In July, I wrote a post for this site asking AC Milan fans for calm.  The club had been quiet on the transfer market and Silvio Berlusconi had gone public in saying he intended to build his youth academy to help the team.  I said at the time that if the club did not acquire any big names, they would be title contenders but would not be favorites.

Flash forward forty plus days.  Ibrahimovic.  Robinho.  Boateng.  The club worked the transfer market hard in the waning hours and secured some of the biggest names available on the market.  They also grabbed Sokratis from Genoa, a smaller profile signing that helps their defense.  In exchange, they dumped the aging Marco Borriello, overrated Huntelaar, and backup striker Dominic Adiyah.  As the dust settles on the summer transfer dash and the ownership begins to show off the new presents to the fans, the question is:

Is Milan now the favorite to win the Serie A title?

If Allegri decided to stick to a 4–3-3, here is the lineup the club could field in coming weeks:

Keeper: Amelia

Defenders: Antonini, Thiago Silva, Nesta, Bonera

Midfield: Seedorf, Pirlo, Ambrosini

Forwards: Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, Pato

Bench: Robinho, Boateng, Inzaghi, Antonini

The biggest impact the additions have on this club is to make the forward position younger and more deadly.  Ibrahimovic has the ability to dominate on the offensive end and provides a consistent scoring threat this club lacked from the forward position last season.  Ronaldinho, while at times dominant, came into camp out of shape and was disinterested at times last year.  If he is physically unfit to play or the club needs a spark, a younger Robinho can sub in or start in his place.  On the bench is the all-time leading scorer in European competition in Inzaghi.  So your front line has youth, experience, height, quickness, and speed.

A concern expressed by Niccolo in the preseason was Milan’s aging in the midfield.  Kevin-Prince Boateng, who showed great potential in the World Cup (as well as a need for his game to mature), provides that young depth and long-term starter the club was seeking in the offseason.  The unheralded signing of Sokratis also provides some talented depth for the backline, which at times struggled last year and had a penchant for allowing careless goals.  If he’s healthy, American national Oguchi Onyewu also gives the club a talented defender off the bench.

Another aspect is the emergence of Alexandre Pato.  Scoring twice on Sunday and looking very good in the preseason, this could be his breakout season and at age 20 a precursor to many successful seasons for AC Milan.  The moves this summer allow him to mature within a system where he is not the biggest name or has all the offensive pressure on him.

On the other hand, the expensive acquisition of Robinho can arguably be throwing money at an underachiever.  After excelling at a young age in Spain, the Brazilian clashed with management and the EPL culture in Manchester City, leading to his sale this transfer season.  Management likely hopes pairing him with Ronaldinho will lead to a resurgence and comfort on and off the pitch.  Also, the club’s defense is still solid but not spectacular and was a weakness last season, especially against Inter Milan.

So, does AC Milan now have the talent to be the favorites in Serie A?  Going into the season Inter was the consensus favorites and the club has kept its key players, especially Maicon.  I also give them the edge in managers with Bentiez’s experience.  I still consider Inter Milan the favorites for Serie A but the gap has closed considerably and the Milan derbies this year will be epic.

Agree or disagree?  Share your comments below or on Twitter @roberthayjr.

While this was a mere friendly and many of the starters from both teams were not on hand, the manner with which Inter overcame Manchester City serves as a warning for those aiming to dethrone the Serie A champions and Champions League winners.

The Nerazzurri were missing the likes of Diego Milito, Lucio and Wesley Sneijder but still managed to put a solid display with some silk passing and neat moves. In midfield, Esteban Cambiasso was as productive as ever with his passing and disrupting of opponents while captain Javier Zanetti was as usual reliable at the back and a useful player going forward.

Inter dominated the match and were in control of possession even before the sending off of Patrick Vieira who was in all fairness unlucky to see red. The former Juventus and Inter midfielder deserved a yellow card in the worst case scenario. The 3–0 final score can be considering a flattering one for Manchester City since the game could have easily finished with a bigger win for the Nerazzurri.

Inter will be a force to contend with in the Champions League and appear to be confident about their chances of repeating as European champions. As for Serie A, it will be hard to see any club, including Roma, Milan and Juventus, challenge the Nerazzurri for the title. Roma do not have a big squad and there is a major drop off in level between the starting XI and the bench players while Milan rely on too many of the senior players who are edging closer to retirement such as Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Nesta and Massimo Ambrosini. The Rossoneri will only have one youngster featuring regularly in their starting lineup and that is Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato. As for Juventus, they are still in the process of recovering from a dismal season and it will be hard to see them challenge for the title unless all pieces of the puzzle fell in the right place for the Bianconeri.

Inter’s victory against the Citizens showed that the Nerazzurri have a big squad and a deep bench which can be relied upon when there are injuries and suspensions. In fact, the Nerazzurri will probably have to trim their squad in order to save on some of the big salaries paid to fringe players and reserve players. Having a big squad has another disadvantage which is growing discontent amongst those not getting enough playing time. Such players might begin to cause undesired distractions and might hurt harmony within the squad.

Two factors will shape the Nerazzurri starting XI as well as the quality on the bench and these are related to the future of Maicon and Mario Balotelli. If both players remain with the club then Inter’s bench will be even stronger, but if they leave then the bench will be a weakened a bit since Balotelli will be gone while a full-back will have to start in Maicon’s place on the right flank. Even if the duo will depart, Inter will remain top contenders to sweep the trophies in their path and repeat as treble winners. Only Barcelona and Real Madrid with their talented roster can dethrone Inter as European champions as the elite English Premier League sides are perhaps a step below the Italian giants and the two Spanish clubs.

Inter’s starting XI will likely be (provided Maicon & Balotelli stay): Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, W. Samuel, Chivu, Cambiasso, J. Zanetti, Sneijder, Eto’o, D. Milito and Pandev.

It will be interesting to see if Davide Santon and Mario Balotelli can establish themselves as regulars under new coach Rafael Benitez. The upcoming season certainly looks promising for the Nerazzurri and their supporters.  Feel free to comment below or simply contact me on Twitter  @RamiSoufi for further discussion. I am including below two pieces written following the end of last season which pertain to Inter:

www.serieatalk.com/diego-milito-inters-hero-as-nerazzurri-complete-historic-treble/2432

www.championsleaguetalk.com/what-next-for-inter-after-winning-the-champions-league/748

With the current crop of players, Milan were unlikely to win the Champions League as the Rossoneri have no depth, are short on alternatives in key positions and have an inexperienced Coach in Leonardo. The Brazilian Coach has been decent overall working to his best with the players available at his disposal. Against Manchester United he made a number of mistakes in terms of his selection and starting lineup as well as his substitutions.

Without taking anything away from Wayne Rooney who has been phenomenal this season, Milan could have easily put this match away if a few elements went there way beginning with the choice of starters. There is no point dwelling on whether the outcome would have been different if the necessary adjustments were made, but this could serve as a lesson which will help Leonardo and the Rossoneri in the future. In recent weeks, there have been rumours concerning Leonardo’s future with reports claiming he will be ousted at the end of the season if Milan have fail to overcome the English champions.

Below are some of the key points for reference following the  loss to Manchester United:

- Dida: The Brazilian goalkeeper is unworthy of playing on a team of Milan’s stature. The custodian has proven time and again he is prone to committing errors and his performances over the last several years have left a lot to be desired. Besides his customary blunders, Dida has become an obvious weak link in the Milan defense which other teams often target. With Christian Abbiati back, why did Leonardo pick Dida ahead of him? Abbiati is not flashy but certainly more reliable than Dida.

- Starting Lineup: All season long Leonardo has been reluctant to start Klaas-Jan Huntelaar except in emergency situations and he did score twice against Udinese but why start him now? Leonardo could have used Alexandre Pato as the striker upfront with support from Ronaldinho and with Clarence Seedorf starting as well. Seedorf is a seasoned veteran and has won the Champions League on three different teams (Ajax, Real Madrid and Milan) so surely he would be more worthy to start than Huntelaar even if it meant isolating Pato upfront. Still, Ronaldinho could have been pushed further upfront while Seedorf played on the left side of the midfield.

While Daniele Bonera was not a disaster but the decision to not start Ignazio Abate who has played many more games this season is quite surprising. Abate might not be the best equipped for the right-back position given it it not his natural position but his pace could have troubled Manchester United more.

One thing critics must grant Leonardo is the fact he has been consistent all season long in terms of his selections, faith in certain players and his rotation. David Beckham started on the bench the previous two games and while Beckham is a decent player, the pressure of the occasion might have gotten to him. Beckham is not exactly the player to seek in times of intense pressure as seen with England on a couple of occasions during the World Cup. No one is doubting Beckham’s experience, his work-rate or his desire to do well but he could have contributed more coming off the bench. At this point starting with either Mathieu Flamini or Gennaro Gattuso instead of Beckham would have been better.

If Leonardo wanted to have two strikers upfront why did he not use Filippo Inzaghi who is a goal poacher and nuisance for teams. Inzaghi can easily irritate defenders with his approach to the game and is a lethal finisher as his European scoring record can attest to. In certain games experience can trumpet age and current form. Huntelaar has not really impressed so starting Inzaghi would not have been a major risk.

- Substitutions: Those were quite critical as on one hand Seedorf scored a goal after coming off the bench while Inzaghi did miss a chance to score but he added another dimension to Milan’s attacks. The change which definitely hurt Milan was the introduction of Giuseppe Favalli for the injured Luca Antonini. At 38, Favalli is too old to be playing at left-back and while he was a decent player over his career, the former Lazio defender cannot be compared to the great Paolo Maldini. The legendary Maldini was used as a centre-back in the last few years of his career since the left-back position is more demanding in terms of speed and stamina. How can Leonardo use Favalli and why did he not opt for Frenchman Flamini who has placed in that position on a few occasions in the past? At least Flamini has the legs top cope with the physical demands of the position.

- Age Factor: Of the 11 starters and the 3 substitutes who featured against Manchester, 8 players were over the age of 30 and in such a competitive sport having too many older players can easily backfire, in particular when there are few capable alternatives on the bench.

Considering all the factors above and the 3–2 final score, can Milan overcome the deficit and turn the tie around by winning at Old Trafford to secure a spot in the next round? Keep in mind a 1–0 win will not suffice as the away-goal rule will stand to benefit the Red Devils. Milan must score at least twice and win.

Clarence Seedorf, Kaka and Alessandro Nesta are all smiles for the camera as they pose in their new Rossoneri kit.

The first choice shirt has 5 red bands and 4 black ones in the front, wider compared to last season, which also continue on the thighs; the sleeves are black with 3 red stripes. On the back there is the writing ROSSONERI, in black, on a red background.  Milan will also be sporting an all white away jersey with a white on white cross situated over the left hand front of the jersey.  AC Milan continue in their partnership with Germany’s Adidas.