Just trying to get the pulse. Maybe the side is just too old and has accomplished too much to be inspired? Who knows? I know they aren't getting any younger.
Put it this way: we're the San Antonio Spurs of European football. Rebuilding is dawning but for now we have the guns to get the job done in the big games.
we need some good youngsters(a pirlo type,and some more midfielders&defenders) who can bit by bit replace the oldies for now,our starting 11 can beat any team in the world im sure,but its not gonna last forever i would be happy to see another young forward in addition to pato too(benzema?cassano?)
Our starting 11 is good, however we need a much stronger bench. We need people that can come in and change the game and make a difference.
answers to everything: rosina, barzagli, amelia, cassano/benzema/who eva else, a replacement for rino, and 2 full backs. i know it aint goin to happen, but hey guy can dream.
Very interesting point, but I challenge you that players like that don't want to be bench-warmers, right? Even if Milan is aging, I think their greatest strength is their cohesion and chemistry. It looks like the players really like one another like brothers...you can't teach that, it just happens. I'm curious as to what players are friends with one another, that you know of. (For example on Arsenal, Lehmann and Ljungberg were close and Bergkamp too.)
Well the Brazilian players are all close with one another obviously. Nesta and Oddo I think are pretty good friends because they're both former Laziali. Seedorf and Pirlo both came to Milan from Inter and I think they share a room on the road. I can't say for sure about everybody else, I can only speculate however I know for a fact that Maldini is the the most respected member on this team and he is the guy that maintains order, not Carlo.
i wouldn't say rebuild, more like reload you already have young players with a lot of promise and in Kaka case, proven success, Nesta,Pirlo and Gattuso is in a good age for there positions, you just need some replacement here and there
My solution would be to add key players in roles where youth is need. I feel like Pato, Gilardino and Borriello are the future of the milan Offense, while the back line is getting older, we may need to bring in some youth. I would hope for the sake of Milan and to aid the national team maybe add italian defenders on the rise. Spots were i feel are weak and need to be rebuilt or reinforced are the defense, Gattuso and Seedorfs role, and for sure adding a better goalie, because i felt DIDA has been are weak point for some time. Any player suggestions?
as much as i like maldini, i think he should retire... Come on hes 9 years younger than Ancelotti... Thats embarrassing...
how is that embarrassing?! he has shown his commitment to this team and to the sport in general for over 2 decades... thats anything but embarrassing... infact it is one of the most inspiring things that can be witnessed by a fan of the sport...
I think he was just talking about his age being embarassing, not about his commitment or what he has done or accomplished with/for the team.
The funny thing is when Maldini is on form like he was today, he's still the best there is. I pray to God he doesn't retire but you can only be committed to rigorous training for so long.
Paolo Maldini has already stated that he will retire at the end of the season. Therefore, I think that is a mute point. As far as rebuilding is concerned, Milan has found Pato as well as 18 year old Paloschi to go along with 26 year old Kaka and 29 year old Pirlo and 30 year old Gattuso. Alberto Gilardino is still only 26 and I don't think he is done by any means, They are only 3 points from a CL qualifying 4th place spot with one less match and they play on Wednesday. I think the future is here already! Paloschi: "Non ci credo" Il Primavera del Milan è l'eroe del giorno: "Il gol non me lo aspettavo. Ora devo solo migliorare". Ancelotti: E' un predestinato". Galliani: "Con lui e Pato, il Pa-Pa, siamo diventati la squadra più giovane. Abbiamo una linea http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Primo_Piano/2008/02_Febbraio/10/Paloschi.shtml
i know that he was talking about his age... you cant give everything you got to one team for over 2 decades and not be old... the fact that he is 39, itself speaks for his commitment... which is exactly why i find his age inspiring rather than embarrassing... i would take a 39 year old maldini over most defenders in the world... i just dont think that his age can be an embarrassing factor, especially considering how much he has given this team...
The trouble with Maldini is basically his supporting case. Wheb he had Baresi, Costacurta and Tassotti with Sebastiano Rossi in goal they all covered and he concentrated only on playing left back. Now they are all gone, he needs help. I wouldn't worry too much about Paolo Maldini as I believe even at 39 he can still hold his own on expeirience alone. If you notice he is still always in position and is still a force in the back. He is also not playing in his natural left back spot and I think he needs some help with the goalkeeping as well as the wingbacks and a strong centerback. Dida and Kalac have had their troubles and neither Nesta or Oddo have had their best seasons either.
Also, considering that in the last 10 years Milan has only won two scudetti...1998–99 & 2003–04, I think they have shifted their focus. At one time it used to mean that if you didn't win the league you could not qualify for the Champions league. Today, I'm wondering exactly how much it really means to win the league? The top two teams qualify automatically for the CL and the 3rd and 4th place get to play a preliminary round which was what Milan did when they won a few years back I think it was. Therefore, I think Milan's main objective is to make any of the top 4 places. I think they know as long as they have a shot at qualifying for the CL, they can make millions of dollars/euros as opposed to pointing towards winning the scudetto.
Perhaps but should a team the size of Milan be content with being 3rd or 4th every season and just aiming for cup succes while Inter, Juventus and the smaller Roma compete for the Scudetto?
As I saifd earlier, being that they have only won two scudetti in the last 10 years, 1998–99 & 2003–04, I think their focus has changed/shifted. In today's soccer world what is more improtant is not the scudetto but the CL as many of Milan's players stated last year. Inter won the scudetto but Milan won the CL and the CL is worth millions and millions and its more important that the scudetto title is.
Rubbish! You make it sound as if a team has to choose between the their domestic league and CL. A club with the financial muscle of Milan can compete in more then one competition with the right signings. Ala Barcelona of 2006, Real Madrid of 2000 and Manchester United of 1999. Surely if Barcelona, Manchester, Arsenal, Madrid, Chelsea and so on can compete for for their domestic league and the Champions league then surely a team of Milans caliber should be able to too.
Trust me I lived there and I know people in the front office as well as former players. The CL is much more important than the scudetto! La coppa dei campioni vale 100 volte piu che vincere lo scudetto. Questo e' la realta' dei fatti e nessuno puo discutere diversamente.
its a whole different thing winning cl and italian league. in spain even the weakest teams play open attacking football. so building a technical team can get you both trophies. in italy small clubs play extremely defensive so the only way to get the 3 points is by overpowering them. this is what inter and juventus do. roma have absolutely no chance of winning the scudetto again and they will continue to get pounded in europe. it is realistically impossible to built essentially 2 teams to challenge for both.
you're onto something here. the technical approach can be a problem at times, whereas inter just seems to grind down teams. then again, just cause it is more difficult, doesn't mean that it isn't possible. with a true world-class (healthy) striker for a full season, a keeper playing like dida did a few years ago (or kalac of late) and some more depth, milan could be right up there this season at least equal to roma within striking distance to inter. you are right, though, it is an advantage when you can bull your way through and wear down the opposition over 90 minutes week-in and week-out, but milan's inability to run in multiple competitions with the very elite still stems more from poor (as in cheap more so than bad) transfer markets than tactics. I still regret that 2003/2004 collapse at depor, that was the team to pull the double off and blew it in spectacular fashion.
Milan in the 90's had virtually two teams that could step in and start easily. Inter is the same way now. Its very difficult to concentrate on both European and domestic competitions. Last year and this year Milan had no chance of winning the scudetto and they knew/know it. The only thing they and the rest of the clubs can play for is a a place in the CL. The Serie A was pretty much over by December/January and everyone knows it. Maybe Inter could lose a game and make it close but I doubt it. Even when they play badly they end up winning or they get help from the refs as we've seen against Parma and this last Sunday against Catania.