UCL: Ac Milan Vs Bayern Munchen- First match 1-1

[artan]

CL Preview: AC Milan–Bayern Munich

A 1-1 stalemate in the first leg leaves Milan in pole position, with Bayern needing to conjure up something special at San Siro, where they won their last Champions League trophy, five years ago.
If it was the emblematic Effenberg who led them out back then, it will be an equally talismanic Olivier Kahn who will have the honour this time around, after recovering from the injury which kept him out of the first leg.

Appropriate too, as it was Kahn who outdid Canizares in the penalty shoot-out back then, to earn Bayern their fourth trophy.

The problem, of course, is that San Siro will not be comprised largely of neutral fans this time around, but of those who will get vociferously behing their beloved Milan, thus making life difficult for Bayern.

While it is no final, the desperation of both sides to make it to Paris means there is hardly any risk in over-selling the match.

Both sides need European glory; Bayern because it is what they have planned their entire season around, and because it could be the only thing which could convince Ballack to sign on the dotted line; Milan, to make up for last season's heart-break, and for Ancelotti's sake, given that Juventus are almost out of reach in Serie A.

Kahn was in his element: “I actually think we're in a better position than if we'd won 1-0 or 2-0. We know we'll have to turn in a massive performance, and we'll all have to go to the limit and beyond.”

“We'll play the game of our lives,” he had declared after the first leg. “And I'm still 100 percent convinced we'll get through.”

Shevchenko, in turn, spoke with Il Corriere della Sera about the promise to president Berlusconi: “The Champions League is very important to Berlusconi. I hope that it will be our gift to him. Istanbul remains one of the strangest games in the history of football, but I don’t really think about it anymore.”

With a commendable draw brought home from Germany, and passionate home support, Milan should, and would, be slight favourites. And yet, Gattuso's suspension could prove to be the one single factor which could hand the initiative back to the Bavarians.

There is no doubting that Milan will miss his terrier-like display in the middle of the pitch, which usually allows Pirlo and Seedorf to express themselves more freely. Also worrying for Ancelotti will be the issue of containing Michael Ballack. They have a good replacement in Swiss international Johann Vogel, but he has spent scant time on the pitch this season, meaning that Ancelotti will ask Pirlo to be that much more cautious.

That said, Vogel is no stranger to pressure situations. He was a part of Guus Hiddink's chivalrous PSV side that nearly knocked Milan out in the semi-finals last year, and a big performance against Ballack will be his chance to prove that he belongs at Milan.

But then again, Milan are at home, and Lucio will probably always remain a second rung defender at best, so Magath's plans to stop Kaka and company's rampage might be on thin ice, as well.

Much has been said in the build up, but it has all been very dignified, very respectful, with Kahn and Kaka being the most vocal for their respective teams.

Kaka summed it up well: “It will be a wonderful match on Wednesday. Playing on the European stage is always special, then, of course, it's Bayern at the San Siro. We have a chance to get through to the next round, it will be a big challenge.”

“They will make it incredibly difficult for us,” echoed Kahn from Germany. “They have a score to settle from last year's final, and I know from experience how determined you are to make amends when you lose a final.” He was speaking, perhaps, of the '99 loss to Manchester United in the dying minues.

“We are dealing with the finalists from last year's competition who only lost to Liverpool under miraculous circumstances,” he continued, before coming to the defense of Milan's ageing defense. “I don't think we're dealing with a team where any of the players are too old. The ages of some of their key players are just statistics that don't mean anything,” said the star shot-stopper, as much in defense of himself as anyone else.

Should Milan succeed in keeping tabs on Bayern in the air, it is only a matter of time before they score. But should the Germans ruffle some feathers early, and maybe nick a goal, Milan coud be up against the wall.

It will be Milan Magic versus Bavarian Bravado, once again, and whichever way it goes, the fans can expect a treat!

PREVIOUS MATCHES

Semi-final, Cup Winners Cup, 1967-68.
Milan 2 – 0 Bayern. Goals: 51' Sormani, 74' Prati.
Bayern 0 – 0 Milan.
Semi-final, Champions League, 1989-90
Milan 1 – 0 Bayern. Goals: 76' Van Basten (pen.)
Bayern 2 – 1 Milan. Goals: 58' Strunz, 101' Borgonovo, 106' McInally.
Group G, First stage, Champions League, 2002-03
Bayern 1 – 2 Milan. Goals: 51', 84' Inzaghi, 54' Pizarro.
Milan 2 – 1 Bayern. Goals: 11’ Serginho, 23’ Tarnat, 64’ Inzaghi.
Last sixteen, Champions League, 2005-06
Bayern 1 – 1 Milan. Goals: 23' Ballack, 58' Shevchenko (pen.).

TEAM NEWS

AC Milan

Cafu is out for the season due to a knee injury, while Maldini is still recovering from a tendon injury. Once again, the defensive setup of Stam, Nesta, Kaladze and Serginho, will be persited with.

Ancelotti's biggest worry will, however, be the suspension of strongman Gattuso, and as mentioned above, Vogel's handling of Ballack could prove decisive. Pirlo will accompany him in the middle, with Clarence Seedorf also helping out, as well as linking up with Serginho down the left.

Other than that it will be the now standard Rossoneri front line. Kaka will come in from the right and float around, behind Shevchenko and Gilardino. Pippo Inzaghi has been in great goal-scoring form of late, but might yet again have to come off the bench.

“The important thing is to know who can be the most useful throughout the match,” Ancelotti was quoted as saying in La Gazzetta dello Sport on Monday. “Pippo is the kind of player who doesn't need much time to find his feet in a match.”

Bayern Munich

Paraguay international Roque Santa Cruz is out for at least another two months, after tearing his cruciate ligament in October. Magath also lost Iranian international Ali Karimi on the weekend, to an ankle ligament injury which should keep him out for six to eight weeks.

Bayern had been hit with two other injury worries, both of them crucial. Paolo Guerrero and Bixente Lizarazu were both doubtful; neither player was in the squad that lost to Hamburger SV on Saturday, and both missed out on Sunday's training session as well.

However, latest reports coming out of Germany suggest that the Peruvian striker and the French full back have both passed initial tests. “It's looking good. They're both coming with us (to Milan),” coach Felix Magath reported after a final training session in the Munich snow on Monday.

While he might start on the bench, Guerrero's presence gives Bayern options to Makaay and Pizarro up front, especially given Santa Cruz's injury. Meanwhile Lizarazu will surely start at left back if fit, with the promising Philipp Lahm on standby.

Bayern's biggest boost, however, will still be Kahn's return to full fitness, after missing the first leg, and the Bavarians are sure to draw from their iconic leader. Deisler should be the only other change from the team that started the first leg, coming in for Salihamidzic, as Magath looks for some extra inspiration.

He will partner Ballack, Demichelis and Ze Roberto in midfield, with the Brazilian again likely to get the nod ahead of Schweinsteiger. One would have liked to see the German winger test Stam with his pace and skill, but that might just have to wait until the second half. Pizarro and Makaay will pair up in attack, while Sagnol, Lucio and Ismael will be accompanied by Lizarazu/Lahm at the back

PLAYERS TO WATCH

AC Milan: Pirlo, Kaka
It is their form on the night which will decide how Bayern fare, to be honest. If the duo decide to bring their best to San Siro on the night, Bayern might as well treat the visit as a paid vacation in Italy.

Bayern Munich: Ballack, Deisler
Ballack will orchestrate the Bayern attack, and will undoubtedly be the biggest threat to Milan's chances of progressing. That said, with most of Milan's focus on the German skipper, especially in Gattuso's absence, smart money could be on the irrepressible Deisler to deliver the goods, especially with the make-shift Serginho for company.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

AC Milan: 4-3-1-2 (right to left). Dida – Stam, Nesta, Kaladze, Serginho – Vogel, Pirlo, Seedorf – Kaka – Shevchenko, Gilardino.

Bayern Munich: 4-4-2 (right to left). Kahn – Sagnol, Lucio, Ismael, Lizarazu/Lahm – Deisler, Ballack, Demichelis, Ze Roberto – Makaay, Pizarro

[fillipo]

great preview artan!!!

we'll get sie germans, we'll beat them again!

[artan]

thanks !!! its from Goal.com :D :D

[artan]

i d play Pippo instead of Gila! better keep Gila vs Juve on Sunday ... he is more a Seria A type of striker .

[Ian]

i d play Pippo instead of Gila! better keep Gila vs Juve on Sunday ... he is more a Seria A type of striker .

:iamwithst :p

[Bo0]

I'd go for Pippo too, just because Pippo is sizzling hot right now, and we need to score. Don't settle for a 0-0 draw, that'd be dangerous.

[artan]

8th of march. :D thats why juve won yesterday. lucky ladies.

[Qasá]

MILAN SQUAD FOR BAYERN
07/03/2006
GOALKEEPERS: Dida, Kalac

DEFENDERS: Costacurta, Kaladze, Nesta, Jankulovski, Simic, Stam

MIDFIELDERS: Ambrosini, Kakà, Pirlo, Rui Costa, Seedorf, Serginho, Vogel

STRIKERS: Amoroso, Gilardino, Inzaghi, Shevchenko

-----------------------------------------------------

Kew inclusions, Ambro and Dida are passed fit.....i welcome ambro back with open arms, as this season, he was playing great stuff, and Dida as we all knw is a great keeper....we need everyone we can for this game, so im glad we have two players back, now its just Maldini we need back :)

[fillipo]

and cafu!

[arie]

let us crush zie germanz :D

[Gurre]

and cafu!


I can't say I long for the return of Cafú. As you probably know, I think Stam does a better job :)

[Nicolas]

let us crush zie germanz :D

Given the state of our team this year and the quality I´d be rather satisfied with a 1-0 win.

[Ian]

Given the state of our team this year and the quality I´d be rather satisfied with a 1-0 win.

I'd be happy with a boring 0-0 ;)

[Gurre]

I'd be happy with a boring 0-0 ;)


Yes, I would too be happy with a goalless draw. Because tonight the outmost important thing is <b>not to concede a single goal not matter what.</b> I don't care if Milan score ten goals, just as long as it's a clean sheet I'm satisfied.

[Haroon]

UEFA Champions League: 2005-6

Round of 16 - Second Leg


A.C. Milan vs. FC Bayern München

Stadio San Siro, Milano - ITALIA

Capacity: 85,700

First Leg: 1-1 [Ballack | Shevchenko (pen)]



http://stud4.tuwien.ac.at/~e0300922/MILAN-LIVORNO/fuochizoom.jpg

http://www.stadionwelt-fanfotos.de/stadionwelt_fans/Fan-Fotos/Fotos-Fussball-Fans/Stadionatmo_Fussball_Italien/Bilder_Atmo_AC_Mailand/0405/MILAN_inter/so_MILAN-inter_03.jpg


Wednesday [March 8, 2006]

Kick-off -> 19:45 (UK Time): Sky Sports 2




PREVIEW
=======

This one is coming a little late. I wanted to wait to see what happens on Tuesday night because this game has me in two minds. The law of averages is bitterly against us. Last night's results also resulted in not a single home team losing! The good thing is that there were two draws and only one home side won on the night! Last night there weren't many goals which is a UCL tradition sort of. On one matchday there are goals galore and on the other night it is a little slow on the goals. Keeping in mind the teams that are playing tonight and how the ties are balanced, it could well turn out to be a goal fest UCL night.

Bayern's superb undefeated streak came to an end at the hands of Hamburg SV while Milan continued their good run. IMO Bayern lost at a bad time because had they escaped the weekend without getting hurt, Milan would've won sureshot tonight. We will know in a few hours if that Sheva save and Gilardino miss were costly for Milan. Milan usually plays well through the month if the club starts off the month well. I have noticed this pattern especially under Carlo's reign. Well, Milan did win the game on the weekend convincingly but Ancelotti wasn't pleased with his side one bit. The good thing was that Milan kept a clean sheet but the bad thing IMO is that we scored three making it possible for a goal scoring glitch tonight and also being susceptible for conceding.

The law of averages is against Milan tonight but the form and performance is in Milan's favour. There is stability in the defence as Kaladze has started to relax in his role as a central defender while Stam is doing well in his RB role. Nesta looked solid in Munich and it maybe an indication that he looks far more comfortable with Maldini or Kaladze in central defence rather than Stam.

I'll be honest in saying that this game has made me a nervous wreck. When things are going so well as they are for Milan, bad **** is just around the corner and I don't know what awaits us as we pass the corner.


Bayern cannot be given the opportunity to start getting comfortable on the ball. There are two main factors to prevent that from happening.

1. Milan's midfield has to do what it has done this season in the big games. Boss the game. Control the midfield and neutralize the strength of Bayern's midfield.

2. The Stadio San Siro has to "Raise Hell"!! I cannot stress this enough. Ancelotti was spot on in his reading that the Devil's Den will be a cauldron of hell tonight. The crowd has to push the side through the 90 or even 120 as I mentioned before because it can stretch that long. There is no excuse for not making your presence felt due to being nervous. We are playing a European heavyweight capable of winning away from home, not a second tier European side like ..... :lala:

3. Last but definitely not the least. Do it for Maldini. If that isn't motivation enough then I am lost for words. The team has to do it for him. We as fans have to do it for him.




============
---> M I L A N <---
============

Milan pulled off an unlikely result. I say unlikely because one has to look at the general consensus / opinion and not the Milanisti to see what people think of your side. It was the same thing last year vs. Utd. Ancelotti's Milan in particular has not failed to deliver against the odds but at the same time his side has had a problem to deliver the desired results when being tagged as favourites. It might not be a bad thing actually that this tie is hanging in the balance irrespective of the result in the first leg. Milan finished the first leg on a strong note and that can help the psyche of the team. A draw is always considered a tricky result away from home in the first leg by me because the visitors come with a nothing to lose attitude in the second leg. The Redondo Show at Old Trafford and Utd. fightback in Torino still flashes in front of me when this type of scenario arises. Milan needs to be careful.

Ze Germans have lost on all of their previous 5 occasions to Italia. That is one more thing that goes against Milan as this losing streak will not continue forever. I am not trying to demoralize our fans but there are one too many things against Milan in this tie that have a lot to do with patterns and build-up to the game rather than pure football or form. It worries me.

Magath is bullish yet again. Seems like he didn't learn from the first leg and he thinks that Bayern will win surely. Getting a ECC winner against Italy's second best side doesn't necessarily mean that a footballer cum coach knows his football in the coaching arena. He made the mistake of comparing Milan to Juve in the first leg and paid a price. He has made a mistake again IMO but time will tell whether this arrogance breeds from confidence or stupidity.



==============
---> B A Y E R N <---
==============

Bayern started off well at home but they lacked the final ball and the threat in front of goal. They were good at making Milan suffer and run around but there wasn't any end-product to Bayern's game. Apart from that beauty from Ballack which couldn't be saved, Makaay came the closest when his shot was blocked and the other one went wide. Milan started to feel comfortable after an uneasy period and then started to boss the game and even came close to winning the game against odds.

Bayern know that they are not all out as yet. 2 goals puts them firmly in the driving seat and they are quite capable of scoring those 2 goals. Even if they score 1, they can put pressure on Milan. There is only one viable solution for Milan as this is not a Nesta-Maldini superb defence partnership era. Our defence is doing good but it cannot be relied on like the Nesta-Maldini duo. You leave nothing to chance in such a game. You go for the kill because the risk is too much.

Bayern also know that Gattuso is unavailable and the hustling will be less this time around from him. They will try to utilize Ze Roberto a lot more and hope that Stam has a weak game to send in those crosses and make use of the space from that side. Magath will surely want his strikers to have a good night out as it is imperative to make the best of scoring chances in away games. Pizarro was too far from the striking range in the first leg while Makaay had an off-night.



Probable Starting Line-Up(s)
=======================



---------------
---> Milan <---
---------------

Formation: 4-4-2 flat

---------------------------- Dida ----------------------------------

-- Stam ------------ Nesta ------ Kaladze -------------- Serginho --


--- Kaka ------------ Vogel ------ Pirlo ----------------- Seedorf ---


-----------------Shevchenko ---- Inzaghi --------------------------



---------------------------
--- Ancelotti [M I L A N] ---
---------------------------

1. The good news is that Dida has recovered and is fit enough to start this game. He is better than Kalac so it is good news for Milan. A strong performance from him is still required.

2. Gattuso misses this game due to his own mistake and he will never learn in that respect. It is a lost cause to hope that he will learn from his mistakes because he is too much of a dimwit to be taught things beyond his learning capability. His emotion will always have the better of him. Vogel needs to step in as Ambrosini is not fit enough to start. This is a huge chance for Vogel to step-up and put the brakes on one Michael Ballack.

3. Personally speaking I would not start Inzaghi in this game as he is coming off the back of a brace at the weekend and the goals can become hard after such a game but his form demands that he starts. I think he would've been a very handy sub as this game can stretch to extra-time. Gilardino's movement is still fine and I would've played him but Carlo knows better. I think that Pippo could find it tough to score tonight but he has earned a start so he has to be given the chance to score.

4. Deisler will probably start tonight. Magath will need creativity and Scholl will be the sub if need be. Magath knows that he has to push for the result as a 0-0 takes Milan through so the initiative has to come from him. Therefore, one can expect guys like da supa talent and Scholl to have playing time tonight.



------------------
---> Bayern <---
------------------

Formation: 4-4-2 diamond

---------------------------- Kahn ------------------------------

-- Sagnol ----------- Lucio --------- Ismael ------------- Lahm --

--------------------------- Demichelis -----------------------------

------- Deisler --------------------------------- Ze Roberto --------

----------------------------- Ballack -------------------------------

----------------- Pizarro ------------- Makaay ----------------------


------------------------------
--- Magath ---
------------------------------


1. Even though Hasan Salihamidzic had a good game in the first leg but he still lacked that edge. That penetrative move or that bit of skill that can do the trick. Deisler possesses that ability and a good curler of a free-kick to accompany it if need be. He may very well get the nod.

2. Makaay needs to step up for Bayern and he knows it. He had a poor game and tonight Bayern will be hoping for a goal or two from the brilliant marksman. He is a cool finisher so if he gets the delivery he could well be on the scoresheet tonight.

3. Bayern don't like playing Milan and they don't like playing Milan in the San Siro. That credit goes to the team but also the rossoneri tifosi who support the team and make it harder for the visitors. Bayern will be hoping to reverse that trend and silence the full house as they have the ability to defeat Milan. Going by Magath's comments, I don't think he has paid attention to this aspect at all.

4. Demichelis had a good game to keep Kaka in check and he will try to keep him quiet. Magath identified Shevchenko as the Milan man to look at. Either he is smart or he has not done his homework correctly. I think that the key tonight for his team will be to stop Pirlo and Kaka. Pirlo for making the team click and Kaka for the finishing. The likeliest scorer for Milan is Kaka tonight. The Prodigy of world football. That's his name. :)


KEY BATTLES
==========

1. Kaka Vs. Demichelis

2. Shevchenko Vs. Lucio

3. Pirlo Vs. Deisler

4. Vogel Vs. Ballack

5. Nesta Vs. Makaay


KEY MEN
=======

Pirlo

Been a while since Pirlo had a massive UCL game. When he plays well, Milan do well and in tonight's game he is the key for orchestrating Milan's qualification to the QF. If he is on song then Bayern will find it really difficult to counter a Milan side being commandeered by Pirlo. Set-pieces also help in such games and Pirlo has a fantastic free-kick now. If Pirlo gets subbed due to bad form then we are having a rough night which will get rougher.


Makaay

The Phantom is a deadly striker and on his day can wreak havoc. He can score away from home and that is endorsed by the fact that he is playing at Bayern; a team he destroyed single-handedly in the Olimpiastadion in 2002-3. Makaay has to step-up and take centre-stage for Bayern as Ballack will be closely guarded.

[B]PREDICTION

Wow! What a tough cookie to predict. I was quite double-minded a fortnight ago and took my time to predict that one. This one has a lot of other factors to account for. There is a law of averages going against Milan while the form is in Milan's favour. Milan's last UCL home game was a good one against the German side Schalke. I always felt that when this draw was made that Milan needed 2 away goals to be on the safe side in this tie. That didn't happen but who are we kidding? It could've been much worse than a 1-1 so the team did really well to get to this point with a fighting chance to qualify for the QF.

I would've had a devilish smile on my face if Milan was in Bayern's position. Thinking about it hard gives me the impression that Bayern may not win in the San Siro unless Milan self-destructs in dramatic fashion which is a possibility albeit a rarity. Bayern can however go through on penalties if it is 1-1 or they can go through on 2-2. Their best chance is the 2-2 to qualify. The situation and build-up has tilted the tie in Bayern's favour slightly but it is not that bad as Ancelotti's side plays well against the odds.

The referee needs to have a clean game. I hope he is sharp enough, fair enough and alert enough to make it a clean game and fair game because it is a shame if the referee starts making a hash of things.

A night of drama awaits us. Keep believing till the end. :stress: Only the UCL ... only the UCL can do this. :shades:

--->>> I don't know the scoreline ... I think Milan will crawl to the finishing line in a dramatic game full of emotions for both sides. The fans led by the Curva Sud will help for that decisive final push.

[fillipo]

haroon that's just terrific i can't wait until the game!

[artan]

great post haroon!

[Ian]

Great post as usual Haroon :thumb:

[artan]

now just hope for a good game , and for a 93minute decider from Pippo , just like vs Ajax three years ago :D and let Curva Sud drive crazy!

[GattusoKing]

Official line-ups;

MILAN: Dida; Stam, Nesta, Kaladze, Serginho; Vogel, Pirlo, Seedorf; Kakà; Shevchenko, Inzaghi. All: Ancelotti.

A disposizione: Kalac, Simic, Costacurta, Jankulovski, Ambrosini, Rui Costa, Gilardino.

BAYERN MONACO: Kahn; Sagnol, Lucio, Ismael, Lizarazu; Demichelis; Deisler, Ballack, Schweinsteiger; Makaay, Pizarro. All: Magath.

A disposizione: Rensing, Lahm, Scholl, Salihamidzic, Ze Roberto, Jeremies, Guerrero.


Forza Milan!!!!!!! :diavolett :kingnew:

[artan]

lets go milan , forza milan !

[Ian]

15 minutes to kickoff and I'm getting my usual pre-match nerves :eek:

Let's hope for the right result ;)

[Ian]

Just saw a flare thrown onto the pitch! :mad:

[Ian]

Pirlo changing shorts????? :D

[Ian]

Pippo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Walker]

Great start!!To bad I can not watch it!

FORZA MILAN!!!

[Nicolas]

Pippo Pippo Pippo Pippo Pippo Pippo Pippo!!!

[Ian]

Penalty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Danny]

Some move actually, great cross by Serge.

But it hasn't made a major difference really, Bayern still need to score.

[Ian]

Deary me :eek: :( :mad:

[Ian]

He makes up for his miss :D

[Ian]

Great work by Stam for the goal :)

[Danny]

Ok, the stream I was watching is having problems. What's going on?

[Nicolas]

sheva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Danny]

Ok, I'm getting the idea Sheva's scored to make it 2-0?

[Nicolas]

2-0

We are playing solidly and with good confidence! Pippo is on fire!

[Walker]

Ok, the stream I was watching is having problems. What's going on?


The same here! The steram is just horrible! But lets Recap. First Sheva missed a penalty but second later he score a goal! So it is 2:0!!

FORZA MILAN!!!

[Nicolas]

Ok, I'm getting the idea Sheva's scored to make it 2-0?

Yes Stam crossed the ball and Sheva headed it home.

[Attila]

Milan Milan Milan

[Danny]

Excellent, this is good to hear. Looks like the final 8 beckon :)

[Attila]

touch wood Danny !! Lets wait :-)) But Pippo is on fire

[Danny]

Yes, good point, touch wood indeed :D

[Ian]

5hit :mad:

[Attila]

damn it !!! 2-1

[Ian]

Bad keeping by Dida :rolleyes:

[Attila]

now its dangerous I hope they just continue to play as they have so far !! What a mess by Dida though

[Nicolas]

CRAP! Giant mistake from Dida!!

[Danny]

Oh terrific, now one goal from them and they're in the driving seat.

And Dida's up to his tricks again is he?

Ah jeez, I definitely spoke too soon.

Sorry chaps.

[Ian]

Actually, I think that goal might have done us some good as at 2-0 up I felt that we were getting a little too arrogant - even Ancelotti had a smirk on his face. Now though, we are still in a game. If we can get an early goal in the second half, it will be okay to get all happy, but we don't win matches in the first half ;)

[Attila]

good DIDA save thats the way !!

[Ian]

Come on ref and blow the whistle!

[Ian]

Half time, and just at the right time as well. Bayern were coming back into the game towards the end and we were our own worst enemies. We need to get back into the style we started with and we'll be ok. We also need an early goal in the second half -hopefully that will kill the game off.

[Attila]

Come on Benfica ! knock liverpool out

[Walker]

Very true Shevvy7! We need an early goal!!

Pool are down by one at the end of the half!

[Tomas]

Come on Benfica ! knock liverpool out

worry about our own game.....

[Danny]

It would be the ultimate night if Milan get through this, but Liverpool get gubbed as they are getting right now.

An Arsenal defeat would be the icing on the cake.

[Yasser]

Pippo is man of 1st half, Dida had an amazing save. Sheva done very nice too despite the penalty miss.

Pirlo and Seedorf are the only players who done nothing, Pirlo even almost assisted Bayern in the last minute.. They aren't even pressing!

We had an amazing 30 mins, then a disastrous 15 mins..

We look good enough in total to win.

[Danny]

worry about our own game.....

True, but we have a very good reason to dislike Liverpool, and to want bad fortune to befall them at every opportunity.

[GilaBabe]

I'm so gutted!! Plz dear God, we want to win!! :(

[Yasser]

I betted on Benfica kicking Pool out :D

[Ian]

Pirlo and Seedorf are the only players who done nothing

I beg to differ as I thought they have both played quite well. They have nullified the threat of Bayern's mid(until the last 15 mins) and have been full of energy.

I would also say that Serg has had a good half as well.

[Attila]

be too 6-1 with Coral !! not a bad bet I thought !

Danny we want the same results !!

We always have to suffer this is what you learn about supporting MILAN !

[GilaBabe]

An Arsenal defeat would be the icing on the cake.

Hell yeh, that'd be wicked!!

Though, It seems like you want all the English teams out ,eh Danny? :p

[Attila]

just like the curva , shout MILAN MILAN MILAN MILAN !!!

[Walker]

Here we go guys!!!

FORZA MILAN!!!!!!

[GilaBabe]

Pippoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo :king:

[Walker]

Guererro for Makay!

[Attila]

goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

[Danny]

Hell yeh, that'd be wicked!!

Though, It seems like you want all the English teams out ,eh Danny? :p

What gave it away :D

[Ian]

The early goal we wanted :D

What a ball by Serg ;)

[Walker]

Yesssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nicolas]

Pippo!!!!

[Danny]

goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

3-1 - this is looking good. But I'm saying nothing...

[Attila]

Fantastic

[Ian]

BTW did anyone notice the showboat by Pippo before he scored? he totally miskicks it and it bounces up for him to head in :p :p

I bet that was a training ground move ;) :p

[Attila]

come on DIDAAA

[Walker]

BTW did anyone notice the showboat by Pippo before he scored? he totally miskicks it and it bounces up for him to head in :p :p

I bet that was a training ground move ;) :p

You have to love him for that! When it comes to scoring from scratch he is simply the best in the world!!!

Forza Pippo!!FORZA MILAN!!!

[Elyn13Nesta]

Pippoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I love u soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much

[Attila]

wow are you posting from China ??

[Attila]

Diavolooo Diavoloooo

[Attila]

50g in Europe for Inzaghi ? am I correct ?

[Gurre]

He passed Di Stefano, that's what the commentator said.

[Ian]

Kaka!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!

[Nicolas]

Kaká!!!!

[Ian]

50g in Europe for Inzaghi ? am I correct ?

Yes

[GilaBabe]

Kakaaaaaaaaaaaaa 4-1

[Walker]

Yessssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!I am in heven!!!!

[Walker]

Take that Caizer!!!!!!!!!

[Attila]

o mamma mamma mamma lo sai perche mi batte il corazon Ho visto IL GRANDE MILAN ho visto il GRANDE MILAN !!

[Attila]

I've lost the plot what a performance and what a sore throat !

[Walker]

I love that Song!!!It alwway reminds me of when I went to San Siro and Milan won 4:1!!!!!!!!FORZA!!!!!!!!!1

[drew]

have that kahn you tosser,

kaladze has been epic!!!!

[Nicolas]

I so much love to see the smirk on Kahn´s face vanish!!! :D

[Attila]

Go one Dida !!

[Walker]

Lippi is in the stands so he better call up Pippo for the World Cup!

[Attila]

Gila ready to get in with Simic

[Walker]

A chance for Pippo to get a standing ovation!

[Attila]

they surely don't give up !!

[Ian]

Great save by Dida. Bravo to him after that mistake in the first half ;)

[Attila]

you said it Walker !! ohi ohi PIPPO INZAGHI Segna per noi !!

[Attila]

what about the OLA going on now ? WHat a stadium !!

[Ian]

Let's see Gila get his first CL goal, as I reckon there's more goals to come :)

[Attila]

Ambro coming in

[Ian]

Ambro for Sheva

[Attila]

Kaladze the captain !! WOw

[Walker]

Other scores thus far:

Arsenal-Real 0:0
Lyon-PSV 3:0
Pool-Benfica 0:1

[Ian]

I reckon Vogel should start more games, anyone agree?

[Walker]

I reckon Vogel should start more games, anyone agree?

I second!

[Ian]

Great save Kahn, but unlucky Seedorf.

[Danny]

Vogel's a tidy and composed player who does the simple things without fuss. He's a very reliable kind of player to have.

[Walker]

Look slike Pool is out of the competiton. I would not mind drawing Benfica then!

[Ian]

That was close from Pizarro

[Ian]

Vogel's a tidy and composed player who does the simple things without fuss. He's a very reliable kind of player to have.

I think our midfield have played very well tonight, in fact the whole team has been excellent. If only we could keep this type of form up!

Rui for Kaka

[arie]

Foooooorrrrzzaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!! Mmmiiiillllllaaaaaaaaannnnn :d

[Ian]

Bierhoff chatting to San Paolo

[Tomas]

Thank you Bayern, Thank you ball boys......Inter can have Ballack....

[Attila]

ciao ciao liverpool , couldn't be happier

[Walker]

It is over for Pool. Benfiva score the second!!!Bye bye!!

[Ian]

2 minutes injury time

[Ian]

It is over for Pool. Benfiva score the second!!!Bye bye!!

What a lovely night for REAL football :)

[Ian]

Full time - AC Milan 4 - 1 Bayern Munich :D

[Walker]

What a lovely night for REAL football :)

Indeed!!It is over for Real. Probably half of their squad will get kicked out! Now we must hope Ajax can make it a perfect CL!!!

[Nicolas]

God damn a great feeling!!!!!

[Ian]

Tonight just epitomised what Milan are all about. You could say that Bayern were poor, but could that be because Milan were so good? I think so. We were dominant right from the off, although we did have a wobble in the last 15 minutes of the first half. I think them scoring when they did was a blessing in diguise - had Liverpool had done that in the final then I think we would have come out winners. As it is we showed the rest of Europe what we are really capable of tonight, but we need to be more consistant. I feel that if we can keep our consistency up then we can win the CL, but we need to be consistant.
Bring on the next round :)

[arie]

Tonight just epitomised what Milan are all about. You could say that Bayern were poor, but could that be because Milan were so good? I think so. We were dominant right from the off, although we did have a wobble in the last 15 minutes of the first half. I think them scoring when they did was a blessing in diguise - had Liverpool had done that in the final then I think we would have come out winners. As it is we showed the rest of Europe what we are really capable of tonight, but we need to be more consistant. I feel that if we can keep our consistency up then we can win the CL, but we need to be consistant.
Bring on the next round :)
nothing wrong here :)

[Ian]

Milano il più grande :)

[Ian]

I've criticised Ancelotti for a long time now, but tonight I have to take my hat off to him. I don't know whether he fired them up or whether they were fired up anyway, but tonight we actually played like we are capable of. I might be biased, but when we are like this we ARE the best team in Europe. But we need to show more consistancy, all too often we have played well in one game and have been porr the next. This is the right time to start playing REAL football, like we did tonight, only then can we be crowned Champions Of Europe :thumb:

[Ian]

Is anyone else on here tonight, or are you all getting pi55ed :p

[alalekay]

Forza Milan and thumbs up to you all fellow fans - we gave the verdict before the game that Pippo should be unleashed for the game and he was. The result? A sharp display and 2 good goals to show.

Great game. I felt like I was in the stadium!!!

[Ian]

Forza Milan and thumbs up to you all fellow fans - we gave the verdict before the game that Pippo should be unleashed for the game and he was. The result? A sharp display and 2 good goals to show.

Great game. I felt like I was in the stadium!!!

I know exactly how you feel alalekay, great night indeed :)

[Santi]

Wonderfull perfomance Milan made. no sweating or suffering this time. very prould of the display by the guys.


FORZA MAGICO MILAN!!!!!!!

[Ian]

Wonderfull perfomance Milan made. no sweating or suffering this time. very prould of the display by the guys.


FORZA MAGICO MILAN!!!!!!!

I was sweating towards the end of the first half, but I said an early goal would kill the game and, for once, I was right :D

[Ian]

Ancelotti aiming for Euro Final Wednesday 8 March, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carlo Ancelotti confirms Milan are aiming straight for the Champions League Final and Andriy Shevchenko answers Oliver Kahn.

“This game was built on what we saw in the first leg, as we hadn’t made the most of our full-backs and were a little too soft on our marking,” said the Coach after their 4-1 thrashing of Bayern Munich.


“Tonight we started on the right foot and, apart from the moment when the goal made things a little more complicated, we were in charge. This will be a performance that’ll live long in the memory.”


Pippo Inzaghi’s brace took his career tally in all European competition to 50 goals, 32 of which were in the Champions League, overtaking Alfredo Di Stefano’s total. Andriy Shevchenko also netted his 56th goal, making him the third most prolific European striker of all time behind Gerd Muller and Eusebio.


“Inzaghi had played brilliantly, but was exhausted and I opted for some fresh legs. He scores so many goals precisely because of his personality, as he is never sated and would be angry even if I’d taken him off after he’d scored four or five.”


The Rossoneri are top scorers in Serie A and have Shevchenko as the current leading hitman in the Champions League, although there are still questions marks at the back after Nelson Dida’s howler gifted Valerien Ismael with a goal.


“We are fortunate that we can score goals easily right now with these incredible strikers, but the rest of the team has also found solidity. A goalkeeper can fumble when it’s hit powerfully and we probably were a little distracted on the loose ball, but the rest of the match was first rate from everyone.”


There were reports that this match was decisive for Ancelotti’s future and he reveals that patron Silvio Berlusconi rang up before the game.


“Berlusconi asked us to stick to Milan’s philosophy, which is to score lots of goals and play better football than our opponents. This is the 20th year of his Presidency and we are happy to have given him this performance as a present.”


Milan are the only side from last season’s semi-finals who are still in the competition, so they must be considered among the favourites.


“Everyone knows how hard the Champions League is and the fact we have shown such consistency in the competition is a good sign. We now have to maintain our physical and psychological focus. Let’s not forget that every time we thought we had an easy draw, we ended up running into trouble, so whatever we get will be fine. It would be nice to see the same performance against Juventus on Sunday.”


Shevchenko missed a penalty in the first half and goalkeeper Kahn was seen shouting taunts in his ear, but the Ukrainian responded with a goal just over a minute later.


“I didn’t pay attention to what he said, but it wasn’t a nice thing to do for a German legend,” said the hitman. “We gave all our answers on the pitch, so Kahn can say all he likes, but he lost 4-1.


“Our first half-hour was very aggressive and Bayern only caused problems when we took a bit of a breather. We played very well and won back the ball repeatedly, but above all I feel we wanted it more. I don’t mind who we meet in the quarters, as long as it’s not a derby with another Italian side.”

Channel 4
--------------------------------------------

That Kahn really is a filthy degenerate, luckily he is in a team of losers ;)

[alalekay]

How I love Sheva:
"...Shevchenko missed a penalty in the first half and goalkeeper Kahn was seen shouting taunts in his ear, but the Ukrainian responded with a goal just over a minute later..."

Yet so humble thru it all...they say the stronger warriors speak less - their actions speak on their behalf:

“...I didn’t pay attention to what he said, but it wasn’t a nice thing to do for a German legend,” said the hitman. “We gave all our answers on the pitch, so Kahn can say all he likes, but he lost 4-1...."

Guess what guys? We now have 2 guys in the top 5 scorers in this year's CL:

1. Sheva - 8 goals,
2. Ronaldinho - 6
3. Trezeguet - 6
4. Kaka - 5
5. Micoud - 5

Forza Milan - there's no doubt to the quality of our striking line...I trust the defence line are learning.

[fillipo]

all day i was very confident about this game a had a good feeling and hoped for a pipo gol! game starts what do we get a pipo gol and within the half an our a beautifull sheva gol great i was celebrating like hell!!! but then the dida fault (really makes me worry) i could only think about the pool game, not again!!! fortunatly we didn't let us down and just keep playing our game we were terrific!! great match really enjoyed it. and pipo scored his 50e cl goal he passed di stefano!! also credits for seedorf he played a great game and applause for kaka wonderful goal!!

good night boys, lets go to torino and kick some buts over there this weekend

[Leffe]

:flag:PROUD !!!!:flag:


Fantastic game, we are the best and showed it to Europe tonight, never count us out in CL ;) We will fight like lions and never give up :clap:

Super Pippo and Sheva are simply the best, I was shocked when he missed penalty but those things can happen even with the best best striker in the world, I was furious at Kahn, what a loser , never liked him before but know I hate him and Sheva reacted the way he should 2 minutes later ;) :clap:

Kaká great goal :)

Good night guys , I needed this :)

[Bo0]

Just the start we needed. A goal within the first 20 mins really would really do us good, and it happened. Now, if Pippo continues to play like this till the rest of the season, then it's gonna be a crime if Lippi didn't take him to the World Cup.

Kahn's outburst was embarassing, since 2 mins later Shevchenko got his redemption. Man, I'd be embarassed if I were Kahn :D.

Solid performance all around. Excellent win! Although, Dida's two unclean catches were something to worry a little bit about. But, at least he did save 2 close-range chances from Bayern.

Forza Pippo! Forza Sheva! Forza Milan!!!!

[GattusoKing]

The perfect coalescence of mastery in attack and the most benevolent defending one could ever wish to encounter. A truly fabulous spectacle and one which ignited aspirations of CL glory to more than just mere whispers ;)

Dida 6 - Some incredibly sharp saves and a fair bout of bravery, but another big mistake in another big game. One more error before the season's end will seal his fate, IMO.

Stam 8 - Cafu can make his rehabilitation program as prolonged as he wishes ;) A titanic display from Jaap, both offensively and defensively.

Nesta 7 - The quality of delivery into the box from both dead and open play would have tested any defender, so that Nesta struggled a little is excusable. Other than that, Messrs Makaay and Pizarro afforded him a fairly sedate night.

Kaladze 7.5 - Some timely interceptions from a man who's virtually unrecognisable from his initial forays as a CB. A worthy replacement captain :kingnew:

Serginho 7.5 - Devastating on the few occasions in which he broke free. Two sublime crosses and a solid defensive performance.

Pirlo 3 - I tire of saying it; Pirlo is incapable of playing in Europe, just as a child is incapable of playing with grown-ups. His most significant contribution of the eve was to inexplicably launch a free-kick into The Alps...and probably his best contribution.

Vogel 7.5 - An exercise in anticipatory excellence. Such an innocuous player but so thoroughly frustrating for the opposition. I expect to see him in training at Milanello on the first day back from sabbatical in the summer.

Seedorf 7 - A fairly quiet 1st half but instrumental after the break. Fulfilled his defensive duties commendably toward the end.

Kaka 7.5 - As is always the case with Kaka, he'll probably rue many a missed opportunity during the game but he'll do so having left an indelible contribution - a stunningly executed goal.

Pippo 9 - I've never seen such an appetite for goals in my twenty plus years of watching the game. Like some fictional comic book hero, finding the back of the net seems to be all the nourishment that Pippo needs. If I were Lippi, I'd pencil him in in biro for the Azzurri's opening WC fixture.

Sheva 8 - I'm often asked why Milan don't invest the £50million that Abramovich is so eager to offer for his services in a younger player. My answer is tonight's performance and the countless number of stellar displays in pivotal games previous. The ultimate big game player.

May I also commend Carlo on providing us with another vintage night of European glory. With the side in such devastating form, he has good reason to look forward with relish to Friday's draw ;)


Forza Milan!!!!!!! :diavolett :kingnew:

[Elyn13Nesta]

wow are you posting from China ??


Yup~~~I am in china!! :D

[Walker]

GattusoKing I love your posts. And your last one simply says why! Great game report!

On the other note Kahn is an annimal and I am so glad to see Sheva showed him his place!

I am still so exited with this win. In this form we can kill Juve this sunday, which I hope we will!

Sempre Milan!

[VUGAR]

congrats guys with a solid performance except Pirlo!

Was very nice from Sheva to answer to Kahn's shouting after a penalty kick :). Such an unmatured old fart Kahn is!

[Nicolas]

The perfect coalescence of mastery in attack and the most benevolent defending one could ever wish to encounter. A truly fabulous spectacle and one which ignited aspirations of CL glory to more than just mere whispers ;)

Dida 6 - Some incredibly sharp saves and a fair bout of bravery, but another big mistake in another big game. One more error before the season's end will seal his fate, IMO.

Stam 8 - Cafu can make his rehabilitation program as prolonged as he wishes ;) A titanic display from Jaap, both offensively and defensively.

Nesta 7 - The quality of delivery into the box from both dead and open play would have tested any defender, so that Nesta struggled a little is excusable. Other than that, Messrs Makaay and Pizarro afforded him a fairly sedate night.

Kaladze 7.5 - Some timely interceptions from a man who's virtually unrecognisable from his initial forays as a CB. A worthy replacement captain :kingnew:

Serginho 7.5 - Devastating on the few occasions in which he broke free. Two sublime crosses and a solid defensive performance.

Pirlo 3 - I tire of saying it; Pirlo is incapable of playing in Europe, just as a child is incapable of playing with grown-ups. His most significant contribution of the eve was to inexplicably launch a free-kick into The Alps...and probably his best contribution.

Vogel 7.5 - An exercise in anticipatory excellence. Such an innocuous player but so thoroughly frustrating for the opposition. I expect to see him in training at Milanello on the first day back from sabbatical in the summer.

Seedorf 7 - A fairly quiet 1st half but instrumental after the break. Fulfilled his defensive duties commendably toward the end.

Kaka 7.5 - As is always the case with Kaka, he'll probably rue many a missed opportunity during the game but he'll do so having left an indelible contribution - a stunningly executed goal.

Pippo 9 - I've never seen such an appetite for goals in my twenty plus years of watching the game. Like some fictional comic book hero, finding the back of the net seems to be all the nourishment that Pippo needs. If I were Lippi, I'd pencil him in in biro for the Azzurri's opening WC fixture.

Sheva 8 - I'm often asked why Milan don't invest the £50million that Abramovich is so eager to offer for his services in a younger player. My answer is tonight's performance and the countless number of stellar displays in pivotal games previous. The ultimate big game player.

May I also commend Carlo on providing us with another vintage night of European glory. With the side in such devastating form, he has good reason to look forward with relish to Friday's draw ;)


Forza Milan!!!!!!! :diavolett :kingnew:

Great post Simon! very thorough and I fully agree! very interesting arguments for the marks :thumb:

[Filipez]

HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! :clap: :clap: !!!

proud of our team!!!

pippo can give us the CL again!!

forza milan , and f*ck you kahn

[Gurre]

Simon, a good post but your hatred towards Pirlo as a player has really blown out of porpotion. You don't like him? Fine, but giving him three out of ten, by far the worst player plus far from an acceptable performance, is just ridicolous. And claiming he didn't do anything good? Please. Pirlo was perhaps the "least performing" midfielder, but with that said he was by no means bad. The rest was brilliant, but IMHO they wouldn't be that brilliant if Pirlo was as bad as you claim.

But... now when I come to think about it. A midfield Seedorf-Gattuso-Vogel would ceirtainly crush Bayern 4-1. Anyone who agrees with me, raise a hand. :D

[artan]

great post simon , as always! ;D
eh , what to say , i am in clouds .... seeing pippo score , sheva&kaka score , the whole milan team play like lions , makes me feel damn great. i am sure that this year Milan will win the champions league!

forza milan
forza carlo
forza devils


proud to be a milanista !

[artan]

i couldnt watch the game , but i hear pirlo didnt have a good game.hope he gets better , to his usual form .

[Gurre]

If you don't trust me, perhaps you trust the newspapers. :)

Gds
MILAN: Dida 5.5; Stam 7, Kaladze 6.5, Nesta 6.5, Serginho 7.5; Vogel 7, Pirlo 6.5, Seedorf 6.5; Kakà 7; Shevchenko 7, Inzaghi 8. Ancelotti 7.5.

Cds
MILAN: Dida 5.5; Stam 7, Kaladze 7.5, Nesta 6.5, Serginho 7.5; Vogel 6.5, Pirlo 6.5, Seedorf 7; Kakà 7; Shevchenko 7, Inzaghi 8. Ancelotti 8.

Tuttosport
MILAN: Dida 5; Stam 7, Kaladze 7, Nesta 6.5, Serginho 7; Vogel 6.5, Pirlo 6, Seedorf 6; Kakà 7; Shevchenko 7, Inzaghi 8. Ancelotti 7.5.

Cdsera
MILAN: Dida 6; Stam 7, Kaladze 7, Nesta 6.5, Serginho 7; Vogel 6, Pirlo 6, Seedorf 6.5; Kakà 7; Shevchenko 7, Inzaghi 8.5. Ancelotti 7.

La Repubblica
MILAN: Dida 5.5; Stam 6.5, Kaladze 7.5, Nesta 6.5, Serginho 7; Vogel 6, Pirlo 6.5, Seedorf 6.5; Kakà 7; Shevchenko 7, Inzaghi 7.5.

[fillipo]

you're right gurra, pirlo wasn't that bad, he just seemed to be not that much involved but sure made his contribution last night.

[artan]

anyone got the highlights ?

[swissmilan]

anyone got the highlights ?

You get them free on www.acmilan.com ;)

[GattusoKing]

Relative to last night’s game alone, if Pirlo’s mandate was to flight elegant balls across the width of the back-four, to cower at the sight of the opposition’s engine room, to champion the cause of lazy free-kicks, then I doff my cap to him for he’s performed his duties to perfection.

Speaking more generally, what we have with Pirlo, IMO, is a player who, from a mental point of view, has lapsed into the arena of the untouchables. In spite of two inept seasons, he finds himself a fixture…a golden boy, one could argue, with both Milan and the Azzurri. That he finds himself in such lofty climbs is more attributable to the lack of perception of the role he plays, where one is loathe to criticise him for fear of being chastised with the trite old platitude that is If you fail to see the worth in Pirlo, then you just don’t understand the game. Blasphemy, for many, is just too consequential ;)

It’s unfashionable to critique Pirlo, of which I’m well aware and I’m equally, if not more aware, that he’s being played woefully out of position. This ubiquitous hatred term is not the issue. I have no antipathy toward either Pirlo, nor any player within the game come to that…perhaps with the exception of Materazzi. On the contrary, I perceive him as one of the finest, most elegant passers of the ball I’ve ever been privileged to see and in terms of sheer, unbridled talent, I would place him among the greats of the last quarter of a century. I eagerly anticipate the day when he’s played in a position which allows him to express his true worth, so that I may attribute ratings in excess of 3 ;)

[fillipo]

great post simon but even after that post i don't understand the 3 you rate him for last night :D

[jani]

Pirlo played the simple game today.

It may sound bad, but today he played like Vogel usually does.

He didnt try anything difficult but made himself available for a pass and would release a player who's available.

Not a fantastic game by him, but pretty solid.

[Gurre]

You explained something that has nothing to do with the original discussion. Perhaps Pirlo is being seen as 'untouchable' by many, but I am not one of them. I see his greatness, and I often hail him for that, <b>but</b> I do critique him when he plays badly. He has underformed recently, but yesterday's game though, isn't one of those occasions IMHO. You think the opposite, but still you haven't come up with anything that is even close of getting me to change my mind but by saying "he was three out of ten". You'll just have to do better than that. :)

Critique him when it's deserved, that's all I'm asking for.

[Mushfiq]

Pippppooo come Maradonaa :cool: As Pippo said..." I am the essence of Football " :D :cool: ;) Great spirit he showed & loved the inspired San Siro crowd! ;) Serginho & stam on the wings contributed pretty well & i must Vogel should be given some more time to play niether he would fade like dhorasoo....anyways the whole team played play well fair enuff....Forza MILAN!

[GattusoKing]

You explained something that has nothing to do with the original discussion. Perhaps Pirlo is being seen as 'untouchable' by many, but I am not one of them. I see his greatness, and I often hail him for that, <b>but</b> I do critique him when he plays badly. He has underformed recently, but yesterday's game though, isn't one of those occasions IMHO. You think the opposite, but still you haven't come up with anything that is even close of getting me to change my mind but by saying "he was three out of ten". You'll just have to do better than that. :)

Critique him when it's deserved, that's all I'm asking for.

Mine isn't an exercise in attempting to sway opinions. I am not here to convince you that x player is this, that or the other, and never would I presume to do so. I am not the minister for propaganda.

Please note that I'm not fiscally rewarded via a quota system for my critiquing of Pirlo. I derive no personal gain. It would make a pleasant fiction however, for my wealth would rival that of Berlusconi's with the ammunition Pirlo affords me.

[Foreverkaka']

want barcelona to face at quarter finals of champions,we can beat them since our team improved so much since 2 months.
-kaladze started to play like a wall,nesta-kaladze partnership works wonderful.this kaladze is much better than Cris
-Stam plays so well as RWB but he should have vogel instead of gattuso since vogel makes stam better.
-we have inzaghi who is on fire.
-pirlo-pirlo started to play like old pirlo.
-serginho is our left flank machine who can toy all right backs,he dribbles RB and RM by walking.
-we have world 2 of world's biggest 3 player named sheva and kaka'
let's face Barcelona.let's win this champions league cup for maldini.
as for barcelona,they will miss puyol at first leg,thats our advantage,deco plays at different position since xavi injured,this is our other advantage.
nesta and kaladze can stop eto'o without any problems,inform vogel and stam can stop ronaldinho.there is deco who can be our headache,if we manage to stop deco-barcelona will be out of cup.
liverpool eliminated from champions,thank god for our revenge-they won champions league with luck and refree help.
if we beat barcelona-no one can stop us except Lyon,but Cris and Diarra are confused because of our transfer offer.
as for juve-as i said before they are not as good as milan at champions league,they are not agressive thanks to refrees.they are very agressive at serie A since refrees let them to play very agressive football.but in europe moggi can't buy refrees.
they didn't deserve to make it quarter finals,a gift from wiese.they should thank wiese.
then we have to win champions so that erase last years's memories Milan,let's win champions league for Maldini.

[Gurre]

Mine isn't an exercise in attempting to sway opinions. I am not here to convince you that x player is this, that or the other, and never would I presume to do so. I am not the minister for propaganda.

Please note that I'm not fiscally rewarded via a quota system for my critiquing of Pirlo. I derive no personal gain. It would make a pleasant fiction however, for my wealth would rival that of Berlusconi's with the ammunition Pirlo affords me.

Still, you can't supply one single legitimate reason why you think Pirlo was by far the worst player and by far from getting a good rating. You just have him a ricidolously low rating.

Just forget about that convince-me-thing. You didn't get my point, but perhaps I didn't make myself clear...

I don't want to offend you in any way, the post was overall very good, but I just had one objection that I think your criticism of Pirlo got a little bit too far, and in this case was with no building to it. :)

[GattusoKing]

Still, you can't supply one single legitimate reason why you think Pirlo was by far the worst player and by far from getting a good rating. You just have him a ricidolously low rating.

I quote none other than myself; Relative to last night’s game alone, if Pirlo’s mandate was to flight elegant balls across the width of the back-four, to cower at the sight of the opposition’s engine room, to champion the cause of lazy free-kicks, then I doff my cap to him for he’s performed his duties to perfection.

...and never the twain shall meet ;)

[Gurre]

I quote none other than myself; Relative to last night’s game alone, if Pirlo’s mandate was to flight elegant balls across the width of the back-four, to cower at the sight of the opposition’s engine room, to champion the cause of lazy free-kicks, then I doff my cap to him for he’s performed his duties to perfection.

...and never the twain shall meet ;)


OK, if you call that mocking and that ironic part a legitimate reason to give Pirlo that kind of ratíng (while the others got 6+...), I'll just give it a rest and I have nothing more to add...

[Foreverkaka']

my ratings
dida 6
stam 6.5
nesta 7
kaladze 8
serginho 7.5
vogel 7
pirlo 6.5
seedorf 6
kaka' 6.5
shevchenko 7.5
inzaghi 8

[Walker]

Here are some pics. Source: www.gazzetta.it

[Foreverkaka']

thanks walker

[Mushfiq]

Forza Pippo! :cool:

[artan]

according to bild :

dida 5
stam 2
nesta 3
kala 3
sergio 2
vogel 2
pirlo 2
kaka 2
seedorf 3
sheva 2
pippo 1