When the Serie A schedule was released, this match gave me a
sense of forboding. Then we qualified for the Champions League, and with that
additional schedule to deal with, it seemed even more frightening. Add in the Injury Armageddon™,
the way we sneaked by Celtic on Wednesday and Slow Start Allegri’s™ magic so
far in the league, and this match is shaping up to be the Perfect Storm.
There's a giant blue and white storm coming, and the eye is over the San Siro |
I’m not going to lie. Although Napoli reinvested their PSG
(read: Cavani transfer) money better than anyone else, I had my questions that
Benitez would be able to integrate the new squad and get them to gel together
quickly and efficiently. But I was dead wrong. He has picked up where Mazzarri
left off and Napoli are playing very, very well. They sit at the top of the
Serie A table, and just beat Champions League runners up Borussia Dortmund
midweek, despite giving them an own goal. Not only do they have a healthy
squad, but they have a lot of depth and quality, too. Are they unstoppable?
Probably not. But do they have the advantage in this match? I think so.
Despite playing at home at the San Siro, Milan have a
patchwork team made up of young and old, provincial and quality, and just a
hint of Milan pedigree, all managed by a controversial coach who has exceeded
his welcome in a majority of people’s opinions, including the owner’s.
Meanwhile, De Laurentiis was shrewd and direct in the mercato, using the €64m
people said he’d never get for Cavani to buy quality, established players such
as Higuain, Callejon, Albiol, Reina, and Mertens and reinforce throughout the
team. If they had failed to work together, this could have been a nightmare for
Benitez. But instead, he has created the perfect storm.
The halfling scored against Dortmund midweek, the other has 4 goals in 3 starts. |
Napoli are unbeaten in Serie A. Chievo gave them the most
trouble, by scoring 2 goals on them in Verona, but Napoli answered back with 4 goals.
My only solace here is that it was Paloschi, whom we co-own with Chievo and who
came up in the Milan youth system, who scored those 2 goals, the only goals they've conceded thus far in Serie A. So maybe there's a little Milan magic? Against Atalanta
at the San Paolo last weekend, they won comfortably, 2-0, while Benitez rested
a number of players ahead of their midweek Champions League match against
Dortmund. Short of Higuain meeting up with some rocks again, Benitez has a
completely healthy squad.
Against Dortmund, Benitez fielded a team that would be the
envy of any Serie A manager: Reina; Britos, Maggio, Zuniga, Albiol; Behrami,
Inler; Callejon, Hamsik, Insigne; Higuain. Granted, they had a little help from
Dortmund when Weidenfeller was sent off just before halftime for handling the
ball out of the box, and Klopp had been sent off in the first half as well, but
they were already up 1-0 at that point. All I’m saying is that if they can
effectively handle a squad like Dortmund’s, what do they have in store for our
beleaguered squad?
Three goals and an assist in 4 starts. Can Milan stop him? |
And as if being beleaguered wasn’t enough, we also have
Injury Armageddon™ to contend with. That’s right, Allegri is without: Bonera,
De Sciglio, El Shaarawy, Kaka, Montolivo, Pazzini, and Silvestre. Which means
that Abate, Niang, and Poli have all returned to training and could be
available. But will he start them? In the wake of all of the criticism due to
this recent wave of injuries, Allegri is likely to exercise a bit more caution
with the returning players. Since Niang’s and Poli’s injuries were minor, I
would expect he would have them available if he chooses to start them. But I
would be impressed (read: worried and disappointed) if he starts Abate, based
on the nature of his injury and the sheer quantity of upcoming fixtures.
Other questions include the Slow Start Allegri™ plan…
despite a couple of favorable results even when playing horrible football,
Milan still sit ninth in the table, just behind newly promoted side Verona,
only one point ahead of where we were last year at this point. And if you have
blocked that debacle out of your memory, let’s just say that Milan were on
their way to their worst Serie A start in 70 years. That’s s-e-v-e-n-t-y. So
pulling up out of this nosedive sooner rather than later will be essential,
even if we are only aiming at a top three finish. But the forecast for pulling
out of the nosedive this week is not exactly sunny.
Will the Blonde Fury™ be risked? |
Another issue is Allegri’s choice of formation. It was
decreed when he was re-confirmed as manager at the beginning of the summer that
he shall play the 4-3-1-2. And then Saponara had a long term injury, and
Galliani only brought him Kaká at the end of the mercato, so Allegri hasn’t
really had the personnel to play the 4-3-1-2. Birsa did well enough for the
first half at covering the role on Wednesday, but wouldn’t it be more prudent
to stick with the 4-3-3 until he has the personnel to play the 4-3-1-2? And
what will Allegri have accomplished in just a couple of days to improve the
playing style at all? And will it even matter? At this point, injury prevention
might just be our greatest victory, anyway.
Before and after our
nothing short of miraculous win against Celtic, I gave props to Allegri
for being great in the face of crises just like this. But even I fear this
storm. Benitez can and likely will rest several of his starters from Wednesday,
and they will still be more prepared than Milan. Maybe it’s just that when the
going got tough last season, it was against this same opponent that Allegri did
everything wrong last season. It was our chance to take second place and not
have to qualify for Champions League this year. But instead, he got the lineups
and tactics all wrong. Will he get it right this time? With even less to work
with? I normally believe in Crisis Allegri™, but even I have to say that this
is the perfect storm.
Even Allegri has got to see the storm brewing... |
Whereas in real life, during a natural disaster, people pull
together and we see the beauty of the human spirit, my one hope lies in that
same human spirit to help and buoy up Milan. Our 12th man can give courage to
players who are not 100% fit or maybe simply outclassed in talent. And the grinta that our boys showed on
Wednesday, despite playing poorly, it is that same courage and strength that
could see us ride out this perfect storm. I hope that it does, and come Sunday
night, we will have dethroned the leaders and climbed up the table closer to
where we belong. Perhaps it is only a fool’s hope, but after all, only a fool
would attempt stand in the face the perfect storm. Forza Milan!
This post inspired by the music of
the Lord of the Rings: Two Towers Soundtrack
Milan vs. Napoli
Sunday, September 22 • 20:45 CEST (2:45pm EDT)
This match will be broadcast LIVE on RAI in the US
Check here for stream links ahead of the match