When I first looked at the Serie A calendar, with the added
Christmas fixtures, I was not excited. Not having games around Christmas was a
signature of Serie A, and I personally liked it. To play Atalanta on Chrismas
Eve Eve was likely going to prove problematic. But now, with where the team
are, our new coach, and the enforced and admittedly punitive ritiro this
week, it seems like something right out of Ebenezer Scrooge’s playbook. Bah
Humbug.
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| Talk about a Scrooge |
Atalanta sit just above us in seventh place on the table on
goal differential. Under Gasperini, they have overperformed. Not just last year
with the surprised fourth place finish. They went undefeated in their Europa
League group stage to qualify at the top of their group. This despite selling
their two best players from last season, Kessie and Conti, to us. And now we
face them in a very poor moment. Merry Christmas, indeed.
Gasperini’s team beat Sassuolo in the Coppa Italia on
Wednesday 2-1. For that match, he lined up Gollini; Toloi, Mancini Bastoni, de
Roon, Sastagne, Gosens, Haas, Kurtic, Cornelius, and Orsolini. He rested some
players, too, so it’s not as if the entire team will be tired. Also, he seems
to be missing only Palomino to injury, so expect a proper battle from the
little team that could.
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| Ex-Atalanta players they don't seem to be missing much |
Milan’s headaches are many and large. But for this game
specifically, Gattuso will be without Romagnoli and Suso to suspension. That’s
in addition to missing Atalanta’s former Conti, who is reportedly recovering
well from his surgery. Well and missing Jose Mauri to injury as well. And I
hear Calhanoglu is not fit for this game, too.
But the biggest injury is that of having to submit to ritiro
this week. Not only did they have to live and train together without seeing
their families at this important time of the year, their holiday dinner was
cancelled the day of. If that’s not a Scrooge move right there, I don’t know
what is. So instead of enjoying camaraderie with their teammates, they were forced
into it, stripped of their family time, and for what? They are not the ones
with the financial problems. It’s not their fault UEFA didn’t like their FFP
plan. The players did not go and buy ten new players and Borini this summer. They
didn’t sack Montella and hire Gattuso as a coach. It was a desperate, douchebag
move on the part of management. And when you consider that most of the time, a ritiro
doesn’t even work, it was another stupid move on the part of management.
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| The Grinch who stole Christmas dinner |
Needless to say, I am not looking forward to this match
tomorrow. At least it’s at 9am my time, not 3:30am like last week. But I’m not
feeling the Milan spirit, much less the Christmas spirit when I think about
this game. My only hope is that the fans will show up in numbers to support,
despite the busy Christmas season. But then again, I wouldn’t wish watching
this match live on anyone either, because despite the poor prognosis, I am not
Ebenezer Scrooge. Bah humbug.
This post inspired by The Muppet
Christmas Carol’s “Scrooge”
Serie A Week 18
Milan vs. Atalanta
Saturday, December
23 • 18:00 CET (12noon EST)
This match will be
shown LIVE on RAI Italia and beINSports in the U.S.