Milan Spam
(LDS is not amused.)
You know what I was thinking, watching the players (Well, ok, I was watching Vargas. But that's only because that's who the TV was showing, alright?) walk around after the match? I was thinking how much being a professional athlete must suck. At least in conventional, boring jobs, you pretty much know what you get for the work you put in, and if you do your job well, you get your money and you keep your job (or get severance, or something). You have a degree of control, and there are few surprises. As a professional athlete? You can do your job amazingly -- much better than the other guys -- and still come away with nothing. Repeatedly! No freaking thank you, I'll keep my boring-ass life.
By which I mean: Poor boys.
Fiorentina 1-2 Milan [highlights|ratings table|Gazzetta pagelle]
Fiorentina: 1 Frey, 29 De Silvestri, 14 Natali (19 Gobbi, 46), 2 Kroldrup, 16 Felipe, 4 Donadel, 18 Montolivo, 8 Jovetic (15 Zanetti, 59), 6 Vargas, 32 Marchionni, 11 Gilardino (39 Keirrison, 62)
Milan: 12 Abbiati, 25 Bonera (18 Jankulovski, 64), 13 Nesta, 33 Thiago, 20 Abate, 21 Pirlo, 23 Ambrosini (16 Flamini, 32), 8 Gattuso (11 Huntelaar, 76), 80 Ronaldinho, 22 Borriello, 7 Pato
Oh, look -- Cesare's all nervous. Who would have guessed?
Hmm. Though in this case, maybe he's more nervous about who he's about to hang out with than about the match.
Leo: "Hello, Cesare. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm a big fan."
Cesare: "HEEEEEE."
Dude, whoa.
Look at Cesare, playing all hard to get! Good for you, Cesare.
Oh, well. Apparently he has Della Valle approval, whatever path he wishes to take with Leo.
Erm. Or not. Why so serious, tribuna?
Tifosi! Still with the Gila sign!
Lots and lots of signs yesterday.
If any of them are really clever and/or important, please drop translations in the comments. Thank you!
LDS started on the right, and tried to pull the chair on Ronnie. Clever!
You know, he looks normal-sized next to certain people, but at other times he looks like 7'6". Either that, or Bonera is like four feet tall.
He did really well against Ronaldinho for most of the match. Which, considering his form, was really impressive.
Unfortunately, the winning goal came off his failed clearance, which sort of soiled his game a little.
(So he made himself feel better by arguing with Rosetti. A lot of people can probably identify with that.)
Krol played in the middle of the back for the whole match.
I'm finding it oddly difficult to remember many details about this game, but I don't recall him ever really being troubled.
Graceful Felipe, interestingly, started wide on the left, and mostly sat in behind Vargas.
He did really well there -- Pato did nothing in the whole first half, with Felipe there to contain him.
Then, after Natali had to go off, he moved over to the middle next to Krol, and did well there, too. Hurrah, a good Felipe performance!
Natali was beastly, like he always is, but he had a hammy problem and had to go off at at half. He's out 7-10 days. SADFACE.
That was extra-bad, because it meant Gobbi came on.
And whereas Natali and Felipe had been having no trouble with Milan's right side? I don't think Gobbi stopped anyone all night.
The fail, it was substantial.
Even though there were rumors CZ would start, Donadel ended up being preferred to both him and Bolatti.
I have no memory of his performance at all, but Gazzetta says he was a hammer in the midfield.
Hammer! That sounds good, right? The fan sites all rated him really highly, though not many of the (non-Gazzetta) papers did.
I think he was pretty solid, cleaning up in front of the defense, and helping keep Ronaldinho quiet.
The problem was that he helped lose the ball that led to Milan's first goal so, like LDS, that hurt how most of the papers felt about him.
As usual lately, pretty much everyone agreed that Monty was at least among the best.
Gazzetta might have a point that he started to run out of gas in the second half, but he's still full of ideas, and covers a ridiculous amount of ground in the midfield.
He started the pretty move for Gila's goal, and also has started taking shots from distance again.
(Look at these two. Jesus, they look about 16 years old each.)
Except that Pato's thighs are much, much larger. Not that everyone's thighs aren't bigger than Monty's.
Can you tell my distress about the match wiped most of the details about it from my brain?
I mean, even I don't usually talk about thighs this much, particularly not Monty's.
I do remember this, though.
With the score tied, Thiago Silva pretty clearly held Monty in the box, then pushed him over when he turned.
Even Nesta basically admitted it was a pk, ok? If Nesta says it was a pk, it was a pk.
Monty: *mopes*
Gila: "Ask Nesta! ASK NESTA!"
Rosetti: "I will ask no one! Plz. Like I ever need help, or get anything wrong."
Cesare: "Pardon me. Referee?"
Rosetti: "Yeeeeeeees?"
Cesare: *glares*
Rosetti: *points to the edge of Cesare's box to make sure he stays there*
... Ok, now he's just showing off. Shocking, right?
Away from Monty and Rosetti and the drama, Marco was working his lethal eyebrow up and down the right side.
Vargas: "Hey, Marco, are you going to the goal? Can I come? Please?"
I'm not sure I'm a very good person to ask how he did, because I've realized I'm becoming Marco!biased.
The more feisty and kicky he gets, the more I'm willing the give him a pass on everything else.
Has he always been like that, or is it Comotto who's teaching him how to defend "properly"?
Either way, I like it.
(It will come as no surprise that he ended up with a card. But he, LDS, and Donadel kept Ronnie pretty quiet! For a while, anyway.)
VARGAS! (And Little Vargas!)
Big Vargas got a haircut. I won't speculate on the state of Little Vargas.
Milan were set up to try to contain him and Abate worked hard, but Vargas still won a lot of battles, and was regularly threatening.
And he wasn't even fit -- he was carrying a knock from the weekend, and is going to be evaluated by the medical team again tomorrow.
Dude is just a monster, ok? Pato knows. Pato's both scared and fascinated.
When he's not crying about playing twice a week as if Milan are the only team doing it, Abate's pretty sharp -- ain't nothing wrong with grabbing a Vargas when you can.
Though he also looked a little scared -- I think that's the people made when they said "Please Hammer, don't hurt 'em."
Late in the game, he hit an absolutely rocket that Abbiati barely got across to keep out.
He was in both disbelief and pain. *pats chastely*
As usual, Jojo was in there between Mighty Marco and JMV.
In my limited memory, he was pretty flat yesterday.
His good thing (apart from knocking over Ambro), was that he assisted on Gila's goal. Hurrah!
Apart from that, though, I don't recall him doing much.
You can never fault his effort or desire, but the boy looks like he could use a rest.
Which, unless Cesare going crazy and starts Adem in his stead against Bayern, or something, he's not going to get any time soon.
Eventually, Cesare took him off, trying to close the game down with another midfielder.
Which didn't really work out, but it wasn't CZ's fault, alright?
He played the last half hour in his usual, calm way, but the new system confused people, and he and Donadel apparently screw up for Milan's first goal. Doh!
What up, Gila?
Playing against his old homies, he wasn't even a little scared.
(Nesta can't look.)
(Actually, Nesta might be just slightly scared. He know's Gila's got skillz.)
Apart from when he got a flat tire, he was like he always is these days: Hard-working, willing to sacrifice, and amazingly quiet.
Every time a call went against him he'd be like "Huh, really?" And turn around and jog back in.
Ok, maybe he feigned a periodic prayer, but he really didn't bitch at all.
He just worked and fought, and waited for his opportunity.
For which he did not have to wait long.
Monty, Vargas, and Jojo put together a sweet little move, and the ball ended up in Gila's feet on the edge of the goal.
Despite the completely bizarre (and very wrong) shouts for offside, his biggest challenge was getting out of his own way to touch it in.
(He succeeded.)
He did his Prancing Freak Dance, because that's what he does.
Which no doubt annoyed the piss out of Milan, considering how little he did that with them, in his later years there.
That's ok, though, cos Gila doesn't care any more -- he's finally scored against Milan for Fiorentina. \o/
LDS was as happy as Gila, though you'd be forgiven for wondering if his joy was due to the goal or the excuse to hug Gila.
(Gila is having second thoughts.)
LDS: *makes high-pitched, joyful noises*
Gila: *is slightly uncomfortable*
... Well hello there, Marco.
After the glomping was done, Donadel had something very important to say.
Ah, turns out he wanted a hug. Very important indeed.
Though it may have seemed like Cesare was battening down the hatches when he took Gila off, Gila was actually hurt.
He got whacked in the leg and should be ok, but that's the reason he got the unexpected rest.
So Keirrison took his place. Surely he's as dumb as he looks, right?
Surely.
He had a couple close-range chances, once out of a bit of chaos in front and one after the non-PK.
As we all know, he didn't make a hero of himself by putting either one in.
Which was too bad, because despite all Fiorentina's superior play, Milan were busy taking all the points.
Fail.
Sigh.
Cesare: "Rosetti."
Cesare: "ROSETTI!"
Rosetti: "The gentleman in the expensive coat -- what can I do for you?"
Cesare: *sputters and mimes PKs and rage and Germans and mean bald men*
Rosetti: *wipes a tear*
After the game, Cesare decided the best policy was not to talk. To anyone.
Seb didn't talk either, he just emitted woe.
Aw, boys. Jeez.
*pours them copious amounts of liquor*
Up next is a trip to Rome to play Lazio, whose Ultras are on strike. Great, so they'll be all fired up.