Only in Italy would a competition be decided by single
elimination in all of the rounds except the semifinal. So this match is the
first of two matches which will determine which team moves on to the final. But
that’s okay, Gattuso apparently has the Philosopher’s Stone. Only he doesn’t
even know what it is. Hopefully one of the players has explained it to him by
now. Because while our results have started to turn to gold, these things are
best left to alchemists who know what they are doing.
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| Milan's newest golden boy is also the Coppa capocannoniere |
The other Inzaghi has been hit with some kind of curse.
There are so many injuries, Lotito
reportedly called in a Catholic priest to bless Lazio’s training
grounds and dressing rooms. And that was after Lazio were knocked out of the
Europa League by Sevilla last week. Their last league match a week ago was also
a loss, at the hands of Genoa. In the Europa League match, Inzaghi lined up Strakosha;
Patric, Acerbi, Radu; Badelj; Marusic, Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Lulic;
Calcedo, and Immobile. He will be missing Bastos, Berisha, Luiz Felipe, Lukaku,
Lulic, Parolo, and Wallace, all to injury. It’s almost like an alchemist
reversed the magic and turned his golden squad to lead.
Other than Gattuso humbly admitting that he didn’t know what
the clever reporter was talking about with his Philosopher’s Stone question on
Friday, Gattuso’s job really does seem golden right now. I think all of the
players except Bonaventura are back in training now, with all but maybe Caldara,
Reina, and Zapata available for this match. Even Strinic, who had been out all
season after a heart issue, was called up on Friday for the win over Empoli.
Milan are winning and playing better football, and newcomers Piatek and Paqueta
have been dazzling fans and raising the team’s mentality level. It seems like
the team are finally becoming more like the golden Milan teams of years past.
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| Bless them, father, for they have been cursed |
However, this match will be a different kind of test.
Playing at the Olimpico is never easy, and we have to prove ourselves worthy of
the final both away Tuesday and then again in April at home. If we can
capitalize on our momentum in the league, and take advantage of Lazio’s tough
injury crisis, then we’ll have the advantage. However, if we slip up in any
way, we could lose the advantage and possibly also our momentum in the league.
With the big games we have coming up, that could be disastrous. So let’s hope
Gattuso has found his inner alchemist and understands what a golden opportunity
this is. Otherwise, it’s pointless for him to have the Philosopher’s Stone.
This post inspired by the music of John
Williams’ “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” soundtrack
Coppa Italia Semifinal First Leg
Lazio vs. Milan
Tuesday,
February 26 • 21:00 CET (3pm EST)
This match can be
streamed LIVE on ESPN+ in the U.S.