Milan: A Serie A Circus Act

Stemming from this past summer, the once mighty Milan have become not so mighty. What exists are a plethora of words to describe the club's painfully frustrating start to the season. I'll allow our fellow Milanisti to be creative with such words of disappointment. At times, many of the supporters feel that eventually, something has to give. Something has to go in favor of the Rossoneri. However, with the injuries sustained to the likes of Stephan El Shaarawy, Mattia De Sciglio and the most recent one being Matias Silvestre, it's only fair to point fingers at the highly ridiculed manager, Mr. Allegri, right? The question the Milan faithful want answers to is "How can one club sustain this many injuries? It's one thing to have injuries occur late in the season as the players have gone through a ton of minutes in the Champions League, Coppa Italia and the Serie A campaign. It's another to have virtually every player miss some time just two months into the campaign.

Milan's woes don't end there. The continuous concerns in the defense have cost Milan points on several occasions. Place blame on injuries all you want but Galliani and Berlusconi failed to address Milan's biggest hole this past summer. As a result, the lackluster defending has contributed to Milan's current position in Serie A, 10th. Milan is no stranger to this type of start as just a year ago, they spent quite some time in the cellar of Serie A only to have Stephan El Shaarawy save Milan from one of the worse campaigns in the club historic history. Just a few weeks ago, Galliani finally addressed the defending concerns by inking a deal with the want away French international from Valencia, Adil Rami. Additionally, Galliani and Allegri confirmed the transfer of Keisuke Honda from CSKA Moscow, a move that has been expected since the summer.

Logically, when a club is suffering this badly, it's only fitting that speculation occurs regarding the future of two of the club's elite talents, Stephan El Shaarawy and Mario Balotelli. Rumors spread across social media yesterday about El Shaarawy and Balotelli. Not going too much into this but to keep it short, its just smoke.

Injuries, defending that makes you cringe, social media rumors and perhaps a manager sacking? Come one, come all to the circus act in Milan- MS

Recap: Champions League Group Stage: Milan v Ajax

Milan managed to draw Ajax in Amsterdam in the first of two meetings in the group stage between the clubs. The first half belonged to Ajax who controlled possession and seemingly brought the match to Milan without fear. However, they were unable to get on the scoresheet despite the better half.

In the second half, Milan started to gain back a bit of confidence and created a few chances to score. Even though the momentum started to perhaps even out between the two sides, Milan seemingly looked more than content to walk away from the match with just the one point. However, Ajax had other ideas as they began to apply pressure to Allegri's back line by forcing Abbiati to make a few crucial saves. One of these saves resulted in a corner for Ajax just before injury time was applied. Milan's set piece defending issues are well documented. It showed as Muntari and company failed to mark on the corner and Stefano Denswil headed home the first goal. This goal appeared to be the decisive goal to give the Dutch side a big 3 points after losing 4-0 to Barcelona in their first CL match.

Throughout the match, Mario Balotelli appeared to be fouled quite a bit whether he exaggerated at times or not. In the 90 +3 minute, Balotelli and Milan received a gift from the official as the forward was given a penalty on a poor call. Balotelli quieted the Amsterdam crowd and put it past the keeper to give Milan a point they did not deserve.

Thoughts: The starting squad Allegri appeared to have settled on included Valter Birsa along with Robinho behind Balotelli. However, Birsa was a late scratch which resulted in captain Riccardo Montolivo moving out of position into Birsa's spot and Andrea Poli starting in the midfield alongside Nigel De Jong and Sulley Muntari. Montolivo is not a winger and to play him out of position in his first match back since the injury has left many confused especially when Allegri's hand-picked forward Alessandro Matri started on the bench. Milan surely missed Birsa today as he could have allowed Allegri to keep Montolivo in the midfield where he belongs and he would have given Balotelli a player to link up with.

Milan did not deserve anything from this match. Period. The referee spoon fed Milan an opportunity to salvage a result and if it wasn't for Balotelli's penalty-taking ability, Milan would have been sent home with a very sour taste in their mouths ahead of a huge clash with Juventus. This club needs to find an identity and make it work. Fast-MS

Balotelli starts suspension, Milan draws Bologna & 5 pts in 5 matches. Too early to panic?

Earlier this week, Mario Balotelli was handed down a 3 match ban after the incident in this past weekend's loss to Napoli. Many feel this punishment is a bit harsh but perhaps its the issue of racism that has become more of the headline grabber. Images of Balotelli pleading with the official (left) while he throws the Italian striker a rather snotty smirk has enraged Milan supporters worldwide. Balotelli must know that he is a targeted man in Serie A and he must be able to harness his rage for the sake of his club. As a result of the incident, Balotelli missed the 3-3 draw v Bologna and will be ineligible v Sampdoria and Juventus.

Yesterday, Milan avoided more embarrassment by staging a 2 goal comeback v Bologna to draw 3-3 and salvage their 5th point in as many matches. Many supporters took their reaction to social networks where a portion of the fans felt that for what turmoil the club currently sits in, they will take the result. Others reacted by stating that a 3-3 draw to Bologna isn't something to be proud of as this isn't Milan's nature and way of going about business. The idea that many fans took something positive out of the result is absolutely disheartening and the continuous controversy over Allegri's head still leaves many wondering just what is going on with this club.

A comeback draw v Bologna isn't pleasing. Plain and simple. 5 points in 5 matches is poor any way you slice it despite the laundry list of players sidelined with injuries and Balotelli's 3 match ban. There is enough quality still active to have earned more than 5 points at this point and when is it too early to enter panic mode? After last seasons miserable first half that was heroically saved thanks in large part to Allegri's under utilized forward Stephan El Shaarawy, their is no room for another abysmal start. It's a domino effect that stems from upper management who, despite bringing in Kaká and company, failed to bring in the amount of quality needed for a title run. Factor in Allegri's tactical and formation choices and you have whipped up a recipe for a sub par campaign.

Panicking? Perhaps many are but I stand firm on the assumption that things at Milan cant seemingly get worse. Hang tight and continue to support this beloved club because Milan is a club like none other-MS

OFFICIAL: Kaká returns to Milan

According to many sources close to the situation, Real Madrid midfielder Ricardo Kaká has agreed to a 2 year-deal with his former club Milan on a reported free transfer. The Brazilian has reportedly cut his wages from 10mil euros to somewhere in the range of 4-5mil euros per year with bonuses included. Kaká will fly to Milano to undergo his medicals where he will officially be welcomed back to his loving club.

In the winter transfer window this past January, Milan and Real Madrid reportedly agreed on a deal to bring Kaká back to Milan but it fell apart, ending the dreams of a Milan comeback. It appears that the sale of Kevin Prince Boateng to German side Schalke for 10mil euros gave Milan fans the indication that longtime CSKA Moscow playmaker Keisuke Honda was the primary target to fill Boateng's spot at Milan. However, CSKA and Milan have stalled on negotiations, making a free January transfer more likely. Once this became the case, the Kaká rumors began to stir across the Twitter-verse creating speculation that perhaps the Brazilian will arrive ahead of the summer transfer deadline on September 2nd. 

Milan confirmed their interest in bringing Kaká back to Milan this summer and went ahead to meet with Real Madrid's Florentino Pérez and the club officials to work on a deal. After a weekend of meetings and negotiations, the two clubs agreed to let him leave Madrid and return to Milan on what appears to be a free transfer. 

The formation Max Allegri deems fitting for Kaká could potentially be a (4-3-1-2): Abbiati; Abate, Zapata, Mexes/Astori?, De Sciglio; De Jong, Montolivo, Poli; Kaká; Balotelli, El Shaarawy.-MS 

Closing Time: Summer Transfer Market is nearing a close

With the Serie A Transfer Window closing on September 2nd, several teams have already greatly improved their squads, ready to mold themselves into serious title contenders. Clubs like Napoli, Roma, Fiorentina and Juventus have been among the most active clubs. Napoli sold their best player, Edinson Cavani, to French giant PSG but have quickly invested their return on that sale for Gonzalo Higuain, Raul Albiol, Dries Mertens, Jose Callejon and Pepe Reina. Roma sold Marquinhos and Pablo Osvaldo and have brought in PSV midfielder Kevin Strootman, Brazilian Maicon, Gervinho, Tim Jedvaj and Mehdi Benatia. 

Fiorentina sold Stefan Jovetic to Manchester City but have significantly upgraded their near CL squad from last season. Players like Joaquin, Juan Cuadrado, former Milan captain Massimo Ambrosini, Josep Ilicic and Mario Gomez have all made the move to the Viola. Juventus have brought in Milan target Angelo Ogbonna, Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente among other players. 

Serie A has been arguably the most active this mercato with several big name players packing their bags for England and France while others have moved to Italy. Milan, expected to be very active after crawling their way into the top 3, have made a few moves, most notably for Riccardo Saponara, Andrea Poli and Cristian Zapata. However, many Milanisti patiently wait for Galliani to make his famous "buzzer-beater" splashes that seem to surprise everybody except Milan fans. Keisuke Honda and Adem Ljajic sit atop Milan's wish list but in recent weeks, PSG defender Mamadou Sakho has emerged as a possible defensive target that Milan sure could use as defending continues to be a huge concern despite Matias Silvestre's arrival. With one week remaining in the transfer window, it remains to be seen whether Milan will sit tight with the squad they have or make a few moves before time expires this mercato-MS

Stephan and Mario: A Better Love Story Than Twilight?

During the first half of last season, many Milan fans immediately fell in love with the young phenom, Stephan El Shaarawy. His ability to become a vital part of bringing this team out from the lower part of the Serie A table to a European contender was nothing short of impressive. In fact, he received high praise from several young superstars like himself for his performance on the pitch. Players like Mario Goetze had nothing but great things to say about the Italian international. Milan and the loyal fans of the club knew what they had in El Shaarawy. What excited us most was that he just entered his 20s and his potential was sky high. 

The second half of last season, which saw Milan jump as high as the 2nd slot in the Serie A table, was completely different from the earlier half. The team appeared to be playing with a little more resiliency and recognizing a chance to salvage a spot in the next Champions League tournament. The departure of Alexandre Pato fueled the arrival of Mario Balotelli, one of Europe's most prolific talents. Mario Balotelli arrived at Milan in January for peanuts, energizing Milanisti across the globe. Its no surprise as to what Mario Balotelli can do on the pitch aside from his questionable antics. When in form, he is one of Europe's most gifted footballers. A duo that would consist of Mario Balotelli and first half hero Stephan El Shaarawy surely left Rossoneri fans watering out the mouth as this would only build a chemistry for the future Azzurri attack. 

Mario Balotelli went on to score 12 goals in just 13 caps for Milan. However, the other half of the attacking threat, El Shaarawy, tailed off from his superb first half. Many times, El Shaarawy looked exhausted from a heavy workload on the pitch. Tracking back to defend on many occasions or perhaps being asked to carry the heavy goal burden that he felt responsible for? Not quite sure what the definitive reasoning is behind his disappointing second half but the bottom line was that Milan did qualify for the third and final CL spot, fending off Fiorentina on the final day of the season.

The big question is: What can we expect from Stephan El Shaarawy and Mario Balotelli as we approach their first full season together? There is no disputing the talent that Milan has with these two stars. Mario Balotelli can generate space and opportunity for himself to score, a skill that El Shaarawy, in time, will obtain at Milan. El Shaarawy played a more central role while on loan at Padova. Comparing Serie B to playing in Serie A particularly at Milan is two different monsters but you have to take into consideration that he is a young 20 years old and still has plenty of room for growth. With Balotelli in red and black, El Shaarawy knows that he has a great partner up front that will help take some of the pressure off himself,  which will allow El Shaarawy to flourish in whatever attacking role Allegri places him in. 

These two attackers have built a great relationship through their short time last year and with the international squad. With a full, clean slate going into the 2013-2014 season, the expectations are high but at Milan, that has and always will be the case. Stephan El Shaarawy and Mario Balotelli have developed such a connection that we expect nothing shy of excellence between the two of them as well as Milan. With Balotelli at Milan, you can count on El Shaarawy not to disappoint this time around. Expect the duo to fulfill expectations and lead Milan as serious Scudetto contenders.- MS

ICC 2013: Milan v Chelsea: Tailgates, Milanisti, The Match, Good Times

After roughly 9 months of tweeting to hundreds of Milan fans through our Twitter account (@ACMilanBros), we finally met some of the passionate Milanisti at the widely anticipated event, Milan v Chelsea International Champions Cup 2013 tailgate at Metlife Stadium last Sunday, August 4th. The hosts of the tailgating festivities were our brothers from Milan Club Philly (@MilanClubPhilly) and AC Milan Club NY/NJ (@ACMilanNYC), who provided everyone in attendance with great food, drinks, fun, discussions, parking lot calcio and some megaphone antics that created a welcoming atmosphere that set the tone for the match to begin later that night. 

Although the outcome of the match was disappointing, the entire day was incredibly fun and enjoyable as a whole. We had a great experience talking with the people we spent months tweeting to and we just wanted to give a big thank you to those who made the day possible. As the 2013-2014 Serie A campaign looms, we hope to see many of you at the match viewings in New York. Looking forward to an exciting season that will hopefully end in a Scudetto title!-MS