Milan 0, Juventus 1: Pecking Order

Thus ended a two game winning streak that had Berlusconi claiming we would win the Scudetto (even if he was only hoping to fill his stadium after he scared all of the fans off these past 2-3 years by selling all of our quality players.) It was a tough one to swallow, especially with Allegri on the opposing bench. A bench he didn’t even get off of to shake Inzaghi’s hand at the beginning of the match. But a necessary lesson for Galliani that you have to spend to win, and a reminder to all of us that unfortunately the beautiful game has a pecking order, and investing in quality players is at the top, irresponsible management and not investing in quality players will always land below on that pecking order.

Sometimes grinta only gets you so far 

I’m gonna keep this relatively short and sweet… well, it won’t be so sweet, but that’s not my fault. I was so glad we had Rizzoli officiating. If anything, I actually felt his calls went against Juve a little more, but he really had his work cut out for him to keep it civil, and he did a fantastic job. I mean Muntari always gets away with murder, but he finally got his token yellow card in the 84th. Torres also was shown a yellow card in stoppage time. It was a pretty brutal game, as these matchups often are, with some ugly and dirty fouls from both sides, even if Juve out-fouled us 18-9. There could have easily been a number of yellow cards, especially for Milan, and those “penalties” that people wanted weren’t penalties. Rizzoli was my man of the match.

Perhaps Milan’s best chance of the game was in the 27th, when Honda released a header just in front of goal while under pressure from Chiellini, but Buffon brilliantly saved it. Menez had a sweet chance in the 40th, too, on a breakaway, but Buffon saved that one as well (are you sensing a theme here?) Abbiati had some crucial saves, too. And Marchisio had him beaten in the 38th, but gratefully hit the post.

I don't even want to think about where that came from

Of course the only thing people will remember will be the goal. The goal came in the 71st when some (insert shock and horror here) poor defensive work let Pogba chip it up to Tevez, beating Abate, and leaving Abbiati to just get a hand on it before it hit the back of the net. 1-0 Juventus. But Tevez ruined the goal with his disgusting celebration: pulling a pacifier out of his pants and sticking it in his mouth.

Despite our boys giving it everything they had and leaving it all out on the pitch, two things were confirmed in this match: Milan always have the best coreografia, and Juventus have a better team. If only Berlusconi would invest in the team and buy players who were as amazing as our fans, then the pecking order would be quite different. Oh, and a third thing was confirmed, Allegri is a bigger jerk than we thought. Inzaghi had to walk all the way over and offer his hand to the man who ended his career. And Allegri smirked as he walked away and said who knows what to the person next to him. He literally has no class, no wonder Milan’s DNA had to be restored. We may have lost this one fair and square on the pitch, but Inzaghi showed the world what a man is, and I am proud of him and of our boys.

Brilliant coreo: "A year of anger to return to greatness"

Just as in the circle of life, the pecking order can be brutal. But Milan should hold their heads high and use this to fuel their “year of anger to return to greatness.” There is no shame losing to a team that has won three consecutive league titles. The only shame should be Allegri’s for his poor sportsmanship and complete lack of humanity. But even people like that sometimes find themselves at the top of the pecking order. So let’s hope when we next meet him, the grinta and desire help us turn that pecking order upside down, if only to teach him a lesson. Until that time, I’m pleased with the changes in the mentality and efforts of our team, and I believe Inzaghi has us on the right track. The loss hurts, but I’m still proud to be a Milanista.

This post inspired by the music of The Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry”

Our next match is

Empoli vs. Milan

Tuesday, September 23 • 20:45 CEST (2:45pm EDT)