Perfect Pato Crushed Napoli

AC Milan picked a convincing victory during big match vs Napoli. On San Siro, Tuesday, March 1st, 2011, Rossoneri crushed Napoli with 3-0 victory.

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Pummelling Parma

Antonio Cassano opens his account

AC Milan 4 Parma 0

A four nil score-line against Parma shouldn't be flattering. It doesn't flatter me. Lucarelli and Paci holding the defense with Gobbi and Zaccardo on the flanks; four goals is nothing out of the ordinary. What clearly stood out as extraordinary was Cassano's performance. He scored his first in Milan colors and broke his duck whole also setting up Robinho twice. Parma were downed by an ingenious long range strike from Pirlo earlier this season. They had defended deep, plugging the play. Opening those spaces didn't help their cause this time.

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Fading Lead

Eduardo - The clown's happy day

Genoa 1 AC Milan 1

Milan ended last year as league leaders. Winter champions with the lowest total in Serie A history, it seems. Is it because the league has had a miraculous turn around in quality? No, not really. It's more down to the fact that Allegri's men don't know how to close out games. Many say defense is Milan's biggest concern. We have the healthiest goal difference in the league, so it's safe to assume that it isn't the defense which is our concern. Allegri's biggest worry should be, how do we win games when we are in a winning position. This dilemma definitely intensified after the draw to Genoa.

Other than the odd half volley, Genoa failed to threaten in the first half. They sat deep and invited Milan to attack, which by the way is always a dangerous proposition against the league leaders. Pato-Robinho-Ibrahimovic jinked around the defense mesmerizing one of Italy's most appalling defenses. The front three combined very well, especially the understanding that Robinho and Pato have developed is pleasing to the sore eyes. An inevitable error by Dainelli provide Ibrahimovic with the opportunity to notch another assist, which he did. Pato was at the right place at the right time and his mercurial form continued. Floro Flores was by far Genoa's brightest attacking threat and its rather frightening to see that he wasn't man marked. Eventually, on the stroke of half time, he picked his spot and leveled the scores.

Robinho must have thought that he finally scored before Rossi put in a goal saving challenge on the 49'. Milan pressed and pressed but simply couldn't take advantage of Eduardo's gimmicks. Genoa found themselves more on the ball in the final 20 minutes. Dainelli had a horrific game and can thank his stars for not conceding a penalty for embracing Ibrahimovic in the box on the 78'. Shockingly, we couldn't score more than a goal against a defense of Dainelli-Kaladze-Criscito-Mesto. Let's not forget the clown Eduardo who appears to have taken up Dida's mantle in the Serie A. Milan need to be ruthless. If not, the wait for the Scudetto could last another year, at least.

Genoa - Floro Flores 46'
Milan - Pato 29'

Lousy Lazio

Libor Kozak - Burly brute

Milan 0 Lazio 0

A team that has stayed second in the Serie A for most of the season wouldn't be though of as a provincial side with a small club mentality. But Lazio have forced viewers and fans alike to develop this thinking. Reja's men displayed astounding cowardice at the San Siro and 'escaped' with a point against Milan. They defended with grit and attacked halfheartedly inviting several boos from critics and journalists. My respect for the Roman club has dropped remarkably since.

Silva started in midfield, again. This would be a true test for him, Lazio being the toughest team Milan have played since Silva was re-invented. Allegri fielded a very young midfield comprising of Flamini-Silva-Emanuelson. Oddo and Bonera guarded our flanks and even though Lazio are good on the wings, they directed their play down the left, tormenting Bonera. Ibrahimovic drifted left time and again to drag the defense and create the much required space for the others to get involved in the game. In the first half, Milan's attacking play was simply scintillating. Lazio however were resorting to set pieces for potency.

Bonera was sent to the doc by Kozak resulting in Legrottaglie's unexpected debut. Ibrahimovic was getting closer and closer with his shots and by this time, Milan were relying on counter attacks to catch Lazio. Lazio put 10 players behind the ball and restricted space and movement to Milan. Cassano replaced a disappointing Pato on the 63', Allegri opting for some creativity. Robinho's shot was cleared off the line seven minutes later causing tremendous frustration in the Milan camp. Milan's pace was at times getting the better of Lazio's players. This is a new phenomenon but hardly surprising considering the players Allegri had fielded. Kozak continued his ruffian like approach as he consistently ruffled the centre backs of Milan with his physicality. Reja's orders were simply; batter the old boys at the back and sneak in the goal. Kozak was rather fortunate not to have Gattuso/Van Bommel on the pitch at the same time. He would have needed buckets of blood at the end of this game if either of those players played the game. Allegri had no choice but to field a brute called Sokratis for Legrottaglie when the veteran had his face bashed by Lozak's knee. Legrottaglie left the pitch bleeding like a soldier from Afghanistan. Cassano's influence simply didn't come to the fore, he flickered and faded quite quickly. Now the holes are appearing in this Milan side which teams are beginning to detect.

Milan -
Lazio -

Bommel At His Best

Van Bommel - Seeing red

Catania 0 Milan 2

There were calls of disagreement when Van Bommel signed for Milan. Several people likened this signing to that of Emerson's. Both deemed unnecessary and the wrong type of player that Milan needed at the point of time. Milan need a technical, attack minded midfielder. They signed a goon. That was coming to bite them in their backsides against Catania.

Allegri continues to demonstrate tremendous trust in Merkel by starting him as often as he does. Under Allegri, Milan have developed a counter attacking style which has added to their already established and more distinctive possession play. Cassano, after being tried out at as a trequartista has been assigned the second striker role at the club. He has swapped places with Robinho; the Brazilian definitely being the more hardworking of the two. Catania are always a tough nut to crack at home. They were proving to be just that. Their front three combined fantastically, leaving our back four baffled. Bonera's at left back has been nothing short of a poor decision, but the Italian refuses to change his stance on the team's selection. Milan got into a few scoring chances but were consistently scuffing them through the game. Catania's movement was top notch, but they rarely troubled the keeper.

Merkel was rather rash in this game. His finesse had taken a hike. After having picked up a card in the first half, Allegri resorted the bench treatment for the youngster by bringing on new recruit Emanuelson. Bommel received his marching orders on the 54' and hardly 4 minutes later, Ibrahimovic's free kick was blocked by the keeper whilst falling kindly to the onrushing Robinho. 1-0. This doesn't rebuke the fact that we are sorely missing a dead ball specialist. With Ronaldinho and Beckham gone and Pirlo shooting into the stars, we are most certainly in need of someone who can be a threat from set pieces. Allegri's substitutions at times can defy logic, one such was that of Cassano coming off for Oddo! Ibrahimovic's form has dived in recent weeks, stats however won't give you that picture. He gets his goal/assist in every game but is a ghost for the rest of it. Catania were hit on the break by Robinho as he slid in a ball for Ibrahimovic to finish the game with the second. A win was notched but the performance in the second half was dismal. However, Allegri can be proud of leaving Sicily with the 3 points.

Catania -
Milan - Robinho 58', Ibrahimovic 85'.

Returning The Favor

Thiago Silva - reinvented

A.C.Milan 2 Cesena 0

The days haven't been forgotten. Cesena started the season with tremendous promise, their first big scalp being AC Milan. Ibrahimovic's debut became a nightmare. For the first time, he didn't score in his first game at a new club. Milan went onto be outclassed by the newly-promoted side and eventually lose 2-0. Alarm bells did ring because just a few days before the game, Allegri had used Leonardo's side to hammer Lecce 4-0 at home. With his glossy acquisitions, Allegri was expected to break records. He ended up breaking the wrong ones.

The defeat to Cesena would have come as a wake up call; no games can be taken for granted. I am not in doubt that the defeat shaped the club's mentality for weeks to come. This time round, at home, the players were fired up to send Cesena back into the hole. It was achieved, but perhaps not with the intensity that was initially hoped for.

For the first 15 minutes, both clubs were merely kicking the ball around. There wasn't a hint of intent in their game. I remember closing my eyes in partial slumber but waking up to the occasional roars from the San Siro faithful. On the 18' minute, Antonini demonstrated ample reason for being a nincompoop with a laughable clearance. Fortunately, Abbiati's heroics saved the day once again. Cesena got the belief that they can take Milan down again and began to attack relentlessly. Cassano and Robinho stepped up and joined the party. Silva was re-invented in the Desaily-role, shielding the back four after injuries to Gattuso and Flamini. Papastathapolous replaced Nesta after the veteran experienced a shoulder injury. Merkel played in midfield and his movement reminded me of Lampard. Yes, the 18 year old doesn't track back like the superstar does, but his attacking forays are almost identical. He gets into scoring positions and always hugs the shadows of the striker to pounce on the loose ball. With a little more composure in the final third and less naivety under pressure, he could blossom into a fantastic footballer. Milan finally broke the deadlock on the stroke of halftime as Cassano set up Ibrahimovic but the pass was unfortunately directed into the back of the net by Pellegrino.

Cesena had two of their front three missing for this game, therefore their task of scoring was that much harder. Milan began to relax in the second half until Bogdani almost leveled the scored before Papastathapolous cleared the ball off the line on the 76'. Robinho continued to annoyingly scuff chances and Allegri introduced Pato on the 84' to wrap up the game. Cassano made way for the oncoming Brazilian. Ibrahimovic put the game to bed in injury time with a beautiful finish to seal the points. The players who shone in this game were few but they did show quality nonetheless. Yepes has proven himself over the course of the season that he is a reliable back up to Nesta. He will do the job, if not spectacularly. Ambrosini has been moved out of the Anchor Man role to a box-box position and his enthusiasm dictates that he can still cover ground. He isn't as reckless and appears to be happier in his preferred position.

Milan - Pellegrino 45' o.g, Ibrahimovic 90'
Cesena - /

Indomitable Minnows

Massimo Ambrosini

Lecce 1 Milan 1

When we think about Lecce, do we conjure the image of a side that are gritty and a toughie? Do they appear a team that can't be beaten at home by an European giant? I suppose not. However, that is precisely the image that Lecce have given the Rossoneri. 5 years and counting; we still struggle to overpower the Salentini.

Flamini was handed a start with Seedorf being pushed into a trequartista role after previously flopping in a central midfield role. Allegri tried Bonera at left back, an experiment that would have interested every viewer. This selection resulted in Bonera cutting into his favored foot and not running the channels as a proper left back would. In the first half, Lecce defended deep, allowing Milan free space in the midfield. It took Bonera 23 minutes to float in his first cross. Ambrosini's rusty form continued in this game. His tackles weren't clean nor did he appear sharp in the holding role. Nesta's performances have come under much criticism lately and with this outing, his critics would have grinned with glee. The veteran was constantly caught out of position and Lecce's shoddy forwards were running riot. Milan full-backs tried to cross, but only in vain. Both full-backs failed their targets in the box and instead lost possession in promising positions. However, the team continued to play wide. The first cross connected on the 40' after 39 minutes of sending in poor balls with a shocking lack of precision. Milan's forwards only charged at goal when provided with space. However space was hard to find with Lecce defending very deep.

Often in such situations, we rely on some Ibracadabra magic. And it did arrive on the 49'. Zlatan shot from an almost impossible angle to score one of the goals of the season. Being jostled by a defender on one side and running right into another, Zlatan shot from 35-40 yards out with his weaker foot, looping the ball over the keeper. A visual spectacle. Pato enjoyed a snooze fest for 70 minutes and was rightly replaced in the 71' for Cassano. This was the first game in which Cassano would be employed as a second striker for his new club. The away side failed to score the decisive second and Lecce made them pay. Oliveira punished some sloppy defending by Nesta to draw the home side level with 8 minutes to go. Cassano's arrival on the pitch had injected more spirit in the side. A sense of urgency was found in the players. A special mention must go to Abate who with his consistent performances has emerged as a reliable right back. Cassano's partnership with Ibrahimovic threatened Lecce's defense a lot more than Pato's partnership with Ibrahimovic did. Gattuso and Flamini ran their hearts out characteristically. Ambrosini's sub-par performances have definitely questioned his inclusion in the team. Would there have been a greater impetus in midfield had an attacking midfielder been played over the captain?

Milan - Ibrahimovic 49'
Lecce - Oliveira 82'

Boneheadera

Daniele Bonera

AC Milan 4 Udinese 4

After his stellar show against Real Madrid, people wondered why Amelia was relegated to the bench. This performance should put those concerns to rest. Abbiati's injury had forced Allegri to reluctantly hand the gloves to Amelia.

The second-choice keeper showed why he is second choice right from the word go. Flapping like an injured crane, he appeared shaky and nervous. His collection was poor and his distribution wasn't any better. Antonini demonstrated his attacking capabilities with his marauding runs whilst combining with the forwards. In the first period, both teams spent chunks of time in the opposition half. The defenses were proving hard to crack open, rugged and gutsy against some fine flair of attacking talent. Udinese, like any other team that travels to the San Siro, defended deep while not in possession. As the half progressed, Udinese lost the battle of possession and chose to resort to counter attacks instead. With the pace of their forwards, Alexis Sanchez and Di Natale, Udinese were aware that they could catch the vulnerable Rossoneri backline on the break. Inler gladly shot from outside the box whenever he got the chance and wasn't too far from goal. The thought of closing him down never occurred to Milan's middle men. Just as expected, in the 34', Inler's shot rebounds of the post and is turned in by Di Natale. Seedorf was late to arrive on the challenge and this was the first of his long list of mistakes that night. Ibrahimovic and Pato didn't track back, viz rather interesting because both these players in recent games have worked hard without the ball. Milan pressed for the equalizer and it finally arrived on the 46'. Zlatan drew defenders with him before setting up the Brazilian. Score was even, perhaps against the odds.

A highlight of Zlatan's play for Milan has been his renewed ability to set up assists. He would have added another to his impressive count of assists, but Handanovic denied Robinho on the 50'. Strasser having impressed against Cagliari was handed a rare start being played on the right of the midfield three. The team played wide causing him to become a winger at times. Sanchez joined the party on the 53'. He lost Bonera for a header that Amelia should have saved. This was the first of Bonera's hatrick of gaffes. Ibrahimovic being isolated in the first half, dropped deeper to get further involved in the game, in the second half. Di Natale scored his second on the 68', A classic counter, Di Natale turned Bonera like a 9 year old on roller skates before slotting past Amelia. Rudimentary error from Daniel Bonera. Needless to say that it wasn't his first and will not be his last. Cassano was brought on in the 69' for Seedorf. The departing Dutchman was wildly abused by the tifosi when he jogged back to the bench. He was involved in two of Udinese's three goals, therefore the anger was fairly justified. Handanovic denied Strasser on the 78' but a fortunate deflection of Benetia gave Milan their second and along with that a ray of hope. Milan dramatically found the equalizer on the 82'. A characteristic run from Silva resulted with the ball at Cassano's feet who in turn pushed it too Pato. The Brazilian coolly finished with a deft first touch. If we thought we had enough for the night, substitute German Denis scores Udinese's fourth. Bonera nowhere near the man yet again! And with the last kick of the game, Zlatan scored Milan's fourh on the 94'. Cassano's third assist for the club in the 37 minutes he has played for AC Milan!

Bonera undoes any good created by our mesmerising forwards. He is a remarkable liability and a major downgrade in the absence of Nesta. Always overrated, Bonera has the unique ability to convince his bosses that he deserves to play even if he lacks the basic knowledge of defending. Pair him up with Amelia and you have a devastating pair. Amelia's lethargic, defeatist attitude doesn't infuse any confidence in the team and therefore I wish Abbiati a speedy recovery. There were a few positives about this game. One in particular was the fact that all our attackers were on the pitch at the same time and they wrecked havoc!

Milan - Pao 46', 82', Benetia (O.G 78'), Ibrahimovic 94',
Udinese - Di Natale 34', 68', Sanchez 53', Denis 89'

And on comes Cassano!

Rodney Strasser

Cagliari 0 AC Milan 1

Bright starts don't often end brightly. It did though, midweek. Cagliari welcomed a decimated AC Milan to the St' Elia. Donadoni was facing his former side and so was Allegri. Vintage stuff. Pato and Robinho shaped up the attack with Merkel positioned behind them. Silva had the double duty of defending for Bonera for the Italian was included in the line-up. Cassano made it to the bench.

After having started brightly, Milan found it very hard to break the Sardinian defense. Canini, Astori and Pisano stood strong against our pacy forwards while our midfield were scratching their heads in bewilderment. Ibrahimovic's strength was sorely missed in this game. Robinho resembled hollow man for much of the half with the rest of the team being sluggish in attack. Milan lacked creativity or cohesion in the midfield. Cagliari's midfield was running ragged and the home side clearly dominated the first half. Seedorf was woeful as usual and in current form, shouldn't even make the bench. Ambrosini wasn't the anchor man for this game. Perhaps we should have had one. Cossu enjoyed the space in the midfield but had a bad game nonetheless. The lack of legs in Milan didn't help the likes of Lazzari too, who appeared to be trying to hard to impress. Donadoni's full backs were thriving and constantly got the better of their counterparts. Crosses were floating in but Matri and Nene were found wanting for more.

Pato had the best chance that was gifted to Milan that evening but he shot right at the keeper. I choose not to compliment Agazzi on the save because the shot was directed at him! He didn't have much to do but take the beating. Abbiati, on the other end went cuckoo momentarily and nearly provided Nene with an assist but made amends. Strasser came on for a withering Gattuso on the 58th minute. Almost instantly, the midfield awoke from deep slumber. Robinho was sent through by Pato on the 66' but the Brazilian's first touch was nothing short of horrible. Cassano arrived on the 74' minute with Merkel making way. To be honest, at that point in time, I was wondering why Merkel was being taken off. The youngster was involved in all of Milan's attack and had showed admirable work ethic. But later, I saw that it was a good decision. Cassano combined with Robinho and set up Strasser for the winner. The 20 year old's first goal at Serie A level. Tears of joy streamed down his face as the Milan camp rushed to bombard him with their congratulations. It took 88 minutes to break the deadlock. It would have been broken a lot earlier if not for Thiago Silva who is on course to prove that he is the best centre back in the world. Cagliari played fearlessly and with heart. This attitude very nearly earned them a point. Against Milan these days, that is a lot more than one could imagine.

Cagliari - /
Milan - Strasser 88'

The Roman wall

Marco Borriello

AC Milan 0 AS Roma 1

Stopping the league leaders might not be the easiest of tasks, especially not when you are on their playground. Ranieri was aware of that and would do his homework before arriving in Milan. Cassetti was injured and Burdisso was given a start in the right back slot. I think this has to do with more than just mere co-incidence. Zlatan loves to drift wide and Casseti, even if he was fit would have been licking the Swede's heels. The Tinkerman did surprise with his selection up front. He dropped Totti to the bench and Adriano was given a rare start. This would be one of those days where Ranieri got it all right.

Milan looked every bit of their winter champions tag. They drove ahead in the game with immense drive and determination, their forwards dancing around the defenders from Rome. It took 13' for Roma to take their first shot at goal. Even this was blatantly down to frustration. Pirlo was relishing his role as a left midfielder and was also dribbling past midfielders with relative ease. Unfortunately for Milan, he limped off with injury on the 21'. This would be the turning point in the game. He was replaced by the slowest man in the Serie A, Clarence Seedorf. No, that is not backed by fact. Menez continued to play handball as the referee turned a blind eye to all of Menez's infringements. How the Frenchman played 90' without being sent off for numerous handballs is baffling to say the least. Roma's functional midfield was having trouble settling down in the first half. Pizzaro did not feature in this game. Roma were missing his expertise and his passes resulting in Borriello's increased work rate. He didn't receive sufficient service and had to drop deep. Adriano was simply out-muscling the opposition and he did a terrific job of that. Of the three centre backs of Roma, Mexes got skinned and taunted the most by the Milan front line. Identifying him as the weak link, the forwards constantly targeted him. Robinho beat him for pace, Zlatan beat him for strength. Chances were coming thick and fast for Milan. Zlatan was gifted a one-on-one chance and his decision making was horrible on that occasion. He consistently failed to beat the offside trap and his performances in the big games leads me to question the inevitable. Is he a big game choker?

The break arrived at the right time for the visitors. Milan's momentum got distorted and Roma were beginning to feel more comfortable on the ball. They defended very deep and sometimes the defense pushed up to catch the forwards offside. This was done with immaculate accuracy. Nesta had a splendid game. With a liability beside him in Bonera, Nesta stood tall and read the game superbly. Roma eventually broke the deadlock. Menez smoked Antonini on the left to send in a cross that was somewhat fortunately turned in by Borriello in the 69'. The left back position is one of great need in the Milan camp. Antonini lacks the skill, speed or defensive knowledge to own that spot for the club and is not a threat going forward either. Another player who got run down by De Rossi and Co. was Ambrosini. He arrived late in every challenge and got bullied in the middle of the park. The midfield trio of Roma were relishing their dominance in the second half. Gattuso worked overtime to mark Menez and succeeded to a fair extent. However he lacked the legs to keep up with the trequartista. Seedorf's atrocious form continued. He moves in slow motion when he gets the ball and is hopeless when not in possession. His name appearing on the team sheet is a mystery for Scotland Yard. At the end of the day, Roma's performance was utterly professional if not mind blowing and they did what they had to to win the game. Well, at least that is how things work in Italy.

Milan - /
Roma - Borriello 69'

Pirlo to the left

Andrea Pirlo

Bologna 0 Milan 3

Their players might not have been paid but the Rossoblu know how to put up a fight at home. Their is a distinct sense of pride in the players even if their wages are five months too late. Bologna last lost at home in April this year to current high-fliers Lazio. Since then, they have held fort admirably.

The confidence was also visible in this game. They were solid at the back and looked exciting going forwards, i.e. in the early stages. Zlatan is known to be a party pooper and he did poop Bologna's party. A delightful cross from the giant Swede was met with the boot of Boatang to open the scoring. A standard highlight throughout this game was the performance of Andrea Pirlo. Allegri has asked him to play on the left of the midfield three. This leaves Ambrosini to shield the defense and Pirlo to concentrate on his creativity. However, the elegant bloke from Brescia was also working hard, rushing into tackles and winning the loose balls. He ripped Bologna apart with his creativity peaking in this game. There was a restrain in the form of Gabi Mudingayi. The bullish midfield bossed around in the first half and was making life difficult for the middle men of Milan. The Diavoli were at the destructive best up front and grabbed the second. Robinho applied the finish while Boatang bagged the assist. A hallmark of this game was Milan's passing. Though rudimentary at times, there were sparks of absolute genius which was utterly delightful to watch.

Pirlo took more shots in this game than I have watched him take in the last 6 years. His passing was superb and accurate, almost lethal at times. Gattuso limped off with an injury and Rodney Strasser replaced him in the second half. As expected Bologna saw more of the ball in the second half. Abbiati had a comfortable evening except for one particular situation where he almost made a mess of a simple clearance. The situation goes to prove that he is a clown of enormous proportions. His shot stopping might be close to world-class but his decision making is hilarious at times. 56', Antonini replaced Zambrotta on the right. Three minutes later, Pirlo picks Zlatan with a quick, fantastic pass and Ibrahimovic scores the third goal of the afternoon. Just when everything was going well, a recently introduced Seedorf pulls a horrendous challenge in the box to concede a penalty. Di Vaio stepped up before being adamantly denied by Abbiati with a diving save. The players on the park knew that there was some serious repair that needed attending to after the shambolic night against Ajax. Therefore, the players worked very hard even after the third goal, also creating the rare openings.

Milan successfully ended Bologna's run at home. They also infused some much needed confidence ahead of the big evening this Saturday against the Romans. I have dished Pirlo in my previous article and I might be praising him here. But I still hold onto my reservations about the Italian cutting it against the bigger, tougher teams. His positioning on the left seems like a expert move. Much will be expected of him against Roma.

Milan - Boatang 9', Robinho 36', Ibrahimovic 59'
Bologna - /

Banging Brescia

Kevin Prince Boatang

Milan 3 Brescia 0

Allegri would probably have preferred Pirlo to continue his love affair with the Milan Labs. But Pirlo had returned to devastate Milan's midfield and Allegri had to field him. Fortunately, it was Brescia and not Barcelona. Boatang was promoted up the pitch and was started in the hole. The Ghanaian responded with his first goal for the club, courtesy Ibrahimovic.

Milan played at a high tempo from the start. As it has always achieved, it put the opposition under pressure from the word go and shelved them into a defensive mode. On the rare occasions they found themselves in attack, but they lost Caracciolo. The big man was isolated by the monumental centre backs of Milan who have been at their scintillating best of late. But gradually, the away side got into the game and started to test Abbiati, albeit from distance. Gattuso was struggling with the pace of the game and constantly lost his marker. Rash challenges were therefore expected and were duly delivered. There was a sudden shift in momentum with Brescia dictating the game and Milan's defense becoming increasingly clumsy. It was a slice of luck that brought the balance of power back in Milan's hands. A poorly placed pass from Brescia's defense was capitalised by Robinho who slotted home his 5th goal of the campaign. A couple of minutes later, Ibrahimovic's masterclass sealed the game. He fooled 4 defenders and unleashed a lethal drive that would clearly be termed 'unstoppable.' With 30 minutes gone, the game and the points were in the bag. The misery was almost compounded but Boatang missed a simple one on one chance with the keeper. Kevin Prince's movement has been stellar irrespective of his position. If he improves his finishing and final ball, he could be world class. Brescia were rattled by the quickfire double and seemed distorted. Allegri's men were demonstrating a physical side to their game that hasn't been seen previously this season and that is much in demand in the big games. However, just the sight of the physicality was pleasing to the sore eyes. Milan continued to press for the 4th goal. The players seemed like they were enjoying themselves. Nesta struggled in his duel with Caracciolo. The big man's pace and strength had the veteran picking up scraps with Silva cleaning up the mess.

Yepes replaced Nesta in the second half. Milan persisted with their phenomenal work ethic. Poor finishing made the 4th goal elusive. However, the home side were firmly in control of the game and didn't seem like they were loosening their grip. Allegri used his final two substitutions to introduce Ronaldinho and Flamini to give them some playing time along with providing them the opportunity to impress him. Silva had been simply superb all game long. He resembled an impermeable wall. When the team realized that they couldn't find the 4th goal, they began to knock the ball around to retain possession as Brescia chased shadows. It was a professional performance from Milan, who are beginning to look untouchable in Italy.


Milan - Boatang 4', Robinho 28', Ibrahimovic 30'
Brescia - /

Pazzini Pinches

Giampaolo Pazzini

Sampdoria 1 Milan 1

Many Italian pundits are of the belief that Giampaolo Pazzini is currently the best Italian striker in the world. And not many look beyond the fact that he needs Cassano to maintain that tag. Cassano's spat with Garrone has seen him sit out of first team football, leaving the responsibility to score and even create at the feet of Pazzini. The hitman took his time to take up this responsibility but now is duly performing. After scoring a hatrick recently, he was up to the task of proving to his boss that he can sting the net against the big boys. Unfortunately for us, he did.

Robinho has been getting better and better with time. Some whispers have begun to suggest that he has won over Pato's place in the first team and also Allegri's conviction. His movement was fantastic but now he is even finding the back of the net. The Ibrahimovic-R70 partnership is getting harder for the defenses in Italy to handle. The neutral might have had a difficulty deciding which was the home team with Milan dominating the possession and the chances. Sampdoria saw little of the ball, 37% to be precise and defended deep allowing Milan to pass the ball around to their convenience. Sampdoria recklessly tackled on the edge of the box a few times giving Milan several gilt edged opportunities. But the absence of Pirlo rendered these situations ineffective. To add to their misery, Sampdoria's best midfielder, Angelo Palombo was having a horrid night in the middle of the park. Milan's now dynamic midfield of three were running all over Sampdoria's middle men but the wide-men of the home-side relished the space they found. Zambrotta's aging legs couldn't keep up with the pace on the flanks but Abate settled in admirably. Seedorf had an off night but given his splendid outings in recent weeks, this show of incompetency can be gladly pardoned. Allegri left it late with his substitutions, again. This is an area of his management that I absolutely dislike. He constantly seems to forget that game is a 90 minute affair and not a 180 minute two-legged tie.

This blip can be overlooked purely due to the fact that we have been winning games that should have been draws given Pato and Inzaghi's absences. However, we need to get back on the winning road. Brescia next and we must quite simply make our moments count. Against Sampdoria, we had sufficient chances to win 3 games, yet we scored only once. This result should urge Milan to thrash Brescia and continue this run of form. That being said, against the smaller teams in Italy, it's easier said than done.

Sampdoria - Pazzini 59'

Milan - Robinho 43'

Passage

Thiago Silva

Auxerre 0 Milan 2

Struggle has been a fore value for the club this season. A mechanical, methodical system has resulted in favorable results and therefore acceptable results. Just about, almost. That was not going to change in France. A result was absolutely essential at the Stade Abbe. So come how may, a win would be enjoyed from the top to the bottom at the Milanello.

A win we did achieve. Two wonder-strikes from two wonderful players settled the game. Ibrahimovic scored from distance and Ronaldinho struck the decisive second from a tight angle. However, it can be argued that Auxerre were hard done by this result. They attacked Milan relentlessly shooting twelve times at target with only three troubling Abbiati. Milan had eight shots at target and scored the two times they had the ball directed on target. It was a fairly even game with Milan holding the ball better than Auxerre. Auxerre however tried to do more with the ball at their feet while Milan played safe by building up slowly, carefully. Robinho's movement is getting better and better in every game and the centre backs are enjoying another wonderful season at the heart of defense. Also, Abate is quickly developing into Milan's best full back. He gallops forward without fear and tracks back to clear up the occasional mess. This facet of his game has developed under Allegri who has successfully enforced some positive changes across the squad. Ambrosini has been reinvented as the holding midfielder, a position he has donned very well since his return to the first team. However, Allegri opted to rotate the squad in this game and slotted Gattuso into that position. But Gattuso tends to venture up every now and then which was exploited by Auxerre on the counters as they attacked through the centre. Silva is in the form of his life and has been a wall in front of Abbiati. His timing on tackles and closing down of forwards has been top notch thus far this season and is rapidly transpiring into the world's best centre back.

Milan's movement and game play has been frighteningly similar over the last few games. This system might work against the mid-table sides but the better coaches and the better teams will find loopholes in this team, which are evidently visible. We have found the passage into the knock-out stages but having finished second in the group, it's perhaps recommended that fans of Milan brace themselves for elimination.

Auxerre - /

Milan - Ibrahimovic 64', Ronaldinho 90'

Benching Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho

Milan 1 Fiorentina 0

Benching Ronaldinho isn't an easy choice. Managers rather have him sold than warm the bench during games and rock the clubs at night. For Mister Allegri to show Ronaldinho the bench is indicative of the man's guts. He is no pushover. He demonstrated that yet again when he decided to start Ronaldinho in his jump suit for perhaps the fourth time in succession.

The new Milan side has come to be recognized as a team that hits the ball running from the start and Fiorentina experienced just that while they played catch up in the initial stages of the game. Milan played wide with a lot of the attack coming down the channels. Robinho played off Ibrahimovic but positioned himself on the left side-line. Fiorentina maintained a deep line which was sensible from Mihajlovic. His defenders weren't the fastest and wouldn't be able to keep up with the pace of our forwards. The deep line successfully stifled our forwards for space. Seedorf and Co. could not find the killer ball due to the congestion in the Fiorentina half. As mentioned earlier, our attack was running down the flanks and one man in particular had enough opportunity and time to thrive on the room provided. That was Daniele Bonera. But the full-back's crosses were awful and reflective of the fact that he is a centre half and not a wide-man. Robinho's movement was splendid throughout, even if he did precious little otherwise. He has demonstrated some rather surprising intelligence when off the ball and Ibrahimovic has thrived from this partnership. If the Brazilian improves with his final ball and shooting, he could be lethal. After knocking for 45 minutes, Ibrahimovic finally blasted open the door. The goal arrived from a splendid overhead kick. Such was Ibrahimovic's jubilation that he injured his elbow while celebrating.

After having faded towards the latter part of the first half, Milan returned in the second looking a lot sharper. The midfield three were working very hard, running up and down the pitch to assist the defense. This new functional midfield has given Milan great steel in the centre of the park making it very hard for teams to penetrate. Our attack began to flow from the back with both our centre backs taking shots at target. The confidence was beginning to ooze from this side. The shape of the team started to shift to a 4-3-2-1 in the second half. Robinho dropped deeper to from a line with Seedorf leaving Ibrahimovic alone up front. Though Viola played a wide 4-2-3-1, they attacked mainly through the centre. The wide-men were receiving the ball and cutting in instead of running down the flanks and crossing into the box. If they had adopted a crossing game, they would have exploited Milan's biggest weakness and tapped into their biggest strength. Allegri spotted the wide-men's movement and dropped Robinho deeper to close the spaces that Fiorentina were finding, thereby hindering any fluidity in their movement. Gilardino was being eaten alive by a two headed monster called Silva-Nesta which urged the striker to drop deep to collect the ball. This enabled his wingers to get into the game and make the runs into the box. Ljajic was quiet for most of the game by being boxed in midfield and with Gilardino dropping deeper, he got more space and room to charge up front. He was released on one particular occasion in the 83' and if not for Abbiati's block, Mihajlovic side would have leveled. Milan played out the rest of the game in a no nonsense fashion to close the game and bag the three points to go 3 clear at the top.

Milan - Ibrahimovic 45'

Fiorentina - /

Dark Arts

Goran Pandev

Inter 0 Milan 1

Allegri has brought an immense amount of industry to this chic Milan side. A team famous for classy football has now morphed into something of an engine that chugs efficiently with preset objectives. Allegri has implemented this industry by changing the face of the midfield. He now plays 3 hard men in central midfield. One of these sits right in front of the defense whilst the other two cover several blades of grass. The rugged tactic has considerably reduced Pirlo's importance to the current team bringing more dynamism into the play.

One can only imagine how nervous Ibrahimovic would have been facing the Curva Nord on the penalty. Yet he dispatched his penalty quite confidently. Benitez had chosen to go with a 3 man wide attack to try and exploit the fullbacks of Milan. Eto'o hugged the touchline but Abate's pace always slowed the Cameroonian down allowing Gattuso to track back and double man-mark the hitman. Inter played a deep line giving Milan plenty of room in midfield. AC Milan dominated proceedings for the first 25 minutes or so with Inter providing very little resilience. Allegri's solid 3 man midfield was blunting Sneijder and giving him very little space to move or create an opening. He was watched closely for most of the game. Inter were a bit fortunate with Obi's injury which allowed Coutinho to enter the game. The young Brazilian was the stimulus that sparked Inter's renaissance, giving them something extra in midfield. Gattuso's tackles were typically rough and the veteran should consider himself highly fortunate not to have seen red. Abate had a stellar half. Yes, he picked up a card in the first half, but it was arguably his best performance in defense for Milan. Positionally and tactically, he was top class.

Benitez shuffled things around after the break. An absolutely woeful Milito took the bench as Pandev was thrown into the fray. Pirlo entered the game for the departing Gattuso. Materazzi, who had been given charge to marshal Ibrahimovic had failed miserably. Therefore, Lucio took up the responsibility and succeeded in taming the big Swede. Just then, Pandev performs a bit of dark magic. He entices Abate to react and gets the full back sent off! Milan reduced to 10 men due to some dirty tactical play from Inter which is distinctly characteristic of them. It did appear that Flamini's influence on the game had dropped in the second half. He did make the darting runs into the box but wasn't very effective in defense, which is a shame given he wasn't carded and should have been more physical. Robinho and Flamini ran circles around the Inter midfielders and caused a great amount of distraction by drawing players away, creating more space for the likes of Ibrahimovic and Seedorf. Silva-Nesta looked superb all night and the midfielders weren't running short of legs. Kevin Prince was introduced to add more graft in midfield and that tightened up the spaces forcing the Inter players to try their luck from distance. Antonini however was having trouble with the pace and skill of Biabiany on the right. He was constantly faked and permitted several crosses to be floated into the box. In the end, Milan showed great character and spirit to close the game and get the vital win. We now sit six points clear of Inter!

Inter - /
Milan - Ibrahimovic 5' pen

A Costly Win

Mario Yepes

Milan 3 Palermo 1

Inviting the pink panthers to the San Siro has proved to be fatal in the recent past. With the additions of Pastore, Pinilla and Ilicic, Palermo are looking more intimidating than they have over the last few years. When you have a leaky defense and are facing one of the most talented attacks in Italy, you have to be brave and respond in attack. Allegri did just that. It seems like the Italian is finally finding the missing pieces of the puzzle. Seedorf had one his best games in a Milan shirt this season in the trequartista role against Bari which merited his start in the same position in this game. Boatang returned from suspension whilst Gattuso took his turn on the bench after accumulating the cards. Pirlo started from the bench for the second game running.


Milan bossed the possession in the first period giving the visitors very little time on the ball when not in possession. Palermo resorted to a counter attacking style to hurt Milan but they weren't prepared for a solid almost impermeable defense that AC Milan had set up that night. Pato opened the scoring after some horrific man marking from a corner. Seedorf adds another to the assist list. Ambrosini who has been reformed into an anchor man this season was flying into challenges and thereby found his name in the book. Palermo's attack was severely blunted by our defense. This is arguably the best defensive performance that I have seen from Milan in the last couple of years. Fantastic organization and positioning by the back 4. Credit must also go to Flamini and Boatang for closing down the midfielders and tracking back to assist the defenders. Pastore barely touched the ball which was largely due to precise defensive tactics employed by Allegri, who had clearly done his homework. One man who did disappoint in the first half for Milan was Zlatan. He just hasn't settled down at the club and is beginning to look rather jaded if not disinterested.

Palermo threatened more in the second half. Pastore sustained a knock and was replaced with Miccoli. Rossi put on a striker to assist Pinilla who was struggling against Silva and Yepes because he was isolated from his midfielders. A blip was around the corner and it arrived with Bacinovic's goal. It was a well placed shot into the left bottom corner of the net. Abbiati stood motionless without even trying to go for the ball. A sense of urgency seeped into Milan; Seedorf pushed from a deeper position and nearly scored only to be denied by the post. Boatang disappeared in the second half. His passing and shooting was top class in the first half but went mising in the second. The Rossoneri's efforts in attack were duly rewarded by Sirigu as he brought down Ambrosini in the box. The penalty was dispatched with confidence by Zlatan to give the hosts a deserved lead. Prior to this, Pato limped off with an injury and was replaced with Inzaghi who in-turn was injured during the build up to the penalty. Facing a draw before the derby was unacceptable to the home side which pushed Ambrosini out of the deep to make the runs from midfield. Robinho, who replaced Inzaghi was very fortunate on the third goal. Ibrahimovic sprinted down the left to cut the ball back to the Brazilian who hit the ball straight at the keeper before it sneaked under him and crossed the lined. Robinho had the chance to repay the favor to Ibrahimovic later in the game, but was very lazy with his pass. Milan at this stage were relying on counters and should have comfortably scored a couple more. The man of the match however was Mario Yepes who played his first game for his new club at the Meazza. He was like a rock at the back and made it very hard for the Palermo front men to get past him. Of course, Silva had a role in making Yepes look that good.

The points earned against Palermo are crucial for Milan and I mean that not only from the table perspective. Yes, we are at the top of the table, alone, after Lazio's loss away to Cesena. And yes, we haven't been top of the table, alone, since November 2, 2008. But we have beaten Palermo after they did the double on us last season. Palermo have psychologically messed with Milan in the past and have been a thorn in Milan's seasons. This win will help balance the records and the psyche. But the win has come at a cost. Inzaghi has been ruled out for the rest of the season and Pato will miss the next 2 games. Well, the next game is the Milan derby! One can imagine what our attack would be with an out of sorts Robinho in attack. But more importantly, it is the loss of Inzaghi that could cost us in the long run.

Milan - Pato 19', Zlatan pen 77', Robinho 83'
Palermo - Bacinovic 63'

Growing Guts

Pato

Bari 2 AC Milan 3

Questions have been raised about Allegri not having the personality or the air of authority to be able to talk down the big boys at Milan. And these words must have flown with the wind and fallen upon his ears. The man must have straightened his tie and stood up like a manager of this club must, which could be an daunting task for someone who has recently walked down the glorious corridors of the Milanello from a humble provincial side based in Sardinia. His decision to bench Pato, Ronaldinho and Pirlo would have come as a stupendous surprise to fans and neutrals alike. He opted to go with Ambrosini, Gattuso and Flamini viz, a very work-man like midfield against a gritty side of Bari. Seedorf was given the role to assist Robinho and Ibrahimovic as Yepes partnered Nesta in the heart of defense and he did so, quite literally twice in the game.

Ambrosini's trademark has been his ability to head the ball exquisitely and he showcased this talent with the opener. Flamini struggled initially and the lack of match practice seemed rather evident. Milan played a zonal marking system when not in possession of the ball. Gattuso has been reborn this season and continued to be a live-wire in this game. He chased players, closed down creators and put in the inevitable crunching challenge from time to time. Robinho played off Ibrahimovic, however he was perhaps given a free role. Marking him would have been a tough job with him moving from the left to the right and sometimes even running down the centre. His movement is second best to only Inzaghi in the team but his finishing is unbelievably poor. He created chance after chance but couldn't find the back of the net. I can't think of another reason but low confidence to be the trigger for not scoring given the chances he was provided. Allegri has probably realised that teams will attack his wings. This was visible as midfielders pulled wide to assist the fullbacks. The absence of the creator meant that the centre backs would have to direct the long pass to find the forwards, but both the centre-backs were poor with their passing, their passes often being easily intercepted. Flamini's darting runs into the box are amongst his brightest assets and he put that to good use on the second goal. The opposing midfielder however should have tracked his run. Barreto's runs and sharpness tested Yepes a number of times. The forward turned the defender on one occasion and should have put Bari in touching distance before the break.

Ibrahimovic has been a bit off with his performances lately. However, he still comes up with a goal or an assist in every game even if he doesn't blow the oppositions away with his enviable talent. He tried to go for the spectacular a few times in the game when simplicity was the easier option. Bari found themselves on the ball a lot more in the second half. Pato was introduced to give Milan more bite in attack and he responded with a brilliant goal from the edge of the box. That, with his weaker foot and from a tough angle. The goal is a must watch. YouTube it. But that wasn't before a former Milanisti walked though our defense to peg one back for the home side. Gattuso's legs refused to match up with his effervescent spirit. He simply couldn't keep up with the pace of the game in the second half. Bari's right sided midfielder Alvarez consistently employed pace to get beyond Zambrotta, who dragged him down on a number of occasions. Bari intentionally focused on the weaker full back and attacked him with pace and overlaps. They refused to give up and scored another in the closing stages. A well weighed lob into the box was volleyed into the back of the net by Barreto. I would like to add here that he was Nesta's man on this occasion. Enough said. Yepes had the added responsibility to cover up for Zambrotta's lack of pace in the latter stages which created a massive hole in the defense which the home side couldn't take advantage off.

We are getting the points, somehow, someway. This is characteristic of a title winning team. Therefore, I am not complaining. The quality of performances need to improve though. Our opponents this week are Palermo and Inter. Two cracking games against two formidable sides. Did I tell you that our natural full backs are either injured or lack match practice? And to make things worse, Thiago Silva is out with injury too. This is hardly the time we could say 'Bring it on Pastore, Ilicic!'

Bari - Kutuzov 66', Barreto 90'
Milan - Ambrosini 5', Flamini 31', Pato 72'

Unpredictable

Luca Antonini

Milan 1 Juventus 2

Del Neri's favorite 4-4-2 lined up on the pitch to match Milan's 4-3-3. Right from the start, Allegri had lost the tactical battle with this formation. Del Neri's men had an extra man in midfield which would mean that even if Milan controlled the game, breaking the Old Lady wouldn't be easy. Chiellini was called off action after having injured himself during the warm up. Ibrahimovic would have been all smiles when he sighted Chiellini limping to the bench. As expected, Milan dominated possession and looked the most likely to score. However, Quagliarella had other plans. He took advantage of Antonini's defensive lapse and headed home a beautifully placed header from a De Ceglie cross. The goal provided a sucker punch to Milan. Spirits and heads dropped while Juventus found their feet in the game. The Bianconeri grew in confidence after the goal and the home side did precious little to dampen the opposition's mood. Antonini has easily been Milan's worst player this season which begs me to ask, why isn't Bruno Montelongo being played this season? The highly rated right back was brought in the summer on loan to add to the numbers of the Primevera? I think not. Then why does Allegri still stick to the faded champions of the squad? Antonini can't dribble to save his life, his positioning sense is awful and his passing probably his worst attribute. How he makes the Milan first team remains a mystery. On the right flank, Bonera had a collision involving De Ceglie. The young left back was stretchered away with Pepe replacing him at left back. Yes, Pepe. Just to emphasize, Juventus' defense looked like this - Motta, Legrottaglie, Bonucci and Pepe! One would expect a flamboyant attack like ours to run riot, especially since we were at home. These are the occasions when Milan defy logic, which they successfully did. A lot of credit has been given to Abbiati over the last season. But he is astonishingly incompetent from set pieces and crosses. He fearfully flaps at the ball like a 15 year old would flap at a harmless mosquito. He cuts a sorry picture as a professional making it an embarrassing viewing experience. Juventus gifted Milan enough chances for this to become a mauling. However, Ibrahimovic chose not to take them.

The tall Swede continued to let chances slip by with poor first touches. His partner in crime Pato has taken to the idea of being Italy's Messi. But the Brazilian lacks the technical skill and quality to replicate the Argentine wonder which no one evidently has told him so far. Therefore, his runs into the penalty box inevitably ends up with lost possession. Aquillani and Melo were defensively efficient. Aquillani dropped deeper in the game to let Melo move up in attack and the Italian was relishing the midfield battle. Bonucci who has the tactical awareness of a tortoise was combining admirably well with Legrottaglie to keep Ibrahimovic very quiet. It was perhaps Chiellini's chance to smile. Just like in the first half, Juventus hit Milan out of the blue. Antonini to be held responsible again for not using his feet to clear the ball. He was trying to be innovative by doing the salsa with Sissoko but Del Piero didn't dance. I thought to myself, no Krasic and no Chiellini and Juventus are up by two goals to nil at the San Siro! Unpredictability can rarely be demonstrated any better. Following the second goal, Juventus dropped deep and opted to defend the lead. Ibrahimovic bagged one in the eighty second minute with Pepe unable to hold of the big Swede on the cross. Special mention to Antonini for playing a part with an assist. Milan dominated possession whilst Juventus relied on the counter. One of the notable observations that was made was of a talent called Sokratis. This Greek is a disaster waiting to happen; he is brash and crude with his challenges and lacks the composure at this level.

Its shocking that we could not beat a severely depleted Juventus. If our men had trouble against Pepe and Legrottaglie, it doesn't take an immensely imaginative mind to fathom how we would cope with Carvalho and Ramos. Ronaldo is arguably on top of his form at the moment and his razor sharp movement will hurt Milan. A defeat on Wednesday might see us getting knocked out of the Champions League much earlier than we would have imagined.

Milan - Ibrahimovic 82'

Juventus - Quagliarella 24', Del Piero 65'