This is what Dinho can do to the people, or more like Tiziano Crudeli. Crudeli Show follows experts analyzing the game live with host and commentator the legend, the master, the man we all aspire to be like…Tiziano Crudeli.

This is from the first Derby after Dinho scored the winning goal.

Crudeli is as some might label him, Ko-KOO, then there are others too,

And i’m sure all Milansisti will have somewhat the same reaction, more or less. After the brilliant performance from Dinho with Brazil against Italy this midweek, lets hope he can copy that and more in the derby on Sunday against Inter and destroy them. Because no one likes Inter, they’re yucky!

Forza Milan! Forza Dinho!

He’s been struggling, it’s no secret. Starting the past couple of games from the bench and only for 20 minutes give or take a few. He got his shot this Saturday against Reggina to start and prove himself for the big Derby game against Inter next Sunday; we all remember how Dinho ended that Derby. His overall performance in the Reggina game was “pretty good”, decent enough, though Milan unfortunately tied 1-1. The question remains, Does Ronaldinho deserves to start over Seedorf in the Derby next Sunday and/or for the rest of the season?

Derby Milano. 1-0 Milan, September 28, 2008.

I always said and will continue to stick to my words, whoever is in better form and can aid the team better should play. We all know at the end of the day its in Coach Carletto’s hands, but Old Cheeks can lose it sometimes, we known him to be a bit biased from time to time. Seedorf is a great player and been amazing for Milan, he left 2 huge finger prints on the 2004 Scudetto (I still remember the best half he played in his life against Inter that season, 3-2) & the recent crowning of European Champions in May 2007. He is the only player to win 4 Champions League with 3 different teams, and was an essential part in each and every championship. Not too shabby. But again, he can be favoured sometimes by Carletto.

Seedorf is more calm, keeps the ball more in his feet with all professionalism and carries an ample of experience. Dinho is faster paced, he tries to get his teammates to run around him and find space (Still difficulties in this area). Though Ronnie tends to lose the ball frequently considering his runs and penetrations and they’re not working as they use to back in the day. In my humble opinion I believe this could be one of the reasons Dinho has been warming the bench.

Ronaldinho played pretty well in the first half against Reggina. Had some nice touches and shots on the goal. If anything you could sense the fighting spirit in Dinho trying to do something to help his team. When subbed he also took it professionally, and that’s something Ancelotti always praised Dinho on.

Milan 1-1 Reggina Highlights

Sunday 15th, Derby Della Madonnina. Not like any other game. It’s not about those three-points anymore, it’s about the pride and bragging rights you get after the game. To Milan, this could be “IT” for their season. Win and stay in the race, or simply lose and get out of the race or lose and be waaaay behind in the race but we’ll still believe for the sake of it.

Dinho is expected to play, not replacing Seedorf, rather Ricky Kaka. Who was injured his left foot this weekend and will be out for 15 days. This might be a blessing in disguise for Dinho, an opportunity. Considering the recent starter-battle between Ronaldinho & Seedorf, this may open something for both of them. Two week could be good for Kaka, rest and clear your mind, even though we need you badly in the Derby.

Ronaldinho will be with Brazil this midweek to face Italy and a very anticipated friendly in London on Wednesday. Again, another unnecessary friendly at the wrong time.

For now we await the legendary Deby Della Madonnina and hope Dinho can repeat what he did early this season. Nothing in this whole world is more precious than beating the ugly sewer part of town.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

Forza Milan! Forza Dinho!

Not at his best days. Worst word to any athlete, Bench! Last week actually was somewhat due to the flu he had earlier. This week the reason was there was someone playing better, Seedorf. Coach Ancelotti’s words weren’t so comforting for Dinho. And frankly like I said before, who is fit and better at the moment should play, no matter whom. And at this moment, Dinho isn’t the best.

During the Bologna game Ronaldinho came in the 72nd minute, providing just a little and this wasn’t his fault, more likely Milan leading 4-1 which is great anyday. A couple of passes and a close opportunity near the end, nothing significant.

Ancelotti has bad news for Dinho

“We are very clinical at the moment and manage to get the best out of [Alexandre] Pato and Kakà’s pace up front. Ronaldinho? I believe that [Clarence] Seedorf can help us more at the back, but we must not forget how well the Brazilian played in the first half of the season.”

Why the dip of form?! Many factors come into consideration. One might be the competitive selection at Milan with high profile players fighting for a spot. Dinho’s major competitor is Seedorf. Then come other players who don’t play the same position but they might jeopardize his place in the first team, i.e. Second striker will cost him his place or Coach Carlo shuffles his midfield. And Kaka, if anything is established Ricky Kaka is a very vital part of the team. It’s sad to say that Kaka & Dinho are not fully compatible, but that doesn’t mean they cant work together at all. As of lately it has been concluded that one of them playing is better than two of them at the same time. They tend to take space from each other, limit each other’s abilities.

This could be another factor I was thinking about, nothing solid of course. Ronnie and many Brazilians don’t perform at a 110% unless it matters. So in training and friendly games they won’t be at their best unless there’s some incentive. I’m saying this because I remember hearing about it a couple of times when he was with PSG & Barcelona. And even few other Brazilians may fall into this category too. Of course i’m not there watching every training session and can’t judge their incentives with no basis, but its just a theory.

It’s not all bad news for Dinho, he has been called up by Dunga to the Brazilian National team to face Marcello Lippi’s Italy on the 10th of February. It was kinda a surprise considering he barely played in the past 2 games, and the other surprise was the exclusion of Juve’s player Amauri. 3 other Milan players have been called up to the Brazilian National Team, Kaka, Pato & Thiago Silva.

Milan will face Genoa this midweek on Wednesday the 28th. It’s still not clear whether will Dinho be a starter or like the past 2 games start from the bench.

Forza Milan! Forza Dinho!

Dinho’s reply to the question if the video was digitally enhanced:

“It’s all true! If you don’t believe me then ask someone who is watching when I train. I did it again the other day.”

THANK YOU Dinho!!!

The Video: Ronaldinho Touch of Gold

And to everyone who was sure it was fake, he is that good! He’s Ronaldinho!

The rest of the interview,

I’m happy that Ronnie is so optimistic and believes in himself, his teammates and the team.

“I am happy and my family has settled in very well, which is the most important thing,”

“There may be the beach in Barcelona, but I like Milan and the warmth of the people helps me forget about the cold climate.”

“Milan are made up of intelligent players who know they need to make sacrifices if they want to play together and have fun.”

“Beckham is special. He has a way of kicking the ball with such precision and power that no other midfielder has. He is one of the best in the world and I really like him.”

“Inter have quality players and a great Coach. They are strong, but we can catch them. Aside from the Scudetto, our objectives for 2009 are to get back into the Champions League and then win it in 2010.”

“On a personal level, I also hope to be back playing for Brazil soon. In these last few months it was important for me to concentrate on Milan, adapt to a new playing style and training regime.”

Enjoy!

Dinho played the whole 90 minutes in the friendly against Hamburg. He did pretty well, scored a penalty and a few nice plays that got all the fans on their feet cheering for him.

The good news is that Ronnie has fully recovered his fitness, especially after the hard work in the training camp in Dubai. I’m getting more optimistic about 2009, mainly due to the optimism from the Milan players and staff, let’s hope they know what they’re saying and not just saying it for the media.

Here’s what Dinho said last week about him and Milan’s current situation:

“We want to play a great Uefa Cup, and finish the league in the top positions to be able to play in the Champions League next season,”

“These preparations are very important to get back some players we’ve been missing badly in this period.”

“I am improving every day, as are my team mates. The only thing I am missing is the match rhythm, but physically I am feeling perfect.

“The Ballon D’Or? I’m only thinking about Milan, individual titles only come when the team the player is a part of gets results.”

“For now I’m not thinking about what I’ll do when my career ends. At the moment, however, I cannot imagine being in any team other than Milan.”

Milan’s next big game is against Roma on Sunday, A very crucial game for both teams, and nothing other than the 3 points will do.

Highlights of Milan – Hamburg in Dubai:

What a wonderful Milan victory, 5 star Milan scored 5 goals in a spectacular 2008 Finale. A brace from Pato & Kaka and a goal from Seedorf against Udinese got Milan the 3 points they needed to give the fans their Christmas gift. Dinho didn’t shine like the rest of his teammates, but his presence was felt, quite a few nice passes and plays that lit up the San Siro with chants for Dinho & the team.

Milan 5-1 Udinese Highlights

Ronladinho’s magic in the game:

Here’s what Dinho had to say after the game:

“It’s an important moment for me and for the team, I wanted to give everything to make sure Milan would win. The whole team sacrificed themselves, each of us gave a contribution to the team.
The Scudetto race is still open, I think that this team can still believe in it and we will fight until the end with the important players we have. We will believe in it until the end.

The Dubai training ground will be an important chance to prepare the best possible way and play a great final part of the season, recovering other important players.”

Ronnie’s new teammate David Beckham has signed with Milan from January until March 09, 2009. Ancelotti said that Beckham can play in any of the 3 center midfield roles. Hopefully we can see great things on the field between Dinho, Beck and the rest of the stars in the Rossoneri jersey.

Now Dinho and Milan will take a break for the Christmas break and come back on December 29th and head to Dubai for their training camp. Hot weather, beaches, training sessions, fun, friendly against Hamburg and lots of money are the benefits of this trip. Milan are still 9 points behind Seire A leaders Inter.

Here’s something i made, nothing pro, i was just bored so i made this slide-show video of Milan, “AC Milan – It Was a Very Good Year”

Enjoy!

Forza Milan! Forza Dinho!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays To You All Everywhere

Not much to say. Juventus deserved the 3 points by outplaying Milan. It was an exciting game, would’ve been better without the rain and even more better if we managed to score more .It’s no secret the squad played poorly. But sometimes it’s better to just forget, learn from your mistakes and move on to the next task.

Del Piero and Co. might have won this one, but we will be waiting for them at San Siro in May 5th, hopefully clinch the Scudetto on that day too (I can dream, can’t I!!).

Juventus 4-1 Milan, Highlights

(Note: Amauri is starting some “friendly” beef with Dinho, celebrating doing the Samba. Watch at minute 4:02)

Here is what Ronnie had to say:

“Inter are strong, but so are Milan,”

“We will try and catch them as soon as possible. I am having a good spell and I think it was the right decision to come to Milan.”

“I would be so happy to help this club to win. My main priority for the rest of this year is to get in better shape so that I can play a whole 90 minutes with intensity.”

“I really think that I am adapting well to the Italian championship and I am enjoying it.”

(Inter boss Jose Mourinho stirred controversy by saying recently that Italian football isn’t popular abroad.)

“That’s his opinion, but I’m happy to have chosen Italy,”

“Each League has its own special characteristics. In Spain they play a very technical brand of football and I wanted to change to a more direct style.”

“Personally I really like that there is more physical contact in the challenges.”

Milan is suffering at this point of the season more than ever. Gattuso is out for 5-6 months, Kaka is injured and could be out until January (worst case 3 months), Flamini has an injured ankle, Bonera hernia, Borriello after January. In addition to the lack of opportunities set up and poor finishing.

In the past post fifaguy mentioned that Ronaldinho has to take his game to the next level. Related to the injures as well, and not the best performance from Ronnie; meaning Dinho has to step up big time, at this time during the season we cannot accept to hear “be patient”. We are already 9 points behind the first position. It is too much on his shoulders, but when you have a few key players out, you have to handle the pressure and try to make the best out of it. He has the experience, and was “The Man” with Barca.

Milan’s next game is against Wolfsburg in the UEFA Cup, Milan has already qualified but first place is always better. On Sunday Milan will host Udinese in the final game before the break; David Beckham will be presented at that game.

Forza Milan! Forza Dinho!

Del Piero is a king, no question about it. Alex is one of my top 5 favorite players of all time, im a huge fan of him. But when it comes to Milan, things change. I won’t be discussing who is better, because I’m sure on Sunday both players want one thing, to win the 3 points. Both players share a similar story, they both bounced back recently and proved to the world they are still great and can lead their teams to the top. Ronaldinho has 7 goals in 12 games with 1 assist. Del Piero, 4 goals in 12 games with 3 assists.

Both teams are sharing the second position with 30 points in Italian Serie A, 6 points behind Inter. A pivotal point for both teams. More previews about the “The True Derby D’italia” can be found on Italian Serie A, Milan & Juventus at The Offside.

(a picture i took from last year’s Inter-Milan Derby. The banner says “Milan-Juve, The True Derby D’italia”)

Probable Formations (From Sports Mediaset)

Juventus (4-4-2): Manninger; Grygera, Mellberg, Chiellini, Molinaro; Marchionni, Sissoko, Marchisio, Nedved; Amauri, Del Piero

Milan (4-3-2-1): Abbiati; Zambrotta, Maldini, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Flamini, Pirlo, Seedorf; Kakà, Ronaldinho; Pato.

The infamous Luciano Moggi (Mr. Calciopoli) blasted Dinho by saying

“The worst signing? Well there are buys like Ronaldinho”.

He continued to back his opinion,

“Not because he isn’t worth the money but he plays a mild rhythm even though he knows how to do everything with his feet”.

“However, things are different in Italy and when the tempo increases, Ronaldinho’s stays the same. He just watches the game. Maybe he does something from a free kick”.

And here’s what Dinho had to say before the big game:

“I am really focused, but not worried,” Ronaldinho told the Corriere dello Sport. “I always think positive and I don’t see why I should be afraid of Juve or any other side.”

“They are all great champions, but Sissoko has something more than his teammates,” mused the Brazilian ace.

“He is really strong in midfield, but can also give his contribution in the final third of the pitch.”

“They are all great champions, but Sissoko has something more than his teammates,” mused the Brazilian ace.

“He is really strong in midfield, but can also give his contribution in the final third of the pitch.”

Let’s hope for a great game between two of the greatest teams and players in the world. I hope to see a beautiful battle between the two legends ADP & Dinho. Remember, when Milan wins in Torino, Milan wins the Scudetto =)

Updated:

Juninho Pernambucano talked to Corriere dello Sport newspaper about Ronaldinho & Del Piero.

“They are both so good and very different!”

“Del Piero tends to use his strength more often and that is why he manages to make the ball move almost in a straight line.”

“Ronaldinho, however, has a more subtle touch and tries to bend it as much as possible.”

Ronaldinho “Gaucho joga bonito!”

Del Piero Free-Kicks in 2008

Forza Milan! Forza Dinho!

“I am feeling very well and I will be ready to return against Juventus,”

I’ll leave you with a nice video from Seriea.tv awarding Ronaldinho “October: The Player of the Month”

Forza Milan! Forza Dinho!

But I’m not very worried, well not yet. Ronaldinho played the whole 120 minutes in Coppa Italia this mid-week against Lazio. Milan scored a late goal in the 77th minute through a wonderful goal by Sheva scoring his first goal at the San Siro (Click Here For The Goal). Unfortunately Lazio weren’t an easy task, as they made their way back in the game, and to make matters worse, Lazio scored early in the extra half to lead 2-1 and with Milan one man down; at the end of day Milan got kicked out of Coppa Italia. Well no one actually cares about the Coppa, right!.

Dinho played fairly well, assisting a few good chances, hitting the post from a free-kick and a nice few glances here and there. Though Ronnie did something pretty awful in the game, he gave David Rozehnal (Lazio’s defender) a big Gaucho elbow to the head on purpose. Although in Dinho’s defense, he stopped the ball and pointed out his fault and apologized to the player.

Update:
Video Of Dinho’s Elbow

Milan will face Catania this Sunday and hopefully end the 2 loss streak and get back into action. Lets not forget the week after we’ll play Juve!

I’ll leave you with a pretty cool R10 Nike Commercial,
“You make them look the other way…”