In the American healthcare system, insurance providers sometimes
refuse to cover medical expenses for conditions that they deem “pre-existing,”
something the patient was known to have had prior to their coverage beginning.
Which means that the patient does not get the healthcare they need, and/or they
have to pay all of their own bills. Neither of which is helpful. This match
with Genoa was changed to an earlier time because of a pre-existing condition.
As in Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini claims there was a pre-existing
condition between fans, so decided to play the game six hours earlier.
On a weekday. So the teams, the fans, and everyone else get screwed over
because he thinks there is a pre-existing condition.
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| Gattuso is the grinta and the fire from the sidelines. Missing. |
Genoa lag in 14th place on the table. Having upgraded to
Cesare Prandelli as manager about five weeks ago, his record isn’t much more
impressive than his two predecessors earlier this season: D-L-W-L-D. In their
0-0 draw at home with Fiorentina before the break, he lined up: Radu; Biraschi,
Romero, Criscito; Rolon; Romulo, Hijlemark, Bessa, Lazovic; Kouame, and Piatek.
Prandelli’s most obvious missing piece will be Piatek, who, with 13 goals this
season, is suspended for this match. He is also in negotiations to join Milan,
possibly within the next few days.
Gattuso will be missing Higuain, who was not called up for
this match due to all of the rumors surrounding his impending departure to
Chelsea. But there is a long list of missing pieces for this match, including
Gattuso himself, who earned himself a one match touchline ban against Juventus
on Wednesday for “aggressive behavior.” It was hardly the first time anyone has
accused him of that, but with Romagnoli, Calabria, and Kessie also earning
suspensions for this match, it is clear that the squad are possibly emulating
him too much. Even Brozzi, our Milan doctor, earned himself a one match
suspension for this game.
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| Genoa's prize striker will likely be wearing a Milan jersey this week |
Gattuso will also still be missing Caldara, Biglia, and
Bonaventura to injury. It is refreshing to have an injury list so short, even
if all three of those injuries were so lengthy and devastating to our team. But
refreshing that Paqueta is fitting right into our starting lineup and playing
so well. This match will be interesting to see the tactical decisions Gattuso
makes up front. He seems to view Cutrone only as a super sub, which basically
leaves us with Borini now as a forward until we sign someone else. Which is so
Genoa. But Milan can take fourth place back with a win in this match, which
makes me hope that we will play more like the Milan teams of old.
Players like Suso, Bertolacci and Laxalt will feel
comfortable going back to Genoa, while they have players like Lapadula still on
their roster who remember what it was like to play for Milan. But there will be
a lot of anger from Genoa fans about not only the early start, but their club
selling their best players again. They wrote a very angry letter about the time
change, including this brilliant statement: “We ask the club to protect the
interests of all their fans, season-ticket holders and non-ticket holders with
the same commitment and punctuality that they sell their best players every
transfer window." So it seems that tomorrow’s match may end up a
self-fulfilling prophecy from Salvini, because of both the time change and
Preziosi’s transfer dealings. Perhaps it is a pre-existing condition after all.
This post inspired by the music of R.E.
M.’s “Everybody Hurts”
Serie A Week 20
Genoa vs. Milan
Monday, January 21
• 15:00 CET (9am EST)
This match can be
streamed LIVE on ESPN+ in the U.S.