AC Milan Foreign Players All-Time Team

Kaká, Clarence Seedorf, Andriy Shevchenko & Cafu 

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
AC Milan All-Time Team Under Silvio Berlusconi
AC Milan Brazilian Best XI
AC Milan All-Time Team
AC Milan All-Time Italian Team
AC Milan All-Time Foreign Player Team


This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for AC Milan's foreign players.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Nicknamed "I Rossoneri", AC Milan is the second most successful club after Real Madrid in Europe.  At the time of writing, they have won the Euorpean Cup/Champions' league 7 times.  They have a strong team in the 1960's, winning the 1963 and 1969.  After many years of failure in the 1970's and early 1980's, Silvio Berlusconi bought the club in 1986. He turned the club into a dynasty.  The Dutch trio of Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard was credited for the successes of that era.  Later, Dejan Savicevic  and Kaka helped the club to win the European Cup/Champions' League.  Other notable foreign influence on the club incliuded the "Gre-No-Li" line consisted that consisted of Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm.  

Gre-No-Li

Team
GK: Dida (Brazil)
Didi was mainly remembered for his 8 seasons with AC Milan.  He was the hero of the 2003 Champions' League Final when he helped Milan to win the penalty shootout against Juventus.  He became the first Brazilian keeper to be nominated for Ballon d' Or that year.  He went to three World Cup Finals and started in 2006 for the Seleção.

GK Zeljko Kalac (Australia)
Kalac made his name with Sydney United.  He moved to Europe in 1995.  He played in England, holland and Italy.  He was the backup keeper for AC Milan as they won the Champions' League in 2006-2007. He spent most of his career between Bosnich and Schwarzer, but still earned 54 caps for Socceroos.  He played against Croata at the WC Finals in 2006.

GK: Diego Lopez (Spain)
Lopez started from Real Madrid, but made his name first with Villareal and Sevilla.  In January, 2013, he rejoined Real Madrid after Iker Casillas suffered a serious injury.  He quickly established as the starter.  He maintained his starting status the following year, despite the return of Casillas.  He won Copa Del Rey that season as the starter while backing up Casillas in the Champions' League as Real Madrid won it.  Capped once in 2009.

RB: Cafu (Brazil) 
Cafu is the all-time cap record holder for Brazil with 142 caps.  He is the only man to play in three WC finals, winning it in 1994 and 2002.  He was the captain of the 2002 team.  With Sao Paulo, he won two Copa Libertadores: 1992, 1993.  In Europe, he won a Cup Winners Cup with Real Zaragoza, and he also won a singe Champions League with AC Milan in 2006. He was South American Player of the Year in 1994.  

Cafu

RB: Thomas Helveg (Denmark)
The most prominent period of his career was his five years with  AC Milan, with whom he won the 1999 Serie A championship and 2003 UEFA Champions League tournament. He was named 1994 Danish Player of the Year.  He has participated in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 European Championship and the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup tournaments. He also played for Udinese, Inter Milan, Norwich City and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

CB: Thiago Silva (Brazil)
Thiago Silva became the most expensive defender in history when he moved from Milan to Paris St. Germain.  In Brazil, he played for Juventude and Fluminense, helping Fluminense to the Final of Copa Libertadores in 2008.  For the national team, he was the captain of Brazil ill-fated team in World Cup 2014, but did not play against Germany in the semifinal. He was an unused sub at the WC Finals in 2010.

CB/DM:  Marcel Desailly (France)
Marcel Desailly was considered to be one of the greatest defensive players during the 1990's.  He played 116 times for France, winning the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000.  He was the first player to win the European Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs, when he won it with Marseille in 1993 and AC Milan the following year.

CB: Herbert Kilpin (England)
Killeen came to Italy from England in 1891 to work for Edoardo Bosio, an Italian-Swiss textile merchant. Bosio founded Internazionale Torino, believed to be the first Italian football club. Kilpin played for the team, becoming the first-ever Englishman to play football abroad. In 1898, he moved to Milan and became one of the founding members of AC Milan.  Her spent 9 seasons with the club as a player,w inning 3 national titles.

CB/LB: Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (West Germany)
In his prime, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger was considered one of the best leftbacks in the world.  He participated in 4 World Cup Finals, unfortunaitely sandwiched between West Germany's two World Cup winning tournaments.  He was remembered one of the first German to star in Italy's Serie A.  He had a remarkable stint with AC Milan and AS Roma.  He won the European Cup in 1969 with AC Milan. At home, he played with Koln.

Karl-Heinz Schnellinger 

LB: Kakha Kaladze (Georgia)
Kakha Kaladze started with Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia.  He was also a part of Dynmamo Kyiv that dominated the domestic league and reached the semifinal of the Champions' league in the 1990's with Andriy Shevchenko.  He also played for AC Milan, where he won two Champions' League in 2003 and 2007.  He was Georgian Player of the Year for 5 times.  He played 83 timed for Georgia.

CM: Frank Rijkaard (Netherlands)
Frank Rijkaard was one of Netherlands' most important player. Capped 73 times.  He won the 1988 European Championship in West Germany. He notably played for Ajax and AC Milan. He spent 5 seasons with AC Milan when Milan was considered the greatest club team in the world, winning two European Cup. In 1995, he led a young Ajax team to their famous Champions' League victory.  That team is also considered one of the greatest club sides ever.

AM/CM: Zvonimir Boban (Croatia)
Zvonimir Boban was the captain of the national team that finished third at the World Cup in 1998.  He was also an important player of the highly talented Yugoslavia under-20 team that won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship. He was also remembered for his career with AC Milan with whom he won four Serie A and one UEFA Champions League titles. He also played Bari and Celta Vigo at the club level.

CM/LM: Clarence Seedorf (Netherlands)
Seedorf is the first player to win three Champion League titles with 3 different clubs. He was a member of the Golden Generation from Ajax that won Champions League in 1995.  In 1996, he moved to Real Madrid, where he quickly established himself as a star.  He would win two Champions League title there.  He later played for both AC Milan and Inter Milan.  He was a key player for the Dutch national team.

Clarence Seedorf

AM: Dejan Savicevic (Montenegro)
Dejan Savicevic was a part of the Red Star Belgrade team that won the 1990–91 European Cup before joining A.C. Milan in 1992. With Milan, he won three Serie A titles and the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League. His international career was limited due to sanction placed on his country.  He did not play in a major tournaments at the peak of his career.  However, he represented Yugoslavia at the 1990 and 1998 World Cups.  He had over 50 caps.

AM: Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
Gullit was the iconic captain of Netherlands 1988.  In 1987,  he moved from PSV Eindhoven to A.C. Milan for a world record transfer fee.  He was an important player for AC Milan during the 1980's where they won two straight European Cups. He was the European Footballer of the Year in 1987 and the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989.  He spent one season with Sampdoria winning the Italian Cup in 1994.

AM: Rui Costa (Portugal)
Rui Costa was one of the best players in the 1990's Portugal's Golden Generation. He was a part of the team that won the 1991 U-20 World Cup.  He starred for Benfica, Florentina and AC Milan. He won a Champions' League title with AC Milan in the 2003-2004 season.  He earned 94 caps fpr Portugal.  He represented the country in three UEFA European Championships and one World Cup. He led Portugal to the Final of European Championship at home, scoring a screamer against England.

AM/CM: Kaka (Brazil)
Kaka started his career with Sao Paulo in Brazil before moving to AC Milan in 2003.  He was the star player who helped Milan to win the Champions' League in 2007 and he himself won he Ballon d'or the same year.  In 2009, he left Milan for Real Madrid.  For Brazil, he was capped 92 times between 2002 and 2016.  He was a young and seldom used player at the World Cup Finals in 2002.  He was a key player after the World Cup Finals in 2002.

Kaka

AM: Nils Liedholm (Sweden)
Nicknamed Il Barone (The Baron), Nils Liedholm is probably one of  Sweden's greatest players.  He played for AC Milan between 1949 and 1961. He also won the Latin Cup in 1951 and 1956 and was captain of Milan in the 1958 European Cup Final that lost against Real Madrid. He was a part of the famous "Gre-No-Li" line for both club and country.  He won a Gold Medal at the 1948 Olympics and helped Sweden to finish second at the World Cup Finals in 1958. 

SS: Juan Schiaffino (Uruguay)
At international level, Juan Schiaffino won the 1950 FIFA World Cup with the Uruguayan national team, and also took part at the 1954 FIFA World Cup; he later also represented the Italy national football team. He was considered one of the greatest Uruguayan players in history.  For club level, he played in Uruguay for Penarol and in Italy with Milan and Roma.  

FW: George Weah (Liberia) 
In terms of individual awards, no African player wins more awards than him.  He was was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or in 1995.  He won African Footballer of the Year: 1989, 1994, 1995.  He was voted African Player of the Century in 1996.  He had great careers with AC Milan where he won two Serie A titles. He also played for Monaco, PSG, Chelsea, etc. In 2017, Weah was elected as the President of Liberia.

FW: Gunnar Gren  (Sweden)
Gunnar Gren was part of the famous "Gre-No-Li" trio of forwards at AC Milan and the Swedish national team during the 1950's.  He won a Gold Medal at the 1948 Olympics and helped Sweden to finish second at the World Cup finals in 1958. He is considered one of the greatest footballers for both Sweden and AC Milan. In Sweden, he played for IFK Gothenburg, AC Fiorentina, Genoa, and  Örgryte IS.

ST: Jose Altafini (Brazil)
In Brazil, Jose Altafini was known as Mazzola because of his resemblance with  Italian attacking midfielder Valentino Mazzola.  He started to use his real name Jose Altafini after he joined AC Milan in 1958.  In the 1963 European Cup Final, he scored two goals to secure Milan's first European triumph He is the current 4th top-scorer in Italy's Serie A history. For the national team, he was the original starter on the 1958 World Cup team, but was replaced in the semifinal and the Final.

 Jose Altafini (R)

ST: Gunnar Nordahl (Sweden)
He is probably one of both Sweden and AC Milan's greatest players.  He is played with Gunnar Gren and Nils Liedholm to form the renowned Gre-No-Li line at AC Milan.  He was Serie A top scorer for 5 times.  He is the all-time leading scorer at Milan.  He won the Gold Medal at the 1948 Olympics, but was not selected for the WC in 1950.  He played two years with Roma before retiring.  His brother Bertil and Knut also played for Sweden.

ST: Andrei Shevchenko (Ukraine)
He is considered one of the greatest Ukrainian player in history.  He won the Ballon D'Or in 2004 and came 3rd on the World Player of the Year.  He started his career with Dynamo Kyiv. He was best remembered for his stint with AC Milan, winning the Champions' League in 2003.  He won 111 caps and scored 48 goals for the Ukraine.  He led Ukraine to qualify for the World Cup Finals in 2006.

ST:  Marco Van Basten  (Netherlands)
Marco Van Basten was probably the second best Dutch player and among the best striker in football's history.  He won the Ballon d'Or three times.  He led Oranje to the victory at the European Championship 1988 scoring 5 goals at the tournament. It was Netherlands' first victory in a major tournament. His goal in the Final is considered one of the best in history of the tournament. He started his career with Ajax.  He also won two European Cups with AC Milan, a club side that was considered the best ever.  

The Three Dutchmen

Honorable Mention 
Leonardo, Serginho, Marek Jankulovski, Oliver Bierhoff, Ray Wilkins, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Zlatan Ibrahimović', Cristián Zapata.

Squad Explanation
-- Thirteen players on this team are also on my AC Milan all-time team.  Almost all of them are offensive players.  Only Cafu and Karl-Heinz Schnellinger were defensive players.  The thirteen players are Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Kaka, Marcel Desailly, Dejan Savicevic, Jose Altafini, Juan Schiaffino, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm. 
-- AC Milan has two group of iconic trios.  They are obvious choices. The "Gre-No-Li" line consisted of three Swedes:  Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm.  In the late 1980's, the three Dutchmen Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard played for AC Milan.    

-- Not many foreign goalkeepers ever played for AC Milan. Dida was the only foreign goalkeeper who became a long-time starting goalkeeper. Zeljko Kalac and Jen Lehmann only played a few games. Diego Lopez actually started for them. Hoberlin Hood of England was their first ever goalkeeper.  In the end, I took Zeljko Kalac because he was a long time backup for the team. 

-- Tiago Silva and Marcel Desailly were obvious choices for centerbacks.  Herbert Kilpin was one of AC Milan's founders and an important player at the beginning of the club.  He was selected for his historical roles for the club.  Karl-Heinz Schnellinger was also a sweeper.  He became my fourth centerback.

-- Cristián Zapata could have became my last defender. Because of the fact that Schnellinger and Rijkaard could play in the center, I decided to take one less defender.  Instead, I selected the best remaining player. It was between Rui Costa and Leonardo. Although the team had too many attacking midfielders, I still took Rui Costa.  He contributed to one of their Champions League victories.  

-- Since Karl-Heinz Schnellinger was also a leftback, I only selected 7 defenders.  Kakha Kaladze was my backup leftback.  Leonardo, Serginho and Marek Jankulovski are also very strong candidates too. Then, I took Tomas Helveg (Denmark) as Cafu's backup.

-- Almost every offensive players from my AC Milan All-Time team are foreigners. Nevertheless, I still have rooms to add more offensive players to this team. The new offensive players are Gunnar Gren, George Weah, Clarence Seedorf and Rui Costa. 
-- The team lacked a left-side midfielder.  Clarence Seedorf can also play in on the left side as well as dropping deep. 
-- Due to Yugoslavia's international ban, Dejan Savicevic and Zvonimir Boban did not have much chance to play international football in their prime. Dejan Savicevic made a statement at the 1994 European Cup Final as AC Milan destroyed Johan Cruyff's Dream Team.  Yugoslavia was unable to participate in the 1994 World Cup Finals.  
-- Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and David Beckham played over here at the end of their careers.  They were never seriously considered. 
-- Zlatan Ibrahimović's stay was very brief here.  He is up against Van Basten, Shevchenko and Jose Altafini for a spot.
-- Jose Altafini was the first foreign star player for AC Milan.  In Brazil, he was also known as "Mazzola" because he resembled the Italian legend Valentino Mazzola.  Valentino Mazzola's son Sandro was playing with Inter Milan when Jose Altafini was playing with AC Milan.

-- Gunnar Gren was left off my AC Milan All-Time team.  So I have to select him over here.

Formation
Ruud Gullit has played on the right side earlier in his career. So he needed to adjust his game (he is very versatile).  Kaka also played on the right side for Brazil, but I started him in the middle. Liedholm also played on the left side, but the role and formation was different in his in era.
 

Coaching Points: Michigan vs OSU, 2018

I used to do more of these back in the day. Admittedly, this is more about Michigan and a response to some of the criticisms of Michigan from this game. So sorry it's light on the OSU POV.

Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

Michigan Offense - Wrinkles
It was clear from the onset that Michigan believed they could be successful on offense with mostly their core playbook. Underdogs, or teams that believe they will struggle to generate yards, typically are the ones that come out with drastically different looks. Teams don't like to hide major portions of the playbook only for a single game, because for the most part, it's counter-intuitive. Those plays that are hidden generally a repped less and executed worse, and so if you believe your execution and talent is good enough to win, you are more likely to stick with your core playbook. Michigan believed that going into the game.

They utilized some of their better plays. Some WR screens, splitting Evans out wide for the slant, some nice route concepts from the WRs and TEs that resulted in a very efficient pass game. They weren't wrong that the core could be quite successful.

That isn't to say Michigan didn't add some wrinkles. They had two interesting counter plays that had mixed results, but you could understand the logic behind each given OSU's film. OSU's LBs had a tendency to plunge into the LOS and erase themselves. One counter play was set up much like Michigan's standard Belly Read play, but had the OG pull across the formation for a long trap. Depending on the movement of the WILL (LB attack the LOS, RB follow the pull; LB follow the pull, RB dive), you can get some yards. Another counter play was based off Michigan's staple Belly Read Arc block play, in which the H-back would initially cross the formation before returning in the direction he came. It is effectively Counter H.

There were a few other wrinkles (a nice play action wheel route that resulted in a dropped TD), but they were more in line with the standard wrinkles Michigan adds from week-to-week, they were not the "new offense" that many fans seem to clamor for come big games. Given OSU's defensive film and Michigan's relative efficiency on O, I don't blame them for going with this approach.

Michigan Offense - Missing Pieces of the Playbook
What was lost out of the core playbook that I didn't understand was the addition of RPOs that Michigan had shown, along with some of the split flow looks they showed off Down G early in the year, and at least some sweeps.

In terms of RPOs, Michigan had started adding RPOs that attack the backside LB. Much of OSU's success against the run came from the WILL attacking at the snap. This is and was OSU's MO on defense. Despite the relative issues on that side of the ball, they have been relatively successful at getting stuffs and TFL on standard downs. Success against them came when you could get behind the LBs. OSU was shooting gaps, and for some reason Michigan never pulled the trigger on some of their RPO looks that I think could have been very successful and started opening up the run game. Whether this was due to the backend coverage or something else, I can't completely confirm, but Michigan needed to find other and more ways to put those guys in conflict other than simple counter plays (which I still think were a good add, just not enough).

The jet sweep action is in line with this. Michigan has not been a great sweep team this year, but they have run it several times every game. They threatened it a few times, but to my recollection never pulled the trigger. This sort of motion was key to pulling LBs out of assignments all year, and they didn't do enough to threaten it. The split flow and other sorts of things are the same idea. Get the LBs reading flow in multiple directions - besides from just to OL - and watch them get out of run lanes. The double Down G is another option in Michigan's playbook that we never saw (albeit, Michigan ran that a few times this year and never really successfully).

I don't think Michigan needed to drastically move away from the playbook, despite what many fans said. The pieces are there, and given Michigan's success on the ground and OSU's issues on D, the idea of taking a huge risk by trying to execute a bunch of unknowns doesn't seem like the best risk balance. But there were parts of the playbook that didn't get touched that could have been, and could have really helped the offense in general.

Michigan Offense - Management
The first down run/pass balance was off. Michigan wants to be run heavy. They want to wear down defenses. This can be great, especially when your defense is getting off the field. Michigan's D was not, and Michigan was forced to play catch up. The theory needed to change earlier than it did, because the offensive philosophy needed to change to "keep up" instead of "wear down".

The gameplan I don't think was bad to be majority run on first down. It was clear once the game started that Michigan had issues with protection, and I think Michigan knew that would be an issue in this one. Michigan is a very bad "behind the chains" offense. Negative plays or incompletions really hurt them from an efficiency standpoint, and really limit what the offense is capable of. Getting into 2nd and 7 isn't great, but it puts the offense in a much better position than 2nd and 10, because of what they are. That's been their bread and butter all year. So the gameplan going into the game was fine, but it needed to adapt quicker.

I think the best offense to attack OSU was more of a spread look, but that isn't Michigan's base playbook. They utilize more 12 personnel. They utilizes their TEs in ways to attack the defense similar to many spread teams did, but it's less effective from a speed standpoint, and Michigan failed numerous times to execute it (short arming passes, drops, etc.) despite it being schemed well. They also utilized a bunch of 11 personnel. I don't really have a huge issue with the personnel packages that were utilized in this game. People complaining about "walk-ons getting snaps" should be ignored. Wilson got snaps because he's shown this year to be value added for a handful or two of snaps a game. I don't know why McCurry got snaps, but I'm guessing it's because the coaching staff felt there was something he did well at the position he was asked to play, had gotten reps at that position, and they felt that gave them the best chance to be successful.

My biggest gripe is the management of the backup QB situation. Peters has looked solid when playing. Him going out there first indicated to me that the coaches believed he was the true backup heading into the game with McCaffrey out. He came in, threw a great pass, and then they put in Milton. Milton is a super-raw true Freshman. They threw him into a game where Michigan was behind, unlikely to catchup, but was still going to be pass heavy. The protection was struggling. He promptly threw into double coverage for an INT. Even his long completion was a bad decision where the WR made a great play. At least it didn't burn his redshirt, but there was no reason to throw him in that situation. Even if Peters is back next year and you are using him as the primary backup short term, that is putting Milton in a position where upside is "snaps in hostile environment" and downside is hurting your team significantly and doing nothing for his growth. I hated that move in that situation.

Michigan Defense - Gameplan
The initial gameplan was bad. Michigan got beat on crossing routes against IU. They got beat on crossing routes by Haskins last year. To come out and play their City (Cover 1) and let it go was a bad decision.

OSU did a think Michigan hasn't seen much this year that helped drastically. They would play their outside WR off the line, short motion him into a stack, and run both receiver inside as part of their mesh scheme. With the way Michigan runs their banjo coverage against stack, this meant the inside coverage had to follow the up-WR, and Watson had to follow the underneath WR across the field. This means Watson started out further outside, wasn't able to get his hands on the WR off the LOS, and then had to chase him through the wash or underneath the routes. Watson isn't that level of athlete (which is why the previous staff moved him back to safety), and OSU picked on that coverage repeatedly. It was great scheme by OSU and a bad initial gameplan from Michigan.

They also utilized motions and formations to get Gil matched up on crossers, specifically with McCall, a talented receiver for a RB.

Michigan started out with a lot of 5 man pressures because the film says to get Haskins off his spot. For whatever reason, these were not effective. OSU's pass pro held up all day really, really well. The crossing routes help because the QB can buy time in the pocket and only needs to complete short routes, but the pressure never disrupted his timing. Without getting OSU behind the chains, Michigan struggle to get to exotics. That really hurt that part of the game plan.

Michigan Defense - Adjustments
Contrary to popular belief, Michigan adjusted fairly quickly. They went more to their zone, specifically, their trap 2. After a few successful plays, OSU successfully adjusted the offense to bait the trap coverage and get open behind the CBs or suck the safeties up with crossers and then work behind them. OSU scouted this defense well and understood the likely adjustment. Michigan needs to self-scout a bit before the bowl season and especially over the off season to better understand what tendencies are on film and how better to break them so that offenses can't adjust quite as easily.

Coming out of half time, Michigan made further adjustments. They cut some crossers, they ran some other zone variety, and OSU switched up their attack to take advantage of those things. The idea that Michigan didn't make adjustments in this game is false. They

did. They did quickly, and then fairly extensively at half. OSU has a great offensive staff and was very well prepared and Michigan was caught trying to catch up the entire time. And then it snowballed once they were behind.

Michigan Defense - Personnel
Obviously Watson got picked on. A lot are asking why he was out there playing man-to-man. Why? Because he's Michigan's 3rd best CB and was the best option for them at that spot. Ambry Thomas has more athletic ability, but has struggled with technique and executing assignments consistently. Watson was the best option, and you play your best options. Especially after Long got dinged, they had to play him. But there is also a reason Watson was moved to safety by the previous staff, he has athletic limitations. OSU schemed and exposed those by not allowing him to utilize his hands.

I wasn't a fan of Michigan splitting snaps so much between Ross and Gil. Ross is the better player, and OSU attacked Gil when they had an opportunity. They are splitting snaps to keep both fresh, to allow Ross a different vantage point and more coaching on assignments and techniques, and because both are likely starters next year. But in my opinion, the split should have been closer to 3-to-1 in favor of Ross instead of the typical 50-50 split.

Michigan Defense - Going Forward
I don't have the answers to this one. Brown hates quarters coverage. There is a reason Big 12 teams run it so often. Brown has some things in the playbook from a matchup perspective that are similar, but they aren't always great playcalls on standard downs because it leaves the box under-manned from depth. He needs to look at adding some new wrinkles. It probably won't be quarters, but some means of getting inside leverage or switching up auto-checks or rotating coverage on the backend to prevent some of these inside breaking routes from working, and then not allowing the offense to so easily adjust.

Brown is still a great DC. He still has a very stout scheme. OSU picked on matchups (mostly Watson, also Gil and to a lesser extent Kinnel). They knew those were the matchups they wanted and attacked them. I'd like to see Brown do somethings to change the checks and who follows due to motions so that offenses can't as easily dictate those matchups. And against teams with more speed, start with the zone looks primarily, and utilize the Cover 1 as the changeup.

Michigan Defense - Defensive Line
We saw Michigan's interior DL really struggle against ND. OSU I don't think has an ND caliber OL, but OSU had similar success in terms of pass pro as ND. It really starts on the interior, where Michigan is fairly limited. But the outside rush wasn't getting home either. Michigan was utilizing Winovich early by spiking him inside a bit, this in an effort to mitigate OSU's rush threat. That was mostly very successful (against the run), but limited the pass rush, and they were unsuccessful with other methods of getting home (and the ball was out quick, so blitzers usually didn't have much time). I don't think there is an obvious or huge thing that led to this, OSU just played their asses off and executed.

So this is likely a combination of scheme, initial game plan (which has some logic but was adjusted later as things started getting out of hand), and just not playing well enough.

Overall
OSU had a great game plan in this one. Michigan had I think an understandable offensive gameplan that didn't adjust quick enough and left out some questionable aspects, and a very flawed defensive gameplan that was left playing catch up with OSU's adjustments.

In the end, Michigan got flat beat. OSU had playmakers and a game plan that Michigan couldn't match, and they knew how to take advantage of it. I get annoyed that some Michigan fans apparently had the expectation that this would be easy. OSU has some of the best offensive coaches in the country. They have the 2nd best HC in modern football. They have an offensive coach that was recently a great offensive HC and a previously great OC. They have an up-and-coming OC that will soon be a HC. They upgraded at WR coach in the off season. The offensive staff is as good as any in the country. Having a good defense isn't enough. And when OSU found a great gameplan, it exposed the defense for the deficiencies it has. Every team has them, some defenses get blitzed, it happens, it sucks, but you have to adjust, clean up some techniques, self-scout, and come back at it. I have little doubt Brown will do that.

There are no excuses in this one. The refs were fair to kind for Michigan. Michigan was as healthy as they've been in a long time, and a few players getting hurt during the game didn't leave Michigan in a worse injury situation as OSU (who was without Bosa). Michigan got flat whooped, no other way to say it. Whooped schematically, whooped from adjustments, whooped from talent. It sucks for Michigan fans because it's a regular thing. But willing it to change isn't enough to change it. Michigan is in a better position now than they were when Harbaugh arrived. They are in a better position now than they were last year. They'll try again next year, hopefully with a better plan, and one of these days it'll be enough. Until then, the monkey will stay on their back, and they'll get the best of OSU, and it'll be tough. Just don't expect the tides to turn or some other BS. OSU isn't going away, but Michigan can find ways to win going forward, and frankly needs to. Getting pissy won't help do that though.

AC Milan All-Time Greatest Team for Italian players

Gianni Rivera, the Maldini's and Baresi

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
AC Milan All-Time Team Under Silvio Berlusconi
AC Milan Brazilian Best XI
AC Milan All-Time Foreign Player Team
AC Milan

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for AC Milan s Italian players.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.


Nicknamed "I Rossoneri", AC Milan is the second most successful club after Real Madrid in Europe.  At the time of writing, they have won the Euorpean Cup/Champions' league 7 times.  They have a strong team in the 1960's, winning the 1963 and 1969.  After many years of failure in the 1970's and early 1980's, Silvio Berlusconi bought the club in 1986. He turned the club into a dynasty.  The Dutch trio of Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard combined with the backbone of the Italian national team to form one of the greatest club sides in history. The team was still full of Italian players such as Franc Baresi, Paulo Maldini,  Sebastiano Rossi, Mauro Tassotti, etc.  

Di Bartolomei, Baresi, Donadoni and Evani 

Team
GK: Lorenzo Buffon
Lorenzo Buffon was one of the best keepers in the 1950's and early 1960's.  He helped AC Milan to reach the Final of the 1958 European Cup Final.  He also played for Genoa C.F.C. (1959–60), F.C. Internazionale Milano (1960–63), and ACF Fiorentina (1963–64). His cousin is Gianluigi Buffon's Grandfather.  He had 15 caps and went to the 1962 World Cup Finals. He is also remembered for his marriage to the late Italian actress and television personality Edy Campagnoli.

Lorenzo Buffon

GK: Sebastiano Rossi  
During a 21-year professional career, Rossi appeared in 346 Serie A games, most notably representing A.C. Milan (12 seasons) with which he won 12 major titles, including the 1994 Champions League.   Rossi held the record for the longest streak without conceding a goal in Serie A history. In an 11-match span, he kept a clean sheet for 929 consecutive minutes.  He was never capped by Italy. 

GK: Fabio Cudicini 
Cudicini played Udinese, Roma, AC Milan and Brescia.  He was remembered for his two stints with AC Milan.  Between 1967 and 1972, he played for AC Milan. He helped Milan to win the 1969 European Cup.  Before Milan, he won the Inter-Cities Fair Cup with Roma.  His son is Carlo Cudicini. He was uncapped because he was playing the same generation with Dino Zoff, Lozenzo Buffon and Enrico Albertosi 

RB: Mauro Tassotti 
After making his Serie A debut with Lazio, he went on to play with Milan for 17 years. He won 17 major titles with Milan, including five Serie A championships and three UEFA Champions League tournaments, reaching five finals in total.  He was a part of both Arrigo Sacchi's and Fabio Capello's AC Milan.  He also went to the WC in 1994, where Italy came second.

RB: Angelo Anquilletti 
Anquiletti started his career with Solbiatese during the 1964–65 season. He later played with Atalanta. From 1966 to 1977 played for A.C. Milan, where he achieved notable success, forming an impressive defensive unit nicknamed the Maginot Line. He was notably part of their European Cup victory in 1969. He ended his career with Monza. He played twice for Italy in 1969. He was part of Italy's UEFA Euro 1968 squad that won the tournament on home soil. 

Angelo Anquilletti 

RB/SW: Cesare Maldini  
Cesare Maldini spent 12 seasons with AC Milan.  He was the captain of the 1963 European Cup winning team.  He also played for Torino. He also played for Triestina and Torino. He picked up 14 caps for Italy between 1960 and 1963. He went to the 1962 World Cup Finals. After retirement, he became a successful coach. His son is Paolo Maldini.

CB: Alessandro Nesta 
Nesta is considered one of the best defender of his generation.  He was the Serie A defender of the Year for 4 times. He started his career with Lazio.  Later, he played with AC Milan where he won two Champions' league.  He earned 78 caps.   He played on the 2006 World Cup winning team, but injured in the third game of the tournament.  He also went to 1998 and 2002 World Cup Finals as well as the European Championship in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

CB: Alessandro Costacurta 
Alessandro Costacurta was Baresi's partner at central defense for both club and country. He was a part of 5 Champions' League winning team for AC Milan.  However, he only played 59 times for Italy because largely of injuries. He went to two World Cup Finals (in 1994 and 1998), as well as a European Championship in 1996. With Italy, he managed to reach the 1994 World Cup Final, which was lost against Brazil on penalties.

SW: Franco Baresi 
Franco Baresi was considered Italy's greatest libero.  He was capped 82 times.  He led the Azzurri to the semifinal of the WC in 1990 and then, the Final in 1994.  However, he missed most of the tournament in 1994.  He was a part of the 1982 World Cup winning team, but he did not play a single match.  He was the captain of AC Milan for 15 years, where he won three European Cups and 6 Serie A titles. 

Franco Baresi 

CB/LB: Paolo Maldini 
Maldini was considered the greatest leftback of all-time.  He won 26 trophies in his 25 year career with AC Milan, including 5 Champions' league trophies. With Italy, Maldini took part in three European Championships, and four World Cups. Although he did not win a tournament with Italy, he reached the finals of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000, and the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1988. He was capped 126 times for Italy.  

CB/LB: Renzo De Vecchi 
De Vecchi was probably the first star player in Italian football.  His nickname was "The Son of God".  He started his career with Milan.  He later moved to Genoa in 1913, winning three Italian League titles with the club. Between 1927 and 1929, he worked as a player-manager for them. He was the youngest ever national team player for Italy, representing Italy at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympic Games.  In total, he had 43 caps for Italy between 1910 and 1925. 

DM/CM: Massimo Ambrosini 
At club level, he is mostly known for his successful time at A.C. Milan, where he spent eighteen years of his career, winning several titles, and even captained the side from 2009 to 2013, following the retirement of Paolo Maldini. Ambrosini retired from professional football in 2014, after a season with Fiorentina. At international level, he represented Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and in two UEFA European Championships, winning a runners-up medal at UEFA Euro 2000.

DM: Gennaro Gattuso
Gennaro Gattuso was a highly regarded destroyer in his prime. He spent 13 years with AC Milan, forming a famous partnership with Andreas Pirlo. At the club level, he also played for Rangers, Perugia and Sion. He won two Champions' League with the club.  For the Azzurri, he earned 73 caps between 2000 and 2010.  He went to three World Cup Finals, winning the 2006 World Cup Finals, playing along side Pirlo again.

Gennaro Gattuso

CM: Demetrio Albertini 
Demetrio Albertini was the deep-lying playmaker of the great AC Milan team of the 1990's.  He won 5 league titles in the 1990's and the Champions' League title in 1994. At the end of his career, he played for Atletico Madrid, Lazio and Barcelona. At the international level, he played for his country 79 times.  He went to the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, Euro 96, and Euro 2000. He was voted into the team of tournament at Euro 2000.

CM: Carlo Ancelotti 
Carlo Ancelotti began his career with Parma, but he made his name with AS Roma. He won the Serie A title in 1982-1983 and 4 Italian Cup's.  In 1987, he joined the great AC Milan and became a part of the team that won two European Cup.  He was capped 26 times between 1981 and 1991.  He narrowly missed the World Cup Finals in 1982, but went to the World Cup Finals in 1986 and 1990.

CM: Andrea Pirlo 
Pirlo started as an attack midfielder with Inter Milan without success before becoming a regista.  He redefined the regista role in the modern game.  He had 116 caps.  He won the World Cup in 2006 and took Italy to the Final of Euro 2012.  For his club career, he was known for his career with AC Milan.  He played over 280 matches for them, winning two Champions' League titles.  He switched to Juventus late in his career.  

RW: Pietro Arcari
Pietro Arcari played in the 1930s for A.C. Milan, and Genoa. A prolific goalscorer, known for his speed and ability in the air, he played 256 matches in Serie A, scoring 80 goals. He never played for Italy, but was selected to the 1934 World Cup Finals, where Italy won the Cup on home soil.  He never appeared in any match.  He is one of only four players in Italy's history to become World champion while never being capped

LW: Roberto Donadoni 
Roberto Donadoni was one of Italy's greatest wingers.  He was a vital part of AC Milan's squad under both Sacchi and Capello, winning six Serie A titles, three European Cups, four Italian Supercups, three European Super Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups during his time at Milan. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1990 and 1994. At the end of his career, he played briefly in MLS and Saudi Arabia.

Roberto Donadoni 

FW/RW: Renzo Burini
Burini played for 12 seasons (330 games, 123 goals) in the Italian Serie A for A.C. Milan and S.S. Lazio. He is remembered by Lazio fans for his contribution to winning the first major trophy for the club, the Coppa Italia in 1958. He made his debut for Italy in 1951 against Portugal and scored on his debut. He was a member of the team which took part at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

AM: Gianni Rivera 
Gianni Rivera was Italy's "Golden Boy"of the 1960's and perhaps their best player in his generation.  He won the Ballon d'Or in 1969.  He led AC Milan to win two European Cups in 1963 and 1969. He was capped 63 times, scoring 15 goals, at four World Cup Finals (1962, 1966, 1970, and 1974). Rivera is remembered for scoring the decisive goal in Italy's extra-time win over West Germany in the semi-final of Mexico 1970.

Gianni Rivera 

AM: Roberto Baggio 
Robert Baggio was the icon of the 1990's.  He was the World Player of the Year, the Ballon d'Or winner and the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1993.  He led Italy to reach the semifinal at 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy and then, to a second place four years later in the USA.  For club football, he started his career with Fiorentina.  He became the most expensive player in the world when he joined Juventus.  He also played for AC Milan, Bologna, Inter Milan and Brescia.

Roberto Baggio 

ST: Giuseppe Santagostino
Giuseppe Santagostino was born in 1901 in Milan. From 1921 to 1933, he played over 200 games for AC Milan. He ranks eighth in A.C. Milan's all-time goalscorers list. He also scored the first ever goal in the San Siro in a derby against Inter Milan in 1926. He was never capped by Italy. After Milan, he played for Catanzaro and Atalanta.

ST/SS/FW: Pierino Prati
Also known as "Pierino the pest",  Prati is mostly remembered for his successful stint with AC Milan, forming an excellent partnership with Gianni Rivera. He was also notably part of their European Cup victory in 1969. He is the last man to have scored a hat-trick in the Champions League/European Cup Final.  Capped 14 times.  He won the 1968 European Championship on home soil. He also went to the 1970 World Cup.

ST: Aldo Boffi
Aldo Boffi played club football with Seregno, A.C. Milan and Atalanta. During the 1938–39 season, he was joint-capcannonieri (top scorer) in Serie A, along with Ettore Puricelli of Bologna, with 19 goals; he managed the same feat in the 1939–40 and 1941–42 Serie A seasons, with 24 and 22 goals respectively. He was capped twice for Italy.

ST: Filippo Inzaghi 
Inzaghi is one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time, fifth in Italy, with 313 goals scored in official matches. He is currently the fourth-highest goal scorer in European club competitions with 70 goals.  With AC Milan, he won  two UEFA Champions League titles (2003, 2007).  he made his national team debut in 1997.  He went to all major tournaments from 1998 to 2006.  He won the World Cup in 2006, but only played in one match.

Filippo Inzaghi 

Honorable Mention
Carlo Galli, Filippo Galli, Giovanni Galli, Christian Abbiati, Enrico Albertosi, Roberto Rosato, Pietro Lana, Aldo Cevenini, Alberigo Evani, Giovanni Lodetti, Marco Sala, Giuseppe Antonini, Daniele Massaro, Alberto Bigon, Renzo Burini, Carlo Annovazzi, Angelo Sormani and Marco Simeone.

Squad Explanation
-- Twelve players on this team also belonged to my all-time team for AC Milan.   That included all three goalkeepers, namely Fabio Cudicini, Sebastiano Rossi and Lorenzo Buffon.  Only two of my defenders (both fullbacks) are not on that team.  The defenders on the AC Milan All-Time team are Franco Baresi, Paulo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, Alessandro Nesta, Cesare Maldini and Mauro Tassotti.
-- However, only three attackers (Andreas Pirlo, Gianni Rivera and Roberto Donadoni) were selected onto that team.
-- Lorenzo Buffon is often listed as AC Milan's greatest goalkeeper. Please do not confuse him with Gianluigi Buffon.  The two Buffons are actually related.  Gianluigi's grandfather is a cousin of Lorenzo.
-- Albertosi Enrico was old when he joined Milan.  His best years were behind him.   I am also watching Gianluigi Donnarumma closely.
-- Angelo Anquilletti edged out Marco Sala, Filippo Galli and Christian Panucci for the rightback position. Panucci is more famous than Anquilletti because he was a relatively current player, but he only played briefly with Milan.  Angelo Anquilletti spent 11 seasons in Milan.
-- Renzo De Vecchi made his debut with AC Milan as a 15 years old. He was given the nickname "Il Figlio di Dio" (The Son of God) by the Milan fans,  but was best remembered with his career in Genoa.  Nevertheless, I still took him.  He was one of the first star player on the team.
-- I selected Cesare Maldini because he was the the captain who brought home their first European Cup.
-- Mauro Tassotti had a long service to the club. Besides, he was a key players for two great Milan teams. 

-- I have too many midfielders.  I have no space for Romeo Benetti, Giovanni Trapattoni, Omero Tognon, Giovanni Lodetti and Giuseppe Antonini. I opted for the younger players who have more name recognition.

-- Massimo Ambrosini also spent 18 years with the club. He was also their captain at one point.  I selected him because of his longevity. 
-- Andreas Pirlo is one of the most underrated players in history.  He was critical to the successes of AC Milan.  His departure to Juventus hurt the team.  Gennaro Gattuso edged out Romeo Benetti.  His partnership with Pirlo is a factor why I selected him. 

-- I needed an offensive midfielder to backup Gianni Rivera.  Although Roberto Baggio's career with AC Milan was uneventful, I selected him because he was simply Baggio. Alberto Bigon was my alternative.

-- José Altafini played for Brazil and Juan Alberto Schiaffino for Uruguay before they played for Italy.  I considered them "foreigners".

-- I added Roberto Donadoni because I need a left winger.  Besides, he was a major contributor to AC Milan's greatest era in history. 

-- The wide position on the right is a concern. Pietro Arcari was the first player I selected.  I chose one player from the following: Renzo Burini, Carlo Annovazzi, Angelo Sormani and Marco Simeone.

-- I do not know much about Pietro Lana and Aldo Cevenini. So I went for strikers with the better stats.

-- Filippo Inzaghi scored many goals for the club.  He is the All time Milan's Top goal scorer in Europe.
-- Daniele Massaro probably should belong to this team. He had a decorated career with the club, but his career was overshadowed by foreign attackers.  I only put him on honourable mention.

-- Giuseppe Santagostino ranks eighth in AC Milan's all-time goalscorers list while Aldo Boffi is fifth.  Pierino Prati is also on the top ten.  Filippo Inzaghi and Gianni Rivera are the only two Italians ahead of them.

Formation
I opted for a formation sisimilar to the Christrmas tree formation used by Carlos Ancelotti.