[Dae]

Personally I am not expecting much. I think the UEFA Cup is something that if we are playing well in general then our depth helps take us far in the competition. With our team struggling and morale seemingly at its lowest since who knows, I do not see us doing anything much here. Our only hope is that we wind up playing guys like Antonini and CArdaccio and Senderos and they are so motivated to impress that the team does something great. Add Borriello and maybe even PAto into that mix.

REally, who knows?

 

[Dae]

That is a pretty nice lineup IMO.

It is actually. Let's see if this Antonini kid is any good. Is Cardaccio even on the bench? I have a small place in my heart for the uruguayans and would love to see this guy get a chance. I understand he is pretty good.

 

[Dae]

"The absence of Pirlo? Players that can play in his position are Flamini and Emerson".

-Carlo Ancelotti.


What did I tell you? Probably not in this game, but against Lazio I expect three DM's. Wait and see.

Emerson of four years ago would have been a decent Pirlo replacement if not exactly the same player. HE was really good, but now he is a shell of the player but Carlo seems to think of him as a still top level performer.

 

[Dae]

Thanx.

PS Gila is on fire tonight, he has scored 2 goals till now ... and it took him 3 seasons to score a single goal for Milan !!!!

Not so hard to figure out, really. Gila did well in the league but had a hard time scoring in the CL at first.....so in typical fashion the fans heaped ridicule on him...........so he never really managed to gain any continental confidence..............but he scored in the league until the fans began ridiculing him because he could score there but not in hte precious Champions League...............so pretty soon the poor f*ck couldn't score at all.


Its a bit of a simplification and there were a few other factors (no wing service at all the last couple of years) but it is not far from hitting the bullseye. I'm glad Gila is doing well. He really put up with a lot of crap at Milan and never stopped trying. Talk about heart.

 

[Dae]

It is the tactic. Prandelli is using the same tactic when Gilardino was playing with Parma. And no Gila didn't do that well in the league with us. Don't blame the fans for Gila's shortcomings. They supported him, but he didn't deliver with Milan. IMO a typical Parma product, all hype no results.

Tactics didn't help, but the abuse this guy took was pretty huge. And yes, the first couple of seasons the guy did score in the league. I think he had 17 goals hte first year. It was the last two years where he really had a terrible time with things.

 

[Dae]

Gila scored 30 league goals in first 2 seasons... more than satifactory IMO... he got abuse because Gila is not a show pony, and in Milan they love either show ponies or someone who would work his arse off... Gila is neither, he has decent technical skills, but his best asset is like Trezeguet, just waiting for the goal. At Firoentina he is suited to them as they play a system which benefits him, unlike in Milan where he was expected to be the target man, the Cruyff and the Ronaldinho all in one while Kaka and Seedorf dilly dallied around him.

Bingo!

We could easily do an ESPN's "Top Five reasons you can't Blame Gila" show. Not sure if you get that overseas, but this is perfect.

 

[Dae]

That's not true AT ALL.

Pato and Borriello will start the match (according to La Gazzetta dello Sport).

ANd they are just guessing, too. I don't think anything is confirmed until Carlo makes the line up known publically, whenever the hell that is.

 

[Dae]

What's "solid as usual" in Seedorf's games?

Actually, Seedorf is solid as usual every week. Whether he is a game breaker every week is another story, but then who is a game breaker every week?

 

[Dae]

Kaka was in 2007 roud:

Every Tuesday and Wednesday for three months he was, but in the league he had plenty of "solid" days that were not anything special.

 

[Dae]

His CL campaign that year was something rivalling PLatini at the 1984 Euro and Maradona in Mexico City. F*cking legendary sheeyit!!

 

[Dae]

Seedorf is consistently good, but inconsistent when it comes to having some game changing effect/play. There is no point arguing that point.

 

[Dae]

Dida, Kalac, Favalli, Emerson - every week they break our game.

.

Funny, Mr [email protected]

There's a difference a dude who kills our game and one who breaks it open. And quite frankly Seedorf is a difference maker on many occasions. He's also prone to some passes to the wrong team but then again, anybody trying to make things happen is going to have that happen.

 

[Dae]

I see you arguing this every week, and I agree. But you must realize that as a center midfielder (2003-2006) Seedorf being consistently good is acceptable. But as an attacking midfielder or striker, as acmilan.com likes to list him, being inconsistent in changing/effecting our play is practically worthless. Its like saying Dirk Kuyt is a great striker because of his consistency, despite his lack of goals.

I only argue this every week because Seedorf is consistently a very useful player who can be expected to use teh ball well and play some defense etc and yet he is constantly singled out as being a lazy good for nothing by some allegedly knowledgeable fans.

I agree, however, that if you want to list him as a purely attacking midfielder or a "#10" and sometimes he is, then no he is not the greatest player in the world. Far from it. Imo, he is a purely central midfielder who's talents lay more on the offensive side of things. He is not a playmaker in the classic sense, although often talked of as one, so I agree, if you grade him on the playmaker report card then he is often not making those kind of play....if that makes any sense.


Again my issue is more with the 'tards who paint Clarence to be a lazy oaf than with anybody taking issue with him being less than a consistent playmaking presense.

 

[Dae]

My complaint with Seedorf is how he some days just can't get anything right, as for passing/shooting in particular. He is always good at protecting the ball and work hard.

Can't argue with that, but since you previously asked me about playing football I ask you the same (or rather comment on it )....


Anyody who has played the game and has played in an offensive position knows that some days your passing is dead on and your shooting is accurate and other days everything is a bit off. Seedorf is no different and since his shots are often the outside the box screamer types it is to be expected. If anything, expecting some tidier passing and fewer passes to the wrong team is a reasonable expectation even given the fact he is often trying to make something happen rather than simply pass the ball off.