Serie A 09/10 Thread

[InOffMeLeftShin]

I agree Mike at one point they looked certain to sign Dzeko, Cissokho and Hernanes. Then they all collapsed and it seemed like they just decided that they couldn't be bothered to try after that.

To be fair on the Gourcuff transfer, he was rubbish in Italy before he headed to Bordeaux. He showed promise and it didn't amount to anything and so they let him go. Then of course he ended up having a great season (mostly because in reality he wasn't rubbish at all, but all players need to play regularly to get confidence and into a rhythm). By then it was too late and they were stuck with the deal.

Every position in the side needs refreshing (except maybe the strikers, Pato is good and I expect Huntelaar to come good too). The midfield is old and leggy and relies way too much on Pirlo who has been pretty bad for the past few seasons. When he is good he is great, when he isn't he needs 3 people to run around trying to make up for him. Seedorf, Ambrosini, Gattuso? Where is the drive, pace, athleticism, footballing ability?

The defence is bad. The goalkeeping situation is ridiculous. They are just a big mess.

 

[SE26YID]

Helllo All, I'm wondering if any of you could help, I've been searching the net with no joy. Is anyone in the UK showing a weekly highlights package for Serie ! this season? I know ESPN have live match's but I'd like to see a weekly round up if possible.

Cheers.

 

[mike_l]

I agree Mike at one point they looked certain to sign Dzeko, Cissokho and Hernanes. Then they all collapsed and it seemed like they just decided that they couldn't be bothered to try after that.

To be fair on the Gourcuff transfer, he was rubbish in Italy before he headed to Bordeaux. He showed promise and it didn't amount to anything and so they let him go. Then of course he ended up having a great season (mostly because in reality he wasn't rubbish at all, but all players need to play regularly to get confidence and into a rhythm). By then it was too late and they were stuck with the deal.

Every position in the side needs refreshing (except maybe the strikers, Pato is good and I expect Huntelaar to come good too). The midfield is old and leggy and relies way too much on Pirlo who has been pretty bad for the past few seasons. When he is good he is great, when he isn't he needs 3 people to run around trying to make up for him. Seedorf, Ambrosini, Gattuso? Where is the drive, pace, athleticism, footballing ability?

The defence is bad. The goalkeeping situation is ridiculous. They are just a big mess.

I knew there was someone I was forgetting. On top of those 3 there were so many other players moving on this Summer that would have been a massive improvement for Milan. The madrid bunch for starters, especially with the Kaka deal they could have looked into reduced prices for the likes of Robben and Sneijder. Given Madrid paid 80m for Ronaldo less than a week after Kaka went, 56m looks a little low in retrospect for a player of arguably equal ability and similar age.

Even after those two had gone elsewhere there was Van Der Vaart looking to move on, as well as the likes of Lucho Gonzalez, Diego etc. They desperately need to freshen things up, maybe do what we did when Arnesen took over and invest in young players whose value will increase or at least stay the same, however Burlusconi seems more interested in big names, regardless of if they are passed it or not.

 

[donny1013]

Helllo All, I'm wondering if any of you could help, I've been searching the net with no joy. Is anyone in the UK showing a weekly highlights package for Serie ! this season? I know ESPN have live match's but I'd like to see a weekly round up if possible.

Cheers.

Yeah there is a Serie A round up show which is usually on at like 9.30 on a Monday or Tuesday night. I will warn you though that it is pretty shit as there is some very decidedly dodgy music and they will replay something like an overhead kick around 5 times in a montage. Nowhere near as good as say the Bundesliga review.
Your right about Gourcuff IOMLS, he wasn't able to get in the side because of Kaka and when he did he would be out the next game and couldn't get adapted. Milan also could have signed Luis Fabiano who i think would be a success in Serie A but they just gave up. It is also very depressing to see Ronaldinho continuing to get worse every week. He was a footballing genius at Barca, very direct and full of tricks and explosive pace. Now he looks as if he is at the end of his career just trying to be a playmaker and barely doing any running but he is only 29.

 

[SE26YID]

Yeah there is a Serie A round up show which is usually on at like 9.30 on a Monday or Tuesday night. I will warn you though that it is pretty shit as there is some very decidedly dodgy music and they will replay something like an overhead kick around 5 times in a montage. Nowhere near as good as say the Bundesliga review.
Your right about Gourcuff IOMLS, he wasn't able to get in the side because of Kaka and when he did he would be out the next game and couldn't get adapted. Milan also could have signed Luis Fabiano who i think would be a success in Serie A but they just gave up. It is also very depressing to see Ronaldinho continuing to get worse every week. He was a footballing genius at Barca, very direct and full of tricks and explosive pace. Now he looks as if he is at the end of his career just trying to be a playmaker and barely doing any running but he is only 29.

Cheers Donny, is it on ESPN? Cheers

 

[donny1013]

Yeah it's on ESPN i should have mentioned.
Genoa have just gone 2-1 up against Juve, superb header from Hernan Crespo.

 

[Rumbaldo]

genoa - juve was a very entertaining game imo thought juve were going to edge it at the end. they were pretty unlucky to have 2 goals disallowed - yeah i know they were offside but look at milito's first goal. On another day juve could of got away with them good game from the lino i guess.
Out of intrest did anyone watch anderlecht tonight The ref got hurt and had to be subbed first time i have ever seen that happen!
As for the rossoneri I think we can pretty much write this season off i dont think people should be writing ronaldinho off yet though he just came back from being ill so will probs need a few games to get back up to speed.
Draw specialist Bari up next so i wouldnt expect a win there either

 

[spursandbarca]

predict by January that Leonardo will be sacked and Rijkaard will take over

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

I wouldn't have thought they will get rid of Leonardo yet, he isn't doing much worse than Ancelotti did. Make no mistake they were dreadful under Ancelotti in the league also but he managed to cover it up by winning a Champions League. Of course Milan were already well out of contention by the time the later stages of the Champions League came around and so they played reserve teams in the league before CL games. Most other teams still in the competition were still competing on all fronts and so Milan had by far the freshest side in the competition.

 

[DEFchenkOE]

I thought Ronaldinho would come good this year but it hasn't started so well, was really hoping he would flourish now given the added responsibility after Kaka left and it being world cup year. Maybe Milan didn't have the funds but Cissokho and Hernanes would have made such a difference I think.

Don't think they were ever linked but what on earth has happened to Valdivia?? At Palmeiars he was looking like a real talented player then he disappears of to the middle east and completely off the radar. This is the type of player Milan should have been looking at last year.

 

[deselina]

milan are done for this year, even if they replace leonardo in january the damage has already been done.

 

[donny1013]

Samp beat Inter 1-0, knew it would be tough for Inter there but still thought they would get a result. Samp are looking a force this season along with Genoa which is good to see

 

[deselina]

they were without sneijder who took a knock in the previous game and mourinho was saving him for the champions league game.

i think most champions league clubs playing this weekend have the game on tuesday or wednesday in their mind which is why we see such strange scores like the chelsea defeat.

 

[donny1013]

Deselina i met Van der Sar last night when i was out in London, such a nice guy!
Yeah Sneijder is going to be very pivotal to what Inter achieve this season, and Eto'o has to start scoring away from the San Siro

 

[donny1013]

Bari are still holding Milan 0-0 in a very lackluster perfomance with Ronaldinho doing very little again and coming off after 70 mins.

 

[C0YS]

Sampdoria and Juve top.....could not be any better

 

[hybridsoldier]

Sampdoria and Juve top.....could not be any better

spot on! Samp are really looking great this season, disspointed result for Juve to let it go late on though

 

[Rumbaldo]

Bari are still holding Milan 0-0 in a very lackluster perfomance with Ronaldinho doing very little again and coming off after 70 mins.

to be fair to him and seedorf actually, milan looked absolutely shit they were the only two trying to make stuff happen a few nice exchanges occured between the 2 but things just arent happening for the whole team atm. Plus Bari's defence looked well up for it today.
having said that ronaldinho did have two chances he probably should of put away. all in all it went exactly as i thought it would milan need a top notch target man at the very least someone who isnt going to waste what few chances the team get by being offside yes huntelaar and super pippo im looking at both of you.

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

Samp are looking pretty good right now, but they have a small squad and usually struggle away. Their start to the season reminds me a lot of the start Udinese made last year, the big difference being Cassano. If he can keep them ticking they can have a good season and maybe even challenge for a Champions League place (although I don't think they will).

Milan were absolutely horrible again and were in fact lucky to take anything from the game at all. They have to find some inspiration from somewhere, but right now it isn't looking good.

 

[donny1013]

AC Milan coach Leonardo has appealed to Rossoneri supporters not to give up on his struggling outfit.

The sale of Kaka to Real Madrid and the departure of coach Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea has been followed by a woeful start to the season, with Sunday's goalless home draw against newly-promoted Bari leaving Milan 11th in the standings.

Just 34,000 fans turned up at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium to watch Milan on Sunday and many booed at the end of the game.

"We are struggling psychologically although our team has the experience to react," Leonardo said.

"We hope that more fans can turn up to the stadium, the team needs their support."

The result against Bari capped a frustrating week for Leonardo.

It followed the Rossoneri's 1-0 defeat at Udinese in midweek and left them seven points behind league leaders Sampdoria.

"Bari played very well," Leonardo said. "We struggled against them and in the end the boos, just like the applause, are also deserved.

"We risked losing this game so we have to be relieved to have claimed a point."

Milan's hero was their goalkeeper, Marco Storari, who denied Bari on several occasions.

The biggest problem for Leonardo's squad has been its inability to score.

They have managed just one goal in their last five league games.

Top summer signing Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Ronaldinho have yet to score this season.

"We are really struggling to create chances," Leonardo said. "It is normal that the fans expect us to get a result at the San Siro."

Milan host FC Zurich on Wednesday in the Champions League and travel to Bergamo to face Atalanta on Sunday.