Milan had a good midfield before acquiring Flamini with Seedorf, Jankulovski, Pirlo, and Kaka in the ranks.  Like many other teams that I have covered, adding Flamini was merely to add depth.  He may become a starter someday or in different lineups used by Milan throughout the season, however, like many other teams, not all of these stars can play at the same time.  If it were up to me, I would use Seedorf sparingly as he adds veteran depth and can be a good sub.  He also, can play multiple positions and this versatility can come into good use when a certain starter needs a day-off.  Milan is paying Flamini 5.6 million euros per year.

When a person thought about Barcelona, Ronaldinho was the first player that came to mind. Maybe captain, Carlos Puyol, entered some people’s minds however the fantastic play maker is hard to resist. When Barca started signing and selling players, Ronaldinho’s name was attached to almost all the rumors out there. Now that he is truly gone, a new Barcelona must find a replacement or change the way that they play. Barcelona has brought in many talented players that some could say are ‘dinho’s replacements. However, are these players future World Players of the Year? I think these players have some big shoes to fill. Here are the possible replacements:

• Xavi
• Iniesta
• Yaya Toure
• Martin Caceres
• Marc Crosas
• Aliksandr Hleb
• Seydou Keita

Out of the list above, 3 players are incumbents and 4 are new comers. The list is a very solid one and any manager would love to fill an attacking midfield position with one of them.

In the end, I question a lot of the decisions made this season. The biggest decision I would have to criticize is Gio Dos Santos‘ departure. By selling him, Barca sold off a potential replacement for ‘dinho. I thought at such a young age, Gio has shown immense talent and has truly proved himself on the field. Another decisions that is arguable, is letting Deco walk. While his sights were set on a return with Chelsea coach Felipe Scolari, he has played with Barca for four years, so he surely does have something in him for the Catalan side. Alas, that obviously did not change his decision. So Now that the Ronaldinho era for Barca has ended, we shall see a new, revamped side. One that does not need a single play-maker but relies on many different play-makers. I am very hopeful for both parties and wish the very best for my two favorites in Europe, Barcelona and AC Milan. Farwell ‘dinho and thanks for the memories.

• Ronaldinho and Barca agree to send him to AC just a day after announcing that some form of an arrangement would occur 72 hours from then.
• Ronaldinho agrees to a 3 year contract that will end on 30 June 2011. He will be 31 when the current contract ends.
• AC Milan agree to pay 20 million Euro in exchange for ‘dinho and his services.

Analysis:

Ronaldinho is now the eighth new comer to join Milan. They have been really busy and they should be. While they are one of the top teams of the Serie A, they finished in 5th place. That means that they will not be playing in the Champion’s League this year, instead they will compete for the UEFA Cup. All in all, not bad, but for a premier club like this, the best is expected of them.

‘dinho should fit in nicely with a team that already has quite a few Brazilians. Digao, Kaka, Dida, Emerson, and the young Alexandre Pato will now be his teammates, so adjusting will not be that hard. Also, Gianluca Zambrotta came over on a free transfer. He has played in the spotlight of the Camp Nou and being at the top of La Liga, so the San Siro should not be any different. I think he will do very well here.

AC Milan’s Other Additions:

• Matheu Flamini
• Gianluca Zambrotta
• Luca Antonini
• Christian Abbiati
• Marco Borriello
• Ignazio Abate
• Marco Storari

A fine pick up for the Rossoneri and something that I will really look forward to.

• Brad Guzan and Aston Villa have agreed to the fee that it will take to send him from the States to England. Guzan is a good keeper and I think he will thrive in a more competitive environment. English Soccer could possibly shape the 23 year old into America’s next number 1.
• Although Barca failed at landing Arshavin, he apparently has his eyes set on Arsenal.
• Frank Lampard‘s potential move to play for the Inter side is all up to him now and it is completely his decision.
• With the completion of the Nasri signing, the Gunners are looking to complete the deal with Barca to move the unsettled Hleb.
• Former Barcelona player, Deco, has moved on to Chelsea to join former Portugal manager Luis Scolari. He moves into a rather deep midfield as they already have the likes of Joe Cole, John Obi Mikel, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Florent Malouda, Claude Makelele, and Frank Lampard.

Corrections

• After Brazil confirmed that Ronaldinho would be joining a very young Brazilian Olympic team in the Beijing Games, the FIFA has denied him. While it would have been fun to watch an Olympics with Ronaldinho on the field, Brazil has enough young players to take his place. He would have only over-shadowed somebody else’s opportunity to shine.
• Although the source from AC Milan believes that they can acquire Ronaldinho if a move is to occur. The key phrase there is: if he moves. Amidst all the speculations and rumors, Barca may decide to keep ‘dinho after all.

Future: Tomorrow Italy plays Spain to decide who will play Russia. Now this will be the game of the quarters. I liked watching Germany and Portugal but I will enjoy watching Spain and Italy do battle. Maybe it is because two of my favorite teams-Barcelona and AC Milan-are Spanish and Italian teams, respectively.

Two Quick Hits: 

1. Barcelona and AC Milan are both vying for the services’ of the Arsenal striker, Adebayor.  An AC Milan scout believes his team has a 50% chance of acquiring the striker.
2. Former Sunderland keeper Tim Carter has been found dead in a park with a rope tied around his neck.  Authorities do not believe that there is any foul play involved and his death is unfortunately classified as a suicide.

Game 1: Czech Republic v. Switzerland

Sub Sverkos scored the lone goal of the match for the Czech side to win the game. It seemed like a pretty solid match. We all got to see the game get a little physical with the Swiss side in the books with 3 yellows.

Game 2: Portugal v. Turkey

Pepe and Raul Meireles both had goals in a Portugal shutout over Turkey. The Portugal side was superb in its win and Turkey seemed to also like the Refs book. The Turks like the Swiss also had 3 yellows.

Next Up:

Austria versus Croatia, and Germany versus Poland is next up on the Euro 2008 agenda. A little Group B action coming your way.

 Side Notes:

• Arjen Robben will miss the opening game for the Netherlands.
• Barcelona has signed right back Daniel Alves from Sevilla, an official announcement is due Monday.
• Ronaldinho the current Man City target is also garnering interest from Chelsea and AC Milan…this will get interesting.

Incoming: Goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto, Defender Gerard Pique, and midfielder Seydou Keita.

Outgoing: Zambrotta has left the team and has chosen AC Milan.

Rumored: 

-AC Milan is pursuing Samuel Eto’o.

-Tottenham is very interested in Gio Dos Santos and it is mutual.

-Barca might acquire David Villa.

While this riff in the Netherlands‘ camp will sure to subside for a number of reasons, this is still very interesting. Seedorf is one of the many play-makers of the squad and his loss will be noted. His decision may have come from his removal from the 2006 World Cup roster. For now, the AC Milan player will wait it out until van Basten leaves for his post at Ajax.

Another key player of note that is refusing to play for a van Basten side is Mark van Bommel. He currently plays for Bayern Munich. Van Bommel’s disgust with his current international boss may have also come from the 2006 World Cup. Van Basten was apparently dissatisfied with his play during the qualification rounds and van Bommel was not selected throughout the rest of the quals. However, despite this, he was selected for the 2006 roster.

All in all, van Basten is losing out in 2 very talented players simply because they can not work together.