QUOTE (Danny @ Mar 3 2013, 12:19 PM)
I don't think they were so much unwilling to follow him - I think the sheer disruption of losing so many players simply crushed confidence badly. It wasn't the lack of instruction or will to follow, it was lack of confidence in themselves - they'd lost the BIG players in the team and now it was up to them. It's taken them a long time to realise and learn that they can fill the gaps.
But of course, Allegri has made plenty of errors. I've said 'wtf' many times this season. And you're correct that HIS confidence has grown too. But he isn't the one who performs. Much more important for the players to believe in themselves because they have to physically do it. If Allegri doesn't believe in himself he can conceal it a lot more easily.
I think at one point he had lost the dressing room, certainly after that shocker against Fiorentina.
But now he's won over the players again, and you can see that they are all fighting for each other and their coach, something that was clearly lacking just a few short weeks ago.
As for Allegri, I think the win against Barca has earned him the praise he deserved on that one which gave him a boost in jis self-belief and thus was willing to make certain changes to how the team was playing. For example, the 4-3-3, whereas he has so rigid before and so afraid of even making a change because we were getting the results, now after he made some very neccissary changes for the Barca game, we've seen some very astutue tactical adjustments to improve our attacking game, as well as our possession game. Removing Niang and playing Prnce was that first step, giving Princ a free role has seemingly given him a new breath of air and he's suddenly enjoying himself again. Flamini as well, he looks like the player he was at Arsenal.
My biggest issue with Allegri has always been his pigheaded stubborness. His lack of manmanagement was also a huge point of contention for me. But now I'm seeing that willingness to make adjustments and we're suddenly playing very good football
QUOTE (Danny @ Mar 3 2013, 12:19 PM)
I always saw you as stubborn but increasingly I can see a man willing to admit he's wrong. I still say you're stubborn because you stick very passionately to opinions for a VERY long time before conceding, but the end result is one I respect. As for Pazzi, yup, agreed with you totally on what he is but I also sided with Kurt on being happy with the signing and I actually think Pazzi has improved. He's a more complete striker now than the one we signed. Dare I say it Balo may have to fight for his place a bit.
And I always say that an opinion cannot be viewed as right or wrong until it is undoutedly proven by the subject in question. For example Pazzini.
For me, I lose respect when someone sways in his opinion easily, that means that you're just following the trend rather than thinking for yourself. then should that opinion be proved wrong then I have no problem saying that I was in fact wrong in my views.
I don't think Pazzo can give Balo a run, simply because Balo is not just a striker for us. It would be difficuilt for him to mount a decent challenge
QUOTE (Danny @ Mar 3 2013, 12:19 PM)
It's a bit of a choice in a way. Do we go all out for the CL and maybe sacrifice the league 'title' - and settle for 2nd or 3rd, or do we go for it and forget the CL?
If we had to choose between them - both are unlikely but both are possible - which would we want more. CL or Scudetto?
Personally I'd prefer the CL if it was a realistic shot. It's not simply because I view it as a better prize, it's because it will bring a certain amount of recognition to the team as well. Players who were not that interested in our rebuilding project would suddenly be very open to moving to Milan. Why do you think a player like Hazard chose Chelsea last summer? It's the prestige a club earns when they win a European Cup that I see as highly advantages about winning the league, and then should we strengthen next summer we an think about the league more seriously. I think we ruined our chances for it already anyway
QUOTE (Danny @ Mar 3 2013, 12:22 PM)
In 6 months time you'll hold a different view again
He's a rough pearl with a lot of learning to do. It sometimes takes time to do this and we'll just see how it develops but it's very knee jerk to write him off so early.
I see a lot of talent in Niang - dare I say it El-Sha himself took a fair damn while to accustom himself to playing for us. Now he's one of the first names on the sheet. And he too still has much to learn.
I don't think so
If not and he turns into some world beater I'll be happy to do so, but I simply don't see anything in Niang that point to that.
And as I pointed out before, there is a very clear difference between El Shaarawy and Niang, SES came through Serie B, which is a very tough league to make it through, not some prissy French league, he put his head down last season and worked his @ss off, bided his time and took the chances he was offered. He has a great work ethic, never runs his mouth off and willing to sacrifice himself for the team. Niang is already showing very bad signs of attitude problems. First it started with the funny and people simply laughed off the fact that he was caught driving without a licence and told the police that he was Traore, the the rumours about late night partying, then it was throwing a tantrum becuase he wanted to take a freekick ahead of Balo, then it was talking in public about why Allegri was not selecting him, now it's sulking because he's lost his first team spot
In this case, I think I won't be the one who will have to admit to being wrong when Niang becomes nothing special and is one of the many young players who got shipped off
Allegri is looking like a genius!!!