Derby thread. How low can we go - is the question I think.

Milan will win, easily.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w2fJWNGpyw

+1. We will win. Maybe not easily..but we will win. Maybe not beautifully...but we will win.

Maybe just - not.

Don't turn up, take the 3-0 forfeit.

We will win?

A draw would be over-achievement for Allegri.

we.wILL.WIN. @kurtsimonw: I love you, but go screw yourself.

P.S: I have had too much vodka....

Best we could do is a draw anything above that is a bonus. The midfield will be theres though

It would be a miracle if we don't lose.

CHRISTMAS MIRACLE ONE MONTH EARLY PLZ.

They'll simply overrun us without even trying.

We're so slow and our bad passing wil bite us in the @ss big time.

Not being a pessimist but I'd be happy with a dignified loss

I recall when we were always the sides that is expected to win in our clashes together, but we'd still lose.Maybe being the underdogs will help us for once .

Mediaset's probable line-up: Abbiati; De Sciglio, Yepes, Mexes, Constant; Montolivo, De Jong, Nocerino; Boateng, Bojan, El Shaarawy.

Mexes should recover, but Yepes again? Why not Zapata, Allegri? It's not like we have to sign him if plays a certain number of games like Aquilani, and he hasn't made any mistakes like Sokratis. In fact, he's always been good in those few games he's played. So, why the cold treatment? Why prefer players like Yepes and Acerbi who are inferior? I just don't understand. Zapata-Mexes should have been our CB pairing from the start.

I think we will win.

We did very well at home to Malaga who are a much better side, but Juve are a class above even them.

We are on a good run right now - a spirited draw against a vastly superior Napoli side followed by a patchy 3-1 over Anderlecht - 2 good away results in a row.

But Juve are a machine. Only Inter have taken all 3 points from them in the past 51 or so matches - so while we're arguably playing them at home for the best time for us, I still say they'll gub us.

No, we didn't.

You mean Malaga are a better side than us??

No we're the better side which shows you how terribly bad we're underperforming this season.

Juve are a super efficient team who might not have big stars but they play an unforgiving type of football. We won't be able to keep up with their fast paced tempo. You said yourself, Juve are a machine, and that is how they play

Our biggest enemy right now is ourselves. The passing percentage has got to be the worst we've come up with in years. Aside from our complete lack of pace, movement and terrible marking off set pieces, our passing has to be the most irritating thing about how we're playing right now

+1000

lol After seeing Zapata vs Anderlecht the other day no thanks mate Yepes any day of the week vs Zapata..

WHAT???

Yepes was screwing up everytime he got near the ball! I don't remember Zapata making any errors, at least not ones which are noticable and thus I can still remember

lol please do not tell me Zapata is reliable.

Also, I can't see us winning tomorrow.

So, Zapata didn't make any errors that you can remember, but you remember Yepes screwing up every time he got near the ball...

I don't know why you exaggerate about everything so much.

Both are crap. Sell please.

You see - the problem is Allegri has no feeling for players; Zapata for example has a very good record with Udinese over a few seasons. That really indicates we have a potentially good player. But Allegri is doing the same he did with many other newcomers as well - he's siding him and pushing him into the fire in dire situations. Especially defenders cannot work that way. This is not Pippo or Pazzo coming in, taking his 10 minutes, scores a goal and then maintains playing on a high level pushed by this surge. Exactly the opposite happens. You put in a not regular player to play in a curious CB pairing, you make the pressure, he makes the mistake(s) - loses confidence - and gone is the deal. All you have left is a unsatisfied player who's lost confidence.

Oh, Pazzini hasn't taken his 10 minutes for seven matches. Take his hatrick out, and he's been an out and out disaster. For the price we got him for, for his playing position on the pitch. Give me a Huntelaar over 11 Pizzinis any day of the week. Compared to him Inzaghi is from another planet altogether.

Of course, he is free to prove me wrong, but for me, he's the flop transfer of the season. So far.

Just what exactly did Zapata do wrong? He only misplaced one pass, but other than that he looked very lively and alert. And like I've always claimed, he's been rather solid in those few games he's played. Yepes, on the other hand, was a complete mess. Always fouling his opponents, diving at every contact and making goofy interventions, one of which cost us the goal. So yeah, I'd suggest you watch the game again with more attention before you make such blunt remarks.

lol , i hope to god Zapata does not start tomorrow. He is not milan class at all play Acerbi instead of this waste of space.

Thanks, by this response I have figured you out now.

lol whats that supposed to mean i needed figuring out Zapata is just not Milan quality hes a step down we got him on the cheap loan move for a reason matey. He is a here today gone tomorrow player for us simple as that.

anyway on topic

Milan lineup

Milan (probable): Abbiati; De Sciglio, Mexes, Yepes, Constant; Montolivo, De Jong, Emanuelson; Boateng, Bojan, El Shaarawy

Glad i do not see Zapata starting this BIG game.

Have you ever heard of the term "making a point"

That does not mean that he actually did that but the amount of mistakes he made were significant enough for me to make such a statement, ad most importantly for me to remember him making them.

Had it been an odd mistake or 2 I wouldn't have remembered them (unless they were huge ones that is)

Yes, we did.

I'm beginning to wonder if you (and X-Off) are now just playing devil's advocate.

We have a poor manager who doesn't know what system he wants, we have NO marquee players of the quality of old, and we're mid table (12th) in a rather weak Serie A.

Remind me where this inferior Malaga side are in a STRONGER La Liga? 5th is that?

What is with the DELUSION!

Our best player is El-Sha, a good good player but hardly Ibra. We have a pathetic squad, a poor manager, and no settled system.

You really think our squad is a higher quality than Malaga's?

Maybe it was last year - this year's Silva is Mexes. This year's Ibra is El-Sha. This year's Pirlo is Monto. This year's Nesta is Bonera.

When will it get through, it's an awful squad. The first team, at its BEST, could manage a top 6 place finish. I've said that before.

But no, you keep saying it's about underperforming...

FILIPPO!!!!

I am ASHAMED and HORRIFIED at you for putting Pippo and Pazzini in the same sentence!!!!

Pippo was world class at what he did, undisputed. Pazzini on the other hand is the definition of mediocre!


LOOL

Zapata is not Milan quality yet you speak about Yepes and ACERBI of all people being better options??

Funniest post of the month award goes to you my friend

None of our players are Milan class. Only Pato has the ability to be but that'll never happen.

Now this if over exxagerating!

No it's not am awful squad, it's DECENT and everyone agreed at the beginning of the season that winning our relatively easy group in the CL (compared to the groups we've been drawn in these past couple of seasons) and a top 3 finish in the league is DO-ABLE. And this was agreed upon by the MAJORITY of not only posters here but football observers in general. No we don't have huge star names this season but we have a solid core of very talented players.

The problem is that YES, we are underperforming terribly, hence the bad results on the pitch. But Malaga in no way have a better squad than us and let's not even go into the debate of La Liga vs Serie A!! La Liga is a 2 team league FFS, who cares where Malaga are (in fact aren't they struggling in that area too?)

Just because me and x-off agree on these things does not mean we're playing advocates, we're putting our points across. You just simply do not agree with them

I think that what youre trying to do by saying "Oh Malaga are so much better than us" is try to underplay the fact, and yes it is a fact, that we are not performing to the calibre that we should be, far from it. With the squad we have we should at least be in third in the league considering how incosistant Napoli have been lately as well. And we certainly should have won that EASY, yes EASY, group.

I've had enough! You said Juve wouldn't last the course last season. They did. You say we're better than we are. We're not.

I'll move on from this debate because you have your view and I have mine and I guess knocking on each others' heads isn't going to work either.

Shalom!

Thanks friend ...hes a loan i doubt we will see him in Milan next season at least i hope so. Acerbi is young i have high hopes for him for the future and also he is italian we need more italians in the team. But of course he has to earn the spot not just because hes italian capiche.

Good god, you both know what I mean with this comparison. Surely Pazzo is on a entirely different level, but the effect should be similar; a same kind of striker. Pazzini isn't that good, but he sure isn't bad either; I know much worse players playing for us now.

called up players:

Abbiati, Amelia, Gabriel.
Acerbi, De Sciglio, Mexes, Yepes, Zapata, Constant
Boateng, De Jong, Emanuelson, Flamini, Montolivo, Nocerino, Strasser.
Bojan, El Shaarawy, Niang, Pazzini, Robinho.


Allegri: "We will play with the 4-3-3 tomorrow. And Robinho could play from the start."

I'd rather not say.

I think I'd take Robinho from the start over Boateng. Still can't swallow the fact of Bojan being played as CF. Why not try him on the right at least once, Allegri?

Well, with Pato not fit for this game, I would rather Bojan in the middle than playing Pazzini.

For this game, yes, I agree.

+1

Getting a little tired of hearing about the quality of the squad. Yes it is not nearly as good as last year, but (on paper) it is still better than most other Serie A teams. We should be in the top 3 in Serie A and shoud have won a relatively easy group in CL. On paper. (Keep in mind that most of our much maligned players are good enough to make their NTs on a regular basis.)

So, what is wrong? IMHO, morale and tactics.

Losing key players certainly impacted morale, though I get the impression that the "turning point" was Cassano leaving and maybe the loss to RM. However, it is the coach's job to motivate the team, and hollering "DAI DAI" through the game or yelling at half time somehow does not seem all that inspiring.

As for tactics, it is all about the coach.

Bottom line, no matter how you turn it, we all know what our biggest problem is right now.

In any case, to stay on topic, Juve will be tough for us. Hope for a victory (of course), but would be happy with one point right now.

If he does well on his loan we'd buy him as he'll most likely come cheap. Who cares if he's Italian, Indian or American at this point? As long as he improves our team his nationality shouldn't matter. Don't hold you breath for Acerbi, he'll most likely be offloaded sooner than you think.

The Toro president has said that he's expecting Milan to contact him about Ogbonna, so if you want a more Italian core, hope for THAT deal to go through. I think there's a better chance of that happening than Acerbi coming good


You know I was joking right?

You used to say "oh Montolivo is so mediocre I don't want him at Milan, etc, etc". So if Montolivo is your definition of mediocre, I'm just baffled how Pazzini wouldn't fit into the "bad" end of the spectrum for you.

Also, great post FM, totaly agree with you

Max said something about an all new Milan. I know it was meant to be encouraging but for me it means he's off to make a new ta9ctical formation.

A new tactical disaster that is

And what a great platform for him to test out new things. I mean Juve are easily the IDEAL team to go out and try new things against. I'm sure it will be a walkover for us anyway to why not go for it?! Genius!

I never know when it comes to penguins

I know. But IMO mediocre midfielders and mediocre strikers are not the same. Strikers like Pazzo can be reduced to a single role in the team - scoring goals. My logic is that we still have a WC player in Pato, so Pazzini is just a mediocre bonus. I don't complain, he isn't "that" bad - that's my point.

Montolivo is a whole different pair. Firstly, he proved to me to be much better then Aquilani. I was convinced it would be the other way, but he's showing something Aqui never managed at Milan - consistently good matches. But I complained about both because I was so used to the old Milan, the Milan that always had a killer midfield, no matter if was Albertini, Redondo, Gattuso, Ambrosini, Costa, Pirlo, Seedorf, Kaka, etc. Those standards made me think Montolivo simply isn't enough, and I stand by my previous stance. He's a good addition, but not a focal point of any ambitious team.

You can make a point with less exaggeration/bias. I'm sorry I keep calling you biased, but that's the impression you give when you want to defend or criticize someone.