On
Sunday we are away to Udine to face a team almost as unlucky as us. They were
squeezed out of the Champions League on penalties, and lost Luis Muriel for 2 ½
months to injury. Of course, they did pull out a 1-1 draw to Russian side Anzhi
yesterday in the Europa League. And they didn’t lose 14 players over the
summer, even if they sold 2 of their best like us. And Guidolin’s job isn’t
being micromanaged by their sporting director, nor is his job under pressure
from fans and the media. Nor did Guidolin have a very public argument with a
former Udinese legend and current youth coach to make matters worse. Nor do
they already have more than 1 injury per game average after having a season of
307 injuries, amongst other things. So maybe they are not so unlucky, and I
guess we should be prepared to be trampled by some little zebras. Beware of
Zebrette crossing.
Udinese
are a team that is tough to hate. They have an amazing business model and the
best scouts anywhere, which always results in quality play on the pitch.
Guidolin is a fantastic manager, and who could say anything bad about their
captain, Di Natale? But for this Sunday, the Zebrette are sharpening their
hooves, getting ready to take advantage of our current shambolic state. So for
Sunday, we need our boys to be i leone,
or the lions, and take down these little zebras… if we can.
Udinese’s
lack of luck has seen them to two losses and a draw in the league. I am sure
that being at home and watching us have the same results, they are looking to
keep all three points at the Stadio Friuli. Guidolin will have to do without
Lazzarri, who earned himself a couple of yellows and was sent off in their draw
vs. Siena. But other than that, I would guess he would start a lineup like
this: Padelli; Danilo, Domizzi, Benatia; Maicosuel, Allan, Pinzi, Pasquale,
Basta; Di Natale, and Barreto. Watch out in attack, Di Natale may be old, but
you can never count him out. He’s looking to add to his collection of
Capocannoniere titles, we must do everything to stop him.
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| The man knows how to score |
Milan,
on the other hand, are getting unsolicited advice from past coaches, players,
ultras, fans, the media on how to
resolve our current poor form. As the brilliant fsun said, “we’re getting 1/3
of the points for only 2/3rds the wages.” I’m not sure mere advice will solve
that problem. And the rumors surrounding Allegri’s job aren’t helping, either.
With so many distractions, it will be a miracle if they are able to focus and
pull off a win.
It
will also be a miracle if I can guess what Allegri will do as far as tactics
and lineups are concerned. He’s got Montolivo back, but Bonera is unlikely
after being injured on Tuesday. Will he play Zapata against his former club? I
wouldn’t hold my breath. He’s never been sentimental, does not seem to care
about that intangible extra something that a player gets when he faces a former
club. He’ll more likely put Acerbi in the start. I assume Mexes, De Sciglio,
and Antonini will start, even if one of these is not like the other.
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| Don't you have another lip sync/dance number you could work on? |
I
would expect some kind of midfield formation involving Montolivo, De Jong,
Nocerino, and possibly Urby or maybe Constant. Although Boateng seems to have
bewitched Allegri, so don’t rule him out. And then Pazzini and either El
Shaarawy or Bojan in attack, although that could change depending on what
formation he goes with, too. I’m going to leave the guesswork to all of you on
this one.
One
thing is for certain, until something changes, this team is going to be
overscrutinized and under a lot of pressure. We call it “too many cooks in the
kitchen,” and it is a shame, because Milan’s season is going to pay for it.
Every day that goes by it seems more likely that Allegri will soon be
unemployed. Whatever your views on this are, you must admit that the longer the
circus goes, the more damaging it is to the mentality of the team. If he’s
going to go, let him go. If you are truly going to stand by him, then stop
sending Galliani to every freaking training session and do a better job
managing the media. Some of us want this to be about football.
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| Are you ready for some football? |
This
is the biggest mess I can remember, with the club’s dirty laundry hanging out
for everyone to see. So I hope that for 90 minutes on Sunday, it can just be
about football again. That our boys are inspired rather than distracted by the
circus and that they manage the seemingly impossible: defeat Udinese at home.
They will be tired from yesterday’s Europa League match, so one thing is in our
favor. We need to pull it together and show the world what Milan are truly made
of. That we’re not just some fodder for Zebrette crossing.
This post inspired by the music of
The Clash
Udinese vs. Milan
Sunday, September 23rd • 15:00 CEST (9am EDT)
This match being broadcast on BeIN Sport and RAI in the U.S.
Streams will be posted before the match