Beckham deal confirmed

It has been confirmed, Beckham will arrive in January. My previous post on the return of Becks may have suggested that it was a done deal and that is what I thought. But, only a couple of days ago did Galliani come out and confirm the deal. Read my previous post on the return of Beckham which I believe is a great move by Galliani to lure the Englishman back for a second stint. With the World Cup looming, Beckham more than ever will be motivated to again show his worth for the Rossoneri. I am geninuely excited by this move, however, the declaration by Galliani that this would be the only move that Milan make in January has somewhat dampened my excitement.

We need another full back and a striker to replace Huntelaar to help ensure that we make the top four at least and that we have the depth to also contend in the latter stages of the UCL. I do hope that Galliani is only saying this as a result of a change in transfer market tactics. Before the season started I was rile about Galliani and his transfer tactics, as the club was constantly linked to a host of players but failed to deliver well on most. So maybe Galliani is trying to avert such an occurence and employ a more discreet and hopefully more effective approach in making moves in the transfer market.

And just before I preview the Napoli match, it has come out why and how Storari got injured and it is, well, amusing to say the least. Following a training session before the Roma clash, Storari attempted a Higuita style Scorpion kick that did not work out well and the Italian injured his tendon in the process. On second thoughts, it is rather unfortunate if not plain silly for Storari who was enjoying a good run of form in the starting eleven but instead his injury will keep him out for some time. Those of who are not aware of the scorpion kick I refer to then watch the video below.

Match Preview

Not too bad, three wins in the space of a week. First it was Roma, then the mighty Real Madrid and two days ago it was Chievo. All three wins were vital and Milan now find themselves on course to qualify for the knockout phase of the Champions League and within touching distance of the top four. So while we have enjoyed a something of a renaissance this week, let us be mindful that there is still a long way to go and many difficult challenges are ahead and one of these challenges is tomorrow night.

Milan will play Napoli tomorrow at the Sao Paolo in what will be tricky task for the side. Though Napoli started slow this season, their form has seen them pick up a string of wins under new boss Walter Mazzari. Much like Milan, Napoli are a team that are just getting their season back on track with ambitions of qualifying for the UCL.

Scarily enough, Milan have not beaten Napoli in this fixture since 1998 though Napoli did spend six years of this decade in the wilderness of lower division calcio. But not a comforting statistic nonetheless, but perhaps it may be about time that Milan reverse the trend.

Like Milan, Napoli play with a three-pronged attack with Lavezzi deployed on either the right or left hand side. With our full backs being our achilles heel this season, I am somewhat concerned in regard to the ability of our full backs to curtail the danger that Napoli’s attacking trident will pose whether it be the threat of Lavezzi, Maggio or Hamsik. Honestly, I do not have much faith at all and I believe that against a side like Napoli and with the quality of their players, Milan may just suffer as a result. This is a real problem that Leo must consider heading into the match.

Though we have netted seven goals in the last three matches, in Serie A scoring for Milan is a real problem with one of the worst goal scoring records so far. Eight goals in nine matches really shows there is a problem. I touch on this issue more in the preview to the Chievo game but I will say again I do not believe Marco to be the solution. He has not scored in over a year and while he has spent much time out injured, I just do not believe that his goal scoring record is good enough. One good season at Genoa does not justify his inclusion in a side like Milan and should only be considered a back up. However, there are not many other options. Huntelaar has failed to settle while Inzaghi is 36 years old so we cannot really expect too much from him.

Team news

Injuries are starting to pile up for Milan. Marek Jankulovski and Ignazio Abate are out as is Marco Storari, Oguchi Onyewu, Daniele Bonera and Davide Di Gennaro who are all suffering from long term injuries.

Expected lineup

(4-3-3): Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta; Flamini, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Pato, Inzaghi, Ronaldinho.

acmilanblog.net prediction

It is a difficult task for Milan. The last three wins have relied on the team putting in extra effort to win after having to come back from behind in all three matches. I fear the side may start tire and with this match being Milan’s fourth in the space of 14 days, it may be a task beyond our boys. As ever, I do believe that we can continue to win, however, I do believe that unless something special happens again, Napoli may get the better of us. But lets hope not.

Always a Rossoneri, in good and bad times