Serie A: AC Milan vs Juventus [12/01/2007] (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Mark
- Start date
I thought Del Piero was slightly better than Iaquita? He got a superb deft flick...and a half chance but unfortunately he lost his footings...i expected him to start in this big game, if he wore out, let iquita running at those old doggy defence.
a pity dp wasn;t on the pitch when there's a good freekick situation...
a pity dp wasn;t on the pitch when there's a good freekick situation...
Well, I wasn't nearly as disappointed as the rest of you. Perhaps I should be. I still see this club as the Cadetto champions, and Milan is good as any a test to see how we measure up. It's about gauging ourselves to the competition, but my expectations are necessarily primarily expecting the scudetto this season. Perhaps that is lazy, but that's where I've been eying this season.
And Milan may be winless at home and a complete joke at that, but they're also the reigning champions of Europe a la the Champions League. And given some of our past encounters in the San Siro where we had to fight tooth and nail for any points, we came away with points from the San Siro today -- and earned them. That's a far cry improvement over recent Juve squads that hung on for dear life and a few favorable ref calls to achieve a 0-0 tie vs. Milan at the delle Alpi under Capello.
We played and honestly looked like we had all the parts to match up well with Milan on their home turf. I mean, sure we could have won. But we could have lost too. Any points taken in the San Siro is good in my book for just about any season.
Juve didn't do well enough in finishing the few chances they had that really threatened. However, what did them in from scoring was their mid-length and longer passes. Intercepted all the time. Every time we had momentum and relied on a pass longer than a close-range short pass, we seemed to turn the ball over. That's what hurt us most, IMO.
And I hate to say it, but that's precisely the sort of thing I would have loved to have seen Tiago on the pitch for and given a chance to help resolve for us. The team also did not move enough to meet balls in motion and sat back too much hoping the ball would come to them first.
The defense was solid, though. A few blunders, but we weren't intimidated. Even if Pippo Inzaghi more and more with age is coming off as a poor man's Van Nistelrooy whose raison d'être is to capitalize on referee mistakes. But what I loved about the defense, including the midfield, was our aggressiveness -- exemplified by Chiellini. Chiellini always had to have the "last word" in defense -- he never let balls go uncontested.
Sure, Inter will leap us another 2 points. But road draws against Fiorentina and Milan are two minor victories for this Cadetto club in my book.
Ratings.
Buffon - 8 - Great sense of positioning. Some great saves. Did what we needed -- and that was a bit more than usual. I'll have to give him my MOM, since he perhaps made the biggest difference.
Zebina (or is that Z3bina?!
) - 6.5 - What's up with that guy's jersey name lately anyway? Whatever, no crazy bad fouls always means a good game for Zebina. Didn't do anything terribly well, but did what we needed in defense and added just a little in attach.
Molinaro - 6.5 - I know there are a lot of folks here bashing on this guy. I wouldn't be so hard on him. This coming from someone who thought he was worthless Serie C material as little as a month ago. While he didn't earn the FGM (Forrest Gump of the Match) this time around, I like the improvement I have seen in him recently. He still makes the occasional cross that heads for London now and then. But he doesn't lose the ball on the wings anymore, he controlled his defensive positions rather well, he closed down opposing crosses very well, he maintained a lot of ball control, and he engaged a lot in offense.
If we can get some tuning in his offensive work up front, we could maybe have something. Because he's getting his positioning and ball control skills down much more than before, and he's causing defenders to pay attention to him. That in itself is a significant advancement for him.
Legrottaglie - 7 - Pretty solid. He gets burned with too many lame yellow cards, though -- not entirely his fault, IMO. I was hoping he would have gotten a game winner by connecting on a header from a corner, but it wasn't to be. This was the match for it.
Chiellini - 8 - My runner-up for MOM. Monstrous in defense. He was not intimidated by anyone, and as I said above he always made sure he had the last word. He almost never let a ball go out or by him without poking in a foot for a great deflection or challenge. Some beautiful stuff that I haven't seen from a Juve defender at that level since the days of Cannavaro. As it also creates more upfield with the ball redirection... something we need to work on.
I also liked seeing his camaraderie with the likes of Gattuso. He's starting to act like he belongs on the World Champion Azzurri squad, and shows mutual respect among his peers. I think that will go a long way to helping him develop further. Fortunately, no hot-head moments this match for him.
Nocerino - 7.5 - Great at short-range in stopping balls, keeping his feet moving, and maneuvering the ball away from and around his opponents. I just wish he was able to break some of the errant passing and turnovers that plagued us on mid-range passes and longer.
Zanetti - 7 - Generally good. Nice midfield control and good defensive support. Offensively, he's a liability lately, though. I really wish he would lay off more or find his teammates better than he has. Still, a solid effort.
Nedved - 7.5 - Not quite as strong as his MOM run last weekend, but still more of the Neddy of old out there. Kept the distribution going. Generally sure with his feet.
Salihamidzic - 7 - One of the best matches for us in a while. Nice shot on goal that forced a great fingertip Dida save. But needs to cross better to play more on the midfield wing.
Trezeguet - 6 - His rating is higher for his help in ball distribution and involvement. But his finishing was off today. A wayward header, an nice opportunity in the first half that he lined right at the closed-down near post -- both things he needed to do better with for us to win this one.
Iaquinta - 5 - Didn't add much in either ball control nor distribution today.
Subs :
Del Piero - 5 - Added little on the pitch today.
Palladino - 5 - Added little on the pitch today.
Marchionni - 5 - Added little on the pitch today.
Coach:
Ranieri - 6 - Taking on the reigning Champions League winners on their home turf is no small task, especially after an ego-inflating 5-0 win. The team maintained their level of professionalism and teamwork for the most part. But his subs were all pretty much flops -- and all were pretty much made too late. And Tiago still grows cobwebs on the bench in a match where we were sorely lacking just his sort of specialty.
And Milan may be winless at home and a complete joke at that, but they're also the reigning champions of Europe a la the Champions League. And given some of our past encounters in the San Siro where we had to fight tooth and nail for any points, we came away with points from the San Siro today -- and earned them. That's a far cry improvement over recent Juve squads that hung on for dear life and a few favorable ref calls to achieve a 0-0 tie vs. Milan at the delle Alpi under Capello.
We played and honestly looked like we had all the parts to match up well with Milan on their home turf. I mean, sure we could have won. But we could have lost too. Any points taken in the San Siro is good in my book for just about any season.
Juve didn't do well enough in finishing the few chances they had that really threatened. However, what did them in from scoring was their mid-length and longer passes. Intercepted all the time. Every time we had momentum and relied on a pass longer than a close-range short pass, we seemed to turn the ball over. That's what hurt us most, IMO.
And I hate to say it, but that's precisely the sort of thing I would have loved to have seen Tiago on the pitch for and given a chance to help resolve for us. The team also did not move enough to meet balls in motion and sat back too much hoping the ball would come to them first.
The defense was solid, though. A few blunders, but we weren't intimidated. Even if Pippo Inzaghi more and more with age is coming off as a poor man's Van Nistelrooy whose raison d'être is to capitalize on referee mistakes. But what I loved about the defense, including the midfield, was our aggressiveness -- exemplified by Chiellini. Chiellini always had to have the "last word" in defense -- he never let balls go uncontested.
Sure, Inter will leap us another 2 points. But road draws against Fiorentina and Milan are two minor victories for this Cadetto club in my book.
Ratings.
Buffon - 8 - Great sense of positioning. Some great saves. Did what we needed -- and that was a bit more than usual. I'll have to give him my MOM, since he perhaps made the biggest difference.
Zebina (or is that Z3bina?!
) - 6.5 - What's up with that guy's jersey name lately anyway? Whatever, no crazy bad fouls always means a good game for Zebina. Didn't do anything terribly well, but did what we needed in defense and added just a little in attach.Molinaro - 6.5 - I know there are a lot of folks here bashing on this guy. I wouldn't be so hard on him. This coming from someone who thought he was worthless Serie C material as little as a month ago. While he didn't earn the FGM (Forrest Gump of the Match) this time around, I like the improvement I have seen in him recently. He still makes the occasional cross that heads for London now and then. But he doesn't lose the ball on the wings anymore, he controlled his defensive positions rather well, he closed down opposing crosses very well, he maintained a lot of ball control, and he engaged a lot in offense.
If we can get some tuning in his offensive work up front, we could maybe have something. Because he's getting his positioning and ball control skills down much more than before, and he's causing defenders to pay attention to him. That in itself is a significant advancement for him.
Legrottaglie - 7 - Pretty solid. He gets burned with too many lame yellow cards, though -- not entirely his fault, IMO. I was hoping he would have gotten a game winner by connecting on a header from a corner, but it wasn't to be. This was the match for it.
Chiellini - 8 - My runner-up for MOM. Monstrous in defense. He was not intimidated by anyone, and as I said above he always made sure he had the last word. He almost never let a ball go out or by him without poking in a foot for a great deflection or challenge. Some beautiful stuff that I haven't seen from a Juve defender at that level since the days of Cannavaro. As it also creates more upfield with the ball redirection... something we need to work on.
I also liked seeing his camaraderie with the likes of Gattuso. He's starting to act like he belongs on the World Champion Azzurri squad, and shows mutual respect among his peers. I think that will go a long way to helping him develop further. Fortunately, no hot-head moments this match for him.
Nocerino - 7.5 - Great at short-range in stopping balls, keeping his feet moving, and maneuvering the ball away from and around his opponents. I just wish he was able to break some of the errant passing and turnovers that plagued us on mid-range passes and longer.
Zanetti - 7 - Generally good. Nice midfield control and good defensive support. Offensively, he's a liability lately, though. I really wish he would lay off more or find his teammates better than he has. Still, a solid effort.
Nedved - 7.5 - Not quite as strong as his MOM run last weekend, but still more of the Neddy of old out there. Kept the distribution going. Generally sure with his feet.
Salihamidzic - 7 - One of the best matches for us in a while. Nice shot on goal that forced a great fingertip Dida save. But needs to cross better to play more on the midfield wing.
Trezeguet - 6 - His rating is higher for his help in ball distribution and involvement. But his finishing was off today. A wayward header, an nice opportunity in the first half that he lined right at the closed-down near post -- both things he needed to do better with for us to win this one.
Iaquinta - 5 - Didn't add much in either ball control nor distribution today.
Subs :
Del Piero - 5 - Added little on the pitch today.
Palladino - 5 - Added little on the pitch today.
Marchionni - 5 - Added little on the pitch today.
Coach:
Ranieri - 6 - Taking on the reigning Champions League winners on their home turf is no small task, especially after an ego-inflating 5-0 win. The team maintained their level of professionalism and teamwork for the most part. But his subs were all pretty much flops -- and all were pretty much made too late. And Tiago still grows cobwebs on the bench in a match where we were sorely lacking just his sort of specialty.
good performance by Juve...marked Kaka out of the game..and a point in San Siro can never be bad.
I thought Buffon was Juves best player..saved two real chances from Inzaghi..and that long range shot from Pirlo...if i was given a choice between all players in the world to take to Arsenal..my pick would be Buffon at the moment..he is easily the best keeper in the world..Anyway heres my ratings
Juve:
Buffon 8.5 extremely solid and safe..looked like nothing could get past him.
Zebina 6.5 dealt well with Ambrosini and Serginho.
Legro 6.5 was solid..Inzaghi caused him a couple of problems in the second half though.
Chielleni 7 solid as a rock..gave another inspiring performance
Molinaro 5.5 was ok defensively..but he really needs to work on his delivery...and to quote sateeh..everything he touched turned to shit.
Zanetti 7 protected the backline well, he dealt with Kaka too
Nocerino 6.5 Energetic as always..pressing Milans players and not giving them time on the ball
Nedved:7 Very good performance from him, he really looked up for it..gave Oddo a hard time
Sali 6 he's no Camo thats for sure..but he tracked back well and he worked hard.
Iaquinta 5.5 Was disappointing in this match..he should have tested Khaladze more
Trez 6.5 got away from Nesta a couple of times..hit the post..was a decent game by him.
I thought Buffon was Juves best player..saved two real chances from Inzaghi..and that long range shot from Pirlo...if i was given a choice between all players in the world to take to Arsenal..my pick would be Buffon at the moment..he is easily the best keeper in the world..Anyway heres my ratings
Juve:
Buffon 8.5 extremely solid and safe..looked like nothing could get past him.
Zebina 6.5 dealt well with Ambrosini and Serginho.
Legro 6.5 was solid..Inzaghi caused him a couple of problems in the second half though.
Chielleni 7 solid as a rock..gave another inspiring performance
Molinaro 5.5 was ok defensively..but he really needs to work on his delivery...and to quote sateeh..everything he touched turned to shit.
Zanetti 7 protected the backline well, he dealt with Kaka too
Nocerino 6.5 Energetic as always..pressing Milans players and not giving them time on the ball
Nedved:7 Very good performance from him, he really looked up for it..gave Oddo a hard time
Sali 6 he's no Camo thats for sure..but he tracked back well and he worked hard.
Iaquinta 5.5 Was disappointing in this match..he should have tested Khaladze more
Trez 6.5 got away from Nesta a couple of times..hit the post..was a decent game by him.
You're not the only one. He has talent, but a long way to go. He still looks kind of nervous about the idea of actually playing for juventus, a small-club player at a big club. Also Molinaro is, as you say, still very raw as examplified by his wayward crossing.
Yet, Molinaro is very athletic, he runs(with pace) his ass of each game. He's becoming more and more solid in defence, with each game. He is lively, you notice him on the pitch. His technique is good,notice how he does almost everything with the outside of his left boot. And he really knows how to get into good positions, he is often able to get into other team's box
If Molinaro can work on his sloppy aspects and his service, he will be of great support for the left-midfielder ahead of him and he could add a surprise element to our attack.
Yet, Molinaro is very athletic, he runs(with pace) his ass of each game. He's becoming more and more solid in defence, with each game. He is lively, you notice him on the pitch. His technique is good,notice how he does almost everything with the outside of his left boot. And he really knows how to get into good positions, he is often able to get into other team's box
If Molinaro can work on his sloppy aspects and his service, he will be of great support for the left-midfielder ahead of him and he could add a surprise element to our attack.
Molinaro was ok defensively. He did some good defensive work but sometimes he looked shaky. And often he was caught out of position. Hell I even saw Zebina defending on his side at some points.
I liked the Z3BINA a lot, well I am a fan of Jonathan and I thought it was cool, it adds to his character.
...
Zebina (or is that Z3bina?!) - 6.5 - What's up with that guy's jersey name lately anyway? Whatever, no crazy bad fouls always means a good game for Zebina. Didn't do anything terribly well, but did what we needed in defense and added just a little in attach.
...
Zebina (or is that Z3bina?!
) - 6.5 - What's up with that guy's jersey name lately anyway? Whatever, no crazy bad fouls always means a good game for Zebina. Didn't do anything terribly well, but did what we needed in defense and added just a little in attach....
Some people are dreaming here! Milan is the same god damn Milan that won the CL. Sure they started it bad, but it doesn't mean they are a bad team or weaker than us, I was expecting a defeat before the game, and I wasn't really wrong, if we didn't lose the only reason is Buffon! definitely man of the match! We still can win the scudetto, as long as we don't lose points against smaller teams, face it! this team is not a team to beat the likes of Milan and Inter. we played it in Milano ffs, this is a very good result, just like the one against Roma, Fiorentina and Napoli! Conclusion: So far so good, thank you Ranieri! I don't give a fuck about small details, I am satisfied with the results and the performance, rest doesn't matter! What he did so far wasn't any easy task.
It won't be easy, they are working very hard for it, and it is very obvious. Last season I really enjoyed with Deschamps work for the promotion, and this year I am enjoying it more. I never enjoyed watching Juve this much, when things are going very hard for us, it's more fun to be a supporter than watching those boring wins we used to watch the past decade. People should realize that we are a new team, not filled with eleven world class players in the starting line up, those days will come too, but not this soon, and not even in January.
That is very true, I am getting the passion in me every time I watch them play. I am getting a very old feeling I used to have when I started watching Juve and when we were the kings of Europe in the mid 90s. Nail-biting feeling, tension and faster heart beats. I love it and I hope it continues this way. I am happy with our position in the table but a game like yesterday, as you said is a good result but face it, the game could have gone either way, same chances that Milan had to win the game we also had to end up with three points and this is what makes us wait eagerly for Juve's next match.
Whatever you say or mean, Del Piero should have started the game yesterday ahead of Iaquinta. I had a flash of a fresh new Iaquinta coming in instead of Del Piero when the substitution was made, action on the field and movement that would make Kaladze, Nesta, Oddo and Serginho like four fools not knowing what are they doing on a football field.