We limped into this match, and somehow the draw seems okay.
But we were stretchered off of this match. And as the injuries piled up, I saw
something in Gattuso’s eyes that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before: fear.
With the majority of our starters now on the medical lists, there is much to be
afraid of. But after the final whistle, the most frightening thing was
accounting for the fallen.
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| 11 soldiers took the field. Not all of them came home... in one piece |
The match started rather predictably, with Lo Celso scoring
in the 12th minute. 1-0 Real Betis. Considering that in
our house, he scored and assisted both of their goals, this wasn’t a
shock. What was shocking was Gattuso setting out a 3-5-2 for no apparent
reason. He rested Romagnoli, our best defender by far, and then opted for the
least convincing defensive formation. I guess the only thing more shocking than
that is that Betis only scored one goal on that defense.
The second half, Milan showed some interest in not losing.
In addition to taking ten shots, with a surprising four on target in the match,
they also accumulated four yellow cards. (Wait, are yellow cards considered
losing?) After forcing a few great saves from Pau Lopez, Lo Celso fouled and
earned himself a card. Suso took the ensuing free kick and scored directly in
the 62nd minute. 1-1 all. It was exquisite, and just to remind us and contrast
the skill level, Borini fired the next shot, straight into Lopez’s gloves.
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| Yes, Suso, we all have that expression when we see Borini's hair. |
After Setien made two subs, Gattuso apparently realized it
was something he should do, too, bringing on Abate for Laxalt. But this time,
he seemed wise in waiting, as in the 79th, Kessie and Musacchio collided in the
most frightful of ways. It seemed Musacchio was unconscious, he was eventually
stretchered off and Romagnoli subbed on for him. Kessie, seemingly
indestructible, was able to play on. After the match, everyone said Musacchio
was okay, and that he was being taken to the hospital as a precaution. But if
they follow the protocol for head injuries, particularly when there is a loss
of consciousness, then Musacchio should not be available for our match on
Sunday with Juve.
So after being forced into his second sub, Gattuso’s third
sub was forced by a foot injury in the 88th minute to Calhanoglu. Sending
Bertolacci on for him was like driving a 20 year-old Mazda instead of a brand
new Mercedes, and Bertolacci’s grand contribution was to get a yellow card in
stoppage time, in his six minutes of fame. Also in stoppage time, the
apparently indestructible Kessie went down after sliding funny. I really hope
he is not injured, he is our rock. Oh, and Cutrone was seen limping off of the
field, too, it’s reported his ankle was possibly injured as well. Both Kessie
and Calhanoglu were already playing with known injuries, so we can only hope
they can actually be fit for Sunday.
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| Let's hope he actually is indestructable |
The result of this match left us in contention to progress
in the Europa League, even if there is definitely no guarantee. But I don’t
think many Milan fans cared about the result. On a day that started with the
announcement that Biglia had surgery to repair his calf muscle and would be out
for four months, this result was the least of our worries. And it ended with at
least three new injuries, and Gattuso saying, “Once again tomorrow, we’ll have
to count to see how many players we actually have left.” Like he actually said
that. If that doesn’t make you fear what is ahead, I don’t know what will. For
now, all we can do is mourn the fallen.
This post inspired by the music of R.E.M.
“Everybody Hurts”
Our next match is
Serie A Week 12
Milan vs. Juventus
Sunday, November
11 • 20:30 CET (2:30pm EST)