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Calcio Debate: It's Too Late Now For Milan To Become Club 18-30
Silvio Berlusconi is demanding that Milan sign no more players over the age of 30, a policy Carlo Garganese believes has been implemented at least two years too late…
| Bet: | Returns: | Udinese £25.50 | Draw £31.50 | Milan £27.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Udinese £25.00 | Draw £32.00 | Milan £28.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Udinese £25.00 | Draw £31.00 | Milan £28.75 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Udinese £25.00 | Draw £32.00 | Milan £28.80 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Udinese £24.00 | Draw £31.00 | Milan £27.50 |
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Jul 29, 2009 2:30:33 PM
Let’s not pull any punches here – things are looking really bleak for Milan as they head into the 2009-10 season. The Rossoneri lost all three of their World Challenge matches to Club America, Chelsea and Inter, having previously drawn 2-2 with Los Angeles Galaxy. Their only win of the summer so far was against little Varese.
While Milan have by no means been a disaster in any of the above tests, it has nevertheless been painfully obvious that the club are going to have a disappointing season unless they can sign at least two or three top class players – one in each outfield department. With the club’s financial problems all too public, this seems highly unlikely. So far this summer, only United States centre-back Oguchi Onyewu, Treviso teenager Gianmarco Zigoni, and loan returnees Ignazio Abate, Massimo Oddo and Davide Gennaro have arrived at the club – players who are unlikely to make too much difference this season.
Milan are stuck with a squad of whom 15 are over the age of 30, eight or nine of these being first-team starters. If the Diavoli were battling on just one front, this would be enough to worry a Milanista, but the thought of a bunch of 30-year-olds juggling Serie A and Champions League football twice-a-week for a hypothetical 50 games a season (plus Coppa Italia) is the stuff of nightmares.
Yesterday, owner Silvio Berlusconi reportedly stated that from now on, “We will be counting on players who are under 23. We will no longer buy players who are over 30.”
First of all, there is no definitive proof as yet that Berlusconi actually uttered these words. The quotes were neither from an interview nor a press conference, and they only were released into the media after Silvio was talking to two of his sycophants and an eavesdropper apparently heard what they were saying.
Assuming that Berlusconi does indeed want to revamp the squad - although it is a welcome development – this change in direction has arrived far too late. It has been clear since 2005 that Milan have needed freshening up, yet with the exception of Alexandre Pato, Mathieu Flamini (barely given a chance), Yoann Gourcuff (who was ditched) Thiago Silva and Marco Borriello (always injured and still unproven), the only players who have joined have been ageing former stars like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Emerson and Gianluca Zambrotta.
While the old guard reached a Champions League semi-final in 2006, and then produced one legendary last hurrah the following year to win the big-eared cup, during this time Milan made no preparations for the after-life. Who were going to replace superstars Nesta, Maldini, Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf and Inzaghi once they got old?
While there was no reason to ditch these players, Milan should have begun a gradual evolution by signing two or three promising youngsters each summer who could learn their trade and eventually replace the veterans. Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani had no interest in pursuing such a policy, and continued to pompously insist that these old players were unbreakable and that there was no substitute for experience.
Carlo Ancelotti's Milan have been the stand-out team of the noughties, but the brilliance of the aforementioned players could only last so long, and now the club find themselves in a situation where they only have a few young players ready to start the new cycle. With seemingly no funds available to revolutionise the squad, it remains to be seen which under-23 players will be arriving.
This all could have been prevented if, from around 2005 right up until last summer, Milan had made some long-term plans. Tonight the Rossoneri tackle Bayern Munich in their latest pre-season friendly – another defeat and it is crisis time.
What are your views on this topic? Are Milan’s current problems a result of poor long-term planning? How will the Rossoneri fare this season? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think…
Carlo Garganese, Goal.com
While Milan have by no means been a disaster in any of the above tests, it has nevertheless been painfully obvious that the club are going to have a disappointing season unless they can sign at least two or three top class players – one in each outfield department. With the club’s financial problems all too public, this seems highly unlikely. So far this summer, only United States centre-back Oguchi Onyewu, Treviso teenager Gianmarco Zigoni, and loan returnees Ignazio Abate, Massimo Oddo and Davide Gennaro have arrived at the club – players who are unlikely to make too much difference this season.
Milan are stuck with a squad of whom 15 are over the age of 30, eight or nine of these being first-team starters. If the Diavoli were battling on just one front, this would be enough to worry a Milanista, but the thought of a bunch of 30-year-olds juggling Serie A and Champions League football twice-a-week for a hypothetical 50 games a season (plus Coppa Italia) is the stuff of nightmares.
Yesterday, owner Silvio Berlusconi reportedly stated that from now on, “We will be counting on players who are under 23. We will no longer buy players who are over 30.”
First of all, there is no definitive proof as yet that Berlusconi actually uttered these words. The quotes were neither from an interview nor a press conference, and they only were released into the media after Silvio was talking to two of his sycophants and an eavesdropper apparently heard what they were saying.
Assuming that Berlusconi does indeed want to revamp the squad - although it is a welcome development – this change in direction has arrived far too late. It has been clear since 2005 that Milan have needed freshening up, yet with the exception of Alexandre Pato, Mathieu Flamini (barely given a chance), Yoann Gourcuff (who was ditched) Thiago Silva and Marco Borriello (always injured and still unproven), the only players who have joined have been ageing former stars like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Emerson and Gianluca Zambrotta.
While the old guard reached a Champions League semi-final in 2006, and then produced one legendary last hurrah the following year to win the big-eared cup, during this time Milan made no preparations for the after-life. Who were going to replace superstars Nesta, Maldini, Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf and Inzaghi once they got old?
While there was no reason to ditch these players, Milan should have begun a gradual evolution by signing two or three promising youngsters each summer who could learn their trade and eventually replace the veterans. Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani had no interest in pursuing such a policy, and continued to pompously insist that these old players were unbreakable and that there was no substitute for experience.
Carlo Ancelotti's Milan have been the stand-out team of the noughties, but the brilliance of the aforementioned players could only last so long, and now the club find themselves in a situation where they only have a few young players ready to start the new cycle. With seemingly no funds available to revolutionise the squad, it remains to be seen which under-23 players will be arriving.
This all could have been prevented if, from around 2005 right up until last summer, Milan had made some long-term plans. Tonight the Rossoneri tackle Bayern Munich in their latest pre-season friendly – another defeat and it is crisis time.
What are your views on this topic? Are Milan’s current problems a result of poor long-term planning? How will the Rossoneri fare this season? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think…
Carlo Garganese, Goal.com
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