Italian Edition: Calcio in Crisis

It’s been a spell of turmoil for Italian Football over the last three months. A number of situations have occurred which have taken the league to a real low compared to other big leagues of England, Spain and even Germany.
1) Kaka’s departure to Real Madrid
2) Retirement of Maldini, Nedved
3) Confederations Cup failure



1) Kaka was recently presented as a Real Madrid player with the number 8 jersey, bringing to end a transfer saga which essentially stretched for roughly 2 years. The details of the transfer are really and truly irrelevant at this point as issues regarding the amount Madrid have spent on him, what Milan will do with the money and other things have been discussed time and time again. What I want to focus on is how his departure affects Italian football. On the face of it, it should affect Milan more given that they’ve lost their best player. But aside from being the Rossoneri’s best player , Kaka was also one of the best players in the league, not to mention the most marketable player. Players like Kaka brought attention to the Serie A. The league has been living in the shadow of the Premiership and La Liga for the past 3 years or so despite Milan’s Champions League triumph of 2007. Something not aided by the recent economic crisis. Serie A obviously still contains many terrific players with the likes of Ibrahimovic, Maicon, Ronaldinho, Pato but none of these players really deliver what Kaka did in terms of marketability. Shirt sales, boot deals, lucrative commercials, the list goes on. Not to mention the fact that Ibrahimovic has been linked to Chelsea, Madrid and Barcelona. Maicon to the free spending Spaniards and Pato to The Blues.


2) A lesser cause for concern but something which has been overlooked is the loss of legends such as Maldini and Nedved. Sure they weren’t the youngest anymore but it’s what these players brought to the game in terms of integrity and loyalty. Something lost to many players in this day and age of the game.


3) And finally to the Confederations Cup in South Africa. This was the last straw for the Italians. An absolute horror showing. I’m not just talking about the 3-0 hammering at the hands of Brazil either but the whole tournament as a whole. Italy lacked dynamism in attack, defensive stability and connection in midfield. The Confederations Cup is a chance to test out things and see where things are going wrong or right before the real test at the World Cup. Marcello Lippi clearly got it wrong but in some ways I think he knew that. In my opinion Lippi knew the limitations of the squad he took with him to South Africa yet wasn’t ready to admit it yet. The displays in South Africa would have showed him where he needs to make changes. Unfortunately it won’t be so easy as there are all over the pitch. One easy problem to fix however is getting rid of the dreaded 4-3-3 formation. Italian success is usually found with the incorporation of a fantasista. Something not included in the 4-3-3. Despite not setting the stage alight in Germany 3 years ago what Totti or Del Piero offered was a link between the midfield and attack. Pirlo, one of the major protagonists of that World Cup triump of 2006 had a good tournament, especially when taking into consideration the form of his other teammates. However without someone to connect the midfield and attack nothing will go right for Italy. Insert Antonio Cassano. Hopefully Lippi can get over whatever problem he has with the Sampdoria man who has found a new lease of life.



However it’s not all bad news for Italy. The U-21s despite being stopped at semi-final stage were a joy to behold and many of the players have a chance at making it into the squad for the World Cup. As Lippi said after the defeat to Brazil; plunging a bunch of youngsters into the team isn’t going to magically fix things. But that being said a number of youngsters can make an impact on the squad and make it easier for the transition when the majority of the team gets too old and retires, which is likely to happen after the 2010 World Cup. The likes of Marco Motta, Domenico Criscito, Fabiano Santacroce, Salvatore Bocchetti, Claudio Marchisio, Mario Balotelli and Sebastian Giovinco are likely candidates for consideration for the future of the Azzurri. If a few of these bunch can produce some terrific seasons with their respective clubs , along with some overlooked by Lippi like Gaetano D’Agostino and some who were injured like Alberto Aquilani and Antonio Di Natale then Italy have a good shot of at least making the semi-finals of next summer’s event. All eyes will be on Lippi to see if through La Nazionale he can bring back some glory and respectability to Italian football amongst the other leagues.

Italian Edition: Is This The Downfall of AC Milan?

Is this the end of the glory days for AC Milan? Is it now all over for the Milanistas? No more summer spending, no more trophies, nothing? Silvio Berlusconi, the man who rescued Milan from Serie B in the late 80’s and led them to their current glory whilst being celebrated as the club with the most international trophies in the world, was once adored and idolized by all the Rossoneri fans around the globe. This same man is currently a popular hate figure amongst many diehard Milanistas for what is seen as the deterioration of the club season after season. Berlusconi, along with Galliani, are blamed for all the recent failures of the Milanese club. Can they rescue Milan once again?

It all started with the sale of Shevchenko. Before the 2006 World Cup, Milan had one of the best squads in the world. However, they had finished trophyless for two seasons in a row. Was it time for Ancelotti to go? Was it time to start a new era? After the World Cup, Sheva went to Chelsea. Ancelotti and Pirlo almost went to Real Madrid, only for Berlusconi to block the moves at the last minute. Milan never really replaced Shevchenko, instead they bought Ricardo Oliveira from Real Betis. He turned out to be a major flop in the peninsula. Kaka was then seen to be the one to ultimately replace Sheva. In the Serie A the club’s form was terrible, up until the January transfer window arrived. Massimo Oddo and Ronaldo were signed from Lazio and Real Madrid respectively as short term replacements to quickly fill the gaps. Milan’s form started improving domestically but their main focus was on the Champions League. By the end of the season Milan had become European Champions. Kaka stepped up and filled Shevchenko’s boots, Ancelotti, Pirlo, Seedorf, Gattuso, and Nesta all had their magical moments. But was this enough to rely on for the future? Wasn’t it time to rebuild despite success? Time to incorporate some youngsters whilst still on a high? Berlusconi and Galliani didn’t think so, according to them AC Milan was a team full of “Experienced Champions”.

Eventually no big name players were signed, and no weaknesses were improved. No new defenders, no new striker (not until January anyway, when Pato was able to play), just Emerson, another Real Madrid reject. Despite being a former Serie A great with Roma and even Juventus he had become old and slow. Something heavily associated with Milan at the time. That season turned out to be the worst of this decade for AC Milan. They finished in a humiliating 5th spot, after being knocked out from the Champions League by Arsenal, failing to even qualify for the quarter finals. However, according to Berlusconi and Galliani it still remained a successful season after Milan lifted both the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup. But for the Milan fans, it was a humiliating season. Ronaldo was injured all of the season and played only 1 game and a half, Milan’s form at the San Siro was horrific, and the Rossoneri giants had to rely on an 18 year old kid nicknamed “The Duck” to save them from more embarrassment.

Last summer however was an improvement. Milan at least acted in the transfer market, however being unable to acquire original targets such as Adebayor and Ivanovic, Milan ended up with Ronaldinho and Senderos. Zambrotta, Antonini, Borriello, Shevchenko, and Abbiati also arrived. Hardly a Champions League winning squad, but definitely an improvement from the previous season. With no Champions League to play for, Milan crashed out of the Uefa Cup early against Werder Bremen, and finished the season 3rd in the Serie A. Obviously, Berlusconi and Galliani had had enough and it was time for Ancelotti to go. Leonardo was destined to fill his boots, with every Milanista hoping he’d pull a Guardiola. Was he the right choice? We’ll have to wait and see.

Despite all the facts mentioned above, the biggest hit to AC Milan has to be the sale of Kaka. Milan’s #1 star, the club’s main marketing image, the player destined to be the next captain and finish his career at Milan. It turned out to be all lies, all the rumors were true, and eventually Kaka did leave Milan for Real Madrid. Okay, life goes on, and a player leaving isn’t the end of the world. Instead of Berlusconi and Galliani spending the money from the Kaka sale to reinforce and rebuild the squad, they decide to use it to “balance the books”. What has happened? What has happened signor Berlusconi? Don’t you like AC Milan anymore? Turns out that Berlusconi wants AC Milan to function as a company now, so no more personal cash to help the club. With Serie A’s image declining season after season, Milan, and all the other Italian clubs, can’t afford to spend as big as English or Spanish clubs. So, no Kaka replacement, or no stars to be signed. Even when Milan fans got a glimmer of hope when Galliani said that Milan will rely on the youth, the Cissokho deal fell through and Werder Bremen refused to sell Dzeko.

With rumors about Pirlo and Pato leaving for Chelsea, and Milan linked with absolutely no one in the market, is this the end for the great AC Milan? Or do Berlusconi, Gallliani, and Leonardo know what they’re doing? Milan has always came back stronger time after time, will it be the same now? Or is this the start of the downfall of AC Milan? Only time will tell…

Italian Edition: Ronaldinho Fever

Ronaldinho has become an AC Milan player in what can be labeled as the biggest move of the summer thus far. The former two-time World Player of the Year has raised many an eyebrow after his disappointing season with Barcelona. A season filled with off the field problems regarding such as issues as his weight, injuries and commitment to the club. With these things to consider Milan could probably be taking a risk in signing him, however as a Milan fan myself I don’t think there was a better time to get him. The San Siro faithful have welcomed Ronaldinho with open arms but there are some who are still skeptical.

A lot of the concerns regarding Ronaldinho at Milan center around the number of egos at a big club like Milan, how the player will fit into the team and whether or not he was indeed the right purchase to be made in the first place.

First of all, there is the issue of the egos at the club. How are Ronaldinho, Kaka, Seedorf, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Gattuso and Flamini supposed to fit into the same team without some dressing room bust ups. When I saw this point raised by a number of people I immediately rebuffed it. Carlo Ancelotti usually sets out his team in either the Christmas Tree 4-3-2-1 or 4-3-1-2. Ronaldinho, like his countryman Kaka, is more of a forward than a midfielder given his position higher up the pitch. This automatically rules him out of a place in the midfield trio. Hence, the likes of Pirlo, Ambrosini, Gattuso and new signing Flamini won’t be threatened directly by the inclusion of Ronaldinho, anymore than they would have had the club purchased Adebayor or Drogba for instance.

Actually only one player has been against the inclusion of the Gaucho and that is Clarence Seedorf. The Dutchman enjoyed a trequartista role in support of Pato, Gilardino or Inzaghi alongside Kaka for most of the last season. He seems unwilling to drop back into a deeper role to accommodate the Brazilian but what’s funny about it is if an out and out striker had been bought, he would still be shifted into midfield due to the fact that Pato is considered a starter and any new striker would be played alongside him with Kaka in support. The other thing Seedorf has had a problem with is giving up his #10 shirt. At the end of the day though it’s just a number on the back of the shirt and whether or not Ronaldinho wears number 10 he will still sell a lot of merchandise and Seedorf will still be a key piece of the Milan puzzle.

Now for how Ronaldinho fits into the Milan first team without stepping on other player’s toes. Formation wise, its not difficult to fit 4 playmakers as Milan now have with Kaka, Ronaldinho, Seedorf and Pirlo into the side. The issue of only putting one defensive minded midfielder should not be too much of a big deal. Many teams such as Dinho’s former club Barcelona and Euro 2008 Champion’s Spain were quite successful with only one defensive player in the midfield. Once the player’s gel properly and Ancelotti gives them suitable instructions expect no problems.Furthermore, many pundits have questioned whether or not Milan needed Ronaldinho. In my opinion Ronaldinho was a better signing than another striker not only economically but tactically as well. Why would Milan need another attacking midfielder? Well Ronaldinho isn’t exactly an attacking midfielder due to the amount of goals he’s capable of scoring. He also adds a certain creative element and tactical unpredictability which Milan would not have gotten had a striker arrived. Why would Milan need another creator when they have Kaka, Seedorf and Pirlo? Ronaldinho offers something different to the others. Also, having watched 65% of Milan’s matches last season, and reading comprehensive match reports on the other 35% I could tell Milan’s problem wasn’t the lack of a finishing touch. It was the inability of the midfield to create enough chances for the striker. And sometimes it is just difficult to break down teams, a point where a moment of magic is needed to win the match. Ronaldinho is known for such moments of magic. In addition, with Pato, Inzaghi and even Borriello who scored 19 goals in Serie A last season Milan have enough finishers to put the ball in the back of the net, once they receive the chances.

The final problems regarding Ronaldinho are his weight and his determination to play in the Olympics. The latter has already been settled and he will be heading to Beijing with Pato. It is the perfect opportunity for him to gain match fitness and improve his touch before the season starts. The former Barcelona man has already started to lose some of the weight he gained due to being out of action for so long and with competitive matches in the Olympics plus more pre-season training he should be in top shape. The coming season looks promising for Milan and Ronaldinho.