11 Dec 2013: AC Milan - Ajax

[Kowalczyk]

UEFA Champions League 2013-2014. Group H. Matchday 6.

Kick-off time the Giuseppe Meazza, a.k.a. San Siro, in Milan is 20:45 CET.

'The Big One'... Can we do this? It would be quite something...

Thousands of Ajax supporters to make the trip...

K.

[Orange14]

It's going to be tricky since Milan are getting all their injured players back in the squad. Kaka is looking especially good. Even so, FdB has led the squad to the San Siro before and come away victorious.

[Ayman]

It's going to be tricky since Milan are getting all their injured players back in the squad. Kaka is looking especially good. Even so, FdB has led the squad to the San Siro before and come away victorious.

The difference is, that game was a meaningless game when Ajax won 0-2 away to AC Milan three years ago, this time the stakes are high, my main concern is Abate, the right back, against Duarte.

[SPL]

I can see Blind LB v Milan and Poulsen DM.

[elliquido]

must be this in first half ;

cilissen

rijn moisander denswil blind

poulsen

klaassen serrero


schone de jong (hoessen) fisher

From 60 minutes (or sooner when behind) we could always be more attacking with 3-5-2


cilissen

rijn moisander denswil

blind

klaassen serrero duarte


bojan de jong (hoessen) fisher

[Ayman]

must be this in first half ;

cilissen

rijn moisander denswil blind

poulsen

klaassen serrero


schone de jong (hoessen) fisher

From 60 minutes (or sooner when behind) we could always be more attacking with 3-5-2


cilissen

rijn moisander denswil

blind

klaassen serrero duarte


bojan de jong (hoessen) fisher

elliquido, Blind must play in midfield, its the key to winning the game

[elliquido]

Duarte on lb is a liability against milan. How to solve that?

[Tom_]

I'd also expect FdB to start with the more defensive lineup (Poulsen at DMF). It's gonna be massively tough getting a win in the San Siro to knock Milan out, but then I gave us basically no chance against Barça.

Oh yeah, it would be nice if we could get through this one without conceding a penalty, as well.

[Ayman]

Its not a good idea to start this game with defensive tactics, since the idea is to win, Ajax need to go in guns blazing. If Ajax are ahead at some point and still ahead after 75 minutes, then they can make defensive substitutions. Like poulsen on for duarte, with denswil moving at left back, and poulsen at the back with moisander

[ofey]

what are the chances 2003 again?

http://youtu.be/RkGD1gORK48

[King Litti]

This is going to be tricky as we need to win a big away game. That's something we haven't been able to do in a while in the CL. So, should we come out guns blazing like Ayman wrote or try to defend and score just one more than Milan. I'm thinking the latter because I don't think we have the right guns for the come out blazing tactic. We have sling shots when we would need uzis.

We have decent enough attacking players, but it would be difficult to dominate against Milan and we would fall right in to their trap. They have guys like Balotelli and Kaka that are waiting for us to push foolishly forward and lose the ball that they can punish us with the counter. We can't let them score first! That would put us in too much trouble. Italian teams know how to defend a lead. Then we would have to open up our game and that could lead to further conceded goals.

In fact I think the key to winning this game is actually defending well. If we could defend so well that we could keep a clean sheet that would give us a great chance to steal the win. I know that this is not the classic Ajax way of playing and thinking, but we can play total football in the Eredivisie. We just don't have the quality to play it in the CL.

Duarte just came back from injury and is not used to playing left back. Think it would be a huge gamble to throw him in against Milan as a defender as his abilities are more in the offensive game, but I guess that is again a question of the tactical approach that we want to take.

[aveslacker]

I'd be happy with a single point from this match, and ecstatic with three. Realistically, though, I don't expect us to win. And that's ok - we'd still be in Europe with a loss. Considering how young this team is, even by our standards, and how it seems we're just now starting to gel, I think we can go pretty far in the Europa league.

[King Litti]

I'd be happy with a single point from this match, and ecstatic with three.

I guess we could be proud to get a point away against Milan, but a draw would be actually the most annoying result I think. It would mean that we were so damn close. Hope we will press for a goal like crazy if it's tied in the end cause a draw won't do us any good. A draw or a loss, pretty much the same thing cause both will mean we are out.

Really really hope we could score the opener. That would turn the table around as Milan would be the one that is under pressure to score.

True that we could go further in the European league, but CL is where it's at.

[elliquido]

hear hear..
A draw is indeed most frustrating..

[Orange14]

Maybe we will get even with an easy penalty call! Would be the perfect way to win it.

[Ayman]

This is going to be tricky as we need to win a big away game. That's something we haven't been able to do in a while in the CL. So, should we come out guns blazing like Ayman wrote or try to defend and score just one more than Milan. I'm thinking the latter because I don't think we have the right guns for the come out blazing tactic. We have sling shots when we would need uzis.

We have decent enough attacking players, but it would be difficult to dominate against Milan and we would fall right in to their trap. They have guys like Balotelli and Kaka that are waiting for us to push foolishly forward and lose the ball that they can punish us with the counter. We can't let them score first! That would put us in too much trouble. Italian teams know how to defend a lead. Then we would have to open up our game and that could lead to further conceded goals.

In fact I think the key to winning this game is actually defending well. If we could defend so well that we could keep a clean sheet that would give us a great chance to steal the win. I know that this is not the classic Ajax way of playing and thinking, but we can play total football in the Eredivisie. We just don't have the quality to play it in the CL.

Duarte just came back from injury and is not used to playing left back. Think it would be a huge gamble to throw him in against Milan as a defender as his abilities are more in the offensive game, but I guess that is again a question of the tactical approach that we want to take.

King Litti, What do we have to lose? I mean the whole purpose is to go there and to win, if we sit back then AC Milan will be quiet content to pass the ball around, until they can sneak in a goal. However, if we go and attack attack attack, and take our chances, AC Milan will be completely bamboozled! They will take more risks, throw caution to the wind if worst comes to worst, then they will be in our trap! By a counter attack!

[King Litti]

In a sense we have nothing to lose. We have already exceeded ourselves. Not many people believed that our young and unexperienced team could be a serious contender for the top two spots in this group, but here we are! So of course we're going all out to win in Milan. All I'm saying that this is Milan away, not De Graafschap at home. I'm not saying that we should just defend, but I don't think we should throw too many guys forward either. Milan is a team that won't get bamboozled very easily and counter attacks are what they do best. We have to be careful when in possession cause passes like van Rhijn gave against Barca are fairly common to us. But you are right Ayman, we have to attack, since we need to score to win this game, it's that simple. I just don't wont us taking unnecessary risks.

This can be tactically a very interesting game. If we score first that would put us in a position were we would go through, but one goal for Milan would again change it the other way around and so forth. Emotionally this game can turn up to be a real rollercoaster ride. Hope it will end in a high note! Can't wait to see our guys celebrate in the face of a completely stunned San Siro crowd

[King Litti]

Ayman, I guess we have a different approach to looking at life. Us Finns are known to be a bit pessimistic I still think that FdB will start carefully and pretty defensively , but I would be actually thrilled to see us go forward with full steam.

Anyway at the end I just would like to see us play with the same focus, determination and commitment that we had against Barca. If we can do that I will be very proud of the guys no matter what will happen.

[Ayman]

What everyone needs to understand is that Poulsen can not handle kaka in midfield, only Blind can, so as far as left back goes, well you have two choices, play Duarte there, so Moisander and Denswil in central defence, or play Denswil at left back, and partnering Moisander with Van der Hoorn, who clearly isnt ready for this level just yet.

[Ayman]

http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague ... 32481.html Centre-back Matías Silvestre will miss AC Milan's decisive UEFA Champions League game against AFC Ajax on Wednesday after suffering his third injury of the season.

Is he any good? I mean they have Mexes, Constant and Zapata, the first two mentioned are pretty good.

[Ayman]

http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague ... inho+abate AC Milan will go into their winner-takes-all game against AFC Ajax without Robinho and Ignazio Abate who suffered respective shoulder and ankle injuries on Tuesday.

I didnt know that???!!!!

[King Litti]

What everyone needs to understand is that Poulsen can not handle kaka in midfield, only Blind can, so as far as left back goes, well you have two choices, play Duarte there, so Moisander and Denswil in central defence, or play Denswil at left back, and partnering Moisander with Van der Hoorn, who clearly isnt ready for this level just yet.

Bad news: Duarte got injured in training. He will miss the nac game and the game against Milan. So, he won't be an option for the left back position. Starting to look like Blind will have to play as the left back, which is not necessarily a bad thing. We need a good all around player for that spot. Someone who is a solid defender, but can provide assistance to our attack as well. Poulsen will have to come big as he has a important role if he starts. At least he is though and has more experience of these kind of games that any other guy in our squad. Hope he has one of his better games.

[Ayman]

If Duarte is out injured, then Ruben Ligeon will have to take the responsibility of playing at left back, which shouldnt be too hard, since Abate is out injured

[Orange14]

Fischer must be OK as he's listed on the team sheet for the Milan match. Sigthorsson replaces the suspended Veltman and de Jong must still not be fully fit as he left off. I would like to see Bojan start at striker rather than Hoesen.

[Kowalczyk]

Right then. I'm ready for D-Day. Let's have it.

K.