The Rumour Commode XXXVI - Mission Accomplished Edition

[Longbowman]

He's not a turtle. This website hilariously has him as the fastest footballer in the world. Not sure how that happened, he's obviously not faster than Tomori and Mbappe, but he's not slow.



I've seen a few clips of him not struggling to run back with fast wingers. Speed isn't one of his strong points obviously, but that doesn't mean it's a major weakness either. He's very well rounded and extremely good in the air.

If he went up against Mbappe and came unscathed, then i am not worried about his alleged lack of pace. Nice interview .. he seems very willing to learn and improve.

 

[Longbowman]

I still am amazed how Newcastle thought it was smart business to buy Chris Wood for 25 mil GBP. Was in his last year of his contract is 30 years old..
Meanwhile we seem to be getting Renato Sanches for almost half that.

They were in relegation zone then.. few top players would have taken the risk of joining them.. they will become a pain this summer onwards.. seems to have same taste as ours.. they are being linked to most of our targets

 

[tonyb]

They were in relegation zone then.. few top players would have taken the risk of joining them.. they will become a pain this summer onwards.. seems to have same taste as ours.. they are being linked to most of our targets

I suspect they could've got Origi for 1/4 of that price. Or even Belotti.

And I'm not worried about losing potential transfer targets to them to be honest. If a player prefers to play for them, then we've dodged a bullet.

 

[brk]

Who every compered botman to romangioli is just dont know anything about game called football,
romagnioli aerial 000
botman top aerial
rom phys. 0000
botman top
rom reading the game very bad at long balls behing
botman very good at reading and tackling.

I disagree about Romagnoli’s reading and positioning. He’s actually very good at that.

 

[patosheva]

I disagree about Romagnoli’s reading and positioning. He’s actually very good at that.

come on brk,fucking lasagna destroyed rom more then once,hell even kalinic looked good against him.

 

[Cloren]

I’m all in for Botman. What makes a team is great is having great depth, not just depth like guys like Bakayoko or Ballo Toure. Having Tomori/Botman starting with Kalulu/Kjaer as backups or Calabria/Kalulu as RB is great for the game and competition is needed for them to improve. An absolute necessity.

We as a team need great depth and super subs. Look at Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid, he made CL final with super subs like Camavinga/Rodrygo. We need great players in the bench as well. Which is why I want to keep guys like Rebic in the team as well. Super subs are essential.

 

[brk]

come on brk,fucking lasagna destroyed rom more then once,hell even kalinic looked good against him.

I don't know, I was always relaxed when we were defending crosses with Romagnoli back there, he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. That's been the only type of goal we've been conceding since the start of 2022. Lazio, Verona, almost against Fiorentina, etc. We used to be much more effective at clearing those with Romagnoli and/or Kjaer.

 

[brk]

I’m all in for Botman. What makes a team is great is having great depth, not just depth like guys like Bakayoko or Ballo Toure. Having Tomori/Botman starting with Kalulu/Kjaer as backups or Calabria/Kalulu as RB is great for the game and competition is needed for them to improve. An absolute necessity.

We as a team need great depth and super subs. Look at Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid, he made CL final with super subs like Camavinga/Rodrygo. We need great players in the bench as well. Which is why I want to keep guys like Rebic in the team as well. Super subs are essential.

I remember Nesta realizing he can't rest because we bought Stam after winning the CL.

 

[theduck7]

Is it true they’re changing the Inter Cagliari game to be before ours?

Any more info on this? Would be epic if Inter were changed to before us however if Milan changed to simultaneous at 3 I couldn’t actually get to the game on time flight wise as already cutting it tight. What’s the likely outcome of this? How late would it be decided?

 

[Longbowman]

If Inter game gets moved to same time as Salernitana game, then Merda has less than 3 days to prepare for the game.. highly unlikely that Inter will agree to it

 

[VillaiN]

I really think Origi and Adli will fit this squad like a glove and have brilliant debut seasons. Adli offers that vision and passing are desperately missing and Origi will bring pace, movement, and clinical shooting upfront

Renato is a considerable upgrade from Kessie. I never liked the Kessie and Tonali pairing, it is too defensive. Renato will be the best "attacking" DM Milan has to offer

Botman I'm not so sure about, but he fills a weakness. He certainly makes the team stronger and can rotate with Kalulu depending on the opposing team's strengths

Excellent start to the mercato imo

We need final passer badly. Hoping Adli ll be that.
Diaz against fiorentina had like 3 chances to put through ball for great scoring chance but he didnt make it or was to late.

 

[ROSSONERI7]

This is what I'm talking about. The presence of Kalulu, Tomori and Kjaer shouldn't exclude the signing of Botman. Three competitions, big ambitions. The strategy should stay in place, ensuring four starter capable CBs of different variety for the start of the season. Gabbia as Italian alibi.

As it stands Botman will have to pull a ticket and wait in line. He will be needed soon enough, and I don't mind him being mostly rotational and grow into a starting position.

Maybe the Misunderstanding stems from the name Botman.
You’re saying Botman and I’m saying a CB.
Despite links, I never was under the impression that this is and “advanced stage deal in the making” As it’s sometimes portrayed.
I do believe Kjaer was injured, we tried to get him, it wasn’t possible then and we stuck with what we had. Turns out 1 player rose way above expectations. And the player he was supposed to take over from is returning. The reality is, the situation that made us go for him in January has changed.

Let’s remove the name Botman for a minute. What I’m saying is very logical.
I do believe there will be a CB arriving. But that choice will be made after evaluation of the obvious new situation. As they would always do in such situations.

If They decide Botman, it’ll be great…despite my doubts on some of his attributes (agility, wide area defending) if he’s brought here by MMM then he’ll 100% be great, I’ll be Botman cheerleader number 1…and the reality is he is in his early 20’s so he can and and will surely improve on his flaws.
If they decide on someone else, it’ll be by the same criterias as they have brought us all these good defenders

 

[VillaiN]

This ll be cheat code for seria a:

Tomori
Botman
Kalulu
Theo
Kjaer
Calabria
Florenzi

I dont think we ll concede more than 25-27 goals next year.
Even this year we conceded 7 against Fio and sasuolo when we had to play Gabia and Roma. And still at 31 conceded.

Also it must be said tonali adn beny re doing great job in defense.

 

[Mario]

Spoke to a Liverpool fan Friend. He said he thinks origi can match Abraham in serie a. That would make us clear champions next season

I spoke to few on my weekend football game who watch a lot of EPL and occasionally Serie A and been told the same thing

 

[ibelongtomilan]

Renato + MilanLab: looks like a recipe for a disaster

 

[Mario]

At the moment, I think a CB’s arrival is something that will be discussed at the end of the season after all the celebrations are over and the dust settles.
Kjaer is returning, and Kalulu kicked the beehive super hard.
The cards have been reshuffled. Whoever they get will be based on these factors.

Romagnoli is leaving, Gabbia won’t stay, you can’t expect Kjaer right away and Botman is one of the best prospects plus we lack someone w his skill set

Winning teams are built like this, from a solid core at the back. Look at the options Juve had few years ago in their back line. Kalulu can always play RB too and it’s silly of you not to think injuries or a bad run of form can’t happen

 

[brk]

Maybe the Misunderstanding stems from the name Botman.
You’re saying Botman and I’m saying a CB.
Despite links, I never was under the impression that this is and “advanced stage deal in the making” As it’s sometimes portrayed.
I do believe Kjaer was injured, we tried to get him, it wasn’t possible then and we stuck with what we had. Turns out 1 player rose way above expectations. And the player he was supposed to take over from is returning. The reality is, the situation that made us go for him in January has changed.

Let’s remove the name Botman for a minute. What I’m saying is very logical.
I do believe there will be a CB arriving. But that choice will be made after evaluation of the obvious new situation. As they would always do in such situations.

If They decide Botman, it’ll be great…despite my doubts on some of his attributes (agility, wide area defending) if he’s brought here by MMM then he’ll 100% be great, I’ll be Botman cheerleader number 1…and the reality is he is in his early 20’s so he can and and will surely improve on his flaws.
If they decide on someone else, it’ll be by the same criterias as they have brought us all these good defenders

I think Maldini said he’d rather wait with what we have (Kalulu) than make a short term fix like Bailey. We were always going for Botman as the long term CB, it was just not possible in January.

We still need 4 cbs, Botman is replacing Romagnoli, not Kalulu.

 

[Kojak]

Kalulu is predominantly a RB (he's played the majority of his career in this position) so will most likely be competing with Calabria next season whereas Tomori-Botman will be the first choice CB pairing with Kjaer/Kalulu as backups. In other words, MMM aren't spending 30m of our precious funds on a benchwarmer.

 

[gioiuzza]

I don't think it will be a clear cut starter/benchwarmer division at CB next season. I agree with brk that we're likely to rotate depending on the opposition, and also depending on how the different pairs end up playing together. It will just mean a relaxed rotation rather than a panic if anyone is unavailable. There are too many variables at the moment (Kjaer's recovery, Botman's arrival, Romagnoli's situation) to say with any certainty who will start in our first games next season, but I'm confident that we will concede even fewer goals with the defence that's being built here.

 

[taura]

Nunez under Mendes you say

 

[Kojak]

I don't think it will be a clear cut starter/benchwarmer division at CB next season. I agree with brk that we're likely to rotate depending on the opposition, and also depending on how the different pairs end up playing together. It will just mean a relaxed rotation rather than a panic if anyone is unavailable. There are too many variables at the moment (Kjaer's recovery, Botman's arrival, Romagnoli's situation) to say with any certainty who will start in our first games next season, but I'm confident that we will concede even fewer goals with the defence that's being built here.

Obviously we're going to rotate since there's three competitions to play but Botman is a natural LCB and much bigger physically than both Kalulu/Tomori so I expect him to carve out a starting spot especially given the 30m transfer fee involved.

 

[ROSSONERI7]

I think Maldini said he’d rather wait with what we have (Kalulu) than make a short term fix like Bailey. We were always going for Botman as the long term CB, it was just not possible in January.

We still need 4 cbs, Botman is replacing Romagnoli, not Kalulu.

Those are self evident.
Of course a 22-23yo would be for long term.
Of course any CB who arrives would be to replace the outgoing one.
A cb will arrive, it’s in my poste you quoted. So we agree on that.

Now, I really don’t know how to simplify this some more.
Like is said, I guess Our misunderstanding stems from the name of Botman and perhaps our understanding (which are different) of how close he is to signing with us…and also I guess how much you appreciate him. And despite all I do appreciate what he has that we lack lol, size, air, strength… but I’m not stuck on his name as a must have…so maybe that difference of “desiring” the signing is blurring the argument.

Let’s try this.
Just for argument’s sake…if we can’t get Botman, who do you think we should get?

 

[gioiuzza]

Nunez under Mendes you say

Now we just need him to post a picture with a Milan logo lock screen on his phone and I will believe

 

[Kojak]

Nunez under Mendes you say

Lol temper your expectations bro...knowing our luck we'll probably end up with the last guy on the list

 

[namorov]

this could be a bit long. but i just to say my piece on a few topics floating around the past few days/weeks.

i go based on links we can deem credible for many reason (profile fit plan/project, fit budget. also under the reality of our transfer policy, until something (ownership changes)



1. Formation change (3 man mid). i don't think there is any indication of formation change. same shit happened last summer, some were convinced we were changing formation based on nothing.
first., continuity is the name of the game. drilling our system (which works) till it becomes 2nd nature for the players, where they can find each other with their eyes closed. so i don't see us leaving a formation that brought us success just to try something new.
and based on the (potential) signings, namely Sanches, we're not gonna play with a mid 3 with those CMs we will have. it'll be short... especially knowing that Sanches and Bennacer will miss about 10 games each..it seems evident to me that they're signing for their 4231 as they have always done
and 4231 is the best formation for us... most Malleable and flexible. it can easily be altered into most other formations for specific needs of a game by switching either a player or just asking a player or 2 to play a slightly modified role. it ain't broken so they wont' break it. they'll reinforce it.

2. Adli is your AM. embrace it! yes he is also a CM but his purpose here will be primarily AM.
10+10 as the AM was stylistically what suits this team best...a deeper AM (CM/AM hybrid) who can playmake/pass. and Brahim for his first stint here was brought to have Variety being more of a final 3rd AM (AM/SS) ... and the same was true for this yea, just that we could not get our target for 10+10 replacement (CM/AM) by the name of Vlasic... so as Vlasic moved to west ham, they tried for their next CM/AM name on the List, Adli. And i'm convinced they tried to get him in immediately but Bordeaux insisted on keeping him for the season, which could explain why this deal happened at the very end of the market.
later in the market there were rumours of bigger names coming , which never seemed logical to me. James Rodriguez, Bernardo Silva (my brother Hitch was hyped for this one) ... not only they're not the deeper CM/AM that i think they were looking for ... but profile wise they simply were waaaaay out of line + they publicly express confidence in Brahim and gave him #10 so it'd either be a young AM competing as equal or even as 2nd but not a star to put him straight to the bench

all that to say, With Brahim here as the AM/SS the other AM will be IS a CM/AM named Adli...with most out other mids being able to fill in (Sanches Being the most fitting ... the lack of Deeper AM(AM/CM) forces Pioli to play a DM a AM in some games where he needs his AM to disrupt the opposition playmaker. last season he would just instruct 10+10 to do it. As a CM he had the workrate and enough strength to do it while still being able to provide some quality going forward...so not another AM/SS , sorry to piss on the Dybalians' parade.

Yeah that's all correct, but optimally you should play a formation that suits your players most. I mean this squad wasn't exactly built for 4-2-3-1 either. Pioli came in and proposed this solution to accomodate the players at his disposal. Mostly to put Hakan, Kessie and Benny in positions that would bring the best out of them. Now 2/3 of them are gone. Sanches is in no way a direct replacement for Kessie and Adli is not the same kind of CAM that Hakan was - he plays deeper and likes to drift to the side. Maybe Adli can accomodate to be the CAM we need? Probably? I don't know honestly. But still any one of Sanches, Tonali, Bennacer > Adli.

Yeah we can stick to 4-2-3-1 and it will be fine. All the things you said about it being drilled and flexible is spot on. But new formations also can be drilled in. It will take time, but if it fits the players better, then maybe it is worth it in the long run.

And I honestly think that a midfield of Bennacer - Tonali - Renato is the best we can field. On top of that Adli, Pobega and Krunic would be best used in rotation at a mezzala(ish) position also. Jamming them into CAM and CDM position will hurt their game. And yeah i know, i know - rotation - but good rotation still means that your top11 players are your base starting 11, and the rest you rotate. Otherwise you keep your best players longer on the bench than some other, worse players. Its just bad allocation of resources.

 

[MilanMB]

Only persian dick

 

[Hitchens]

I think Maldini said he’d rather wait with what we have (Kalulu) than make a short term fix like Bailey. We were always going for Botman as the long term CB, it was just not possible in January.

We still need 4 cbs, Botman is replacing Romagnoli, not Kalulu.

Yes, and there's almost never not fire when Fabrizio Romano releases some smoke. From what he said just a few details were missing, IE everything will click in place when the season is over.

Barring any fuzz with the club sale Botman is arriving in my view.

 

[mrki]

There is still a chance Romagnoli stays. Kalulu can play RB and should be the starting one.

 

[patosheva]

renato,tonali,benacer,adli pobega krunic are ok if we play renato as am.

 

[patosheva]

There is still a chance Romagnoli stays. Kalulu can play RB and should be the starting one.

No thanks ,he wants 3 mil and no way in hell he wiil get anything more then 2 mil.