Well, Milan made it through but boy did they have to work hard for it. Eventually a Kaka cracker in extra time was all that separated the sides as they knocked Celtic out of the competition. In truth, the Rossoneri were clearly the better side over the two legs but the Hoops remained in with a shout throughout.
I felt Carlo Ancelotti was a bit overcautious fielding Ambrosini and Gattuso. It resulted in a team which had a lot of the ball but let itself down with the final pass over and over again. I also find both Inzaghi and Gilardino frustrating in their propensity to spend time on the ground. Great strikers both but they need to invest in better studs. Kaka needs to find his shooting boots while Pirlo is not as influential at the moment as he can be. The defence was not harshly tested but I am quite liking the arrival of Bonera which rejuvenates the back line considerably and Oddo has settled in well.
From a Celtic point of view there is no doubt that there is the spine of a team there which can make a regular impact in Europe. Most pressing priority, to my mind, is to find a replacement for Neil Lennon for games against the top teams. If they could find somebody like Milan's Brocchi it would give them the extra pace and energy needed for such matches and also provide a better platform for Nakamura and McGeady. The young centre-backs looked very good but could definitely benefit from having a real top class experienced player to learn from (not sure Pressley fits that bill).
Finally, a bit more strength in depth in the striking department is obviously needed since the "drop off" from Hesselink to Beattie is enormous in European terms. Oh, and make sure they keep a hold of Boruc - that man is brilliant.
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8 comments:
As you say the best team won in the end, but after last years "results" against Armedia I never thought I would be watching us push Milan to extra time in their own back yard.
And if anyone want Artur they can start at £10 million ....... and work their way up !
Ginkers
Thanks for the kind words on Celtic. We certainly gave Milan a hell of a game.
Agree with your assessment on our striking problems. Zurawski has disappeared off the radar and Miller and Beattie are no more than handy squad players. A partner for JVoH is a must in the summer.
As for our goalie we dont call him King Artur for nothing. An outstanding talent.
Bhoys, my only reservation about Celtic's displays over the two legs was whether there was a plan B for if they went a goal behind. Having said that, I'll never know the answer to that.
And the Maldini handball should have been a penalty but I don't think the Naka one was.
Artur will be hot property during the summer. Arsenal will be looking for a new keeper. As will Hearts :o) , as will...
You'll be fighting them off with a shitty stick :0)
Ginkers :
A request.
As an avid radio listener I'm thinking of investing in one of those new fangled web radio things (being a ludite I don't even have a PC in the house). Would you be able to point me to Italy's premier radio station for sports coverage (that ideally does web casts aswell) and a the nearest thing to a Radio-4 equivalent ?
It's an unusual request I know. All advice gratefully received.
Giancarlo,
hmm you sound like a Celtic fan.
I just read your article in the latest Calcio Italia, and I swear I could have written the exact same article substituting all references to Scotland with Australia. It was very close to home. I saw the Italy-Aust match in Germany last year, in the middle of the Aussie crowd and had to pretend to be disappointed when inside I was dancing a jig!
FORZA ITALIA!
Simon from Perth, Australia
Simon
I confess to my sporting soft spot for the Celts, you really can't grow up an Italian in Scotland without leaning that way. I reckon Italy fans around the world have experienced similar things to me growing up.
Trentino
I know that Rai Radio Uno does Tutto Il Calcio Minuto per Minuto to keep up with results on a Sunday afternoon. I think there is also Radio Centro Suono Sport and the bigger clubs used to have their own channels too.
I'm not sure about the Radio 4 equivalent maybe one of my Italy based readers might post something on that!
...cheers buddy, I'll check them out :0)
I felt whilst Milan were dissapointing they were obviously the better team. Im afraid effort alone is not enough-did Dida have a save to make?Maldini penalty was DEFO ball to hand and not hand to ball!
Killie for the cup!!
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