Three Golden Balls on the field: Kaká, Ronaldinho, Shevchenko. Was it enough for AC Milan to turn their catastrophic pre-season and Serie A debut around?

Alas, all Rossoneri supporters already know the answer to that question. Once again, Ancelotti’s team blanked out against “moderate” (on paper) opposition, and notice I say “on paper” because on the field Genoa was anything but. Lead by the technical brilliance of prodigal son Diego Milito, Il Grifone sank the Rossoneri with two goals conceding none, and put a serious question mark (despite what Galliani might say) on Carlo Ancelotti’s tenure at the club. 0 points after two matchdays, and team that isn’t working: some heads gotta fall at Milanello soon…

(From Gazzetta dello Sport): So, according to Galliani no Sword of Damocles is currently hanging over Carlo Ancelotti. Over that one at least, the Milan manager should not be losing any sleep (mmhh… cough). But who could blame the coach, when even seasoned veterans like Maldini and Zambrotta (not to mention the Golden Ball trio up front) starting making elementary mistakes, stuff you would normally only see in Primavera matches. Therein lies the problem perhaps: the “seasoned” part. There’s a point when the distinction between “experience” and “over-ripeness” gets kinda blurry, and for some AC Milan players that point has arrived…

Such a shame too, because the Rossoneri had started the match fairly well. Ronaldinho may still be struggling to find perfect form, but it’s still someone named “Ronaldinho”, the kind of guy whose one-touch pass or shot can transform a game. A message the Genoa defenders got very early on, constantly doubling man-marking on him and his two striking partners (Kaká and Shevchenko). Thus after a timid start, the home team shifted into second gear and started getting close to Abbiati’s goal, thanks in part to the blatant lack of defensive efforts in Milan’s midfield (Flamini was playing? Was he really?). In minute 30, the first goal of the game was a mix of precision (Gasbarroni’s aerial through ball), technique (Milito’s lovely chest-pass) and finishing (Sculli‘s daisy-cutter from 10 yards out). A well-deserved goal for Gasperini’s team, and yet another alarming wake-up call for Milan. 1-0 Genoa.

At this point, Ancelotti decided to push his men forward: Gianluca Zambrotta was given “license to kill move forward”, thereby reducing the Milan backline to three men. (Maldini, Bonera, Favalli). Then, he continued his line-up revolution by getting rid of Sheva and Ronnie at half-time, inserting Clarence Seedorf and Marco Borriello: radical changes designed to effect radical results. Alas with little success: Matteo Ferrari (you know, the guy deemed surplus by Roma) was following Borriello around like a shadow, and Kaká’s best efforts (even from long-range) were being far too predictable.

On the other end, Andrea Gasbarroni was acting as perfect playmaking & assist-man: the ex-Parma midfielder was litterally on fire, serving up a perfect ball for Giuseppe Sculli (saved by Abbiati) and then almost getting a goal of his own with a chipped shot saved by Zambrotta on the line. Ancelotti made his last change with Alexandre Pato (on for Flamini), trying also to boost his aerial attacks: the “Duck” got his noggin to a few crosses (shortly imitated by Ambrosini), coming close to the equalizer. This was however Genoa’s day: in stoppage time, Diego Milito turned with the ball and made a fool out of Maldini, forcing the Rossoneri captain to an uncharacteristic yet significant trip inside the box. The ex-Zaragoza striker did the penalty kick honors himself, giving his team a historical 92^nd-minute “icing on the cake” victory. 2-0 Genoa and game over.

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	GENOA-MILAN 2-0 [Match Highlights]
GOALSCORERS: 30’ Sculli (G), 91’ pen. Milito (G).
GENOA (3-4-3): Rubinho – Biava, Ferrari, Criscito – Mesto (M.Rossi), Milanetto, Juric (66’ Vanden Borre), Modesto – Sculli, G.Milito, Gasbarroni (85’ Palladino). (bench: Scarpi, Sokratis, Bocchetti, Olivera). Coach: Gasperini.
MILAN (4-3-2-1): Abbiati – Zambrotta, Bonera, Maldini, Favalli – Flamini (69’ Pato), Pirlo, Ambrosini – Kaká, Ronaldinho (46’ Seedorf) – Shevchenko (46’ Borriello). (bench: Dida, Kaladze, Jankulovski, Emerson). Coach: Ancelotti.

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Tags: AC Milan, Carlo Ancelotti, Genoa, Gian Piero Gasperini, Serie A

Posted in Genoa, Milan, Serie A |

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