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AC Milan - Milanfan.com > AC Milan > News > Archive 08/09
Warchant
ROME (AP) - It's been a long time since this many teams have been bunched together near the top of Italian league.

After 11 rounds, eight clubs are still within four points of the lead, making Serie A the most competitive major league in Europe.

Three-time defending champion Internazionale leads with 24 points. Milan and Napoli are next with 23 points each, Lazio is on 22, Udinese and Juventus have 21 each and Genoa and Fiorentina are level with 20 points.

Only the German Bundesliga - with the top eight teams separated by six points - comes close in terms of competitiveness. England's Premier League and the Spanish Liga have a 12-point differential between first and eighth place and in France it's 10 points.

"The eight sisters," read the front-page headline in Tuesday's Gazzetta dello Sport.

Still, most observers haven't veered away from picking Inter and Milan as the title favorites.

"There are a lot of strong teams in the league, but we're a high-level group of players," said Ronaldinho, who has hit his form with Milan. "All the teams should be respected in the same manner, but Inter has something extra because it's the defending champion, it has a great coach and great players."

Ronaldinho has scored vital late goals in Milan's past three matches - a 1-1 draw with Lecce and 1-0 wins over Napoli and Sporting Braga in the UEFA Cup.

"This is the guy who always scores," Milan president and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Tuesday when he introduced Ronaldinho to visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, along with Milan's other Brazilian players.

Milan's acquisition of Ronaldinho from Barcelona in the offseason was seen as risky by some, considering his sliding form in Spain.

Plagued by injuries and visibly overweight, Ronaldinho scored only nine goals in 26 games for Barcelona last season, finishing his season in March. He already has six goals in 13 appearances in all competitions this season.

"Slowly but surely I'm getting back in form," Ronaldinho told Sky Italia. "Everything is working perfectly here."

Milan vice president Adriano Galliani has gotten tired of talk that the club has "won" the wager it made by signing Ronaldinho.

"We don't make wagers. We take players we believe can serve Milan," Galliani said. "It's not like we've discovered a little kid."

On Sunday, Milan hosts struggling Chievo, which is only one point above last-placed Reggina. Midfielder Andrea Pirlo may make it onto the bench after sitting out since September with a muscle injury while injury-plagued defender Philippe Senderos - formerly of Arsenal - could make his Serie A debut for Milan.

Inter visits Palermo on Saturday, and striker Julio Cruz has earned the right to start by scoring an injury-time winner in a 1-0 win over Udinese last weekend, plus a late equalizer against Anorthosis in the Champions League last week.

Ricardo Quaresma appears to have fallen out of favor with coach and Portugese compatriot Jose Mourinho, as has Adriano, the troubled striker who cited a fever when he missed training again this week.

Palermo forward Fabrizio Miccoli bruised his leg in training this week but could still play, while midfielder Antonio Nocerino will begin a two-game ban for elbowing an opponent in the face.

Napoli, which beat Salernitana 3-1 in the Italian Cup on Wednesday, visits Atalanta.

Lazio, which boasts Serie A's leading attack at 1.9 goals per game, faces city rival Roma, which has only eight points, one above the relegation zone, and desperately needs a win to regain confidence. With 18 goals allowed, Roma has the third worst defense in the league.

"My compliments to Lazio. They're playing great football, but we don't feel inferior. We're only inferior in the standings," Roma defender Christian Panucci said.

Roma midfielder David Pizarro is suspended, and Alberto Aquilani is still out injured.

Mauro Zarate leads Lazio's attack with seven goals, and Tommaso Rocchi has already added three since returning from injury last month.

Juventus' game with Genoa was moved up to Thursday because Turin's Stadio Olimpico is being used for a rugby game Saturday.

Also Sunday, it's: Cagliari vs. Fiorentina; Catania vs. Torino; Sampdoria vs. Lecce; Siena vs. Bologna; and Udinese vs. Reggina.
acid911
Great read, War. cool.gif Thanks.
PatitoFeo
Great read - but the Dinho signing was not without risk. Brazilians aren't known for aging fine like red wine, although Cafu was good well into his late 30s.
acid911
QUOTE (PatitoFeo @ Nov 15 2008, 05:36 AM) *
Great read - but the Dinho signing was not without risk. Brazilians aren't known for aging fine like red wine, although Cafu was good well into his late 30s.

True, but I think we can sneak in a good 3 years at least out of him. unsure.gif And if it means a CL win in between that, with a couple of Scudettos with him, it'll be business done good. Sure there is a case of who'll buy him from us, but don't think Mr. B speculated over this issue. He just wanted to see R10 in Milan, and he did, albeit a tad late.
Rossoneri7
QUOTE (PatitoFeo @ Nov 15 2008, 03:36 AM) *
Great read - but the Dinho signing was not without risk. Brazilians aren't known for aging fine like red wine, although Cafu was good well into his late 30s.


Sergio too. I guess that is all thanks to MilanLab.

I didn't think it would be a risk if Ronaldinho came. I knew he had lost his motivation at Barca. At one point he went out won two back-to-back league titles, a champions league trophy, a ballon d'or, two fifa world player of the year awards. All this in the span of just two years. And from that point on, he just wasn't the same again - as the rhetoric from Don Silvio, calling for him to come to Milan will always be a distraction for any player.


EDIT: Thanxs for the good read Warchant king.gif
Fillipo Simone
QUOTE (Rossoneri7 @ Nov 15 2008, 02:59 AM) *
Sergio too. I guess that is all thanks to MilanLab.

I didn't think it would be a risk if Ronaldinho came. I knew he had lost his motivation at Barca. At one point he went out won two back-to-back league titles, a champions league trophy, a ballon d'or, two fifa world player of the year awards. All this in the span of just two years. And from that point on, he just wasn't the same again - as the rhetoric from Don Silvio, calling for him to come to Milan will always be a distraction for any player.


EDIT: Thanxs for the good read Warchant king.gif

^ just to add Leonardo to the list. He was still very usefull in his 30-ties...but retired to early IMO.
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