As if Milan fans weren’t frightened enough, we face more of
a trick than a treat in 19th placed SPAL on Thursday. They earned one of their
seven points on Sunday at the expense of Napoli. And with Pioli desperately
trying to stabilize Milan’s mentality, meanwhile Milan fans continue to heap
ten years of failure on the shoulders of this young team, this match could turn
into a frightfest. Happy SPAL-loween.
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| Petagna and friends: "We're here for 3 points and all of your candy!" |
Two years ago, SPAL, or Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor,
returned to Serie A after a 49 year absence. They finished 17th that year, and
managed to finish 13th last year. Unlike Milan’s bench, Leonardo Semplici has
coached the team for nearly five years, guiding them from the depths of Lega
Pro and welcoming reinforcements along the way, like former Milan megastars
Bartosz Salamon, Andrea Petagna, and Alberto Paloschi. Those three and the rest
of the players masquerading as underdogs will definitely be trick-or-treating
on Milan’s door at the San Siro on Thursday.
For the 1-1 draw that was like a victory against Napoli on
Sunday, Semplici lined up Berisha; Tomovic, Vicari, Igor; Strefezza, Missiroli,
Murgia, Kurtic, Reca; Paloschi, and Petagna. SPAL have assembled a halfway
decent team for a club that is fighting relegation at this point and for whom
midtable would feel like a championship. However, Semplici does have some
injuries, with D’Alessandro, Di Francesco, and Fares out longterm and Igor and
Kurtic in doubt for Thursday.
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| Remember this guy? One of Galliani's expensive 6 month specials. |
Pioli has nearly a full squad, with Rodriguez in doubt and
Caldara waiting for his 100 percent fitness clearance. However, Pioli is
battling a mentality monster that has been impacting the squad all season and
for part of last season. That mentality issue was directly responsible for the
loss in Rome on Sunday, with mistakes being so costly. Worse, he is fighting
against the comedy
of errors that is the Milan fanbase. Those who claim to support the
club have so much misplaced anger from years of failure and mismanagement, and
they are taking their aggression out on this young team and new management.
For people who look back to when Galliani sold Ibra and
Silva because he had purchased them without being able to afford their
salaries, being a Milan fan has just spiraled downward in terms of everything: management,
coaches, players, performances, and results. At that time, we asked for Maldini
to return. We wanted a young, talented squad. We wanted an owner with deep pockets.
And now we have all of those things.
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| Pioli: "What is that horrible stench over there?" "It's the Curva Sud, sir." |
Unfortunately, like a cancer, Milan fans have taken all of
those horrible experiences, lumped them into one entitled ball of anger, and
are hurling it at individual players, coaches, management, and the club in general.
They don’t seem to realize the impact of their abuse online and their in-stadium
protests. As in they are literally worsening the mentality issues that are
preventing the results we all want so desperately. Ironically, everything else
to finally actually rebuild Milan is actually happening, but the fans are now
the biggest obstacle to restoring the mentality, thus the performances, and the
much-needed results. Frightening.
There will be eleven players dressed up in Milan jerseys on
Thursday who will take the pitch and sweat blood for all of us. There will be a
decent coach with a sincere heart on the sidelines. Amongst management will be
our idols and Milan legends, Maldini and Boban. And then there will be some
people masquerading as Milan fans. Whether or not the real fans show up to
support their team remains to be seen. And whether or not they actually show
support instead of whistle players and protest with banners and hurl insults
online will likely determine whether Milan get a trick or a treat. It could be
a Milan win, or a happy SPAL-loween.
This post inspired by the Danny Elfman’s
“Nightmare Before Christmas” Soundtrack
Serie A Week 10
Milan vs. SPAL
Thursday, October
31 • 21:00 CET (4pm EDT*)
This match can be
streamed LIVE on ESPN+ in the U.S.
*European Sumer
Time has ended, but U.S. Daylight time is still ongoing