Leo has to make changes

Well, it is time to realise that what we have is what we have. Leo is going to have to make do with current crop of players at his disposal.

Following the thrashing by Inter last weekend it is clear that Milan are in need of a tactical change.

Given his limited options I believe Leo should not try and pick a team that suits his system. Rather he should choose his best players and accomodate for them.

So the first thing to do would be to make sure that Huntelaar starts. Playing the ever-irrelevant Borriello instead of Huntelaar in the derby was a grave mistake and it proved costly.

Pato, as we all know, is one of our better players for sure. Akin to the Shevchenko of old, Pato is an exceptional dribbler with blistering pace. His finishing has also improved immensely as he matures as a player. However he is no target man. His style is more suited to that of a second/supporting striker. For this reason, he is the perfect partner for Huntelaar in attack, for the Dutchman is a centre forward in the traditional sense.

The partnership of Huntelaar and Pato is one of great potential. Leo needs to make sure that the players he picks in the midfield will be able to harness the potential of Huntelaar and Pato.

So to the midfield. After his woeful performance against Inter, Ronaldinho should not be considered a guaranteed first team player. It is clear that he is merely a shadow of his former self. He is slow and sluggish. As long as the team relies on his performances the team will suffer as a result. Though, as he displayed against Siena, he still has the ability to slice through defenses with his passing skills, let us remember that that was against a Siena side that is tipped to be last in Serie A.

It seems that the only position that Ronaldinho can be employed is in the whole behind the strikers. For he does not have the pace to sit on the wing to cut inside like he did at Barca. Also, we simply do not have the full backs to provide sufficient cover for R80 on the wing. But in the hole, much like against Inter, Ronaldinho may still struggle. He is too sluggish, especially against good opposition, to really influence the game from the middle. We have seen this throughout the preseason when Milan were up against good opposition in the form of Chelsea and Bayern Munich and it was ever so apparent against Inter.

For these reasons R80 should be benched against Livorno with Seedorf the replacement.

The 4-4-2 system of 1995-96

One formation that Milan could employ is a simple 4-4-2. Much like the great Milan side of 1996 with Pato playing in just behind Huntelaar. Seedorf could replace Ronaldinho in the lineup and sit on the left side of the midfield like the former Milan number 10 Savicevic once did. On the other right wing Abate could be employed with Pirlo in the middle alongside Flamini (or Gattuso when not suspended). In defence, Antonini could sit where Panucci once did with Zambrotta as left back. Then of course Thiago Silva and Nesta in central defence.

Since it is in the full back positions that Milan are having so much trouble, such a formation may help alleviate some of the problems. Using this 4-4-2, there is less of a burden on our full backs to be attacking options. With the extra cover afforded by Seedorf and Abate the defensive duties of the full backs will also be eased.

With this formation, our attacking wide players (Seedorf and Abate) will be able to provide our strikers (Pato and Huntelaar) service from the wings. With options down the flanks and up front, the central midfielders will have more options when moving the ball forward. Pirlo will be the one with the greater responsibility to initiate attacking moves whilst either Flamini or Gattuso do mainly the dirty work alongside.

With the lessening of responsibility on our full backs, Zambrotta and Antonini can concentrate on their defensive work. Such a change will benefit Zambrotta whilst Oddo could also be then considered an option as he will not be expected to attack so much.

Not to be totally discounted, once R80 shows a greater intensity in play he then can be slotted into the left side of midfield in place of Seedorf. Given the age of Seedorf and the R80 lack of fitness, a rotation policy may be applicable.

I am aware that this system that I propose may not be foolproof. Down the centre of the park, with only Pirlo and Flamini Milan may be left exposed. Perhaps Pato wil have to drop and defend when Milan lose the ball to provide cover in central midfield.

But I believe this to be one of the better options. A simple 4-4-2 may not be the most dynamic and entertaining approaches to football however it is pragmatic and is highly useful when given limited resources.