Okay, usually we have much trouble against Palermo. This time both ours and their team look more or less horrible. We'll see what happens.

What happens? Eh, when an unstoppable force meets an unmovable object, that's what happens: They surrender. I smell an ugly draw - if we are lucky that is. At their place, we'll need something really special from our attackers to put Palermo to rest. Another piece of individual brilliance, which sadly seems to be in short supply.

Could be a draw, but both teams are in deep crisis, mistakes will happen - and I somehow feel there will be a winner in this clash.

Ah, for that to happen either team will need to take initiative. If I could make one change in Milan, I'd start the game from the 2nd half - that's when most of our players wake up and there is a semblance of a football team. We're quarter of the way through the season, and the squad still isn't on its feet yet.

Nevertheless, sure would be good to see Pato play the full 90, or at least be there in the 2nd half when the Milan team wakes up. He's rusty, agreed, but for the first hour or so, the Milan team itself isn't sunshine either.

I hope Boateng recovers so Emanuelson can play as LM. But I suppose Allegri will play De Sciglio there.

But I really don't get it. I mean, is Allegri blind? Emanuelson's only real edge is a fine cross. He works when he is positioned on one of the wings.

Nope, not blind, stupid.

Called-up players: Abbiati, Amelia, Gabriel, Abate, Acerbi, Bonera, Mexes, Yepes, Zapata, Ambrosini, De Jong, Constant, Emanuelson, Flamini, Montolivo, Muntari, Nocerino, Bojan, El Shaarawy, Pato, Pazzini.

Probable line-up: Abbiati; Mexes, Bonera, Yepes; Abate, Ambrosini, De Jong, Emanuelson; Montolivo; El Shaarawy, Pato.

This looks like a 3-4-1-2 with Montolivo as a trequartista. I hope this happens then.

Oh..look. Muntari is back!! Yaayyyy!!

Now han2503 shall perform the moonwalk while doing the handstand!

2 DMs in that system with Monto as the only creative outlet?

I'd personally switch Bojan in for Ambro and go for the 3-4-3

Also, again with the switching around of the back 3. Why isn't he playing our best 2 defenders and 1 of Bonera or Yepes. Allegri is just so URGHHH!!!!

Ambro and De Jong in a 4-man midfield is OK. I'd really like to see Monto as trequartista.

I'm ignoring all probable line ups as I don't recall the last time one was even remotely correct.

The problem is that the midfield will be completely static and we'll once again have no connection between the attack and the defence.

We'll already be crowded down the middle, and with that fomation Monto will most likely still end up dropping deep to pick the ball up and move it forward

Except for Ambrosini, all midfielders are fram from static. And because it are 2 DMs, Montolivo has the better possibility to link midfield with attack, and also Emanuelson.

Mexes must be a referal point of all our defence. He's the best we got and Allegri can't afford not to play him. Against Genoa he left him out only 'cos he was late for 10 minutes. With Mexes as a starter we would have Acerbi and Zapata fighting for a place and Bonera and Yepes for the other. Allegri got everything wrong with Acerbi. He must play the guy in the center, not on the wing. We get it that he hasn't the physical abilites to run fast, so we must get him to play in the center where he wouldn't need a run. He's good at duels and aeral challenges.

In the midfield, if we're playing a 3-5-2 with a trequartista then that's the position for Montolivo. Hopefully Allegri starts to play Emanuelson at his possition on the left. On the right, it's a tie between Abate and De Sciglio so I wouldn't debate around this. Sure De Sciglio is my personal favorite. On the center of midfield, there's defenitely a place for De Jong as a starter, while for the other one I'd let Ambrosini and Nocerino fight for the place, while in the future after players get fit that place should be a competition for Muntari/Nocerino and Boateng too. Surely rotation with De Jong and Montolivo is not out of question.

I think it's normal to start again with Pato and El Shaarawy in the attack, but if we're playing Montolivo as a trequartista, and De Sciglio and Emanuelson as wingers, then I'd like to see how Pazzini responds to that. All Bojan/Pazzini/Pato/Niang should be fighting to be El Shaarawy's companion on the attack currently.

how that would look:

De Jong isn't exactly a runner. Him and Ambro are similar which is why we might have a problem.

Also, don't forget that Monto is the only forward thinking player in that midfield, he has no one behind him to help with the tempo of the game and to keep the ball moving, thus the reason why I said that he'll most likely end up dropping deep to pick the ball up.

Montolivo works great for Italy as an AM, but I think you guys are forgetting that he's sarrounded by amazing midfielders on the pitch when playing with Italy, not one of them would fit into the mold of Ambro and DJ. DDR is the DM in the equation but even he tends to get forward and has that vision and technique which allows him to make the smart pass that keeps things moving along. The situation is completely different, so I'm personally expecting another huge fail.

At this point I'd rather we go back to the diamond with Monto behind Pato and El Shaa and Boateng, Nocerino and DJ behind Monto.

This 3-man defence is just a complete mess and renders us completely impotent in attack.

Maybe it's because I know De Jong longer than you, but I can't agree with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGQRjLwj-Xk&feature=fvsr

Line-up update after Allegri's press conference: Amelia; Mexes, Bonera, Yepes; Abate, Ambrosini, Montolivo, Constant; Emanuelson, El Shaarawy, Pato.

Link

Constant as LM, Emanuelson as FW.

Also liked the other more. De Jong is better to have on the pitch than Constant, plus players were put on right positions - except about Bonera being in the very center but that's with both. How is Zapata doing?

Why is Zapata left out? And if Allegri isn't keen on Emanuelson as a left wingback, why not De Sciglio instead of Constant? I mean, Constant did nothing.

No Bojan, but again Emanuelson - typical Allegri stuff. Unbelievable.

Showing me a youtube vid says nothing, and I've watched De Jong enough times for Milan and City to know what type of player he is.

He's a holding mid, and playing him and Ambro together is just overkill and completely unnecassary when what we're currently desperate for is a creative spark in this team, a forward thinking player who can make a difference, not someone else to clog up the middle of the pitch.


Typical stuff really.

I don't know why we even bothered signing Bojan since Allegri is treating him like the cr@p he has stuck to his shoe.

This Urby in attack thing has crossed the line of stupidity into straight up crazy. I just don't understand what Allegri sees in him playing there. And even worse, we're playing with a formation that is perfect for him in terms of playing in his natural position. Just unfathomable. And of course Constant won't do anything there, he's a central midfielder FFS!!! What should be expected of him? Allegri is just unbelievable at this point. How Galliani does not see the idiocy of this guy is beyond me.

I don't wanna imagine the tactical mindfuck when Muntari starts playing.

He does see it, but he loves Allegri's dong, so he can't fire him.

For some reason this made me laugh!

When in reality it's incredibly sad for us because what you're saying is completely true

A win at Palermo? Highly doubt it.

Forza Milan, nonetheless

Love the optimism

Well I think we will win this one too

I've seen him at Ajax, and you haven't clearly, else you wouldn't come with statements him being not a runner, and not being someone who can think forward. I just searched quickly for a vid to add, after I typed my post.

But nevermind, just stick with your truth.

Well, there's not really much foundation for being optimistic. Historically speaking, we're not strong against them, and since this year we really play badly...well...not much room for expectations.


Playing for Ajax in Holland is one thing, and for Milan in Serie A a completely different thing. He's a runner, yes, but he's not doing it like Kaka or Pato - not maximizing his running-pass-shoot options like a true attacking minded intelligent player would do.

Can he think forward for sure? I don't think so. Again, it's different at Ajax, where you basically have an integrated system for ages.

We won 4-0 last season against them. Scorers? Ibra and Thiago.

this time it shall be shaarawy and mexes

Like Filippo said, playing in the Dutch league is different to playing in the EPL and Serie A.

And I think your definition of a runner is different to mine. For me a runner is someone in the mold of Gattuso (when talking about DMs) De Jong is very clearly an anchor man who takes up positions rather than running around chasing the ball. It's the same thing with Ambro.

It's not about truth, but don't tell me that DJ is a forward thinking player or that with him and Ambro it's enough to provide the forward pass to Monto or that they can keep the ball moving for us, because that's certainly not true, neither of them is capable of it.


There are different types of runners. Runners in terms of box-to-box players, attackings mids who are more about the pace and making runs like you pointed out with Kaka instead of attacking mids in the Totti mold. Just like there are different types of DMs, a DM can be like Rino was or like De Jong, VB, Ambro etc. None of those 3 are runners by anystretch of the imagination

De Jong is much more like Gattuso than he is as Ambrosini when it comes to his way of defending (while attacking and technical wise both Ambrosini and De Jong are clearly ahead of Gattuso). And whatever league you play in, the video showed he can run and go forward, so he is capable of doing that, whereever you are. At Ajax he had such role to do so. Big clubs he was turned in a true DM, leaving no space for running forward. If we field him next to Ambrosini, he can move all over the pitch. At Milan he showed the chasing stuff too. That is really his best attribute...

Alright, once he left Ajax he often has played an Ambrosini similar role, but I like him more with a Gattuso role.

I think it's simply unneccassary to play both, ESPECIALLY at this point in time for us where we severely lack that spark in attack.

We have 3 really good dribblers in the attacking department, we should use them all in the 3 man attacking line.

Montolivo at this point is too important to remove from his central midfield role because we have no one else who can do something similar to what he does

Which is why I think we need him (even more) at AM.

Amelia; Mexes, Bonera, Yepes; Abate, Flamini, Montolivo, Nocerino, Constant; El Shaarawy, Pato.

ummmmmmm

What type of formation is that exactly....

And why not play Urby on the left??

So stupid

I seriously cannot understand how we're lining up!

Is FLAMINI playing behind the strikers FFS!!? Because Montolivo certainly isn't

At work, can only follow via Match Centre. Looks like Palermo has close to 60% possession. How bad is it?

-------------Mexes Yepes Bonera
Abate----------------------------- Constant
--------------Montolivo
---Flamini
-------------------Nocerino
----------------------El Sha
------Pato


something like that.

So far not so bad. But I seriously cannot understand what Allegri is trying to do here!

Flamini and Nocerino are both in the midfield, but from the looks of it, Montolivo is closer to the defence then he is to the attack, which is constantly leaving either Flamini or Nocerino behind the 2 strikers. Also Constant on the left side as a wingback is one huge joke.

Palermo so far have had the better chances, with one instance resulting in Miccoli being up against Bonera alone and missed a sitter

Constant nearly gifting a goal!

Why oh WHY is he being played there??!!!!

He's a good player, but once again being made to look ridiculously bad because of Allegri's shear stupidity

We're so exposed at the back it's ridiculous, and this is because our defensively inclined midfielders are so far up the pitch while Monto is stranded alone in front of the 3 at the back

I like the formation, but Flamini and Constant should be replaced with De Jong and Emanuelson.

I have given up on Allegri at this point.

Read a rather depressing Goal.com article today. Something to the effect that Milan is up for sale (which explains the hurry this summer to reduce expenses), Berlu will take his time (to get the best deal he can), don't expect much until there is a new owner, which means this winter transfer season will be disappointing and we are probably stuck with Allegri.

Abate is a facking idiot.

1-0 to Palermo

Deserved. Has to be said.

The only positives from this game are Pato ad El Shaarawy as a duo and Montolivo, who is really killing it today.

He didn't try to stop it with his hand, it was already up before Miccoli even hit the ball, and by then it was too late to try and bring it down because he was so close. The penalty was harsh. But they deserve the goal. We're once again utter cr@p

Why would he stretch his arm like then? Couldn't he anticipate that Miccoli might have crossed from that position? Totally retarded.