<p>Season’s have their turning points, and I have a feeling that today was a crucial one. We saw<a href="http:\/\/soccerwrapup.blogspot.com/2010/12/inter-milan-win-fifa-world-club-cup.html"> Inter Milan rise back to form with a 3-0 win over TP Mazembe in the FIFA World Club Cup final</a>, and we saw AC Milan fall to Roma at the San Siro, 1-0 for the giallorossi thanks to former AC Milan player, Marco Borriello. Today we also saw Cesena edge a 1-0 victory over Cagliari, and tomorrow we have some big games like Lazio – Udinese, Chievo – Juventus, and the Genoa derby between Sampdoria and Genoa. But here’s what happened today at the San Siro, where Borriello punished his former side in AC Milan’s and Roma’s last match of 2010.</p>
<p>AC Milan hosted Roma at the San Siro, and I thought that Milan would’ve played through a pretty simple win at home, but it was not to be. The match started well for Allegri’s side though, they were very dynamic, trying to get underneath Roma’s backline of defenders and create problems for Doni between the sticks. Roma on the other hand were slightly sluggish, especially with Adriano on the field. Although the Brazilian had some good touches, he was unable to do much due to his girth which was a little too much for him to carry around, instead Roma relied on the energetic Frenchman Jeremy Menez to create opportunities.</p>
<p>But the first half didn’t produce much action, Ibrahimovic seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, Robinho played Pippo Inzaghi-style and was constantly in an offside position, and Roma were too dependent on Menez. AC Milan were forced to make a substitution in the first half after Pirlo was clattered, and Allegri altered the shape of his formation by putting on Seedorf. With Pirlo in the midfield, Boateng could almost play as a “trequartista”, but with Seedorf on the field the Ghanaian had to be a little more conservative regarding his attacking runs. So the first half ended with some good chances for AC Milan, but little else to be noticed as the players prepared for the second half.</p>
<p>The second half was slightly different with both teams slowly getting out of their shells. Roma were trying too often to lump the ball up to Borriello, who was being silenced expertly by Bonera and Nesta, and AC Milan’s one-man team, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, was having an off day. The Swede got a fantastic chance in front of Doni who had scrambled early off his line, and while all of the San Siro and I thought that he was going to chip Doni for an easy goal, Ibrahimovic ended up toe-punting the ball into Doni’s hands. An opportunity which usually doesn’t go wasted by Ibrahimovic is what ultimately could’ve decided the match.</p>
<p>It was in the 69th minute that Roma struck. Another speedy run from Menez down the wing lead to a pass across the six-yard box, the Borriello missed the tap-in but scored anyways when Abate tried to punt the ball out of his box, but instead punted it into Borriello and into the back of the net. A strange goal to say the least, with little to no skill from Borriello, but he celebrated it like any other. His ridiculous hairstyle along with his goal celebration against his former side made him a permanent target for the whistles and boos of the 50,000 at the San Siro.</p>
<p style="text-align: left">Things didn’t get much better for AC Milan, especially when Ibrahimovic was caught in an offside position, and instead of obeying the referees whistle, the Swede went on a kicked the ball into the back of the net. While he protested vehemently at referee Damato he got himself a yellow card, and added to last game’s yellow card he&nbsp;received it means that he won’t be playing next match against Cagliari the return day after the winter break. Roma held on well to the win, anxiously waiting for the final whistle. Once it went, the San Siro was filled with unhappy fans, and a group of ecstatic Roma players due to the win that they had just pulled off.</p>
<p style="text-align: left"><em>Is this a turning point in the season with AC Milan losing and Inter Milan regaining some form? Or is it Roma’s turn to push for the scudetto? Share your comments below!</em></p>


Borriello Punishes AC Milan At The San Siro - World Soccer Talk

Borriello Punishes AC Milan At The San Siro

<div style="text-align: center"><a href="http:\/\/view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/britain-london-emirates/image/9480094?term=AC+Milan" target="_blank"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a></div>
<p>AC Milan fans saw the best and worst of their squad this weekend in London as the club competed in what has become a big-name tournament.&nbsp; The Emirates Cup is a two-day preseason event where host Arsenal and three clubs (many of&nbsp;whom are sponsored by Emirates Airlines) compete to win the Emirates trophy but more importantly have the chance to play their entire squads against good competition.</p>
<p>The 2010 edition was won by Arsenal with eight total points, while the Rossoneri finished last with four.&nbsp; Milan faced the hosts on Saturday and Ligue 1’s Lyon on Sunday, with Celtic as the fourth club.&nbsp; A win was worth three points and a tie worth one, with a point awarded for each goal scored.</p>
<p>The first match against Arsenal could have gone spectacularly wrong for Milan on Saturday.&nbsp; They fell behind early on a goal by new Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh in the 36th minute, and if it were not by some quality keeping by Christian Abbiati they could have been down by more.&nbsp; Arsenal dominated possession early in the second half as substitutes like Theo Wolcott constantly threatened in the Milan half.&nbsp; However, Arsenal lived up to their reputation and despite some nice passing, failed to score the decisive second goal.&nbsp; Alexandre Pato made them pay in the seventy-seventh minute.&nbsp; He headed in a free kick from Clarence Seedorf from just outside the box.</p>
<p>The second match saw new keeper Marco Amelia start in goal, as well as starters Clarence Seedorf and Marco Borriello.&nbsp; It was the latter who scored the first goal of the game in the fifty-fifth minute and it was the former who again set up the scoring chance with a nice pass through to Borriello.&nbsp; While both sides had excellent scoring chances and the Rossoneri played well overall, they still gave up the tying goal in the eightieth minute to deny themselves three points.</p>
<p>While the Emirates Cup is only two preseason matches, AC Milan fans could should feel confident about their club.&nbsp; Both keepers looked quality although it helped that some serious chances hit the crossbars.&nbsp; Clarence Seedorf played very well and looks to be ready for the next season.&nbsp; The new defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos also contributed in the Arsenal match and looks like a good signing so far.&nbsp; So although the club finished last in the standings, the experience looks to have allowed them to tune up effectively for the new season.</p>

AC Milan Finishes Last in Emirates Cup - World Soccer Talk

AC Milan Finishes Last in Emirates Cup

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http:\/\/view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/fifa-world-cup-2010-soccer/image/9098392?term=Clint+Dempsey" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a></div>
<p>As always, it pays to take all off-season transfer rumors with a grain of salt.&nbsp; But one rumor within the realm of possibility suggest a move of pure genius by the <em>Rossoneri</em>.</p>
<p><em>Yahoo Sports</em> is reporting that Fulham star and American national team member Clint Dempsey has been targeted by AC Milan for a potential transfer bid.&nbsp; The club reportedly has been impressed with Dempsey’s play in England and South Africa, enough so to pay roughly $12 million to add him to their roster.&nbsp; His match-winning goal in Fulham’s defeat of Juventus in the Europa League also proved to Milan scouts that he could play against Serie A’s best.</p>
<p>Dempsey has been successful in his three year stint with Fulham.&nbsp; Last season he scored seven goals in 29 Premier League matches, and his Juventus goal has been referred to as the <a href="http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/19/fulham-juventus-europa-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most famous goal</a> in Fulham history.&nbsp; Internationally, Dempsey’s profile has never been higher, scoring the “<a href="http:\/\/uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/article/6880/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hand of Clod</a>” goal against England and drawing the match-tying penalty kick in the U.S.’s loss to Ghana in this year’s World Cup.&nbsp; With Roy Hodgson leaving Fulham for Liverpool, now is a good time for him to leave.</p>
<p>But within the context of AC Milan’s actions the past two years does it become clear how genius a signing of Clint Dempsey would be.&nbsp; From a tactical perspective, Dempsey’s move to AC Milan would simply add him to a list of high-profile strikers the club already possesses.&nbsp; He would battle up-front for playing time with Ronaldinho, Borriello, Pato, and maybe Huntelaar.&nbsp; The midfield is equally crowded, but for a team that underachieved last year Dempsey could compete for time.</p>
<p>But the significance is that Dempsey is not just another striker, he is an American soccer star. &nbsp;Remember that AC Milan last year signed Oguchi Onyewu, the injured American defender who is playing “for free” this year because of his injury.&nbsp; A healthy “Gooch” is a valuable addition to the defensively challenged AC Milan, but more importantly he is also very popular among US soccer fans. &nbsp;A Dempsey signing would mean two American stars on the pitch for AC Milan, increasing the clubs already high visibility among American fans.</p>
<p>American soccer fans, especially those converted by the last two World Cups, are looking for international squads to pull for and follow when the World Cup ends.&nbsp; I suspect many will gravitate to teams with American stars – <a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/how-an-epl-club-can-conquer-america-in-7-easy-steps/16929" target="_blank" rel="noopener">witness American fans of Everton</a>.&nbsp; Maybe this is not AC Milan’s primary reason for signing two Americans (they are very talented after all) but the ability to market two of the country’s most popular players could lead to tapping a new market.&nbsp; Imagine the potential sales of Dempsey AC Milan jerseys.</p>
<p>Also factor in AC Milan’s travel schedule.&nbsp; This year the club played a friendly in a near-sold out RFK Stadium against a dreadful DC United team, as well a May 30 friendly in Chicago.&nbsp; Last season the club teamed up with Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Club America to play in the World Football Challenge, which allowed the Rossoneri to play in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Foxborough.&nbsp; While it may be coincidence, the US friendlies combined with the signing of two American stars shows a strategy of tapping into a rich American soccer market.&nbsp; And the strategy is a good one that could make one of the <a href="http:\/\/www.forbes.com/lists/2010/34/soccer-10_AC-Milan_340003.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world’s richest soccer clubs</a> even richer.</p>

AC Milan = American Club Milan? - World Soccer Talk

AC Milan = American Club Milan?

<h4>Match Day headlines</h4>
<p>Buffon Out Manninger In<br>
Totti Injury Recovery On-going<br>
Borriello To The Rescue</p>
<h4></h4>
<h4></h4>
<h4></h4>
<h4></h4>


Serie A Match Day Four - Halftime Scores - World Soccer Talk

Serie A Match Day Four – Halftime Scores

<p>The 2008-2009 season starts end of&nbsp;month but several&nbsp;big names will be missing come opening day.&nbsp; AC Milan especially are showing their weakened status with several poor performances in pre-season, including a 0 – 5 loss to London’s Chelsea last week in Russia.</p>
<p>Who do you think will be the most obvious missing link come match day 1, August 31 ?</p>
<p>references:</p>
<p><u><span style="color: #400040;">Football Italia – <a href="http:\/\/www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/aug3h.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chelsea Crush Mutant Milan</a><br>
Goal.com – Ancelotti Hopes To Avoid New Humiliation</span></u></p>


Most Expensive Injuries In Serie A - World Soccer Talk

Most Expensive Injuries In Serie A

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