its obvious lol. were going to sign a good cb. were going to recall abate, we have already told torino we were going to take him back for next season before he went there. pannucci will come to us because he is free. K9 is the same deal as pato, leonardo looks like hes going to start negs soon.


Maxwell is the only one i'm not sure but i'm sure we'll sign another defender and put janku mid.



Ofcourse these are only if we get champions league and carlo stays here next season. If we get a new coach i have no idea.

If it's so obvious, then perhaps you'd like to offer proof to back up your claims of certainty.

As for Veloso, he's been batting his eyelashes at clubs outside Portugal for the last two years - England, Spain, Italy, etc. He'll go to whoever will pay most. The death threats? Quite probable - Sporting were thrashed badly by Bayern.

Oh yeah Veloso and Moutinho... I had completely forgotten about them. How could Sporting concede 12 goals with those 2 in their midfield?

This is what i think will happen this off-season

Out:
Maldini (you know why)
Antonini ( i think Darmian has overtaken him as best WB prospect)
Emerson (need i say why?)
Kalac (some small team can make a deal to get him)
Oddo (will stay at bayern)
Shava (Mistake...)
Gourcuff (i HIGHLY doubt Bordeaux won't buy him out at 15 mil)
Kaladzhe(slowed down wit age and injuries)
(loan out some of the youths that will Not get the chance to play i.e Cardaccio, strasser...)

*wishlist*

Dida (instead of kalac for financial reasons)
ambro (hang the cleats up ambro)
favalli (good cheap backup, but nevertheless he steals time from younger CBs)
seedorf (some team must want him )


IN : (wishlist)

Demba Ba (6'3 great in the air, would not be expensive)
Danny Agger (with Thiaguninho we can have the best counter-attack in the world!!)
Philp Lahm (our "big signing")
(if we don't get lahm then i'd e content with Grosso)
Mesto (can play the Seedorf penetrate& pass role very well. Dount he will will leave Genoa if they make CL)
Kuzmanovic / thiago motta / (both of these players can be very productive and relatively inexpensive)
Lloris (good keeper with potential we've been linked to)
Abate (proved to be solid at toro)

Bash away



............................................Pato................................
......



..............R80.....................kaka.......................becks*.........
......





...................Flamini**....................Pirlo...........................
........




..Lahm..................Thiago silva................Agger...................Zambrotta


..... ................................Abbiati



*can be removed for boriello over Pato
** starts over Rino IMO, can be one the the world's best when in form(yes i said it, and now am bracing myself )

I think my squad adds competition to all roster spots (minus the AMs, but then again, who really knows:))

Forwards: Ba, Pippo, Pato, Boriello
Mids: Viudez, Kaka, Becks, R80, Pirlo, T. Motta/Kuzmanovic, Mesto, Rino, Flamini, Abate
Def: Nesta, Darmian, Thiaguninho, Agger, janku, Zambrotta, Lahm/Grosso, bonnera, Senderos(can develop into a good solid CB with aerial power on corners)

Keepers: Abbiati, Dida/Kalac, Lloris


Discuss, debate but don't ignore this post lol : it took me some time hehe

Poissonpoupee donne un gateau a mtl.

Interesting picks, some of them. You really think Demba Ba is that good based on part of a season with a newly-promoted team? (Or have you seen him play before?)

The Mesto choice is an interesting one too - not that I'm against it, just not sure I understand why you rate him quite so highly.

Don't think Lloris is likely to leave Lyon, unless he's guaranteed to start (why he didn't come last summer if memory serves). He seems good, though.

(Darmian is a CB/RB. Not a LB).

Ba: my RB on my team is senegalese and is a BIG fan of his. Having been forced to watch him and this friend's house, i really like what i see, and I'm not the only one, Blackburn, Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool were fighting for him this january but he opted to stay (as per goal.com a while ago). He is 6'3" and has scored 22goals in 46 matches for Hoffenheim. Reminds a little of Amauri in the air, powerful, precise and opportunistic. 23 years of age too, which doesn't hurt
I have a soft spot for people who are workaholics on the pitch and he is always moving. the latter can be extremely dangerous with Pippo's advice on positioning .

Mesto: i find he plays with almost brazilian-like skill, and rarely is pushed off the ball, has been tagged as an underachiever in that he rarely shoots. I had first seen him play for the U-21, i ow he played in the olympics and has 3 caps for the azzuri, he is A lot like janku with some seedorf, r80 moves. I find he is out of position at RB, as defensively, he is a liability he can excel as a AM IMO much in the way backs is excelling in that role as a distributor. Unfortunately i only have seen him play the 10-man Fiorentina match where he was arguably his side's best player (with motta/milito). I rate him probably a lot higher then he deserves but we all have our obscure players we love to follow .

Lloris has already said he wanted to join milan one at least one occasion (http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=701918) and was linked with us and tottenham this january, i think he wants to move up to an actual trophy-winning big team. And i would gladly accept a 22 year-old talent like him at milan , especially if our Older abbiati takes a while to recover and get fit post-surgey

(i edited it as soon as i saw it lol
il_diavolo is a quick draw )

What were your thoughts on my other add/drops ?

Hrm. Well, I admit that Ba has been good for Hoffenheim this year (don't much like the team but he has been putting the goals in). I'll admit that I've been stressing most on who to bring in as CB as I think that's easily Milan's most pressing need. Agger....eh. He's got dirtyrottenscouser cooties and I'm a wee bit cautious about taking castoffs from other teams (didn't work out well with either Senderos or Shevchenko this season). He doesn't totally suck, though. If we're going Viking, I'd pick the kid from palermo.

I suspect Darmian may go on loan next year - he needs playing time and doesn't look likely to get it here. Woudl love to see Kaladze go but sadly doubt it'll happen.

Fishdoll...well, I have to restrain him from saying naughty words at your comment about Flamini starting over Rino. Starting over ambro? Ok. But Rino? Nah. Suffice it to say that he doesn't agree with you there.

I like Lahm rather a lot but unless we're going to fork over a LOT of money and Berlusconi's younger daughter I"m not too sure Bayern will let him go. They don't need the $$$.

Ancelotti just declared that he'll love Maxwell in Milan!!! I would too!!! then Favalli can retire....

Favalli has extended his contract... me and Jack win, you and whoarethepatriots LOSE!

At least its just one year extension i see!!

Did anyone see it official that he'd extended?

My very good ac milan friend jus told me bout it...He told me tis just a year extension!!!

Favalli has had his contract extended?

http://www.milannews.it/?action=read&idnotizia=5068

Favalli renew contract..Don't know why

The article above says they're discussing a renewal, not that one has been made.

I knew i should have waited for something official before i was overly dramatic

Fishdoll awwwww. But you're so cute when you're a drama queen, whoarethepatriots!

He will renew, unless he chooses to retire. If he retires, he'll take some time off before moving into the backroom staff. I hope he'll come here, but I think 10 years at Lazio made too much of an emotional attachement. He's easily been our best transfer after Pato in the past few years. In terms of ability-performance

Go Giuseppe! Favallinho fury for life baby!

I wish he doesn't so that we can give our younger ones the opportunity to play...Darmian to be more specific

I would really prefer Darmian to be loaned out. Even if he were to come in place of Favalli, he wouldn't play more than 10-15 matches all season.

Give him to Parma as well for a season or two, if they're promoted.

Man.. you're odd!

Nope. I just have a thing for the underdog that's all.

I don't really care for superstars.

So gossip has already started about Milan buying a new keeper. The names being mentioned today are Cagliari's Marchetti, LeMans' Pele, and Samp's Fiorillo.

amauri as well accordng to tuttospots

Crazy season starts. Amauri!! Like that's going to happen!

About the goalkeepers, anyway it's for next season. And we'll have to see. I think it will be some lesser known guy like Storari who comes in. Not some bright kid like Fiorillo. We're going to see Abbiati grow old with us (unless he were to massively screw up!)

Fishdoll thinks that the Amauri story is, because it's in Tuttosport, more the Gobbi trying to make their player seem important.

Really? you supporting likes of MvB, Maldini, Pirlo, etc. suggests otherwise... unless you say they are no superstars.

He is coming for you now!

We are going to buy a goalkeeper.

I don't like the injuries excuse, it happens to everyone. The amount of injuries Inter have had in defense I'm surprised they haven't had to use their under-10s yet.

Maldini is an exception. But he's class man. He fitted all the qualities of my 'underdog' player. He wouldn't speak a lot. He didn't care much about trophies or anything. He was just untouchable.

MvB is an exception too, but I honestly haven't seen anyone as good. For Messi, I can say Maradona, for Pato I can say Ronaldo, For CR I can say F*ck you! but MvB was just unique!

Pirlo?? He's no superstar. He's got massive respect within the community, but he'll never be talked about as one of the icons of his era. Same like Xavi. Milan supporters will always remember him like we do Albertini and Donadoni and Savicevic. But they're not gonna talk about him as the superstars of the era. The first decades of the 21st century will be known for Messi, CR, Ronaldinho and Kaka. Not Pirlo, Xavi, Rino or Lampard. They'd be 'second-tier'.


Probably 10-15 years from now, when some new kid comes up, I'll smirk and say "Bah! He couldn't hold a candle to the Kaka/Messi I knew!"

I never saw van Basten play, I was too young. But I find some players from the past are often over-rated and because you can't compare to players around now, people will just say they were nowhere near as good as *past players name here*. I was watching the Madrid-Frankfurt European Cup final the other day, the quality of football was quite embarassing really.

It's not like I HAVE seen him play. But I've seen tapes of his matches. He was just so amazing.

And we're talking Italy, where I think the standards of defending have actually dropped over the years.

It wasn't like his play was based on athleticism or speed (where perhaps you could argue with modern training etc. modern players are better). Stuff like eye for goal, vision etc are I think staples.

Besides MvB wasn't THAT long ago. It's not even been 20 years since he left.

Well, to me 20 years is a long time, given that I've only been around for 21..

Why do you have to be such a smart *** huh? I already have LaPalma, dst and co. out to f@ck my happiness with their own unique brands of smartassery!!

I mean as compared to people like Rivera and Best and Charlton and Pele. I would think comparing CR to Garrincha would be pointless just coz they were both gifted dribblers. They played in different leagues, different times, different objectives etc.

But MvB against say Zlatan is more valid. Coz the structure of football was pretty much the same then as it is now. There were the established heirarchy of clubs, the same competitions, the same tactical formations and ideas related to tactics, you know! The eras were not TOO different.

Gosh I feel old. I DID see MVB play. And I agree with Jack's assessment of the guy. He remains my very favourite Milan player of all time, even above Maldini and Baresi.

btw, speaking of Zlatan, there's a story in Gazzetta today about the possibility of him leaving the cugini at the end of the season.

Yeah.I think it's crazy talk.

Supposedly, he's going to leave Inter for Barca or Madrid. I think it's just an extrapolation from his agent's remarks.

I've always thought the closest to MvB is RvN. the latter is just amazing. proven in 3 different league and I'm sure he would have done just as great in Serie A. I wish we had signed him from Man U... I even remember MvB urging him to join us. we ended up with Oliveira instead

You are right. But - Van Basten personality>>>>>>>>>>>> RvN personality

Yeah..but at that time we had Pippo AND Gila as poachers. Gila was coming off an 18 goal debut season as well. So...

Bah!

Ruud in my eyes is a very serious professional. I don't exactly know what's wrong with his personality. he certainly is no Zlatan, CR7, etc.

No, he's more like Michael Ballack.

Silly season is starting early. Mediaset's running a story suggesting Milan may be interested in getting Julio Cruz and Trezeguet for next year.

hate that guys mug

I dunno, Hab. Fishdoll adores Trez - when he's taking penalties for the other team.

I like Trez and would welcome him personally.

People are going to think I've gone mad but of the pair mentioned, the one I'd take in a heartbeat is Julio Cruz. He's got lots of cooties (being both an argie and a cugini player) but he's a very good finisher. Trez...meh. Not sure what sort of shape he's really in; he's not played much since he's back from his surgery (when he had BOTH knees operated on).

Julio Cruz is a class player and I'd happily take him to Milan myself. I think we were linked with him about 18 months or so ago as well.

Cruz is too old and I personally like Trez, so...