A great night for the Rossoneri

Is the Bernabeu triumph a sign of what we can expect from now on this season? Tomorrow nights clash against the Chievo will answer this question to some degree. What we do know however is that Milan will enter this clash with a new found confidence and unity that was missing in the earlier stages of the season.

Admittedly, Real Madrid did not play that well and their record against Italian teams is particularly poor. But, nothing should be taken away from a Milan side that showed true grit, determination and experience to claim three vital points in the intimidating atmosphere of the Bernabeu. It was a fantastic result and a promising display by the Rossoneri. Now, the task is to build upon this success and make ground on city rivals Inter.

Milan will start this process tomorrow night against a Chievo side that has struggled recently despite a promising start to the season. The side must still improve upon their recent performances despite winning their last two matches. For many of the players are still largely producing sub-par performances. Ronaldinho in particular has much to prove still whilst Pirlo is capable of much more. As for Zambrotta, Oddo and Ambrosini improvement may not be so tangible as these players have been showing their age for sometime now and despite marginally better displays against Real Madrid, I do suspect that we have seen the best of them. Gattuso also fits into this category.

Our full backs remain a continuing source of concern and will do so until replacements are brought in. In the meantime, Abate must be given extended runs at right back in order to complete his conversion from a midfielder to a full back.

Another real source of concern for Milan and the one that has been the cause of many of our problems is the teams’ failure to score. Six goals scored in eight league matches is an atrocious record and is a result of the dwindling form of Inzaghi and Huntelaar’s inability to settle into the side.

Pato this week has been in great form scoring critical goals against Roma and Real Madrid but the young Brazilian should not be relied upon too heavily for goals. For all his talent he is still very young and still too raw to be considered our main goal scoring threat. As for Borriello’s return from injury I strongly doubt whether this will improve the problem. Quite frankly, I do not rate Marco at all. Despite one good season for Genoa a season and a half ago, Borriello has failed to make an impact since returning to Milan last season. Not only has he not scored goals but he never really looks capable of doing so. If we are to sell Huntelaar in January, perhaps we should offload Borriello too.

It is clear that despite the recent up turn in fortunes this week, there are stil many problems that Milan face. However, like I noted earlier, there is no better way to bolster the confidence, unity and belief in the side than to win in spectacular fashion against a resurgent Real Madrid. For despite our numerous problems, there is still enough quality in this Milan side to fulfil its objectives this season and that is to qualify for the UCL next season and at least make the next round of the UCL this season.

Team news
Gennaro Gattuso, Christian Abbiati and Marco Storari are all still out injured so Dida will once again start. Daniele Bonera, Oguchi Onyewu and Davide Di Gennaro are still sidelined with their long term injuries whilst Leo Ambrosini is suspended.

Expected lineup

(4-3-3) Dida; Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta; Flamini, Pirlo, Seedorf; Pato, Borriello, Ronaldinho

acmilanblog.net prediction

Chievo were on a run of five matches unbeaten before their loss to Bari last weekend. Candidates for relegation this season and with a relatively poor record at home I will be a tough night for the Flying Donkeys. Milan on the other hand have enjoyed a splendid week and one that will have give them every reason to be confident of a win.

Chievo 0 Milan 2