Yesterday we kicked off Strikers Week on Just Football, in which we’ll spend the week analysing the best strikers in the world. The aim is to see what we can learn from various attackers’ performances this season. We asked you to name your personal top ten, and please continue to do so over the week as we tally the results.

Now for Part I of the analysis. In this part we take a look at seven strikers who should be sticking around at their current clubs (although one or two are coveted elsewhere and may move). In Part II we will assess those who look like they may be on the move, according to various transfer rumours.

It’s not an exact way of splitting them up but it allows us to look at two distinct groups closely without it being overwhelming. All statistics are via WhoScored who source their data from Opta. For all players we will be looking at league stats only, as although most played in Europe, some did not and others did at different levels (Europa/Champions League).

So step up the first seven players to go under scrutiny: Robin Van Persie, Roberto Soldado, Antonio Di Natale, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and Champions League winner Mario Mandzukic.

We have split the analysis into two sections – goal statistics and general build-up play statistics, which allows us some insight not only into their scoring rates but also their all-round contribution to team play. Highlighted in blue are the best numbers for this group of players, in red the worst numbers.

Goal Statistics:

The list is ordered by number of league goals scored in 2012/13. Click the images to enlarge.

Shots to Goals ratio and Shot Conversion % are basically the same stat, but I quite like looking at it as a ‘how many shots does he need to score’ figure, while some prefer a percentage rate. It’s horses for courses, whichever you prefer.

Observations

As we can see from the data, Robin Van Persie is the king of goals in this list with 26. He also dominates the total shots column with a staggering 141 shots, nearly as many as Mandzukic and Aguero combined. Of the players in Europe’s 5 major leagues to average 3.5 shots per game or more only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Alvaro Negredo had more shots on goal than the Manchester United man.

Van Persie needed 5.42 shots on average to score in the Premier League last season. This is at the higher end of the scale but not as clinical as Roberto Soldado or Mario Mandzukic, with the Valencia man needing only 4.17 shots per goal. Of all 15 players we are analysing over the coming days this puts him 4th on the list behind three players (who we’ll reveal tomorrow).

Soldado had an excellent season in Spain – a 24% conversion rate and 24 goals in 33 starts is quite brilliant, bettered only by Messi, Ronaldo, Falcao and Negredo (who surprisingly few people have placed in their top 10 list so far).

One thing I found fairly surprising was Mario Mandzukic‘s low total shots and shots per game stats, which perhaps hint at an efficiency of shooting in his play (he still managed 0.63 goals per game) and a possible reluctancy to shoot unless in the best possible position.

This is a marked contrast to someone like Carlos Tevez, whose goals per game and shots conversion % were comfortably the worst of the 15 players assessed. Tevez played a high number of his games positioned deeper in a more attacking midfield role in fairness however, which could help explain this paucity of shooting.

Sergio Aguero‘s goal stats show he had far from his best season at Manchester City, while Antonio Di Natale continued to fire away with a superbly prolific 0.7 goals per game.

Mario Balotelli’s stats on the other hand are quite dramatically skewed by his move to AC Milan in January. He managed only 1 goal in his final 6 months at City, playing mostly from the bench, but as the main man in Milan he hit a staggering 12 goals in 12 starts, hinting at his immense development with the Rossoneri and his huge potential for goals if made the focal point of the team. City may live to regret letting him go so readily.

Let’s look now at these players’ all-round capabilities via passing and dribbling statistics:

For some players the pattern is completely different here. As we can see, Carlos Tevez showed average goal statistics but becomes a phenomenon in all-round play with 8 assists and 1.8 key passes per game, tied with Robin Van Persie, who proves what he adds not only in goals but also in overall contribution to the team.

Tevez’s average passes per game and pass completion % are also very high, the latter being the best of all 15 analysed, the former bettered only by Wayne Rooney who we’ll assess shortly.

Perhaps naturally, the out-and-out strikers do worst here. Dribbling is not exactly in the brief for Di Natale or Soldado.

Sergio Aguero shows his excellent ability on the ball here with 1.9 successful dribbles per game as does Balotelli, but the Italian’s 0 assists is a significant low point of his game and he’ll hope to improve that next season. The Milan star’s stats show however that he can be a clinical, goalscoring target man, but also has more to his game with a proven ability to dribble.

Di Natale’s pass completion rate is not great, but he has the lowest number of turnovers per game – way lower than the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Falcao and Zlatan Ibrahimovic even, as we’ll see.

Mario Mandzukic‘s fairly low successful dribbles and key passes per game stats perhaps hint at why Bayern are so keen to recruit Robert Lewandowski, though a goal every 4.46 shots is not to be sniffed at.

Conclusion

From these stats we learn the value of various players to their teams, which helps explain why they are not likely to be on the move this summer.

For example, many in the media described Robin Van Persie’s transfer to Manchester United as ‘good business’ by Arsenal. This is shown as simply not true when you consider what a fantastic contribution he makes to his team not just in goals but also all-round play. The Dutchman is a huge asset to any team, proven over many years now.

Carlos Tevez showed again that his workrate and hustle in attacking areas really is impressive, while Mario Balotelli at 22 could be about to explode as a genuine world class talent if he can add creativity (and discipline, some might argue) to an increasingly convincing goal ratio.

Roberto Soldado’s shot conversion % shows his class. Recently turned 28, the Spaniard could be a good signing for any major team looking to take advantage of Valencia’s financial problems (a fee of £15-18million could be very tempting for Los Che).

I’m actually quite disappointed by Sergio Aguero’s stats for last season, but the ability is still there. As is the case with Toto Di Natale, an excellent (and relatively overlooked) striker for a number of years now. He deserves credit.

Tomorrow we look at the some of the biggest names in world football many of whom, funnily enough, are the subject of serious interest from the world’s most renowned clubs. Follow us on Twitter to stay updated.

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The post Best Strikers in the World Analysis Part I – From goal king Van Persie to master creator Tevez appeared first on Just Football.

In my latest piece for FourFourTwo, where I write as a feature columnist on French and African football, I take a look at Paris Saint-Germain’s brilliant centre back Thiago Silva and his rise to becoming one of – if not THE – best defender in the world. I also look at the unspoken truth in Paris that, really, he never wanted to leave Milan and probably wouldn’t have joined PSG if the choice were his:

Le Parisien declared him “already a legend.” Alain Roche, a former France centre-back who won the European Cup Winners’ Cup with PSG in 1996, called Silva ‘the Lionel Messi of defenders.’ “The question is no longer if he is the best defender in the world,” said Roche, “because he is quite simply one of the best players in the world – better than Cannavaro when he won the Ballon D’Or.” Ricardo, another Brazilian centre back who played for and coached PSG in the 1990s, simply dubbed his compatriot “a monster.”

Head over to FourFourTwo to read the full piece, and let me know your thoughts on the piece, as well as Thiago Silva, if he is the best defender in the world, and his future, below.

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The post Thiago Silva – the best defender in the world? appeared first on Just Football.

by Ebrahim Sadien

Fiorentina v AC Milan

(Sunday, April 7th 2013)

A resurgent AC Milan take on Fiorentina at a sold out Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday evening. Fiorentina desperately need a win to keep their hopes of Champions League qualification alive. The Rossoneri however are unbeaten in the league in 2013, with nine wins and three draws, and have Napoli in their sights as they chase the final automatic Champions League qualification spot.

Milan come off the back off a scrappy 1-0 away win against Chievo in the last round of fixtures and have gone four consecutive league games without conceding.

Languishing in mid-table in November 2012, Milan are now only two points adrift from Napoli in the race for second place, spearheaded by Mario Balotelli who has bagged seven goals since his arrival in January.

Fiorentina are six points and one place below Milan in the standings. A loss away to Cagliari last weekend has put a dent in the aspirations for a Champions League position. Prior to last weekend’s loss, La Viola had won three consecutive games and will need a return to winning ways against Milan if they are to push for a top three finish.

Crucially, Fiorentina star man Stevan Jovetic is carrying an injury and may miss out, although he is in the squad. The Montenegrin, who has twelve league goals this campaign, picked up a thigh strain in the loss to Cagliari. Missing their star striker, a tough task awaits La Viola as they look to halt Serie A’s form team.

Manchester United v Manchester City

(Monday, 8 April 2013)

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, who are fifteen points clear at the top of the table, host their city rivals as they look to pick themselves up from a dismal FA Cup elimination. Manchester City will need more than a miracle to close the gap on Manchester United but will look to temporarily delay their title celebrations.

To add spice to what always promises to be an explosive derby, Mike Dean has been appointed to referee the game. Ferguson has defended his decision to blast Dean at half time during his side’s Boxing Day clash against Newcastle and Roberto Mancini was left fuming after Dean controversially sent off Vincent Kompany against Arsenal in January.

United will look to ease the pain of their FA Cup exit at the hands of Chelsea by extending their gap at the top of the table as they nudge closer to their twentieth league title. “We are in a good position obviously and I think a positive result for us on Monday will just about seal the title for us,” the United boss said.

Sir Alex also revealed that Wayne Rooney who missed the FA cup defeat with a groin injury, will hopefully be fit for the derby on Monday.

Despite the huge gap between them and United, City’s captain Vincent Kompany has indicated that there will be bragging rights to play for. “A derby is a derby. I don’t think we could care less about the league in that game,” he said. “It is about who is going to be champions of Manchester, that is all it is.”

City will be hoping their in-form striker, and former United player, Carlos Tevez can ignore his off field problems and continue his goal scoring form. The Uruguayan was handed a fine and community service hours by a court on Wednesday after driving offences.

The title may already be nearly secured but Monday’s derby will be no formality. United will desperately want to avenge their 6-1 humiliation at the hands of City at Old Trafford last season.

City on the other hand will look to even this season’s head-to-head results after going down 3-2 at the Etihad and with the title out of their reach, would like nothing more than a victory over their rivals.

FC Porto v Braga

(Monday, 8 April 2013)

Porto entertain Braga on Monday night in a crucial match in terms of both the title and Champions League qualification.

For months Porto and Benfica could not be separated at the top of the table but a few dropped points in March has seen Porto slip four points back. While Porto and Benfica battle for the title, Braga are involved in their own battle with Paços Ferreira for the final Champions League qualifications spot. Braga are currently forth, two points off Paços Ferreira.

Porto managed to pull their title aspirations back on track with a 3-0 away win at Académica in their last league fixture. Porto’s hopes rely heavily on their prolific striker Jackson Martinez. The league’s top scorer has a staggering twenty three goals this season.

Braga will need to bounce back from their 3-2 home defeat to Sporting.

As Benfica have a relatively easy match against Olhanense this weekend, Porto will be hoping that their rivals’ midweek European duties provide a distraction. Porto however will need to beat Braga to prove they are not ready to give up the title without a fight. Anything less than three points could see a lead develop that might be too big to close as we enter the final few games of the season.

Ebrahim Sadien is a new contributor to Just Football. Follow him on Twitter @ebisadien

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The post 3 To See: Manchester United v Manchester City, Fiorentina, FC Porto appeared first on Just Football.

Is this Barcelona side over the hill?

The 2-0 loss against AC Milan in the first leg, followed by two defeats versus Real Madrid might have suggested that, but in the build-up to the second leg the Barcelona players seemed quite confident, even though no-one had ever overcome a two goal Champions League knockout deficit without reply.

Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Deportivo at the weekend was the Catalans’ first clean sheet in thirteen consecutive matches, illustrating Barca’s dodgy defence of late. It was anything but inconceivable AC Milan would score, which would ensure a need for at least four goals to go through. But as Gerard Pique said before the game, Barcelona would be up for that.

And he was right.

AC Milan had a few chances, with Mbaye Niang’s one-on-one with Victor Valdes the highlight. The unfortunate young Frenchman (18) had the opportunity to level the score in the 39th minute. Niang’s shot hit the post and only moments later, he saw Lionel Messi double his tally for the evening from outside the penalty box, hitting the ball hard and low past Abiatti.

It was a good goal, but not as beautiful as his opener. In the fifth minute, Messi had opened the score after a flowing attack that saw Messi setting up a one-two with Xavi and rounding off with a inside, left-footed shot finding the top corner. With the 2-0 score at half-time, the first leg result was evened out and both teams, on paper, came out of the dressing rooms on level terms.

In reality though, Barcelona were already ahead. AC Milan showed a bit more fight, but in the 55th minute, David Villa made it 3-0. A picked up ball, a pinpoint pass by Xavi Hernandez, a mistimed sliding by AC Milan-left back Kevin Constant (who had a nightmare of a game) and a cool finish by Villa.

After that, Barcelona remained in control, but it wasn’t before the 94th minute that any doubts about who was progressing to the quarter finals could be put to rest. A frankly stupid short free-kick by Robinho resulted in a counter-attack and Jordi Alba finished off any hopes Milan had left. 4-0.

The game in 10 tweets:

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The post Barcelona 4-0 AC Milan – Game in 10 Tweets appeared first on Just Football.

On a December night in 1899, one of AC Milan’s founding fathers, British expatriate Herbert Kiplin said, “We are a team of devils. Our colours are red as fire, and black, to invoke fear in our opponents”. Adidas’s focus for the new AC Milan home kit for the 2012-13 season depicts these famous words uttered just shy of 113 years ago, however, thus far it has clearly not invoked any serious fear in any opponents this season with the Rossoneri’s string of poor results so far.

The new kit design includes five stripes, three black and two red. The black and red stripes are separated by what looks like white pin stripes from a distance, but is actually the Italian flag appearing in the form of a pin stripe. Unlike many of the preceding AC Milan home kits, the polo collar returns to the jersey with “A.C. Milan” embroidered into it. Under the armpit is black as well as the trim of the sleeve. The tops of the sleeves are red. The Adidas three stripes appear in white as well as club sponsor Fly Emirates.  Considering the emphasis on “red as fire” and “black, to invoke fear” as a basis for a kit, all I am seeing from a distance is an abundance of white on the kit.

I have a lot of reservations about this new AC Milan kit. Quite frankly I am disappointed. I can see that Adidas have attempted to go for a simplistic and elegant kit, however, the use of the pin stripes are excessive, make the kit look too busy from close up, and I do not think the collar suits the shirt either. For such a prestigious club hailing from one of the fashion capitals of the world, this really does not work too well. Had Adidas taken away the white polo collar and adopted a slicker v-neck such as they have done with this season’s Real Madrid’s home kit, then we would definitely have a better design on our hands.

I would give this kit a 5.7/10. There are worse out there for sure, however, this is far from the benchmark.

What do you think of this kit? Do you think Herbert Kiplin would have admired this creation? Will AC Milan invoke fear when it really matters later on in the season? Leave your comments below, or share your opinions on Facebook or Twitter.

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The post New AC Milan Home Kit 2012-13 appeared first on Just Football.

The 32 teams are primed, the players are ready and the famous anthem has been pre-loaded onto tape ready to be belted out around the grounds of Europe’s elite football clubs; yes, the 2012/2013 UEFA Champions League group stages are all but ready to begin.

With a new competition brings a new batch of players, fresh and ready to prove themselves on the biggest stage. Here at Just-Football.com we present to you 10 players to keep an eye on in this season’s Champions League:

Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)

18 league goals and 8 assists only help tell half the story when it comes to just how brilliant the former Borussia Monchengladbach player was last season, with the resulting tug-of-war between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich to secure his services going some way to portraying how keenly he was coveted.

Having returned to Dortmund, where he played for the youth teams before being released in 2006, for a £14.5million fee, it will be interesting to see how Reus, a nimble forward with great technique who excels between the lines, adapts to Champions League football. One of the brightest prospects in European football today.

Isco (Malaga)

We all know about the Xavis, Andres Iniestas and David Silvas of this world – diminutive, cunning Spanish players with otherworldly technique. Well Francisco Román Alarcón or Isco as he is known, could well become the next name on that illustrious list of talents we all purr over when discussing Spain.

Widely considered one of the best young talents in Spanish football today, Isco came through the youth system at Valencia before nouveau-riche Malaga saw an opportunity and triggered a €6million buyout clause in 2011. Through his creativity and immense skill the 20-year-old has since developed into arguably Malaga’s best player and is one consistently linked with moves to clubs considered higher up the European football food chain.

Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kiev)

A player I’ve grown increasingly fond of watching over the last few months, Ukraine’s tricky winger Andriy Yarmolenko is a very exciting prospect and undoubtedly one to watch in what is an open Champions League group alongside Porto, PSG and Dinamo Zagreb.

A left-footed, pacy and dynamic wing man, Yarmolenko can play on either flank, cutting inside onto his powerful left foot when deployed on the right, where he has said he enjoys playing, or in attack. Fresh from dazzling Wembley in an accomplished and at times thrilling performance for Ukraine against England, the 22-year-old is gradually starting to add consistency to his game, which bodes well for Dynamo.

Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain)

Despite the galaxy of stars brought in to light up the Parisian footballing skyline over the last twelve months it is a 19-year-old kid from the Italian lower leagues that, Zlatan aside, has looked most impressive for PSG so far this season. Marco Verratti is a young player with a big reputation however, hence the £8.5million fee payed to Pescara for his services – a big price for a player without top-flight experience even if he has been dubbed ‘the new Pirlo’ in some quarters.

Verratti has looked calm and assured for Carlo Ancelotti’s team so far and such are his performances to date it appears he may already have done enough to hold down a midfield spot in what is a crowded and extremely competitive squad. His vision, touch, range of passing and ability to play the killer ball have delighted PSG fans (he was excellent in their most recent game vs Toulouse) and having made his Italy debut in August, Verratti could well be a star of the future.

Cheikhou Kouyate (Anderlecht)

With his calm on the ball, impressive anticipation and obvious athletic ability it is little wonder that Cheikhou Kouyate is increasingly being considered one of the brightest young talents in Belgian football today. A two-time league champion with les Mauves et Blancs, the 22-year-old was originally deployed in a defensive midfield role at Anderlecht – a position he played in admirably for Senegal during the 2012 London Olympics – before switching to centre back where he has also excelled.

Nominated in 2012 for the Ebony Shoe award for best African player in the Belgian Pro League, Kouyate continues to develop and is beginning to make his mark at senior international level too, featuring for Senegal at centre back in their recent Africa Cup of Nations 2013 qualifier defeat to Ivory Coast. One to keep an eye on for sure.

James Rodriguez (FC Porto)

With the departure of Hulk to Zenit, Porto will have to find new creative and goalscoring outlets to take the team forward in this Champions League campaign. Fortunately for them they have one of the most sophisticated and fruitful scouting networks around, and there are plenty of players on the production line ready to come in and fill the gap.

One such player is James Rodriguez, a left-footed midfielder known for his dribbling, skill, maturity and a left foot with the precision of a surgeon’s knife. The Colombian international hasn’t quite established himself at Porto yet but should have the opportunity to do so now, and his versatility (he can also play centrally or down the right) should see him feature fairly regularly for Vitor Pereira’s side this campaign.

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (Montpellier)

A rock at the heart of Montpellier’s history-making title-winning team of 2011/12, French international Yanga-Mbiwa is the captain of the side and a fundamental component of Rene Girard’s team. A big, powerful centre back who is both aerially dominant and decent along the ground, Yanga-Mbiwa made France’s provisional squad for Euro 2012 before finally being cut, but looks like being part of new France coach Didier Deschamps plans for the future and could be heavily involved at international level from now on.

At the centre of transfer negotiations between Montpellier and AC Milan in the summer, the €6million fee proposed by Milan elicited one of the quotes of the summer from outspoken Montpellier president Louis Nicollin. “Kojak hasn’t called me once,” he said of Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani, likening him to the famous TV detective of similar bald features. “It makes me laugh, they sold a player for 45million Euros and then they want ours for €6million! Go and make your movies and leave us alone, he’s staying!” Given Yanga-Mbiwa’s young age (23) and obvious ability, you can see why Nicollin was so annoyed at the fee offered.

Stephan El Shaarawy (AC Milan)

Aside from the bags of money, at least part of the reason AC Milan felt they could let their talisman and inspirational striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic leave was to pave the way for the emergence of the prodigiously talented Stephan El Shaarawy. Son of an Egyptian father and Italian mother, the 19-year-old first came to the fore by excelling for Italy’s youth teams, from Under-16 level up. A successful loan spell at Padova in 2010/11, in which he helped nearly helped steer the Serie B club to promotion, prompted Milan to sign him on a co-ownership deal with Genoa for a reported €7million Euros.

A series of promising cameos in Serie A last season for the Rossoneri, where he has shown flashes of skill, good link-up play and an eye for goal, now see El Shaarawy leading the line for Milan, where he has started every game this season so far.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Shakhtar Donetsk)

Already a superstar in his homeland, where he has twice been named Armenian Player of the Year at the tender age of 23, Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a player who continues to grow in ability and influence, both at club level for Shakhtar Donetsk and for Armenia. A midfielder of poise, balance, tenacity and a good touch, Mkhitaryan is a key reason for Armenia’s recent rise to prominence at international level, with a 3rd place finish in Euro 2012 qualifying celebrated as the best performance in their history.

For Shakhtar too he is increasingly becoming a key man; his forward thrust, positional versatility and eye for goal all highly valued by his coach Mircea Lucescu, who describes him as a ‘complete player’. Mkhitaryan was an integral part of Shakhtar’s league and cup double in Ukraine last season and so far this campaign the signs of improvement are there with an incredible 12 goals in 9 games already. “At this moment, he could become our number one player, though we have other very important players,” Lucescu raves. “But our huge step forward is Mkhitaryan’s development. I think he’ll have a very beautiful career.”

Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus)

Despite an excellent season at Parma last season it still feels as though Sebastian Giovinco still has something to prove at the very highest level, which is why it will be compelling to see how he does at Juventus in the Champions League this year. The man once dubbed ‘the crown prince of Italian football’ by FIFA was no more than a fringe player in Italy’s Euro 2012 squad, restricted to the odd few minutes here and there. He has the ability to terrorise defenders with his mobility, clever movement and mazy dribbling. At 25 it is time for ‘the atomic ant’ to show what he can do on the big stage.

Which players will you be watching in this season’s Champions League? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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The post Champions League 2012-2013 – 10 Players to Watch appeared first on Just Football.

by Christopher Akinrele

Gennaro Gattuso is to leave AC Milan when his contract expires in June. After a weekend in which AC Milan said goodbye to yet another era of loyal servants, a unique place was reserved in the fans’ affections for the Rossoneri fighter who has finally hung up his gloves.

And so it ends. After 13 seasons of running around, snarling and tackling all whilst sporting facial hair that made his cult hero status inevitable, come 1 July Gennaro Ivan ‘Rino’ Gattuso will be a Milan player no more.

Gattuso arrived at Milan after brief spells early in his career at Perugia, Glasgow Rangers and Salernitana which were notable for creating his reputation as an energetic ball winning midfield player (despite Dick Advocaat’s best attempts to convert him to full back whilst at Rangers) with an affinity for all things Scottish.

His energy and defensive ability enabled him to quickly establish himself as the perfect counterbalance to the tempo setting artistry of Andrea Pirlo. Whilst many will, rightly, highlight Pirlo’s range of passing and ability to control football matches as a deep lying playmaker as one of the key reasons behind Milan’s decade of success between 2001-2011, none of this would have been possible without the presence of Gattuso – such an effective ball winner that Milan were able to fill the rest of their midfield with forward thinking players without harming the balance of the side.

There have been lows, most notably the fracas with Joe Jordon (first team coach at Tottenham Hotspur) in the first round of the 2010/2011 Champions League knock out stages and the countless yellow cards and disciplinary misdemeanours, but these have arguably been inevitable products of a combative personality which needed to operate as close to the edge as possible in order to be effective.

In a generation of technically gifted Milan players, Gattuso’s selfless currency was attitude and work rate. A currency made all the more valuable by its relative rarity.

So, what next? Gattuso is adamant that he is not ready to retire from the game just yet and he clearly has the desire “to battle on” for a further season or two. There is early talk, much of it from Gattuso himself, of a move back to Scottish side, Glasgow Rangers. And there is undoubtedly something poignant about a giant of the game whose waning powers have left a shadow of his former self spending the winter of his career at a club who, following this season’s administration, is currently a pale imitation of the dominating team Gattuso left in the summer of 1998.

The only thing we can be certain of is that Gattuso will not be pulling on the shirt of another side in Serie A. The prospect of lining up against the club that has defined his career is simply not an option. Instead he will seek one final club which can provide an “experience that will touch [him] emotionally”, his final performances no doubt characterised by lots of running around, snarling and tackling, all whilst sporting facial hair that will make cult hero status at his new club, inevitable.

Gennaro Gattuso – Honours List

2 League Titles (2003/04, 2010/11) 2 UEFA Champions League (2002/2003, 2006/07) 2 UEFA Supercups (2003, 2007) 1 Italian Cup (2003, 2007) 2 League Supercup (2004, 2011) 1 FIFA Club World Cup (2007)

Christopher Akinrele is a new contributor to Just Football specialising in Italian football. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisAkinrele

See also: 5 reasons why football needs Antonio Cassano

(photo credit: AC Milan official on Flickr)

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The post Goodbye Gattuso: End of a Milan love affair appeared first on Just Football.

by Nico H

In 4-3-3 formation….

GK: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

A relatively easy call to make. ‘Superman’ has been back to his best form in Serie A this season and won his fair share of points for La Vecchia Signora with some outstanding personal performances. That Juve went the entire season unbeaten was in no small part down to the Nazionale captain’s truly world class talent. Essential to Italy’s Euro 2012 campaign.

LDEF: Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus)

An admirable 2010/2011 campaign with Lazio prompted Beppe Marotta to move for the versatile Swiss full back. He was not phased by the extra pressure on him to help a rejuvenated Juventus bring home the first Scudetto since the 2005-2006 season (subsequently awarded to Inter due to Calciopoli). Equally comfortable defending and attacking, Juve have looked far less capable when he is not in the lineup, and if he can build on the success he’s had this season Marotta will be licking his lips having secured Lichtsteiner for €10m. He would surely fetch double this now.

CDEF: Thiago Silva (AC Milan)

Consistently one of the best defenders not just in Italian football but in the world, Thiago Silva remains a phenomenon. Physically he has everything – pace, agility, strength and a fantastic leap – and combines this with a Baresi-esque ability to read the play, often darting in front of attacking players to pluck out an interception where most defenders would remain goal side and allow their man to receive the ball to feet.

As one might expect from a former attacking payer (he began his career as a right winger) Silva is more than competent when it comes to starting attacks from the back and is always a threat from corners as his magnificent headed goals against Barcelona and Palermo illustrate. Galliani will have to resist Barcelona’s expected overtures for the player this summer as, with Nesta’s departure now confirmed, Silva’s importance to the Rossoneri cannot be under estimated.

CDEF: Andrea Barzagli (Juventus)

Having proved good but by no means outstanding at Palermo, Barzagli tried the road less travelled for Italian players and moved to Wolfsberg in the Bundesliga in 2007. This experience was clearly important to his progression as when he returned to Italy with Juventus in 2010 he looked far more composed and astute as a defender.

He’s held down the starting berth at Juventus this season and whilst he does not have the barnstorming (and often over zealous) style of his defensive partner Giorgio Chiellini, Barzagli has quietly gone about his task and in doing so ensured Juventus have had the tightest defence this season, conceding only 20 goals. At 30, he is peaking at the right time for a central defender and was a certainty for Prandelli’s squad in the summer.

RDEF: Christian Maggio (Napoli)

Il Motorino has certainly lived up to his nickname this season proving to be a fundamental cog in Napoli’s much vaunted counter attacking system under Walter Mazzari. The width he gives the team and the speed he injects into his trademark bursts down the right wing have become fundamentally important to the Partenopei whilst at the same time making the right-back position in the national team his.

It is no coincidence that Napoli’s best Champions League performance (at home to Chelsea) featured the infatigable Maggio and their worst (the return leg of the same fixture) took a turn for the worse when the speedy Italian went off injured. Had his shot in the first leg not been dramatically cleared off the line by Ashley Cole, Napoli’s European adventure could have been prolonged.

CMID: Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)

After a distinctly average 2010/2011 campaign where it appeared to most that Pirlo’s powers were waning slightly, it remained a surprise that he was not deemed worthy of a contract extension at Milan, despite older players such as Seedorf and Inzaghi staying. Juventus had more confidence in the elegant Brescia native however and brought him in on a free transfer. This move reinvigorated Pirlo, and he began the season looking to prove the top brass at Milanello wrong.

With a midfield often accused of lacking creativity (Aquilani and Boateng have been missed for key chunks of the season), Milan must be wondering how this season might have panned out had Pirlo remained a Rossonero. It will stick in Galliani’s throat that Pirlo topped the league in assists this season with 13. Pirlo’s vision and technique set him aside from most other centrocampisti in the league and his deadball ability means he can always pose a threat. A remarkable season by a player many had almost written off a year ago.

Andrea Pirlo (photo credit: Emanuela Tardocchi via Flickr)

CMID: Sebastian Giovinco (Parma)

Known as the Atomic Ant (Formica Atomica) for his diminutive size, Giovinco has spent several seasons away from parent club Juventus, with loans at Empoli and Parma sandwiching disappointing spells at the Old Lady. That said, there never seemed to be full faith in the Turin native’s talents during his spells at Juve and so after a promising season at Parma on loan, Juve wilfully accepted Parma’s co-ownership offer last summer and this show of faith clearly had an impact on the player. Until February it looked like Parma would have a distinctly average season but Giovinco had other ideas, and it would not be over-emphasising to suggest their 8th place finish was down to Giovinco’s wizardry.

His stunning volley against Siena in the penultimate match of the season is a serious contender for goal of the season and he finished the season with 15 goals and 11 assists. To highlight quite what this meant to the team, the rest of the team collectively managed 10 assists and the second top scorer – Sergio Floccari – failed to make it past 8 goals. A magnificent season and Giovinco has been rewarded with a call up to the Nazionale.

CMID: Arturo Vidal (Juventus)

Signing for Juventus invariably comes with a level of expectation which can see some players struggle to cope (see: Amauri, Melo, Borriello). Given the tussle between Europe’s top clubs for Vidal’s signature, this weight of expectation was only increased. It is testament therefore to the young Chilean’s strength of character that he not only met expectations but exceeded them in a big way.

The €12.5m paid to Bayer Leverkusen last summer now looks like a snip for a player who has become crucial to Juventus’ unbeaten Scudetto run. Despite not being known as a goalscorer, Vidal contributed a very credible 7 goals this term, the highlight being a sweetly struck right footed drive from outside the area at home to Roma. A huge talent who will continue to flourish under Antonio Conte’s tutelage.

ATT: Edinson Cavani (Napoli)

Napoli may not have hit the heights of their magnificent 2010/2011 performance but this has been more down to a porous defence than their magnificent attacking trident, the focal point of which being the oft-unplayable Uruguayan. Combining pace, aerial ability and surgically precise finishing he has been exceptional.

Cavani’s hat-trick against Milan earlier in the season set the tone for his season and whilst Napoli could still bring home silverware in the form of the Coppa Italia, competing on three fronts has taken its toll. Regardless, Cavani’s scoring has been consistent (32 in all competitions this season to add to the 33 last season) and his near-mythical status amongst Napoli fans in the relatively short time he’s been at the club are testament to his huge ability and passion.

ATT: Antonio Di Natale (Udinese)

Another season, another breathtaking display of goalscoring by ‘Toto’. Every summer for the past few years there are murmurs that as his age creeps up, Di Natale won’t be able to keep up his scoring habit. And every subsequent season he proves the doubters wrong! Another sterling season from the Napoletan, who pounces on any sniff of a chance in the penalty area without apology and also provides a significant set piece threat.

Toto has hinted that this summer’s Euro tournament could be his last in professional football. Piermario Morosini’s death weighed heavily on his mind and he has spoken about the strain placed on players’ bodies in the modern game given how many games are now played (Udinese played 51 competitive games this season). A strong performance this summer would be the fitting end to a brilliant season and memorable career.

ATT: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan)

Nobody could accuse Zlatan of failing to stand up and be counted this season. Continually he has dug Milan out of trouble with his all-action attacking performances. Zlatan really is the full package – and that is borne out by his statistics this year: 28 league goals to earn the capocannoniere (top scorer) title and 9 assists (not to mention 5 assists and 5 goals in 8 Champions League games).

The red card he earned for slapping Salvatore Aronica pointed to the darker side of Zlatan’s game which still hasn’t completely disappeared, but as he wrote in his book (‘I am Zlatan’), Ibra thrives on anger and a feeling of injustice and when he returned from his ban and promptly scored a stunning hatrick against Palermo you could see the evidence of this right before your eyes. Despite a penchant for club-hopping, Zlatan is expected to stay at Milan next season and with his brother-from-another-mother Antonio Cassano now healthy again after his heart operation, next season could prove to be even more fruitful for the Rossoneri number 11.

On the bench:

Sub 1 – Kevin Prince Boateng (AC Milan) – The surprise package at Milan in his debut season, ‘The Prince’ has continued to amaze the San Siro faithful in his second season. Hampered somewhat by injury problems but when he does play his combination of strength, power and technique make him very tough to deal with. Case in point: a 15 minute hat-trick against Lecce to drag Milan from 3-0 down to 3-3 after coming on as a sub – 3 rocket propelled strikes which gave Milan the platform to complete an astounding 4-3 victory. Incredible strikes against Barcelona and Arsenal, as well as an 86th minute goal at home to Genoa to keep the title chase alive showed Boateng possesses the big-game mentality so important at the highest level and at only 25 if he can stay injury free, Milan have an integral piece of their midfield for years to come.

Sub 2 - Mattia Destro (Siena) – An unremarkable season for Siena (they finished 14th) was boosted by a fantastic break-out season for on-loan U21 star Mattia Destro who bagged 12 goals for the Tuscan outfit to help secure their survival. Siena will struggle to retain his services next season and he is expected to return to parent club Genoa.

Sub 3 - Antonio Nocerino (AC Milan) - Signed unexpectedly from Palermo on deadline day for €500,000, Nocerino looked to be a classic Galliani squad player signing, and doubts remained whether he could cut it on the big stage. ‘Noce’ almost immediately dispelled the doubters and became a key part of Milan’s midfield, filling a Gattuso shaped gap when Rino was ruled out for most of the season with a serious nerve injury. Not only did Nocerino bring strength and desire but, quite surprisingly to anyone who had watched him previously, he added goalscoring to his repertoire, scoring 10 league goals. An astonishing feat for a defensive midfielder who had only managed 13 goals in over 200 games prior to this season. May well be a pivotal part of the national team this summer.

Sub 4 - Miroslav Klose (Lazio) – Thought by many to be past his best, Klose took to Serie A like a duck to water and showed he still has that lethal finishing instinct that has seen him average a 1 in 3 goalscoring average over his career. He scored 13 in 25 in the league before injury ended his season – seriously and ultimately fatally derailing Lazio’s push for a Champions League place. If Klose had been fit throughout the campaign they would have undoubtedly lasted the distance in 3rd place.

Sub 5 – Samir Handanovic (Udinese) – No other goalkeeper gets close to Buffon this season but Handanovic is way out ahead of all other challengers in second place with some stunning displays that have propelled Udinese into the Champions League again, despite arguably the worst injury crisis of all teams in the division this season.

See also: Our 2010-2011 Team of the Season and the four players that made both lists….

(photo credit: Image #1 – Edo Nicolino & Image #2 – Emanuela Tardocchi both via Flickr)

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Football has had some difficult and distressing issues to deal with recently, from Villa Park to Somalia to White Hart Lane, but there was at least some encouraging news this week after it emerged that AC Milan striker and everyone’s favourite croissant eater Antonio Cassano has been given the all-clear to resume playing football.

There were fears Cassano might never play again last October when the 29-year-old fell ill on the plane home from Milan’s 3-2 win against Roma. The Italian striker was hospitalised with ‘stroke-like symptoms’ which ultimately required heart surgery to repair a small cardiac malfunction.

Thankfully for him and for the game, Fantantonio pulled through and has now been granted official permission to resume training and playing. “Antonio is as happy as a child. He’s been through some delicate times, with thousands of thoughts, questions and reflections,” his agent Beppe Bozzo told the media.

Here are five reasons why this was truly great news for football and why the game needs Antonio Cassano back as soon as possible:

1) The Skills

Cassano is a man of effortless skill. What’s more, his nonchalant, pure ability with a football is often delivered with casual impudence and that cheeky grin we all know and love:

2) Il Cassanata – the tantrums

Many players misbehave every now and then, but few do so enough to have a word named after them that enters mainstream language as a byword for brazen behaviour. Originally coined by Fabio Capello during his time with Cassano at Roma, cassanata became a euphemism in mainstream Italian language for behaviour not quite in line with the norms expected of a professional footballer.

Put simply, Cassano is an emotional character, and sometimes those emotions boil over in weird and wonderfully compelling ways:

3) He scores when he wants – with added pastries

As told in his autobiography ‘Dico Tutto’ (Telling Everything):

“Four girlfriends in 11 years are not a lot. To make up for that, I’ve also had other flings here and there. Let’s say 600-700 women, some twenty of which were from the entertainment world.”

“I’ve often played a great match after having sex. Watch the 4-0 of the Roma-Juve match. I had sex that Sunday morning with one of the many friends I had at the time. It was even easier in Madrid because we were in a hotel, all on the same floor, so it was easy to invite whomever I wanted from upstairs or downstairs and meet her during the night.”

“I had a friend who was a waiter. His job was to bring me 3 or 4 croissants after I had sex. He would bring the croissants up the stairs, I would escort the woman to him and we would make an exchange: he would take the girl and I would take the croissants. Sex and then food, a perfect night.”

Football needs Fantantonio the player.

4) Because he’s Antonio Cassano for crying out loud!

In a modern game airbrushed of its personalities (you only need look at the regular tut-tut-tutting at Cassano’s heir apparent Mario Balotelli from the sidelines for evidence of this), it is as refreshing as a nice sauna and a dive in a cool bath to have players like Cassano, Il Gioiello di Bari Vecchia (the jewel of Old Bari) around.

Keep your media training, your canned answers and your cool restraint – we’d rather watch a guy like Cassano lose his temper, cry, slap someone in the face and then slap one into the top corner from 25 yards before stripping to his pants to hug the opposing manager any day.

5) Because…

Well, because without Cassano who else is Zlatan Ibrahimovic going to kick in the head during Scudetto celebrations?

Why else does football need Antonio Cassano? This is an open thread – tell us other reasons why in the comments below, on Twitter @JustFootball or on Facebook and we’ll add all the good ones to the list in Cassano’s honour.

Welcome back Fantantonio!

(photo credit: AC Milan Official on Flickr)

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by Sam Thompson

Barcelona travel to Italy this week in the Champions League to face Serie A leaders AC Milan, having scrapped through 4-3 on aggregate against Arsenal in the last sixteen. Arsenal suffered from a poor first leg, where they lost 4-0 and were tactically played off the park, but this was turned around in the second leg as Wenger was willing to pinpoint Milan’s weaknesses (lack of width and an over reliance on counter attacks) and exploit them. Here are five things Barcelona can expect from their visit to the San Siro…

1) A threat from set pieces

Milan have scored the second most goals from set pieces in Serie A with 13 in total. Milan have the perfect mixture of technically super players capable of good delivery into dangerous areas and height to get on the end of such deliveries. Urby Emanuelson, Robinho, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Antonio Nocerino are all very capable players from set pieces. Height in attack from set plays is provided from the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mark van Bommel, Philippe Mexes and Thiago Silva – although the Brazilian is now unlikely to play following an injury picked up last weekend.

2) Counter attacks

Milan are joint level in Serie A for goals from fast breaks, highlighting that Barcelona will need to be wary of quick counter attacking opportunities from turnovers, especially with the Spanish side’s willingness to get fullbacks forward from deep regularly.

Arsenal were able to counter this in the second leg by keeping possession better, something Barcelona shouldn’t have to worry too much about, and by playing a slightly deeper line, meaning that most of the long balls played up to Ibrahimovic posed little threat in behind the Arsenal back four.

As a result of being a side who prefers to counter attack, Milan play a lot of direct passes. Of the top three players in Italian football this season to play accurate long balls, two are Milan players. Mark van Bommel playing as the anchor man in midfield average’s 11 accurate long balls per game, level with Andrea Pirlo at Juventus.

Close behind on 10.9 is Thiago Silva, indicating that Barcelona will need to press high up the pitch to close down van Bommel and Milan’s centre backs to stop them hitting the Spanish side on the counter.

As a side Milan average 79 long balls per game and were the third highest team in European football at playing long balls from the start of the season to mid-January.

4) A fluid front three

The biggest threat Milan have is their fluid front three.

In the first leg, Boateng, Robinho and Ibrahimovic’s movement was too good for Arsenal’s defence. Ibrahimovic played as a target man but on several occasions got the better of Thomas Vermaelen by moving into the channels and beating the Belgian to through balls – although the Swede was frequently caught offside.

Robinho made clever runs deep and out wide in search of the ball making it hard for Arsenal to know who should be marking him and Boateng is not a generic attacking midfielder. He is more of a ‘runner’ playing in the hole and constantly makes runs from deep, often becoming the most advanced Milan player in attack. However, luckily for Barcelona, all of the front three who played Arsenal in the San Siro are currently doubts for the first leg against Guardiola’s side.

Milan's narrow formation

5) Space out wide

The downside of Milan’s 4-3-1-2 is the space it leaves down the wings and Barcelona can expect plenty of space to exploit out wide. This should be one of the ways in which Guardiola plans to pin back Milan and dominate both possession and territory.

The Spanish side average just 31% of attacks down the left and 36% on the right, but a much higher figure can be expected on Wednesday night. Arsenal had the most joy in the second leg when both full backs pushed on and doubled up on the Milan full backs and Dani Alves in particular is going to need no invitation to do the same.

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The post Talking Tactics: What Barcelona can expect from Milan in San Siro appeared first on Just Football.

The draws for the Champions League and Europa League quarter and semi finals were made today at UEFA headquarters in Nyon. They were determined by an open draw in which no teams are seeded and clubs from the same national association could be drawn against each other. The side drawn first play the first leg at home.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2012

QUARTER FINALS

APOEL v Real Madrid

Olympique Marseille v Bayern Munich

Benfica v Chelsea

AC Milan v Barcelona

SEMI FINALS

APOEL / Real Madrid v Olympique Marseille / Bayern Munich

Benfica / Chelsea v AC Milan / Barcelona

EUROPA LEAGUE 2012

QUARTER FINALS

AZ Alkmaar v Valencia

Schalke 04 v Athletic Bilbao

Sporting v Metalist Kharkiv

Atletico Madrid v Hannover

SEMI FINALS:

Atletico Madrid / Hannover vs AZ Alkmaar / Valencia

Sporting / Metalist Kharkiv vs Schalke 04 / Athletic Bilbao

What do you think of the draw? Which teams do you think will reach the final and indeed win the Champions League and Europa League? Might we have two all-Spanish finals? Is a Real Madrid v Barcelona final guaranteed? Comments welcome below.

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The post Champions League and Europa League quarter final / semi final draws appeared first on Just Football.

by Sam Thompson

Let’s not beat around the bush. It is highly unlikely that Arsenal are to overcome a four goal deficit, despite being at home, when they take on AC Milan in the second leg of their Champions League tie next week. However, that’s not to say Arsenal can’t regain some pride. But if they are to get any joy, they need to follow a two-point plan, based on dealing with Milan’s front three when defending, and breaking down Milan when in attack. Here’s how…

The back four must deal with Milan’s front three

When Milan attacked in the first leg, it was often in a counter-attacking situation. Their defence sat deep and narrow (more later) and then looked to quickly counter by getting their incredibly fluid front three up against Laurent Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen and Alex Song in a 3v3 situation.

Kevin-Prince Boateng played in a very advanced position and rather than staying in the hole and looking to receive the ball with his back to goal, he was often the most advanced player when the ball arrived in the box, because rather than play as a playmaker, he was more like a deep-lying striker with the instruction to attack from deep.

As a result of this Alex Song struggled. As the diagram to the right shows Milan formed a triangle around the Cameroonian and he didn’t have a natural direct opponent to mark. Robinho often dropped deep from Ibrahimovic and looked to pick up the ball, whilst Boateng ran forward from deep, leaving Song with the decision to either mark Robinho when he dropped deep or follow Boateng’s runs into the box.

In the end Arsenal were simply out-run in this area of the pitch and this is why Milan were able to win by such a convincing score line. Their front three were fluid, and outnumbered Song by creating a natural triangle that presented Milan a 2 v 2 situation against Arsenal’s centre backs, who were positioned very high up the pitch leaving space in behind to run into.

One possible solution to this is to bring in a second, more naturally defensive midfielder to sit alongside Alex Song, with the game plan being that one player follows the run of Boateng from deep, the other with the threat of Robinho. However, Emmanuel Frimpong, Abou Diaby and Francis Coquelin are all unavailable and so Mikel Arteta is really the only player capable of playing that role. Instead, Arsenal could defend a lot deeper than they did in Milan and press higher and quicker up the pitch, in the hope that pressuring the back four will mean Milan’s direct passing is less successful.

Arsenal must break down Milan’s 4-3-2-1

When Arsenal did get possession of the ball they weren’t much better. They were very quick at shifting the ball into Milan’s half but from there they slowed the tempo down, allowing Milan to get compact and bring men behind the ball, ready to launch another counter-attack situation. Arsenal’s slow tempo in the middle and final thirds wasn’t helped by the lack of movement from the front three throughout the game. Robin van Persie in particular seemed more reluctant than usual to drop deep to get on the ball.

Once Milan did get men behind the ball they formed a very narrow and compact looking 4-2-3-1 formation meaning the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky and van Persie were unable to drift in between the lines. Milan’s defence dropped deep, Seedorf/Emanuelson and Nocerino tucked in centrally to form a solid midfield threesome with Mark van Bommel. Robinho and Boateng both dropped deeper and central to create a pairing just ahead, with Ibrahimovic further forward.

via WhoScored.com

Getting men back in central areas was key to Milan’s success on the night as it forced Arsenal to attack out wide and get crosses into the box, meaning van Persie had to try and beat Philippe Mexes and Thiago Silva in the air.

As the diagram to the right shows, only one in four Arsenal attacks came from a central position. This season Arsenal average 33% of attacks through the centre showing just how big an impact Milan’s 4-3-2-1 had on Arsenal’s attacking game plan.

Song and Arteta never got time on the ball, Rosicky was moving into a compact area, Walcott was isolated out wide, Ramsey couldn’t find space and van Persie had to constantly deal with two centre backs. Milan had successfully nullified Arsenal’s main threats yet were still able to attack quickly after turnovers of possession.

To turn this around, first and foremost Arsenal need to move the ball around at a higher tempo when they get into Milan’s half. The full backs need to be more willing to attack and create 2 v 1 situations out wide.

Not only would this increase the likelihood of creating attacking opportunities but it may force whoever plays to the right and left of van Bommel in the middle three out wide to help his full back, and therefore leave Ramsey up against just van Bommel and not three Milan players as in the first leg.

However, this would leave Arsenal even more vulnerable to the counter attack.

It’s certainly not going to be easy for Arsenal, and they almost certainly won’t force extra-time, let alone a victory over the two legs.

However, by playing deeper they may at least reduce some of the pressure on the back four. Similarly, by exploiting Milan out wide and stretching their midfield, they may just give Ramsey enough room to create something spectacular, but it’s a big, big ask.

Sam Thompson is a tactics columnist for Just Football. For more you can check out his blog here or add him on Twitter @TTTFootball

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The post Talking Tactics: How Arsenal can turn it round v AC Milan appeared first on Just Football.

There is only really one story to talk about in Italy – Milan’s 18th Scudetto. It has been in the bag for a few weeks now – albeit not mathematically – but the 0-0 draw with Roma on Saturday evening has officially confirmed the club as the best team in Italy for 2010/11.

We could write paragraph after paragraph on Milan’s season and why they have been successful. A better and more interesting method of looking at the Rossoneri’s campaign would be to highlight the important games (with the benefit of hindsight) that contributed to the Scudetto, or that signalled the team’s ability to go all the way.

So here are the six games that, for one reason or another, defined Milan’s season:

Saturday 11 September, 2010: Cesena 2-0 Milan

Milan’s first league defeat of the season occurred in Week 2 to newly-promoted Cesena. It was the début of Zlatan Ibrahimović, who missed a penalty in a game where the much vaunted attacking trio of Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho and the Swede failed to score.

The defeat was vital for one reason – coach Massimiliano Allegri learned very quickly that he still had work to do in finding the balance of the side. In his post-match comments, he claimed the loss would prove useful for him and the squad – little did we know the man was an oracle back then, as he turned out to be absolutely correct.

From this point on, the search for a solution to the awful vulnerability to counter-attacking football began. It took Allegri some time, but solving this issue was one of the biggest factors in Milan becoming a defensive powerhouse in the second half of the season.

Monday 25 October, 2010: Napoli 1-2 Milan

Not many people would have bet on Napoli’s staying power with regard to a title chase back in October. They proved to be rather difficult to shake off, which only added to the importance of this away win (in Italy it is head-to-head that decides league position if points are level).

However, the primary reason this game is included here is because it was Milan’s first win in Naples since 1998. That run does only encompass four games thanks to Napoli’s bankruptcy and subsequent demotion to the lower leagues in the mid-2000s, but the Rossoneri’s record there has been incredibly poor for two decades (only three wins in their last 13 visits). It was a victory that gave real credibility to Milan’s title credentials.

Wednesday 3 November, 2010: Milan 2-2 Real Madrid

It may be a Champions League encounter, but this game was Ronaldinho’s watershed moment. There were signs prior to this that Allegri was running out of patience with the Brazilian – not necessarily because of the terrible performances he put in each week, but due to his lack of work rate impacting on the team defensively.

Various hints in press conferences suggested that the coach had pinpointed Ronaldinho as one of the contributing factors to the struggles defensively, and it was on this night that he decided to cut his losses. Ronaldinho was substituted on 60 minutes, and only started one more game before departing in January – the dead-rubber group match against Ajax, which Milan lost.

It was perhaps an even bigger achievement to convince president Silvio Berlusconi that his prized possession needed to be sold, but with Ronaldinho out of the team, Allegri could get to work on finding the right mix of player for his starting XI to obtain the defensive balance he wanted.

Thursday 6 January, 2011: Cagliari 0-1 Milan

On paper, it looks like a routine win over a mid-table team. In reality, it was perhaps Milan’s first true test of their candidacy for the Scudetto. They were without Alessandro Nesta, Gianluca Zambrotta, Andrea Pirlo, and had an 18-year-old Alexander Merkel making his Serie A début.

But the biggest absence was Ibrahimović – suspended thanks to a senseless yellow picked up against Roma before Christmas. It was the first time Milan had entered a league match in 2010/11 without him on the pitch, but it was also a chance to show that they were not ‘Ibradependent’, as many believed they were.

Earning the three points was a struggle, and the performance did not suggest at the time that they could cope without Ibra, but it did show the team’s ability to snatch wins in games others would draw, and the strength of the squad.

Saturday 29 January, 2011: Catania 0-2 Milan

Catania had only suffered two home defeats (both occurring in this campaign) in just over a year prior to this game. A tough venue to come away with three points at the best of times, and on this evening it was made even harder with Mark van Bommel’s red card leaving Milan playing with 10 men for 40 minutes, with the score tied at 0-0.

Robinho’s goal shortly after the red then gave Milan something to defend, which they did reasonably well. Zlatan added a second on the break, and Allegri’s men came away from a game with a victory when they would not have been too displeased with a draw.

Saturday 2 April, 2011: Milan 3-0 Inter

Every Milan derby means a lot to both sides, but with Inter having closed a gap to Milan that once stood at 13 points (albeit with two games in hand) to just two, this game was essentially a title decider and thus had that added significance.

Milan were missing Ibrahimović again due to another mindless suspension, and so were deprived of supposedly their best forward. Yet the performance and result finally demonstrated Milan’s ability to cope without him (something which was in doubt since the Cagliari game). The Nerazzurri were overrun by the pace of Pato and Robinho, particularly in the first-half where they were cut open on numerous occasions, and the 3-0 scoreline did not flatter Milan, who emphatically hammered home the point that they were the best team in the country.

After the 0-0 with Roma on Saturday, vice-president Adriano Galliani admitted that he believed this was the game where the title was won. In addition, it was probably the match which allowed the team to rid themselves of accusations of dependence on Ibrahimović – they went on to play another three games without him and won each one of them, as if to prove the supremacy of their squad this season.

(photo credit: AFP Photo / Alberto Pizzoli via Flickr)

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The post Winning the Scudetto: 6 games that defined AC Milan’s season appeared first on Just Football.

by David Swan

The cruciate ligament injury Philippe Mexès suffered against Juventus last weekend did not just signal the end of his participation in the current campaign, it signalled the end of his Roma career. The player himself confirmed his desire to leave the club in the summer when his contract expires, meaning that there will be quite a rush to acquire his services.

If reports are to be believed, a deal with AC Milan is close to completion. The Frenchman thought that was his most likely destination, based on what he had read in the Italian press, though it sounded more like a bit of spin from a player trying to generate further competition for his services.

His injury could now throw all of that into doubt. An anterior cruciate ligament repair normally sees a player out for around six months – even an optimistic four months will mean he misses the vast majority of pre-season. Milan’s intention is to sign the defender as a long-term solution for covering Alessandro Nesta, who admitted recently that playing a game every three days is perhaps beyond him now (although he has managed superbly this season). Mexès cannot cover Nesta from the treatment table.

As such, it gives the club a chance to re-evaluate their choice of defender this summer. There is no doubt that a centre-back is needed, and one good enough to succeed Nesta when he retires, but it is questionable whether Mexès should be that man.

The Frenchman would arrive on a free transfer, perfect for the Rossoneri hierarchy who are looking to balance the books a little better in view of Financial Fair Play coming into force. But his wages, although not baulked at by Milan, appear excessive. It is suggested that any contract will pay him €4.5m per year – only Andrea Pirlo and Zlatan Ibrahimović earn more in the squad, and it is a larger sum than what he earns now at Roma.

Offering him €4.5m could also lead to issues with Nesta’s own contract renewal, due this summer. Tuesday’s La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani had jokingly asked Nesta at the club’s training ground: “would you like to renew for €2.5m?” He currently earns €4.5m per season, but the club policy insists on a salary reduction of at least 33% when renewing the contracts of older players.

Even though the offer was in jest, a way of gauging Nesta’s salary expectations, the 35-year-old’s response was interesting, and gave an indication into his mindset: “why does he want to give me €2.5m, while he recently gave Mexès €4.5m a year?” That response was, by all accounts, also in jest, supposedly said with a smile on his face. But it highlights the dangers of offering such a large amount to an injured player – one who is not as important to the club as Nesta.

In any case, the wages will be offset by the lack of a transfer fee, but it is a considerable amount for a player who, despite having games where he looks like a rock, is prone to a number of errors.

And it is the errors that are of a concern. Nesta, despite his age, has been nothing short of incredible since he returned from a year out of the game with a back injury. Mexès is capable of reaching the heights set by the World Cup winner, but practically guaranteeing at least three major mistakes in a season counterbalances the fact that he can be a supremely talented defender.

For Milan, there is an alternative to Mexès, and his injury might now cause a rethink to the benefit of Davide Astori. The 24-year-old central defender has age on his side (he is five years younger than Mexès), and is co-owned by Milan and Cagliari, where he has been playing his football for the past three years. He has made huge improvements to his game, enough to warrant a first Italy cap in the recent friendly against Ukraine in which he was sent-off.

His recognition by Italy coach Cesare Prandelli is now causing interest from bigger clubs. Indeed, Roma are looking at him as a possible replacement for Mexès, and yet Milan has a clear advantage with half of the player’s contract under their control. It would seem silly to waste that advantage in order to sign somebody who is older, and whose salary would be at least double that of Astori’s.

Of course, Mexès is a more developed defender at this moment. Five years more experience, regular appearances in the Champions League and 22 caps for France are bound to give him the edge, but the potential lies in Astori. Nesta has stated his intention to hang around for at least another year, and there is no better person for him to learn from than that man. Thiago Silva has already spoken of the importance the No.13 has played in his development, and he can undoubtedly have the same impact on Astori.

The co-ownership agreement means Cagliari can name their price, and it will not be cheap, but it is a price worth paying for Milan to reclaim one of their own (he joined their youth system at 14). It has been a long time since the club had a genuine success story rise from within their own ranks, and then go on to make a name for themselves in the first-team – they now have a chance to put that right.

David Swan is Just Football’s Italian football correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @DavidlSwan

(pic via Indigena Racista on Flickr)

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The post C’est fini for Philippe but is Mexes the man for Milan? appeared first on Just Football.

Zlatan Ibrahimović’s act of stupidity during Milan’s game against Bari on Sunday – striking Marco Rossi in the stomach – has cost his team the luxury of his services for three games, including the all-important Milan derby clash. Yet, for a player so decisive and so integral to his team’s game, it is difficult to figure out if this ban is negative for Milan, or positive.

The Swede has been complaining of tiredness for some time now. At the start of December, he was particularly vocal at the level of fatigue he was experiencing, and with good reason. In the first half of the season, up until the winter break, he had only failed to start in two of Milan’s 23 games – the season opener against Lecce, where he had just been signed, and the Champions League dead rubber group match against Ajax (a game where he came off the bench anyway). Of the 21 games he did start, Ibra was only substituted off the field in four of them.

The extended winter break he enjoyed, thanks to a suspension that ruled him out of the first game back, only eased the problem temporarily. Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri has continued to overuse Ibrahimović, despite further complaints of tiredness, starting him in 14 of the 16 games Milan have had since the resumption of the Serie A season in 2011 (and once again, he came off the bench in one of those games he sat out), and only substituting him out once.

Statistics like that give you an idea as to the importance Allegri places on Ibrahimović within his overall game plan. The coach tried to brush off Zlatan’s latest vocalisation of his fatigue by claiming that it is only mental tiredness the player is suffering. Unfortunately, his performances suggest that his exhaustion is a little more than just a state of mind.

He has not scored from open play since the end of January, and he has netted only one goal in his last nine games for the club (a penalty against Napoli). But more than just numbers, his affect on the team and his ability to influence games has declined compared to the earlier part of the campaign. He looks lethargic on the pitch and is starting to get more irritated when things are not going well – his red card being a case in point. He has the look of an individual who could genuinely do with a period of rest, and in that respect the three game ban has come at the right time, finally allowing the Rossoneri attack to be led by a player in better form and more optimal condition.

That is not to say Milan will not miss him, as even a below-par Ibrahimović is a dangerous opponent for any Serie A defender and a threat that has to be dealt with. A player who is happy to receive the ball aerially or along the ground is a huge asset to any forward line, especially for a relatively small one like Milan’s. The main concern for Allegri is how the team adapts to not having Zlatan on the pitch. It has been such a rare occurrence this season that they have not had a great deal of game time to develop a plan B, or a different method of attacking.

It is something Milan must do, and fast. Not just because the three games Ibrahimović will miss are potentially very tricky encounters (away to Palermo, the Milan derby, and away to Fiorentina), but that knowing the team can operate successfully without the big Swede will give Allegri the confidence he currently seems to lack to rest Zlatan from time to time in the future. In his defence, his hands have been tied somewhat by Filippo Inzaghi’s long-term injury, and chances are that if he was fit, he would have allowed Ibra to rest for at least a couple of games.

Nevertheless, he has had Alexandre Pato available, an individual who looks increasingly comfortable without Ibrahimović on the pitch and who looks capable of leading the line in his absence. It is the Brazilian to whom Allegri will turn to ensure Milan comes out unscathed from the three games without their most decisive offensive player. He had the same role in the Coppa Italia quarter-final against Sampdoria (one of those matches Ibra did not start), and scored twice in what was a generally terrific performance, so they are more than capable of coping.

It is that Milan show they can cope on a consistent basis, in consecutive matches, and not just in a one-off game. Forthcoming success will prevent the same mistakes and mishandling of Ibrahimović occurring again next season.

David Swan is Just Football’s Italian football correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @DavidLSwan

(photo credit: ACMilan.com)

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The post No Zlatan no party: AC Milan need a Plan B appeared first on Just Football.

by Marco Maioli

In a league often accused of not giving enough chances to the new promises of football, some of the most interesting players are, actually, quite young.

The 23 year old Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani, playing for Napoli, is the current topscorer of Serie A; Udinese’s Alexis Sanchez (born in 1988) and Palermo’s Javier Pastore (1989) are now world-famous footballers likely to sign soon for top European teams very soon and AC Milan’s Alexandre Pato doesn’t need any introduction.

In the first six months of the season, several lesser-known youngsters have been able to prove themselves good enough to play in Serie A. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Josip Iličić

(Palermo, 23 years old)

Simply of one the best players in the league. Some months ago he was a reserve for a team, Interblock Ljubljana, that couldn’t avoid relegation to the Slovenian Second League. Signed by Maribor, he was so good in the early rounds of the Europa League that Palermo (after having eliminated Maribor) decided to buy him alongside his teammate Armin Bacinovic. Combining physical strength with amazing skills, Ilicic is a midfielder who can play as a left wing or as a trequartista. Having scored eight goals so far he is one of the most prolific midfielders in Serie A. His impact was so great that Palermo decided to go on signing Slovenians: Siniša Anđelković and Jasmin Kurtić arrived in the January transfer market.

Andrea Ranocchia

(Inter, 23) (pictured above)

Last year, his first season in Serie A was ended in January by a bad knee injury. However, having played less than 40 games in the top tier of Italian football, the tall centre-back is already a regular starter for Internazionale (who bought him from Genoa) and the national team, where together with Leonardo Bonucci (his former teammate at Bari) forms a strong partnership which is likely to guide Azzurri’s defence in the next years. He is thought likely to become the best Italian defender of his generation.

Radja Nainggolan

(Cagliari, 22)

This Belgian midfielder (as the name suggests, his father is Indonesian) was brought to Italy in 2004 by Piacenza. At Cagliari since January 2010, he is having a terrific season and has become a regular starter for the Sardinian side at the expense of a good player in Andrea Lazzari. Born as a defensive midfielder, he can play anywhere in a three-man midfield, offering both versatility and quality (and he knows how to score a good goal, too).

Alexander Merkel

(AC Milan, 19)

Having played for VfB Stuttgart since the age of 11, the blond midfielder came to Milan in 2008. In this season, his first in the senior team, he has already impressed many Rossoneri: some brilliant assists, a goal in Coppa Italia and a tactical intelligence surprising for a player his age. Likened by some to Napoli’s Marek Hamisk, Merkel can play as a trequartista, but Massimilano Allegri, AC Milan coach, believes that he will establish himself as a centre left or centre right midfielder. Considered one of the best German talents of his generation, he is eligible to play for Germany and Russia national sides. He has only one fault: doesn’t like pasta very much.

Michele Camporese

(Fiorentina, 19)

A product of Fiorentina’s academy, this young centre-back made his Serie A debut against AC Milan, finding little difficulty in marking Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Then, in his first game as a starter, he showed no fear in facing Juventus’ forwards. Strong in the air and good with the feet, he has been compared to giants like Alessandro Nesta and Gaetano Scirea, while for his attitude he has been likened to Rino Gattuso. In November he received his first call-up for Italy U-21.

Libor Kozak

(Lazio, 21)

After joining Lazio in 2008 from SFC Opava, he spent the 2009-10 season on loan at Brescia, in Serie B. In the summer of 2010 Lazio had decided to loan him to another Serie B side, Crotone, but having failed in signing Roque Santa Cruz decided to keep him. Kozak was considered, at best, as a bench sitter. Then he started, quite unexpectedly, to score: his first goal came in a 2-1 victory against Fiorentina in September.

In January he scored the winner against Sampdoria and his first brace allowed Lazio to beat Fiorentina 2-0: so it’s also thanks to Libor that Biancocelesti can now dream of qualifying for next year’s Champions League. Don’t expect him to dribble or to provide delicate assists: he is more of a Jan Koller type of player, a physically imposing centre-forward (6 ft 4 in tall) who is great in the air and knows how to challenge centre-backs.

Frederik Sørensen

(Juventus, 18)

At his previous club, Lyngby, Sorensen never made a first team appearance and on his arrival in Turin he joined the Juventus youth system. He had the opportunity to play with the senior team due to the lots of injuries that hit Bianconeri and, despite playing often out of position, he has been more than decent: a natural centre-back, he is currently used mainly as a right back. Unfamiliar to the new role, he plays as a very defensive right-back, although his assist for Matri’s goal against Inter suggests he’s learning fast how to become a complete full back.

Joel Obi

(Inter, 19)

At Inter since leaving Nigeria at the age of 14, Joel Obi made his Serie A debut during this season, proving to be one of the best youngsters at the club. Obi is a complete player, able to defend and attack, both a destroyer and a passer. He recently made his first international appearance with Nigeria in a friendly game against Sierra Leone, receving a standing ovation while being substituted. He usually plays on the left side of a three man midfield.

Adem Ljajić

(Fiorentina, 19)

The young Serbian signed for Fiorentina in January 2010; with the appointment of Sinisa Mihajlovic and in absence of Stevan Jovetic he has become part of the starting eleven. Good with both feet, fast and able in dribbling, he is an attacking midfielder who can play as a left winger or as a trequartista. According to his coach, he eats too much chocolate and spends too much time on computer.

Which other youngsters in Serie A do you consider stars of the future? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Marco Maioli is a new contributor to Just Football specialising in Italian football.

(pics via AC Milan and Internazionale official websites)

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The post Serie A: 9 Young players to watch in 2011 appeared first on Just Football.

It is a word that has been used by a number of coaches in Italy this season to explain problems with a team performance, and last Saturday the now ex-Roma coach Claudio Ranieri became the latest to use it in his pre-match press conference:

“We have some problems with the balance – we are unable to compensate in other areas of the pitch to use the three strikers and above all against certain teams we pay for it. It is up to me to make adjustments.”

That word is ‘balance’, more specifically between the offensive and defensive aspects of the game. Ranieri was commenting in light of the ease in which Shakhtar Donetsk managed to score three away goals in their Champions League tie last Wednesday evening, where he started with Jérémy Menez behind Francesco Totti and Mirko Vučinić as his front three in a 4-3-1-2.

As ever when issues occur with the balance of a team, the solution is rarely restricted to how many forwards are on the pitch. Midfield is just as important, if not more so, than who is up-front. Against Shakhtar, Roma had Rodrigo Taddei, Daniele de Rossi and Simone Perrotta manning the central area. Taddei and Perrotta are nominally attacking players, although the latter has precious little end product to show for all his effort. With the two forward players not offering a great deal of defensive coverage, and trequartista Menez not being renowned for his hard work, the choice of players in midfield was probably not the best for a side with Shakhtar’s ability – the Ukrainians became one of those teams that make Roma pay for their attacking line-up.

Ranieri warned at forthcoming adjustments pre-match, and come the time of the Genoa game he did just that. De Rossi was absent through suspension, while Menez and Taddei were benched. Matteo Brighi was drafted in as a like-for-like replacement for the former and Leandro Greco added slightly more defensive nous in place of the attack-minded Taddei. The important selection, however, was the man that came in for Menez as the trequartista – Fábio Simplício. The Brazilian combines creativity with a reasonable work ethic, and ensured that without the ball he tracked back to join his midfield, meaning Roma did not have three players failing to provide defensive effort, and had at least nine men behind the ball.

It worked superbly – the team were leading 3-0 after 52 minutes. Unfortunately, Ranieri reversed one of the changes he made by substituting Simplício for Menez when the score was 3-1. Genoa started to find a lot of space in front of the Roman defence, bagged a goal soon after and eventually completed an incredible comeback to win 4-3.

It was a bizarre substitution, one that cost him his job (or, at least, forced him to resign) – Ranieri seemingly found the balance of the side by using a midfielder who will work hard as a trequartista, and obtained a healthy lead in doing so. They did not need to chase the game, and Menez should really have come on for Totti or Marco Borriello in order to maintain that balance.

Nevertheless, there is a lesson to be learned. With his original selection, and the outcome of the game post-Menez introduction, Ranieri confirmed the difficulty in keeping defensive order when three very offensive players are used in forward areas.

Similar problems north of Rome

Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri had a very similar problem with the same 4-3-1-2 system. He made every effort to include Ronaldinho in his line-up, but the Brazilian’s inability to put in a good performance as a trequartista, combined with his chronic lack of work without the ball, led to Allegri getting rid of the World Cup winner and trying somebody else.

As well as trying Clarence Seedorf and Kevin-Prince Boateng in the trequartista position, Allegri fiddled with the composition of his midfield in an attempt to stop the team leaking goals, particularly on the counter-attack. There were a number of games where three defensive midfielders were used (Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Ambrosini and Mathieu Flamini), and although there were some good results, namely the derby win over Inter, it did not take long for the coach to cotton on to the fact they struggled to score goals with such a lack of invention in midfield.

He eventually accepted that Andrea Pirlo was required, but moved him from his position in front of the defence, where he has made his name for the past eight years, and allowed him freedom to move forward. Ambrosini took Pirlo’s old position in front of the defence, Boateng became the preferred choice as trequartista (thanks mainly to his abilities defensively) and balance was restored to the team until injuries forced Allegri to change once again.

These injuries led him to turn to three offensive players in attack, an idea he ditched with Ronaldinho. Robinho became the trequartista, and he has been a great success thus far, surprising everybody with his energy and sacrificial running. Yet Milan are still vulnerable defensively as a result of the increased offence, especially on the break (as Tottenham demonstrated in the Champions League), and will continue to be until Boateng is able to play regularly behind the strikers once more.

Balance not just a problem for the big teams

Further down the league, Fiorentina boss Siniša Mihajlović was complaining about the balance of his team as early as Week 3 of the season. After losing to Lazio in September, he switched from 4-2-3-1 (where a forward in Adrian Mutu played behind the striker) to 4-3-3 for the following game against Genoa to provide an extra man in midfield. They drew 1-1, but instead of sticking with it, Mihajlović returned to 4-2-3-1, and as such went back to the patchy results that saw the club lingering around the relegation zone during the first part of the season. Since January, he has committed to the team playing 4-3-3, with three central midfielders – two defeats in 10 games suggest he should have made the change permanent a little sooner.

‘Balance’ – Serie A’s latest buzzword that is sweeping right across the top division.

Follow Just Football’s Italian football columnist David Swan on Twitter.

(picture via Maximus’78 on Flickr)

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The post Roma the latest to use Serie A’s new buzzword appeared first on Just Football.

It’s been an intriguing season in Italy so far. Here’s Joe Sharratt with the story so far.

As the build up to the 2010/11 Serie A season began it was very much a case of one self-obsessed, megalomaniac in, and one self-obsessed megalomaniac out. The landscape of Italian football was shaping up for a much quieter year following the departure of treble-winning Internazionale boss Jose Mourihno to Real Madrid, before the red-and-black half of Milan did the decent thing and convinced the brooding genius of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to come and tip Serie A’s normalcy quota firmly back towards the bonkers.

But Milan didn’t stop there. Soon the equally unpredictable Robinho was being added to the ranks of a team that was already shaping up to be one of the most top-heavy in recent history. Subsidence at the San Siro seemed a real possibility with so many bodies in one half of the pitch, and everyone was asking just how on earth Rossoneri new man Max Allegri was going to fit his latest additions into a side that already boasted forwards of the ilk of Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho and Pippo Inzaghi. The cynical Italian football fan, of which there are plenty, might have drawn a connection between Silvio Berlusconi’s continuing drop in the approval ratings and this sudden influx of expensive talent. The remaining few just thought Milan were desperate to seal their first Scudetto since 2004.

For all their attacking prowess however, Milan failed to hit the ground running, and the shock of the Serie A season so far came in just their second game, as they were soundly beaten by newly promoted Cesena through goals from Erjon Bogdani and Emanuele Giaccherini. Back-to-back draws followed before Milan eventually hit their stride, thanks mainly to the impact of Ibrahimovic, who by the winter break had scored nine times. Ably supported by Robinho, and to the surprise of some, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Milan improved as the weeks went by, and as the league broke for the holiday season, the Rossoneri sat top, three points clear of fellow title contenders Napoli.

Napoli’s success is in no small part down to the performances of their own talismanic striker. The loan signing of Uruguayan centre-forward Edinson Cavani from Palermo has proved to be a masterstroke of management by Walter Mazzarri, who having managed to hold on to stars such as Marek Hamšik and Ezequiel Lavezzi over the summer, is reaping the rewards of Cavani’s fine form as Napoli look likely to improve on their sixth placed finish of last season.

Joining Napoli in the chasing pack, to the surprise of many, is Lazio, who flirted with relegation throughout the 2009/10 campaign, before being rescued by Edy Reja, who somehow salvaged a mid-table finish last season and has guided the Eagles to third place this time out. Lazio’s surge up the table can be attributed to the form of Brazilian dynamo Hernanes, who has turned in a series of stunning performances, and the resurgence of forwards Mauro Zarate and Sergio Floccari, who have blossomed under the watchful eye of Reja. Though few believe Lazio can take the title this season, Champions League football is a real possibility for Reja’s men, a belief reinforced by their demolition of Internazionale at the beginning of December.

That defeat was a bitter blow for Inter in what has been a difficult season for the Nerazzuri as Massimo Moratti has struggled with the conundrum of how to solve a problem like Mourinho. It quickly became apparent that Rafael Benitez was not the answer, as despite winning the World Club Cup and the Supercoppa Italiana, Rafa’s Inter struggled domestically, and could only finish second in their Champions League group behind debutants Tottenham Hotspur. The gap between Milan and Inter under Benitez grew as large as thirteen points, and despite the return to goal scoring form of Samuel Eto’o, Benitez’s position became untenable. Replaced over the winter break by Milan legend Leonardo, and currently sitting seventh in the table, the Nerazzuri face a real struggle to rescue anything from their season, despite making a winning start under their new manager.

Over in Turin there’s been plenty of change as well, as Andrea Agnelli became the latest in the Agnelli dynasty to take the reins at Juventus. The new man wasted little time in appointing former Sampdoria manager Luigi Del Neri, who set about trying to restore the Old Lady to her former beauty. Despite a slow start, Juventus lost only once between September and the mid-season break, with new recruit Fabio Quagliarella proving what a talent he is with a series of stunning goals that lifted Juventus up to fourth at the interval.

Liverpool misfit Alberto Aquilani has impressed too, and the form of summer signing Milos Krasic has been another highlight as the tricky and pacey winger has contributed goals and assists in abundance. With his mass of blonde hair and his slippery playing style, there is no doubting that Krasic is the heir apparent to Juventus legend Pavel Nedvĕd, and though Juventus have lost both their matches since Serie A resumed post-winter break, this year represents a real opportunity for them to restore some of their former glory.

Roma had high hopes for this campaign and had reason to believe they could improve on their second place finish of last season. But a terrible start complicated by the ongoing peril of their financial situation led to huge pressure on manager Claudio Ranieri, who to his credit rallied his troops and had led the Giallorossi to fifth going into 2011. The form of loan signing Marco Borriello has been key, who scored the winner against his parent club Milan a month ago, one of nine the striker has notched up so far.

Palermo and Sampdoria were both expecting big things this season too, and whilst the ever improving Javier Pastore has fired Palermo into contention for a Champions League spot, Sampdoria have been rocked by the departure of their own superstar as the temperamental Antonio Cassano left the club following a bust up with chairman Riccardo Garrone. Hanging on to remaining forward Giampaolo Pazzini and winger Stefano Guberti will be crucial if Sampdoria are to make a push for a European place. As for Cassano, he wasted little time in signing for Milan, who clearly felt they needed another striker. Or maybe Berlusconi needed another shot in the arm. Who knows?

Of the mid-table pack it’s the small but loveable Udinese who seem most likely to make a late burst towards a top six spot, if of course club legend Antonio Di Natale remains with the Bianconeri and can keep finding the back of the net to add to the thirteen goals he already has this season. Marco Di Vaio is playing a similar role at Bologna, though a European place may be beyond them, where as for Fiorentina and Genoa anywhere from top six to relegation remains a possibility for two hugely unpredictable teams.

At the wrong end of the table Cesena have fallen away since their superb victory over the champions in waiting in the second round, and now face a real battle to escape an immediate return to Serie B. Fellow new arrivals from the second tier Lecce and Brescia also face an uphill struggle, and it’s the only the disastrous form of Bari that looks likely to prevent the relegation of all three promoted sides. Parma and Chievo Verona will be hoping the goals of their aging stars Hernán Crespo and Sergio Pellissier will be enough to keep them safe. Catania are struggling too, though if Maxi Lopez can hit form his goals should carry the Sicilian club to a middle table finish.

Wherever your loyalties lay there’s plenty of entertainment to be had in Serie A. Whether or not Milan can close out the title, or will implode under the weight of so many egos leaving a rejuvenated Juventus, Lazio or Napoli to snatch glory remains to be seen. But one thing is certain; the end of Interazionale’s five year spell of dominance has certainly stirred up plenty of interest in Serie A.

Be sure to check out Joe’s newly launched blog Five in Midfield – definitely worth a peep.

(photo via albertizeme on Flickr)

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The post Serie A 2010/2011: The Story so far – Too many strikers perfect for AC Milan broth appeared first on Just Football.

With Serie A 2010/2011 tantalising us by starting just before the two week international break, the season still has that brand new feel about it. New columnist Dewa Nugraha profiles the title contenders for the upcoming campaign:

One of the world’s finest football leagues, the Italian Serie A is underway and this season all eyes will once again focus on whether reigning league champions Inter Milan can finally be dethroned. The Nerazurri have been collecting the Scudetto for five seasons in a row, albeit the first title from that five year run was pretty much a gift because of the Calciopoli scandal. Still, Inter’s domination has been so powerful that only last season were we finally witness to an interesting finish in the league.

This season many Serie A fans will hope for another exciting battle until the end, and some might even expect to see someone other than the blue and blacks win the league. Looking at the 2010/2011 season it is possible that we may see a new team celebrate the Scudetto, especially with the amount of pressure the Nerazurri will face after their successful treble winning season.

Inter’s chances:

Before reviewing Inter’s challengers, lets’ just take a look at what the reigning champions have in store for the new campaign. First of all, they have a new coach in Rafael Benitez. Tactically he is a good coach, however during his time at Liverpool the Spaniards had his up and downs.

Looking at Inter in the transfer market there was nothing much to talk about aside from the arrival of two young players, Jonathan Biabiany and the highly rated Brazilian playmaker, Philipe Coutinho. The latter has been touted as one of the players to watch for the new season, so it will be interesting to see how many chances Benitez gives the youngster in Serie A this season.

The treble winners were very close to signing two local players, Giueseppe Sculli and Luca Antonelli, however the deal suddenly collapsed after Inter reportedly fail to reach an agreement with those players’ clubs. So for now, there’s nothing really new about Inter. They will largely field the same first team that won them the treble last season such as Maicon, Diego Milito, Wesley Sneijer, Samuel Eto’o, Lucio, Julio Cesar and co.

Theoretically by keeping the core of their successful team, Inter will still be as strong as last season and they have already proved that they are still the team to beat in Serie A after beating AS Roma 3-1 in the Italian Super Cup final. Although a few Inter goals were largely down to Roma’s own mistakes, one can’t deny that the Nerazurri still possess the quality to win titles this season.

One of the main hurdles for Inter this season is the fact that despite a successful year, they are restarting everything with Benitez as their new coach replacing Jose Mourinho, who moved to Real Madrid. Despite an already strong squad, a new tactician means there will be some new elements that separate the former Liverpool coach with Mourinho, especially the coaching methods and their way of handling pressure.

It will be interesting to see whether Benitez can emulate the success Mourinho has had with the Italian giant, as there will surely be an enormous pressure when the going gets tough for the Spaniard this season. Inter fans will hope Benitez won’t try to make another 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 experiment that hasn’t worked out well in pre-season. Currently the 4-2-3-1 that was implemented last season seems to be Inter’s best option.

Potential Challengers:

AC Milan:

Just like Inter, AC Milan starts again this season with a new coach in Massimilano Allegri, the former Cagliari coach that has already won the coach of the year awards in Italy more than once. So far Allegri seems to be heading in the right direction as the the players seems to like him, including the seniors such as Andrea Pirlo, Gattusso, Seedorf, Nesta and also their superstars such as Alexandre Pato and notably Ronaldinho.

Speaking of Ronaldinho, one of the proofs that Allegri’s training methods are progressing well is the fact that the Brazilian has managed to lose quite a lot of weight and getting his shape closer to his glory days. Seeing the Brazilian star’s recent performances for Milan, it does appears that the playmaker is in better shape indeed and he is looking a bit faster, agile and stronger compared with recent seasons.

Last season, Ronaldinho was indeed an important act for Milan, contributing several goals and assists that helped the Rossoneri reached 3rd in the league despite a horrible start to their campaign. Alongside the 30-year-old Brazilian high hopes will also be bestowed on the fashion capital club’s young striker Alexandre Pato, who could really step up this season and become a much more inspirational figure for the team.

Milan have also done some smart buying in the market with the arrival of Sokratis Papasthoupolous, Mario Yepes, Marco Amelia and Kevin Prince Boateng. However, the biggest and most surprising transfers that the Rossoneri made happened just before the transfer window closed as within a short space of time they managed to acquire the services of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho.

The arrival of those two attacking stars makes Milan a very strong candidate to end Inter’s domination especially if both Ibra and Robinho can integrate themselves well with the rest of the Milan squad. Now a huge task will also be bestowed on Allegri’s shoulders as he will need to do well in bringing the group together and must not let the star players fill the dressing room with their egos. If the coach manages this then Milanisti may well end the season celebrating a trophy.

Juventus

Just like last season Juventus once again made several personnel changes. From coaches to new players, there are some arrivals that excited the fans yet also some considered mediocre signings. Compared to other big clubs in Serie A the Bianconeri have been much more active in the transfer market, bringing in the likes of Marco Motta, Leonardo Bonucci, Simone Pepe, Jorge Martinez, Alberto Aquilani, Milos Krasic and Fabio Quagliarella.

Those signings however were not cheap and the Old Lady were forced to sell one of their most talented and creative players, Diego, who left for VfL Wolfsburg. The Brazilian playmaker’s sale has caused some disappointment from fans who believed that despite his poor first season, the 26-year-old should have been given the second chance to prove his worth with Juve.

Juventus fans will be hoping that their new signings can settle well with the tactics and ideas that new coach Luigi Del Neri is crafting for the Bianconeri. Looking at Del Neri’s habit and the players that the management have bought this season, the Old Lady looks set to play a classic 4-4-2 that will focus on attacking play down the wings.

With the signings that they have made, Juventus can compete for the title especially if the likes of Aquilani and Krasic can live up to expectations. However, just as last season big question marks will hang above their coach Del Neri, who needs to prove that he is capable of coaching a huge club like Juve.

With the large amount of buying and selling Juventus have made this season it will probably take quite a while to find their rhythm and solidity as a team. However, the main problem would be how patient will the club’s board and fans be should Del Neri take longer than expected to get Juve going? If patience is lacking then we might see another successful failure this season for the Old lady.

AS Roma

Can Ranieri rally Roma?

The last team that you might consider as having a chance to challenge for the Scudetto this season is AS Roma, who despite having a poor financial condition still possess the quality to compete with the league’s big guns. Compared with the other two challengers, Roma could be said to hold a small advantage in the fact they didn’t make lots of change in the squad, keeping almost all of their important players.

Besides keeping the same core in the field of play, unlike Juventus and AC Milan, Roma have also kept faith in their coach from last season, Claudio Ranieri. As for new signings, with their current tight budget the Giallorossi have only acquired the likes of Adriano and Fabricio Simplicio on a free transfer.

After the loss of Luca Toni, Roma’s strikeforce has been covered by Adriano’s arrival from Flamengo. Although having the Brazilian player in the team is considered a gamble, should he manage to regain his form he will be a great asset for Roma. Another exciting addition for the capital club is their success in getting Nicolas Burdisso back from Inter permanently and also the arrival of Marco Borriello on loan from Milan.

Those two players could play an important in Roma’s season and can provide the extra quality that Roma will definitely need to with their fellow title contenders. Borriello gives Roma another option up front should Adriano fail to regain his best condition, while Burdisso has already been an important act for the club last season and looks like remaining so this year.

The rest

Despite interesting movements in the transfer market from teams like Palermo, Genoa and Lazio, the four teams above are pretty much the strongest candidates to chase for the title, especially should they manage to integrate their new players into the coaches’ respective systems.

2010/2011 could be the year when we see a much more interesting battle in the league, without having to witness a total domination of one or two clubs only, as hopefully Milan, Juve and Roma will all provide Inter a much sterner challenge.

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The post Serie A 2010/11 – Title Contenders: Can Inter Milan’s domination be stopped? appeared first on Just Football.

In Part 5 of our interview series The Blog Files, Just Football catches up with AC Milan Blog to discuss Serie A, Berlusconi and the importance of being Nesta:

First, tell the readers of Just Football a bit about yourself.

Well, my name is Frank Tigani and I currently live in Brisbane, Australia.

How did your love affair with AC Milan begin?

My love affair with Milan was a rather peculiar development in a family that largely followed the black and white stripes of Juventus.  However, as a young and impressionable nine year old, I instantly fell in love with Milan after watching them triumph in magnificent fashion against the more fancied Barcelona in that famous Champions League final of 1994.

This love for the Rossoneri only further grew when my childhood idol, Roberto Baggio, moved to Milan in 1995.

And what inspired you to create your own Milan blog?

Basically, the reason I created a blog for AC Milan was because my family and friends were sick of listening to me go on and on about Milan all the time. I had so many thoughts and opinions, I thought I may as well start a blog.

The idea then grew, with the idea l could create a website that was 100% Rossoneri: fully dedicated to Milan and solely made for Milan fans so Milan fans all over the world could discuss and debate all matters Milan.

Being based in Brisbane, Australia, which is short of not only Milan fans but football loving fans in general, soon made my blog such a great means of connecting with like minded people.

What’s your assessment of Milan’s season so far?

Milan’s season has been an absolute  rollercoaster ride for us Milan fans.

It started miserably, with Milan languishing in mid table after seven rounds. But it eventually picked up and Milan were soon steadily climbing up the table. Despite a few poor results at the end of January, which included losing to Inter for the second time this season, Milan have done very well in the league.

Though it still comes as a surprise to see Milan in with a great chance to win the title, for even though results have been largely impressive, some performances have not been and there are still a host of issues affecting the side.

Milan’s Champions League campaign was largely a disaster. Losing at home to FC Zurich was definitely one of the low points, however, the trouncing by United at Old Trafford was definitely the lowest point of not just this season but of recent years.

However, it was not all doom and gloom in the UCL. Milan’s impressive win away to a Real Madrid side that included our former star Kaka was a moment to remember for any fan.

Overall it has been a relatively successful campaign. Given the players in the squad and other issues surrounding the team, Milan have done better than expected. Plaudits must go to our rookie coach Leonardo who has done a great job.

In your opinion who have been the team’s 3 standout performers and why?

Without a doubt, Milan’s three best players this campaign in order are; (1) Alessandro Nesta (2) Ronaldinho (3) Pato.

Many might argue the order that I rank these 3 players. But Nesta deserves his position. He simply is an indispensable member of this team and plays with great consistency. More than any other player, Nesta is the one player Milan miss most when he is absent. For this reason, there are grave concerns amongst Milan fans about the sides’ ability to bring home the Scudetto.

Ronaldinho is also an indispensable player, however, his performances have been  relatively inconsistent. When on form he’s virtually unplayable. But Ronaldinho has struggled for consistency this term and has in numerous matches gone missing. The Brazilian remains, however, Milan’s main creative force and without him our attack becomes near obsolete.

Like Nesta and Ronaldinho, Pato has also been great this season. However, his performances have not been all that consistent. Nonetheless, Pato’s finishing ability is second to none and for this reason he is Milan’s top goal scorer this year. Without him Milan simply struggle to score.

Most football fans, and particularly bloggers, think deeply about their club. What are the key issues facing Milan right now, both on and off the field?

That is true, bloggers do think deeply about their club. I could write 1000 words on the issues facing the club if not more, but basically it comes down to lack of money and poor management while on the field. Its the lack of quality and depth in the current squad that is a major problem.

Money and Management definitely go hand-in-hand. Poor management means financial backing is hard to come by. The fact Milan were so successful throughout this first decade of this century makes this such a tragedy. Though, Calciopoli has perhaps had a lot to do with this.

On the field, Milan’s issues only continue. The squad is in dire need of youth and quality. Too many players have been held on to that are either not good enough anymore or far too old, or both. Injuries sustained by two key players, Nesta & Pato haven’t helped: Nesta is out for the remainder of the season. Pato is expected to be out for a couple of weeks.

The loss of such key players is a major blow to Milan’s title chances and once again we’ll have to rely on the older legs of Inzaghi and Favalli in the coming weeks. This is a concern.

Against earlier expectations, AC Milan are now well in the hunt for the Scudetto. Do you think Milan can rip the Serie A crown from Inter’s grasp?

The fact that Milan are very much still in the hunt for the Scudetto is itself remarkable.

Leo has done a great job with a side beset with problems  and now Milan find themselves in the best position in years to win the Scudetto.

I believe that Milan can beat Inter to the title. Inter have been stumbling  of late, whilst Milan have been gaining ground on them.  With Inter still distracted by the Champions League, Milan have an advantage as the Scudetto is their only focus.  Despite this trend, it remains to be seen how much Milan will miss Nesta.

It really all depends on how players like Inzaghi, Favalli and Bonera perform in the absence of key players. If they perform, then Milan can win it, if they don’t, then Milan wont.

What is the financial situation at the club under Silvio Berlusconi and co? From the outside it appears there are a few problems

It is mystifying Milan is in such financial turmoil given that our President, Silvio Berlusconi, is one of the richest men in the country.

But, as I alluded to already, Milan are experiencing some major financial problems, along with every other club in Italian football.

Despite the problems facing Italian football, Milan’s inability to source sufficient financial backers can only be blamed on the inability of the current management. As I already said, they have failed to capitalise on Milan’s glory days.

Do you think a major overhaul of the playing squad is on the way or needed, and if so which key areas need improving?

I do not think a major overhaul of the club is on the cards, though it is surely needed.

But, even though the squad is in need of a major facelift, sometimes changing things too much can prove detrimental.

Changes will be slow, but they surely will happen soon.

The main areas Milan need to strengthen is in defence. Milan desperately need at least one world class full back, if not two. Also, a better back up player for Nesta and Thiago in central defence is needed. Bonera does not cut it, nor does Favalli and Kaladze who should be sold.

Midfield also needs reinforcement. Gattuso is well beyond his best, as are the likes of Seedorf and Ambrosini.

Who should stay and who should go?

Players that need to absolutely leave Milan are: Favalli, Dida, Kaladze, Oddo, Gattuso and Jankulovski . Either Huntelaar or Borriello should leave too, though probably best if Huntelaar moves on for Milan will get better money for him.

Players that need to stay: Ronaldinho, Pato, Pirlo, Thiago, Nesta and Abbiati.

Dominic Adiyiah showed huge promise at the Under-20 World Cup last year. How is he settling in at Milan?

From all reports, the player has settled in well. He definitely was not short of confidence when he arrived at the Milanello, claiming that he would be to Milan what Messi is to Barcelona.

I hope he is right. He seems to have a good attitude and based on his performances to date, I think he really is quite a talent. I hope he sees some playing time soon.

Unsung hero?

Milan’s unsung hero this season would have to be either Thiago Silva or Antonini. I will sway towards the latter, for it was at full back that Milan had some real issues earlier on in the season.

For me, Antonini has not received the praise he deserves for his performances this year that have been impressive and consistent. If I were Lippi, I would consider him for the World Cup, no doubt about it.

How do you see the club evolving over the next few years & are you optimistic about the future of the club?

Milan remain one of the biggest clubs in the world, despite the recent troubles at the club and in Italian football in general.

Milan have also been one of the most successful, if not the most successful club of the modern era.  For this reason, there will still be many younger players around the world today that will be tomorrow’s stars and that will want to play for AC Milan. And some of them will.

I believe that Milan’s future will be no different to the club’s illustrious history. Though financial matters are greatly undermining the club at present, the fact is that Milan are a great club with a great history and this is something that money cannot buy.

Onto AC Milan Blog. How have you found blogging since you began & what have been the biggest challenges?

The biggest challenge with regard to the blog is making time for it, as it takes up much more time than you’d expect. But the rewards have been great – I have been text-linked in articles written by journalists for Reuters and just recently a piece I wrote was published word for word on Fox News. And then Just Football asked me for this interview. Does it get any bigger?

So the hard work is really paying off – I have been the sole force behind the blog, doing all the design, content and marketing.  Then there’s making the time to watch all the games – and of course, I do have a day job.

Another challenge has been standing out amongst all the sporting blogs that are out there. It is not as easy as it once was, but acmilanblog.net has only been online for nine months now with readership steadily growing.

Because I feel that I know my stuff when it comes to Milan, in time I am quite confident that the blog will ultimately be a real success.

What does the future hold for your site?

I do plan to develop other language versions of the site over the next few years, as part of my plans to extend my potential audience and engage with even more fans.

My biggest hope at this stage is to interview a player, past or present, and make an exclusive of it on the blog.

While I have plenty of goals for my site, I really do just enjoy being acmilanblog.net.

What started as just a hobby has become effectively a full time commitment and I have learnt so much.

And, with journalism and media struggling post-recession, what do you think is the future of sports journalism?

I think journalism, professional journalism at least, has been struggling for some time now and not just because of the recession.

I believe that the standard of journalism, especially the kind found in mainstream media sources, has been in a sure state of decline for some time now.

This is why readers have turned to blogs and sites alike because readers want more interesting and alternate views that mainstream media sources sometimes do not provide.

Blogging has democratised sporting journalism, allowing both the blogger and the readers to indulge their passion by being engaged in the commentary of their sport.

If you haven’t already, be sure to bookmark acmilanblog.net, a great resource for any Italian football fan. Do it now. The Blog Files returns later this week.

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The post The Blog Files #5: Just Football interviews AC Milan Blog appeared first on Just Football.