Global AC Milan fan page. Best site on the internet according to everyone. Formerly The Offside & Fossa Dei Leoni USA. This is the last name change... we swear.
What's up, everyone! Sorry for the relative quiet here at the Fossa. We figured with no Italy in the WC and only a handful a players playing for their national teams in it, we were going to focus on other things during this unusual break in the middle of the season.
One of the things was, and I mentioned this to Frank in the comment section of one of the more recent posts, was the desire to build a new home for FDLXV, and we've done that. We're still testing things out but expect a change in the VERY near future. We like what we've built and welcome the additional freedoms and features of owning our own site. We hope you will too.
The other thing we focused on was taking a slight break from the site, recharging our writing batteries, so we could hit the second half restart refreshed and eager to go. This has definitely proved helpful for us and we hope for you all as well. It was nice to just watch the WC games and be a fan of the event (all controversies aside).
Lastly, we took the opportunity to just be with friends and family and not have games to worry about in and around Christmas. This too was a nice break and change of pace. But...
...we are ready to go! We can't wait for the restart on January 4th (yes, I know there's a friendly this Friday but come on, it's a friendly). Milan still have a lot to play for and I'm expecting a Napoli regression and a closer Scudetto race. More on this to come at the new site.
So, let's get reacquainted here, now, and get ready for a fun restart to the league season!
Sinisa Mihajlovic, the man that lit the spark that eventually became a revolution and scudetto, passed away this morning. He was only 53. Without him Milan don’t have the foundation for what later became a scudetto. His time at Milan was only 287 days, not even a whole season, but his impact was immense.
First he demanded that Milan bring in Alessio Romagnoli, who he had begun grooming at Sampdoria. Romagnoli would slot straight into the Milan lineup and carry through the flag all the way through the Banter Era, making 205 appearances and eventually captain a Scudetto winner.
Then of course he promoted a mostly unheard of 16 year old goalkeeper. When he first appeared in that friendly our minds were blown. Was this real? Maybe a publicity stunt by Berlusconi or Galliani? Nope. The kid was real. He made his first start in October and was the new number 1 within weeks. He would go on to make 215 appearances for Milan. We all know how the story goes from there.
Personally when I took over this blog it was dark days. There was zero hope for such a long time. So many missteps. Mihajlovic changed all that, giving us a glimmer of youth and hope we so desperately needed. We hadn’t had good young talent in so, so long. Then of course, like every coach during that era, he was gone. His mark would never be forgotten though. I’ll always remember his time as the moment when we turned the page. Without him there’s no foundation to build upon.
Quick update on Milan players at the WC and upcoming club friendlies
PLAYERS AT THE WORLD CUP
THEO Since his brother got injured he has played 3 of France’s 4 games and will probably start the rest of the way. So far he has played 257 minutes and has 2 assists
GIROUD France’s clear #9. Has 3 goals so far in 227 minutes.
LEAO Mostly ben left out of Portugal’s lineup. Coach is crazy. A goal and an assist in 59 minutes
DEST Started all 4 games for the US playing 309 minutes and picking up an assist. Was one of the US best players.
KJAER Started but played only 65 minutes against Tunisia. Did not look good. Needs more recovery time I’m afraid.
BALLO TOURE Played 6 minutes for Senegal before they were knocked out.
DE KETELAERE Played 15 minutes before Belgium were eliminated.
UPCOMING FRIENDLIES
Thursday 8 December at 14:30 CET at Milanello: AC Milan v Lumezzane
Tuesday 13 December at 15:00 CET, Dubai Super Cup: Arsenal v AC Milan
Friday 16 December at 16:30 CET, Dubai Super Cup: Liverpool v AC Milan
Friday 30 December at 18:15 CET, Philip Stadion: PSV Eindhoven v AC Milan
We will have matchday posts for each game while updating times and lineups. All games will be available via the App, Facebook or both.
PLAYER NEWS
There’s been several reports that Milan have already lined up Marco Sportiello to replace Tatarusanu at seasons end. The 30 year old has been at Atalanta the last few seasons. He would appear to be a solid backup going forward.
This is an update from a thread originally posted on July 1st.
Starting with the first XI and then going through the bench spots.
Maignan should have started for France, but is injured. Should be fine for us come the 1st of the year.
Theo should start, but will he? He started 2 of France’s 4 Nations League games. Once as a LM in a 343 and another as a LB in a 433. He will certainly be in Qatar but time will tell how much he plays.
Kalulu won’t be there
Tomori got fucked. Royally fucked. I hope England lose every game.
Calabria will be at home AS WILL ALL OF ITALY
Tonali will be at home too
Bennacer Algeria did not qualify
Leao will play some for Portugal. It will be interesting to see how he is used.
Brahim will be at home
Saelemaekers is injured but otherwise would be there
Giroud will most be there as a super sub or possibly even start against certain teams. I’d bet on him scoring 2+ goals
Bench
Tatarusanu? Nope.
Kjaer is healthy and going. GO DENMARK!
Gabbia will be at home.
Ballo-Toure will be there. Not sure how much time he sees.
Thiaw nope
Florenzi is hurt.
Dest will be there for the US. he should start. The US coach is an idiot though so who knows.
Pobega will be at home.
Vranckx nope
Bakayoko is not in the France setup.
Krunic Bosnia and Herzegovina is not headed to the World Cup
Rebic hasn’t played for Croatia since Euro 2020 when he decided to tie his shoe and Spain scored a goal.
Messias is certainly not on the Brazil NT radar.
Origi didn’t play with Belgium at all in the recent Nations League games. Odds are he will be at home.
De Ketelaere will be there but will probably see very little time.
Ibra is injured and Sweden didn’t qualify anyways.
Long story short? only 6 players are going and it’s anyone’s guess how many minutes they get.
And that is FINE with me!
We will have one of freshest squads amongst the top teams in Italy for the second half.
FORZA MILAN!
Lisi
PS: I never get political here so I won’t but fuck the World Cup this year.
Back to regular programming here with some ratings and then a little commentary at the bottom.
TATARUSANU 6 One of his more shaky games which means most of us were sh*tting our pants when Fiorentina got near the 18yd box. BUT this will hopefully be the last time we see him aside from a Coppa clash
KALULU 7.5 Solid game and you could tell Pioli told him to get forward. Ended up moving back to CB once Thiaw was subbed out for Dest. Oh, and Milan locked him down until 2027. Couldn't be more deserved
THIAW 6.5 Only a 6.5 but not because he didn't play well (although 6.5 isn't a bad score), it's more because the rest of the team formation/playing style impacted my ability to gauge him. But looked promising again
TOMORI 6.5 We got 2022-23 season Tomori and not 2021-22 season...again. I hope he uses the break to rediscover his level of play. He's too good to be this inconsistent
HERNÁNDEZ 6.5 Needed to do more going forward but game plan and execution likely impacted and limited his effectiveness. Still, solid game
BENNACER 7 Solid again. Probably his best first half of the season if you ask me. Was as active and dominate as he's ever been but greatly reduced his bookings and absolutely took a physical beating
TONALI 7 Another solid outing. Him and Bennacer have been so good so far. I know some people have shared they miss Kessie and some of the things he did, but I don't. It doesn't mean Milan has filled those traits, it just means I think they've been able to compensate to where it's not the detriment some thought it would be
DIÁZ 6.5 Just an ok day for Brahim, which I blame on him being out on the RW. Still looked sure of himself while on the ball but the attack was so piss-poor on the day that none of the forward players played great IMO
KRUNIĆ 6 Provided next to nothing in all aspects of the game. Was invisible for me
LEÃO 7.5 Great opening goal but was just ok after that. Definitely should've had one more. I know he's not a striker but he needs to work on those quick reacting type of striker goals. Too often those go flying into the stands and today was no different (most likely a body posture type of thing. He should talk to Giroud)
GIROUD 7 Been much better when the ball comes to him and what do you know, a flick actually worked! He also worked hard in all areas and considering Milan's attacking plan was to boot long balls to him all game I think he did well to win as many as he could
subs
DEST 7 Nice re-emergence for Dest who we hadn't seen for the last couple of weeks. In fact, he's looked much better after that terrible Chelsea outing. Seems to be finding his confidence. Let's see how he looks after the WC
ORIGI 6 Not the best showing for him, which is on par for the first half of his first season with Milan. Very...meh. Does seem to have the tools though so just a matter of putting it all together
VRANCKS 6.5 I think he got robbed of a goal because I think that ball was on target. Otherwise, the kid looks to have a solid all-around game. Wouldn't mind seeing him steal some minutes from ol'King Krunic...
REBIĆ NA Why he only came in at the 86th minute is beyond me. Terrible decision by Pioli
coaching
PIOLI 3 Ugh. That was bad. I don't know what he was thinking. It's like he got what the issue was in the previous, well...*thinking*...the previous few games and fixed it in step 1 of midweek prep but then went on to step 2, when there wasn't really another lesson to be learned and instead regressed. His coaching decisions are part of my commentary for this post so let's dive into it below
THOUGHTS
I think the only person I'm more irritated at than Krunić is Pioli and that's because he keeps playing him. Why god, why?...
So, in the matchday post before the lineups were announced, I pontificated about starting Thiaw at CB and moving Kalulu to RB as this might give Pioli the best backline possible to fit his philosophy. Before we continue, yes I was eager to use the word, pontificated, in a sentence...
Anyway, my thinking was that since Pioli doesn't EVER want to change formations and tactics (except apparently when only fielding 4 regular starters), just plug and play players, then it's important to plug and play THE RIGHT players. Since Calabria got hurt, Pioli has been trying to figure out who to field in the back 4 while playing the same tactics. Kjaer and Gabbia have played well when called upon AND they have been a liability to the high pressure/high defensive line Pioli likes to run. Since Pioli doesn't want to abandon the high defensive line other concessions have to be made, in most cases by having Kalulu, while at RB, being asked to stay back to prevent the opponent from getting in behind. So, there is a resulting chain-reaction that occurs:
Kjaer/Gabbia in a CB -> Kalulu at RB but asked to stay back -> No RB offering overlapping runs and adding width -> RW is isolated so begins to drift inward to make himself available -> this crowds the middle of the pitch and allows the defense to stay compact -> compact defense means there's no room/lanes to make runs/pass/shoot -> no room means Tonali/Bennacer/CAM are crowded out by too many defenders -> CBs can't find an outlet so pass back to GK -> GK forced to kick 50/50 balls to the forwards hoping he can win the aerial duel or get a lucky bounce
Now imagine putting in Thiaw to help prevent that chain of events only to start Krunić at CAM and start a whole new sequence of events one step removed from the CBs but nonetheless as catastrophic to the attack as the other option. It's madness.
I know I spend a lot of time talking about this, or I have particularly this season, but this isn't all that complicated and I can't figure out why Pioli isn't getting this. There are very few world-beaters out there who can thrive regardless of formation or tactics or philosophy and Milan doesn't have any. So please Pioli, for the love of god, PLEASE stop playing guys grossly out of position. Krunić shouldn't be in the CAM role unless you're up late, the defense sits back deeper, and the CAM essentially turns into one of the middle defenders in a 4-4-2/4-5-1 type of defensive formation. He cannot be in the position of a high pressing/high defensive line attack who is unable to facilitate the offense by receiving and turning with the ball OR making himself available in and around the 18yd box.
I was going to post some screenshots of average position and some heatmaps but it was just pissing me off even more (😂) but, if you're interested hop on the web and check out WhoScored or any site including Serie A that has post-match summaries and data/stats. It's right there and not difficult to see. These mistakes are jeopardizing the integrity of the formation and is making everything more difficult. So frustrating...
Finally
Not quite through the first half of the league season and Milan sitting in 2nd place and into the knockouts in Champions League is a solid place to be even though 8pts back of leaders Napoli is far from ideal. But, World Cup break is here and lots can change between now and when the league kicks off again in early January 2023. Form can change, injured players can return (while hopefully minimizing injuries between now and then for all players, not just those participating in the WC), not to mention the opening of the winter mercato.
We'll be posting stuff between now and the new year and we are also hoping to get a new site off the ground and ready by that time as well, so stay tuned on that front.
Anyway, what do you guys think, about this Fiorentina match, the first half of the season/before the WC break performance, or really anything that comes to mind? Let us know below.
WHERE TO WATCH:
Paramount+ and FuboTV here in the US of Aye and Canada, BeIn for our Aussie pals, ESPNPlay for our fellas in T&T, JioTV for our Indian leoni, and illegal streams that support human trafficking everywhere.
THOUGHTS
With Napoli earning all 3pts yesterday this turns into a must win or Milan will be 11pts back heading into this break. Throw in that Inter won earlier today and they are level with Milan on points even though Milan have this game in hand. Additionally, Milan need to pull themselves up into second place (hopefully alone) especially with Lazio missing key players vs Juventus later today. Don't want to go into this break limping any more than necessary.
One thing to watch is how -hopefully - Pioli tries to regain some width. The RB issue was costly when Calabria was in there because of his lack of pace and overall average play lead to most conceded goals coming from his side. Now that he's been out, if Kalulu is at RB then either one of Kjaer or Gabbia are occupying one of the two CB positions, and since Pioli likes to play the high defensive line, Kalulu has been forced to stay back due to their lack of pace. This means if the RW isn't glued to the touchline then all width evaporates without Kalulu pushing forward.
I don't think this happens now, and I don't know if he actually has the pace separate himself, but if Thiaw is faster than Kjaer and Gabbia then HE might be the solution this season. Don't get me wrong, I still prefer Kalulu at CB but Kalulu at RB, Thiaw and Tomori at the CBs, and Theo at LB could be the strongest backline and best fit for Pioli's tactics. Pioli has proven he isn't afraid to play a young player, and although too slowly last season for some of us, did come around to starting and sticking with a no-name undersized kid from France who ended up forming 1/2 of the best Serie A CB pairing and defense last season. This upcoming break might be the time to test this out and have it ready come January. All of the looks we've gotten of Thiaw, which admittedly haven't been much, show a kid who is poised and plays the game with intelligent instinct. Could be another Kalulu but in a CB's body.
As to this game specifically, I'm going with a 2-0 win because, (1) Milan has to, but (2) Fiorentina are not good enough to be on this kind of streak so a regression game is in the cards...or at least I hope that's the case...
Not going to do a player rating piece or even rate Pioli with a score because I don't know how insightful or beneficial that would be. Instead, I just want to talk about the game yesterday, give some thoughts, some of which will undoubtedly be hindsight 20/20, and talk about what can be salvaged before the World Cup break.
Lineup Decisions
So I think the first thing worth talking about are the lineup decisions Pioli made in this game. The first question that should be asked is: how much rest was needed considering the schedule?
Milan had two games this week and then...nothing until January 4, 2023. I know Theo was out on yellow card accumulation and Giroud was too because of the red vs Spezia this past Saturday. So that's already two first-choice guys out on top of Magic Mike still being out, or 3 starters not available (I don't know if Calabria being out has the same impact as the other ones just mentioned but know that I'm aware of his absence as well). That by itself, at least to me, warranted a more cautious approach with the rest of the lineup even if it was vs Cremonese, especially on the road. Instead, Pioli also sat Leão and Kalulu, so now that's at least 5 of the starting 11 not starting the game.
The other decision worth discussing was at RW. I'm aware the RW position has played better up until this point compared to last season and that includes both Messias and Saelemaekers. That being said, I think we all (or at least most of us) believe Rebić is the best choice at RW as he provides the most quality. So one of the consequences of sitting Leão to start the game is that Rebić is put out at LW (his natural position but he's the second choice to a healthy Leão) and Messias is forced to start (with Saelemaekers still being out). Again, not bad per se but fielding Messias at RW, Rebić at LW, and Origi up front isn't exactly top tier attacking. Messias's best opportunity for success is when Leão is on the other side and Giroud is up top (there's a formational aspect to this success - or lack thereof - as well that we'll get to).
So, all of this combined into a starting lineup that only had Tomori, Tonali, Bennacer, and Brahim as the only ones starting the game who should be considered first choice for their positions. Four. Out of eleven. When it could've been seven (the four mentioned above, Kalulu at RB, Leao at LW, and Rebic at RW). In general, I believe substituting two starters out to start the game is the most Pioli should do at any one time. The fact that Theo and Giroud were already set to miss meant all the other positions should've had first-choice options starting.
Lineup Formation & Game Management Philosophy
The other aspect of this was the decision to play a back 3 (even if this wasn't the explicit lineup formation this is how it played). This was a costly decision, especially for a team trying to keep pace with a hot Napoli.
To be clear, I am not at all against changing formations. In fact, I have asked for it in the past, including this season. I hate seeing Krunić played as a winger, or when Calabria and Florenzi were both out I wouldn't have minded a back 3 with Kjær flanked on each side by Tomori and Kalulu. Heck, I didn't even hate seeing Thiaw played yesterday but the circumstances need to be such that you give the team the best chance to succeed. Playing a back 3 with only four regular starters in their proper positions was foolhardy. Throw in that Cremonese were also playing a back 3 and were more than content to have everyone back and defending, and boy Milan sure looked toothless in attack.
Building off of this packed-in midfield (which was congested and situated between the 18yd box and the midfield line), was the lack of width. I like how @ImAPersonCalledTom put it:
Once again we have played too narrow and far too slowly. We need to start taking a few more risks, especially early in games against the "minnows". We don't get anyone into the box nor do we ever try and cross into the box. We also don't make any overlapping runs.
This pretty much hits the nail on the head and I made a similar comment about Origi playing too far back and not spending enough time actually IN the 18yd box. No width and no one making runs into the box meant there were just too many bodies between the 18yd box and the midfield line...just like the games vs Atalanta and Sassoulo back in late August...or the first leg vs Salzburg in September...this has happened too many times for my liking and it's something Pioli needs to recognize and change.
Refereeing
Yikes. Another terrible game. Yeah, I know it's been an issue since forever but it really needs to change. Some of this stuff is basic stuff.
Cremonese fouled Milan 9 times in the first half and not one yellow card was given...
Brahim himself was fouled 3 times in the first half when he got past someone and they pulled him back with a tactical foul which should have automatically drawn a yellow. And yet, it wasn't until Brahim was fouled again after the half - the same type of foul - that the Cremonese player was finally shown yellow. These types of fouls, and the ones on Leão once he came in, allow an inferior team hack their way to competitiveness when the ref isn't controlling the game. In the end Cremonese had 19 fouls called on them, and while they also had 4 yellows, 3 of the 4 came after 67th min and 2 of those came after the 85th minute, including one for dissent (when Meite and Lazetic were arguing). I for one hope Milan remembers this rec-league-style effort by Cremonese and beat their a**es 7-0 at the San Siro.
***Addendum***
Everything above here was written this past Wednesday but I've been sick and haven't been able to finish it. This morning I came across this nice little thread that gets into the tactics a little bit more on what Cremonese was doing and you can see how much agreement there is between this post, what @ImAPersonCalledTom said, and what's in the Twitter thread:
Final Thoughts
Milan has dropped 5pts in the last 2 weeks to teams they really should've have beaten and now find themselves 8pts back of Napoli. Even worse is that there's starting to be a clusterf**k of teams between spots 2-7 in the table with only 4 points separating them.
I know repeating as Scudetto champions is difficult and was going to be an uphill battle especially with sights on a deeper run in Champions League. But dropping points to bottom feeders is unacceptable and it's becoming a pattern of Pioli's to rotate guys to start games only to have to play his starters later to try and salvage all 3pts. On average that'll probably work but it won't work every time and it's particularly costly with Napoli playing so well. PLAY YOUR STARTERS, GET THE LEAD, START MAKING SUBSTITUTIONS. Come'on, Pioli. You gotta start to realize this.
Up next? A streaking Fiorentina team who have won 5 straight on the bounce in all competitions. Great...
WHERE TO WATCH:
Paramount+ and FuboTV here in the US of Aye and Canada, BeIn for our Aussie pals, ESPNPlay for our fellas in T&T, JioTV for our Indian leoni, and illegal streams that support human trafficking everywhere.
THOUGHTS
I won't say much here because I spoke about the remaining games before the World Cup break in the last post, which you can read here!
One of those days...
Wasn't planning on putting Brahim on the graphic above but I think the pic captures the day quite well, LOL.
Going to d
But I like Pioli sticking with who's playing well and who's available (I hope Giroud won't be needed...). Ultimately, if Milan come out today the way they came out vs Spezia then baring some strange voodoo sh*t they should win and win easily.
Prediction: Milan win 3-0 (yes, this is the same as last game but this time I'm SERIOUS...)
Wasn't planning on putting Brahim on the graphic above but I think the pic captures the day quite well, LOL.
Going to do this a little bit different than the normal ratings piece, both in layout and content. Rather than going player by player, I'm going to talk about the team and then the coaching. After that will be the Champions League draw and then the remaining games this week (and other league stuff) before the World Cup break.
Let's go...
RATINGS
Team
Overall, I think they team played very sharp the first 60min. Like VERY sharp. The passing was crisp, the ball moved around well, the energy was high as was the defensive pressure. I would probably give them a 8 or 9 out of 10 for those first 60min and a 7.5 out of 10 overall for game.
The first goal was a gem, both the pass from Bennacer and the settle/touch/finish from Theo. But...this was about the only thing that went right. It felt like every 3-4min Milan would get close but the final ball, be it a pass during a counter or a shot on goal, would take the slightest deflection and be taken off track. This probably happened about 8-10 times in the first half, not joking. I remember seeing passes from Brahim nicking the backheel of a defender who wasn't even trying to stick his foot out to defend, or shots somehow being stopped by the keeper or taking the slightest grazing touch off a defender's boot or some other body part. It was extremely frustrating.
As to the players, Origi had a really good first 20-25min, was really moving well and was in sync with the other forward players. Speaking of the other forward players, they all looked sharp as did the midfield. The backline players played well as well and we even had good Tomori on this day. Both assists came from the double pivot, both on great passes (and Tonali had a beautiful strike from outside the 18yd box that was disallowed on BS).
Speaking of BS...wow, the refereeing was GARBAGE. Big shoutout to @Bird79 who called this sh*tty performance before the game even started with the first comment in the matchday post. No exaggeration but the refs probably missed 6-8 last-touch calls, unless they saw something we didn't on the supposed foul by Tomori that ended up disallowing the Tonali goal, that call was nonsense. They handed out 9...9 yellows and a red (only the second yellow on Giroud was obviously correct but he shouldn't have gotten the first one to begin with). Serie A, gotta be better with this. My god.
Lastly, Giroud with a beaut of a game winner. Yes, he should've known/remembered about the first yellow but I can understand the excitement. So he gets a pass from me. Glad he's here and has been a phenomenal signing by Maldini & Co.
Coaching
Not going to say a whole lot here. I thought Pioli did a great job on the day. The team looked focused and locked in. I made a quip about him starting Krunic again but he started him in the double pivot and he did fine. Loved him putting Rebic at RW again when he subbed him in at the 72min.
Champions League Draw
Milan drew Tottenham and considering the other options I'm 100% fine with this. Getting Conte is just another added bonus. The first leg is scheduled for February 14, 2023 and I'm sure your significant others will be completely on board if you push off any Valentine's Day plans for a drinking fest at the local pub watching Milan beat Tottenham.
Yes, I’m legally obligated to bring up Rino Gattuso choking out that Tottenham coach.
Tottenham had the lowest point total out of any group winner and they didn't have the strongest group to navigate either. There's probably a few different reasons here, and some will point out Conte's European success - or lack thereof - but I just don't think they're some powerhouse. I think playing against Conte, someone Milan knows well, is a bonus as well.
If Conte plays Conte-ball and sits back and tries to counter then it's going to be a slog. I'm talking 1-1 or 2-2 after both legs type-of-a-slog. I don't know that Milan has enough quality up front to score more than say, over 2 goals over 2 legs with a packed-in Conte squad and I don't think Conte can counter his way past the backline if the backline is healthy (so Kalulu and Tomori as the CB pairing) since it'll be difficult for them to get behind those 2 and beat Magic Mike.
Gattuso was hilarious 😆
Still lots of unknowns at this point, including reinforcements in January, the WC, health, all of that. But, BUT Milan is back in the knockouts since the 2013-14 season and it feels good!
Serie A
So we all know Milan eeked out a victory and snared all 3pts this past week. Maybe it doesn't feel huge in scope but with Napoli coming back and beating Atalanta yesterday would've meant they were 9pts clear of Milan at the top (and 8pts overall). So if Milan is within striking distance in say, March, don't say I didn't tell you to think back to the 89th minute winner by Giroud in this game.
As for Napoli, they are undoubtedly flying high right now. So, the question is, "are they this good?". I for one do not think they are this good even if they've played lighted out so far. A regression will come and it's more a matter of if Milan can keep themselves in position to overtake them, especially with CL knockout aspirations. Yes, Napoli have CL obligations too but it's a bit easier to be in front than to be the ones chasing.
The other teams chasing the top 4 had some matches against each other, with Lazio beating Roma and Juventus beating Inter. I'm still not convinced Atalanta will truly stay in the chase for the top 4 as I think Milan, Napoli, and Lazio are the top 3 teams, but it's going to be a dogfight for that #4 spot between Atalanta, Juventus, Roma, and Inter (Udinese are starting to tumble).
Remaining Games before the World Cup
Milan play tomorrow vs Cremonese and then against Fiorentina on Sunday. They should beat Cremonese even with Giroud out serving a red card suspension for taking his shirt off but man, I don't know about Fiorentina. It feels like every Fiorentina game the last 2-3yrs is a trap game. I know Fiorentina is probably the worst they've been in the last 3yrs but still. They just feel like a boogieman. Either way, Milan is 6pts back of Napoli right now, they need to be at least 6pts back come the WC break.
The injuries have slowed down some and just need to hope that continues. With minimal absences coming from the WC, Milan will need to be fresh come January so they can make a serious push for back-to-back Scudettos and that second star.
Final Thoughts
Umm...I don't think I have any. What about you guys? What are you thinking about right now as we head into the final regular season week before the WC break?
WHERE TO WATCH:
Paramount+ and FuboTV here in the US of Aye and Canada, BeIn for our Aussie pals, ESPNPlay for our fellas in T&T, JioTV for our Indian leoni, and illegal streams that support human trafficking everywhere.
THOUGHTS
FINALLY get to play the only team to beat Milan in league play during the second half of the Scudetto-winning 2021-22 season. I mean, I'm still pissed at that ref for not playing advantage and the canceling of the goal Milan had scored in the dying minutes to take the 2-1 lead, then only to have my rage immediately surpassed by the garbage goal Spezia scored to win it. Admit it...you're still pissed too...
Big midweek win to secure the knockouts in Champions League. I had planned on doing a ratings but life has been very busy on my end. Hoping that'll start to die down some now moving forward.
I saw all the Krunic praise over the last few days. Clearly Pioli was going for the draw or narrow 1-0 win by playing him and he sure did reward him with a solid game and a nice goal. I didn't mind the play, mostly because he was in the middle (anytime that f**ker is on the wing he just plays centrally anyway, might as well just put him there), and Brahim was still a little banged up. CDK got some minutes and with a 3-0 lead at the time I wasn't expecting him to do anything in his 15 or so minutes he got.
To be clear, I don't like Krunic or any other non-CAM playing in the CAM position. Yes, Krunic played well on Wednesday, doesn't change all the other terrible performances he's had when played in that position. All signs are pointing to a fully-fit Brahim for today's game after not seeing the pitch midweek. Let's hope we continue to see October Brahim now in November. Oh! And play Rebic again at RW. He was FANTASTIC on Wednesday: stayed wide and was banging in some quality balls. The guy can really solve Milan's RW issues if he wants...
WHERE TO WATCH:
Paramount+ and FuboTV here in the US of Aye and Canada, BeIn for our Aussie pals, ESPNPlay for our fellas in T&T, JioTV for our Indian leoni, and illegal streams that support human trafficking everywhere.
THOUGHTS
Milan in essence sacrificed the league game vs Torino for this so they better not mess this up...I know they didn't do it on purpose but they sure as sh*t did it in game plan, effort, execution, and mental readiness and toughness.
But...BUT, time to forget that because Milan can complete their first objective this season and that's to qualify for the knockout rounds of CL. Salzburg will be feisty and difficult but if the predicted starting lineup is to be believed with a Rebić, Brahim, Leão, and Giroud leading the line I expect a Milan win and not one where they struggle for goals.
A draw will do but a win will firmly rinse their mouths clean of that dud over the weekend.
WHERE TO WATCH:
Paramount+ and FuboTV here in the US of Aye and Canada, BeIn for our Aussie pals, ESPNPlay for our fellas in T&T, JioTV for our Indian leoni, and illegal streams that support human trafficking everywhere.
THOUGHTS
As mentioned above, this game is squeezed between two huge CL matches but it cannot be overlooked, especially with other top 4 league contenders winning this weekend (up to the point of me writing this). Going to be important to stay in the middle of a very crowded top of the table.
As for this game, lots of rotation is likely but I expect Milan to be able to crack this game open by halftime despite Torino being one of the better defensive teams in the league. Teams have been more willing to try and run with Milan lately, which I think has contributed to the bigger scoreline wins, but I'm not sure Torino will be saddling up their horses. So, it's going to take good movement in the final third to pierce through that defense but once Milan does I think it'll be all over for Torino.
Milan are firmly in second place in Group E in Champions League and will only need a draw vs Salzburg at the San Siro next week to stamp their ticket to the knockouts...the first time since playing Atletico Madrid during the 2013-14 season. But before that, Torino this weekend, and even before that, Milan x Dinamo Zagreb ratings...let's get started...
TATARUSANU 7 Was busy early with a lot of buildup by Dinamo and a few decent shots on goal but did his job and a clean sheet to boot
KALULU 7 Solid game and you could tell Pioli asked him to hang back. Whenever Milan got forward and Dinamo won the ball back and tried to go over the top it was usually Kalulu back there. And man, that cross from 30yds away in the first half to Giroud during the run of play...*chef's kiss*. Love this kid
KJÆR 7 Solid game and had a few decent long passes, which is one of his strengths particular with Tata in goal because, well, that is NOT one of his strengths...
GABBIA 8 Co-MOTM Solid all game and a perfectly timed run and perfectly timed dive and perfect header on a perfect ball from Tonali. Best dead ball play of the year for Milan
HERNÁNDEZ 7 Solid all around. That's it. That's all I got
TONALI 8 Co-MOTM Did everything well this game. Positioning, tackling, passing. And oh man. That cross on the dead ball that found Gabbia. Man. What a beaut. I shared this in the chat yesterday but as Ray Hudson said, "that was a shot glass dropped in a glass of beer at the other end of the bar". Yep. Pretty much
BENNACER 7 Solid. Just like Theo. Yeah
REBIĆ 7 Not perfect by any means, and probably...no, did cut in too much. But, BUT! You can see what quality wingers do to the attack when both are threats. CDK really should have taken advantage of this since the defense all of the sudden kept having to shift their gaze to each flank. Love the runs he made into the box but needs to balance that more with keeping the width and banging in crosses, particularly when the defense is packed in. It's one of his jobs out on the wing to keep the width and jeopardize the defense's lines
DE KETELAERE
GIROUD 7.5 One of his better games of the last month and has been money in the bank on PKs (I probably shouldn't jinx him, huh?...sh*t, I did already...I know I jinxed him. God damn it...). Oh, a few of you mentioned this in the chat yesterday: NO MORE FLICKS. Just receive, settle, and distribute Giroud. Come'on, man. Gotta keep that possesion
subs
KRUNIĆ 6.5 My favorite kind of Krunić. The kind we only see when Milan is up 2-0 and just need him to make tackles and break up the opponent's play
BALLO-TOURE 6 Was fine. Didn't do anything great but didn't bone the sofa cushion either. Yeah, I don't know what that means
POBEGA 6.5 Decent if unspectacular outing and almost had a goal
MESSIAS 6 More of a cameo. A winger coming in when you're up 4-0 doesn't leave much for them to do other than to track back and defend
ORIGI NA Didn't get enough for me to grade him but I'm still not sold on him. Some of you, *cough* Frank *cough*, are aroused by Origi but I am still not seeing why...
coaching
PIOLI 9 You win 4-0 at a place where the opponent beat an-albeit-out-of-form Chelsea last month and hadn't lost in like 22 (maybe it was 24) straight home matches, I'd say you got it right.
Pioli also FINALLY started Rebić at RW and boy did it pay off. The attack was dangerous from both sides and while not exactly clinical, just the mere threat of Rebić made Dinamo have to respect Milan's right side. The subbing was great, both in the starting selection (and accompanying tactics for a slower CB pairing) and pulling guys out to rest. Bravo, Sig. Pioli
THOUGHTS
Ok, so the two big storylines coming out of this involves something good and something bad. Let's get the bad out of the way...
The Bad...
CDK. Charles. Dude. That was UGGGG-LY. On a day when Milan was firing in attack and ends up winning 4-0 and you have arguably your worst game of the season. Yikes. I think it's safe to say he has the yips.
For those of you who don't follow or play golf, the yips happen when a player misses a few VERY short putts, something that should be routine, in a relatively short amount of time, and now trembles when over the ball on short putts and every short putt is a mental safari ripe with risk, fear, and perspiration. There's a version of this in baseball too when a fielder can't make an accurate throw to first base on routine ground balls. He sails them over the head, throws it short by 10ft, or is off 5-10ft to the right or to the left. But basically, like in golf and the short putt, every routine ground ball is an adventure. So in a nutshell: the yips are overthinking the task at hand.
There were numerous times in the first half where CDK was caught between ideas, and so in the end he ended up making the wrong decision, no decision, or the right decision too late which ended up making it the wrong decision.
The concern if CDK really does have the yips is that it's really hard to overcome. This type of thing can ruin careers. It's going to take A LOT of practice to get back to instinctively playing the game AND with smart, knowledgeable decision-making. For all of our sakes, Milan and us fans, I hope he's up to it.
The Good...
Rebić at RW to start! Yay! Pioli finally did it! Yes, I know he was partially forced into it due to injury but who cares, it's here. And I'll tell you what, this might end up being the go to, maybe in general, but at least when Milan is short on bodies. No more of this Krunić at RW nonsense, or taking Brahim out of the middle, sticking him at RW while an all-thumbs player is put in the #10 position.
Ok, so what was different with Rebić out there? As mentioned above, he was cutting in a lot, with and without the ball. Sometimes these runs, particularly without the ball, were awesome and made the defenders have to leave their dug-in position. This created movement and space within the box for others to navigate and take advantage of during the run of play. Other times however, his run crowded the box and evaporated any width Milan had particularly with Kalulu staying back. This had the opposite effect and caused congestion and left the attack without lanes to move, pass, or shoot. This will improve with Calabria back (when he returns) and having the RB up more on overlapping runs and helping to bang in crosses, while Kalulu and Tomori can protect the counter and over the top attempts by the opponent.
I think the more Rebić plays out at RW the better he'll become and the more balanced, and therefore higher scoring, Milan will be. Get him firing, along with a hot Brahim, and Leão being Leão, I think Milan will find themselves scoring 3-4 goals a game on average when they're in all there. That's no guarantee, but I wouldn't bet against it.
Next Match
Alright, Milan is flying high and have a tricky match vs Torino this weekend before taking on Salzburg in a CL match where they need at least a draw. Pioli will need to keep his men on their toes and ready since the top of the league table is so packed.
What are you guys thinking? About the match yesterday, this weekend, Salzburg, CDK, Rebić, whatever!
WHERE TO WATCH:
Paramount+ and FuboTV here in the US of Aye and Canada, BeIn for our Aussie pals, ESPNPlay for our fellas in T&T, JioTV for our Indian leoni, and illegal streams that support human trafficking everywhere.
THOUGHTS
In the first round between these two teams Milan pretty much dominated the whole game. They led in possession, shots, shots on goal, passing, passing %, you name it. Doing this there and not at the San Siro will of course be more difficult, I mean they beat Chelsea there 1-0, but not difficult enough to prevent Milan from going in and getting all 3pts.
Whoever plays for Milan needs to be on their toes, both attacking and in defense. When Milan is in attack, Dinamo is going to be packed in. They only had 32% of possession vs Chelsea so parking the bus seems to be in the cards. Width is going to be even more important to help spread them out so lots of overlapping runs will be key and key dribbles at the top of the box to get by initial defenders and to pry those CBs off Giroud.
On defense, since Dinamo will be packed in they will undoubtedly be looking to counter. So, if Kjaer and Gabbia are the pairing, they can't get caught too far up the pitch. Pioli is going to have to get this tactic right: how far up should those CBs get. If he's going to be ultra aggressive then Kalulu at CB and Dest at RB (if healthly) would be the better option.
Either way, gotta get all 3pts today...
Prediction: Milan wins 2-1
Forza Milan
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