Milan 3, Parma 1: Money Changes Everything

Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled for the three points. And I can’t say that Parma were robbed, at least not by us. But this game was strange, and I can’t say that Milan played like champions. The new 4-4-2 formation seemed to confuse the players as much as it did the fans, and it's not like they played with enough grinta to make up for it. In the end, despite Parma playing with so much heart, I think that it was about money. Because money changes everything.

Goals galore.... cha-ching!

The money, of course, referring partially to Parma and the fact that their players haven’t been paid since last July. But also to the money that Milan is suddenly willing to invest in the squad, and the two new players who debuted in this match, Destro and Bocchetti. Even if neither of those players impacted the match in a major way, I think they brought excitement to the team and especially to the fans at the San Siro, who seemed to be willing to put faith in the team again and help lift them to victory… over the worst team in the league.

The scoring was opened by Menez, who converted a penalty in the 17th to give Milan the 1-0 lead. The penalty was awarded for a handball in the box on Rodriguez. The star of the match for Milan, Zaccardo, had a goal in the 21st, but it was waved off for offside. That seemed to inspire Nocerino, our own –ex, who scored from a play from a free kick in the 24th to make it 1-1 all. It’s hard to begrudge him, he scored the most goals in his career for Milan, it was only natural to score at the San Siro. Bonus points for not celebrating, even if he’s been at several clubs since playing for Milan.

Bow down to the god of goals for Milan

The “captain” for the day, Alex, hit the post in the 32nd from a free kick, and Destro almost headed one in in the 35th. Then Destro got himself a yellow card in the 37th, and with his card accumulation from Roma, he will be suspended for our match vs. Juve. Van Ginkel’s singular contribution to the match seems to be the yellow card that he earned in the 24th. Watching his inconsistency makes the injury crisis hurt that much more. Especially when Essien was the first choice to come on for him at the half. Or when Muntari was subbed on for Destro in the 74th. My faith was restored in Diego Lopez, though, especially  with the back to back saves in the 38th.

Menez made magic happen again in the 57th, with a beautiful goal from a beautiful assist from Cerci. 2-1 Milan. But the crowning moment was when the man who denied the Biabiany transfer last year from Parma, the World Cup winner, the peculiar Zaccardo scored against the team who didn’t pay him, and who he consequently left hanging. 3-1 Milan. He also didn’t celebrate, but I’m not sure if that’s because he was the most surprised. Sorry, Galliani, Salvatore Bocchetti is not your Savior. Your Savior has been under your nose all along.

To be fair, he really did play with heart

I was reminded during the game that they are still playing Van Halen’s “Jump” at the San Siro, a song that was released 3 years before Silvio Berlusconi even bought the club and is now over 30 years old. Kind of like Galliani’s transfer targets. For example, it hasn’t been made official as of this writing, but reports are that Milan have bought the nearly 29 year-old center back Gabriel Paletta from Parma. I believe he’s joining Milan on a hair transfer, because Berlusconi needs someone in the squad with worse hair than him.

In the end, the players who got paid also got the three points. I think they deserved them, but they are going to be in for a slaughter if they play that way on Saturday. But before we worry about that, let’s see if we survive the final hours of the transfer window. How many players will this squad have? What will the wage bill be? Will Galliani get enough quality to get back into Europe? And if so, will he reinforce enough in the summer then to actually be able to compete? So much depends on money. Money changes everything.

This post inspired by the music of Van Halen’s “Jump”

Our next match is

Juventus vs. Milan

Saturday, February 7 • 20:45 CET (2:45pm EST)

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