[Serie A] Juventus - Milan (17 Viewers)
- Thread starter kurvengeflüster
- Start date
well its pretty intense in here , wonder wats its gonne be like on the field come saturday , i hope the players have half of the fire both snoop and vinman have.
I think i agree with "snoop" here we should always be optimistic , i mean thats one thing we have and we have a very very tough team.
Vinman u make it look like we didnt even play the last matches, like we only won them by luck, thats where i really disagree.
and about alex and zala, i think it would be very foolish of capello to put zala from the begining even putting kapo from the begining , it would make him look like the coach of my country(Bahrain) the foolish idiot replaced a striker with a defender and put him as a STRIKER!!!!! STUPID IDIOT.
also i think that this match need some experience from the beging and alex has that, again i say that this match is gonna be alex's match, just watch him and enjoy.
forzaa juvee
I think i agree with "snoop" here we should always be optimistic , i mean thats one thing we have and we have a very very tough team.
Vinman u make it look like we didnt even play the last matches, like we only won them by luck, thats where i really disagree.
and about alex and zala, i think it would be very foolish of capello to put zala from the begining even putting kapo from the begining , it would make him look like the coach of my country(Bahrain) the foolish idiot replaced a striker with a defender and put him as a STRIKER!!!!! STUPID IDIOT.
also i think that this match need some experience from the beging and alex has that, again i say that this match is gonna be alex's match, just watch him and enjoy.
forzaa juvee
Del Alpi PACKED !!! :O, i cant believe it - see what Milan does for you guys, gives you more than 10,000 at ur stadium, maybe a bit of revenue.
Should be a great game, a real classic.
MARK MY WORDS.
IF JUVE WIN YOU WILL NOT SEE ME HERE AGAIN, unless they have cheated again then i will add my displeasure.....so that means its very liekly i will be back.....
Should be a great game, a real classic.
MARK MY WORDS.
IF JUVE WIN YOU WILL NOT SEE ME HERE AGAIN, unless they have cheated again then i will add my displeasure.....so that means its very liekly i will be back.....
Still, Juve carry this stigma of having everything go their way, one way or another. Take Sunday night's win at Bologna, for instance: Juve had most of the possession and missed a couple of good chances, but had Gianluigi Buffon to thank for a string of wonderful saves, which is the reason Juve gave Parma 50 million euros for the right to his services, of course.
With five minutes to go in a tense match, ref Pieri awarded Juve a controversial free kick from the edge of the area - most TV shows and newspapers agree Bologna defender Capuano did not foul Ibrahimovic as much as Ibrahimovic did the same to him in a classic fight for a high ball, and the two-man commission in charge of assigning refs admitted as much on Monday.
Some of the home fans sitting near the Press Box left at the moment Pieri signalled for the free kick, muttering something along the lines of 'he (i.e. the referee) finally found a way to help them'.
The general feeling among the people leaving the stadium afterwards was that you just can't win against the big clubs because they will always find a referee willing to award them a penalty or free kick from a dangerous position or, as some of the more dedicated followers of the conspiracy theory declared on Sunday night, turn a blind eye on some wild tackles because Juve play Milan next Saturday and heaven forbid some of their best players get a suspension.
I must point out now I do not endorse those views, I just relate them as I hear them more and more each time, but I am as frustrated and worried as anyone at the erosion of confidence regular fans feel towards football and the two-horse race the Serie A has now worringly become.
So, on Saturday night, while marveling at the sight of the Stadio delle Alpi with actual people sitting in it and not disguised as empty seats, please spare a thought for the other clubs who, with varying degrees of power and wealth - you can hardly count Inter as paupers - play what looks increasingly like an 18-team Serie A1 where referees can be seen to award penalties and dish yellow cards, make decisions and mistakes regardless of the names and reputations of the teams. How cheeky.
source: ESPN.com
With five minutes to go in a tense match, ref Pieri awarded Juve a controversial free kick from the edge of the area - most TV shows and newspapers agree Bologna defender Capuano did not foul Ibrahimovic as much as Ibrahimovic did the same to him in a classic fight for a high ball, and the two-man commission in charge of assigning refs admitted as much on Monday.
Some of the home fans sitting near the Press Box left at the moment Pieri signalled for the free kick, muttering something along the lines of 'he (i.e. the referee) finally found a way to help them'.
The general feeling among the people leaving the stadium afterwards was that you just can't win against the big clubs because they will always find a referee willing to award them a penalty or free kick from a dangerous position or, as some of the more dedicated followers of the conspiracy theory declared on Sunday night, turn a blind eye on some wild tackles because Juve play Milan next Saturday and heaven forbid some of their best players get a suspension.
I must point out now I do not endorse those views, I just relate them as I hear them more and more each time, but I am as frustrated and worried as anyone at the erosion of confidence regular fans feel towards football and the two-horse race the Serie A has now worringly become.
So, on Saturday night, while marveling at the sight of the Stadio delle Alpi with actual people sitting in it and not disguised as empty seats, please spare a thought for the other clubs who, with varying degrees of power and wealth - you can hardly count Inter as paupers - play what looks increasingly like an 18-team Serie A1 where referees can be seen to award penalties and dish yellow cards, make decisions and mistakes regardless of the names and reputations of the teams. How cheeky.
source: ESPN.com
yes, this song can help you guys to calm down
http://ytmnd.cdn.lntc.net/data/dickcream/data/pretty_ranx.swf
the worst japanese song ever made
http://ytmnd.cdn.lntc.net/data/dickcream/data/pretty_ranx.swf
the worst japanese song ever made
Mark your what??
Tell you what.....don't come back ever.....no one likes you here
And tell you what....we are cheats and proud of it, at least with cheating we were able to get 27 Scudetto something your filthy MIlan will not achieve in years, you know why? because we are cheat and by the time Milan will get this number Juve would have gathered 53 Scudetto's, how? you do the math or ask one of your fellow fans who claim to be smartarses
Tell you what.....don't come back ever.....no one likes you here
And tell you what....we are cheats and proud of it, at least with cheating we were able to get 27 Scudetto something your filthy MIlan will not achieve in years, you know why? because we are cheat and by the time Milan will get this number Juve would have gathered 53 Scudetto's, how? you do the math or ask one of your fellow fans who claim to be smartarses
Serie A
The Tug-of-War in Turin
Juventus FC Vs. AC Milan
Stadio Delle Alpi, Turin - ITALIA
-> Saturday (December 18, 2004)
-> Kick-off -> 19:30 (UK Time): British Eurosport (18:30 Preview)
PREVIEW
======
The Serie A calendar drawn out this season was such that the two high profile Rossoneri - Bianconeri clashes would be played at key stages in the tourney. The last game before Christmas will be the show-stopper with the top two teams in Serie A history also fighting it out for the Scudetto of 2004-5 as they are front runners and making it a straight two horse race.
Don Fabio's Raging Bull of Torino hosts Ancelotti's Fire-Breathing Devil from Milano in a clash for a mere three points at this stage as nothing is won and nothing is lost. The race is hotting up with 'La Vecchia Signora' having a blistering start to the season romping to seemingly easy wins through result-oriented football.
Ancelotti's side after a shaky start is still within touching distance and making a match of it. Both sides have done their job done on the European front and can now look forward to a break from that competition till February while this game will also signal the arrival of the Winter Break giving some much needed rest to the players.
The devil has to exorcize its demons and get rid of the curse of the last game prior to the Winter Break. Milan doesn't have a good record in this game at all and the opponent being Juve doesn't make it any easier. Add to that there will be 60,000+ fans for once in this stadium and it becomes a true home game for the Bianconeri.
The pulling power of Milan at work. 
We sold out the Camp Nou twice and it will be 5 times more crowded in the Delle Alpi than normal! :eekani:
Saturday night promises to be a cracker. The Big games in the Serie A between the Seven Sisters usually do hold up their high standard and prove to be real entertainers. This one is no different and could well be one for the ages!
J U V E N T U S
Juventus comes from the latin name which means 'youth' signifying the students who formed the club in 1897. In the Summer Juve didn't go for youth to replace their legendary coach Marcello Lippi who incidentally is the smartest dressed coach I have seen. Armani suits and Gucci shoes suit him.
Back to topic and Juve made the transfer of the season by bringing in the world's best coach in the shape of Don Fabio Capello. A surprise to many as former Juve player and young coach Didier Deschamps was widely touted to take over at Juve.
Capello with him brought the experience of Emerson who he has previously described as the world's best midfielder in addition to advising Cassano to look up to due to his humility. He is undoubtedly Capello's favourite son as Panucci is a thing of the past now.
Enzo Maresca and Fabrizio Miccoli were gone as a result of this. Eyebrows raised but Capello is a man who knows what he is doing and he turned the club around from a mess towards the end of last season to Serie A leaders come December!
Juve has looked solid upto this point getting the job done. Their shambolic defence of last year led by the Paolo "Red Card Butcher" Montero and super sub Mark "The Shaolin Drop-Kick King" Juliano was useless. Capello bringing in his trademark organisation has transformed it into a stable unit with Inter's present to Juve in the shape of Italian captain Cannavaro being an integral part in the side.
The midfield is working fine due to Emerson and Blasi holding it together while Camoranesi even with his witch-craft hairstyle is playing well again. Nedved needs no mention. He is the engine that thrusts the Juve machine forward.
In the offence Juve has been doing very well considering their top striker Trezeguet has hardly contributed in the campaign so far. New signing Zlatan who has been hailed as the new Van Basten is so far away from Marco that Mercury and Pluto look closer. I don't rate him highly as yet and hold by my statement that he cannot create for himself. He does practice a lot of tricks during matches but in hindsight you do have to look at the end product of all that jazz.
Every time his name is mentioned in the Serie A previews (as there are a bucket load of Juve games being shown here so far), the same TWO goals of his are shown which happened an eternity ago and were nothing special at all. He has skills for trickery but has that been enough. I think not. Trez is a more dangerous proposition as he can do stuff when called upon.
M I L A N
Milan after the stop start campaign was running smoothly until the debacle in Barcelona took place and derailed us for some time as expected. Ancelotti regained control of the ship and reverted to his tried and tested formula of the 4-3-2-1 formation which has been very successful for us. In fact Juve is one of three sides to defeat Milan in the last 2.5 seasons when Milan played that formation.
The main thing was to get back on track with a bang. The formation helped revive the goal-scoring prowess of the team and now even the 4-3-1-2 will work. When things go pear-shaped is the time to get back to the drawing board and bring back the magic formation for this particular Milan side that has the right players to play it.
Defensively the team is not water-tight which in a way is good as a water-tight defence does tend to sway the players' attentions and giving them notions of the defence saving them if all else fails. At least that is not happening now because the midfield and offence is connecting and finishing well.
Crespo's revival is on the cards with his goal-scoring touch returning as he is scoring more frequently and promising to be the goal-machine that he once was. He is not there yet but glimpses are there. Earlier on in the season his confidence was low when he missed a chance in the Milan Derby and jumped over the keeper not going for the ball. In the Fiorentina game he chipped the on rushing goalie which resulted in the Chiellini own goal. Small observation but the confidence is there now.
..... and the 2004 Ballon d'Or winner is The Real Deal Extraordinaire.
Probable Starting Line-Up(s)
=====================
-------------------
---> Juventus <---
-------------------
--->>> 4-4-2
-----------------------Buffon -------------------------
--
--Zebina-------Thuram-------Cannavaro---Zambrotta--
--
--------------Emerson----------Blasi-------------------
-Camoranesi-----------------------------Nedved-------
--
------------------Del Piero-----------------------------
------------------------------Zlatan-------------------
1. The world's best goalkeeper between the sticks and a mean defence to break down. Juve is very strong in this area and not easy to score past this team. Capello's sides usually don't lose by big margins and keep it disciplined at the back. Capello has some of the world's best at his disposal to keep things on check at the back. Difficult task for the opposing strikers.
2. Emerson to my recollection has not had a commanding midfield performance when he has played against Milan. This is the first time Emerson is going to turn up in a Juve jersey to play Milan and I am very interested to know how he performs in this new team whose style is different to that of Roma. Will he raise his game and put in a performance or will status-quo vs. Milan continue?
3. Zlatan faces up to Nesta once again. His reverse kick knocked out Crap's Italian NT from the Euro. This is Ancelotti's Milan.
4. Del Piero should be starting this game after an injury lay-off. He recently commented that he wants to win the Ballon d'Or to which Filippo Ricci (Gazzetta Dello Sport) said that he has to score those kind of chances (referring to the left foot shot he hit on the side netting) before thinking of winning the Ballon d'Or.
---------------
---> Milan <---
---------------
--->>> 4-3-1-2
--------------------Dida---------------------
--
--Cafu-------Nesta------Maldini-----Kaladze--
--
-------------------Pirlo----------------------
-----Gattuso-----------------Seedorf--------
--
-------------------Kaka---------------------
--
-----------Crespo------Shevchenko---------
1. The defence kept a clean sheet against a lacklustre Fiorentina that got steam-rolled by the Milan juggernaut. Juve is a sister but a whole different ball game and different cup of tea. Keeping a clean sheet in Turin happens rarely. Milan has won the last two Scudetti when defeating the Turin giants in their own backyard. In a way this game is an indicator of things to come.
2. The midfield is working fine for now and looking good. The strength lies in the unit. The timing of the game is such that almost the whole Milan squad has minutes under their belt. The workaholic Juve midfield will be a handful for the Milan side that needs to keep possession or a visit to the slaughter house could well take place.
3. The Great Gerd Müller was nicknamed "Der Bomber" for his prolific goal-scoring acts which were astonishingly consistent giving the great Swede Gunnar Nordahl a run for his money. There is a striker who comes along from time to time who becomes reference standard. We should be proud that the Reference Standard striker in world football today is none other than our very own "Stealth Bomber" . Complete in every aspect and no weakness in his game. No weakness in skills, attitude, mental toughness. He is all game!roud:
4. Kaka is on the road to recovery now. The jolt he received this season would make him a better player as in 1.5 seasons he has seen the good and the bad form and it is his task to use this experience to remember himself, keep his feet on the ground and not become a pariah. Now a 30 m thunderbolt please. :devil:
Tactics
======
--------------------------------
--- Capello [J U V E N T U S] ---
--------------------------------
Capello's current concern is his side's lack of hunger and determination. Juve has a wormanlike approach to their games where there is a stress on efficiency, hard-word and running all over the pitch. The goals are not coming by the dozen but the fort is being guarded well. Milan will be a stern test for Juve and vice-versa. Juve still does has the knack for scoring winners somehow.
His main worry will be to try and prevent Shevchenko from becoming a key man in the game. Shevchenko has been a major pain in the a$$ for Juve spoiling it on numerous occasions. And this is a Shevchenko who is IN THE ZONE. The King of Predators is coming to Torino! :devil:
Memories of the goal in the San Siro when he went past 3 defenders who were within touching distance of each other and then beat Buffon from the edge of the box is a goal that is of the highest quality. Words are not enough for that scorcher. :thmbup:
Shevchenko is the fly in the ointment for Juve. They will not worry too much about others as they will about him making Emerson a key man in the game.
---------------------------
--- Ancelotti [M I L A N] ---
---------------------------
The Juve symbol and main goalscoring threat is Zlatan. Not! I thought so as well. He's Nedved and he is the world's best long range shooter of the ball with immaculate control and accuracy of his thunderbolts. Gattuso's task is as always to try and neutralize this big threat but it won't be easy as Nedved too is IN THE ZONE. He will be a handful for the Milan midfield who must not let him roam free and giving him space for the shot is not a smart thing to do at all. He will punish Milan at the first chance he gets if given the space. Ancelotti has to instruct the team to make sure that Nedved doesn't get space for the shot. Nedved being the player that he is will make at least two decent chances for the shot in the match IMO. It remains to be seen whether it is blocked, picked out of the net or gone into the stands.
KEY BATTLES
==========
Nedved Vs. Gattuso
Emerson Vs. Shevchenko
Blasi Vs. Kaka
Zlatan Vs. Nesta
Crespo Vs. Cannavaro
Del Piero Vs. Maldini
KEY MEN
=======
Emerson
--------
I personally think that it will come down to how good a game Emerson has. Capello is thinking of cutting the supply to Shevchenko. If and when that happens Shevchenko will fall back to help out the midfield and then he will come face to face with Emerson and it will all be down to how Emerson handles The Stealth Bomber. Shev spurred on by his Golden Ball award will also be extra motivated to end the first part of the season on a high thus being even more active than his normal self knowing that a resting period is coming up. Therefore he will be all over and Emerson will not only have the task to take care of him but also distribute for his side in their forward surge. Emerson will be more defensive in this game than usual IMO to keep things tight.
Shevchenko
------------
The Stealth Bomber is the one to look forward to. I look forward to his beautiful and joyous leap of celebrations nowadays. They are great camera viewing! :shades:
Prediction
Tough game for both opponents with Juve having the edge as they are stronger in the Delle Alpi in addition to the curse that Milan has to deal with. Juve is starting to stutter a bit but a break could revive them. Their concern would be to go unscathed into the break as Winter Champions which is a curse in itself as the Winter Champs go on to lose the Scudetto in the last few years! Both teams have to deal with curses and this is the time of miracles! Who will the miracle work for? I think that Santa-Claus will not disappoint anybody and make it an all square draw albeit goals in the game to complete the pleasantries.
Saying that, Santa wears red and his boots + belt are black. :devil:
And not many goals can be expected in this game. Thrills yes but many goals ... no.
A low scoring drawing is on the cards.
The Tug-of-War in Turin
Juventus FC Vs. AC Milan
Stadio Delle Alpi, Turin - ITALIA
-> Saturday (December 18, 2004)
-> Kick-off -> 19:30 (UK Time): British Eurosport (18:30 Preview)
PREVIEW
======
The Serie A calendar drawn out this season was such that the two high profile Rossoneri - Bianconeri clashes would be played at key stages in the tourney. The last game before Christmas will be the show-stopper with the top two teams in Serie A history also fighting it out for the Scudetto of 2004-5 as they are front runners and making it a straight two horse race.
Don Fabio's Raging Bull of Torino hosts Ancelotti's Fire-Breathing Devil from Milano in a clash for a mere three points at this stage as nothing is won and nothing is lost. The race is hotting up with 'La Vecchia Signora' having a blistering start to the season romping to seemingly easy wins through result-oriented football.
Ancelotti's side after a shaky start is still within touching distance and making a match of it. Both sides have done their job done on the European front and can now look forward to a break from that competition till February while this game will also signal the arrival of the Winter Break giving some much needed rest to the players.
The devil has to exorcize its demons and get rid of the curse of the last game prior to the Winter Break. Milan doesn't have a good record in this game at all and the opponent being Juve doesn't make it any easier. Add to that there will be 60,000+ fans for once in this stadium and it becomes a true home game for the Bianconeri.
The pulling power of Milan at work. We sold out the Camp Nou twice and it will be 5 times more crowded in the Delle Alpi than normal! :eekani:Saturday night promises to be a cracker. The Big games in the Serie A between the Seven Sisters usually do hold up their high standard and prove to be real entertainers. This one is no different and could well be one for the ages!
J U V E N T U S
Juventus comes from the latin name which means 'youth' signifying the students who formed the club in 1897. In the Summer Juve didn't go for youth to replace their legendary coach Marcello Lippi who incidentally is the smartest dressed coach I have seen. Armani suits and Gucci shoes suit him.
Back to topic and Juve made the transfer of the season by bringing in the world's best coach in the shape of Don Fabio Capello. A surprise to many as former Juve player and young coach Didier Deschamps was widely touted to take over at Juve.
Capello with him brought the experience of Emerson who he has previously described as the world's best midfielder in addition to advising Cassano to look up to due to his humility. He is undoubtedly Capello's favourite son as Panucci is a thing of the past now.
Enzo Maresca and Fabrizio Miccoli were gone as a result of this. Eyebrows raised but Capello is a man who knows what he is doing and he turned the club around from a mess towards the end of last season to Serie A leaders come December!
Juve has looked solid upto this point getting the job done. Their shambolic defence of last year led by the Paolo "Red Card Butcher" Montero and super sub Mark "The Shaolin Drop-Kick King" Juliano was useless. Capello bringing in his trademark organisation has transformed it into a stable unit with Inter's present to Juve in the shape of Italian captain Cannavaro being an integral part in the side.
The midfield is working fine due to Emerson and Blasi holding it together while Camoranesi even with his witch-craft hairstyle is playing well again. Nedved needs no mention. He is the engine that thrusts the Juve machine forward.
In the offence Juve has been doing very well considering their top striker Trezeguet has hardly contributed in the campaign so far. New signing Zlatan who has been hailed as the new Van Basten is so far away from Marco that Mercury and Pluto look closer. I don't rate him highly as yet and hold by my statement that he cannot create for himself. He does practice a lot of tricks during matches but in hindsight you do have to look at the end product of all that jazz.
Every time his name is mentioned in the Serie A previews (as there are a bucket load of Juve games being shown here so far), the same TWO goals of his are shown which happened an eternity ago and were nothing special at all. He has skills for trickery but has that been enough. I think not. Trez is a more dangerous proposition as he can do stuff when called upon.
M I L A N
Milan after the stop start campaign was running smoothly until the debacle in Barcelona took place and derailed us for some time as expected. Ancelotti regained control of the ship and reverted to his tried and tested formula of the 4-3-2-1 formation which has been very successful for us. In fact Juve is one of three sides to defeat Milan in the last 2.5 seasons when Milan played that formation.
The main thing was to get back on track with a bang. The formation helped revive the goal-scoring prowess of the team and now even the 4-3-1-2 will work. When things go pear-shaped is the time to get back to the drawing board and bring back the magic formation for this particular Milan side that has the right players to play it.
Defensively the team is not water-tight which in a way is good as a water-tight defence does tend to sway the players' attentions and giving them notions of the defence saving them if all else fails. At least that is not happening now because the midfield and offence is connecting and finishing well.
Crespo's revival is on the cards with his goal-scoring touch returning as he is scoring more frequently and promising to be the goal-machine that he once was. He is not there yet but glimpses are there. Earlier on in the season his confidence was low when he missed a chance in the Milan Derby and jumped over the keeper not going for the ball. In the Fiorentina game he chipped the on rushing goalie which resulted in the Chiellini own goal. Small observation but the confidence is there now.
..... and the 2004 Ballon d'Or winner is The Real Deal Extraordinaire.
Probable Starting Line-Up(s)
=====================
-------------------
---> Juventus <---
-------------------
--->>> 4-4-2
-----------------------Buffon -------------------------
--
--Zebina-------Thuram-------Cannavaro---Zambrotta--
--
--------------Emerson----------Blasi-------------------
-Camoranesi-----------------------------Nedved-------
--
------------------Del Piero-----------------------------
------------------------------Zlatan-------------------
1. The world's best goalkeeper between the sticks and a mean defence to break down. Juve is very strong in this area and not easy to score past this team. Capello's sides usually don't lose by big margins and keep it disciplined at the back. Capello has some of the world's best at his disposal to keep things on check at the back. Difficult task for the opposing strikers.
2. Emerson to my recollection has not had a commanding midfield performance when he has played against Milan. This is the first time Emerson is going to turn up in a Juve jersey to play Milan and I am very interested to know how he performs in this new team whose style is different to that of Roma. Will he raise his game and put in a performance or will status-quo vs. Milan continue?
3. Zlatan faces up to Nesta once again. His reverse kick knocked out Crap's Italian NT from the Euro. This is Ancelotti's Milan.
4. Del Piero should be starting this game after an injury lay-off. He recently commented that he wants to win the Ballon d'Or to which Filippo Ricci (Gazzetta Dello Sport) said that he has to score those kind of chances (referring to the left foot shot he hit on the side netting) before thinking of winning the Ballon d'Or.
---------------
---> Milan <---
---------------
--->>> 4-3-1-2
--------------------Dida---------------------
--
--Cafu-------Nesta------Maldini-----Kaladze--
--
-------------------Pirlo----------------------
-----Gattuso-----------------Seedorf--------
--
-------------------Kaka---------------------
--
-----------Crespo------Shevchenko---------
1. The defence kept a clean sheet against a lacklustre Fiorentina that got steam-rolled by the Milan juggernaut. Juve is a sister but a whole different ball game and different cup of tea. Keeping a clean sheet in Turin happens rarely. Milan has won the last two Scudetti when defeating the Turin giants in their own backyard. In a way this game is an indicator of things to come.
2. The midfield is working fine for now and looking good. The strength lies in the unit. The timing of the game is such that almost the whole Milan squad has minutes under their belt. The workaholic Juve midfield will be a handful for the Milan side that needs to keep possession or a visit to the slaughter house could well take place.
3. The Great Gerd Müller was nicknamed "Der Bomber" for his prolific goal-scoring acts which were astonishingly consistent giving the great Swede Gunnar Nordahl a run for his money. There is a striker who comes along from time to time who becomes reference standard. We should be proud that the Reference Standard striker in world football today is none other than our very own "Stealth Bomber" . Complete in every aspect and no weakness in his game. No weakness in skills, attitude, mental toughness. He is all game!
roud:4. Kaka is on the road to recovery now. The jolt he received this season would make him a better player as in 1.5 seasons he has seen the good and the bad form and it is his task to use this experience to remember himself, keep his feet on the ground and not become a pariah. Now a 30 m thunderbolt please. :devil:
Tactics
======
--------------------------------
--- Capello [J U V E N T U S] ---
--------------------------------
Capello's current concern is his side's lack of hunger and determination. Juve has a wormanlike approach to their games where there is a stress on efficiency, hard-word and running all over the pitch. The goals are not coming by the dozen but the fort is being guarded well. Milan will be a stern test for Juve and vice-versa. Juve still does has the knack for scoring winners somehow.
His main worry will be to try and prevent Shevchenko from becoming a key man in the game. Shevchenko has been a major pain in the a$$ for Juve spoiling it on numerous occasions. And this is a Shevchenko who is IN THE ZONE. The King of Predators is coming to Torino! :devil:
Memories of the goal in the San Siro when he went past 3 defenders who were within touching distance of each other and then beat Buffon from the edge of the box is a goal that is of the highest quality. Words are not enough for that scorcher. :thmbup:
Shevchenko is the fly in the ointment for Juve. They will not worry too much about others as they will about him making Emerson a key man in the game.
---------------------------
--- Ancelotti [M I L A N] ---
---------------------------
The Juve symbol and main goalscoring threat is Zlatan. Not! I thought so as well.
He's Nedved and he is the world's best long range shooter of the ball with immaculate control and accuracy of his thunderbolts. Gattuso's task is as always to try and neutralize this big threat but it won't be easy as Nedved too is IN THE ZONE. He will be a handful for the Milan midfield who must not let him roam free and giving him space for the shot is not a smart thing to do at all. He will punish Milan at the first chance he gets if given the space. Ancelotti has to instruct the team to make sure that Nedved doesn't get space for the shot. Nedved being the player that he is will make at least two decent chances for the shot in the match IMO. It remains to be seen whether it is blocked, picked out of the net or gone into the stands.KEY BATTLES
==========
Nedved Vs. Gattuso
Emerson Vs. Shevchenko
Blasi Vs. Kaka
Zlatan Vs. Nesta
Crespo Vs. Cannavaro
Del Piero Vs. Maldini
KEY MEN
=======
Emerson
--------
I personally think that it will come down to how good a game Emerson has. Capello is thinking of cutting the supply to Shevchenko. If and when that happens Shevchenko will fall back to help out the midfield and then he will come face to face with Emerson and it will all be down to how Emerson handles The Stealth Bomber. Shev spurred on by his Golden Ball award will also be extra motivated to end the first part of the season on a high thus being even more active than his normal self knowing that a resting period is coming up. Therefore he will be all over and Emerson will not only have the task to take care of him but also distribute for his side in their forward surge. Emerson will be more defensive in this game than usual IMO to keep things tight.
Shevchenko
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The Stealth Bomber is the one to look forward to. I look forward to his beautiful and joyous leap of celebrations nowadays. They are great camera viewing! :shades:
Prediction
Tough game for both opponents with Juve having the edge as they are stronger in the Delle Alpi in addition to the curse that Milan has to deal with. Juve is starting to stutter a bit but a break could revive them. Their concern would be to go unscathed into the break as Winter Champions which is a curse in itself as the Winter Champs go on to lose the Scudetto in the last few years! Both teams have to deal with curses and this is the time of miracles!
Who will the miracle work for? I think that Santa-Claus will not disappoint anybody and make it an all square draw albeit goals in the game to complete the pleasantries. Saying that, Santa wears red and his boots + belt are black. :devil:
And not many goals can be expected in this game. Thrills yes but many goals ... no.
A low scoring drawing is on the cards.
For those of you who haven't seen the highlights of the Milan - Viola game: mms://a139.v98115.c9811.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/139/9811/v0001/media2.acmilan.com/200412/721_bb.wmv
Look at how the players give each others balls, we have Zlatan, Camo and many times DP do not like to give the ball ... we also lack the first touch they have
Look at how the players give each others balls, we have Zlatan, Camo and many times DP do not like to give the ball ... we also lack the first touch they have