Torino had a big day planned. It was Ventura’s 1,000th game
coached, Quagliarella’s 100th game played for the Granata, and they also broke ground on the remodeling of their
Stadio Filadelfia, too. Despite having lost their last match vs. Carpi, they
likely looked at Milan’s woeful record and were hoping this game was winnable.
But not today. This Milan had a secret
wookiee… I mean weapon, and despite the lack of performance by most of
the rest of the squad, he managed to ensure the ruining of the bulls.
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| Moments of brilliance is still an improvement |
I must confess that I am running out of ways to say that
this squad played below their level. The lack of grinta was palpable, and though many commended Milan for not
conceding in the first half, I saw it more as being lulled to sleep like the
frogs in the pot when the water temperature steadily rises.
So, unable to save them from their own fate, it took Chewie
coming on in the 55th to wake everyone up. And wake everyone up he did, in the
63rd, thanks to a nice assist from Bertolacci. 1-0 Milan. But like the frogs in
the analogy, it was too late, the water was too hot. And so Torino fought back
like bulls, resulting in a Baselli equalizer in the 73rd. 1-1.
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| Chewie is not getting sucked into this mentality business |
There were fouls, of course, and yellow cards, too. Because
when Glik is on the pitch, that is going to happen. And while several players
took some good knocks, I don’t think anyone will be joining our injured ranks
from that match. Those carrying yellow cards were Kucka in the 12th,
Bonaventura in the 51st, Romagnoli in the 79th, and Diego Lopez in the 88th, if
you are keeping track.
The good news is that still sitting on the bench we have one
Nigel De Jong. When he was starting as central defensive midfielder and wearing
the captain’s armband, the team played with heart for 90 minutes. Because even
more than the skills we are lacking, grinta
is something he brought to the team in every match. Meanwhile, his counterpart,
Montolivo, not only seems to have the opposite effect on the team, but also
interpreted his role in this match as a lone striker. With just seven shots and
zero goals in five starts, he definitely has a lot of catching up to do for a
striker., or at least he seems to think The bad news is that I see no signs of
this changing, and a De Jong exit seems inevitable, possibly as soon as
January, meaning a guaranteed contract renewal for Montolivo, too. So wrong.
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| Thanks for watching us and you're welcome for the extra sleep |
If you’ve never read this blog, sorry, but I have no more words
for Cerci
starting or playing at all. I wasn’t impressed with Bonaventura playing as a
winger. He’s been sold to us as a jack-of-all-trades midfielder, but he really
does best in the midfield three. Kuco was subbed about 15-20 minutes after his
expiration date, and at least Bertolacci now has an assist for our €20m. Abate
& Antonelli both did well, with Romagnoli mostly beasting it, but obviously
still with a big learning curve. Alex… if you take that free kick out of
contention, he played okay, too. Poor Adriano did not seem suited to the new
formation, but I still think he’s an important player for us. Diego Lopez got a
yellow for having heart, and was his usual beastly self otherwise, too. I’d say
the 4-3-3 has potential, but it’s always a shame when a system pushes out key
starting players.
So a mediocre performance once again, with some moments of
brilliance. At least we only conceded one goal this time and managed to get a
point while playing away, too. But it’s the same old same old. And until
something changes within the organization, I just don’t see the Milan
experience changing, either. We root for our players, have faith in our coach,
but in the end they are all subject to a darker magic under this management. So
on to the fabulous Trofeo Berlusconi on Wednesday… a meaningless friendly with
a team that will destroy us… exactly what this team needs before hosting a
dangerous Sassuolo next week. Like I said, it comes from the top down. Oh,
well, at least we can say we robbed Torino of two points and contributed to the
ruining of the bulls.
This post inspired by the music of
Lush
Our next match is the illustrious
Trofeo Berlusconi
Milan vs. Inter
Wednesday, October 21 • 18:00 CEST (12noon EDT)