With Milan riding high on a 3-match unbeaten run that would
have in previous years been viewed as a string of poor performances, we head to
Genoa and the “haunted” Marassi stadium to see what we’re really made of.
Meanwhile, Genoa, having had an identical record to Milan until their 3-0
defeat at the hands of 10-man Verona last week will either be defeated or
wanting to avenge their loss. I’m going to guess it will be the latter. Which
means that despite the weekday billing, this could be quite the spectacle after
all: two struggling midtable teams, both with something to prove. So get all of
your game rituals together and get ready to rumble, this is gonna be some
serious Monday Night Football.
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| Why always him? |
Genoa have an injury list that is Milan-like in length. They
are without midfielders Kucka and Matuzalem, keeper Donnarumma, and ace
defender Antonini and also Vrsaljko. So Gasperini will have some limitations.
But his team-that-couldn’t against Verona was: Perin; De Maio, Antonelli,
Marchese, Motta; De Ceglie, Sturaro, Bertolacci; Sculli, Gilardino, and
Centurion. Forget that Perin saw a whopping 39 shots from us last time and was
only beaten once. Forget that there is enough ex-Juve in that lineup to ensure
both fuel and controversy. Once again, we have to face the Gila monster, who
always scores against us, and celebrates like we are mortal enemies.
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| "So you think you can coach, Seedorf? I got 20 years of coaching under my belt." |
Seedorf’s zen may finally be seeping into the minds of the
Milan players, but he’s got a few injuries of his own to manage. And a squad
rotation habit that is like cigarettes to a chain smoker. On the injured list
is still El Shaarawy,of course, as well as Petagna and De Sciglio, and most
recently added both Muntari and Essien.
The good news is that Constant will be back from his one
match ban (or if you noticed his hat last week, he’ll be back from the dead.)
The actual good news is that Mexes is also back from suspension, and Cristante
could make the team, having recovered from his injury and played with the
Primavera last week. Montolivo and Abate also made it back to training this
week, so hopefully will be available for Monday night as well.
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| Will Seedorf give Cristante some playing time? |
Then it is just a matter of mathematics: how many players
will Seedorf swap out of his starting 11 this week? If I’m not mistaken, he’s
averaged at least 6, so having so many players back this week helps his
rotation crusade. For a player who complained about not playing every match, he
sure does like to wreak his revenge every week on our entire squad. It’s like
he’s saying “If I couldn’t play every match for Milan, then no one can play
every match for Milan.” Whatever. Someday maybe he’ll find a happy medium
between Allegri’s “only rotate for injuries” and his Bingo-style lineups.
If we can survive whatever the haunted Marassi brings to us
this time, whether it be tear gas, rioting, murder, fans turning against their
own team, or whatever, then it will be up to our boys to prove that they are
finally understanding Seedorf’s philosophies and are also gaining the fitness
required to play a full 90 minutes, as they have the last couple of matches. If
they can do that, and no one hits anyone with flares or whatever, then Milan
have a chance at three points away and a third consecutive win for the first
time this season. Are you ready for some football?
This post inspired by the music of Ludo’s
“Skeletons on Parade”
Genoa vs. Milan
Monday, April 7 • 21:00 CEST (3pm EDT)
This match is being shown LIVE on RAI and BeIN Sport in the US
Check comments for stream links ahead of the match