Massimiliano Allegri has certainly made some terrible tactical blunders. Will he be stubborn just like his predecessors or learn it the hard way? Whatever it might be, the fans had very high expectations from the Rossoneri and are furious over some of Allegri’s decesions. Here’s a letter that was addressed to him from a Milan fan and he wants to explain “What not to do in AC Milan”
Dear Massimiliano Allegri,
Congratulations for your new assignment with AC Milan. You must be ecstatic right now but have you realized that you are managing one of the world’s biggest clubs? What’s with all the insane experiments?
I know that Galliani is putting pressure on you to play Seedorf but do you need to be Isaac Newton to figure out that he can’t run anymore. Where do I find an apple that falls on your head to make you realize that Zee cannot start in any Serie A game? It’s completely understandable that Milan needs Pirlo but then you can’t start two defensive midfielders in Rino and Ambro to partner him in the midfield. Playing this trio together will be a crime. Gattuso has suddenly realized that he has the creativity to create magical balls and hence he keeps on moving forward. He tries useless passes and eventually loses the ball. Then he can’t move back as he is no more the Rhino that he used to be. So kindly refrain from playing him. You have a good box to box midfielder in Prince Boateng and he has to start with Pirlo every time. Please don’t play them with Ambrosini unless Flamini is injured. Flamini has to start every game just for the effort that he puts in every game. Another combination that should be avoided is Pirlo and Seedorf together. Did it ever occur to you that even pedestrian attacks are penetrating through the midfield without any trouble?
This is the way the midfield should ideally look like:
Boateng – Pirlo – Flamini
Our central defence looks settled but you have not done anything special as Sandro and Thiaginho are doing what they are supposed to do. Nesta cannot start every game so you need to ensure that he is rested at the right time. If you think that I need to tell you to develop a backup in Yepes or Sokratis then maybe this is not the right job for you. We did not sign any world class full backs this season which is not your fault but then playing Bonera as Right Back was a crazy idea. He should be your third choice backup for Nesta if everyone gets injured. You make me furious when you substitute Abate for Bonera even when Zambrotta is fully fit. Did you learn this from Leo? Apart from running, a Full Back also needs to send useful crosses and track back when needed. Abate does none of this.
The Back four should look like this:
Zambro – Sandro/Yepes – Thiago – Antonini
Are you happy with the new signings? Why haven’t you figured out a decent formation till now? What does it take to realize that Ibrahimovic cannot play on the right wing? He drops too deep. He does hold the ball well and can create a lot of chances for the likes of Pato and Robinho but you are clearly not utilizing his full potential. I’ll get back to you with a formation that can help.With Pato injured, what makes you think that you can start Pippo! Please try to understand that the guy is 37 and has already done enough for Milan. At the best he should be a substitute when the opposition is tired. When you talk about Ronaldinho , you go out in the press and declare that the guy will never be used as a “Trequartista”? Is that a joke? Can’t you see that whenever he is on the left side, he is been marked by 2 opposition players? This makes life difficult for Dinho as you don’t even have a decent full back or a side mid who can take one of the markers off R80 to allow him some freedom. Against Lazio, when Pato was not fit, we expected to see Robinho in the forward line with Ibra and Dinho but you started with Boateng as a forward and Rino in his place. What a joke of an experiment that was? You started Rino with two old hags namely Pirlo and Seedorf when you had Flamini fully fit. When the match was almost over, you realized that you we had signed Robinho and you expected him to win the match for you in 4 mins? Are you kidding me?
Coming back to Ibrahmovic, I know Galliani will ask you to play Ibra as a CF now but don’t listen to him. He has given you all these attacking players because he wants you to play a 4-3-3. But with the current crop of players a 4-3-3 is not feasible. I was not that big a fan of Carlo’s Christmas tree formation but I would love to see the tree now. Keep Pato as a primary ST with Dinho and Ibra behind him. After all, Ibra is no longer the same player after his days at Barca. He drops too much ans sometimes it feels like there is no striker on the field. He can create a lot of space for the likes of Pato and Robinho. Let him and R80 play in a free role so that they can keep feeding balls to Pato
This is how the forward line should look like:
Ibra – Dinho
Pato/Robinho
Don’t be stuck up like Carlo Ancelotti and never avoid the likes of Strasser and Merkel. Prefer them to Zee or Rino atleast against lesser teams, otherwise they will be blown like dust in the wind. Don’t go overboard with the 4-3-3 like Leo who used to play with Borriello who was a terrible finisher. We have Ibra now and please ensure to utilize his full potential.
Get back to Christmas tree, here’s the ideal line-up:
Abbiati
Zambro – Nesta – Silva – Antonini
Boateng – Pirlo – Flamini
Ibra – Dinho
Pato
Next up we face “friends” Genoa. I hope you don’t treat it as a friendly and use some of my tactically brilliant ideas to get the three points. There is one good news for you though. Even if you lose this game you can be rest assured that Galliani and co. would not fire you this season. They will stick with you until the end but I hope you understand this is not Cagliari and there is something called expectations.
All the Best.
Regards,
A Disappointed Rossonere!