Milan 1 Genoa 1

Milan 1 Genoa 1

Genoa are soaring like eagles. Their performances have been nothing short of inspiring. Milito - the man upfront, Biava - the man at the back, and the men in the middle have given the Grifoni enough to climb the tedious rankings of the Serie A. They came home to play the mighty Milan who made a statement against Mihajlovic's side last weekend. They had enough reason to fear. So did they? No.

This was going to be another tale of retribution after we had lost to Genoa 2-0 during the early part of the season, but we were not going to face favors like we did against Bologna in the weekend.
The first ten minutes saw a host of chances going Milan's way as Beckam and Kaka tested Rubinho. The Englishman was keen on impressing his national manager as Capello watched from the stands. Milito went painfully close with his free kick not much later. Pato is having an amazing run of form and his form continued into this game as he was causing the Rossoblu defense several concerns. On the 14th minute, Pirlo clattered the cross bar with a very well taken free kick. 20th minute saw some acrobatics from Pato but the effort went wide. 10 minutes later, Beckam scored a goal of high caliber. It was a goal that would testify of Beckam's world class stature at set pieces. This lifted the mood in the Rossoneri camp. 42nd minute saw Motta strike a low shot from outside the box but the former Barcelona man dint make the Italian goalkeeper work too hard for the save. Right after on the counter, Milan used Pato as a pawn to win a freekick in a threatening postiion and Pirlo again rattled the bar.

Milan resumed play on an attacking note, and quite obviously due to the number of quality attackers they had on the field, playing defensively wasn't an option. Beckam was pulling the strings, but Pato was continously being frustrated by the visiting defense. The home team was quite simply dictating the play, and Genoa were truly running out of ideas. Pato was the livewire, and his pace and skill had no answer from the opposition who had not only run out of ideas but out of substitutions as well. At the back, Jankovic was testing Abbiati who was standing like a wall before the Milan goal. Ronaldinho replaced Pato and this was the second of the 3 dubious substitutions that Ancelloti made. Senderos came on for Seedorf and Flamini on for Beckam. Why? Ancelloti was probably feeling bored and wanted to see how a 4th placed Genoa would react to these outrageous substitutions. They did react as expected as Milito began to test the keeper more and eventually breached the cracked and bruised Milan defense, 3 minutes from time. Heartbreak for all Milan fans as Juventus were losing to a spirited Udinese side at the same time. Genoa managed to walk away with one point, all credit to our manager.

This is a disappointing result. Considering we were playing at home, it should have been easy 3 points for us. Carletto, with his adventurous and retarded substitutions has thrown away 2 precious points. The secret to winning titles is securing positive results on a consistent basis. But the erratic nature of this club in securing points has left me baffled as to how we are in the top 3. Lets just hope we get our act and most importantly our substitutions in place for the weekend.

Video Highlights - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=dkY7r00CzPU&eurl

Goalscorers -
Milan - Beckam (32')
Genoa - Diego Milito (87')

Bologna 1 Milan 4

Bologna 1 Milan 4

In the world of football, setting records straight is something of a priority. We were defeated, at home, in the very first game of the season, in the Serie A, by the side from the Renato Dall'Ara. And we were going there, for 3 points, and vengeance.

Sinisa Mihajlovic was quite confident of his side doing a double on Milan. Least did he know what awaited him. Volpi and Seedorf had the first chances of the game for their respective sides. Amoroso was brought down in the Milan box and his side were awarded a penalty which veteran Di Vaio took with great confidence. 1-0 to Bologna. Early signs should have indicated that Milan were in for a humiliating evening. But the men in red and black had other intentions. AC hit back immediately when a long range effort by Kaka was parried onto Seedorf's path by Antoniolli. The Dutchman is more of a predator in that region and he finished calmly. Milan were back on level terms. Not much later, Zambrotta was brought down in the Bologna box, therefore earning Milan a penalty. Kaka scores, 2-1 to the visitors. Amoroso continued to urge the Milan defense to make mistakes as Kaka and Beckam continued to go haywire at the other end. Gaby Mudingayi saw his second yellow of the game as he brought down Pato, and the home side were reduced to 10 men after 39 minutes. A few moments later, the sending off came back to haunt Bologna as Kaka and Pato combined well to give Milan a 2 goal lead. It was Kaka's second of the game.

Pato had a chance after play resumed, as he was put through by David Beckam, but the starlet put the ball over. Seedorf then put Kaka through and the Brazilian had a great chance to score his hatrick but Moras turned it over for a corner. A counter attacking move from Milan saw Beckam score his first goal for his new club. It was a shot rifled into the right hand corner from a narrow angle. Bologna, to avoid any further humiliation, completely shut shop and seemed content to see the game through. Beckam, Inzaghi and Ronaldinho had their share of chances but couldn't convert. Overall, the second half was a comfortable one for Milan as they made the extra man count. The copious talent and quality in attack proved too much for the Bologna side to handle. We face off against high soaring Genoa midweek. They also had their measure of happiness at the beginning of the season. But this performance must serve them well as a reality check as they come visiting the Giuseppe Meazza midweek.

Video Highlights - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=qf1sFCnC1Lk

Goalscorers -
Bologna - Di Vaio (pen 10')
Milan - Seedorf (12'), Kaka (pen 15', 43'), Beckam (60')

Hannover96 2 Milan 3

Hannover96 2 Milan 3

A midweek fixture being a friendly. One of the most disruptive facets for a squad focused on winning the Scudetto. We have gained ground on our rivals, not just with respect to the table, but in terms of a morale boost as well. Inter were hammered by Atlanta, Juventus drew against Lazio, and the Nerazzuri have the Italian cup as a distraction. Shouldn't Milan have focused on facing Bologna, fully fit and rearing to go for the win. No, we chose to go to Germany and play a midweek game that wasn't necessary.

Good news is that Bonera and Senderos are back in action. Bad news is that Bonera and Senderos are back in action. With the defenders in our squad gaining stability, any potential transfer will certainly be squashed. And this could come to haunt us in the long run. Thiago Silva made his debut for the club and he showed why he will be a boon for us come the new season. What was really upsetting was the absence of Mattioni and Vuidez in the squad against the Germans. This is a friendly, right? Then why not try them?

We were trailing after 10 minutes, as Hannover were gifted a penalty. Husztl dispatched it to give his team an undeserved lead. Shevchenko then made the keeper work with a good effort. Pippo was put through by Beckam but the defense closed him down.

Kaka came on at half time and it had an almost immediate impact. Shevchenko scored a goal of absolute beauty and the keeper barely moved. Few minutes later a defense splitting cross from Antonini found the boot of Inzaghi and the ball ended up at the back of the net. Hannover levelled the score when Zizzo sent in a high pass to Hanke who scored in somewhat athletic fashion. Within a matter of minutes, Milan found the lead again when Seedorf showed that he had traces of genius left in him, sending in a looping ball resulting in a world class Pippo finish. Inzaghi had numerous chances and most of them ended up hitting the post. All the players put in a credible performance, save Ronaldinho. The guy is continuing to prove what a blunder the club has committed by purchasing him.

I have never been for midseason friendlies. Not when the schedule is packed, and definitely not in the absence of international breaks. Why Milan had this friendly, away from home when we had to return to play a team that beat us in the very first matchday, I dont now. I sincerely hope that Bologna wont be benefitted by this needless friendly, and end up doing a double on us.

Video Highlights - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=FR22ASFWxgg

Goalscorers -
Hannover96 - Husztl (pen 10'), Hanke (74')
Milan - Shevchenko (52'), Inzaghi (55', 76')

The Kaka saga

The Kaka Saga

The last one week has been torturous. I am sure every Rossoneri fan can relate to what I am saying. This particular saga was the highlight of Milan's season so far. I have read several reports during this week in relation to this tale. And due to its importance, not mentioning it here wouldn't be befitting.

The world of football and perhaps the world of sport was on the brink of history, just 48 hours ago. The mega rich Manchester City, in their quest to create the world's greatest team, approached Milan for the services of our superstar playmaker Kaka. One week ago, Kaka was to be future captain of this illustrious club. 24 hours later, there were concrete talks of him wearing a blue jersey with Thomas Cook on it and playing in the Eastlands. Italy started to rumble, and the tremors going throughout Europe, started hitting Asia. The player, deemed as an 'untouchable' suddenly had a price. Over the next couple of days, a lot of principles that AC Milan stood for, started to vanish from the face of this club. The club being a family, Kaka being a club symbol were some of the values that were first to go. Media suggested the club from Manchester had offered 108 million pounds for the player. The previous record fee being accepted was 46 million pounds for Zinedane Zidane. The Frenchman travelled from Turin to Madrid as the result of this transfer in 2001. City are in a similar state as Madrid were back then. The Citizens, Cook and Hughes want to bring about the Galactico's era in England and they chose to start with Kaka, from the four man fantasy shortlist of Messi, Villa, Terry and Kaka.

AC Milan did not hesitate in accepting the offer. Next was the player negotiation. Kaka was certainly emotional at the treatments received at the hands of the club he had so faithfully served for 6 years. He has won everything there is to win with Via Turati outfit, but still cherishes to play here for many a year. He put down some prodigious conditions to agree a deal with City. These included - City to qualify for Champions League in the next 2 years, give him a 20 percent rise in a salary due to non participation in Europe, Sheikh Monsour not to withdraw interest or funding from the club as long as Kaka stays, Ancelloti to be appointed as head coach with immediate effect, 2010 exit clause at 55 million euros and finally Manchester City's continous investment in high grade players. A club with sane mentality would have backed off immediately, but Mr Cook continued to pursue. He probably thought that the knowledge gained from working with Nike could help him land the best trequartista on the planet. How wrong he was! There were also problems relating to player and image rights. Manchester City fans were already celebrating his arrival. And many reports were saying that Kaka transfer to city is imminent and is only a matter of time.

AC Milan have a debt worth 70 million euros. Its trivial compared to the debts that several English clubs are facing, yet they decided on contemplating an offer for their best player. These were several black days for fans all across the world. Fan forums were fuming with rage and abuse. The silence from the management was adding to the apprehensions of the trifosi. Bosco Leite got involved. Who is he? Kaka's father. He was planning on playing the same trick that he had played when Madrid had come knocking for Kaka sometime back. Kaka is Milan's highest paid player with 9 million euros. Ronaldinho comes second with 4 million euros. Not to mention Kaka is second highest paid footballer in the Serie A, after Ibrahimovic. City would make Kaka the highest paid footballer on the planet. 500,000 pounds a week was what was being mentioned in the press. Astronomical figures. Kaka's father was going to have a talk with the Milan management simply stating 'you pay higher, or he leaves.' Berlusconi quickly moved to the media stating that he would have to sell the Brazilian as he can't just raise his wages and not the others'. More so, the club isn't in a financial condition to entertain such requests. Forthwith, Kaka became the villain, and 'I Belong To Money' posters started flashing around. Looking at Milan's delay in decision making, City allegedly offered 271 million euros! Not much later, representatives of City said that they aren't crazy and would not spend such abnormal figures on one player. No disrespect meant,but City recently spent 14 million pounds on Craig Bellamy. Yes him. After the Fiorentina game, where the atmosphere was outstanding, and dedicated to Kaka, people did believe it was the end of the road for the superstar at Milan as he was seen hugging every player on the pitch. Ultras moved immediately. Galliani was the first affected. Protests raged outside the club headquarters and a certain section of the fans moved to Kaka's house and demonstrated their allegiance and love for him. Videos went booming across the net in which Kaka responded to this display of affection by thumping his heart and flaunting the Milan jersey.

At the same time, Berlusconi, Galliani and Bosco Leite had a meeting. It was supposedly about Kaka's wages. At this point of time, Kaka was 24 hours from signing for the City of Manchester. Fan protests dint seem to work. A few hours later, Kaka was still in Milan and Garry Cook and his band of boys were on a flight back to Manchester, enraged. Several players had given their opinion and all of them pointed in the direction of urging Kaka to stay at Milan. Shevchenko, due to his miseries in London, has taken particular credit in influencing Kaka's decision. Berlusconi said that Kaka is 'unsellable' and he will remain a symbol of the club for a long time. Kaka also gave a few interviews about how much love he experienced from everyone and about wanting to stay here for a very long time. He also mentioned that he would never ask for a rise in his wages.

Things will never be the same again though. The relationship between Kaka and the club management has taken a severe blow, and cracks have already begun to appear. Money dint win over the sport this time. But its only inevitable that it will someday. If money could take Milan (being one of the richest clubs in the world) all the way to sell their best player, then anything can happen in the future. A few might argue its good for the game, but I believe that it corrupts the fabric of the sport, distorts the soul of the game and makes it nothing more than an economic entity. Football is what it is because of its fans, the titles, the players, the history and the tradition. None of these elements can be bought per say, excluding players. Does money guarantee success? No, but it certainly propels a club in that direction. Chelsea are trademark examples of this point. It can be argued that Milan could have strengthened their squad with the money received from Kaka's sale, as 4 players had been shortlisted - Adebayor, Essien, Clichy and Alex. But Milan would have lost a lot more. They would have lost fans in South East Asia, they would have run into empty stadiums that could have had a negative impact on the sponsors. They would have crocked the players in the squad. They would have erased the principles that have formed the foundation of this club. No player would ever commit to Milan ever again. AC Milan would have tarnished their image as a global sporting powerhouse and as a club that stands united. AC Milan would never have been AC Milan again. However, for now Football has won over money. For now Kaka is a Rossoneri.

Milan 1 Fiorentina 0

Milan 1 Fiorentina 0

A good win, not sure if it was truly deserved, but a win is a win. We get the 3 points. Now with half the season gone by, Inter being hammered by Doni and Floccari, and Kaka still wearing the sacred red and black, the Scudetto doesn't seem like a distant dream anymore.

Very few teams can do what Milan did yesterday, given the current circumstances. The prized asset and talisman has been placed for sale like a fancy showpiece for the rich Arabs. With his future in doubt and the media hype contributing to it, you would have expected the players to be a bit addled. Yet their performance yesterday was one of substance and grit. Fans turned out in thousands to support the player they love and to protest against his sale, and every player on the pitch (barring Ronaldinho and Seedorf) were giving their all to win. This game was dedicated to Kaka, and was possibly his last in front of the San Siro faithful.

AC Milan started by almost conceding a penalty but the linesman saved the day. Minutes later Pato continued to show his fine form by scoring past former Milan man Marco Storari. It was a sterling finish and the Itaian could do nothing to save it. With Frey out on injury, Storari had to shoulder a lot of responsibility. Jovetic proved to be a needle to the solid Milan defense. I hadn't seen a more sturdier Rossoneri defense all season, yet. Kaka was doing all he could to get his name onto the scoresheet. Montolivo took two long range shots that sent panic attacks across the stadium. Beckam then made Storari work to keep Viola in the game.

AC Milan were probably shading the statitics in all the positive departments and this trend continued after the break. Kaka was proving to be troublesome with his trademark runs. Abbiati then produced a super reflex save from Santana. Abbiati a few minutes later prevented Montolivo from scoring and he was truly displaying some heroic stuff. Fiorentina were dictating the play by now. 90th minute saw Jankulovski sent off after he was shown his second yellow card for kicking the ball away. It was indeed unnecessary. In the meantime, the viewers witnessed some bizarre substitutions. Senderos for Beckam, Ronaldinho for Pato. We were headless in attack after these substitutions.

Of the players Jovetic had a great game for the visitors. Milan defense was very good, all included. Seedorf was taking a jog in the park, literally. Pirlo was ineffective, and so 'where' the substitutions with the exclusion of Senderos, surprisingly. Gilardinho said he would celebrate if he scored against Milan, but the big game flop was annonymous throughout the game. Maybe he comforted himself by scoring on the PlayStation later. As for Kaka, was this his last game for Milan? Only time will tell.

Video Highlights - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=1sw4t05tK14&eurl

Goalscorers -
Milan - Pato (7')
Fiorentina - None

The 'next Maicon' arrives

Felipe Mattioni

Amidst all the Kaka transfer saga, AC Milan have snatched the 20 year old from Gremio under the noses of several European giants. The clubs interested in this lad were Manchester United, Ajax, Juventus, and Inter. The Bianconeri have followed him for about 6 months, and the Nerazzurri have done so for the last 3 months. For AC to finally sign him when he was supposedly undergoing a medical for Juve is a commendable accomplishment.

Standing at 177 cm, the strong right back is a versatile player who can play in midfield as well. He is said to be very quick and has drawn comparisons to the best right back on the globe. Yes its Inter's very own Maicon. If Mattioni is able to emulate the fiery Brazilian in the black and blue, then nothing like it. Also he has drawn comparison with 'the man with two hearts', our very own Cafu.

Mattioni holds an Italian passport and is available for the game against Fiorentina on Saturday. He is here on a 6 month loan with an option to buy at 6 million euros, which going by his reputation seems worth it. Though i honestly dont understand why we signed him, as we have Zambrotta, Antonini and Bonera for that position. Well, whats done is done, and it might be a good signing in the long run as Zambrotta is not getting any younger, and Antonini is only a utility man. As for Bonera, there are certain journalists who believe he needs to learn the art of defending. If this deal is made permanent, then Mattioni would sign a contract that would keep him in the San Siro for the next 4 1/2 years.

Roma 2 Milan 2

Roma 2 Milan 2

Yes i have changed my layout a bit. Hope its not too much of a problem. I dint want people coming to my post and leaving after being drawn by a fancy name. So my match reports would be quite plain and simply headed from now on, ah yes the font as well. Change is good. Eh?

This was going to be a big game. Especially in the interest of the league. If Milan lost this game, it would have possibly blown their chances of winning the Scudetto this season. Inter have a 9 point difference over their cousins with 20 games to go. People generally forget all about the 20 and only look at the 9. I dont.

This night, Stadio Olympico hosted some of the best players in the world. With Totti sitting in the stands, a lot depended on Vucinic to spearhead the attack. And the former Lecce man dint disappoint the Romans. Beckam was going to make his league debut for Milan after a lacklustre performance against HSV.

The visitors started brightly. Marco Casseti then fouled Pato from 25 yards out. Ronaldinho took the free kick, but disappointingly hit the wall. Gianluca Zambrotta provided for some astonishing defending as Daniel De Rossi's chip fell to Mexes. Vucinic was later played on by De Rossi, and was able to put the ball past Abbiati after some catastrophic defending from the Rossoneri. Fortunately the goal was flagged offside. Vucinic got on the end of a cross from Riise, and after pushing the ball past Jankulovski, like the Czech was a 6 year old, the Montenegran finished past Abbiati with considerable ease. Roma had taken the lead halfway into the first half. On the 30th minute Kaka had a chance after Beckam had done the initial work, but the Brazilian's effort was weak. For the rest of the half Milan were dictating possession and play, with Beckam and Pirlo getting their feet into the game. But the Roman defense stood sturdy, Juan and Mexes displaying some outstanding understanding.

Second half started on the same note. Not long after the referee restarted play, Kaka got past Casseti and the master's killer pass found the boot of Pato in front of an empty net. 1-1. This came as a stimulus as the visitors pressed in search of another one to take a crucial lead. Ronaldinho was having an awful night, and all his attempts were going horribly wrong. Pato made it 2 for himself and for his club, as he sprinted past Mexes after leaving a cloud of smoke for 20 metres behind. The Frenchman was left biting the Brazilian's dust, as Pato chipped past Doni. This is what people would call a world class goal. The Romans were quite obviously stumped and for the next 10 minutes experienced total domination from the visiting side as they pressed ahead in search of a third. Pizzaro replaced Taddei but this substitution dint seem to influence the game positively for the Romans. After 72 minutes, some usual chaotic defending in the Milan box resulted in ball dropping for an 'unmarked' Vucinic and he headed past a motionless Abbiati. 2-2. Soon after Kaka was denied by Doni. Alberto Aquillani replaced Brighi and almost won it for the Giallorossi after hitting a curling shot towards goal, that just inched wide. In injury time, both Vucinic and Seedorf had chances but neither made the most of it, with the game ending in a draw.

Beckam was our best midfielder. His league debut was certainly promising. Seedorf's performances have been crying out loud that he is past it. Maldini and Favalli were not exploited as they should have been. Ronaldinho was poor. But the hero was Pato. What a performance that made the world stand up and take notice. More of the same and he will be in contention for the Ballon D'or soon. He will need to replicate this performance if Milan need to overthrow Viola at home this weekend. Gilardino is prowling, beware Milan.

Video Highlights - http://videos.sapo.pt/ruIYgp92esVdFqq2jRzU

Goalscorers -
Roma - Vucinic (22', 72')
Milan - Pato (48', 53')

preparations for rome

Milan 1 Hamburg 1
After a long break, the Italians were bracing themselves for a hard, second half of the season ahead. Dubai was the haven for the red and blacks for the winter. David Beckam would be finding time to bond with his new team mates. Bayern would also be sharing the same facility, and as a result weren't going to be pleased with the furore around 'Brand Beckam'.

Hamburg, another German club, were going to play a friendly with Milan. This was going to be used by the Rossoneri to prepare for the game against Roma in the weekend. A make/break game. With Inter having Cagliari at home, it is absolutely essential that AC win against Roma. With that in mind, Kaka was rested for this game. Roma would possibly have a lot of first team players missing, so taking advantage of the situation would be absolutely essential. We fielded a strong team which after the winter break should have torn a humble HSV apart. Well, on the contrary, we were experiencing how teams feel when Barcelona attacks them. Being on the defensive for large parts of the game, we were quite fortunate to have escaped with a draw, and ultimately winning on pointless penalties. There was no improvement in the style of play. Players looked as confused. Just that our squad seemed more stronger as this period provided for the injured to return from injury. The Germans were teaching us a lesson or two in pace. And our master tactician decides to employ the youth for the last 10 minutes. What's the point of the friendly then? I was heavily disappointed with the team selection. Cardaccio should have been given more minutes, Viudez and Darmian should have featured in the game. Going by the trend, we are certainly not sending out the right message to the younger players out there.

David Beckam debuted for Milan in this game. He was quite poor, as expected. Just hoping that he isn't picked on Sunday. I am not bothered about the result. We Italians never take friendlies seriously. If you go over the results recently you would know that my statement is a genuine one. Getting fit was all that matters. Big clubs have fallen at the Olimpicio. AC could be the next one if this performance is to be taken seriously.

AC Milan bid 8.5m euros for Daniel Agger, expecting Liverpool to sell up. I think the management forgot to see the reports suggesting that the reds are one of the richest clubs in Europe. So a minor bid wont force them to sell their prized defensive asset. After hearing the ridiculous names being linked with the giants from Italy, I decided not to pay too much attention. Only waiting, and watching. Who will it be?

Goals - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=HT4GSetEDHU&feature=related
Penalties - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=CyhhOHqmdiQ&feature=related

Milan - Ronaldinho (62') (p),
Hamburg - Benjamin (67')