Milan managed to take all three points from a subdued Brescia
today to reward the 56,000 fans who showed up to the San Siro. But to hear
Giampaolo tell it, it was a complete disaster. Nay, Paqueta is too Brazilian.
And he’ll start whomever he wants up front. The guy sounds more like the grumpy
old man telling you to get off of his lawn. Maybe he was just cranky from
wearing the suit. And he is crazy stubborn about doing things his way, at the
cost of actually lining up the best team and winning in the best possible way.
So I’ve developed a plan: have the media tell him the opposite of what is
working. Then he’ll stubbornly do the right thing, just to spite them. It’s
reverse psychology.
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| I think Calhanoglu is tearing up there, such a deserved goal |
Milan started tentatively, but quickly began to attack. I’ll
repeat that, Milan began to attack. I will say this for Giampaolo, after
scaring the hell out of everyone threatening to go back to the 4-3-3, the
4-3-2-1 Christmas tree system was just what was needed in this match. Also
Bennacer as a regista. And no Borini. And Kessie back in the starting
11. He definitely got a lot more things right after last
week’s disaster. Even if the 4-3-2-1 was his only original idea.
He was rewarded for that when Calhanoglu, playing really
where the useless Castillejo was meant to be playing, headed in a beautiful
goal past Jaronen from a perfect Suso cross, 1-0 Milan. Had Paqueta or
Calhanoglu been started in Castillejo’s spot, maybe even André Silva would have
scored. He wasn’t terrible, but he was no Cutrone. And no Piatek. And that
makes it harder to figure out why Giampaolo gave the first 60 minutes to him.
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| Finally, Bennacer |
Bennacer looked phenomenal, controlling the play, completing
passes, and doing all of those things a regista should do. It’s difficult
to think about how much better Milan would have been against Udinese last week
had Giampaolo trusted him like all of the other Serie A coaches trust their
capable new signings. It’s like he was worried the new players wouldn’t fit
into his system, but his system was a nightmare. So anyway, Biglia, please take
your time healing up, I think we’re good for the duration of your contract.
Sabelli caused Milan some problems, missing a point blank
chance in the 19th, then forcing Gigio into a great save in the 31st. Torregrossa
returned from injury for Brescia and tried to make his mark, but ended up
taking a knock and being subbed off at the half. Ayé replaced him and was far
more physical, but also unpredictably dangerous. Tonali worked hard, but his
magic was mostly restrained, bar a nice free kick that landed in the side
netting and earning a yellow card in stoppage time.
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| How many defenders does it take to stop Piatek? |
The biggest surprise was that in the battle of Donnarumma
vs. Donnarumma, Gigio seemed to neutralize Alfredo, with the help of a
Milan defense that was far superior to last week’s charlatans. We were lucky to
not see the Balotelli-led Brescia, but also lucky that last season’s capocannoniere
in Serie B was kept silent at the San Siro.
The match was physical, and parts of the second half were
not pretty. Castillejo got his foot stepped on, surprised it didn’t shatter
like a glass slipper. Piatek had a bloody nose, but that just made him angrier.
And Brescia didn’t like it when he was angry. For example, he had a point blank
shot that Jaronen absorbed with his body (probably going to bruise nicely,
too.) Then Paqueta had a gorgeous missile from distance that hit the post. Then
Piatek had another incredible shot, only to see Jaronen miraculously save it,
only confirmed by Goal Line Technology. The last 15 minutes were insane, Milan
had so many great chances, but had to settle for the one goal.
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| If Paquetá is "too Brazilian," then Borini is too Italian, and should therefore be shipped off immediately |
Going back to the beginning, where I repeated that Milan
began to attack, it really shows when the defense are playing well and we have
an actual midfield to speak of. Romagnoli, for example, completed 100 per cent
of his passes in the first half. Then you put Bennacer in front of him, and
suddenly our midfield isn’t a leaky boat ready to sink at any point. When
Giampaolo finally took the hint and brought on Piatek in the 60th, play
improved. Then he brought Paqueta on five minutes later, and play improved
again. All of a sudden, with ten of the 11 players who should have started plus
Castillejo, and most players playing at their positions, Milan were playing
attractive football. Funny how that works. And Giampaolo doesn't really have time for games and popularity contests. He needs every point, as Gattuso painfully learned last year. So start your best 11 in their natural positions wherever possible. Period.
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| "Get off my lawn!" |
But don’t tell Giampaolo. Play the opposite game. As we head
into this International break, tell him that Castillejo is going to win the
Ballon d’Or if he keeps starting, so don’t you dare give Leao any time. Tell
him that Borini should start above all else. Remind him that Paqueta barely
deserves to sit on the bench, and Piatek should never start again. Tell him
that in goal, it should be age before youth, and that Calhanoglu should always
play regista ahead of Bennacer, even when Biglia returns. That the 4-3-2-1 is
possibly the worst system ever for this team and should never be played again. Maybe
if we share the worst possible ideas with that grumpy old man, then he’ll
stubbornly make the right choices for us in the future. It’s all about the
reverse psychology.
This post inspired by the music of
Muse’s “Butterflies and Hurricanes”