Your opinions/ratings of players for the calendar year 2007

happy new year's to all, friend and foe alike .
2007 was undoubtedly one of the strangest years as a milan supporter, imho. in some ways i feel like it went so wrong, yet then again, milan won the champs league, the super cup, the club world cup, won the cl group again this season, had one of our own win about every major player of the year award to be won, and landed one of the most coveted young players on the planet in pato.

anyways, i felt like since we didn't do a player of the season thread at the end of the 2006/2007 season (or if we did, i missed it), that i would do the calendar year instead. so, here's my opinions on the year 2007 for those in the milan shirt and some grades (out of 10) to boot. entirely subjective, and i tried not to judge too harshly for injuries, and lack of playing time for some, though it was hard to overlook that entirely. i look forward to hearing from you guys where you agree or disagree and why.

KEEPERS

Dida- 4 he is called now didastro for a reason. the bayern munich fiasco in the san siro with van buyten at the end, the flapping mess on the first goal at old trafford, not to be outdone by leaving the near post fully exposed to rooney late in that one. the siena laugher, the celtic clangers compounded by his swooning after the fan "hit" him, the lack of assurance he provided with sub-par displays in japan, and finally to top it all off, his performance in the san siro gifting inter their third straight derby victory, all this on top of countless flaps, some poor distribution, close calls with spills from seemingly tame shots, getting caught in no-man's land time and time again on crosses and corners and other set pieces...uggghhh, this was not a good year for dida, and yes, that is an understatement. he went from legitimately being one of the top keepers in the world to now being barely trustworthy of a reserve shirt. maybe it's age, maybe it's an accumulation of errors damaging his confidence, maybe it's poor training methods (his goalkeeping coach claims he lifts weights too much and this along with age has stunted his reflexes) whatever it is, he was awful. I do think he was great before and i thank him for his services in the past. also, i hate coming down on a guy that i feel like gives his all and really cares, but sometimes trying hard and being a good teammate is not enough at this level for a club with the ambitions of milan.

Kalac- 6.5 in limited duty he actually has looked pretty good. did an admirable job when called upon when dida was absent either through injury (early part of the year) or suspension, like in the cl versus shakhtar. did have a some mistakes, like when he got beat near post by miccoli at the end in the 2-1 defeat, but for the most part, he exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations.

Storari- N/A

DEFENSE

Cafu- 6 age has had its effect on il pendolino. in his day, he was arguably the best right back in the world. even when zanetti was at his best in the late 90's, early 2000's, he could lay a credible claim to this title. most people thought he was really on the decline when he left the capital to come to milan a few seasons ago, but then he, with serginho opposite, seemed to be rejuvenated. the ageless brazilian wonders playing at a position (fullback) that does particularly respond well to age given its demands on stamina and athleticism, serviced milan well, extremely well in fact, and cafu imho, deserved his spot on the selecao in 2006. the beginning part of 2006/2007, with a shortened preseason due to unexpected third-round qualifying in cl, the lack of market activity, the demoralizing effects of calciopoli, and the ensuing injury crisis, lots of players (basically everyone but kaka and gourcuff) had poor starts to the season or were injured, cafu included, hence the acquisition of oddo, and cafu relegated for the most part to a reserve role. he has performed this role admirably, without a peep of discontent, having the ever-present smile worn on his face. this season, with oddo struggling and injured, he stepped in and did very well in short spurts when his legs are rested, in fact outplaying oddo. a solid reserve who still has a role to play if milan is to achieve its goals this season. will be sad to see him retire if he chooses to do so at the end in the summer.

Oddo- 6.5 the former milan player who achieved stardom in lazio (in italy at least, not that well known outside of the peninsula), who came to back to our rescue to give some energy to a back line that was sagging last season. known for his free kicks and crosses more than anything, his first half-season in milan was actually notable for its solid defensive efforts. he really helped play a key role in the cl ties, specifically the united ties, where he relentlessly got forward, seeing lots of the ball, and forcing c ronaldo to come back and defend and expend a lot of energy doing so, yet never getting caught out and helping to contain ronaldo going forward or the occasional overlap. after an undoubtedly bright half season in milan an some solid displays starting for the italy shirt, it seemed that he was sure to give milan more of the same this season, and the first few games this was true, but from about mid-september on, he has been either injured or lackluster. granted, in a 4-5-1 with no aerial targets it is harder to be incisive on your crossing, especially if the opposition is sitting back wit lots of men in the box, and as i said, he hasn't always been fit, but he has not been good of late. hopefully that will change, as even if zambrotta were to, by some miracle, come in the winter transfer market, he would be cup-tied, so we need oddo to step up, especially in the cl. his first big test coming against the very solid frenchman clichy of arsenal.

Bonera- 6 he has grown as a player. still doesn't feel me with too much hope on the right as a fullback, but in the center, he has won me over somewhat, at least as sub material. I still think that, if fit, simic is the better player, but ancelotti disagrees, so who am i to argue . hopefully he continues to improve and work hard as he is an able fill in when nesta and kaladze are rotated out due to injury/rest

Simic- 6.5 only played around a dozen games total this iirc, and some of those were sub appearances, but solid as usual when he did get on. will be sad to see him leave, which seems to be more if than when right now.

Digao- N/A (this guy is here just to keep kaka company, so for that maybe i should give him a 10, lol)

Costacurta- N/A he got some time late in the year, but for the most part never really played when it mattered the last half of last season, and then retired. great career for a fine player. the penalty scored at the end of last season was a nice way to go out.

Kaladze- 7 has been very solid this calendar year. has made some mistakes, like versus siena, but still, on the whole a very good center back. when fit, he and nesta make one of the best partnerships in all of europe, no doubt in my mind. really should be starting the big games ahead of maldini even though i no that is heresy.

Maldini- 6.5 he had some good matches (though not great) in big games, and obviously is a legend, but he is hardly ever fit, and when he is, just not the dominating force he once was. I am glad il capitano got the cl and the super cup and club world cup. to send him out on top in moscow would be an absolute dream ending to a fantastic career...but, i am not judging him on his career, just this year, so 6.5

Nesta- 8.5 he would have a 9 if not for the fact that he was injured a few months at the beginning of the year. he had a very good end to the campaign in the cl and serie a last season after his extensive rehab in miami. he then retired from the azzurri setup, and given that plus his injuries of the last few years, plus his age climbing into the 30's, it was assumed by those who don't watch milan too closely that he had handled over his mantle as top defender. well, to paraphrase mark twain, reports of his decline have been greatly exaggerated. this half-season has been his best since at least his first 2 years at milan, imho. he has been fantastic, and he punctuated with a great performance at the san siro versus ibrahimovic and the inter juggernaut. hope he continues on, but it seems the rehab stint plus the retirement from the international setup has really rejuvenated him. maybe it will be like maldini, who got better for the next few years when he hung up his azzurri shirt. great year on the whole and as i said, if he had been fit the whole year, would have gotten a 9.

Favalli- 5 a good player for many years in serie a, but just doesn't have it any more. is solid with his experience if he needs to shore up the defense late with a lead, but he doesn't give a whole lot going forward anymore.

Serginho- 5.5 has had a few good games, but his injury woes and aging have really dampened his output. when fit and rested can still be a very good player, but those conditions are a must. up until just a few years ago, though, a very good and vital player. his service to milan for many years has been superb. hopefully his body can hold out to still give janks a reprieve and contribute to the cause, especially in serie a.

Janks- 6.5 would be higher if not for his injuries. when fit, he is a very good player and a good for for the milan system. sometimes, as evidenced by the first half of the athens final, can get caught out at times, but for the most part his defense is solid enough, but his specialty is going forward, and he can do this well. definitely more comfortable when he can get up the flanks, which given that he wide midfielder was pretty much his true trade, this is not surprising. milan needs him to stay fit and contribute a solid (and healthy) second half of the season. he will have his hands full with sagna. hopefully he is up to the task.

MIDFIELD

Ba- N/A

Emerson- N/A

Brocchi- 6 He could still be a very solid starter for a mid-table team in serie a. not quite the class that a milan regular should have, but he has the heart and determination to make up for some of that. he is a sturdy, experienced, and reliable role player, which is something every team needs. though as the last 30 minutes of the man united first leg showed (it was his needless giveaway led to the last goal), against top level competition, he can be found wanting compared to gattuso.

Gourcuff- 5.5 A promising young player as we all know. i really don't know even how to rate him. at the beginning of 2006/2007 before his rib injury, he looked like he would wrest the starting job right away from seedorf, yet now he looks like a totally different player, that is when he even sees the field. He is low on confidence and it shows in his play. he needs to be loaned out soon imho.

Ambrosini- 7.5 A revelation...in his 30's, if those exist. he has had a terrific year that has seen him play a vital role in all the successes of milan and win a starting job for italy in the midfield of donadoni. he has always had talent, but either injuries or a packed midfield always seemed to limit his opportunities, but when he got the chance he shown, and it will be interesting to see his role in the winter with the arrival of pato, as he might be the odd man out in the 4-4-2, but if milan still goes to 4-5-1 in europe, then he might still be a starter in that competition. the 4-4-2 in europe, though, with his good form, and the (relative) lack of comfort for seedorf in that deeper more defensive role, would he play a midfield of ambro, gattuso, pirlo, and kaka in europe and seedorf, gattuso, pirlo, and kaka in serie a??? we'll have to see. Ambro also gives a vital aerial on set pieces, and can battle in the midfield and win the aerial balls.

Gattuso- 7 after missing a decent part of the beginning of 2006/2007 with some knocks, he really had a very good last half of 2006/2007. He helped milan boss the midfield against both bayern and man utd. As the before and after of his injury at OT showed, versus the best competition, he is irreplaceable for us. a true lion and a warrior. fits in so niely and complements the rest of the midfield, especially pirlo, his partner at all levels of play. this season he hasn't been quite on song, but still even a "mediocre" gattuso is better than most d-mids/runners. a vital player

Seedorf- 7.5 he was another who had a poor start to last season, and looked like if he wasn't careful, that he might lose his job to the precocious gourcuff like the previous 10 before him had lost his to kaka. after christmas, though, it was like a light turned on, and seedorf was very good. his goal-scoring form was magnificent, and he really helped win us some games, especially versus torino. his cl run was top-notch. the bayern second leg with his goal and then his gorgeous, back heeled assist to inzaghi at the allianz arena helped milan get through to the semis, then who can forget his second leg san siro match where he flicked on perfectly for kaka to score the first, and then scored a cracker of a goal for the second, and then put in yeoman's work defensively to pressure the midfield, and secure the trip to athens. this season he has been more up and down. he has had some great games, and his goal against urawa helped secure passage to the final against boca, along with great matches against lazio and sampdoria, but then again, he has been invisible a few games of late, partly due to fatigue and some knocks. all in all, a very good year.

Pirlo- 8 Pirlo was another who had a world cup hangover. it was strange, after a great 2002/2003 and then a 2003/2004 where he was clearly the best midfielder in serie a and one of the best midfielders in the world that year, then another very good 2004/2005, it seemed his 2005/2006 would go great. he was irreplaceable both for italy and milan and the first half of that season he was very good, in fact scored 4 free kick goals in serie a in just half a season, then at the beginning of 2006, he had some injury woes and his form dropped when he came back, and for milan at least, never really came back. he had a great world cup, then for milan, another relatively poor stint. even his free kicks went south. in january of this year, he scored his first free kick goal in nearly a year versus reggina and started to play some very good games in the cl. the bayern ties he was extremely good (including that beautiful looping header goal), and other than the final 30 minutes or so of the second leg of the man utd tie, was very good there. in the cl final he was probably the brightest spot in midfield for that game as he bounced in a free kick off inzaghi and should have sent kaka clear on goal but an incorrect offside on inzaghi in a passive position should have been called, and his free kicks were very threatening again, scoring a beauty versus cagliari also the spring. his and seedorf's increase in form plus the addition of ronaldo, really helped turn the serie a season last year after kaka had literally kept milan afloat the first half of the season. pirlo has then had, imho, his best half-season since his 03/04 season this year, and with 3 free kick goals already, his free kicks look back to being very dangerous again (though he is still not as dangerous as some of the other specialists in this area). some of his games like the sevilla and benfica games, have been immense, others like genoa, sampdoria, cagliari, and shakhtar have been very good (i also thought he was great in the derby also, but some posters disagreed), but he has really not had a poor game all season in my opinion. like nesta he has consistently at the very least given milan solid performances even on his "worst" days. all in all, after a very rough 2006 relative to his high standards (for club at least, for italy he played very well even through this stretch), he has had a very, very good 2007 for both club and country, and looks the part of the best regista in the world again, or very near to it. I hope his health and energy levels hold out this season, as he has played a lot so far.

Kaka- 9.5 he, unlike many others in the squad, did not have a poor start to the 06/07 year, far from it in fact. his performances in the group stage of the cl and in serie a helped milan stay afloat in that chaotic period, and then he continued on until the new year. the great run from midfield finishing through the "5-hole" on boruc in extra time to avoid penalties was majestic. he was marked heavily in the bayern ties, but still converted a vital penalty (ok, so you say that he wasn't fouled by lucio there, well, he was fouled in the box by lucio earlier in the match which wasn't called, so it evened out), in the cl final his through ball to inzaghi helped give milan the insurance goal that ended up seeing milan lifting their seventh cl trophy. his performances in the serie a (contrary to what some posters may try to say, especially ronaldo-philes ) was very good also, even though his stats aren't as good because he played in a 4-4-2 domestically so he was further back in a more traditional a-mid role. Oh, and i nearly forgot (well, not really) he had a performance versus man utd that was one for the ages in the semis over two legs. this season, he drew the penalty and after a save coolly headed home the rebound to win the super cup and his run and assist versus urawa reds helped get milan to the finals of the club world cup where he had a terrific match versus boca. he has played such a vital role in everything milan has won this year, and even this season, other than a few games, he has been quite good, like in the genoa, lazio, sampdoria matches, and the shakhtar cl matches, among others. hopefully those cross-atlantic qualifiers combined with his heavy minutes don't tire him out too much, and heaven forbid he gets hurt. he is the deserved golden-ball winner, imho, and not only a great player, but a consummate professional who at 25 and with his work ethic, can get even better and more consistent. he is a good teammate and to boot, he was one of the main factors in pato's family agreeing to let pato come to milan. Grande Kaka!!!!!

FORWARDS

Aubameyang- N/A

Borriello- N/A (didn't do much between the touch lines, but he does get credit for being world-class in snorting coke lines)

Oliveira- 4 disaster of a season for him on and off the pitch. glad to see that he has really turned things around at zaragoza. If he continues on this form, and they don' activate the buy-out clause on the loan, i wouldn't mind seeing him back here to be honest, especially with a chip on his shoulder with something to prove. He is a better player than what he showed here.

Ronaldo- 6 Some might say that is too generous, and i am just as frustrated with his season this year as anyone else, but then again, he really gave the team a much needed jolt in serie a, and helped milan climb the table and took some pressure of domestically to allow inzaghi to focus on the cl. this was huge, and he played his part in helping milan secure the top 4 and indirectly capture number 7. for that, i am grateful, especially because he came pretty cheap, but i feel now it is time to part ways, the sooner, the better.

Gilardino- 5.5 Just not enough production, especially when one looks beyond the numbers and looks at who he scored against and in what situations. for instance, scoring doubles versus muslera when already up 3-1 against lazio don't really do much for the team. his increased theatrics, the best example of which was the ludicrous dive against celtic, don't help matters. Needs to step it up in the new year.

Inzaghi- 6.5 Injuries and age have hindered his production and playing time and now he is essentially a cup specialist, but boy can he really do that job. He has seen it all, and done it all, and he is probably the best big-stage performer next to zidane, in this generation. Hopefully he will have some more goals in those old legs of his, especially in the cl.

 

so, no one else?

come on, you can even rip into me and tell me how stupid i am, i don't mind