Converting Boateng

Can we turn Boateng into an Axel Witsel type central midfielder? Offers a big body, good tackling, powerful shot, clever runs, decent (but not much better) passing range and an ok vision. Montolivo, De Jong and Boa as a midfield three?

Would probably happen in a 4-3-3 but it looks like we are going the 4-2-3-1 way

He could be something like Ambro for us(box to box),but right the truth is he isnt clever enough to play in any position honestly.

Ganso wrote:Would probably happen in a 4-3-3 but it looks like we are going the 4-2-3-1 way

And? What's the difference between a central midfielder's role in each formation? What formation we play does not make him a better or worse attacking midfielder, the fact remains that he is a poor one. We need to find a role for him where his attacking qualities are not lost but where we can also have an attacking midfielder who creates from that position and can dictate play.

red&blacklegion wrote:He could be something like Ambro for us(box to box),but right the truth is he isnt clever enough to play in any position honestly.

Takes a lot of cleverness to be correctly deployed as an attacking midfielder, a lot loss to play as a central midfield workhorse. There is no doubting that he is the shiniest gem in a midfield that is very deprived of talent at the moment, we need to find the right solution for him. Persisting with the attacking midfield role is doing nobody any favours.

forza.milan wrote:Can we turn Boateng into an Axel Witsel type central midfielder? Offers a big body, good tackling, powerful shot, clever runs, decent (but not much better) passing range and an ok vision. Montolivo, De Jong and Boa as a midfield three?

We could .. but it's not that simple you know. It's clear Boateng doesn't want his old role back..and he certainly lacks the vision and the calmness to play that position under intense pressure.But ,first of all , we must take two things into consideration.

1. What Boateng wants .
2. What the team needs of him

If they combine well , perfect. As of now , they don't as it seems. In my opinion , we have De Jong , Nocerino and Montolivo for central midfield which would do a way better job than Boateng there.

May i suggest something else ?

Boateng in the right wing of the 4-2-3-1 . He has almost everything a modern winger must have to play there .Speed , stamina and strength and if needed , a powerfull shot outside the box to try and score. And his passing doesn't necessarily need to be perfect there you know . And as for the defensing aspect of his position , i don't think he will do anything worse than what Sharaawy does.

What do you think

Dante wrote:

forza.milan wrote:Can we turn Boateng into an Axel Witsel type central midfielder? Offers a big body, good tackling, powerful shot, clever runs, decent (but not much better) passing range and an ok vision. Montolivo, De Jong and Boa as a midfield three?

We could .. but it's not that simple you know. It's clear Boateng doesn't want his old role back..and he certainly lacks the vision and the calmness to play that position under intense pressure.But ,first of all , we must take two things into consideration.

1. What Boateng wants .
2. What the team needs of him

If they combine well , perfect. As of now , they don't as it seems. In my opinion , we have De Jong , Nocerino and Montolivo for central midfield which would do a way better job than Boateng there.

May i suggest something else ?

Boateng in the right wing of the 4-2-3-1 . He has almost everything a modern winger must have to play there .Speed , stamina and strength and if needed , a powerfull shot outside the box to try and score. And his passing doesn't necessarily need to be perfect there you know . And as for the defensing aspect of his position , i don't think he will do anything worse than what Sharaawy does.

What do you think

I think I agree with dante's perspective here, he has said it all. The right wing could be the best position for boateng where we wouldn't have to worry much about his major weakness (vision) whilst exploiting his best qualities (speed, shot, strength, technique).. I think this would really do boateng and the team a world of good

Simply have Urby and Prince swap positions for the time being

Dante wrote:

forza.milan wrote:Can we turn Boateng into an Axel Witsel type central midfielder? Offers a big body, good tackling, powerful shot, clever runs, decent (but not much better) passing range and an ok vision. Montolivo, De Jong and Boa as a midfield three?

We could .. but it's not that simple you know. It's clear Boateng doesn't want his old role back..and he certainly lacks the vision and the calmness to play that position under intense pressure.But ,first of all , we must take two things into consideration.

1. What Boateng wants .
2. What the team needs of him

If they combine well , perfect. As of now , they don't as it seems. In my opinion , we have De Jong , Nocerino and Montolivo for central midfield which would do a way better job than Boateng there.

May i suggest something else ?

Boateng in the right wing of the 4-2-3-1 . He has almost everything a modern winger must have to play there .Speed , stamina and strength and if needed , a powerfull shot outside the box to try and score. And his passing doesn't necessarily need to be perfect there you know . And as for the defensing aspect of his position , i don't think he will do anything worse than what Sharaawy does.

What do you think

The two most important characteristics of a winger, Crossing- Boateng is as poor as anyone when it comes to crossing, his crosses either don't beat the first man or beat everyone in the penalty area. His inability to cross can be forgiven to a certain extent because we don't usually cross a lot into the box. Then the ability to get past defenders, he is poor in this department too, which means he can't to do anything productive other than cutting in from the right and shoot into the second tier ( jk ).

Most of his positive traits are those which belong to a box to box midfielder, if he could just hone his defensive and positional skills he could be a real asset for our team. As of now, I would rotate him with nocerino when we go with 3 men in the center, depending on how the opposition play.

Anyone else agree that Urby has sealed his spot in the 11?

Milantildeath wrote:Anyone else agree that Urby has sealed his spot in the 11?

Pfffffffffffffffffffftttttttttttttttttttttt

Has Urby done anything to seal his spot in 11 ? I havent seen anything yet.His crossing against inter were just pathetic,he has zero technique couldnt dribble pass anybody against Inter.He is like boateng with more speed and less shooting ability.

vasanthPato wrote:

Dante wrote:

forza.milan wrote:Can we turn Boateng into an Axel Witsel type central midfielder? Offers a big body, good tackling, powerful shot, clever runs, decent (but not much better) passing range and an ok vision. Montolivo, De Jong and Boa as a midfield three?

We could .. but it's not that simple you know. It's clear Boateng doesn't want his old role back..and he certainly lacks the vision and the calmness to play that position under intense pressure.But ,first of all , we must take two things into consideration.

1. What Boateng wants .
2. What the team needs of him

If they combine well , perfect. As of now , they don't as it seems. In my opinion , we have De Jong , Nocerino and Montolivo for central midfield which would do a way better job than Boateng there.

May i suggest something else ?

Boateng in the right wing of the 4-2-3-1 . He has almost everything a modern winger must have to play there .Speed , stamina and strength and if needed , a powerfull shot outside the box to try and score. And his passing doesn't necessarily need to be perfect there you know . And as for the defensing aspect of his position , i don't think he will do anything worse than what Sharaawy does.

What do you think

The two most important characteristics of a winger, Crossing- Boateng is as poor as anyone when it comes to crossing, his crosses either don't beat the first man or beat everyone in the penalty area. His inability to cross can be forgiven to a certain extent because we don't usually cross a lot into the box. Then the ability to get past defenders, he is poor in this department too, which means he can't to do anything productive other than cutting in from the right and shoot into the second tier ( jk ).

Most of his positive traits are those which belong to a box to box midfielder, if he could just hone his defensive and positional skills he could be a real asset for our team. As of now, I would rotate him with nocerino when we go with 3 men in the center, depending on how the opposition play.

Boateng is not poor at crossing.He can even cross fairly well with the left when found in good position outside the box. Neither is poor at dribbling past players , he's actualy very good at it. not right now , but , you get it.

I've actualy come to realise that , the idea that fans , management and team expect much more from him now, i believe this has had a negative effect on him.

I am not excusing him , this if true , would be tragic, but just for the sake of the discussion. Most probably , it's just a rough patch . We'll find out eventualy , if indeed he was all about Ibra and Cassano or if his case is just something temporary.

right now Urby > KPB and Robinho

Milantildeath wrote:right now Urby > KPB and Robinho

Unfair on binho considering his injury has kept him out of the team

Robinho will without doubt be one of the main leaders of this team when he returns from injury, he's a player of undoubted quality that Emanuelson for all of his effort will never possess.

Firstly I'd like to welcome back Dante, it's fantastic to hear from you mate. Secondly, I'd like to throw my support behind the idea of Prince as an option for our right wing. Not a traditional winger by any means, however this has rarely been the function of the 4-2-3-1. It is a formation that relies heavily upon the intelligent interchange of movement and possession by the front four, aspects which can emphasise Boateng's strengths whilst hiding his inadequacies if his use is one of support.

Boateng has enjoyed a position of tactical freedom under Allegri's tutelage until now, however the departure of Ibrahimovic has seen Boateng resemble a loose cannon whose unpredictability is more of a threat to his own team than the opposition. Boateng has often during his career displayed a petulance and naivety that has seen many, myself included, question his potential to engage in a deeper and more disciplined role. Unworthy of a free role and incapable of playing a strict one, it is the job of both Allegri and Boateng to find what is best for the team and Dante well emphasised the qualities that Boateng can bring to the role of RW. Whilst he is a frustrating player, only a highly unlikely offer would justify his departure and a place must be found for his characteristics. Boateng was characterised as a potential leader of this team in the absence of Ibrahimovic. It is not fitting for his personality on the pitch, however neither can his ability to contribute to a team that needs everyone to stand up be dismissed.

The issue is bringing the best out of Boateng and I believe that a 4-2-3-1 must utilise Robinho's ability to control and unite a quartet. A trio of El Shaarawy, Robinho and Boateng in support of a centre forward may seem uncharacteristically aggressive for one of my line-ups, however we are fortunate in a way that we have little to lose. Robinho has the personality to constantly demand the ball and his link-up play is easily the most mature and incisive of any of our forwards. Boateng could still prove useful in support of such an arrangement, as long as restricts himself to a selfless and controlled role. utilising his tremendous ability in front of goal for the glory of the team, not himself.

A key issue remains the lack of suitable substitutes, however we do not have the luxury of dreaming of ways to improve our bench as some other clubs do. It's an issue to be addressed if such an experiment were to be conducted and prove successful.

Hello Dosto! , thanks for the welcome mate. I find your ideas and thoughts included into yet an other simple but bright post , once again , excellent and full of logic .

I find no need to think of Boateng as an over rated player , or a scrub , like many call him these days. It's just a difficult individual situation rather practical ; generalizing his overall displays over the past month is too easy .
I like the idea you brought to the table , with Robinho - Boateng. I agree , mayhaps to aggressive , but why not? Robinho and Boateng always had an amazing understanding on the field , it could work like a charm with an on form Boateng .

I ve given much though about where Boateng should be re established , rather for the good of the team than himself. The right wing is a fine option in my opinion. You explained very well the 'background' of Boateng , so that we could understand better what's the chances of this happening. I believe with a little luck and positive turn of events , Boateng will have his shot there, especialy when Robinho returns .

We need Boateng and the characteristics he brings on the field , like you well said. It's just that a change of scenery is much needed for him.

You know whats the real problem with KPB? Its not just that he is out of form. Its not just that all that sexual activity with Melissa Satta has drained him.

Fact is Boateng is going through an identity crisis.

1. KPB never was known to have that classy and senatore-like attitude that we all expect to have from our Milan squad. Fact is after his first year and especially from last year where he has been launched into stardom after his excellent performances, he has gotten way in over his head that he has reached the pinnacle of success. I watch Milan training and observe behaviours as I'm not accusing Boateng of being a Prima Donna (yet) but he has subdued his drive and team work rate that he was known for. He thinks that he is the superstar of our team which is why he tries this Zola-back heels, long ranged shots and outrageous attempts at skill which really are not necessary.

2. The identity crisis is that Boateng always thought of himself of a Trequartista whereas he doesn't have any of the attributes of one. A TQ are guys like Baggio, Pirlo, Albertini. Men who are composed, full of ingenuity and have endeavours not for glory but for creative purposes for the team. Boateng is a very skilled player. He can shoot with both feet, his short passing and crossing has been excellent at times while his dribbling is nothing short of spectacular at times. But he does not possess that composure, that finesse and natural talent that a TQ has. His game is projecting his finer talents through his passion and intensity.

Case in point:

Sneijder: “I have always worn this number on my shirt. For Real, for Ajax, for Inter. For the national team, too. I have it tattooed on my arm. I like it, nothing more than this. It is not linked to the fact that the No10 is the best player on a team, because that’s not true.

Boateng: “What do you mean not true?! It is true!”

Sneijder: “I was referring to him when I said that.”

Boateng: “The best players have always worn No10. Maradona, for example.

I've always had the suspicion that Prince always has wanted the spotlight as he revels in it. Which is why he chose the #10 and through his words as its clear he wants to be a superstar at our team. Somebody hasn't told him that he hasn't made it and that he is NOT a 10.

Through him thinking he is a #10 he has subdued his intensity and passion and tries to be something that he simply is NOT.

Which is why we don't see him bullying the midfield and hassling attackers or just being his all round dynamic self. He quite obviously is trying to change his game while he doesn't know that it is simply not natural for him to do that.

Allegri finally said: "I think my mistake is thinking Boateng was a Trequartista"

Bravo Max.

This ritiro time in Milanello definitely should do him some good.

And for all wondering what Boateng actually is?

He is a Mezzala. Always was one and never will be anything else.

A very interesting post about Boateng there , Arquitecto. I am sure many of us , get pissed of at Boateng when he's trying to prove stuff he seems unable to.

While i don't like the idea you suggest for Boateng , i find myself agreeing in general . He wants it to be our superstar , while it's obvious that he's been doing it wrong so far.

One thing i completely disagree , is that he can't be anything else. No my friend , football is all about interchanging positions ; development of a player never really stops. He could be a fking right back with proper will and guide

The case is , like we both have already mentioned in this thread , Boateng's view/opinion of himself. Allegri must have taken action by now ,but let's wait to see if anything has changed during the Genoa game , before we continue the discussion about Boateng.