Milan
have managed a treble this season… well if friendly trophies count for a
treble, anyway. Which has got Milan fans everywhere dreaming big… maybe a
little too big. After seeing our players drive Audis on a racetrack, sit in a
Fly Emirates flight simulator, win awards that no one has heard of before and
otherwise life the good life in Dubai and then beat Real Madrid in a friendly,
it’s easy to get carried away. But it’s also important to remember where the
club has been recently and consider what could be happening in the upcoming
mercato. Things seem to be looking up, but Milan fans know all too well that
things are not always what they seem to be at Milan anymore. That’s life.
 |
| Basking in the confetti |
I
was joined once again by Vinny, whom you may remember
from that awesome YouTube sensation Red Card Weekly. He reportedly talks about
Milan around the clock, even in his sleep, but you can catch his occasional
tweets by following @RedCardWeekly. For this podcast, we talked about:
• News of the Week: Globe Soccer Awards, Zeman fired again
• Adventures in Dubai: Real Madrid friendly and trophy count
• Squad Turnover: based on The Transition,
how many players have come in and out of the club since Summer of 2012
• Mercato Forecast: Update and predictions
• Coming Up: Upcoming matches and what to look for
Many
thanks again to Vinny for the great Milan conversation. You
definitely need to follow the seriously underfollowed @RedCardWeekly on Twitter for his occasional but brilliant wit and wisdom.
Milan-Sassuolo Preview: The Allegri Killers
Tuesday is when La Befana comes to bring either gifts or
coal to children in Italy. It is also when we face our pals of Sassuolo, aka
the Allegri Killers. While they did us a massive favor last January to beat us
badly enough that Allegri was finally sacked, this year we really need the
points. So let’s hope Befana brings us three points, not coal.
 |
| The Allegri Killers, but there's no Allegri at Milan this year |
Before the break, Sassuolo conceded a goal at the death to
draw with Cesena and drop points. In that match, Di Francesco lined up Pomini;
Vrsaljko, Acerbi, Terranova, Peluso; Mananelli, Missiroli, Taider; Zaza,
Berardi, and Floro Flores. However he will also have Cannavaro and Consigli
back, as they had been suspended for that match. For Tuesday, Sassuolo are
missing goalkeeper Pegolo to a longterm injury still, and Manfredini is
doubtful, but otherwise should have a full strength squad.
Milan are potentially blinded by the luster of three
trophies so far this season and three very favorable results in the last three
games against big opponents. And despite the fact that Sassuolo’s owner is a
hardcore Milanista and we face our former player, two-time cancer survivor and
also lifelong Milanista in Acerbi, it will be important to focus and keep
playing with the determination and fire that got us where we are right now.
 |
| Berardi and Zaza are drooling having seen our suspension list |
As for who will play, De Jong, Armero, and Mexes are all
suspended. Rami, Abate, & De Sciglio have been training with the squad so
could very well feature, which would be very welcome considering the
suspensions. Cerci could be available but is not match fit by his own
admission, so is unlikely to start. Van Ginkel and Bonera may be the only injuries (besides
Mexes, who is suspended anyway,) and I am not even sure about their status as of
this writing.
Don’t write off this match or the Neroverdi. As Vinny pointed out on the podcast, these games are
the ones we have to win. Sassuolo may sit in 12th on the table, but they have
shown a lot of fight this season and may be more desperate than us for the
three points. After all, they are the Allegri Killers.
Milan vs. Sassuolo
Tuesday, January 6 • 15:00 CET (9am EST)
This match will be shown LIVE on RAI in the U.S.
Check the comments here for stream links ahead of the match