So, new poll.

To me, a clear situation. Top goes to Ricky, who was a delight to watch. I hope he finishes his career with us here, he's a true Rossonero, no matter if his abilities faded over the years.

Balo was good, Honda did a good job bar that appalling miss. Zaccardo was solid, but like Honda he made one big error with that stupid penalty. Bonera fine, Rami very good, Muntari okay just like Essien, de Jong working as usual.

Emanuelson the only true lowpoint of this match for us.

+1

Kaká, Zaccardo.

Same

Flop to Urby. Didn't think he was as bad as is being implied here but he was our worst player on the night.

MOTM - Balo for me. Right everything last night, and despite Kaka's brace and wonderful goals, dammit I just WANT to give it to Mario.

Mario a very close second for me. I thought he was great especially at managing his temper considering how badly the Chievo players were trying to p!ss him off on a consistent basis throughout the game

You're really paying too much attention on Mario's temper. For me he could get red cards every three games as long as he performs. That's my main issue with him. He doesn't deliver, too inconsistent and disappears in the big games.

But these last two matches have been different. Hopefully he's on the right path, even though we've been deluded like this in the past. Remember the Ajax game? The Livorno game? Just to mention a few. He was excellent in those in every aspect, but he then went back to his old self sucking and sulking again.

I think his temper plays a HUGE part in how he performs in general, whether it's a big game or a small one

The notion that Balo doesn't perform on the big stage for me is a myth, as we've seen him scoring crucial goals for his teams in the past, even for us.

But if he's in one of his moods, he'll perform terribly, not to mention he becomes a liability on the pitch for us as you can expect him getting carded at any moment during the game

His performance was very good on Saturday, but I was more pleased to see that he kept a cool head when even I would have probably lost it at some point if I had been provoked to the level that Balo had been on Saturday. He was even kicked with the studs of a boot in the back of his thigh and didn't really retaliate all that much, plus he stayed yellow free which is also important as his constant accumulation of yellows would lead to suspensions, which imo, as a team, we really can't afford as we rely on him too much

He didn't whine, complain or stomp his feet when his team mates didn't pass him the ball accurately, I even saw him applauding his team mates' efforts at times. I think these are all good steps forward. Of course next weekend he can have one of his petulant days and people all want his head again, but that's Balo for you

Ibra gets pissed all the time, yet that doesn't affect his performance.



LOL, when? His two goals against Germany? When has Balo ever scored or even impressed against a tough opponent?

Last time I checked Ibra and Balo are two completely different persons

But seriously, Ibra mostly channels his anger into doing even better, but it wasn't always this way, I remember him when he was at Juve and he was more similar to Balo then, but then again, so were their ages. Nowadays, Ibra is still a hot head and can let down his team here and there by doing something completely stupid and getting sent off. But mostly he channels his annoyances into doing even better while Balo mostly goes into sulk mode when he's annoyed. And it doesn't help that Balo's reputation precedes him and most of the time refs blatantly ignore how he's being provoked and constantly fouled.

Germany aside, he scored a couple of important goals for Inter, back when he was basically still a kid, he got the assist for Aguero's goal in City's title winning goal, and let's face it, most of his goals for us are match winners.

It doesn't matter that they're two different persons, what matters is that such petty things shouldn't affect your performance on the pitch. People have played when their relatives died, it's called professionalism. Balo is not a professional. He sulks and lets his team down. Then he goes on Twitter and vents his frustration there. That's the kind of person he is, and if he doesn't change he'll never be a champion, even though he's got the skills to become one.

He's the perfect image of today's youngsters, all too full of themselves, thinking they're superstars when they haven't accomplished jackshit yet. Pitiful...



Am I supposed to be impressed? He scored a couple of goals about five years ago, gave an assist in one match and scored a few winners for us against mid-table teams, and he's suddenly decisive? I think you misinterpreted my claim. I said Balo disappears in the big games, and that's a hard cold fact.

Ain't that the truth. He needs to string together decisive performances in consecutive big matches, regularly at that, to clean his previous stains. When you are the focal point of a team, and you disappear in big matches, fingers will be raised. And no service is no excuse, really.

If the midfield isn't providing you with balls, go back and get them, go back and show them how it's done.

Ibra failed in huge CL matches for his teams for years.

And once again you're judging players based on how they dress, cut their hair, etc. Like with SES just because he has a dumb @ss haircut and does commercials in his own time you choose to suddenly think that he's a lesser player and a wannabe. Yet on the pitch he's never been anything other than exemplary and has always worked his @ss off for the team, even when he wasn't scoring he was tracking back and doing work that other more senior players around him couldn't bother themselves to do.

I'm not saying their situations are the same, and I know you didn't even bring the hair and commercial thing up either, but sometimes I feel like you're quick to jump on someone's back.

Balo is a sulking whiner, BIG TIME. We all knew this when we signed him. If some were suddenly expecting the patron saint as soon as he signed for Milan, then they were fooling themselves. All I said to begin with was that I was sort of proud with how he handled himself as given that kind of treatment he'd usually snap, yet he kept his head screwed on right.

As for his not showing up, a player is either a bottler or he isn't, there isn't an in-between, at least that's my opinion of it. It doesn't matter the quantity, but that he did have those moments where he was crucial to his team in big moments.

Hopefully that wall of text was meant for X-Off, Han. Because I really was only referring to the inability of Balotelli to turn up the heat when it matters the most. I don't like his other shenanigans either, but that's the package we opted for when we signed him. But Ibra too fails more often than not, Balotelli for me, even more.

Yet he owned any league he played in. If Balo could do the same, I wouldn't complain. But at least Balo has time on his side. Let's see how he'll develop in the next few years. Will he become an "Ibra", or will he end up a "Cassano"?



Yep, I didn't even bring it up, and you shouldn't have brought it up either. Completely unrelated scenarios.



He's 23, it's time he stopped acting like a spoiled 18 year old brat. The time to grow up has come.

Totally agreed on that. I think someone should sit him down and make him watch a movie of Cassano's downward spiral. Maybe it could be a wake up call for him...


I brought it up not because the player's situations themselves are similar, but because how you react to them is.

Yes, Balo can be the most petulant egotistical SOB out there, but he's the best we got, he's the bes we'll be able to afford anytime soon, we won't get any big money if we do sell him as most top clubs who can actually afford him won't bother with the hassle of getting him. But that's the point isn't it? Clubs with money to spend won't come near Balo with a 10 foot pole because they know what he is. We all knew what he was, but we don't have the luxury like those other clubs where we can look away and opt for someone equally talented who comes with less baggage. Balo is all about man-management, and I seriously hope Seedorf can continue to rein him in as personally I don't think this team can afford to lose him

You say it doesn't matter to you, sell him, let's get Immobile, but sorry, Immobile is still a complete unknown, he's doing well at Toro but you have no guarantees that he'll do well for a top club, plus to add to that he's Juve bound anyway.


Agree to that as well. He does need to grow up. And I'm not just thinking about Milan in this scenario, but for him as a player as well, because keeping on down this road will most likely result in a Cassano-esque type of path as you said previously. And it would be a shame for both him and Italy

He'll be hugely overpriced now too.

Yep, just like when we bought Gila