Every year, people say that no one cares about the Coppa
Italia. But this year, Milan needs to care about every single game. With such a
disappointing start, the mentality is so fragile, and every game counts just
for mentality alone. Thankfully, we are going into this match after a win,
largely due to a change in system from Gattuso. And after seeing the massive
difference it made on Sunday, Gattuso has said that he will stick with the four
man backline, as it provides “more guarantees.” This is so heartening to hear
after Montella’s obsession with the three man backline, but winning a Coppa
Italia match that no one cares about will provide still more guarantees.
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| Still love you, Pazzini, but not this time, please? |
Verona are coming off of a 2-2 draw with SPAL on Sunday in
which they gave up a 2 goal lead from big team castoffs Cerci and Caceres to
drop two points. For that match, Pecchia lined up Andrade; Ferrari, Caracciolo,
Fares, Caceres, Buchel, Verde, Romulo, Kean, and Cerci. It’s impossible to know
how seriously they will take the Coppa, but since they are not in Europe and in
19 th on the Serie A table, they may put up a good fight on this
one.
Gattuso is like the blind man who was suddenly healed. The
revelation of the four man back line was like a miracle for him and for Milan
fans worldwide. He may not be the tactician that Montella claimed to be, but he
learned a lesson his predecessor could not and would not learn, at the expense
of the entire club. Whomever he lines up, I feel so much more confident knowing
he plans to stick with the four man back line.
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| Such an obvious choice, even a blind man could see it |
This will be our first of two meetings with Verona this
week. This one is in our house, so it will be important to win. With tickets a
measly €10 for the San Siro, I hope it is a big crowd on a Wednesday night. I
know I will sleep better tonight and have a calm stomach ahead of this match
just knowing we finally have our system in place. For the team and for fans
everywhere, there are simply more guarantees.
This post inspired by the miracle of
the four man backline
Coppa Italia Round
of 16
AC Milan vs. Hellas Verona
Wednesday,
December 13 • 20:45 CET (2:45pm EST)
This match will be
shown on Gol TV in the U.S.