Hi guys, I've been coming here for a while but I decided to do my first post today as a team guide for AC Milan.
Been searching through the forums, but it doesn't seem like there's any guide on AC Milan yet, so I hope I'll be the first to start and maybe encourage more people to start as Milan.
Despite having an aging squad that you have to deal with, the squad in the current season, should be good enough for you to challenge or win the Serie A title and its a bonus, because you still get to see people like, Gattuso, Pirlo, Ronaldinho, Ambrosini, Nesta, playing on the same pitch. 
and the fun thing about FM I feel, is always rebuilding your own team to success.
and the fun thing about FM I feel, is always rebuilding your own team to success.Hopefully, may you bring them to their former glory into Fm2010
AC Milan Guide
Transfer Budgets:
Title Challenge: £13m
Winner: £16.5m
Winner: £16.5m
With such a tight transfer budget, and almost an aging squad in all positions, you'll need to plan your transfers wisely.
Minimum Expectations:
Serie A: The minimum expectation is that the team challenge for Serie A this season.
ECC: The minimum expectation is that the team reach the Quarter Final of Champions Cup.
Italian Cup: No expectations, not important to board.
Team
Goalkeepers
All Milan keepers are pretty tall at around an average of 190cm which makes them good in the air.
Do take into account, Milan players (including GKs) might get injured easily in trainings, due to old age, and with a tight transfer budget, this should not be the priority of your transfers.
Flavio Roma: Flavio Roma, just looking at his stats, which are really average, he's as good as being a backup when Dida or Abbiati is not available. You should keep him for at least a season for backup purpose, before you get money next season to invest in a young GK.
Dida: Everyone knows this guy, and how good he could be. Representing his country for 91 times should justify his ability. However, he is 35 and getting on with age and may be prone to mistake. He should be backup to Abbiati.
Abbiati: This guy is probably younger, and perform just as well or even better than Dida. Start him once he recovers.
Defenders
Daniele Bonera: Bonera is really just an average player. Injured in the start of season. I suggest that you keep him as backup and Milan may be struggling with their old backline in the first season, he can replace Nesta in the long term.
Alessendro Nesta: Despite his age, He is a really good CB. One of the best defenders in Serie A. He can make important tackles and intercept passes well. Keep and start him.
Oguchi Onyewu: This is another fairly good player whose really good in the air. Keep him as backup. He has really lousy concentration though.
Thiago Silva: At only 24 yrs old, and if we all played fm09, we know how good he will become, deemed as a wonderkid, this guy should start alongside Nesta.
Gianluca Zambrotta: Zambrotta should be your right full back. One of the fastest mover in the team (considering Milan's backline are not very pacey), and is a strong tackler.
Massimo Oddo: Playing right back deputy to Zambrotta, a little better in crossing but loses out in the mental stats. But not good enough long term. Sell him if you can.
Luca Antonini: An average player, will provide a good enough backup for your full backs so I suggest you keep him for a season or two for this purpose but he won't be here forever.
Midfielders
Gennaro Gattuso: Looking at his physical attributes, you know this guy is a brick. With such strong mental attributes and tackling abilities, this guy is a MUST keep in the team. Start him.
Mathieu Flamini: Flamini, previously played for Arsenal FC, is a good player that can play quality in Serie A, a good investment by AC Milan.
Massimo Ambrosini: Another good DM with great mental attributes and is a strong tackler with high natural fitness. This guy should start in your team and Flamini should be pushing for a first team spot alongside him.
Andrea Pirlo: Anyone who loves Milan will know this guy is the creative force behind the team. Great technical attributes and geat playmaker. Start him.
Ronaldinho: With Kaka gone, it seems like the former world player of the year has another chance to prove himself at this stage. He is still very good in Fm10. Start him.
Ignazio Abate: Looking at his stats, and if you do decide to play a wing formation with Milan, which Milan really lacks quality there, its quite logical, this should be your starting choice for right wing. Or you could loan him out and see whether his stats increase and decide to keep or cash in.
Davide Di Gennaro: Gennaro should be backup for Abate, as simple as that. Not good enough as a striker, since you already have Pato, Huntelaar and Inzaghi keeping him out of the team, and they are great finishers, past legend and future legend. He didn't perform in my games at all. So cash in on him.
Clarence Seedorf: Despite his age, he is class in this game for at least a season or two, with his vast knowledge and experience. With Kaka gone, he should start first or provide a backup to Ronaldinho, depending on your formation.
Striker
Pato: Pato is young for his age, deemed as a wonderkid, becomes amazing later on, you should start this guy in your striking force.
Filippo Inzaghi: This guy is getting on, but still useful as a backup, provides great backup for Pato and without complaints sitting at the bench long term.
Marco Boriello: With his stats, Boriello is capable of finishing and scoring, and to be really good in the air.
Klass-Jan-Huntelaar: Huntelaar is a intelligent player, reads the game well and times his running well, a great finisher too. Start alongside Pato or backup.
Signings:
Milan only has 13m - 16.5m to spare. And almost the whole aging team needs rebuilding in the future. You need to spend your budget wisely, by getting quality players but at a cheap since they really need lots of backup.
---------------------------------
David Beckham: Nearing the end of his contract, despite his age, Milan loans him in reality for a reason, this dude could be snapped up for as cheap at 375K to 500K. Whether are you playing wingers or midfield, he is good enough as cover.
Juan Roman Riquelme: At 31 yrs old, this guy is a great technical player, available as cheap as 2.8m, if you do sign him, he should push seedorf out of the team, and be as good as Kaka, just that he is older, and bang in goals from set pieces or cut through defense with his pass from AMC.
Razvan Rat: Milan definitely need to strengthen their left back. Razvan Rat, although not an amazing player, but he is good enough to start straight away in your team as cheap as only 3m.
Rafinha: Available from 8.75m, and at such young age, should be a cheaper alternative to right back to replace Zambrotta when he finally retires or get injured.
All the players added up, asides from Rafinha, is not past 7m. You should have around 6m+ to save or spend.
You can then use the rest of the transfer budget to strengthen your left wingers, or midfield, or defense, or just save it up, for the next season. The quality of the squad should be good enough to get you the league in the first season.
If there's anymore suggestions on transfer, you can suggest too.
Increasing Finance & Rebuilding the team for the future
From here, it really depends on how you finish your first season.
If you manage to win the Serie A & more importantly, the UCL, or if you end up being second, or somewhere like semis or the finals of UCL, and with feeder clubs, during the 2nd season, with the increased budget and leftover you have, you should have around 80 - 100m transfer budget to spend. You might then be able to aim for people like Yoann Gourcuff, Luka Modric, Palombo, Sakho, Zapata, Vargas, Gareth Bale, Asenjo/Akinfeev for the future.
The priority shoud be a left back first, young GK, a young DC, and then followed by a young AMC. If you have any money leftover, you might want to invest on a striker, whose not too young, and also not too old, just about his prime.
*Your goal is to finish as high as possible and hopefully achieve success in Europe which should be manageable, since thats where your main finance will come from. Finishing 1st in the Serie A, won't give you much cash, only as much as around 1.5 - 2m I think.
**Another way to increase your transfer budget and finance, is to request the board for a feeder club, and get affiliation with some Asian club. You will get HUGE merchandising sales from there, and depending on how well you perform in Europe, and a result of increased finance, your board will offer more transfer budgets the next season.
***Another way is to sell all those high wages like Dida, and your a few of your reserve team players like Kaladze.
I got around 23m increase in transfer fee halfway during first season due to feeder club and increased finance and depending on how you end you first season, they should give you a relatively large transfer fee of around 80 - 100m in the 2nd season.
Transfers Out
You could cash in on people like Oddo, Kaladze, Gennaro, Abate, or Dida. Or send them out on loan to ease your wages. Since Milan is on a pretty high wage cost.
And if you get some incredible offers for some players during the first season, like Gattuso, Pirlo or Ambrosini, depending on how much you fetch them, maybe around 21m+ or higher, then you might want to look to cash in on replacements like Palombo, Zapata, Modric or Srna.
Team Formation
These are the team formation and tactics I'm using, from my old Milan game in Fm08 and Fm09, and is still working well. I am using a classic tactic formation.
Milan's backline may not be very pacey but they profit from a strong defensive midfield and defense. The midfield at the same time provide goals for the team through the deep lying playmaker of Pirlo. The two AMC should support Pato, and they gain support from the 3 DMs in the formation.
Another formation that I tried in fm10 during my 3rd season as Milan and is working very well, is the one well known under Carlo Ancelotti, the 4-1-2-1-2. Its a great formation for them too.
-----------------------Abbiati-----------------------
Zambrotta----Silva-------Nesta------Antonini
------------------------Pirlo---------------------------
-------------Gattuso----------Seedorf-------------
-------------------Ronaldinho----------------------
-------------Pato------------Huntelaar-------------
Zambrotta----Silva-------Nesta------Antonini
------------------------Pirlo---------------------------
-------------Gattuso----------Seedorf-------------
-------------------Ronaldinho----------------------
-------------Pato------------Huntelaar-------------
Pirlo will act as an anchor, a deep lying playmaker, allowing alternative passing options and support from deep, and Ronaldinho, will have the creative freedom to roam or attack from deep.
Both formation are both weak in the flanks as the play narrow, but you will have great dominance and possession from both tactics, especially in midfield.
Philosphy: Rigid
Passing: Default
Creative Freedom: More Expressive
Closing Down: Default
Tackling: More Aggressive
Marking: Default
Crossing: Default
Roaming: Default
Passing: Default
Creative Freedom: More Expressive
Closing Down: Default
Tackling: More Aggressive
Marking: Default
Crossing: Default
Roaming: Default
Right click and select their roles..
GK: Goalkeepr - Defend
DL: Full back - Auto / Wing Back - AutoDCL: Centre Back- Defend
DCR: Centre Back - Defend
DR: Full back-Auto / Wing Back-Auto
DMC: Deep Lying Playmaker-Support
MCL: Central Midfielder - Attack
MCR: Ball Winning Midfielder - Defend
AMC: Advanced Playmaker - Attack
FCL: Deep Lying Forward - Support
FCR: Advanced Forward - Attack
You should start out playing balance.
If you are losing possessions and the defense is a brick, you might want to play a control game.
You can play attacking at home, and attacking only on away when you are confident beating the team or when you have possession most of the time.
If you are losing, try overloading them during the last 10-15mins.
Do not play defensive or contain, as I tried playing that, and everyone seems to cramp around the backline, but with these formations, the wing will just keep getting exposed, and you might just concede the crucial goal.
If you are hanging for a result, try going to team instructions and advanced and change time wasting to often instead, or totally use a defensive formation instead.
I won the UCL in my first season with the 4-1-2-1-2 formation but I only got 3rd in Serie A.
Good luck!
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