Hmm interesting.

I totally agree with respect to the midfield. I hope we get that marquee signing.

However, with respect to the wingers, I don't see us changing our starting wingers. Unless, we buy another pacy winger and we put Hakan in midfield. It doesn't bother me the lack of pace, we don't have to play necessarily a 4-3-3 reliant on counter attacks. But, more on build-up player. They are two slow places(Hakan/Suso), but between the two, they have a good amount of quality to supply Higuain imo.

It is good that Gattuso is given the time to work with this squad. In my opinion, if we don't play convincingly. We need to change coaches ASAP to not a lose another season.

Pfff, doesn't excite me.

Looks like Castillejo is going to happen (link)

Another left footed winger? We already have Suso, Halilovic and probably Castillejo. Not to mention he's a pretty mediocre player. Leonardo is starting to disappoint me.

Diego Laxalt i believe would be a younger version of borini that where ever we have injury crises he could fit in defense, midfield or attack.

I think leo has done okish considering the situation we were in june. We still have not found any agreement with UEFA so we had to make sure that all our spending are backed by selling players. Doing that without selling any player is a good achievement. We have more or less same quality overall with improvement in striker department. If luck favors us then a top 4 finish could be possible. The key difference between last year and this year is that even if we are getting mediocre players, they are for positions which need to be filled rather than every random guy available.

Yes for Laxal. Plus the fact that he will almost be free. As Genoa still owes us money for Lapadula. He is not a bad backup. Very versatile player, don't get me wrong. But, we need to focus on the marquee signing. Or I guess it is too late for it to happen now.

I understand the difficulties of Leonardo though.

He plays on both sides I read.

Anyway, I think Leo is just doing what he can considering how late on he came on and the mish-mash of players we had

He's had to work within the FFP parameters. His hands have been tied basically. I'll only be really disappointed if we don't get the midfielder we need.

To think the 200m+ that was wasted last summer. If Leo was the SD then we'd have at least 2 top notch players in our squad not a bunch of random decent players


Laxalt is a good buy imo. He's very versatile and he's someone who can inject some pace into our game. Certainly much better than Borini

I think top 4 at this point with the squad we have is a bit unrealistic tbh. Inter have improved dramatically compared to last season, Napoli have basically stayed the same and Roma have made some minor improvements. I can't see how we can break into the top 4 when those 3 sides are better than us. Not to mention Lazio....

The only way we could achieve that is if we'd gotten a coach like Conte. Rino is simply not good enough to steer a semi-decent side into the CL places imo

BREAKING: Diego Laxalt will arrive in Milano tonight and undergo his medical tomorrow morning according to Di Marzio.


With Laxalt and Castillejo we've added some much needed width and pace into the side. I think both are good buys, for a total of around 6m (paid this year with the rest being spread over the next season or two).

Yes, they're not marquee signings, and looking at them at face value, they don't appear to move the needle much for us, but I think they'll be crucial elements for us this season. And if we were to bring in Conte in the coming months (I can' see Rino staying long term under Elliot tbh, we have the perfect wing backs for his system in Conti and Laxalt.

What we lacked last season was good rotation options. Both these guys are those good rotation options. Castillejo plays on either side, Laxalt can slot in an position down that left side, and if we stick with a relatively slow Hakan on that LW, Laxalt would be a good pacey foil for him on that side.

We'll see. I think overall, Leonardo has made good moves, I don't think we've improved by a lot, but we've filled the positions we needed, addressed some of our biggest weaknesses, and removed some big contracts off the books which were weighing heavily on the club finances.

With Bacca, Kalinic, Silva, Antonelli, Storari and hopefully Mauri and Monto to follow, we'll have cleared out some big contracts which were basically being paid for players who haven't contributed anything of significance to the club in years if ever.

Anyway, I've said this before, I'd gladly avoid a marquee signing in the wings if it meant we could bring in the midfielder we need. Our midfield has been awful for around 7 years now. It's time to address this issue.

Back from the grave!!!!

Last offer for the transfer of Sergei…
Posted on August 15, 2018 by admin
La Gazzetta dello Sport:

Leonardo is preparing the last offer of Lotito for the transfer of
Sergei Milinkovic-Savic
Loan for 40 million with an obligation
to repurchase the next summer
for 80 million. The Italian
edition emphasizes this sentence
as “the right proposal”
to tempt Lotito all the same
to let go of the player.

I just can't see Lotito letting him leave at this point in the summer. That being said, if we bring him in I think we immediately jump Roma as the 4th best squad in the league and that puts us in serious contention for that 4th place spot.

I don't share your optimism. Firstly, because we severely lack a quality left winger for that 4-3-3. Castillejo is a Suso substitute at best. Whereas Laxalt, besides being a midfielder, is not good enough to be a starter. So, we're still stuck with Hakan as LFW which is atrocious.

Secondly, why are you even thinking of Conte right now? Who cares about Conte and his system? Gattuso is our coach, and we must start the season with the right mindset. Not thinking that Gattuso won't last for long. That won't take us anywhere.

I'm somewhere in the middle of being optimistic and being nervous. But if you look at our team and compare with what our rivals have done things look okay. It's only in midfield that we lack compared to the others. This is how I see things currently:

Forwards:

1. Juve
2. Inter
T -3. Napoli/ Milan
5. Roma
6. Lazio

Midfield:

1. Juve
2. Inter
3. Napoli
4. Roma
5. Lazio
6. Milan

Defense:
1. Juve
2. Inter
3. Milan
4. Napoli
5. Roma
6. Lazio

Goalkeeper:
1. Inter
2. Milan/Juve
4. Napoli
5. Lazio
6. Roma


There is room to take the step into CL territory from this. I understand the league isn't won on paper but I think Inter took significant steps to get better. I think Ancelotti will work out for Napoli but there will be issues with some players, they haven't brought anyone in who really pushes the needle. Roma has brought in a lot of good young players but they also lose out from Allison and Naingolan. Lazio lost probably their best defender in De Vrij and a solid winger in Anderson.

There is an opportunity to get into the groove and push for the CL if we see Baka and Castell step up and prove themselves. Plus Hakan has only gotten better and Higuain can find goals for us.

I have a feeling Napoli will flop under Ancelotti.

how is what I said optimistic though?

I actually said I don't think Rino will last long, that's how optimistic I am. We have a difficult starting schedule and we could be looking at going into the 4th week with barely 3 points on the board. Elliot will not be as lenient as our previous owners were imo. Especially since there's a coach like Conte available.

As for the squad. It's not about being optimistic, I'm just looking at the business Leo's done so far. He got rid of most of the players who were useless to us and were a huge drain on our finances and brought in players for the positions we needed. Have some of the names been underwhelming? Sure. But they were still brought in with the tactical plan for next season in mind. We'll see how we do. Most fans are generally disappointed about who we've signed in midfield and on the wings, but Castillejo can only be a surprise as most people are generally underwhelmed by the signing. While Bakayoko is what we needed in terms of someone who can cover Kessie. He was great at Monaco, so hopefully he regains that form.

So with all that being said, I think we've generally improved from last season, our rotation options are better quality as well imo


Problem is, the midfield is the most important are on the pitch, and that's where we're the weakest. A great midfield improves your defence and makes your attack more prolific. It's why we've struggled in both the other areas in recent years even while having very competent defenders and attackers


Same. He's just not the kind of coach that would do well at a club like Napoli imo

What's wrong with Hakan? Last I checked he had a good season, no? He is young, and will keep improving. Same for Suso! I know there might be some up and downs. But, on the global side, it's a good pair of wingers to have.

In addition, are you sure guys you want Conte?

He was amazing in Juventus. But, at Chelsea, apparently it was disaster. All the players said he imposed some unwanted rules, so apparently, the atmosphere wasn't so great. Let's see what Gattuso does. I'm willing to give him a chance.

Well, even though he does an adequate job on the wing, he's not a winger, he's an attacking mid, to play a 4-3-3 successfully you need proper pacey wingers imo. And even though Hakan was one of our best players once Rino took over, he's just not a winger


Well he's a top coach who is currently available. And for our goals, you absolutely need a top coach. Rino, as much as I love the guy, is simply not going to cut it long term

As for his time at Chelsea. Those Chelsea players have issues with authoritarian type coaches. They did the same with Mourinho. Conte is a known disciplinarian, someone who wants 120% out of his players at all times. It's why he's managed to be so successful even when his teams aren't the best on paper. Sadly, I think his style is far more suited to Italian football, players who have grown up in the Italian footballing culture relish Conte's ways, even the foreign players who have been in Italy for a long time, players in the EPL though are mostly pampered primadonnas. It's why they went against him as soon as things started going just a bit badly.

His time at Juve and with the NT more than show how great he can be

Btw, Milan-Genoa and Samp-Fiorentina have been postponed...


Honestly, this is the biggest bullshit I've read in a while. No disrespect to the victims, my greatest condolences. But why the F@ck do they have to postpone football matches because of a tragedy that has absolutely nothing to do with football?

In fact, this should have went ahead even more so. Football is a form of escapism, and isn't that what's needed at times like this?

I understand the postponement after Astori's death last season. But this is just ridiculous. What about all those people who bought train or plain tickets? Booked hotels and planned vacation leave from work?

This is exactly why Italy and Italian football are stuck 20 years behind the rest of Europe. Just a terrible descision


On a side note, this f@cks us over even more than the schedule already would have. Hakan is suspended for the first game (carried over from last season), so not only will we have to start our first game away at Napoli, we'll do so without one of our best players.

Hakan is not a winger, that's the problem. He's a very good midfielder who improved a lot last season and reached the levels I was expecting from him. But playing him in attack is a waste.



One league title in two years is not what I'd call a disaster.

I don't want Conte mainly because I loathe the 3-man defense system.

Why didn't we go after Keita Balde? Inter got him for only 6 million on loan, 30 million option to buy. Seems like a very good deal. I keep repeating myself, but the way we've neglected that left wing is ludicrous.

Hakan is suspended for the first match. Mediaset had frigging Cutrone starting on the left. That's how dire our situation is.

Not to mention that by playing Hakan upfront, we're left with Bonaventura as LCM. Let's be honest, he's just not good enough, especially considering how crap he was last season. Had we at least signed a quality CM, like Milinkovic-Savic, I'd close an eye. But given the situation, we're not that much better from last season.

I think the midfield situation is much more dire than the wings. We have options for the wings now. Maybe not high in quality but certainly better than last season

The midfield situation has been present for over 7 years now, with 3 sets of directors having now overseen all these transfer markets and none of them have addressed the issue. It can't just be the fans who are seeing this problem. Going into another season with the midfield we have is equivalent to shooting ourselves in both feet.

If our mercato closes with Laxalt and Castillejo, it will be a disappointing one for sure as we would have signed mediocre options for the very obvious problem we had.

Higuain is nice icing, but why sign a striker of that magnitude when you're not prepared to give him the right supporting cast? Just makes no sense to me



Also Rino is worrying me. Cutrone on the left, Bakayoko and Kessie both starting in the midfield? These are Allegri post-Ibra type decisions and they worry me. He's insisting on keeping a mediocre player like Bertolacci, keeps playing Borini. If these are the type of decisions he's going to make this season he won't last long, I'm sure of this

But, you agree that in the system Gattuso uses, his best position is on the wings right? Because I don't see him doing well in the three man midfield, honestly. Maybe, I'm wrong though. He would do very good in the trequatrista position in my opinion, but I'm not sure we're going to employ a formation which will bring the best out of him.

Yeah, of-course. He did okay in Chelsea. I'm just saying it ended really badly with a lot of players speaking out on him which is not so usual.

Yeah, I see your point with Hakan. But, where would you play him then? Same question asked to X-OFF.

Well, I'll play the devil's advocate. He might have worked for Juventus and the national team. Because, you practically have the same players there...It wouldn't have been so hard to control the locker room there.

All I'm saying is that the Chelsea time puts a small question mark over his head. Is he too strict?

any expectation of surprises today?

If we had signed a proper left winger, we’d have Biglia, Kessie and Hakan as starters in midfield with Bakayoko and Bonaventura as subs. That’s not a shabby midfield.

But by deploying Hakan in attack not only we’re depriving ourselves of a creative force in midfield but we’re left with no options as well. Anyone with working brain cells can see that. No idea what Leonardo and Gattuso are thinking.

@William I don’t see Hakan as a winger, sorry. I see him as an AM/LCM. With him and Suso uprfront, we’re playing 4-3-2-1 rather than 4-3-3, and that limits our attacking prowess considerably. That system might have worked when we had guys like Pirlo, Seedorf, Rui Costa and Kakà, but not with the current roster of players we have.

The formation will change during the game as well. Debating when the first professional game of the season hasn't kicked off yet is pointless. Whatever testing he does either in friendlies or training, he will probably use at some point in the season.

Ringo was instrumental prior and during the transition from Fassoni and Mirabelli to Leonardo and Maldini. He kept the team as a whole under control, not one player made a fuss about the off field situation. Plus he was the ONLY factor last season that kept Milan playing with heart. Why should he leave? He is a good coach, one that is guaranteed to pass on that Milan fire of past glories to the players.

conte is a good coach, but not what we need right now. I'd rather give Ringo a chance this season with Higuin instead of Kalinic and Silva, Bakayoko in place of Montolivo and the likes, and a direct report to Paolo Maldini which is just perfect!

P.s. think Hakan will be given free movement and not confined to a space

Pastore signed for Roma for only 24million?! Why didn't we sign him?

Our new signing: Castillejo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-kevqz-G00

Watch till the end, it has a quite comic ending

Marchisio terminated his contract with Juve. Who thinks it would be a good idea to take him?

Nah. The guy is way past his prime.

I'm gonna side here with Han. Signing Bakayoko (even on loan) seems to me like a panic move. I think he's a surplus in our squad; we already have Kessie while we lack of a true organizer. We have too many midfielders in quantity and too little in quality. Biglia, Bertolacci and Montolivo should have been sold/shipped out, and a real creator or at least a talented potential should have been signed for midfield.

Hakan cannot play in central midfield, he's too undisciplined and too inconsistent. Also, his only true quality is his shooting and crossing, so it's rather logical he's being played on the side, even though he lacks pace. But I'd say that Halilović, Suso, Hakan and Castillejo offer much more for the flanks than we had in the last 2-3 seasons.

But I get that we didn't have time to strike all the necessary deals. I think Leonardo and Maldini have done far better with far less money and time then Mirabelli and Fassone did last summer.

That being said, I'm really glad both F&M are out. I never once trusted those washed-out Interistas. Last summer and their lack of true vision proved that (even though I think they wanted to sign Cristiano which would have been huge, but well - it's their fault we didn't make the CL).

Bakayoko was signed as a vice-Kessie.

We do lack a true organizer because Biglia is not good enough.

Hakan can play in midfield. He's very disciplined and in the second half of last season was very consistent, arguably our best player. He's the player with most vision and best passing skills, hence relegating him on the wing is a mistake, IMO.

But in the second half of the season he played on the flank. So how can you know he's good in a central position? Just because his passing? Please... I've seen him play a hundred times at HSV and Leverkusen. He just can't pull off a consistent disciplined and responsible long term play in that department.

Yes, but did we need a high-profile vice-Kessie? I mean now we have 2 similar players who are both good and both fighting for a starter position while the rest of the midfield is covered with sub-par starters and sub-par backups (bar Bonaventura who's still a big question mark).

I know I'm quoting an old post, but I really like the formation that you posted. It would be cool if Rino tries something a little more attacking. I mean potentially Castielljo and Laxalt can play there.(Also, Bonaventura no??) I know that it is maybe not their natural position, but it could work as a stop-gap solution..

Because I've also seen him play now and I can state with confidence that he has what it takes to play as mezz'ala, or even better, as trequartista in a 4-2-3-1.

And I'm amazed that you refer to Hakan as undisciplined. To me he has proven the complete opposite. A very dedicated and disciplined player that works his @ss off even though that's not his primary duty, which is to create.



My question is why didn't we tap that hole on the left while we still could? Plenty of available solutions out there. Whereas Suso is the dribble/creator on the left, what we needed was a right-footed winger who can score. That's how you get the best out of a 4-3-3 formation.

It's the typical alpha-beta argument. Instead, with Suso and Hakan on the wings we have two beta type of players, both who can create, but none of which can score on a constant basis. Because they're not strikers. It's all on Higuain's shoulders to give us +25 goals in attack, and that's one hell of a burden.

But you're assuming that Hakan would start as the LCM, and personally, I don't think that's a good idea. He just leaves too much space behind him. Whenever he played there last season he never really impressed

For me, it's pretty obvious that Rino sees Bakayoko as the answer. He will most likely play him in that LCM position because tha's the kind of profile he likes. Which is very worrying if you ask me. We're going to have zero creativity in that midfield

Well Hakan for me is an AM, he's not a CM or a winger. But he was one of our best players when playing on the left as opposed to when Montella played him in midfield where he was generally bad imo


We'll see. For me, Rino has generally stuck to the 4-3-3 in attack which switches to a 4-5-1 when we don't have the ball.

And personally I would say the complete opposite about Conte. He's exactly the kind of coach we need in this period, while someone like Rino who is inexperienced is a gamble that we can't afford to take imo


Meh, he's been in deline for a while now imo


I don't think it was a panic move per se. I think he's the kind of profile Rino asked for tbh. He even mentioned this at the end of last season IIRC. Let me just point out that it is US the FANS who see Bakayoko as someone who's going to be rotated with Kessie. It remains to be seen how Rino will actually use him, and I personally have a feeling that he will use the both of them in that midfield often this season. It's what we're reportedly going to use against Napoli

About Hakan, it's not that he's undisciplined imo, it's just that he's not adapt at playing that position. Who knows what will happen as the season progresses. Maybe Castillejo can cement the winger position which would allow Hakan to slot into midfield and he could excel there. But I just don't see this happening tbh


I think that's what we're all assuming and hoping, but there's no gaurantee for that statement untill we see him being used as such

Also, Biglia is a completely different conversation, we'll see how he does this season, but next summer, we're definately going to HAVE to address those 2 midfield areas


I honestly can't see Rino deviating from the 4-3-3. And yes, a 4-2-3-1 would suit the player we have better. But we've never been shown any sign of going for it


For me, there are a couple of reasons as to why this could be.

1. Didn't have the money to go after someone who could really make the difference for us
2. Bakayoko was Rino's request for the position
3. Couldn't close a deal for a the top player we need in this position because or lack of time for Leo to identify the best option and close a deal

@Han:

1. Hakan played as LCM at the start of last season, when we were generally shambolic and he was in a very, very bad shape. Play him now and you'll see he'll fit just fine. Bona could do it, why can't Hakan?

I think you're all too stiff when it comes to positions on the field. A good player is able to adapt himself regardless of where he plays. Hakan can play both LFW and LCM just fine. I just think that he expresses himself much better in midfield, as he doesn't have the characteristics of a winger, and furthermore, he's exactly the type of player we need to create that link between midfield and attack.

2. You seem too obsessed with Bakayoko. Chill out, you're jumping to conclusions too soon. He might be a starter against Napoli as Hakan is suspended and Rino could push Bona in attack (which is another drawback of failing to sign a LFW this summer), but that doesn't mean we'll always play with him, Biglia and Kessie in midfield. That also depends on how Bonaventura will perform this season.

3. Keita was an option. Even for a year on loan at 6M, he would have been a much preferred choice. Yet with Leo's appointment we never really seemed to be interested in filling that position anymore.

Agreed about Keita.

But man, you're the one stuck with Hakan. You have zero evidence to back up your stance. I told you on numerous occasions that I watched Hakan play in midfield and as a DM as well for HSV/Bayer and he couldn't cut it there (in the Buliga which is tactically much easier then Serie A). Han told you he started there with Montella and we know this wasn't good. What more do you want?

1. I agree that the circumstances last season weren't ideal for him, but I think he'd just be better in the 4-2-3-1 and last season he impressed a lot on that wing once he was able to get into form. I just don't really see him as a solution to our problems in midfield. Who knows, maybe if Castillejo can take controle of that LW spot we could see what Hakan can pull off in the LCM position, I'm just not sold on it because I haven't really seen enough of him playing that role to make a judgement

2. It's not an obsession but a hunch based on what Rino has previously said (with regards to filling that particular role). I think Bakayoko is right up his alley and he'll use him a lot this season, whether we like it or not

3. True, but Keita had already rejected us last summer. I don't know what happened, but Leo was looking for a midfielder and winger. Just because we're disappointed with who was brought in doesn't mean that they weren't the goals.

Castillejo doesn't convince me. He might be good to have as a sub for Suso, but the reason we didn't sign anyone on the left is because Gattuso is convinced that position belongs to Hakan. IMO, that is a mistake, not only because I think Hakan's qualities can be best expressed elsewhere on the pitch, but also because I think playing 4-3-3 with only one true striker is the wrong way to go at it.

What did Rino say about Bakayoko? That he can play alongside Biglia and Kessie? That is a given. Doesn't mean it'll be the status quo of the season, though. Unless Bonaventura keeps sucking like last season, then he'll be forced to play like that. Because he certainly can't pull Hakan in midfield, seeing how we only have Borini as an alternative on the left.

I think it's premature to make any assessments about Castillejo. The majority of people haven't seen much of him, while I read a couple of La Liga fans' opinions and they think highly of him.

We'll have to see how he does before we can completely disregard him.

I don't think that's the reason, we were specifically looking for a striker, a midfielder and a winger this summer. Rino said this, Leonardo said this and Mirabelli before he got the sack as well. Castillejo (according to transfermarkt) played more games on the left than on the right wile at Villareal, so it's not like he can only plar on the right wing like Suso. I personally think that he was our winger signing that had been noted throughout the summer. Maybe he's not the big name we wanted or the exact profile (a right footed player) but he is a winger and he is a rather pacey one at that.

We'll just have to see how things progress during the season. We definitely have a lot more options than we did last season. Don't forget that Laxalt can play across that entire left flank, I actually think he's going to be out most important signing this summer along with Higuain of course. He's such an underrated player, but I've always really liked his style. He'll be very useful for us