Allegro...lento...moderato...Tempo I

Mixed emotions from this weekend.

On the one hand, Milan won their 18th scudetto, the first since 2004 and their first title since Champions League since 2007.  That is pretty big.  But we knew it would happen at some stage and watching a recording of a goalless game in the middle of the night, slightly tipsy and with my wife asleep downstairs, was not really the receipe for a scudetto party.

On the other, Örebro suddenly look like a team that will not be in the title chase this year.  When you lose games when you have 78% possession, you will not win the league.  That's pretty much all I heard from Friday night's game, the result made me so depressed I can't even read about it.  Heard Bedoya scored again - and he will probably leave the club for bigger and more important things (according to him) very soon.  Misery.

And so Spurs, another team incapable of making use of possession and dominance in general.  What a terrible spring Spurs have had.  Everton's win gave a little, little opening for chasing down City, but that little glimmer of hope lasted for just a few hours.  Then we drew Blackpool, the worst team in the league after Christmas.  At home.  With Bale injured.  Misery.

So let's focus on the Champions and what made them Champions.

Since I will go on about this for quite some time below and may lose most of you on the way (but hey, there will be hyperlinks to violent actions), here's a summary:

• Winning the 6-point games.  12 points out of 12 against the other title challengers Inter and Napoli is really what won it
• Allegri finding a new Milan identity
• Zlatan showing winning mentality before Milan had found that new Milan identity
• Clarence Seedorf (on my order!) waking up from the dead
• van Bommel creating balance when a raft of injuries tore apart the midfield
• Pato maintaining the goal scoring record
• Last but not least, Thiago Silva, being the best (?) defender in the game

Before this blog existed I made yet another very bad prediction of Serie A.  I will come back to that when it's all over, but for AC Milan I predicted a fourth spot, with the motivation "No indication that anything will improve on last year, but maybe we will not have to suffer from naiive tactics with Leonardo gone".  That was on 14th August.  Then in order of chronology (and arguable in order of importance), the following happened:

• 21 Aug: I got married.
• 28 Aug: Zlatan signs for AC Milan on a loan+option deal
• 31 Aug: Robinho signs for AC Milan

After Saturday's game, Zlatan summarised the season by saying it had been tough and he was glad it was all over.  He said with Inter they were always favourites.  When he came to Milan he said he was not sure he signed for the favourites, but they certainly became favourites after he signed.

A self-confident statement by a self-confident man.

But look at his record since he left Sweden in 2001 (ignoring that Juventus lost their scudetti of 2005 and 2006 after calciopoli):

• 2001/2002, Ajax: Champion
• 2002/2003, Ajax: runner-up
• 2003/2004, Ajax: Champion
• 2004/2005, Juventus: Champion
• 2005/2006, Juventus: Champion
• 2006/2007, Inter: Champion
• 2007/2008, Inter: Champion
• 2008/2009, Inter: Champion
• 2009/2010, Barcelona: Champion
• 2010/2011, Milan: Champion

An incredible record.  Some self-confidence justified.  Maybe not enough to kick three team mates in one season, but what can an honourary Taekwondo black belt do?

I think there is quite a consensus as to what Zlatan brought to the pique-nique.  A winning mentality, goals created out of nothing, the feeling of a mercenary soldier that can carry a whole army on his shoulders.  Without Zlatan, Allegri could have been out of the title race, Champions League, and possibly his job, before Christmas.

But as the autumn turned into winter, Milan started to find something new.  Allegri put one of Pato and Robinho on the bench and played a midfielder in the role of the trequartista.  The one that did it best was Kevin Prince Boateng.  The tactical change (which Leonardo would not have done with a gun against his forehead) enabled Milan to gain possession quickly, to maintain possession and to attack with more depth.  Despite a season with enourmous injury problems, Allegri has developed a Stilo Milan.  It works, most pieces are there, some pieces are still missing but it is pretty easy to see what needs to be done in the transfer market to turn this into a team that is ready to compete on the European scene next year.

• Starting from the front, Zlatan/Pato has the potential of being a very prolific couple up front.  Two problems to tackle though: Pato is not a clever footballer.  And Zlatan does not respect Pato as he is not a clever footballer.  The couple should now spend the summer finding inspiration with Helena and Barabara, and then return to pre-season camp full of ambition to shape their respective roles on the squad for next year.  Cassano and Robinho are not bad alternatives behind them.  And Pippo, if he stays alive and fit.
• In the trequartista role, Boateng works.  He is not a fantastic footballer, but a type cast for the role.  He has found confidence, his feet look better than before, and he has the physique and the smartness to get into the box without marking over and over again.  He should polish his finishing this summer
• On the three-man midfield, the long serving trio Pirlo, Ambrosini and Gattuso did not play much due to injuries.  OK, Gattuso played quite a bit, but constantly with new constellations and with varying result.  The two men that really made the mark were instead two old Dutchmen.  Seedorf, who sometime in February/March started to play at the level we know he has, and van Bommel, who took the responsibility of the achieving balance in the midfield.  Allegri should think a bit on what to do with the midfield next season.  The Dutchmen played so well they need to be considered for the starting line up, but who will complement them? Pirlo, who wants to be both the balance (van Bommel) and the creativity (Seedorf) of the midfield? What to do with the two loyal warriors Gattuso and Ambrosini? The overpaid Flamini? Are the youngsters Emanuelson, Strasser and Merkel what we need for the future? They have not proven it yet.  Emanuelson may be a better alternative as full back, actually
• In the defence line, Abbiati has become a reliable goalie.  Apart from being a fascist, there's little not to like about him.  Thiago Silva and Nesta are a fantastic central defence.  Yepes has proven a good replacement, but Sokratis must.  The full backs were for long the biggest problem.  That problem looks half solved as Abate during this season has finally managed to control his feet, yet maintain his speed.  On the left side, we need a class player.  Coentrao is the top of my list, but if Bale needs to leave Spurs Milan should be his next home

OK, gotta stop it there.  I'm afraid I will return to the topic of transfers when the season goes silly in the summer