Ronaldinho shines, but 'normal one' and leading contenders all stutter

1 Sep 2008:

Milan's new Brazilian stole the show on an opening Serie A weekend in which none of last season's top five earned more than a point, writes Paolo Bandini


Sometimes a little something gets lost in translation. "Niente drammi" - no big dramas - insisted the headline on the front page of Gazzetta dello Sport's website yesterday afternoon. It was a fair reflection of the Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti's assertion that nobody should read too much into his side's 2-1 defeat at home to Bologna. To suggest that the opening weekend's matches had been anything but dramatic, however, would be wholly inappropriate.

This, after all, was a weekend in which none of last season's top five earned more than a point, despite the fact that all but Fiorentina - who were playing Juventus - and Milan had taken first-half leads. A weekend in which Jose Mourinho and Ronaldinho, among others, made their Serie A debuts. A weekend in which last season's great underachievers, Lazio, recovered from a goal down with an hour gone to rout Cagliari 4-1 and finish round one top of the league.

Nobody seems quite sure what to make of it all this morning. "The giants are left to stand and watch," declares Gazzetta. "Gila puts the brakes on Juventus," exclaims the front page of Rome-based Corriere dello Sport. "Juve makes them afraid," bellows the gloriously one-eyed Turin daily Tuttosport.

All, however, are united in praise for Ronaldinho. After providing the cross from which Massimo Ambrosini headed home Milan's equaliser in the first half, Ronaldinho quite simply dominated the second. Pushed further wide on the left as Milan adjusted from 4-3-2-1 to 4-2-3-1, and granted far more support going forward as Gianluca Zambrotta was switched across from the right side of defence, he breezed past Cristian Zenoni again and again as he fizzed one delivery after another across the six-yard box.

In the end only a lack of familiarity with his team-mates' movements - on more than one occasion Ronaldinho's passes went unmet as they rolled across the area - and the profligacy of both Andriy Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi prevented Milan from winning at a canter. More even than the 15 crosses, or five shots that Ronaldinho contributed, however, it was his relentless enthusiasm - so often absent in his last year at Barcelona - that caught the eye. If he ever stopped grinning during his 90 minutes on the pitch, it must have been when the camera wasn't on him.

"Smiles and assists - Ronaldinho did what Ronaldinho does," writes Gazzetta's Luca Calamai today. "Even the most sceptical Milan fan's heart was warmed. The problem is that Milan did not do what Milan do. At least in the conclusive phase. The statistics say that Ancelotti's team had 22 shots at Antonioli's goal and that they missed six or seven easy-easy goals. Many mistakes, too many. They messed up a bit of everything."

The concern for Milan must be that - these days - this is exactly what Milan do. With Alberto Gilardino departed and off to a successful start with Fiorentina, there is no longer a ready-made scapegoat at the San Siro for an inability to convert domination into goals that cost them dear on several occasions last term. Zambrotta and Mathieu Flamini enjoyed strong debuts, but with Marco Borriello expected to be out for another month with a knee injury and Alexandre Pato still inconsistent, the pressure on Shevchenko to start scoring quickly is already intense.

The decision not to sign a new goalkeeper but simply to promote Christian Abbiati as the new first choice hasn't helped either, leaving fans to assert that Milan are yet to properly address their greatest area of weakness. Abbiati can hardly be faulted for either of Bologna's goals yesterday, but the fact remains that Bologna had only three shots on goal, and two of those finished in the net.

There are, to be fair, similar questions, for the other pretenders to the Scudetto crown. Mourinho was quickly dubbed the "normal one" by sections of the press, and many reporters have already accused him of showing a lack of tactical innovation after Inter's disjointed display against Samp. The signing of Ricardo Quaresma may help, but it must be said that on Saturday the Nerazzurri often looked no more than the collection of talented individuals they often appeared under Roberto Mancini. Juventus and Roma, meanwhile, may feel they suffered from the same lapses in concentration that cost them last year.

Fiorentina, meanwhile, once again look to have improved under Cesare Prandelli, but must shake off the inferiority complex that seems to play on their nerves in the biggest games. Despite finishing fourth last year, they won only one league game out of eight against Juventus, Milan, Roma and Inter.

Bologna, of course, have already matched that tally in their first game back in the top flight, leaving president Alfredo Cazzola to revel in a perfect departure from the club. Cazzola recently sold Bologna to the Menarini family, and is expected to be replaced by Francesca Menarini next week. She will become the league's second-ever female team president, after Roma's Rosella Sensi, who replaced her father Franco after his death two weeks ago.