Could this really be possible? Could David Beckham really be the missing piece of the AC Milan puzzle, the piece that so far prevented the Rossoneri from a achieving a consistent string of away victories?
Sunday evening’s match vs. Lazio certainly seems to indicate so, and it was only the umpteenth game in a series of top-notch performances for the Englishman. The term “exceeding all expectations” doesn’t even begin to to decribe the mood at Milanello these days, but suffice to say that Becks not only left his mark on the highlights reel (two very valuable assists to Pato and Ambrosini) but better yet, he didn’t miss a single pass or ball control. Unanimously voted man-of-the-match, it’s no coincidence AC Milan inserted the (soon ex?) Galaxy player into their UEFA Cup list. A strong nudge by Adriano Galliani towards North America…
And just to complete the series of good news for the Rossoneri: they are now sitting second in the rankings, 1 point above Juve and 6 points behind their rival cousins. It’s a bit soon to be talking about “anti-Inter” team again, but what’s certain is that the Serie A race is on now more than ever.
“Anti-Inter”. A big phrase for Italian newspapers this week-end, as indeed Sunday’s Juventus vs. AC Milan presented itself as a revealing showdown. One to determine the Nerazzurri’s real contender for the Scudetto race, one to decide historical bragging rights between two teams who, in the past two decades, have won more Serie A champions titles than any other team.
Well, at the end of a dramatically intense and exciting match the Bianconeri have claimed those rights, and thus kept within distance of the Inter “enemy”. On Sunday, the Old Lady won thanks to their playing rhythm, the youthful strength of Marchisio, Sissoko and De Ceglie, but also thanks to the exceptional attacking prowess of the Del Piero-Amauri tandem, a tremendous combination of class and power. Milan displayed some pride and quality, but they lacked physical and playing continuity. It was a night in which the absences of Kaká and Gattuso felt very heavy indeed.
Note: I am still without my computer. Right now I can only post through an old Compaq 900 laptop from the pre-war era. For Juve-AC Milan though, some sacrifices have to made.
AC Milan silenced at San Siro, the party for the thousands of Rossoneri fans ruined, all gathered to see Ronaldinho in action. There just is something that still isn’t working in Carlo Ancelotti’s team…
The star on the field today was undoubtedly the Brazilian nº80, but in the end Bologna were the real victors, walking away with a deserved 2-1 win and showing an enviable cynicism: four chances, two goals. What better way to celebrate your return to the Serie A?
(From Gazzetta dello Sport): Carlo Ancelotti would have never imagined a season debut like this, after having selected two second strikers in his Brazilian-styled line-up. Clarence Seedorf and Ronaldinho took places behind Filippo Inzaghi, so it was all about combining class and improvisation with an instinct for goal. Especially since Milan had to make do without Kakà, Nesta, Gattuso, Borriello and Senderos, while Bologna manager Daniele Arrigoni selected a flexible formation: 4-2-3-1 in attack, 4-5-1 in defence.
It was an effective strategy from the Rossoblu, who came out onto the pitch with little respect for famous names and closed up Milan’s spaces effectively, although somewhat helped their opponents’ lack of mobility (especially on the wings, since Milan insisted too much on central plays). Ronaldinho’s moves (albeit spectacular) weren’t enough. He wanted to show the world that he was still the magician of yore, the one we all learned to love and applaud in Barcelona, however we only got to see a few minor examples of his amazing talent. Bologna played better, building their game intelligently and relying on basic but effective moves. In the 18th minute, taking advantage of a rusty Milan set-up, the visitors opened the score: it was a quick play by Adailton, C.Zenoni, C.Amoroso and Marco Di Vaio, finalized with a diagonal shot by the ex-Juve and Genoa striker. Christian Abbiati (preferred over Dida and Kalac) could do very little. 1-0 Bologna.
The shock of the goal awoke Milan, who eventually finally got out of their slumber and unleashed Gianluca Zambrotta. The Azzurri right-back started his usual pinpoint crossing delivery, including a great assist for Ronaldinho that the Brazilian playmaker put slightly off the mark (heading’s not exactly his specialty). Meanwhile, Dinho was raising the stakes, increasing the pace and putting himself at the service of the team. His fantastic through ball for Inzaghi, was chipped over the keeper by Pippo (like in the Champions League finals in Athens) but found its way wide past the goal line.
Milan were really putting up a fight, but given the trouble they were having in the middle they tried their luck with a few long-rangers. First Zambrotta, then Flamini, but Francesco Antonioli did nothing short of a miracle against the Frenchman. Hats off to him! A goal was in the air however, and after a potential 2-0 killer blow missed by Di Vaio (upon his umpteenth breakaway), Ronaldinho pulled out of the hat a perfect assist for Massimo Ambrosini, who headed it in past Antonioli. 1-1.
The second half began with the return of the prodigal son, Andriy Shevchenko. Jankulovski left the pitch and Ancelotti changed everything, moving Zambrotta to the left, Flamini to the right and launching a ruthless and explosive attack (Seedorf slightly further back compared to the first half). The strategy highlighted Ronaldinho’s talent, and permitted him to showcase the full extent of his moves: a public danger for a Bologna defense unable to contain him, Dinho dribbled in small spaces and started to provide assists left and right. In particular to Sheva who, in a one-on-one with Antonioli, missed a great opportunity for Milan to pull ahead.
Bologna did not give up, and applied Arrigoni’s strategy to the best of their abilities. Adailton and Christian Amoroso were replaced with Gaby Mudingayi and Massimo Marazzina. The excitement came always from breakaways, such as the one in the 21st minute when Di Vaio’s shot barely missed the goal. The clock was ticking and Ancelotti refreshed the offensive line: Inzaghi left the pitch and was replaced by Alexandre Pato.
Bologna were still alive and kicking however, and took advantage with cynicism of all the chances they had. Inspired by his illustrious Brazilian opponent, Francesco Valiani summoned the best Ronaldinho in him and drilled the ball into Abbiati’s top-right corner. It was minute 79. 2-1 Bologna.
Milan were llackluster and out of juice, but attempted a final rush forward in order to equalize. Not enough to worry the Rossoblu, who controlled the ball with confidence… Ambrosini’s substitution by Emerson was also futile, in part because confusion and lack of determination reigned amongst the Rossoneri on the pitch. In the end, it was a well-deserved victory for Bologna, which should make Ancelotti understand that (as Arrigoni said) apart from talent, one also needs hard-working players.
Sunday was a sad day for Italian soccer, as one of the most charismatic club presidents of Serie A passed away. In things of this nature there is no club distinction: we are all bound by the same love for the beautiful game, and when one of us leaves the family it’s always a sad moment. He might have had a big mouth sometimes, but he was loved by many especially in the capital, as he was the symbol of AS Roma’s return to top European football and the man steering the boat to Scudetto nº3. R.I.P. Franco Sensi, and my sincerest and heartfelt condolences to his family.
This almost makes the evening match between AC Milan and Juventus seem insignificant, but let’s just go over briefly about what happened in the annual pre-season’s Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi.
(From Gazzetta): MILAN, 17 August 2008 – After spending most of the summer accumulating embarassing losses through Europe, Milan wanted to play a good match in front of their home crowd Sunday night. Mission accomplished I guess, as Juventus was defeated 4-1 in the Luigi Berlusconi Trophy, the traditional August tournament played at San Siro between Rossoneri and Bianconeri. Juve wanted to confirm their good run of form, which they did (for a while at least) as they pushed the Rossoneri against the ropes for a good part of the first half. The 90th-minute 3-goal deficit however pales in comparison to the worse news of the evening: Giorgio Chiellini’s injury (apparently a twisted/sprained knee), which will put the Juve center-back out of commission for a minimum of 40 days.
LINE-UPS – Pippo Inzaghi was expected back in the forward line for Milan, but it was actually Alberto Paloschi getting the start instead. Christian Abbiati was in goal for the Rossoneri, an essential “tested” element behind a “not-so-tested” center-back duo formed by Bonera-Favalli (who all in all, didn’t do too badly). Marek Jankulovski and Gianluca Zambrotta completing the defensive line. In midfield, Gattuso, Pirlo, Flamini and Ambrosini occupied 4-man line, while playmaking power was left into the expert feet of Clarence Seedorf (who our friends over at the Juve Offside call the “Black Pavel Nedved” -and considering the never-ending runs Seedorf makes, that’s quite an apt comparison).
On the other end, Claudio Ranieri had to deal with (minor) injuries to Iaquinta, Camoranesi, and Trezeguet, thus forcing the Juve manager to load up on a lot of Primaveras. At the back, goalkeeper Antonio Chimenti (later relayed by Alex Manninger) allowed Buffon to take one turn of rest, while the defensive line was composed of Grygera-Chiellini-Mellberg-Molinaro. In midfield, Poulsen, Sissoko, and Nedved occupied the bottom part of a diamond formation, while Ranieri gave Tiago his umpteenth chance, putting him as offensive mid behind forwards Amauri and Del Piero.
JUVE DOMINATION – The first few minutes of the match were all Juve: quick passes, floating balls, a perfect emulation of the playing style exhibited against Artmedia Bratislava. Alessandro Del Piero’s backheel for Grygera (unable to finish the play) was just the tip of the iceberg for AC Milan, because the Rossoneri were virtually inexistent in attack and missing a boatload of easy passes (thus rendering useless the choice of operating on counters). In minute 18, a splendid assist from Del Piero to Amauri was transformed into goal by the Brazilian, but the linesman (erroneously) flagged for offside. Was it a sign of things to come for Juve? Not exactly.
TURNING POINT- All Milan needed to turn the match around was a bit of “push”, and Chimenti gave them just that. It all happened in the 21st minute, when Jankulovski (after one of his trademark forward runs), tried a left-footed blast from 20 metres. It looked central… and it was, but the Juventus goalkeeper seemed to ignore the ball (or failed to deflect it, it’s really hard to tell) and the ball went in. The result: a goal, an almost surprising 1-0 that would become 2-0 just four minutes later. Milan’s second goal was primarily the work of Clarence Seedorf who, receiving a bad pass from Pirlo, had to run all the way towards the left sideline to recover it. A couple of dribbles later however, the ball was on its way over the Juventus defence and toward Massimo Ambrosini‘s noggin. 2-0 Milan, highlighted also by an Ambro-goalpost collision.
GIORGIO’S KNEE GOES CRACK – Bad news for Juve; not only they were losing but the real disaster was yet to come. Ten minutes from the break, Chiellini made a bad move with his left leg as he attempted to challenge Gattuso for the ball. Crack, sprained knee, and player down. It rapidly became clear that this was a serious injury, especially when the Italian defender left the pitch in tears and in a stretcher. Nicola Legrottaglie came on to replace him, and almost immediately turned into a super-sub with a great chance to score on a header.
SUPER PIPPO CLOCKS IN – With Chiellini’s injury marking the night, Filippo Inzaghi‘s season debut (early in the second half) was left a bit in the background. However, the Milan striker decided he was going make his presence felt quickly. His goal was a carbon copy of Ambrosini’s, with Seedorf running the ball on the left and waiting for the right time to deliver it to Super Pippo, who then only needed a touch to catch Manninger (who had replaced Chimenti in the second half) by surprise. 3-0 Milan.
YOUNGN’S TIME – As Milan increased their lead to three, “big-names-Juve” became “young-talent-Juve”. Perhaps Chiellini’s accident instilled some fear into him, but Claudio Ranieri decided to take Del Piero, Tiago (once again disappointing), Nedved and Sissoko off the pitch to replace them with S.Esposito, F.Rossi, Ekdal and Pasquato. The latter easily overtook Bonera in minute 70, and blasted a shot that Dida (on for Abbiati) did not expect: 3-1, and Juve were back in the game.
Indeed, this baby-Vecchia Signora (perfect oxymoron) was incredibly energetic and within minutes, managed to obtain another two great chances (a missed penalty call for a foul on Ekdal, and a point-blank double blast by Amauri and Pasquato) that only bad luck did not see finalized. Energetic and perhaps too much, because Milan only needed a breakaway to tip the scales. Receiving the ball in the Juve box, Inzaghi patiently waited for Ambrosini‘s run and slipped him the ball, allowing the Rossoneri captain (Maldini was absent) to hit the top of the net with a left kick. 4-1 Milan and two goals for Ambro, veritable manna in this time of striker draught.
As the ref called full time, this was the right epilogue for the Rossoneri: a match which symbolized their recovery from a lethargic summer. Juve on the other hand (as well as Marcello Lippi, who called Legrottaglie in replacement), are now worried about Chiellini.
Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sportrated the Azzurri players at the end of their European adventure. Along with Gigi Buffon, positive scores were obtained by Chiellini and Grosso. All the strikers flunked the test, while some midfielders could have done better. The overall form however, was never great.
VIENNA (Austria), 24 June 2008 – The best? Gigi Buffon. Our European campaign won’t leave any great memories, but once again everyone’s talking about the Azzurri keeper. On Sunday evening at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna, there was a heated debate in the press over whose skills were better: the Azzurri captain’s or Iker Casillas‘. A duel right down to the last save, but even though the Real Madrid keeper managed a miracle on Camoranesi’s close-range effort and saved two of the Azzurri shots from the spot, the Juventus nº1 still seems have the edge as World’s best. When accounts are settled, Buffon remains the guiding thread of the Italian national side, and a certain starting point for the next World Cup in 2010.
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Gianluigi BUFFON
8.0
Riddled with shots by Holland, not even Superman himself could have held out with no protection in front of him. Then came the Mutu penalty save, other fabulous interventions, and the hope he gave Italy fans by saving Guiza’s spot-kick during the shootout. What more could he have done?
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Marco AMELIA
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An understudy, as he knew he would be. Impeccable in training, he provided Donadoni’s cement to unite the group.
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Morgan DE SANCTIS
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Like Amelia he had no hopes of playing, but he kept his concentration up; a professional.
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Gianluca ZAMBROTTA
6.0
It wasn’t the Championship he was dreaming of. After an inadequate start against Holland on the left, the new AC Milan recruit became productive on the right side. Then there was that error against Romania which led to Mutu’s goal. Against Spain he couldn’t fully display his abilities.
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Christian PANUCCI
6.5
Four games out of four; the message to Spalletti is loud and clear. He gave his best playing in the centre.
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Giorgio CHIELLINI
8.0
Exceptional against Spain, he played a true veteran’s game. At the end of the Championship the youngster can be certain of his starting place in the national team. At the heart of the defence, he was relentless. A Cannavaro nº2.
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Alessandro GAMBERINI
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He had no chance to show off his qualities; important in training at Casa Azzurri.
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Andrea BARZAGLI
5.0
Unlucky; a jinxed European Championship, like Cannavaro. Only one performance against Holland to his name, and one he will want to forget very soon.
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Marco MATERAZZI
5.0
Overwhelmed by the orange tide, he paid the price for a mediocre season with Inter, one which started too late.
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Fabio GROSSO
7.0
As ever, he tracked along the wing for the Azzurri. With him the national side relived moments of World Cup glory, and against Spain he once again showed a cool head for penalties.
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Alberto AQUILANI
5.5
He was thrown into the mix against Spain too hastily. Out of his element, almost lost, he couldn’t achieve his potential.
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Andrea PIRLO
6.5
Curse that stupid yellow card against France. A bad start against Holland, then continuous improvement. Without him, the team lost its direction and its decisive touch. Irreplaceable.
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Gennaro GATTUSO
6.0
Out of form (and it showed) but he never held back. The absence of his weight in midfield was felt in Vienna.
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Daniele DE ROSSI
6.5
Among the best players of the championship, though he had some problems against Spain. Unfortunate to miss his penalty, but the Roma player, who is always willing to take a spot kick, was suffering a muscle problem.
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Mauro CAMORANESI
6.5
Once he came on, the match against Spain took a new turn; perhaps if he’d played from the start things would have been different. Improved throughout the tournament, with a great goalscoring chance and a perfect penalty.
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Simone PERROTTA
5.5
Out of form, and against Spain it really showed. On the other hand there wasn’t much more he could do, lacking support from Toni and Cassano.
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Massimo AMBROSINI
6.5
His usual combative self in midfield, providing the spirit and pressure of the team, and creating depth of play.
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Luca TONI
5.0
The mystery of the tournament. Heavy and ungainly, he never achieved acceptable form. Though he did win the penalty against France and Abidal’s resulting red card, not enough by LucaBomber standards.
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Marco BORRIELLO
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With Toni so out of sorts, he might have provided the added edge that was needed; a real shame.
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Antonio DI NATALE
6.0
Coming on against Spain, he revitalised play as only he knows how, making up for his poor start against the Dutch with several crosses and going close to goal. Shame about the penalty.
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Fabio QUAGLIARELLA
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Only played a few minutes; he deserved more of a chance too.
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Antonio CASSANO
5.5
At the end of the day, another disappointment after much promise. Only the good performance against France remains to his credit, but in Vienna a more practical and less flashy Cassano was needed.
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Alessandro DEL PIERO
5.0
He had a great chance against Romania and messed it up. Absent.
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Do you agree with Gazzetta’s ratings? Let us know in the comments.
I’ll get you started: I would give Camoranesi and Ambrosini 6.0 (not 6.5). Ambro did his job but made a few mistakes too many, and Camoranesi had a fairly okay game vs. Spain (and good penalty) but really not much else before that. In his defense, Donadoni was playing him as center attacking midfielder, not exactly his ideal position.
Finally, too generous on Di Natale (5.5 for me) since the Udinese striker was absent vs. Netherlands and seemed too psychologically affected by the boos vs. Spain. And too harsh on Cassano and Del Piero (an extra 0.5 for me), even though I will agree that a lot more was expected from them.
It was an effective strategy from the Rossoblu, who came out onto the pitch with little respect for famous names and closed up Milan’s spaces effectively, although somewhat helped their opponents’ lack of mobility (especially on the wings, since Milan insisted too much on central plays). Ronaldinho’s moves (albeit spectacular) weren’t enough. He wanted to show the world that he was still the magician of yore, the one we all learned to love and applaud in Barcelona, however we only got to see a few minor examples of his amazing talent. Bologna played better, building their game intelligently and relying on basic but effective moves. In the 18th minute, taking advantage of a rusty Milan set-up, the visitors opened the score: it was a quick play by Adailton, C.Zenoni, C.Amoroso and Marco Di Vaio, finalized with a diagonal shot by the ex-Juve and Genoa striker. Christian Abbiati (preferred over Dida and Kalac) could do very little. 1-0 Bologna.
21st minute when Di Vaio’s shot barely missed the goal. The clock was ticking and Ancelotti refreshed the offensive line: Inzaghi left the pitch and was replaced by Alexandre Pato. 
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On the other end, Claudio Ranieri had to deal with (minor) injuries to Iaquinta, Camoranesi, and Trezeguet, thus forcing the Juve manager to load up on a lot of Primaveras. At the back, goalkeeper Antonio Chimenti (later relayed by Alex Manninger) allowed Buffon to take one turn of rest, while the defensive line was composed of Grygera-Chiellini-Mellberg-Molinaro. In midfield, Poulsen, Sissoko, and Nedved occupied the bottom part of a diamond formation, while Ranieri gave Tiago his umpteenth chance, putting him as offensive mid behind forwards Amauri and Del Piero.
YOUNGN’S TIME – As Milan increased their lead to three, “big-names-Juve” became “young-talent-Juve”. Perhaps Chiellini’s accident instilled some fear into him, but Claudio Ranieri decided to take Del Piero, Tiago (once again disappointing), Nedved and Sissoko off the pitch to replace them with S.Esposito, F.Rossi, Ekdal and Pasquato. The latter easily overtook Bonera in minute 70, and blasted a shot that Dida (on for Abbiati) did not expect: 
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