Newsgroup: it.sport.calcio.milan
Titolo: [The Guardian] - This Milan team is finished

This Milan team is finished
Silvio Berlusconi insists the Rossoneri can pull their season round, but 
after their third straight home defeat, no one in Italy believes him
James Richardson
Tuesday November 14, 2006
Guardian Unlimited
To look at him, you wouldn't figure that Silvio Berlusconi was an expert 
when it comes to keeping your hair on. Still, among the wails of dismay that 
followed Milan's historic defeat on Saturday against Roma, it was Silvio and 
Silvio alone who tried to keep things chipper. "You can't win 'em all", he 
jovially admonished glum hacks as he emerged from Milan's locker-room. 
"After all, even I lost an election recently! I've told the players to keep 
believing in themselves, just as we believe in them. We'll be back."
Article continues
Touching stuff but, not for the first time, some may find it hard to share 
in the great man's convictions. After all, in Saturday's game Roma had 
patently banged another nail into the wide-bodied coffin of the Carlo 
Ancelotti era, with Milan's proudly battling former champions left 
punchdrunk by the younger, faster visitors.
The 2-1 defeat came courtesy of a magnificent Francesco Totti brace, either 
side of an equaliser from Cristian Brocchi, and was Milan's third home loss 
in a row; the first time that this giant club has posted such a record in 40 
years. Admittedly, all three defeats have come against the leading teams in 
Italy but, coupled with their recent 2-0 loss at newly promoted Atalanta, 
they leave little further room for debate. Twenty points from first place, 
nine from the Champions League positions: domestically, this Milan team is 
finished.
There remains the question of whether Uncle Silvio can fashion another, 
better side from what little is on offer come January's transfer window, but 
don't get your hopes up. While Berlusconi has made a series of 
desperate-sounding hints about Ronaldinho and the much-missed Andriy 
Shevchenko ("he told me just yesterday he'd love to come back" offered a 
shamelessly straight-faced Silvio on Saturday), he's also admitted that the 
club have struggled to balance their books. Thus more low-key moves for 
Lazio right-back Massimo Oddo and Udinese frontman Vincenzo Iaquinta might 
be a possibility.
In the meantime the top teams are getting further away, and Roma with them. 
While Inter and Palermo won their games the next day to stay four points 
clear, it was Roma's San Siro exploits that stole all the attention - not 
surprisingly, given that this was the first time in almost 20 years that 
they'd won this fixture. Roma are now being hailed as title favourites by 
many of the same sections of the press that declared them 'in crisis' a few 
weeks back when they drew with Chievo and Ascoli.
Two things have happened at Roma since those dark days: the wild-eyed 
Brazilian wingman Amantino Mancini has returned, and so has the real 
Francesco Totti. The difference these two made on Saturday was evident. 
While Mancini restored the side's rather un-Italian width, Totti took care 
of the history-making up front.
The scoring began just seven minutes in. Alessandro Nesta, who these days is 
showing all the touch in defence of a young Donald Rumsfeld, hoisted an 
incoming ball blindly back over his shoulder into the Milan area and, while 
Nesta's team-mates froze in confusion, Rodrigo Taddei chipped the loose ball 
towards Totti, who spun and volleyed into the top corner.
One-nil up, Roma now looked in a state of grace, with their midfielders 
buzzing and twinkling past their hapless opponents in a dazzling display of 
one-touch football. But, as the game wore on, Milan's confidence grew. Their 
own midfield stars began to essay a few shots from range and, after both 
Clarence Seedorf and Ricardo Oliveira had struck the woodwork, Brocchi then 
found the equaliser 11 minutes into the second half with a blast from 
outside the area.
Roma in turn began to rain shots in on the Milan goal and, seven minutes 
from time, the pressure paid off in style. First the substitute Alberto 
Aquilani pulled off a rabona - crossing his right leg behind his left to 
strike the ball - to surprise Milan's rearguard with an inch-perfect pass 
wide to Mancini, and his cross back in was thumped past Dida by the head of 
the flying Totti.
Afterwards - having sucked his thumb in celebration - Roma's captain chose 
to quietly downplay the significance of the win. "You bet I believe in the 
title! We can beat anyone!" he oh-go-on-thened. His enthusiasm is 
understandable; when Roma play as they did on Saturday it is hard to pick 
any team above them.
They also have arguably the best blend of players of any of the leading 
sides. Against Inter's been-there-done-that ennui and the relative 
inexperience of Palermo's provincial pool, Roma blend born-and-bred local 
boys - Totti, Daniele De Rossi, Aquilani and Aleandro Rosi - with foreigners 
who've yet to have their hunger dented by actually winning anything.
On Saturday it worked a treat, as it had in the previous week's 3-1 thumping 
of Fiorentina. Still, you can't help remembering that, when the Champions 
League rolls around, Roma often stop their world-beating and start drawing 
with the likes of Ascoli. This could hand their rivals a sizeable advantage 
for, unlike the giallorossi, Inter have the depth to cope with the 
continent's demands, and Palermo only have the Uefa Cup to worry about.
Since Palermo host Inter in under two weeks, let's save any further 
conjecture on their chances until then. In the meantime, with Ascoli's 
Attilio Tesser becoming Serie A's third coaching casualty of the season 
after seven defeats in 11 games (an improvement on last season, when he 
lasted just one game at Cagliari) - and with Udinese's Giovanni Galeone set 
to be the next to go for conceding five goals at Lazio - week 12 brings a 
curious mix of matches, the probable highlight of which is Roma's Sunday 
afternoon clash with Catania
Catania, you say? The Sicilian side that's returned to Serie A after 24 
years of debt and disaster, that likes to play with at least four up front 
and that, despite the second-worst defensive record in Italy, is currently 
out of the Champions League places only on goal difference? That Catania? 
Curiously enough, yes.
Southern Italy's least-conventional side should provide an interesting test 
of Roma's title mettle this Sunday, in a game I'll have the increasingly 
rare pleasure on hosting live on Bravo. If you see only one more live game 
this year, it's probably this one, but otherwise you can catch the usual 
round up back here in a week. See you then.
Results: Ascoli 0-1 Empoli, Catania 3-2 Livorno, Fiorentina 3-1 Atalanta, 
Lazio 5-0 Udinese, Messina 2-2 Cagliari, Milan 1-2 Roma, Palermo 3-0 Torino, 
Parma 1-2 Internazionale, Sampdoria 3-0 Chievo, Siena 0-1 Reggina. 

 Guardian Unlimited
Comunisti!

 showing all the touch in defence of a young Donald Rumsfeld
 :(

> showing all the touch in defence of a young Donald Rumsfeld
Due volte comunisti !!! 


LOL

 Comunisti!
e` vero lo sono, ma e` il miglior giornale inglese. Ultimamente decisamente 
meglio del Times, non foss'altro perche` parlano un sacco dell'Italia, della 
nostra storia dell'arte, cinema, calcio, cibo, viaggi. Degli intenditori;)
Carolina72 

 after their third straight home defeat, no one in Italy believes him
questi basta che spalano merda su Berlusconi...
-- 
2:335/232.33

 Degli intenditori;)
ti piacciono i giornali comunisti, i sindaci comunisti,
hai il padre comunista, rimpiangi la fossa,
basta che mandi affanculo
la Fallaci e sei pronta per fare outing 


non ti preoccupare...
tanto poi c'è sempre poi uno pronto che arriva in suo soccorso, a baciargli
il culo :-)

 la Fallaci e sei pronta per fare outing
No apprezzo l'eccellenza, il Guardian, Livingstone e la Fallaci lo sono. Del 
colore politico me ne frego.
Riguardo la Fossa: era il vero Milan, il vero essere milanisti a prescindere 
dal colore politico. Ed io la rimpiangero` sempre.
;)
Carolina72 

 la Fallaci e sei pronta per fare outing
la Fallaci fa ancora trottare un sacco di gente anche da morta
(non mi riferisco a te)
--------------------------------
Inviato via 
http://arianna.libero.it/usenet/

 la Fallaci fa ancora trottare un sacco di gente anche da morta
io di lei me ne sbatto altamente
mi sembrava solo una povera vecchia impaurita


Non esistevo ancora in ISCM quando si sciolse la Fossa.
Non mi piace mischiare tifo e politica (estrema, visto che non esistono
curve mastelliane)
Ai tempi di Zaccheroni la curva sud veniva giudicata un covo di comunisti.
Ora sembra che la curva sud stia svoltando a destra.
Sono completamente ignorante circa questa questione. Mi puoi illuminare,
carolina?
Grazie


 carolina?
io l'ho sempre ritenuta apolitica, se googleggi trovi i post del periodo
molti attaccandola o difendendola l'hanno strumentalizzata per propri fini 
ideologici.
Chi ne faceva parte erano milanisti, l'unica cosa che importava.
Carolina72 


quoto
In generale, con l'avanzare dell'età e vedeno la morte avvicinarsi, molti
trovano *comodo* cambiare idee e rinnegare quelle per cui si sono battuti
anni prima.
E', appunto, una pratica molto *comoda* per salvarsi, metaforicamente e non,
l'anima.
In realtà, quando prendi degli impegni morali con i  tuoi lettori e con chi
ti ha amato ed apprezzato per le tue idee, dubito che tu abbia il diritto di
rinnegarle non appena senti che ti fa male il culetto!
Quando diventi famoso per le tue idee, insomma, esse diventano un po' anche
di chi ti ha letto ed apprezzato! Non puoi disporne come credi.

 domestically, this Milan team is finished.
Mi pare che il ragionamento non faccia una grinza. O forse c'e' qualche 
folle che crede nello scudetto ?
plutone 

 plutone
scusa ma plutone sei tu, o e` quello che crede nello scudetto?
Carolina72 

 dal colore politico. Ed io la rimpiangero` sempre.
Di sicuro la Fossa ante estate 2005......quella successiva ti assicuro
aveva perso di ogni logica!

 aveva perso di ogni logica!
Probabile, ma io vivevo gia` a Londra. Per 2 o 3 volte l'anno che ci venivo 
non ho trovato differenze, a parte gli amici invecchiati, ingrassati e 
sempre piu` stempiati
Carolina72