a big occasion or a player with as much pace as walcott.
I just don't feel this is the match to experiment with him. I think he can be just as much a defensive liability as antonini. He also gets forward and can get caught out of position.
If Mesbah plays and has an awesome game then I'll eat my words, but I just can't see it.

wow, and we think Allegri is dumb!

But,how is Antonini remotly a better option...Zambrotta maybe,if he's up to his standards.But,Mesbah has been pretty tidy with his play,and his positioning has been great...ofc we can get hit on the counter attack,and he might get caught,but frqnkly it would have happened to all of our other fullbacks too.

Australian tv is showing the zenit vs benfica game instead of this one. i hate my life.

I would go with the same line up, Allegri pleeeaase....

Last night I dreamed we won this game so... we'll probably lose.

Nice to see so many old faces here in this thread. And even better, we are approaching 100 posts before the match. Fingers crossed the match itself will end up being huge and action packed. A quarterfinals appearance would be very welcome, but even if we go out against Arsenal the team will focus on the league.

Juventus has both eyes on the Serie A this season, thanks to no Europe. That's worrisome, if you ask me!

This is a far bigger game than it should be. Both coaches seem to be under pressure for the wrong reasons.