Boateng, Robinho and Ibrahimovic score in AC Milan's 3-0 victory over Bologna

Kevin Prince Boateng, Robinho and Ibrahimovic scored for the second consecutive game as AC Milan beat Bologna 3-0 today to go 6 points clear over Juventus at the top of Italy's Serie A standings. The sequence of goals by Boateng, Robinho and Ibrahimovic replicated their performance against Brescia on December 4 while Ronaldinho continued his stint on the Milan bench in the wake of Robinho's sparkling form. Boateng opened the scoring for the Rossoneri by latching onto a ball delivered by Ibrahimovic from the left flank, slipping in between two central defenders in the box and volleying the ball home. Boateng subsequently provided the assist for Robinho who maintained his balance in the wake of some staunch defending from Andrea Esposito and slotted the ball by Bologna keeper Viviano in the 35th minute. Ibrahimovic put the exclamation mark on an impressive victory for AC Milan in the 60th minute with a clinical strike on goal from the right flank. With 21 goals shared between Ibrahimovic, Pato and Robinho this season (9 for Ibrahimovic, 6 for Pato and 6 for Robinho), Massimilliano Allegri has reason to be more than satisfied with his strikeforce as the Rossoneri prepare for their final game of 2010 against Roma on Saturday, December 18. As the January transfer window opens, the obvious question now for Allegri and Berlusconi concerns Ronaldinho's future at the Rossoneri in the wake of Robinho's impressive form and Pato's anticipated return from injury early in 2011.

AC Milan's Attacking Quartet Begins to Fire

AC Milan's attacking quartet of Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, Pato and Robinho are starting to make their mark on Serie A as evinced by their 3-1 victory over Chievo on Saturday. Ibrahimovic set up two goals for Pato and Robinho scored the third as the Rossoneri took over the lead of Serie A with 14 points from 7 games. The in form Pato volleyed home a cross from Ibrahimovic in the 18th minute. Twelve minutes later, Pato received a magnificently disguised pass from an Ibrahimovic free kick which he dispatched with trademark clinical precision for a 2-0 lead. What had looked like an easy three points for Massimiliano Allegri's team became a mighty struggle after Ibrahimovic scored an own goal off a Chievo corner kick deflection in the 70th minute. Chievo continued to attack in search of a point as Milan stayed back and defended their lead on the counter-attack. But deep into injury time, Ronaldinho found Robinho via a through ball from the right flank that he held until his compatriot had timed his run to perfection. Robinho calmly sidestepped Chievo goalkeeper Sorrentino and then buried the ball in the far right corner from a narrow angle as Chievo defenders converged on the goal mouth. AC Milan's 3-1 victory sets the stage for a mouthwatering Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Robinho Debuts for AC Milan in the Rossoneri's Shock 2-0 Loss to Cesena

Silvio Berlusconi's decision to sign Robinho from Manchester City for AC Milan at the 11th hour of the transfer window may well have inadvertently done Mano Menezes and Brazil's Selecao a huge favor. By allowing Robinho to play alongside compatriots Ronaldinho and Alexander Pato, Berlusconi's surprise move enables Robinho to garner much needed experience playing alongside Rossoneri star Pato, the 20 year old sensation who is likely to shoulder the weight of the Brazilian number 9 jersey. What role will Robinho play at the Rossoneri given its surfeit of attacking talent, now featuring recent acquisitions Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kevin Prince Boateng? Is Robinho likely to warm the bench and trade places with Ronaldinho as a left sided winger? Or will coach Massimiliano Allegri play all of Berlusconi's cards by featuring an ultra-attacking formation 4-2-3-1 formation with Ronaldinho, Pato and Robinho sitting behind Ibrahimovic in the role of the target man and lone pure striker?

Rumor out of Milan has it that it’s unlikely we’ll rarely see the quartet of Dinho, Robinho, Pato and Ibrahimovic on the field at the same time, since 4 strikers would leave room for only 2 midfielders. And the Rossoneri is bursting with quality midfielders such as Massimo Ambrosini, Rino Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, Mathieu Flamini and Kevin Prince Boateng. In AC Milan’s 4-0 victory against Lecce on August 29, Massimiliano Allegri retained former coach Leonardo’s 4-3-3 formation but opted for a tighter 4-3-3 that more closely resembled Milan under Arrigo Sacchi, with the midfield and attacking trios clustered more tightly in the central channel of the pitch in a formation that leaves less room for Seedorf and Ambrosini to stray from their original positions and expose room for attacking full backs from the opposition.

Ibrahimovic and Robinho debuted today in AC Milan’s shock 2-0 loss to freshly promoted Cesena. Robinho came on for Ronaldinho in the 56th minute but failed to impress as the Rossoneri encountered a frustrating night featuring a missed Ibrahimovic penalty in the 86th minute and 2 goals by Alexander Pato that were disallowed. Coach Massimiliano Allegri called for more hard work and sacrifice from the entire team and stressed the need for forwards to track back in defense.

Allegri remarked: "This loss will only help us, because it shows that games need to be won on the pitch, with sacrifice," he said. "It doesn't matter how many champions you have."

Robinho may do well to learn from Allegri's advice and follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Ronaldo, who claimed he learned to defend only when he came to Italy and "suffer for a result", as the famous Italian football phrase goes.