Milan have been through a lot the past ten years, and there
never seems to be a dull moment. Despite trying to move forward, it seems like
we just can’t escape our past. Specifically, Galliani. This week, we face off
against two of Galliani’s marquee signings in goalkeeper Gabriel and striker
Gianluca Lapadula. Nothing is worse than facing off against some of Galliani’s
finest. And this coming after one of his biggest young signings ever, Hachim
Mastour, joined ol’ Yellow Tie in Serie C, signing for Reggiana this week, too.
It just never stops. And this match could just be Galliani’s revenge.
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| 38 saves in seven games, and he's conceded 15 - both more than Gigio |
Ahead of the international break, Lecce lost 3-1 away to
Atalanta. That left them in the relegation zone, in 18th place, with only six
points. For that match, Liverani lined up Gabriel; Rispoli, Lucioni,
Rossettini, Calderoni; Petriccione, Imbula, Majer; Mancosu; Falco, and La
Mantia. The newly promoted side may be without Majer and Imbula, who are both
in doubt due to fitness concerns as of this writing. But they have the power of
the Milan exes. Gabriel, for example, has made 38 saves, more than twice as
many as Gigio. And Lapadula has only made four starts and a substitution, but
has clearly been saving all of his goals for Milan.
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| Galliani's platinum signing is saving all of his goals for us |
Milan have a brand new signing in Pioli. Whereas his
predecessor, Giampaolo, insisted on his player playing with their heads up,
Pioli specifically said in his initial press conference that whether their
heads were up or down, they would win. I feel like those are good tactics,
personally. Especially that winning part.
It won’t be easy. Although Milan got away with a very
unconvincing win away to Genoa before the break, there has been much discussed
about Milan since then, and little of it positive. The guys look happy in
training, but if they have been paying attention to the media meltdown over Milan’s
finances, it could impact their mentality. As of this writing, Pioli
should have a full squad to choose from, although Caldara is still unlikely to
play, even if he has been back in training for about ten days. Castillejo and
Calabria are both suspended for this match, so good and bad news there, too.
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| Milan's new signing's got game |
Much has been discussed about what Pioli might do
differently to change the mentality and get better results this past two weeks.
But what people really should be talking about is Galliani’s gem signings in
Gabriel and Lapadula, and how this newer, better, and cheaper Milan side can
possibly beat them. After all, this one is definitely Galliani’s revenge.
This post inspired by the music of She
Wants Revenge’s “Tear You Apart”
Serie A Week 8
Milan vs. Lecce
Sunday, October 20
• 20:45 CEST (2:45pm EDT)
This match can be
streamed LIVE on ESPN+ in the U.S.