Massimo Oddo

LuNo · May 17, 2008

MILAN-UDINESE

GOALKEEPERS: Dida, Kalac;

DEFENDERS: Bonera, Cafu, Digao, Favalli, Kaladze, Oddo, Serginho, Simic, Ambrosini;

MIDFIELDERS: Brocchi, Kaka, Pirlo, Seedorf;

STRIKERS: Gilardino, Inzaghi, Pato.

LuNo · May 19, 2008

Player Ratings: Milan 4-1 Udinese

AC Milan needed to win to stand a chance of earning their Champions League spot. They looked dead and buried after going a goal down in an uninspired first half. They did manage to reply with four in the second but it mattered little as Fiorentina won 0-1 at Torino to condemn the Rossoneri to the UEFA Cup for next season. Goal.com rates the performers on the pitch.

Kalac - 6.5: Made a few important saves in the first half to keep his side in the contest. Other than that, it was a fairly quiet evening for the Spider.

Oddo - 5.5: Was playing almost as an attacking winger in the first half to help carve open the Udinese defence. Allowed Di Natale the freedom to charge forward.

Bonera - 7: Had a shaky start but came into the game strongly and made a number of crucial tackles and interceptions.

Kaladze - 6: Didn’t quite have the pace to cope with Udinese’s counter attacking style. Looked more composed in the later stages of the game when the opponents went off the boil.

Favalli - 6: Never looked secure at the back. His over commitment to attack left far too much space for Simone Pepe to roam. He did, however, constantly provide his attacking wingers with the overlapping option.

Brocchi - 5: Ineffective. Could not provide the creative spark down the flank that Milan were so desperately seeking in the first half. Not surprised to be taken out at the break for Pato.

Pirlo - 7.5: Showed tremendous vision time and time again with some stunning long balls to split the visiting backline.

Ambrosini - 7: Strayed too far forward too often and that allowed Udinese to break forward with ease. Did link up well with Kaka and Seedorf in the final third of the pitch.

Kakà - 7: Very involved in the game and initiated almost every attacking move. Had about four excellent scoring chances but spurned all of them, including a penalty.

Seedorf - 8: His lively performance defies his age. He was carving out openings in both flanks and down the middle and just like Kaka, he was engaged in every attacking build up.

Inzaghi - 6.5: Had too many defenders mark him out of the game. Had more space and freedom when Pato came on. Should have scored more than just the one goal.

Substitutes:

Cafu - 7: Did well to clean up at the back. Wasn’t afraid to go forward, despite his aging legs. Scored a quite sumptuous goal to wrap up his playing career in style.

Pato - 8: What his teammates couldn’t do in 45 minutes, he managed to in just two. Caused all kinds of headaches for the Udinese defence and injected that extra attacking oomph that his team was missing in the first half.

Serginho - 6: Had a few attempts at goal from distance and will be disappointed he couldn’t sign off his career with a goal.

sandy · May 19, 2008

Thanks

Tezz_mission · May 22, 2008

Massimo Oddo has spoken of his disbelief at being left out of the Euro 2008 squad. “I didn’t expect it,” said the Milan man.

The full-back has been a regular in the Giro Azzurro since the appointment of Roberto Donadoni in 2006, but the latter omitted him from his 24-man preliminary party earlier this week.

“It’s an exclusion that burns me and I sincerely didn’t expect it,” noted the former Verona and Lazio man.

“Two years of my total disposal, sacrifices and acceptance of responsibility have been trampled on in the space of a few weeks.”

Donadoni seemed to defend his decision to ignore Oddo by focusing on the recent knee meniscus surgery that they player underwent, but the World Cup winner insists that was irrelevant.

“I would have reached a more than satisfying level of fitness two weeks before the tournament kicked off,” he added.

“In all honesty, the minimum I would have expected was to have my physical condition verified – if Donadoni’s consideration and faith in me hadn’t changed that is.”

Italy will travel to Euro 2008 with two right-backs in the form of Roma’s Christian Panucci and Gianluca Zambrotta of Barcelona.

(Channel4)