WHO DOES MILAN REALLY NEED?

I begin this article by apologising to all those who follow my blog for Milan match previews. I am really sorry for not updating for several weeks and not fulfilling earlier promises. I promise next season will be far better.

Milan have started well in the transfer market though It hasn’t opened officially. Getting the likes of Taiwo from Marseille and Mexes from Roma both for free has done justice to our defence all thanks to the brilliant work of Galliani! But with Pirlo leaving, the focus has shifted to the midfield. In this article, I lay down my opinions on who we should sign. Pirlo’s style wasn’t what Allegri wanted so that means we are not really signing a Pirlo replacement. We are signing a midfielder suited to Allegri’s needs!

From Ganso to Lamela to Pastore to Fabregas to Montolivo to Schweinsteiger, Milan are linked to a lot of targets both realistic and unrealistic. But who do we really need? Allegri says he needs a left midfielder. So what does he intend to do with Emanuelson? The truth is that we need a playmaker more than a left sided midfielder. Allegri’s plan to employ Boateng as a trequartista is not a good one. Boateng would be better off supporting or flanking Van Bommel in midfield. He lacks some crucial qualities of a trequartista that is really evident. His shots are way below excellent, he doesn’t have an eye for exceptional passes that can split defences and his physicality will be much more useful in midfield. We need a trequartista with these qualities! Cassano could have made a good one but Allegri persists in fielding him as a striker. Also hearing rumours that Seedorf will be the starting trequartista. That is a recipe for disaster! As I wrote earlier, Galliani has confirmed that Allegri needs a left sided midfielder. This has cooled down the Ganso Trequartista rumours. Names like Kwadwo Asamoah, Montolivo, Schweinsteiger etc. are now making the headlines. If I were to pick out of these three, I would choose Montolivo. Montolivo would serve as a good Pirlo replacement and I reckon would do well in Left midfield. Asamoah is also great as the left midfield position is his role. His exploits last season also weren’t unnoticed. Schweinsteiger just signed a new contract with Bayern so any move from Bayern will require a lot of money which Milan don’t have. You could say Berlusconi has promised the Milan fans a big signing but I would rather want that big signing to be a Trequartista. Pastore would be excellent but his current valuation could pose a great obstacle. Ganso has shown that he’s injury prone. Fabregas is fantasy for now. If he is to leave Arsenal, he’s certainly heading to Spain. Let’s leave Fabregas alone. Though latest rumours say Galliani is still in England because of him, I don’t really buy the idea of signing him. If he eventually comes, no problem. I would really love Pastore in Milan! After watching Pastore in last night’s Inter Coppa Italia win over Palermo, I am fully convinced Pastore is what Milan need. A short description of him is simply an Argentine version of Kaka and the fact that he’s just 21 years of age makes him more attractive. He has a great eye for goal, possesses identical passing to Kaka and his frame means he isn’t the type to be bullied. He has also acquired valuable experience in Serie A. I can't imagine how deadly his patnership with Pato and Ibrahimovic would be! If Milan sign him, I would be the happiest man in the world! Hamsik? I don’t think Milan really need him.

                Aside that, I think we really need an Ibrahimovic backup. The Robinho-Pato strike patnership is one that is vulnerable to 'bullying' by opposition defenders. There are rumours of Klose arriving. I think we could use him as he has carved a niche for himself in the scoring department. That’s excluding his famous miss against Stuttgart earlier in the season.        

                The transfer window will soon open, all we can do as Milan fans is to fold our arms and hope Milan do well in it considering our close rivals are already making good moves in it. One thing is sure: For Milan to become competitive again in the Uefa Champions League, we need to sign the right players!
              This is strictly my opinion though. What do you think?
 Readers can now post comments as anonymous.
 

MILAN2-2PALERMO COPPA ITALIA SEMIFINAL 1ST LEG MATCH REVIEW IN THE MILAN PLAYERS' PERSPECTIVE

Amelia: As far as I am concerned, he gave in a performance of a good back up. Wasn't to blame for any of the Palermo goals. Prevented Pastore from adding a second with a great block in a one-on-one situation at the latter stage of the match.

Antonini: Did considerably well as he wasn’t really threatened in his position.  The fact still remains that he isn’t Milan class.

Sokratis: Was the flop of the match. He single handedly caused the two Palermo goals as he was easily outwitted by Pastore on both occasions. He never should have started as it was glaring that he wasn’t match fit.

Oddo: Gave in a good performance. Was good defensively but his crosses were ‘bitter-sweet.’ That is, he had almost equal number of good and bad crosses. As we all know Oddo for, he kept on swinging crosses even though they weren’t needed all the time.

Silva: Was as solid as ever. Made crucial blocks and tackles. In short, he was PERFECT. As far as I am concerned, he is the best centre back in Europe if not in the world right now. Without him, maybe we might have conceded 4 goals!

Flamini: Was hardworking as usual. Ran a lot and his overall work rate was high. The truth though is that  he is not ‘Milan class.’ His shots were very poor!

Andrea Pirlo: Considering he was only returning from injury, he gave a good performance. What I liked in particular was that his crosses were a threat to the Palermo defence, something Milan have been lacking in his absence.

Boateng: Could have done better. His shots were poor and he didn’t have as much influence as he normally does in Milan games. I can say his performance was above average.

Seedorf: Was very hardworking. He sure did his best as he shouldn’t be starting any more games for Milan. I was impressed by his agility! I mustn’t hear the description ‘slowdorf’ again!

Cassano: Gave in a lazy performance. Robinho did far much better!

Ibrahimovic: Scored the opener for Milan in fine fashion from a long pass. Was also involved in the second goal. Good performance all in all by The Swede. He should shave his moustache though!

                        SUBSTITUTIONS

Emanuelson: Came in for Cassano to score the equalizer for Milan. He injected much energy and Pace to the Milan attack. Almost got the winner!

Robinho: Together with Emanuelson, came in to inject more pace and energy to the Milan attack. Hardworking as usual.

Gattuso: He didn’t really make an impact in the game. His hair style though made much of an impact!

4′ Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Javier Pastore 14′

76′ Urby Emanuelson

Abel Mathías Hernández 53′

 

Milan3-0Sampdoria(WEEK 33)

<><>

<>

<><>

Milan 3 - 0 Sampdoria

Seedorf 20 (M), Cassano pen 54 (M), Robinho 61 (M)

FIORENTINA1-2MILAN (WEEK 32)

Seedorf 9 (M), Pato 41 (M), Vargas 80 (F)

Stadio Franchi

MILAN3-0INTER(WEEK 31)

Pato 1, 62 (M), Cassano pen 89 (M)

PALERMO1-0MILAN(WEEK 30) MATCH REVIEW IN THE MILAN PLAYERS' PERSPECTIVE.

Palermo 1 - 0 Milan Goian 9 (P)

Palermo: Sirigu; Munoz, Goian, Migliaccio; Darmian, Bacinovic (Acquah 69), Nocerino, Balzaretti; Pastore (Miccoli 73); Pinilla (Hernandez 88), IlicicMilan: Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Jankulovski (Antonini 16); Gattuso, Van Bommel (Boateng 53), Flamini; Seedorf; Pato (Robinho 63), CassanoAbbiati:Did reasonably well for the duration of the match and made a couple of good saves to keep the score at 1-0. Shown that he is the most consistent of keepers that we have. Fully deserving of his place in the starting lineup.

Nesta and Silva: Both did well throughout the duration of the match. Did their best to keep the Palermo attackers from not inflicting further damage. More credit goes to Silva though for his strong play both defensively and attackingly. Solid play I must say from the Brazilian centre back.

Jankulovski: Had to leave the pitch prematurely due to injury. Didn't see much of him due to this injury. He did well though for the duration of time he spent on the pitch.

Antonini: Came in for Jankulovski. Almost completely neglected his defensive duties by constantly attacking down the left flank. Unbelievably missed a great chance to equalise in such bad manner. Surely not Milan class.

Abate: Made good use of the right flank without neglecting his defensive duties. Floated too many crosses into the box of the opposing team without really getting a Milan player. Should have stopped when it became obvious that his crossses were of no good to the Milan team. Good performance though by him.

Van Bommel: Was the main culprit in the Palermo goal as he spent too much time protesting for an offside call without dedicating any time to close up the unmarked scorer. Should have done much better as he had 'all the time in the world' to stop the scorer. Couple of misplaced passes by him but was hardworking as usual.

Gattuso: Was as 'Gattuso' as ever and gave in his best for the Milan team. An integral part of this Milan squad he is.

Flamini: Was hardworking as usual but his contribution overall to the cause was low. His constant shots were terrible! He had ONE sensible shot though which drew a great save from Sirigu. Aside from that, I'm beginning to think that he is not Milan class.

Seedorf: Gave in the best he could. Shouln't be starting anymore for Milan.

Cassano: I liked him for his good movements with the ball and his hardwork. His shots just like those of Flamini were not up to standard but not as frequent as the French man's. Missed a great chance to equalise For Milan when sent free by a Seeedorf through ball. Not a bad performance by the former Sampdoria man.

Pato and Robinho: Tried the best he could considering the circumstances as Palermo's centrebacks were out for him. Closed the young Brazilian down in any chance they could. His sizzling runs though caused a lot of problems for the Palermo defence. Was forced out of the pitch due to injury problems.His replacement, Robinho was an idle figre on the pitch compared to what we know him for. Lost the ball easily and gave a couple of misplaced passes in crucial positions. Bad performance I must say from the Brazilian. He has shown himself to be very inconsistent.

HOW IBRA'S DISMISSAL AGAINST BARI COULD BE A BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR MILAN

To cap off a dismal display against Bari, Ibrahimovic received a straight red card following a lunge on a Bari player. After his dismissal, i noticed that the Milan game really improved. There was no more a 'Henry'(Thierry Henry in his days at Arsenal) figure on the pitch in which all the play was directed at. The Milan players worked for each other a lot more and finally a goal arrived. Another two might even have been added if not for the persistence of bad luck.
    Ibra has certainly attained a 'Henry' status at Milan in which all his team mates have that 'instinct' or better still, tendency to pass to him than to other team mates. When with the ball now Ibra is slow to think and loses the ball easily while trying to do some virtually 'impossible' moves with the ball. His 'Henry' status has not made things easier as he is most times with the ball in counterattack situations in which he eventually terminates the effort of his team mates.   
    His offside statistics now is something that worries me. He is always offside one way or the other as he is easily beaten by the opposing defenders in the offside trap.A three match break will once again, give him that rest he is always clamouring for.
     The final part of this hidden blessing could come out of the fact that once back, we could see the Ibra that we knew in the first half of the season, ready to spearhead Milan's quest for the scudetto! GO IBRA! FORZAMILAN!

JUVENTUS0-1MILAN MATCH REVIEW(WEEK 28) IN THE MILAN PLAYERS' PERSPECTIVE

Juventus 0 - 1 Milan

Gattuso 68 (M)

Stadio Olimpico

Milan defeated Juventus away 1-0 to further increase the gap at the top of the table at least temporarily depending on Sunday's results. 
Abbiati: Was solid throughout the match. Made a couple of great saves. Really consistent this term.

Nesta and Silva: Both created an impenetrable wall for the Juventus attackers. It must be said that their patnership has been the best I have seen for a club this season. Can you tell me who has been better than Silva this season?

Jankulovski: Really impressed me with his constant runs down the left flank and his defensive work. Did very well. His real test though, will come in Milan's Uefa Champions league 2nd leg tie against Tottenham.

Abate: Played with such class and solidity typical of a World class right wing back. He has really, really, really improved. Defensively he was simply outstanding! Has the potential to become the next Cafu!

Van Bommel:Once again showed great defensive work and commanding presence in the Milan midfield.He Has become an important figure in this Milan team.I reiterate the fact that he will continue to be missed in the uefa champions league.

Gattuso: Scored his first goal in three years in such a great fashion. He really is a Legendary football figure due to his unique style. That's why I repeat that he once again, gave a typical "gattuso" performance! No one like Gattuso!

Flamini:Was a replica of the Flamini who played in Milan's 3-0 defeat of Napoli. Not so impressive but hardworking. Once again showed the poor state of his shots!

Boateng: An all round midfielder. Did very well before he was forced out of the match due to injury.I just pray he makes the squad to White Hart Lane.

Ibrahimovic: Was slow in thinking, lost the ball too easily, his passing was poor, I can go on and on! Back to the Ibra of Barca! The cause of this, I do not know!

Cassano: Did considerably well but continuously gave long balls that were not useful. Lost a one on one chance with the keeper.

Robinho: Made little impact when brought into the pitch! He once again, tried to do many fancy skills that didn't work.

Seedorf: Just like Cassano, he did considerably well during his time on the pitch. Though, the sight of me seeing him play again against Tottenham is frightening!

MILAN3-0NAPOLI(WEEK 27) MATCH REVIEW IN THE MILAN PLAYERS' PERSPECTIVE

Ibrahimovic pen 48 (M), Boateng 77 (M), Pato 79 (M)

      MILAN3-0NAPOLI MATCH REVIEW IN THE MILAN PLAYERS' PERSPECTIVE
Milan defeated Napoli by three goals to nothing in the San Siro to send out a clear message to other title contenders: They are not willing to lose the scudetto title to any team now after a six year wait! just like the previous article, I am going to comment on each player's performance.

Abbiati: Didn't get to save many strikes as he was once again, rarely tested due to the superb work done by his defenders. Some of his goal kicks weren't something to write home about though.

Nesta: Was as solid as ever, together with Silva, neutralized any threat posed by the Napoli attackers. Surely a legend!

Silva: WAS SUPERB!

Abate: He should be given a call-up to the National team. Another great performance by the once improvised right back. Gave in good attacking runs down the right flank "coupled" with solid defending. He is slowly getting to a world class right back.

Jankulovski: Considering the fact that he has only played as little as one can think this season, he gave in a good performance. A performance of experience. Threatened the Napoli goal with a couple of shots that were a little off target. Once again, a good performance by the Czech.

Van Bommel: Was a wall in the Milan midfield. Recovered possession frequently for The Milan team. I reiterate that his contract should be extended for a year.

Gattuso: Gave in a typical "gattuso" performance. I guess you all know what that means by now.

Flamini: Didn't really play well as he could have done far better. Couple of very poor shots and bad passing.

Robinho: Tried to do many fancy flicks, dribbles and skills in positions where they were not needed. An average performance by the Samba star. Just like Flamini, he could have done far better

Ibrahimovic: Has lost form of recent. He took too long to make decisions when with the ball. I just don't understand why. Scored a goal through the penalty spot though.

Pato: Glad this dude has finally shown signs of maturity in his game play. Gave an assist and scored a wonderful goal. His electrifying pace and sudden passing ability gave the Napoli defence hell! Has the potential to become the World's best player.

Prince Boateng: Came in to score a goal from a Pato assist. Never gave the ball away and was a threat to Napoli both in an attacking and defensive perspective.

CHIEVO1-2MILAN(WEEK 26) MATCH REVIEW IN THE MILAN PLAYERS' PERSPECTIVE

Robinho 25 (M), Fernandes 63 (C), Pato 82 (M)

Stadio Bentegodi

    CHIEVO1-2MILAN MATCH REVIEW IN THE MILAN PLAYERS' PERSPECTIVE   
Goals from Robinho and Pato secured a vital away win for Milan at Chievo. In this review, I am going to look at the performance of each player on the pitch.

Abbiati: Was not really called up into the match to make important saves because of the great work done by the defenders in front of him! Was pretty solid throughout the match and didn't make any blunders.

Nesta: played well for a great duration of the match but his passing was quite poor sometimes. His poor positioning allowed Fernandes to steal in to nod home an equaliser in the second half of the match.

Thiago Silva: Once again as solid as ever! Made a number of crucial tackles and was never beaten on a one on one situation with an attacker. Made a couple of great runs to spearhead counterattacks. If I as to rate him, I would give him a 9.5 over 10!

Abate: Was very strong at the back, made good use of the right flank well and put in good crosses. Has really improved since being used as an improvised right back during Leonardo's tenure.Should receive an Italy call up!

Antonini: Didn't really see him play so I can't comment on his performance.


Gattuso: Was as "gattuso" as ever as he gave in a typical "gattuso" performance we know him for. Always ready to put himself on the line for Milan.

Merkel: Didn't really play up to expectation today as he gave a couple of stray passes and wasn't as confident as we know him for. All in all, he gave in a good performance. One for the future he is!

Van Bommel: His no nonsense style once again proved very useful for Milan as his constant tackles stopped a lot of potential counter attack efforts from the Chievo team! His contract should be extended for at least a year!

Cassano: All I can say is that he is finally, finally, getting his consistency and top form back.

Robinho: Was as hardworking as ever and got the opening goal. He might have handled the ball while trying to control on the build up to the goal though.

Ibrahimovic: Once again, didn't play well though he gave the assist for Robinho's goal.Repeatedly lost the ball too easily.He might be having some personal problems. Simply not the Ibra I know.

Pato:Played the role of a super sub as he came in to score a wonder goal for Milan. You need to see Galliani's reaction to the goal! That's enough to tell you that he is going nowhere!

Boateng: Came in for Merkel and brought great stability to the midfield as he contributed in both the attacking and defensive aspects. A complete player. Sorely missed against Tottenham in The Uefa Champions league.

Oddo: Was solid defensively at the back and made some good runs down the left flank. Did pretty well considering he was playing out of position.

 

WHEN WILL MILAN STOP DEFILING THE SAN SIRO?

I begin this article by "paying tribute" to Arsenal for their great spirited display at the Emirates by beating the best team in the world Barcelona in a very entertaining game that certainly lived up to its billing. Their London counterparts Tottenham also defeated Milan in a game that didn't really live up to expectations. I first begin by comparing the two different situations.       
    Let's cast back to when Arsenal came from two goals down last season in a uefa champions league quaterfinal tie to draw with Barcelona 2-2 at the Emirates. Two goals down at the end of half time, strikes from Walcott and Fabregas(penalty) ensured that Arsenal wouldn't lose at the emirates. That same season, Milan were humbled 3-2 by Manchester United at the San Siro in a round of 16 tie.The second leg of both ties saw Arsenal and Milan humiliated at the Camp Nou and Old Trafford by 4-1 and 4-0 scorelines respectively.But here is what I am driving at:    
    In both Arsenal-Barcelona matches at the Emirates in the last two years, we saw how Arsenal players fought so hard to prevent their team from losing at home in the presence of their supporters. That should be the hallmark of any great team especially in the uefa champions league where away goals are very vital and where there is competition among several leagues as to who betters who.
    Milan on the other hand have lost 2-0 at home to Arsenal, 3-2 at home to Manchester United and 1-0 at home to Tottenham in knockout stages of the uefa champions league in the space of four years. This is so pathetic considering how the San Siro was feared so much in previous seasons from 2007 downwards. Not that we don't lose at home at all those days but not in knockout stages against English teams! Those days, a Milan opponent coming to the San Siro? They are in for it! Nowadays, I can't argue with so much authority and confidence as I used to do with my friends who support English premier league teams.   
    The reasons for this decline are not far fetched but I am not going to write about that in this article. I leave that for you knowledgeable readers.
    As a Milan fan, I strongly believe that Milan can turn things around by beating Tottenham at White Hart Lane(WHICH IS VERY POSSIBLE!) but to do this, Milan players have to remember their identity  which is fast fading away; They are one of the most feared teams in the uefa champions league. I laugh at those who have already written Milan off in this tie!

MILAN4-0PARMA(WEEK 25) MATCH REVIEW IN THE MILAN PERSPECTIVE

Seedorf 8 (M), Cassano 17 (M), Robinho 62, 65 (M)

Stadio Meazza

 This was just a verification of the article I wrote earlier: Five reasons why Milan will give Parma a bashing. You can check it!
 The Milan team was simply unstoppable! Not that Parma just sat back and watched as the Milan attackers bombarded their net with goals, they also played well to a good extent. But once again, the Milan team was simply unstoppable.Goals from Seedorf, Cassano and Robinho(2) did the rout! I was particularly surprised at the way Seedorf played. He silenced his critics(at least for a while) including me as he put up an incredible work rate compared to what he has shown us in earlier matches. He set the tone for a great match in Milan's favour with his early shot that forced a save from the keeper. His spirited run into the box allowed him to get unto the end of Ibrahimovic's blind pass assist to round the keeper and give Milan the lead. His constant runs that troubled the Parma defence was also something that really surprised me. Seedorf running with such speed? UNBELIEVABLE!
 The centre back duo of Silva and Nesta gave in a peformance I could call perfect! I will say this again, THIAGO SILVA IS THE BEST CENTRE BACK IN THE WORLD. He and Nesta dissolved any threat Amauri and Crespo may have posed. Oddo might have gone for some crossing lessons before the match. His crossings were an exact opposite of his in our previous game against Genoa.In fact, One of his crosses almost led to goal!I was also very impressed with Antonini. He is finally improving.
 When my room mates saw Gattuso's assist for Cassano's goal, they screamed: "GATTUSO IS BACK!" That's exactly a short description of Gattuso's performance. Van Bommel's no nonsense style is one that I cherish. His constant tackles stopped several counterattack efforts of the Parma team. He is going to be missed sorely in the Uefa Champions league. Merkel? What can I say? This young lad is one for the future. He is a very confident player for his age(19). Was not intimidated by the much older players he played with and always generated a buzz when with the ball. He wasn't afraid to use his pace at several occasions and almost scored a goal(his foot missed the ball by inches).
 Cassano's two assists and his goal once again shows how much Milan would miss him in the Uefa Champions League. All I want from him now is continuity. Ibrahimovic gave the typical "Ibra" performance we now get to know him for; A performance of great determination. He should continue this trend against Tottenham!
 I WISH THE MILAN TEAM A GREAT WIN IN THEIR UPCOMING UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIRST LEG MATCH AGAINST TOTTENHAM. FORZAMILAN!!!!

BLOG MINI POLL!

BLOG POLL: WHO HAS BEEN THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PLAYER FOR HIS CLUB THIS SEASON AMONG NAPOLI'S CAVANI, MILAN'S IBRAHIMOVIC, INTER'S SAMUEL ETO'O AND UDINESE'S DI NATALE? READERS CAN NOW CAST THEIR VOTES AS ANONYMOUS READERS.MILAN FANS SHOULD NOT BE BIASED! THANKS.

Five reasons why Thiago Silva is the best centre back in the world!

Thiago Silva is now the best centre back in the world, better than Vidic, Pique or any other centre back! I am not saying this as a Milan fan but as a football fan. Here are five reasons why I say so:

1)Thiago Silva is very good aerially, he rarely gets beaten in the air! You can watch A.C. Milan's next game!

2)He rarely gets beaten on a one on one situation with an attacker! For a fact, I can't remember when I have seen him beaten on such situations.

3)He drifts in easily into the centre of the pitch, spearheading counter attacks and even getting some goals in the process!

4)He has an excellent control of the ball together with beautiful passing. He can even be used as a central midfielder!

5)He is pacy and so cannot be beaten easily by a fast opponent.

   
IF YOU THINK OTHERWISE, YOU CAN COMMENT AS AN ANONYMOUS READER! THANKS!

Follow Obasa Olalekan Adedeji on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/obsylakeside

five reasons why Milan will give Parma a bashing!

1)Ibrahimovic, as far as I am concerned is lagging behind in the goals department. Ibra will be more than willing to score in every opportunity  he gets in order to close up with other leading goal scorers including Samuel Eto'O! Ibra will be charged up! The Milan team will also bear in mind that:

2)Napoli are just three points from Milan and a win for Napoli together with a draw or loss for Milan will mean that Napoli would just be one point or zero points respectively from Milan. They surely won't want that!

3)A win for Inter against Roma and a draw or loss for Milan will mean that Inter will only be three or two points respectively from Milan with a game in hand!

3)A loss or draw for Napoli against Roma together with a Milan win will increase the points difference at the top from three to either six or five points respectively.

5)A LOSS OR DRAW FOR INTER AGAINST JUVENTUS TOGETHER WITH A WIN FOR MILAN WILL MEAN INTER WILL BE EIGHT OR SEVEN POINTS RESPECTIVELY FROM MILAN WITH A GAME IN HAND!
            PREDICTION:MILAN3-0PARMA
    Readers can now post comments on my blog as anonymous readers! THANKS.
                 FORZAMILAN!!!!
 Follow Obasa Olalekan on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/obsylakeside

Milan-Genoa(1-1) Match review

Today's match against Genoa has once again shown how bad Oddo is with crosses.I have known him to be bad with crosses. He is a right wing back well equipped with pace and power, knows how to make good runs down the flank but his final ball is always not good enough.I first noticed this in our 2007 Uefa Champions league campaign where we came out victorious. Since then, Oddo has never really improved on his crosses.Today, he kept crossing balls when he knew he wasn't getting the target! If I was Allegri, I would have called him to the sidelines and told him not to make any more crosses! Whether or not Oddo refused to admit to himself that his crosses were poor, or he wasn't thinking enough to know that his crosses were of no good to the Milan team remains to be seen. When Milan were desperately searching for a goal and through counter attacks, Oddo was always the first one to launch long balls from his Right wing back position straight onto the legs or chests of Genoa defenders in the box. While it was seen that Milan were lacking creativity, Oddo did not help matters by giving the ball to opposition players frequently through his poor crosses.

Cassano on the other hand was very unmotivated! He couln't fend off minimal challenges from opposition defenders and lost the ball too easily. Maybe Allegri shouln't have removed Robinho for him. Robinho is not a good finisher from what I've seen in recent games but in games like the Genoa match where we were lacking creativity, Robinho's constant runs would have been very useful till the end!

Bonera? I don't know what to say again! His poor positioning allowed Floro Flores to score the equaliser. I shouldn't talk about him again. I am fed up!

What Milan might have needed to win this match was an extra bit of concentration from Ibrahimovic at some times but sadly enough we didn't get that from him this time around although he set up Pato's opener beautifully!
 I saw Seedorf warming up and I was like,"Oh My God!" Thank Goodness he did not get to play any part in the match as it could have meant a Genoa win. He simply would be too slow for such a match played at a high tempo like that.
 All in all, the culprit of the day was ODDO who continuosly stopped Milan counterattacks with his poor crossing! Let's hope that Roma gives us some consolation by beating Inter!
Follow Obasa Olalekan Adedeji on twitter  http://twitter.com/#!/obsylakeside. Thanks!

Allegri should stop using Seedorf and Bonera

Since the beginning of this season, I have not liked what I have seen in Seedorf and I believe any average Milan fan would agree with me. Seedorf's figure, as it turns out, has declined to a pitiable state that is "non football friendly." His buttocks have "pumped out" to a laughable state, his face has become too old that suggests he might even be older than what we know him as. He even looks older and "non athletic" than our coach Allegri! This has even manifested on the pitch as he is too slow, cannot hold the ball for a reasonable amount of time, finds it hard to dribble past players without losing the ball and his presence on the pitch is like the opposing team having a twelfth player. Forgive me for being blunt but the truth has to be said. It also turns out that he can't give decisive passes again as he does before. The only thing we see now and then are some flashes of brilliance that are fast fading away.We have seen virtually the worst and end of Seedorf. Once he is with the ball, he quickly turns, passes to any player he sees on the wings or loses the ball cheaply while trying to do some impossible moves. Against Udinese, we all saw the way he lost the ball cheaply in the midfield to gift Udinese a goal. Against Leece, we saw how his presence on the pitch was like a minus to the Milan team. Even a neutral observer that has watched Milan's games with will know that Seedorf isn't to start in any more Milan games.
       Bonera on the other hand, has shown hardworking signs on the pitch, but then again, the truth has to be said: he is not Milan class. I dont get to watch many Milan matches because of  what I am currently studying but the few ones I have watched this season, the writing is clear: Bonera has to leave. In the uefa champions league game against Manchester United last season, Bonera showed that he is clearly not Milan's class. He was easily beaten in the air and was easily outpaced. All in all, he gave a kind of lacklustre performance that wasnt to be gone unnoticed. Since then, Bonera has given quite a good number of performances for Milan but after the game against Udinese, once again, the question has been brought to the fold: Is he really Milan class? He singlehandedly made milan concede three goals. On 53 minutes, he was easily beaten by Sanchez to nod home, on 66 minutes, he was easily outwitted by Di Natale(much to my disgust) to give Udinese a 3-1 lead and finally, moments before injury time his poor positioning allowed  substitute Denis to slot home a pinpoint cross from Maurice Isla.  Milan have lost 5 games with him on the pitch(where he has started 4) this season as at Jan 9 2011. This is alarming when you consider that he is not a starter  for  Milan and Milan have actually lost 5 games this season.  Allegri has even used Bonera as a left back in a couple of matches this season when Antonini was fully fit. Can you imagine this?
       The coppa italia match against Bari has said it all. With a three man midfield of Gattuso, Ambrosini, Merkel and an attacking trio of Robinho, Cassano and Ibra, milan exhibited free flowing attacking football and gave an eye catching performance in a game which we won covincingly by three goals to nothing! 
       When Leonardo was sacked as Milan boss, I was totally against this decision. The reason was very simple: Leonardo had done very well enough last season considering the quality of players at his disposal. Last season, the Milan team was made up of an inconsistent Dida, never improving Antonini, an improvised Abate(though now doing well at his position), an injury prone Nesta, an over-aged midfield, a forever unserious Ronaldinho(though he put up great performances for Milan, he was sometimes too "playful"on the pitch as we saw in the first leg against Manchester United), "one legged" Borriello(could do virtually nothing with his right leg) out of sorts Huntelaar and an injury prone Pato. We also had inadequate back up on the bench. To add salt to these "injuries", when Leonardo asked for a striker, he was given a MANCINI! He was even given a 35 year old Beckham as a midfield reinforcement or what can I call that? Leonardo even had open problems with Berlusconi but still took us to a champions league spot which in the beginning of the season, strong  football pundits almost ruled us out. We were even title contenders at a time in the season! Aside from this, Leonardo is an intelligent man. He has employed great rapport with his players as the basis of his coaching which I believe any good coach should do.
      As a Milan fan, I may not like the fact that Leonardo is now Inter coach,
but the truth is bitter: Leonardo will almost surely do well at Inter. Allegri should stop using Seedorf and Bonera as starters. He should better lace his boots and get ready for an intense battle with Inter for this seasons Serie a Title. I rest my case.
   Follow Obasa Olalekan on twitter @obsylakeside. Thanks