Barcelona - AC Milan [R] 3/12/13 - CL Round of 16 (Game 2/2)

What a disappointment. Before the 1st leg we were all sure we would be eliminated. After the first leg we had hope. Today we are out. It was an odd game. However it did not look different than the 1st leg besides the goals. The only difference was Barca attacked for goals instead of just passing. They knew they had to score multiple goals due to goal aggregates and they came out from minute 1. Milan played exactly the same way: Bad passes, scared, timid, counter attacking, chasing. The only difference is Barca capitalized on shots and we didn't.

We can complain about the diving and play acting that Barca did, but at the end of the day the better team advanced. Allegri inspired the first leg but was unable to switch the style up for the 2nd leg. Barca did. They advanced Alves to a RM position forcing SES to come back and not attack. Alba ran down the left also, but Barca ran primarily down the right side(Alves) forcing SES to stay back. Also they put in a true CF in Villa. We showed our hand in the first leg. We said we will play this formation and play defense, win the ball, long ball to Pazzini who wins ball and passes to wingers. Barca had time to study that formation and counter it tactically and they did. Losing Pazzini hurt us because Niang isn't that guy. He is awesome, but not a CF like Pazzini. Sadly, we didn't have a true replacement for Pazzini so we either had to switch formations/style(one that defeated barca) OR slot in a guy who we thought can just be put in and do what Pazzini did(Niang) which didn't work, which is why you noticed Boateng go to the false #9 postion and Niang went wide in later part of 1st half. It was the same team, playing the same game vs a SUPERIOR team who knew how we played and had the tactics to beat that style. I wish Allegri would have scrapped the formation and invented a new way. Play a 3-5-2 defensive and than bring Niang in later stages to go back to 4-3-3. We can nit pick all we want but we went out the way we won weeks ago. Who would switch something that worked I guess is the question.

Either way, this Milan team FAR EXCEEDED expectations. 6 months ago we sold our best offensive and defensive player(T Silva/Ibra). We let go of legends( Gattuso, Nesta,MVB,Zambrotta,Seedorf,Inzaghi) and replaced them with names like Constant, Zapata, Montolivo, Niang. The team was in shambles. The fans were in an uproar. We started the season horribly and took time to get us where we are today. A young team, filled with promise. A team that weeks ago beat the almight Barcelona. A team that is competing for 2nd place in Serie A. A team that has lost 1 game in last 10 and more recently acquired perhaps the best Italian striker in Mario Balotelli. Yes this game hurts, yes it was painful, yes we were so close, BUT this will only make us better. This will only infuse more passion. This will let Europe know, the Milan is not dead, Milan is not out, but Milan is here and next season watch out. A healthy De Jong, a trident of SES / Balotelli / Niang will be let loose to score bundles of goals. Milan fans don't cry. Don't complain. Don't whine. This year was our rebuilding year, we had 0 expectations. I think 6 months later we can hold our heads high and be proud of the team that is out there fighting wearing the red and black. Chin up guys, we'll be back next year even stronger. And that is what should scare other fans even more...

 

Reminds me of the Euros, Italy v Spain. When Italy drew the 1st game, everyone was saying how good they were. While Italy play the same system all the way, Spain/Barca has always changed their system.

 

A proper manager.
You make good points though.
One thing that I think is really indicative is where you mention "forcing" SES to stay back. That's the thing about tactics... in the end, the opponent can never really "force" you to do anything with your player positioning. Your own team always has a choice of what tradeoffs to make. The choice can be right or wrong. To me, the CHOICE to have Abate sit back until the third goal, forcing him into static defending and completely negating his pace both in attack and in recovery (which he exemplified by blazing past Pedro, not a slow player, from well behind to snuff a counter by Barca in the 2nd), is a bad CHOICE motivated by excessive fear, not something "forced" by Alba and Pedro. As soon as Abate was at liberty to get forward, he tore up that side. And when he was caught out, he used his searing pace to recover.... until he quit on a couple plays at the bitter end from exhaustion. But Abate should be doing that from minute one. He should be looking to burn up the sideline and create a release every time Milan gets a touch on the ball in their own third. Yes, he is going to leave space in behind. But yes, he is also going to "force" Barca to make some hard choices about their positioning. And a proper manager should have a rotation scheme in mind with the other three backline players and the dmids where they are going to be aware and cover that space, taking some risks to do so. Likewise, instead of having SES drop in and press every time, he should be instructed to lurk like a predator off the shoulder of that high, high Barca backline, even if it means Alves is rampaging down the right channel. Because Alves is undisciplined and very streaky in his delivery in the final third, his pushing up is a potential weakness that must be exploited and a gamble that must be taken. One could go on and on at each position. Milan is not "forced" to have its players doing such negative things, it is the manager's choice. In a match where, at the opening whistle, taking three goals is TOTALLY FINE as long as you can snatch just one. Really, from any possible perspective, just criminally bad coaching. Yes, Barca in their pomp is a favorite over a young rebuilding Milan anyway, but that is not an excuse for clear tactical stupidity. Milan may not have won even with correct tactics, or they could have used exactly these incorrect tactics and still won a famous victory with a little more luck of centimeters, but that is just a reflection of the universality that there are no certainties in soccer. Allegri's job is to maximize the odds of going through all else equal and he didn't, not even close.

 

Didn't see the game but sadly I knew more or less who would prevail.

 

I want Dede and Ogbonna for CB.

Wish it was Mario on that break instead of Niang.

 

Agreed. The problem with the Barca team is that they wear you down. By the end of the game you are too tired and thats when they pounce if they havent already. Im guessing Allegri didn't want to attack full out because it will expose the backline so they had to be smart about it. And to be honest, perhaps scoring early would have been bad for Milan. Barca would have pressured even more and got the 4th earlier. It was just a tough game for us. Unlucky all around while not playing the best. Game of inches: Messi's shot in between 2 guys on 1st goal. between Mexes legs on 2nd goal, Niang hits post, Constant almosts blocks pass on Villa goal. Good teams take advantage of those lil things, and Barca isn't good, they are great. It did remind me eerily of Euro final. 1st goal= Cheilini injury, 2nd goal= Spain early goals. Seemed like such a promising game given how we played in first game and than we came out flat and just didn't have it. Def sucked...

 

Did any of you find it strange that Barca was able to press at such an unbelievably high tempo for so long?

I'm getting that Lance Armstrong feeling...

 

Italy changed their system throughout the Euro's dude. Prandelli dropped the 3-5-2 that was effective vs Spain in the first game for the 4-3-3 that destroyed Germany. That was the first mistake. The other ones (mistakes) were not in his control.

Spain and Bartha play a 4-3-3 or a 3-4-3. The one thing they rotate and did in these two games is going from their false nine to having a designated striker yesterday.

 

Bold prediction!!

Not strange at all. Spain was the same in the final after looking pretty tired vs Portugal. I don't want to read into it, but there's a lot of speculation re; Fuentes and company. If there's evidence to be found, maybe it will be, otherwise Bartha was just the better team yesterday.

 

But at what point is it barely even believable?

Its easy to say they were the better team because Milan wasn't that good and they made plenty of errors, but then I think back to how Barca punked ManU around on two seperate occasions, one in Rome the other at Wembley, and in both occasions there was no letting up from Barca similar to yesterday.

Either human beings have evolved suddenly to push the limits past a certain level of normality, or something else is going on.

 

I'm not disagreeing, but I want to see evidence first. If Fuentes is ever forced to talk, like he alluded to 3 years ago, maybe we'll know. Isn't there a trial going on now?

 

This is not a simple isolated case.

We're talking about a multi-million dollar enterprise with more than 100 million fans world-wide generating a fortune for UEFA while seemingly possessing a very advanced in-house operation that is being undetected.

Circumstancial evidense you'll find in abundance with an iota of research, but hard evidence... Think of the implications...

 

I have thought about it, and it's huge like you suggest! It's probably why Fuentes said the legal arm of UEFA and FIFA are massive and very influential too, and that he has received some serious death threats if he speaks.

Though I think if it were ever fully unravelled, Barcelona/Spain would likely not be the only team(s) involved.

If I recall correctly, I believe I read last month that there were over 100 blood bags seized from Fuentes labs that belonged to footballers with encrypted names on the bags to not reveal their identity. How they determined these were footballers is still a mystery to me, so no real hard evidence yet.

"The blood bags had code numbers and names for each client and Santamaria asked Fuentes why this secrecy was necessary and why some of the treatments took place in hotels around Madrid."

http://football.thestar.com.my/2013/01/30/spanish-doctor-had-clients-in-soccer-and-tennis/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...f-Spanish-doping-doctor-is-being-handled.html

You probably are already aware of all this though.

 

Yeah don't forget about Barca ducking out of timely drug testing because player A to G was absent or that Pep was actually caught himself during his player days at Brescia and the same physio is at Barca right now.

There's a lot of circumstancial evidense, probably enough to warrant an investigation from Interpol if I'm being honest, but there's soo much moola at stake it doesn't seem like anything will be pursued.

At the same time I'm not going to sit here and say that everybody else is exempt because that would be simply idiotic. There's advanced doping all over the place I'm sure, its just that Barca clearly has the most advanced system of doping then anybody else and they cover it up brilliantly.

Remember they're the people of the worlds team.

 

this is the first thing i thought of when i saw the new pope was argentine. messi scores a brace to knock us out of the CL. then they let him pick the new pope. unbelievable.

 

While I would not be surprise to find Barca exposed in a doping scheme, it has been pointed out that one tactical advantage of tikitaka is that it actually tires the opponent more than your own players... by pressing so hard so high up after every lost ball, Barca is minimizing the amount of longer-range chasing they have to do. They can get away with this because teams play cowardly and refuse to stretch them at the back, it plays right into their hands.

Of course, the main and definitine thing we know about Barca doping is that they pumped Messi full of HGH for years and years. Barca got a pass on it because it was deemed medically necessary for his midget condition, and the media just goes along with the pretense. I wonder how many little kids are getting jacked up on HGH at La Masia each year now under the same story that they have a growth deficit or whatever?

 

Is the Pope going to use his connection with the creator to help Argentina now?

Agreed with most, but it doesn't explain how Xavi and other of the deeper players are capable of sustaining high pressure and then returning to also help defend for 90 minutes without looking fatigued at all. He's getting up there in years too, 33 I think? But his work rate is still very high.

It was reported as some sort of hypo thyroid condition. Basically without the HGH he would not have grown to 5'5 or reached 140lbs. Who knows how much smaller he would have been, but the drug was given to help him develop muscularly and get a bit taller.

 

Regarding Messi. He rarely is rested and never injured. I never want to see a guy get hurt but playing such a high level for years with minimal breaks and the constant physical hits he gets is mind boggling to see how healthy he stayed. People don't realize that HGH in athletes isn't used to get big muscles like body builders do but it is used to recover faster, help become stronger and faster and more endurance. I'd love to find out Barca have been cheating and subsequently Spain BUT FIFA and UEFa love them and make money off them. They won't let that happen...

 

Yeah it sucks.

Overall we were never going to win anything this season. Yes it would have been nice to upset "Goliath" (and for a split second we could have) but we would have gone out eventually. And in that case, you go big or go home because history only remembers those who lift the cup.

Lets just forget about Barcelona for now. Let those shipyard peasants enjoy it while it lasts because I don't think they're winning this season anyways - meanwhile we need to keep focusing on what we're building here.

We can talk about transfers at the end of the season but for now we just have to focus on finishing second in the league and continue with Allegri's work. If we can manage to finish the season on a positive combined with a few minor off season tweaks, then maybe next year for once in our miserable lives we can actually finish first in a group stage and not have to worry about getting smothered in the round of 16.

For the love of christ it feels like the last several seasons we've played Barca like a million times already.

 

Both of Italian descent.

 

If you just pass it around without going anywhere the majority of the game, you shouldn't get very tired. I never saw what others liked so much about their style. It doesn't appeal to me.

Yup.

 

yea, we've played them and real too much lately. but, if we get far enough we'd have to verse them anyway. on another note, reaching quarter-finals would have been nice financially. yea we unloaded some expenses, but making extra bank to be able to spend on the tweaks to make this team great would have been ideal. oh well it didn't happen.

 

Il Messaggero says today that Max Allegri has chosen to leave Milan at season's end and join Roma.