We try not to talk about how badly Milan has deteriorated.
But in just two pictures, there is a vast chasm of disparity that says more
than a thousand words, buckets of tears, or a slow death by alcohol could say. The bottom
line is that in 2007, not only were Milan in
the Champions League, they won it. In Athens, Greece. In 2014, we have a team
that are not only not in Champions
League, they couldn’t even win a match with a Greek side in a friendly. And to
add insult to injury, on Saturday, we face Liverpool, the team that the 2007
side beat in that final. It’s got to be hard for Inzaghi, who scored both goals
for Milan in 2007. Now he’s tasked with facing off with the same club he beat back then with
this excuse for a team. With so many connections, it’s hard not to notice how faded Milan’s
glory truly is.
 |
| 2007 Glory: Maldini, Dida, Oddo, Nesta, Ambrosini, Seedorf, Inzaghi, Kaka, Gattuso, Pirlo, Jankulovski |
To be fair, in 2007, it was a Champions League final, and
these games are just preseason friendlies. No one has any idea how this season
will go for us. But we do know that we won’t be in the Champions League final.
And why is that, exactly? The same men who ran the club then are running the
club now. But it is the habits they had then that led to the position we are in
now. Well, and there was Calciopoli, which had just hit the year before that
trophy we were lucky to win. And the current economic state in Italy, that
hasn’t helped.
But those things simply required more daring and vision than
either Berlusconi or Galliani ever had. Berlusconi wanted the club to do well
so he would do well in his political career, he really only spent a lot when
there was an election. Galliani is penny wise and dollar foolish with his free
transfer and longer contract shenanigans, always looking for the best deal he
can get today without any thought of how it would impact the club tomorrow.
 |
| Milan 2014: Bonera, Poli, Gabriel, Rami, Zlbertazzi, Zaccardo, Cristante, Saponara, Niang, Pazzini, El Shaarawy |
So here we are. This is the squad we have. Will Inzaghi’s
magic be enough to inspire this lot to new glory? Or at least maybe a lesser
humiliation than we all fear? Or is that glory completely gone from our beloved
Milan? Saturday will be just a friendly, but it will bring up too many memories
of a glory from days gone by whose shine is almost entirely faded from our
club.
This post inspired by the Suicide Prevention
Hotline: 1-888-MERCATO
Our next match is
Guinness ICC Tournament
Liverpool vs. Milan
Saturday, August 2 • 6:30pm EDT
To watch this match in the US, check here
for options