Season Review: AC Milan 2008-09

Milan have lost their best coach, best player on the pitch and its longest serving player, leaving the fans anxious about the coming season and a great chance for the management to rebuild for the future. But for planning a future, it is imperative to learn from the past, continuing his analysis of the Serie A teams, Srikant Iyer analyses AC Milan's 2008-09 season.

When Pato expressed his interest in joining Chelsea, recently, Milan President Galliani made sure he sent out an immediate response proclaiming that there is no way Milan would sell Pato to any club in the world. He did it because he knew the devastating effects the club would otherwise have on its future. Milan are on the brink of a new age, a rebirth, with a whole new identity after the previous reign stumbled on to a corrosive rut after the successful initial phase.

It’s true. Their old gaffer Ancelotti has moved on to a new challenge, old guard Maldini has finally set after blooming again late into the day. Their star player sold to Perez’s Madrid and their star pivot Pirlo rumoured to be on the move too. The defense remains old and Milan had become an old age home for the glamorous has-beens. Zambrotta, Gattuso, Ronaldinho, Inzaghi and Beckham might be excellent at times (cuz quality remains at the end of the day) but Milan had precious few in their team who would represent a look towards the future. One of them has now left and the other is the last straw to the glamorous image they present to the world.

But getting back to their prior season, we’ll get to know more about Milan’s shortcomings and the ideal places to rebuild. Having finished third this season, it’s definitely not an ideal season but an improvement over the previous year’s mediocre league performances, having said that, the toothless exit in the Euro Cup, a cup which otherwise wouldn’t deserve to have a Milan in its list of competing teams, made the year on the whole, a failure. This they know. Hence, the new cycle.

Season 2008-2009 started with great optimism, having Ronaldinho in their ranks, Sheva back from his Chelsea nightmare, striker Borriello too back in Milan jerseys after having an exemplary season previously. Serie A, however, had something else in mind. A home loss against Bologna followed by an away loss to Genoa set the tone for a dreary start to the year. The players then felt the heat and acted quickly to pull up their socks and string a series of victories which would see them briefly hold the number one standing. Inconsistencies marred them just like any non-Inter team in Italy. Frequent injuries to Nesta and Kaladhze (Milan’s centre defense) and key duo Pirlo and Gattuso, who run Milan’s Midfield ensured that the pair never played to their best while Kaka could replicate his previous year’s form, he was still their leading assist creator. Ronnie never got an extended run in the team. He was after all Berlusconi’s signing and not the coach’s, proven by the President’s frequent moaning of Ronnie’s lack of playing time. Milan did come second in the Euro group stage and slipped through easily to the round of 32 after having beaten Zurich quite easily over both legs in the first knockout round.

January proved to be an interesting period for the club off field. Lying third in the league and frequently juxtaposing insipid displays with awe inspiring ones, the Rossoneri struggled to keep hold of Kaka. Man City’s sheikhs never got to fully flex their muscles the last transfer period as they bought the club with just three days left. Still the Robinho steal showed the world that they aint kidding. In comes a mammoth bid for Kaka as soon as January sets in. 100million pounds for the club and a rumoured 500,000 pounds a week for the former Ballon D’or winner! Now this was an offer they couldn’t blindly throw away. Eventually Milan accepted the offer after Berlusconi decided that club stability was more important rather than following Lazio’s route to bankruptcy in 2001. Kaka was faced with a vital decision. Should he leave a club which could give him the Champion’s League more easily or should he go to a less prestigious club with shows big ambitions. Eventually he decided not to join the “other” Manchester club as he didn’t want to be known as a “footballing mercenary”, a term easily thrown in by angry and spiteful fans.

As the turmoil of January ended, one thing was made clear. Milan would sell Kaka if the money was good enough. Meanwhile a dull exit against a Werder Bremen sans Diego saw them out of the Euro despite the favourites tag. Milan’s most disappointing and embarrassing moment this year had to be their early exit from the Coppa Italia. In the Round of 16, they faced Lazio – a team they should have beaten – yet they lost, and Lazio went on to win the tourney

With no chance of nearing the Inter juggernaut in the league, the year had pretty much come down to keeping Kaka and beginning a new transformation for Carletto and his men. The short term arrival of Beckham shocked many. Cynics condemned another old signing. But Golden Balls made his present felt, fitting in seamlessly in the right midfield position and sending in a barrage of quality crosses. Milan fans were felt wanting for more while Berlusconi wanted the marketing magnet to remain a well. The player returned reluctantly to LA Galaxy. We don’t know which way that story will end. Milan had a weak schedule late in the season, and they took advantage of it. They won all 4 of their matches in April and outscored their opponents 11-1, to briefly steal the second spot from a stuttering Juve which didn’t win a game in two months. However losses to Udinese and Roma saw them in danger of losing third to Firoentina, whom they defeated in the final round of matches and come third.

Milan’s 3rd place finish was largely due to Kaka. The Brazilian playmaker had 16 goals and 9 assists, but he is now gone to Madrid. Pato also had a good season with 15 goals and 5 assists. Finally, Christian Abbiati was very solid for AC Milan in goal. He only ceded a mere 0.96 goals per game. Maldini would get a special mention after some exemplary displays both in Serie A and the Euro Cup. He managed to eclipse a much younger Bonera who was at one point seen as Milan’s defensive future.

Leonardo has come in to replace a coach who led the club to great European success. He has a lot to stand against and his lack of experience could be a detriment. But Ronaldinho will now be happy, the team finally being built around his abilities, something which want the case with Kaka in the team. Old poacher Inzaghi is desperate to see the other star players remain as he aims to win big during the twilight of his playing career. He said, “There have been major changes to the squad and people like Kaka are irreplaceable, but we won the 2003 Champions League without him. We have lost big people in Ancelotti, Maldini and Kaka, but there is a new course for us now and we hope to do well.”

Thiago Silva and Oguchi Onweyu have been the clubs defensive reimbursements while the old and ageing Favalli renewed his contract for a year more. While both signings have been interesting prospects, they haven’t been tested enough on the big stage and prove to be risky signings. Not every youngster turns out to be a Pato. The need for a top class goal scorer is yet to be fulfilled as 35 year old Inzaghi is hardly their main striking option and can’t play two games a week. Pato is their only reliable option and he has proven to be very strong. His small age could be detriment in the big tournaments and a decent support is required. Borriello had a very weak season and seems to be a mid-club striker. While Inter and Juve boast of a very strong strike force, the attacking department could be Milan’s undoing. Edin Dzeko, who led the goal scoring charts in the Bundesliga, has been their main target, but the transfer saga is now entering its stretched out phase with a weird tooth problem failed him in the medical tests. This bizarre development left many in wonder and the transfer seems unlikely now. After being priced out for Benzema and Villa, they now aim at getting Huntelaar or even Trezeguet who is currently unsettled at his beloved Juve. The 4-3-3 is likely to be for Ronaldinho who would play on he left attack, his favourite position. But this brings the need for a quality right winger which Milan doesn’t have.

The season ahead is a big test for Milan who have lost ground as their rivals have beefed up. Their prestige is at stake. The selling of Kaka has been the pivot in this makeover. One has to see if they come out stronger with intelligent signings or fail to fill a void. Either ways the sale might be the chief cause for whatever Milan achieves this season.