Addio 2014. Benvenuto 2015

2014 was a rough year for Milan. We sacked two managers, one of whom is a club legend and the other helped bring the Rossoneri a Scudetto title in his first year managing Milan.We saw the departure of Mario Balotelli this past summer which was a sad way to cut ties with a potential long relationship together. 2014 wasn't friendly for us, at least until the latter part of the year.

Milan currently are playing well in December, with wins against Udinese and Napoli, a draw against the second best club in Italy in Roma and recently winning the Dubai FC trophy in Dubai against Real Madrid 4-2. Looking at Milan right now, 2015 could be special.

As for our account, we have come a long way over the course of 2014. We have connected with almost 2,500 followers on Twitter and have worked with Italian Football Daily and Rossoneri TV as well, which has been a real treat. In 2015, we hope that Milan can get back into the Champions League and reestablish themselves as a European giant once again.

On behalf of the A.C. Milan Brothers, we would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. We thank you for continually showing your support in what we do. To the first followers we connected with, thank you for staying with us. To those who joined us in 2014, benvenuto! May Milan achieve greatness once again and allow us, as a global Milan family, to share in the success together. Cheers to 2015 and Forza Milan!

A Niang-Muriel swap deal between Milan and Udinese?

According to multiple sources around Europe, Milan and Udinese are discussing a potential swap deal for two players perhaps looking to make a change. The 20 year old Milan forward M'Baye Niang would move to Udinese while Luis Muriel would head to the San Siro as the Rossoneri continue to try and solve the issues up top. 

Niang has been with Milan for a few years already and was considered to be a future starter with Milan upon arrival. However, the lack of minutes for Niang has given Milan fans the indication that perhaps he isn't expected to be a part of the club for much longer. There is little doubt about his ability. Niang has speed, size and raw talent that managers would love to get in their squad. Despite his lack of playing time, he still has good value for a team looking for a player to develop.

Muriel is a different story. The 23 year old Colombian international has always received praise for his ability. However, questions surrounding his weight have caused issues with his managers. In 2012,

former Udinese manager Francesco Guidolin told La Gazzetta dello Sport that "if he wants to talk with me, he should lose 5 pounds." So this isn't the first time that Muriel has been criticized for his lack of preparation and conditioning. 

Most Milan supporters would be opposed to any deal bringing Muriel to Milan given his issues. However, the Rossoneri has good history in dealing with players with question marks not including talent, with the most recent player being Adel Taarabt. Many, including myself, questioned the move for a few reasons. However, Taarabt understood that he was playing for one of the biggest clubs in Europe and he made the most of it. I'm not saying that Muriel will come here and definitely perform but its worth noting that he is only 23 and still hasn't touched his ceiling. 

Muriel has great ability and in 2012, he showcased that. The Colombian was awarded Serie A Young Footballer of the Year for 2012, sharing the honor with Stephan El Shaarawy. If I'm Adriano Galliani, I would definitely consider bringing in Muriel while he is a potential buy-low option with upside. This could be a player that shows his worth with Milan, his first big stage club. 

Each player's agent has reportedly denied any deal. However, that certainly doesn't rule out any move between the two clubs looking to address needs this January transfer window. Newcastle United is also reportedly interested in Niang so keep your eyes on any news surrounding him this January. 

Latest: Alessio Cerci-Fernando Torres swap deal.

 For the past few weeks, there have been ongoing talks about a potential Cerci for Torres swap deal between Atletico Madrid and A.C. Milan. On Christmas Eve, talks began to heat up as Milan and Atletico Madrid reportedly agreed to the deal that would send Italian attacker Alessio Cerci to Milan and Fernando Torres back to his very first club, Atletico Madrid. 

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the deal would be an 18 month loan for both players. Each club paying the wage load for their current player. Milan would have to pay the wages for Torres while Madrid would do the same for Cerci, however, there have been talks about Torres possibly restructuring his wage pay to make the deal easier but this is a mere rumor in the deal.

Also according to Di Marzio, Atletico Madrid are exploring options to find a team for Mexican striker Raul Jimenez which is important in making this deal happen for financial reasons. Regardless of what happens with Cerci, the Madrid party desires a reunion with their former number 9, "El Niño. "

It appears that Milan and Atletico Madrid have agreed to the deal as well as Fernando Torres. The "yes" from Cerci is all that needs to be made to finalize this deal but it appears that Cerci can either accept a loan deal to Milan or he will stay at the Spanish club, ruling out a potential move to Inter Milan.

The deal has not been finalized just yet so stay tuned on Twitter to the reliable sources for more news on this potential deal as well as others throughout the entire January transfer window. We will continue to update this blog post to bring you the latest news on the deal.

Source: Gianluca Di Marzio's Twitter account, @DiMarzio. gianlucadimarzio.com

UPDATE(as of 12/27/14)

According to Sky and Milan Channel, Alessio Cerci has agreed to the 18 month loan move to Milan. Cerci's "yes" was the final step in completing the Cerci-Torres swap deal between Milan and Atletico Madrid. Here are some of the details on the entire move, according to Milanello (@Milanello).

-Milan have announced that they have signed Torres in a permanent deal from Chelsea
-Cerci is expected to arrive in Dubai tomorrow (Dec. 28th). He could get his unofficial Milan debut against Real Madrid on Tuesday
-Cerci is expected to sign the contract with Milan later tonight or tomorrow. He's on his way to Madrid now (Sky)
-Cerci will most likely undergo the medical tests on January 2nd at Milanello and at the Madonnina clinic

Fernando Torres has made a permanent move to Milan, which will then see him loaned out for 18 months. The former £50mil man will return back to his boyhood club where he stamped his name into world football as an elite striker. He ends his Milan tenure with just 1 goal in 10 Serie A matches. On January 5th, 2015, Torres will make the permanent move to Milan before being loaned to Atletico Madrid.

Cerci is expected to finalize his move to Milan next week and could have his Milan Serie A debut against Sassuolo on the 6th of January.

More details should continue to follow regarding the disbursement of wages of each player and how they will be paid.

Q&A: Daniel Gutman (@muntarinho)

Daniel Gutman is a passionate fan of football, spanning across Europe. He follows and covers Serie A, Eredivisie and the Premier League. A Chief Milan correspondent for Italian Football Daily, columnist for @football_oranje, @StuySpectator and owner of inoffthecrossbar.com (@IOTCdotcom), Daniel does a ton of work discussing the beautiful game.  He was kind enough to answer some questions for me. Here were his responses.


Q: I enjoy hearing how people gravitate to a club they wind up loving. How did you begin supporting Milan?

A: "My dad was a Milan fan for a good chunk of his life and I suppose he got me into supporting the club when I was young. Although I suppose that PES 2006 (Pro Evolution Soccer) got me to love Milan rather than just calcio as a whole. That team was immense and I think I understood why I was so attracted to the club whilst playing exclusively as Milan during my time with PES. Gattuso, Pippo, Kaka, Costacurta. What a group of players that was. That was the point of no return for me, and the rest, as they say, is history."

Q: You cover an array of different football, from Dutch to Italian. Which league do you enjoy covering the most and why?

A: "Definitely Serie A, although the Eredivisie is a very close second. Eredivisie is infinitely more exciting and entertaining to watch, and every year there is an influx of young talent starring in the place of those who left. Serie A is a tad less interesting when it comes to the title race because, as much as it pains me to say it, Juventus are going to be top for God knows how many more years. Roma are also pretty much set in their position, as no club has shown a capability to challenge for 2nd. However, the race for 3rd is almost as exciting as the title race in a non-one-sided league. I suppose it could be linked to the Premiership race last season between Chelsea, City, and Liverpool, except there are 5-6 teams fighting for 3rd instead of the 3 title challengers in England."

Q: You are a consistent contributor to Italian Football Daily, among other sites. How does being a valuable member of the staff make watching football that much more enjoyable?

A: "It has given me a new way to watch calcio. Doing things like player ratings or match reviews has forced me to pay a lot more attention to individual players and the details of their performances. I had done this before starting with IFD but working with the site has definitely increased both my knowledge of calcio and has helped me watch matches in a more intelligent way."

Q: For Milan, what do you see Inzaghi and the men (and woman) upstairs doing this January to bolster the squad?

A: "Realistically? Not much. I suppose that Vangioni lad who's been linked to the club since the summer will join, but that raises the question of what to do with our fullbacks. There would be too many, and the possibilities I see are either Armero's loan gets terminated or a sale of De Sciglio. Beyond that, I can see us going for a player whose contract expires in 2015 because they'd be fairly cheap."

Q: Finally, you back Liverpool as well in the Premier League. Is this Mario Balotelli's final big club?

A: "Balotelli is an interesting case. I think that it is a bit too early to judge him on his time with Liverpool because nobody is really performing outstanding on the team. As for his behavior, I think he is at the end of the road. More nonsense like his Instagram post or some other regrettable action could well mean that no big club will want to sign him. He is very close to turning into a less technically gifted (Antonio) Cassano."

Again, I just want to thank Daniel for taking a few minutes to answer some questions for this fan blog post. If you don't follow Daniel on Twitter, please do so. He works hard to bring his views and thoughts to the forefront of football. Give him a follow, @muntarinho.

Q&A: Adamo Ritacco (@AdamoRitacco)

Adamo Ritacco is a panelist on Rossoneri TV on a consistent basis. He does a good amount of work on there, shedding light on all things surrounding the Rossoneri. As a passionate fan of the game, Adamo was kind enough to answer some questions for me. Here is my Q&A with the man himself.





Q. I ask everybody. Let's hear your story on how you became a Milanista. Why this club over others?

A: "I'll admit it, I nearly became a Romanista, mainly due to the fact that Francesco Totti has been my idol since I could remember, but something about the red and black of Milan shouted out to me. I couldn't resist. It wasn't even due to all of the legendary players they had at the time, more so, the connection I felt when I first saw them walk onto the pitch."

Q. It's very early in his managerial career, but what traits do you see in Pippo Inzaghi that you can compare to past/present managers?

A: "The thing I like about Inzaghi is that he thrives off the unity/confidence of the squad. something Milan have been missing in recent years. Not that Milan is a complete unit at the moment, but he's guiding them to the right path. The key will be to find consistency within the squad as a whole. I'm willing to give him time."

Q. In your eyes, who has been the top performer for Milan in 2014?

A: "In my opinion, it's got to be Menez for the amount of important goals he's scored for the club. There's a bunch of other mentions I could make but he stands out for me."

Q. You contribute on a weekly basis to Rossoneri TV and occasionally Italian Football Daily. How does your work impact football for you?

A: " I feel that it gives people something to look forward to, as well as being something they can rely on either as a source or for a sense of entertainment. I love working within football as it's always been my dream, and hopefully I can make it to another level."

Q. Finally, I want a quick prediction from you. Does Milan make Champions League this season? And is it contingent on what they do/don't do in the January mercato?

A: "It's definitely a possibility. There are plenty of teams fighting for the position, which makes it an even tougher objective to obtain. I can see them making Europe at the very least."


Once again, I just want to thank Adamo for taking the time to answer some questions for a string of fan blog posts we are doing for the AC Milan Brothers account. If you don't follow Adamo on Twitter, please do so, @AdamoRitacco.

Q&A: Gio, from Rossoneri TV

If you follow Milan and you enjoy being involved in the large Rossoneri community that has evolved on Twitter, then you definitely know what super-account, Rossoneri TV, is all about. Rossoneri TV has amassed a large following on Twitter with over 2,000 followers. Gio, the account manager, also takes to Youtube, which he uses to share match previews/reviews, fan reactions and breaking news surrounding the Rossoneri among other things.

Over the past several weeks, my brother and I have been frequent guests on his Youtube videos and he truly has found a unique way to bring the entire Milan universe together with his work.

Because he has welcomed the AC Milan Bros (@ACMilanBros) numerous times on his post match reviews, he decided to take some time to  answer a few questions for me.


Q: How did you become a Milan fan? What attracted you to this club as opposed to other clubs in Europe?

A: " I became a Milan fan at the age of 9. My Italian decent definitely played a part in me choosing Milan over other clubs. At the time, Inzaghi, Maldini, Gattuso and Nesta were the players that I enjoyed watching the most. Shortly after, I developed a love for the entire team. I consider myself very lucky to have witnessed some great club achievements such as the 2003 and 2007 Champions League title wins.

Q: As for Milan, if you had to pinpoint the three primary areas of concern for the current squad, what would they be and why?

A: "I think the three primary areas of concern for the current squad are reinforcing the defense, getting some technical midfielders, and getting rid of the waste. As far as reinforcing the defense, Milan took small steps this summer, however we are still lacking something. I always strongly believe that defenses make you win championships. Technical midfielders are another must in our current squad. I think we're pretty set as far as defensive midfielders go, however we need players that could make the defensive-attacking transition as smooth as possible. Finally, there is a list of players that are just taking up space at Milan and must leave. A mild cleanup was done throughout the summer, however the club must keep getting rid of the junk in the next transfer windows."

Q: How long do you think it will take for Milan to be back into the Champions League as a legitimate threat?

A: "I think right now the focus is getting back into the Champions League. We need to return being competitive in Serie A before we can call ourselves a legitimate threat in Europe. Without money being spent and without the appropriate players to challenge on all fronts, we will never be a legitimate threat again. When the club changes their current philosophy and demonstrates to the fans what they're truly capable of, then we can start talking.

Q: Long term, do you feel Pippo Inzaghi is the right man for the managerial job? And do you feel he is the one to lead us to a Champions League run?

A: "Pippo Inzaghi has the right qualities in my opinion to hold the manager job at Milan. For a club that currently has many problems and has to do without top players (unlike the top teams), I feel that he is doing a pretty good job. I believe fans are over-criticizing him at times when the results don't come. No one should expect any coach to perform miracles at Milan right now. I sincerely hope he stays at the club for a long time. It would be wild to see him win the Champions League as a manager after having witnessed him winning it as a player twice."

Q: Lastly, Milan take on Roma this Saturday, which is the last match of the year. Predictions? 

A: "Roma is a very strong team of course with qualities in every sector. They're currently battling with Juventus for the Serie A title and they will want to keep up the pace with them. It will be a tough match at the Olimpico on Saturday, but I don't write off our chances. Christmas could come early for us Milanisti. After a win against Napoli, our morale is high enough to capture a result against Roma."

If you do not follow Rossoneri TV on Twitter, please do so, @RossoneriTV. Also, be sure to subscribe to his Youtube channel as he covers everything one would need to know regarding Milan. Here is the link to his Youtube channel: (www.rossoneritv.com) Forza Milan!

Match Review: Milan v Udinese

Milan faced off against Udinese at the San Siro yesterday, a match with rather important implications. Milan, after drawing 1-1 to Inter the previous match, needed 3 points. Of course, that has been the case for weeks now as the Rossoneri have been prone to dropping points with below average draws against clubs they should handle. The result of this match ended in a 2-0 win for Milan, with both goals coming from Jeremy Menez. Here is how the match went.

Milan fielded a 4-3-3 formation that looked as follows: (Diego Lopez; Armero, Rami, Mexes, Bonera; Bonaventura, Essien, Van Ginkel; El Shaarawy, Menez, Honda) This formation included a few new faces like Van Ginkel and Armero, who both made their first starts for the club.

In the first half, Milan controlled possession and it wasn't really a contest. Milan created numerous chances to take the lead and run away with this match very early on but nothing seemed to fall their way. Still, the club continued to generate chances in hopes of getting that decisive goal which we thought came from Rami, who headed a ball into the net. The goal was not granted despite it appearing to fully cross the line. Later, it was shown to have been the correct call. The 1st half ended 0-0 despite the dominance by Milan.

The 2nd half wasn't nearly as dominant for Milan. Udinese began to control possession more and it seemed that Milan would really be in for another disappointing result. In the 54', Essien received a yellow card which would come into play later on. Despite this, Milan kept Antonio Di Natale in check as the defense was stellar and allowed Diego Lopez to break virtually no sweat in goal. The match would turn in Milan's favor in the 62' when Honda was pulled down by Domizzi in the box which resulted in a controversial penalty and red card decision. Honda appeared to have touched the ball with his hand prior to the foul but regardless, both calls stood. Menez put in the penalty easily, giving Milan the 1-0 lead.

In the 71', Essien would commit his second yellow card offense and it was now a 10-on-10 match for the remaining 20'+. But Milan would add a 2nd goal and one that seemingly sealed the win. Bonaventura fed Menez who made a great individual effort to put himself in scoring position for the goal.

Finally, Pippo used his 3rd and final sub, which brought on captain Riccardo Montolivo for Marco van Ginkel. It was Montolivo's first appearance in a professional match since the devastating injury ahead of the World Cup. He played a few minutes which was a nice finishing touch for Milan's 2-0 win over Udinese.

There were several solid performances for Milan, including Menez, Honda, van Ginkel, Essien and Mexes. However, the ones that stood out the most for me were: Menez, van Ginkel and Mexes. Menez of course scored the two goals, giving him 7 on the year already. van Ginkel started his 1st match and didn't disappoint. Confident on the ball and was at the center of many build ups. Lastly, Mexes turned in yet another solid outing. He seemed to be the leader in the back and as a unit, the back line was organized and prevented Lopez from having to get his gloves dirty. Again, many were solid and this list could include more than three top performers.

Milan have Genoa next Sunday, December 7th followed by Napoli and Roma to end the first half of the season.