[Rodriguez]

Defensively as a team we were awful yesterday. We were all over the place at moments when Reggina attacked us. No offense to them but if it was C.Ronaldo, Messi, Totti... we'd have been punished. This isnt the first time either, and even though transfer talk of Ronaldinho, Shevchenko and many other forwards is encouraging, I'd feel more comforted to hear more about which defenders we're signing.

Or.... is it more a case of our system than personnel? After the Reggina game a few people have pointed out Kaladze as a culprit. He certainly didnt have a great game and does have his moments. Other people have pointed fingers at our fullbacks. For me personally, I thought that our midfield's defensive cover was inadequate at times. When you look at the formation we were playing (and often play) yesterday and the players in the line-up, on paper there's enough quality there to shut out a team like Reggina for the most part of 90 min. This makes me wonder if there's some defensive work that can be done in training to improve matters.

Besides analysing yesterday's match we should look back at previous games and try to understand what the team is doing wrong and who are the players that are most to blame. If we want to challenge for the Scudetto next season we need to improve our defensive game as much as our attacking game.

 

[Kalstroem6]

good points.

we are playing with 2 DM on paper,i think the problem is Brocchi for midfield,also considering Pirlo joined the attacks a bit more up to his standarts,Brocchi joined the attacks more than Pirlo and however forgot he is a Dm and played as AM instead of covering the spaces which unfilled by Pirlo.then also side backs problems,also our CB pair is a bit slow inform Gattuso was playing with 2 players effort and was killing the all counters before the ball came to our CB's,Nesta's self is not well as well.

so i say;

-Zambrotta
-Mexes/Zapata/Marquez
-Rafinha/Lell/De Silvestri/Antonini/Corluka/Vargas.
-Toulalan*

*if Rino leaves.

 

[Dae]

Our defense was an issue last season, too, but Galliani said we had enough defenders on the books. Of course, this was counting an ancient Cafu, a never used Simic and Favalli. I hope a few of these guys are dropped and replacements are brought in. These transfers (defenders) won't make the headlines Silvio seems to masterbate with, but they are the moves that make championships.

Our defense has not been the impenetrable wall it used to be since the scudetto winning season. Injuries and now age and injuries put a hold to that.

 

[Diavolo]

Interesting thread and good points raised Rod :thumbsup:

 

[Alias80]

biggest problem is keeper, we need a keeper to create confidence in defense. plus a very good CB to help poor Nesta who sumtimes looks like a 1 man defense. we've always played with attacking FB's so need pace on the wings.

 

[Dae]

I wonder why the resistance to play "Bonera as Nesta's partner. Bonera got a run of a couple of months at CB last year and played great. Then whomever he was subbing for returned from injury (Maldini, I think) and he has not played much since. We still need new blood at the back but we have a perfectly suitable player already on the books who rarely plays.

 

[Politician]

the same genius Bonera who launched into that hideous tackle vs Sissoko? I don't blame a coach for not trusting him, guy is still a bit dumb on the pitch.

 

[Rodriguez]

good points.

we are playing with 2 DM on paper,i think the problem is Brocchi for midfield,also considering Pirlo joined the attacks a bit more up to his standarts,Brocchi joined the attacks more than Pirlo and however forgot he is a Dm and played as AM instead of covering the spaces which unfilled by Pirlo.

Agreed about Brocchi, and the same can be said for Rino. When we play a 3 man midfield with 2 more defensive players either side of Pirlo, we should allow Pirlo to roam free and advance forward with the other 2 (Brocchi, Rino, Emerson, Ambro, take your pick) to remain withdrawn, covering for Pirlo and the advancing fullback(s). This way there's less of a risk of conceding on a counter and we control the midfield better.

Our defense was an issue last season, too, but Galliani said we had enough defenders on the books. Of course, this was counting an ancient Cafu, a never used Simic and Favalli. I hope a few of these guys are dropped and replacements are brought in. These transfers (defenders) won't make the headlines Silvio seems to masterbate with, but they are the moves that make championships.

Our defense has not been the impenetrable wall it used to be since the scudetto winning season. Injuries and now age and injuries put a hold to that.

The 2004 Scudetto winning backline is the finest I've seen in modern football. :thumbsup:

Interesting thread and good points raised Rod :thumbsup:

Thanks Diav. Interested to hear your views.

 

[Rodriguez]

the same genius Bonera who launched into that hideous tackle vs Sissoko? I don't blame a coach for not trusting him, guy is still a bit dumb on the pitch.

Such instances are few and far between. His better moments far outweigh the negatives, plus he is in one of the best teams to learn about defending considering his peers in the team are some of the best defenders ever.

 

[brickeberg]

Agreed about Brocchi, and the same can be said for Rino. When we play a 3 man midfield with 2 more defensive players either side of Pirlo, we should allow Pirlo to roam free and advance forward with the other 2 (Brocchi, Rino, Emerson, Ambro, take your pick) to remain withdrawn, covering for Pirlo and the advancing fullback(s). This way there's less of a risk of conceding on a counter and we control the midfield better.

It's one of the things that bother me most when I watch these seasons games. It almost looks like if Ambrosini and/or Gattuso are instructed to play in some kind of a Seedorf-role. You'll see Gattuso be higher up in the field than he should be.

I find it obvious that the best way is to give Pirlo a free role and let those other two sit back and concentrate on what they do best, and still I see Gattuso trying to cross, pass and shoot.

 

[amyaaf]

Talking generally not just for yesterday: I would say is an issue of every position, first of all we aren't exactly a team that preassures our rivals in their side (except for sometimes Pippo), we let them advance in their area easily. Then our DM's have been a bit poor when it comes to defending this season, we have left way too many spaces there, and worse when our DM's are supposed to be ball winners, they have actually become ball givers in front of our area, probably the best example of this is the game vs Arsenal in San Siro. And lastly, watching both Pirlo and Gattuso in the last 3 games I'm wondering if they have played that position for several years, how come they are so clumsy when defending? They just go and run over their rival, and is not that they are running to get them, they are near them already and just run over them.

Our fullbacks may have some blame, but I would say that they are the last ones, and that's when we play the older ones with not so good physical condition, that run up but take their time to run back to help out in counterattacks.

Then there's the central defense, where we have comitted some of the worse crimes central defenders have done. But IMO is because they end up becoming too exposed. Nesta has been totally irregular this season alternating performances like the ones he had pre Miami last year with brilliant ones. Kaladze too, though he is more mistake prone than Nesta. Same can be said for Maldini, worse thing is that instead of being age mistakes, those are the type of mistakes someone of his age and experience shouldn't do (like clearing the ball to the middle like against Inter). Bonera hasn't really got many chances, I think his performances have been more good than bad, but again he has suffered from the irregularity of the rest too (and his little mistakes, apart from the sending off last week, have been the least scandalous ones).

And everything ends with the GK, who also have their fair share of fault in everything but we have all seen their mistakes, no need to get too deep in here.

Oh, and since 2005 we have had an endless problem with set pieces...

 

[Rui Costa]

good points.
so i say;

-Zambrotta
-Mexes/Zapata/Marquez
-Rafinha/Lell/De Silvestri/Antonini/Corluka/Vargas.
-Toulalan*

*if Rino leaves.

please stop this lell talk. i happen to see him quite often in the german league and he is awful. clumsy and violent in defense and totally misplaced in offense. he plays quite often for bayern because the other fullbacks were injured quite often. lell plays every position where the coach fields him which is a big plus but his level of playing is nowhere near what we are looking for.

i really don't expect him to be first string next season with bayern.

 

[Politician]

Rod,

I expect such instances of such a ridiculously awful tackle to never happen from a Milan player. There is no explanation other than at best being dopey. It could've easily broken Sissoko's leg.

Also Bonera is a bit slow off the mark and can't compete properly with big powerful strikers in the air.

 

[Dae]

The Bonera tackle was horrendous, sure (rash tackles are one of his weak points) but hardmen like Gattuso and Ambrosini have done plenty of crunching tackles in their day. To claim Milan players should would never do something like that is not true.

Bonera is by no means in the class of Milan defense titans (do I even need to list them?) but he is a quality option at centerback. Certainly as useful as some of the names being mentioned as replacements and definitely worth letting play given the problems we've been having with defenders who play a lot more.

 

[Politician]

I think a smarter and more cunning Bonera would be a good CB

I think a smarter and more cunning Zapata would be top 3 in the world maybe?

We know what Bonera is right now, and that is a squad player who does not complain or cause trouble. I don't think he is capable of being more.

 

[camelface]

Milan defends with 6 players. They attack with no ideas, with everyone committing, and then big counter from the other team ensues. I'm tired of this shit system by Milan. If you want to play Kaka, who all he does is run around, you need a more stable formation behind him because he has no creativity and must wait for his spaces. He is not Rui Costa holding up the ball for you and controlling the game.

Seedorf should never have been promoted to being THE NUMBER 10 LOOK AT ME player. He was best as utility player for Ancelotti to fill up the holes in your team whenever they showed up (often). I remember the manager being able to tell him to play left midfield and all this. Now Milan is simply disorder with 3 central midfielders and 2 of them not being able to control play.

 

[Dae]

I think a smarter and more cunning Bonera would be a good CB

I think a smarter and more cunning Zapata would be top 3 in the world maybe?

We know what Bonera is right now, and that is a squad player who does not complain or cause trouble. I don't think he is capable of being more.

I don't know much about Zapata, but many of these defenders supposedly moments from greatness have amounted to nothing. But like I said, I don't know him well.

As for Bonera; when he had a chance to play week in and week out last season (for about 2 months) he played very well. I think he is definitely capable of being a solid centerback in Serie A. Like Kaladze a couple of years ago. I would never suggest Bonera is destined to be a top 3 back.

 

[pRiNcE]

Defensively as a team we were awful yesterday. We were all over the place at moments when Reggina attacked us. No offense to them but if it was C.Ronaldo, Messi, Totti... we'd have been punished. This isnt the first time either, and even though transfer talk of Ronaldinho, Shevchenko and many other forwards is encouraging, I'd feel more comforted to hear more about which defenders we're signing.

Or.... is it more a case of our system than personnel? After the Reggina game a few people have pointed out Kaladze as a culprit. He certainly didnt have a great game and does have his moments. Other people have pointed fingers at our fullbacks. For me personally, I thought that our midfield's defensive cover was inadequate at times. When you look at the formation we were playing (and often play) yesterday and the players in the line-up, on paper there's enough quality there to shut out a team like Reggina for the most part of 90 min. This makes me wonder if there's some defensive work that can be done in training to improve matters.

Besides analysing yesterday's match we should look back at previous games and try to understand what the team is doing wrong and who are the players that are most to blame. If we want to challenge for the Scudetto next season we need to improve our defensive game as much as our attacking game.

Excellent post man. I've been wondering about the same thing for some time now. When we have two pure defensive midfielders on both sides of the pitch and a very adept back four (yes our back four no matter who we field should still be good enough to stop the Reggina's of the world), add to that a total of five midfielders and only one attacker, you would think the oppossition would be starved off a glimpse of goal. But that hasn't been the case for quite a while now. Why? I think it's a problem of tactics rather than personnel. At times our midfield lacks organization and all we see our midfielders do is line-up horizontally and we're comfortable just letting the opposition come at us. All I see are the midfielders backing up everytime the opposition attack us, no one goes for tackle to disposses the opponent. It's like the team goes into panic mode whenever there is a counter and in one moment one of our players slip and we concede a goal. This wouldn't be a problem if it was a one-off but practically all the goals we concede are very similar. An opposition player comes running at us, we keeping backing off him until he's so close to goal that we leave our destiny in their hands.

I think Carlo is trusting the player's judgement a little too much. We can afford to do that in attack and not get penalised but it's a totally different ball game in defence.

 

[Eleloy]

The person I most want to sign is Zapata.

The kid will be good, very good. Very dominant in the air, maybe something we can lack at times but he's also great on the ground. Haven't seen him very often but when I have seen him he's really impressed. Much rather him here than him going to Inter/Juve.

Although I feel we need fullbacks too, seriously we don't even have a definite fullback on either side, Carlo is just rotating with Favalli/Janku/Bonera/Cafu/Oddo/whoever he wants.

I'd much rather even Kaladze at LB if we got Zapata (Janku is fine though), even though we know he isn't the best at going forward. Zambrotta is good but he's going to need to be replaced in like a season, I'd much rather someone younger.

Corluka is another name I like to see mentioned at Milan. I'm quite a fan of his but it'd be damn hard to get him off Man City. He's also a little bit slow at times. Rafinha is also very good but I doubt he'll go to Milan.

I like Toulalan but I'm not sure if we need a defensive midfielder at the moment. If Gattuso leaves though, we definetly need someone like Toulalan.

So for defence i'd prefer -
Zambro
Zapata
Corluka (not sure)

 

[zoo]

If you play with:
Kalac
Cafu-Nesta-Kaladze-Favalli

Where only Nesta is world class, 2 are grandpas and 1 is out of form what else do you expect.