Napoli 1 Milan 2: Ibra and Robinho Help Milan To a Hard Fought Win

It was not spectacular; rather, it was hard fought affair in a match that threatened to boil over on more than one occasion. But it was job done, even if it was not that convincing.

Following the midweek debacle in Spain, coach Max Allegri can be proud of his side for having turned their fortunes around. As a result, Milan’s title challenge is still very much on track as the side sit just two points behind leaders, Lazio.

The loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League highlighted a host of problems that have long existed at Milan. Changes needed to be made and changes were made, though apart from dropping Clarence Seedorf for Kevin Prince, all the changes were forced due to various injuries.

But Allegri deserves credit for finally dropping the terribly ineffective Clarence Seedorf for Kevin Prince. The young Ghanaian has been a breath of fresh air in the Milan midfield when given the chance to play.

He has youth, determination and tenacity in abundance, and it is these three virtues that are severely lacking in the midfield for Milan. His performance against Napoli was not outstanding; however, he certainly did enough to keep Seedorf out of the side. One hopes.

Up front, Allegri also made an important change that paid off. Whether forced or not, deploying Robinho behind Pato and Ibrahimovic was an experiment that had to be tested sooner or later. Ronaldinho has been poor this season, despite some early good outings. His complete lack of speed and complete lack of willingness is a real hindrance for the side, both when attacking and defending.

Robinho, on the other hand, at least does run when going forward and against Napoli, made a number of runs that on another day may have resulted in a second goal for the current Brazilian captain.

With Ibrahimovic’s tendency to sometime drop deep and become playmaker and with Robinho and Pato, Milan have at least two willing attackers who will look to get on the end of something.

He may not have the vision or passing of his compatriot, however, Robinho showed against Napoli that he still has much to offer and perhaps more than Ronaldinho.

Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo also put in good shifts as they helped Milan dominate possession. Completely out of his depth in Madrid, Gattuso more than matched his opponents in the battle for the midfield and perhaps because of this, Pirlo saw much more of the ball too and hence was able to be an influence on the game. Pazienza’s sending off also made things easier too.

But it was at the back that Milan were once again very suspect. Alessandro Nesta was his usual self; however, his partner Sokratis was a liability. Time and time again was the young Greek defender turned inside and out by Lavezzi. Sokratis has shown little for Milan to suggest that he is a great defender in the making.

The unsung and highly unlikely hero for Milan tonight, however, was Massimo Oddo. Never did it seem possible that such a thing would be said in this day and age, but it was Oddo, as odd as it seems, who created both goals for Milan. The 34-year-old former Lazio captain has certainly given something for Allegri to think about considering the woeful form of Milan Gianluca Zambrotta.

It is never easy to go to the San Paolo and claim all three points. However, Allegri’s men got the job done, and it will provide the team with some much needed confidence ahead of Juventus next week.

As for Milan’s title challenge, it is game on.