FM10: Official A.C. Milan Thread - Beginning Of A New Era

CLUB OVERVIEW

A.C. Milan is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. It is presently owed by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

CLUB HISTORY

AC Milan was founded in 1899 by Englishmen Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin. They won their first Italian championship as early as 1901 and then again in 1906 & 1907.

In 1908, because of internal politics, the club was split leading to the formation of Internazionale. Post this, a barren run followed where the club did not win a single domestic title until 1950-51. Following the retirement of club legend Gianni Rivera in 1979, the club went on a decline getting relegated to Serie B in 1980 for the first time in their history.

1986 heralded the era of Silvio Berlusconi who acquired the club and immediately started investing heavily into making them a world superpower again. With the appointment of Arrigo Sacchi as head coach and the arrival of Dutch trio Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten & Frank Rijkaard, they started a journey which proved to one of the most successful in the club’s history.

More recently, in 2006, the club became involved in the Serie A match fixing scandal. They were found guilty and initially punished with a 15 point deduction for the following season. This was later reduced to 8 points. Despite the turmoil in the club that year, the club put behind the disappointment and went on to lift the Champions League trophy.

The 2009 season has marked the beginning of a new era for the Italian giants. With the retirement of club legend Paolo Maldini, the transfer of icon Kaka and with long-serving manager Carlo Ancelotti moving on, the club is set to open a new chapter in its history.

CLUB STADIUM

Milan's home games are played at the San Siro, also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The ground, which is shared with rivals Internazionale, is the largest in Italian football, with a total capacity of 80,018.

CLUB INFORMATION

Club Name : Associazione Calcio Milan

Club Nick-name : Rossoneri (the Red-Blacks), il Diavolo (the Devil)

Year Founded : 1899

Reputation : Continental

Legends : Marco van Basten, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini

Icons : Arrigo Sacchi, Carlos Ancelotti, Gennaro Gattuso

Favoured Personnel : Fabio Capello, Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit, Kaka, Leonardo da Araujo, Massimo Ambrosini

Fierce Rivals : Juventus, Inter, Genoa, Roma

Other Rivals : Fiorentina, Napoli, Sampdoria, Atalanta, Lazio, Livorno, Cagliari, Palermo, Torino

Finances : Rich

Average Ticket Price : £35.50

Average Season Ticket Price : £399

Season Ticket Holders : 22120

Estimated Value : £202M (Loan Debt : £322M)

Continental Qualification : European Champions Cup

Media Prediction : 3rd

Squad Personality : Very Determined

Transfer Budget : £13M (Title Challenge)

Wage Budget : £1.7M (Title Challenge)

CLUB FACILITIES

Stadium Name : San Siro

Location : Milan

Rent : £3M per year

Capacity : 82955 all-seater

Year Built : 1926

Training Facilities : Top training facilities

Youth Facilities : Good youth facilities + youth academy

CLUB KITS

SQUAD & SQUAD ANALYSIS

Looking at the Milan squad, there are three main problems that stand out: the age of the squad, the ridiculous wages some of the players are on and also the injury proneness of many of their players. These are the main areas that need to be addressed at the club to get it back on track of being a European powerhouse. The first season is best thought of as a transition season for the club and using this time to pump some youth into the squad and rebuild it a little as well. The club still has enough firepower to win a trophy or two even with the squad as it stands. But I don’t think it’ll be a cakewalk. I can understand that the hardcore Milan fans would not want to dismantle the current team so early in the game but unfortunately, with an ageing side, the squad’s backbone can’t stay intact for much longer and you'll just be delaying the inevitable.

I’ve played the demo till the end both ways – by rebuilding the squad and by keeping all of the original players and adding only one or two to the squad. And I do believe it’s best to rebuild and add your own flavor to the club. My analysis and recommendations will mostly be based on pumping youth into the Milan veins but also ensuring that the club at least maintains its current level.

* All players have been given a rating ranging from 1-10. 1 is rubbish, 10 world class. The ratings correspond to the players suitability to a club of Milan’s stature.

GOALKEEPERS

Christian Abbiati – 5.5

The best keeper at the club by some distance and an automatic first choice. Unfortunately, he’s injured at the start for around 3 months. He’s a solid keeper though and although by no means world class, he should be held on to for now. Isn’t on a ridiculous salary either compared to the rest of the team and he’ll do a good job for you. A little injury prone.

Dida – 2.5

Ageing, average and on an atrocious salary to boot. He should be first in line to sell out of all the keepers. Unfortunately though, it’s not easy to sell him. Atleast I haven’t been able to. The only respite is that his contract expires after 1 year.

Flavio Roma – 4

He’s a decent backup to Abbiati and a good 3rd choice. He’s a new arrival so will be hard to sell in any case. So keep him happy for emergencies.

Marco Storari – 3.5

He’s a decent keeper as well for a 3rd choice. But he should be sold off as you can still get some good cash for him. Will sell for £1.5-£1.9M which is a good price for him.

Star Man: None

Youth Prospects: None

Recommendation: A position that needs to be addressed as the keepers at the club, while decent enough, don’t have the extra bit of quality expected at a club of this stature. Buy a young(ish) first choice keeper who can atleast challenge Abbiati for the starting spot immediately and has the potential to become world-class.

Targets:

Guillermo Ochoa – Cost: £2.5-£5M

Good keeper for that price. He will challenge Abbiati from the get-go for a starting spot and has the potential to be better. Your best bet with the transfer budget in mind.

Asmir Begovic - £1.1M

Usually transfer listed at Pompey and has the potential to be a good keeper. Seems to have some decent stats already and worth a go at that price.

Vincenzo Fiorillo – £4-£5M

A bit pricey for someone not ready to challenge for a starting spot but he’s a good Italian prospect and might be worth it in the long run especially if you like to keep the squad as Italian as possible.

RIGHT BACKS

Gianluca Zambrotta – 6

Clearly not the player he once was but still maintains a decent enough level to be a starter. He should also be held on for his versatility which can come in handy. He’s decent in both attack and defense.

Daniele Bonera – 5

He’s a handy player to have around as he too is versatile and decent enough in defense and reasonable in attack. Not a natural at RB but is better there than at CB in my opinion. Although he’s injured at the start of the game, it’s not for too long. He’s at age where he’s at his peak as well so should be held on to.

Massimo Oddo – 4.5

Again, a decent enough player and is versatile. But he too is ageing and on a 40k+ per week package. For backup, you have better options. He should be moved on and you can probably get between £3.5-£3.8M. You also have Flamini & Onyewu who can play here in emergencies.

Star Man: None

Youth Prospects: None

Recommendation: You have enough players for this position. Not having a big budget, you shouldn't bother investing here for now. Unless you can get a youth prospect on the cheap.

Targets: NA

LEFT BACKS

Kakha Kaladze – 5.5

Not a natural but is probably your best bet amongst the current crop of players. He’s solid in defense but don’t expect many overlapping surges from him down the left. He is ageing as well so will need to be replaced soon. Injury prone.

Luca Antonini – 4

One of two natural left backs at the club but unfortunately, doesn’t make the grade. The things in his favour are small wages & versatility. Not to mention, he’s not particularly old either. But those still don’t help him qualify for a chance at the club. Prone to a lot of mistakes, he should be sold. You should get between £2.8-£3.2M for him.

Giuseppe Favalli – 4

The other natural left back at the club but at 37, he’s way past his best. Trouble is, it’s practically impossible to sell him so it’s best to keep him happy and he can do a reasonable job when called upon. Doesn’t have the pace or the stamina to bomb up and down but can probably help shut down a game.

Marek Jankulovski – 5

Transfer listed at the start of the game, he should be taken off it and brought back into the first-team squad. For one, he’s a pretty decent player and does a handy job. He’s very versatile and is, for all the criticism he attracts IRL, a good enough player to hold on to for now. Secondly, teams are not usually interested in him when trying to sell him. And lastly, there’s a dearth of good LB’s that can be bought for cheap at the start of the game. So keep him around. Injury prone.

Star Man: None

Youth Prospect: None

Recommendation: You have reasonable players to get you through for atleast a season. But if you can find someone who’s up to task and can be bought cheap, you should definitely do so. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone myself.

Targets:

Domenico Criscito – Cost: £13-£17M

He’s a good Italian prospect but unfortunately, not available cheap. If you can get him for a decent enough price, he’s worth bringing in as he can provide cover at CB too. He’ll be the ideal replacement for Kaladze who can be moved on for a reasonable price.

Joe Mattock – Cost: £2.5-2.7M

A good prospect for the future, the young Englishman can be bought relatively cheap and has the potential to go on and establish himself as a key player in the side.

Jelle Van Damme - Cost: £1.5-1.9M

He's not a particular young or spectacular player but at that price, is a good player to have in the team. Decent buy.

CENTER BACKS

Alessandro Nesta – 6.5

The Milan legend, despite the spate of injuries he’s had, manages to maintain a pretty high standard even this year. He’s definitely first choice at the back. Unfortunately though, he’s very injury prone and because of his age, is a short term solution anyway. He’s one of the icons of the club though and it’s best to keep him around.

Thiago Silva – 6.5

Not as good as last year, but he’s still good enough. Has plenty of potential and is still young. Should be one of the key players at the club and your best defender considering Nesta’s injury proneness.

Oguchi Onyewu – 5.5

Good stats almost everywhere but is let down by his ability to concentrate properly. He’s prone to the odd mistake because of that and in all probability, it’ll be a howler. But is mostly solid enough and a pretty reliable backup. Should be held on to.

Star Man: Alessandro Nesta

Youth Prospect: Davide Astori (co-owned)

Recommendation: Look to bring in atleast one more player in for this position. All the better if this player is a youngster with potential and also can contribute immediately should he be needed.

Targets:

Nicolas Otamendi – Cost: £2.7-£3M

The Argentine is one of the hottest properties in world football at the moment. He’s available pretty cheap at the start of the game and is already good enough to slot into the first team as backup. He’ll definitely improve as well and is a great option to bring in.

Fabiano Santacroce – Cost: £8-£9M

The Italian is a good prospect and is already at a decent level. He won’t be available very cheap but is a good option for those wishing to keep the side as Italian as possible.

Ezeuqiel Munoz – Cost: £3-£3.5M

Another Argentine prospect and will be a good addition for the future. However, he’s injured at the start of the game and you’ll have to hold off atleast till Jan to try and sign him.

Havard Nordtveit – Cost: £4.5-£4.8M

The young Arsenal player has the potential to become world-class a little into the game. Shouldn’t cost a lot either at the start.

CENTRAL/DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS

Andrea Pirlo – 8.5

The deep lying playmaker retains his great stats from the previous game and is undoubtedly one of the key players of your side. At 30, he’s still got plenty of legs left to be an integral part of the rebuilding process at the club. Keep at all costs.

Gennaro Gattuso – 8

Another quality player and another Milan icon, the tough tackling midfield general remains a key player in the side. At 31, age is catching up but he still has a lot to give to the club. Sell only in the face of a mammoth offer and with a suitable replacement lined up.

Massimo Ambrosini – 7

Another Milan legend and the present team captain, the ageing midfielder remains a good all-round player. He’s not irreplaceable though and if you get a good enough bid, best advise would be to consider moving him on. However, don’t offer him out as it’s bound to ruffle a few feathers.

Mathieu Flamini – 7

Brought down quite a lot from him FM09 days, Flamini still remains an excellent player. With his great versatility and solid stats, he will be a key figure in your side for some years to come. If you do decide to move Ambrosini on, he can easily step in. Hold on to him unless you get 30M+ for him.

Star Man: Andrea Pirlo

Youth Prospect: None

Recommendation: Although the midfield remains Milan’s greatest strength, if you plan to play with 3 CM’s in your formation, making one more purchase is required. If however, you plan to only play 2 in midfield, you’re adequately staffed for now.

Targets:

Ayila Yussuf – Cost: £3.7M

Usually transfer listed at Kiev, Ayila provides excellent cover in midfield and the back as well. He’s a good option to purchase at that price and is young enough to provide good service for years.

Etienne Capoue – Cost: £4.5-£4.8M

The young midfielder has the ability to become world-class in the future and can certainly do a good job if he’s called upon. Available at a reasonable price at the start of the game, he’s a good option to provide cover for the time being. Strong in the air, strong on the ground, the youngster is a great prospect to have as the game progresses.

Blaise Matuidi – Cost: £6.5-£7M

Like Capoue, he’s another good French prospect. He too is good enough to slot in the Milan midfield should it be required and will serve the club well for years to come. Slightly more expensive though.

Marek Hamsik – Cost: £10-11M

Almost everyone playing FM would know about the quality of Hamsik. He’s a brilliant player and a great addition to any squad really. He’s sometimes available for that price and is an unbelievable signing for £10M.

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS

Ronaldinho – 7.5

Toned down from the previous, he’s is still a formidable player. When on form, he’s near impossible to stop. But the problem with him remains consistency. He is on a ludicrous salary but as long as he’s at the club, he will be a key player in your side. If you do happen to get a 20M+ offer for him, I would recommend moving him on and bringing in Cassano instead.

Clarence Seedorf – 6.5

The great Dutchman still has solid stats and is a handy player. However, at 33 his best days are well and truly behind him. He’s a pretty inconsistent performer as well and is another player on a big salary. Usually attracts plenty of interest and you should be able to offload him for £10M. Do so as there are younger and just as good/better options available.

Star Player: Ronaldinho

Youth Prospect: None

Recommendation: Sell Seedorf and bring in a younger player to cover Ronaldinho in case of injury. There are plenty of guys available for less than £10M that you can get for Seedorf.

Targets:

Sofiane Feghouli – Cost: £6-£6.5M

Available cheap, the youngster has all the potential in the world to succeed at a big club and is already good enough to provide excellent cover for Ronaldinho. Is versatile too so can adapt to different formations if required.

Arda Turan – Cost: £7-£7.5M

The young Turk is a brilliant player who’s great at taking the game to the opposition with his direct style. He’s available for less than £10M at the start and would be a good signing for any club especially considering is versatility.

Ibrahim Afellay – Cost: £7-£7.5M

In keeping with the plethora of great Dutchmen that have graced the San Siro, the young Dutchman has all the tools required to succeed at the club. Another versatile and relatively cheap signing that can be considered.

WINGERS

Ignazio Abate – 4.5

Young but not a very bright prospect unfortunately. Abate has just joined the club and will be difficult to offload in the first transfer window. He can be handy coming off the bench when you’re going in search of a goal. His dribbling and pace is bound to cause problems.

Davide de Gennaro – 6

The young Milan youth product starts off injured for a while. He has the potential to become a useful player at the club but in all probability, will be best playing on the wing rather than upfront. And his stats for a striker don’t seem all that good. Unless you change the team to start playing with wide men, it would be best to move him on when the chance arises.

Star Man: None

Youth Prospect: Davide de Gennaro

Recommendation: Get rid of both these players when you get the chance. Not suited to Milan’s best formation.

Targets: NA

STRIKERS/FORWARDS

Alexandre Pato – 8.5

A young player blessed with all the natural talent in the world, “The Duck” should be considered as one of the first names on the team sheet. Already a quality player, the youngster can only get better with age and if handled correctly, can become a legend. A must keep.

Klaas-Jan Hunetlaar – 7.5

Despite not convincing in real life, “The Hunter” is a quality striker on the game and capable of scoring plenty of goals. He’s just moved to the club and should definitely be given the full year to prove his worth. And I’m sure he will. Sell only if you receive a large offer.

Marco Borriello – 6

Although injury prone, Borriello is a very useful striker and capable of scoring goals. You can definitely find better strikers however and if you get a £12-£15M offer for him, sell him and bring him in a better replacement.

Fillippo Inzaghi – 6

Yet another legend of the club, “Super Pippo” is a great finisher and capable of scoring goals when the team is creating a lot of chances but the finishing is letting them down. Age is not on his side however so a replacement will be required. Doubtful whether you’ll be able to sell him on though so keep him happy and use as a substitute.

Star Man: Alexandre Pato

Youth Prospect: Alberto Paloschi (co-owed), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Recommendation: You don’t require any investment here for now. When you have the cash, you’re best off just taking 100% ownership of Paloschi rather than looking elsewhere.

Targets: NA

RECOMMENDED FORMATION & STARTING XI

Milan’s current set-up is ideally suited for a 4-1-2-1-2 or 4-3-1-2. It has been Ancelotti’s preferred formation for years and is probably the best way to go.

             Abbiati              

Flamini   Nesta   Silva   Zambrotta

              Pirlo             

       Gattuso    Ambrosini 

            Ronaldinho             

         Pato   Huntelaar    

I think that about covers it. Like I said, you can play the game any way you like but you will need to do some serious rebuilding to take the club to the heights of old. My guide is based around how you can take the team forward by investing in just youth from the get-go. If my thinking is correct, by the end of the first transfer window in season 2, you should have got rid of most of the older players in the squad and build a solid base for the team to thrive. If not in season 1 itself, you should have won atleast 2 big trophies by the end of season 2 and should be dominating world football thereafter.

I hope this year's thread will be amongst the most active on the forum. I'm definitely going to contribute actively here and hope to see more users join in. Best of luck in your games guys!

FORZA MILAN!

Reserved for a future patch.

Reserved for a future patch.

That's a fantastic thread Hulk mate, great analysis of the squad! Some really high quality team guides coming out this year, better than ever before tbh.

Great thread, but I really disagree with you in some areas. The fullbacks are horrid. I say get Rafinha for RB, and get another good LB. Zambrotta is horrible, Jankulolski isn't better, Kaladze is a clutz, and Bonera is subpar. But other than that, really great thread. Just a suggestion, how did you set up Gattuso and Ambrosini? Were they just two ball winning MCs? And is Huntelaar the target man while Pato is the advanced forward?

Great OP I'm in the middle of downloading the strawberry demo and may give AC a go

Thanks guys!

boomheadshot45

Well, if we all agreed with each other, things would get mighty boring quick!

Anyway, Zambrotta is a good full back trust me. He does a good job getting up and down the pitch for most of the game. When his stamina starts to drop a little during the game though, tone down his foward runs a little as he'll lost interest in tracking back.

As for Jankulovski, Bonera & Kaladze, you need to set them up according to their abilities mate. If you have Bonera & Kalaze set up with FR, RWB & CB all on often, obviously you're asking for trouble. You're asking them to do something they're rubbish at and it won't be a surprise if they don't perform. When playing Bonera & Kaladze, set them up as defensive full backs and they'll do a good job I promise. Similarly with Jankulovski, give him a little attacking mentality and he again does a decent job. You need to play them according to the opposition you're facing really.

- Pirlo is the deep-lying playmaker most games.

- Ambrosini as the ball-winning midfielder.

- Gattuso as the central midfielder (defense).

And yes, you're right about Pato & Huntelaar.

However, I won't go on what I've said so far as my tactics still aren't that great. I'm having a hard time getting the best out of every player. Will post on here as soon as I build a decent enough tactic to get people atleast started with Milan.

Yeah I was mixing up real life and football manager. Without having a real distributing MC, how do you get attacks started? Does Pirlo move up enough to pass it to Dinho/Pato/Huntelaar? Because I wouldn't trust Ambrosini and Gattuso attempting through balls.

Yep, Pirlo dictates play from the deep and usually gets the ball to Ronaldinho. He's also instructed to join up in attacks often. When Ambrosini or Gattuso get the ball, they're both instructed to just play short passes so they bascially give it back to Pirlo or move it forward to Ronaldinho. Pirlo also sometimes sends in high balls to Huntelaar who knocks it down for an on-rushing Ronaldinho or Pato.

That's what I'm trying to implement anyway. Although Pirlo is effective enough, I am facing problems trying to have enough people in attack. With only my AMC & 2 strikers, the get stopped pretty easily sometimes especially considering my full back's aren't usually making overlapping runs. It would work well if I had say Maicon & Clichy at my disposal. Might have to move Pirlo to MC and Gattuso to DMC soon I think.

The diamond is very hard to implement, especially with playing a non-defensive DM. I would move Pirlo up and drop Gattuso back, and maybe play Flamini (even though he has been downgraded heavily, which I don't necessarily agree with) instead of Ambrosini for a bit more creativity.

Well, Flamini is not very creative on this version either unfortunately. I'm just waiting to see if someone will give him an offer on Ambrosini. If I get anywhere around 7M or so, I'll let him go and bring in someone else instead. Got a few guys in mind who're a bit more creative than him. I'm playing Flamini at RB at the moment.

If that doesn't work out, I'm thinking of moving Pato to AMC as well next to Ronaldinho. Not sure about this, but its an option I'm considering.

I thought Flamini was over-rated on the previous version in terms of his attacking abilities. His creativity & passing were a little too high as far as I'm concerned. He had his best year at Arsenal the year before he moved to Milan and even then he wasn't that good in attack. I did agree with most of his defensive stats though. I really find it hard to believe that a guy who had 19/20 for strength last year IIRC has suddenly lost so much of it that he's been brought down to 12/13!! Silly! But that's for another thread.

I'm just starting with AC, I've offered Dida out and released a couple of the dreadful under 20 keepers, gonna work through the positions, so much deadwood it's ridiculous.

The youth squads absolutely terrible

Jesus Christ, never thought I'd see Joe Mattock saying he's not interested in signing for AC milan

After some deal making, and alot of 48 month payments , I've now assembled a future XI

GK - Vincenzo Fiorillo

DL - Jose Angel

DR - Gianni Zuiverloon

DC - Nicolas Otamendi

DC - Thiago Silva

DMC - Etienne Capoue

MC - Blaise Matuidi

MC - Joao Moutinho

AMC - Arda

ST - Iker Muniain

ST - Pato

Fiorillo and Muniain are the only ones I wouldn't want starting right now if injuries or suspensions arose

EDIT: Arda gets a brace on his debut

roberto922

Did you manage to sell Dida then?? And yes, you're right. The youth squad is terrible.

As for Mattock, maybe he's not interested because he's just moved clubs? But he was interested in coming to me so I'm really not sure what's going on there.

Hmm, you've completely revamped the squad ofcourse but that's not something that you'll be able to do when the full game is released considering the impact it'll have on your resources in the future. Don't think you need to do that drastic a change from the offset as your central midfield is still class.

How much did you pick Moutinho up for?

No, Dida is still here unfortunately.

It won't be too bad tbh, £54m over 4 years is only £13.5m a year, and I won't have to make as many transfers next season.

I know the midfields already good but it's also pretty old. Moutinho and Turan are regulars already, and then I'll blend the other two in over time, the only player I see as irreplaceable atm is Pirlo without a fortune.

Great OP Hulk agree with Arsenal2111 there is a lot of great threads being made this year even better than before

brilliant OP mate

54 million for Moutinho

No £54m overall

That's a fantastic thread Hulk mate, great analysis of the squad! Some really high quality team guides coming out this year, better than ever before tbh.

Couldn't agree more, of course the Lyon thread in 2007 and 2008 said the standard.

Great OP Hulk.

Arda Turan has been fantastic in his first two games, two goals and an assist in his first game and now a goal and assist in his second

God I need Abbiati back I'm scoring 3/4/5 goals a game and then only winning by a goal because Dida and Roma are so average

This is the 3rd time i start a new game with Milan. A very low budget, horrible players, horrible youth players and most of the good payers are not interested. I will try for Cassano, and i hope i can sell Ronaldinho. Zambrotta is good for the 1st season, the problem is on the left side of the defense. I'll try and sign Alexander Kolarov from Lazio as he looks very good and is young. Thiago Silva is terrible in this demo, I hope he gets better in the full game. Flamini has been downgraded a lot from 09, and SI should fix these two players. Gattuso and Pirlo as always, very good players but it seems they have discipline problems, at least in my first games, and also pretty old. Huntelaar is very good and also is Pato. A new and young GK is a must, I'm trying for Fiorillo as i want to keep the team as Italian as possible. That's it for now.

Edit: KUTGW Hulk! This thread is awesome. Very good in-depth information.

Ronaldinho is near impossible to sell, he rejects everyone because no one can match his wage demands

Zambrottas suspended for a game, looks like Jose Angel will be getting his debut sooner rather than later

Oh FFS I said in a press conference I was disappointed with Didas performance after he got a 3.6 and now him and the squad are upset about it, it was hardly unjustified criticism

Top work hulk. :*)

Great OP mate! Congrats!

Milan hasn't really been downgraded in FM10 thanks to the new tactics system and, unlike IRL, is quite a good team. Having a great time playing Milan on FM10 and 09 at the same time .

I am having quite a lot of succes with Milan using a narrow diamond. In midfield I have Pirlo as deep lying playmaker (of course), Gattuso as ballwinner and Moutinho (my only tranfer) as box2box, Ronaldinho as an attacking amc....It seems to work as I have won 8 in a row including a trashing of Roma and Pato scoring 5 and 6 goals in one game.....

The poacher setting is a bit worrying for me, as neither Huntelaar nor Pipo seem to score....

Can anyone recommend me a good Italian DC? I have 15M Euro to spend.

Gamberini?

Thanks mate, I'll certainly have a look at him.

Criscito ?

roberto922

Shame about Dida. I'm desperate to get rid of him too but no luck unfortunately.

Fair enough about the midfielders. However, I still feel Gattuso still has atleast 2 years left at his best and I'm sure he can easily go beyond that as well so long as he gets regular first team football.

jasonboyacmilan

Sadly, Ronaldinho is pretty hard to sell at the start. Atleast not for a reasonable price. So good luck with that.

Kolarov is indeed very good but he's a little too expensive IRC. If you're having a problem on the left, move Zambrotta there and move Flamini to RB. That's what I did and it was working very well. Infact, it is the starting line-up that I've recommended in my OP.

Not a lot of good Italian CB's you can get for cheap unfortunately. I've recommended Santacroce is my OP and he's pretty good to start with and has some potential. He might be a good bet. You can also try Lorenzo Ariaudo. He too looks like he'll become a solid CB. Gamberini is good but will probably be out of your budget. As will Criscito and he's not a natural CB anyway.

Keniris

Yep, that's the same formation I've implemented as well and is doing pretty well I must say. Don't set Huntelaar as poacher. Set him up as a TM. He's good at giving Ronaldinho & Pato some knock on's and freeing up some space for them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks a lot for all the great comments guys. Much appreciated!

I managed to sign Kolarov, Cassano and Kacar so far. Loaned Ronaldinho to Barca just to get some money from his wages, sold Seedorf and Oddo to Fiorentina 10M Euro and 3.2M resepectively and loaned some other players. And with some budget adjustments i have now still 15M to spend. I'm going for Santacroce or Bocchetti as DC. I wanted Chiellini but he cannot be signed, at least not in the 1st season. Now I'm just going to play Roma, the 1st game of the season.

Abbiatis fit, praise the lord, please god never get injured again

Zuiverloons injured

EDIT: For 3 months :**(

Abbiatis fit, praise the lord, please god never get injured again

You might have a hard time there. He's a little injury prone for a goalie unfortunately. Don't keep him on a hard training schedule.

Think I'm going to start a game with Milan on the demo in a bit. I had the longest save that I've had on any FM with them last year, so I'm hoping to really get into it this year as well.

Very nice opening post, what wonderfully crafted language you use!

Very impressive and well worthy of the great AC Milan, one of my favorite FM teams ever to manage. In contrast to other big clubs being virtual laid out smorgasboards of talent, at Milan you always need to work out how to return the team to its former glory.

big is a gross understatement when discussing clubs like AC Milan.

Great thread Hulk!

Not aggree with you on some things, but as you say, it'll get boring quickly if we do aggree on everything. IMO, fullbacks are the most important department that needs to be improved a lot. Anybody tried Srna? or loan Drenthe / Marcelo?

Anybody here will use the editor / train Abate to become a DR? because IRL he is doing a good job there, but FM only put him as AMR (with no ability at all in DR).

Update from my game:

Just won the 3rd game against Sampdoria with an incredible result, 5-0 and all goals scored by Pato. In 1st place in Serie A with 7 points, a win against Roma 2-1 and a draw 2-2 with Napoli.

Transfers in:

Igor Akinfeev: 10M upfront and 22M in 48 months

Antonio Cassano: 10M upfront and 13M in 48 months

Aleksandar Kolarov: 10M upfront and 10M in 48 months

Gojko Kacar: 8.5M

Transfers out:

Clarence Seedorf: 10M to Fiorentina

Ronaldinho: Loan to Barca, 1.5M upfront and 7.5 to make the move permanent, 50% of his wage

Kakha Kaladze: 2.6M co-ownership to Genoa

Massimo Oddo: 3.2M to Fiorentina

Luca Antonini: 500K co-ownership to Bologna

My 1st team:

GK: Igor Akinfeev

DR: Gianliuca Zambrotta

DL: Aleksandar Kolarov

DC: Alessandro Nesta

DC: Thiago Silva

DM: Andrea Pirlo

MC: Gennaro Gattuso

MC: Mathiew Flamini

AMC: Antonio Cassano

FC: Alexandre Pato

ST: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

Thought I would start up a game as Milan on the demo.

Started out using 4-1-2-1-2 with dmc 2 mcs and amc. The friendly games delivered mixed results and have now changed to a 4-1-3-2 which seems to be working a lot better apart from a terrible first 30 mins against real madrid in the champions league group stages.

My transfers out were: Seedorf to Barca for 10 million pounds, oddo to Fiorentina for 2.5, Antonini for 3.5, Storari to Bayern for 600k and Kaladze to Lyon for 5 mil.

Have brought in Ochoa for 2.5m, Areola for 725k, Kolarov for 10m, Lukaku for 2.5m, Cassano 20m, Buonanotte 10m, Otamendi for 3.4 and Vargas for 30m. All of the fees are mostly over 48 months so shouldnt effect the demo to much.

So far 2 wins and a draw in the league and a 4-1 loss to real madrid in the champions league after stuffing the pre match team talk. In a very hard group for the champions league with Bordeux, Wolfsburg and Real will be intersting to see how the team performs in the next few games. Cassano has scored 4 in the last 3 starts and looks awesome on this game.

Starting Line up atm is:

Ochoa/Abbiatti

Zambrotta Nesta Thiago Silva Vargas/Kolarov

Gattuso/Flamini

Pirlo Ronaldinho Ambrosini/Buonanotte

Pato/Huntelaar/Inzaghi Cassano/Borriello

Missed out on bringing a new rb in but zambrotta seems to be doing ok for the moment Just finding my way with the new tactics and touchline shouts during the match. The new game looks fantastic so far.

They are doing great in my game with 4-3-1-2 expecially Pato is unstoppable however they concede a lot

planning to play with them when the full game arrives

And dont forget to buy Verratti

bawbag the gr8

Good luck and hope to see you actively on the thread.

iolodavanki

Thank you!

carlo sheva

The full backs are definitely important mate but like I said in the OP, Zambrotta is fine for the first season at least. Your priority should be the left. And a goalie to boot. After that, you can address whatever area you want.

Anyway, doubt I'll do that with Abate. If I improved/changed him, I would have to do that with the whole team and guys like Huntelaar etc would have to go down quite a bit!

jasonboyacmilan

Sides's looking good mate. Probably paid a little too much for some of the players but atleast the team's coming together well.

Great win against Sampdoria. How's Cassano doing for you?

gfvfbbv

Good signings mate. How's Buonanotte doing? Was class on 09 and at 10M, might be worth getting again this year.

Cassano is doing really well, 2 goals and 4 assists, and his rating is 7.35. I know i paid a little too much, but they were either rival teams or the player was important at their teams. Pato and Huntelaar are on fire. 6 goals in 5 games for Pato and 4 goals in 5 games for Huntelar. I have set Pato as a Complete Forward and Huntelaar as Target Man. Kacar is looking very good and I can see him as a replacement for Pirlo, as he is tutoring him. Kolarov is doing also very well, 7.26 rating in 5 matches.

Great OP, Hulk:thup: .

I'll try Milan on the demo now .

Who are you guys giving the free roles to? I'm guessing Dinho, Pato, and maybe Pirlo?

I'm quite happy with how things went at the start of the season. I've been using a narrow 442 diamond and it is proving to be successful so far.

Transfers in:

Guillermo Ochoa - £7.5m

Jorge Andrade - Free

Gojko Kacar - £6.75m

Transfers out:

Clarence Seedorf - £10m

Ignazio Abate - Loan (£300k fee)

Michelangelo Albertazzi - Co-owned (£375k)

Results so far:

Milan 3-0 Roma

Milan 2-1 Napoli

Sampdoria 3-3 Milan (from 2-0 down and playing with 10 men)

Milan 1-0 Porto

Huntelaar has scored the majority of goals at the moment, with a fantastic 5 goals in 4. Pato, Ronaldinho, Pirlo and Flamini have all also scored.

First of all I want to thank theincrediblehulk for making this Milan thread. It's so much more enjoyable to manage a team when you can read other peoples experience with that team.

Secondly I want to say that I have no "emotional attachments" to Milan, so selling players because they are "legends" or what not doesn't bother me that much. But as a Chelsea fan I would never sell Terry or Lampard, for example.

As said by quite alot of people here, the midfield and attack is actually quite good. The midfield is getting old, but can play at least one more season before it needs any major improvement. However, I decided to sell Seedorf to bring in money for other transfers. I brought inn Van der Vaart as his replacement.

The defence however isn't nearly good enough. The full backs in particular needs to be improved. As I went for the diamond formation I wanted wing backs that continously bomb forward, getting to the line and crossing. I therefore brought in Srna, Vargas and Josè Angel. Angel is primarlely for the future, but I wish I hadn't bought him as I paid alot of money for him

I also brought in Nordtveit in an effort to get more youth in the central defence. He's a hot prospect for the future I believe.

Here's a screenshot of my transfers:

Here's a screenshot of my team and it's formation:

Any feedback, positive or negative, is very welcome.