Diego "Il Principe" Milito

[cocky]

 

[brehme1989]

That's how epl funboys think. In serie a 30 y. means he is at his peak and yet to win his capocannoniere award

Well, this place is flooded by this silly PL mindset.

It's true that the bad quality of training and conditioning in the PL makes everyone over 31-32 a dead man walking, but it doesn't translate to most leagues. Especially the Italian one.

 

[Wobblz]

Well, this place is flooded by this silly PL mindset.

It's true that the bad quality of training and conditioning in the PL makes everyone over 31-32 a dead man walking, but it doesn't translate to most leagues. Especially the Italian one.

Now I've heard it all.

 

[firmino]

Conditioning as in air conditioning or as in Pavlov's dogs?

 

[brehme1989]

Now I've heard it all.

Their training regimes rely almost entirely on short term physical aspects and their long term effects include deteriorating stamina.

There's a reason why most former PL players who join medium or lower tier leagues feel as if they are retired by their 32nd or 33rd birthday, especially if they had suffered an injury in the previous couple of seasons. Lots of examples. And of course there are players who seem unaffected by this but they are the exception.

Their athletic aspect focuses a lot on acceleration and this isn't a short sprint sport, it's a conditioning sport, you have to sprint, run, jog, walk and manage to not get exhausted over 90+ minutes.

Ask anyone who's worked at a PL club and has seen something else and he'll tell you exactly this. And it's funny because everyone says that Serie A training is even more physically demanding, but that is because they focus a lot on fundamentals too. The PL regime is driven for better results throughout the season without caring so much about the long term effects, which is why teams seem to be on top notch physical ability for a longer period of time, whilst in Italy you have a couple of phases where the whole team looks dead from fatigue. With Inter this is usually December-January and March-April. The usual period is January-February for PL clubs. And it could also hit them in May as well.
The PL clubs can afford to have larger rosters nowadays and don't really have many older players as they ship them away.
Please name me the O30s players that start for the main 6 PL clubs and how many of them have logged top 10 minutes for their clubs. It's a very thin list. Not just this season, try the last 5 even.

 

[Wobblz]

You've labelled it "bad quality of training" and as you yourself elaborate - it's how the PL works. How is it "bad" then? It didn't sound like an argument worded this way.

 

[brehme1989]

It's bad for the health of the players. Excruciating almost. The effects don't appear early on so players aren't displeased by all that. Until their career at the top level is cut short.

It's not really advisable for health instructors (that's what coaches essentially are) to advocate such things. At least it doesn't increase the likelihood of injury exponentially.

But I'd avoid players around 30 that have 5-6 PL consecutive seasons under their belt.

 

[firmino]

Coaches are much more like generals than health instructors, at least when it comes to football (it may be different in other sports, but I don't know about them).

Football coaches rarely have that kind of medical knowledge, not even remotely.

 

[brehme1989]

I'm talking about the fitness coaches, not the tactical coach/manager.

 

[wera]

First of all, who said anything about a 30 year old striker being a bad investment?

Secondly, Milito might be a bad example, because his injuries cut his Inter career in half. Palacio would be a better case for buying a (almost) 30 year old.

Thirdly, I love Džeko but getting him atthis age his a horrible idea.


Why oh why do you start so many arguments that you lose in a matter of minutes?

 

[brehme1989]

Are you okay? Are you replying to invisible posts again?

 

[Bergpavian]

First of all, who said anything about a 30 year old striker being a bad investment?

Secondly, Milito might be a bad example, because his injuries cut his Inter career in half. Palacio would be a better case for buying a (almost) 30 year old.

Thirdly, I love Džeko but getting him atthis age his a horrible idea.


Why oh why do you start so many arguments that you lose in a matter of minutes?

You also forgot to mention: When we bought 30yo Milito he just had the best season of his career.

 

[Il Drago]

Inter Treble Hero Diego Milito: “Lautaro Martinez Can Easily Become A Top Player”

Inter hero Diego Milito discussed Inter striker Lautaro Martinez and the Nerazzurri’s season so far in an interview in today’s paper edition of the Milano based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

First, he spoke about the 22-year-old Argentinian striker.

“Honestly, no I’m not shocked at the high level of his performances, why should I be? I was also convinced then that he would do everything he’s shown he could do.”

“And I’ll add, he has a lot of room for improvement, only he can set his limits. I heard what Conte said, I agree with him. It’s up to Lautaro to understand where he wants to go. But he can easily become a top player.”

He touched on Lautaro’s more difficult season last year.

“I don’t know if there were any problems with the past coach, I don’t think so. He probably just had to get used to a new league and new habits. Time is not the same for everyone, but I don’t think it took him too long.”

Milito suggested that whilst Lautaro might enjoy playing with Lionel Messi at Barcelona, he is still happy at Inter.

“The feeling with Leo is natural, you can see with the naked eye that they have a good relationship, great players are looking for each other. I don’t know how much truth there is in the interest from Barça, but it is natural that he may like them. But I know for a fact that Lautaro is very happy to be at Inter.”

The 40-year-old Argentine believed that Inter could challenge Juventus for the league title this season.

“Yes, I think there will be a duel with Juve until the end, Inter are able to compete with the Bianconeri, there are the right conditions. True, Juve have more experience at certain levels. But the enthusiasm that the excellent start has given Inter is enormous, the road is right.”

The former Inter striker thought that Inter had already learned valuable lessons this season.

“There’s always a lot of talk about the Treble in Kiev. But I say that the real turning point was in London with Chelsea. At that time, they were the strongest after Barcelona, Inter had a problem in the Champions League, for three years they did not exceed the round of 16. After beating Chelsea, we realised that we could win the tournament. I saw this Inter in Barcelona playing a great game. Well, I think that evening left the group aware that they could play “face to face”, on an equal footing with everyone. Of course, then you have to grow. And Dortmund teaches us that in Champions League you have to have the right maturity to close the games, opportunities cannot be wasted.”

He was unbothered that Antonio Conte used to coach Inter’s rivals Juventus.

“He’s a great coach, I have no doubt, he’s proving it. He’s up to the story of Inter. And we Interisti are happy when our team shows a proactive style of football and wins.”

Milito was impressed with the performances of Romelu Lukaku this season.

“He leaves me with a good impression, the numbers speak for him, he’s a great striker. There’s him, there’s Sanchez now injured. Inter up front are well covered.”

The Argentine was convinced that teenager Sebastiano Esposito could grow into a strong player for the Nerazzurri.

“I saw him play against Dortmund. You can tell he’s got something different, that guy. He made a great impression on me, he has a lot of quality. But he’s young, he’s only 17. Don’t worry, try to learn and enjoy the good fortune of being trained by Conte, perfect for growing up.”

He thought the Mauro Icardi situation was handled well.

“I say it ended well. Beyond the judgments that can be made from outside, the farewell was a success for all. For Mauro, who went to Paris and is doing very well. But also, for Inter, who replaced him in the right way.”

He was surprised by the strong start to the season from both Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella.

“I was surprised with Sensi, he didn’t feel the slightest issue jumping from Sassuolo to a big club. And he’s doing very well. Then Barella too…”

Milito hoped that Messi would join Cristiano Ronaldo in Italy.

“Seeing him in Italy is my dream, I hope it will come true. For me it’s the strongest in history.”

Finally, Milito made another suggestion for the Nerazzurri to explore.

“Difficult… But write down this name: Mati Zaracho, called up in the Argentine Under 23 squad, also in the first team selection. He’s a great guy.”

 

[wera]

From this I can see Milito was on a higher level than Lukaku and Martinez, but there is no reason for them to not become that. Diego was a boss.

 

[brehme1989]

That was Milito's 2nd or 3rd official game with us mind you.

 

[InterFCAustin]

Lol...Whoever is trying to even think about comparing Milito vs Lukaku, is an idiot who just stared following the game.

 

[Wobblz]

For some weird reason today I woke up remembering his little fake move before taking the shot scoring his first CL final goal against Bayern. A little flick, he had the time to make this little fake move with which he successfully fooled the keeper and got a premature reaction from him.

I always wondered - who the hell does that, pressured by two players, on the final of the Champions League. And I think I had the time to figure it out - a fucking animal of a player with that clichéd killer instinct, this time for real. He just switched off human mode and turned on the predator mode to eleven. His second finish was also in the same fashion, with that clever back breaking flick that saw Diego with a clear shooting corridor. All in all a legendary striker, one we shouldn't forget.

 

[wera]

I remember doing that second "maneuver" on our 4 vs 4 pitch one day after the final.

Important to note is how much Milito roamed around the pitch against Milan in that particular game. We all knew that Eto'o and Maicon are beasts, but Milito was the one who was truly impossible to mark. Shame he was injured in the next seasons so much, because he was truly in god mode.

 

[brehme1989]

Crespo used to do that move all the time. It's quite a classic move for Argentine strikers. Even Icardi has succeeded with it at times but his legs aren't very agile and his acceleration is off to make it a signature move.

Batistuta for example used to pull it off and he was so explosive that the defenders couldn't even anticipate the ball despite getting there earlier at times

Milito had a super fast first step, unlike Crespo who had more finesse but not much of a speed to go with it.

Two examples of Crespo that are scarred in my head:
[youtube]dLdDsHdxiOw[/youtube]

[youtube]_RVcQxVDtqA[/youtube]

 

[Il Drago]

LETTERS TO INTER - DIEGO MILITO
El Principe’s words for the Nerazzurri fans ten years on from that magical night in Madrid

“Dad, why are you standing in the back like that? You can barely be seen in all the photos.”

My son Leandro always asks me that question. I had just scored two goals against Bayern Munich, and he was three years old at the time: I put him on my shoulders and walked down the steps towards the cup, towards glory. There was a lot of excitement on that stage and there I was, stood in the back corner, half blocked off, with Leandro holding his hands over my head, almost covering my eyes, while Pupi raised the Champions League. He had the best seat in the house. Leandro is now 12 years old, he’s left-footed and plays up front for Racing. He’s also an Inter super fan.

Javier Zanetti solleva la Champions League al Bernabeu di Madrid il 22 maggio 2010

I know that you want to find out what I did the night before Madrid: if I got any sleep, if I dreamed about the final. But to get there, to the Bernabeu, I have to start in Quilmes, in Viejo Bueno where I grew up, just south of Buenos Aires. You could say that I grew up just like Leandro, with a ball under my arm. It was a great passion of mine, thanks to my cousin Pablo. It was him who took me to play from the age of six. I always followed in his footsteps, even when I joined the Racing de Avellaneda team at the age of nine. Racing against Independiente, my younger brother Gabriel’s team, was a match in which tough challenges and scraps were always the order of the day.

I was able to focus on football because of my family’s constant, extraordinary and unwavering support. The deal they offered was clear: don’t drop out of school. And, in fact, I kept my side of that deal until the second year of university, where I was studying to become an accountant. I remember the car rides straight from school to practice, eating a sandwich on the way; or vice versa when I’d train in the morning and have to reschedule my classes to the afternoon.
What’s Argentinian football like? How you’d expect it to be really: full of pressure, with an immense competitive spirit, even in kids’ games. We come from nothing and want to win at all costs.

And Racing, the team I’ve always supported, hadn’t won the league for 35 years until the Apertura title returned in 2001. How can I explain it? I’ve always felt the suffering of that club and those fans within me, and I never gave up an inch because, for me, that result was unbelievable.

I played centre-forward for Racing too, and that’s where I learned how to develop my qualities: I had always loved the game and enjoyed getting into dangerous areas with my movement. It was that quality that allowed me to embark on that great trip to Europe, to Genoa: I was 24 years old when I left my parents’ house for the first time and flew to Italy with my girlfriend, who later became my wife. She was 21 years old and gave up everything to leave with me; her enthusiasm has always been unfailing. We went to the Marassi, then to Zaragoza with my brother, and back to Genoa before arriving at Inter.

I found settling in easy, because I already knew Cambiasso who had been my brother’s former U20 national teammate. Cuchu became my roommate, and we shared so many great moments for five years: he was serious, intelligent, and luckily I always used to fall asleep before him! Then there was Zanetti, whose brother Sergio I had played with in Argentina. I felt at home there, and without a doubt the asado ritual, with Samuel as head chef, contributed to that. I know all my teammates have said that all I did was eat, but believe me, sometimes I helped Walter out too and I can prove it: look at this photo!

Walter Samuel, Diego Milit, Ivan Cordoba e Javier Zanetti preparano l'asado ad Appiano Gentile dopo un allenamento

We’d often stay at the Pinetina even after training to have a good time and spend our evenings laughing and eating. We were a really tight-knit group, and everyone worked hard in training because that was our philosophy: how you train affects how you play. The character in that team was incredible. And Mourinho was close with everyone.

I promised you Madrid, but I still have to make a couple of detours before we get to the Bernabeu. The first is to Kiev, just because I simply have to rewatch Sneijder’s goal once more. I remember those moments as if I were watching a film: I didn’t want the ball to go out of play, so I went to get it but then realised we didn’t have a corner. I thought the only thing I could do was hit it as hard as I could at the goalkeeper, then something might happen. After I shot, I fell to the floor. By the time I’d got back to my feet I saw Sneijder celebrating like crazy: I hadn’t even realised he’d scored!

Wesley Sneijder e Diego Milito esultano dopo il gol dell'1-2 in Dinamo Kiev-Inter, Champions League 2009/2010

Yes, I’ve got a lot of memories of those days, they’re moments I like to call extra special. And in fact I remember the clock at Camp Nou so well: it looked like it was made out of salt. I looked at it after a lifetime had already passed on the pitch and it said 15 minutes: endless, but the courage shown by everyone that evening! I also remember the foulest of moods on the train from Florence to Milan, as we travelled back from a gutting 2-2 draw. But Pupi kept us optimistic that day too. And he was right to do so, with the help of an incredible evening too... we were eating pizza at my house while we watched Roma vs. Sampdoria. You already know the story, but it remains a thrilling moment of that exceptional season: Roma ahead, all of us sad. The pizzas arrived and my wife put Augustina, my little daughter, into my arms, and Pazzini equalised. From that moment onwards, I didn’t let go of Augustina even for a second, and Sampdoria won!

Winning the Champions League was my dream, it was everyone’s dream. Just like Racing fans had to wait 35 years, Inter fans had to wait 45. The night before the game was just like any other, I can say that I was calm and focused, I knew it would be hard, but we were sure of ourselves and determined.
Our ritual was the same as always, drinking mate in Walter Samuel’s room. That night, to help us relax but also to provide some motivation, us Argentinians watched “Iluminados por el fuego”, a film about our nation’s heroes in the Falklands War. Chills. Then everyone to bed.

Julio knocked it long, I watched the ball drop and went up against Demichelis for the header, he was huge. Here too, I can still see it in my mind, frame by frame. I saw Wesley ready to make the pass: I knew that with him he always got it to you. So I started my run straight, from deep. My first touch was good, and I saw Badstuber coming from my right. I pulled out a fake shot, we call it an amague where I’m from, and just a moment later I was running off to celebrate.

For the second goal you need to rewind the tape all the way back to 2001: Racing 2-0 Lanus, the penultimate day of the Apertura. I’d held that bit of play in my mind for nine years: it was at El Cilindro de Avellaneda, I squared up to the defender, pretended that I was going to bend one into the top corner, but instead cut it back with my right. I hit it with the outside of my foot, crossbar, and Chatruc tucked away the rebound. My fake shot to beat Van Buyten in Madrid was identical to that one nine years earlier: I was just better at keeping the ball at the right distance to open up my body and slot it in at far post. In that moment I would have liked to embrace every Nerazzurri fan across the world.

I was happy, and I still am now, when I think about what we did, all together. The mark we left on the history of this Club, our Inter.

And I’ll tell you now: never in my entire life had I seen a stadium full of people at dawn, at six in the morning. Our return from Barcelona had already been fantastic with the welcome we received at the airport.
But that morning San Siro was the most magical place in the world: it was just us, the Interista people. I was overwhelmed. But I was overwhelmed with happiness.
Diego Milito

https://www.inter.it/en/news/2020/05/21/diego-milito-letters-to-inter.html